Category: The Ranch

Today was semi-annual chicken coop cleaning day. It's one of those things that I keep waiting and see if it will do itself. It never does, and then the <a href="http://www.mea-mft.org/" target="_blank">MEA</a> (Montana Education Association) Convention comes around and makes me think of chicken excrement so I clean the coop. As much as I like…

We took the new horses out for a spin yesterday. Boy are they sweet. Beau and Danny both have shorter backs than I am used to but It can be gotten used to. It just feels funny. I had to laugh. We got done riding and the hired man sniffed at his horse and said,…

During the <a href="http://bigskyblog.com/index.php?p=103" target="_blank">NILE</a> every year there is a really good horse sale. The horses are very carefully screened and very few are selected and the quality is usually very high. If you are looking for something other than "trader horses" it's where I like to go. Make a little money on calves, spend…

Let's see, what's been happening around the ranch. Since the calves were weaned we have been busy with quite a few odds and ends. To start with some of the hay finally has started to arrive. There must be around 100 tons in, of the 800 I bought, and more coming in almost daily. In…

Earlier this week Ed posted <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.com/blog/citylights/index.php?p=628">Peace and quiet, city style</a>, in which he mentioned his foray "at a ranch near Livingston." I read that and I figured he had been at the Mission Ranch. Sure enough, that is what the <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.com//index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/10/10/build/state/35-making-it-pay.inc">story</a> is about. My knowdledge of the Mission ranch? It was my grandpa's…

Okay, common rant with me but here it is again. I HATE FARMING. I would rather be fixing fence or <a href="http://www.nowherethoughts.net/pics/corral10042004.jpg" onclick="window.open('http://www.nowherethoughts.net/pics/corral10042004.jpg','popup','width=770,height=420,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false">rebuilding corral</a> that was destroyed while weaning, or going to Billings, or just about anything other than ride <a href="http://www.nowherethoughts.net/pics/tractor1042004.jpg" onclick="window.open('http://www.nowherethoughts.net/pics/tractor1042004.jpg','popup','width=660,height=350,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false">this cantankerous</a> critter around the field. I rode it…

Yesterday was another pretty exhausting day. We worked all the cows, over 500 head, and then trailed them out to a different pasture. <br />n<br />nWorking them involves corralling them again, giving them their yearly VD and immunization shots and pouring them for worms and grubs. They in turn decided to test the integrity of…

I was too exhausted last night to post this, in fact I didn't even watch the dual press conferences last night, so heres an update. For those that don't know shipping is a rancher's payday because it's when he sells the majority of their calves. Yesterday 210 steers went down the road, they weighed an…