40 Years, a Little Rain, and a Whole Lot of Plans

So, how was your week?

 

Around here, this one had a little bit of everything.

 

Some celebrating.
Some problem solving.
And a whole lot of adjusting plans.

 

Pull up a chair and ride along.

 

Sunday marked 40 years.

 

Forty years since Al and I said, "I do."

 

And how did we celebrate?

 

Well...

 

First we checked the cows. 

 

Because apparently cows don't check the calendar.

 

Then Tuesday, we headed to see the Marshall Tucker Band.

 

Do you remember Fire on the Mountain?

 

There was plenty of gray hair, some missing hair, and a few wrinkles in the crowd... including ours.

 

But it sure was fun.

 

And after 40 years, one thing ranching has taught us is this: You better have a plan.

 

This week, we moved the older cows closer to home.

 

They've raised a lot of calves over the years, and this will be their last one.

 

They won't be bred again, but they have earned an easier summer.

 

We'll keep them where we can watch them, make sure they have plenty to eat, and give them extra feed if they need it.

 

They've taken care of us.

 

Now it's our turn to take care of them.

 

This old cow is 13 years old and surprised us with twins this year.

 

Quite a feat at her age.

 

She has spent her life raising calves here, and she deserves a little extra care now.

 

All the calves are doing great, and I'm happy to report we are caught up on tagging.

 

And around here, that matters.

 

Catching the calves is my job.

 

But there is a small window of opportunity.

 

When they're only a day or two old, I can usually get them caught and hold them while Al tags them. Then it's right back with Mom.

 

Wait too long?

 

It's not pretty; let's just say those calves figure out what their legs are for pretty quickly. 

 

At that point, they can outrun me — and they know it.

 

We only have 10 cows left to calve now, so the busy part of calving season is winding down.

 

These last few calves will just wander in when they're ready.

 

 

The first summer harvest of steers headed to the butcher this week.

 

10 steers averaged a little over 1200 pounds.

 

Right where we wanted them.

 

These are the beef shares families reserved months ago, and we'll start lining up deliveries right before the 4th of July.

 

The next 2 groups for summer delivery are already reserved, but we have 2 more groups of steers here at the ranch, eating and growing for our fall beef deliveries. 

 

So if filling your freezer with beef is part of your family's plan this fall, now is a good time to start thinking ahead.

 

And then there is the part of ranching that's not quite as fun.

 

The weather.

 

We finally got some rain, and we are grateful.

 

But between the warm winter, dry spring, and the hard freeze, our alfalfa took a hit.

 

400 acres we normally cut for winter feed won't make hay this year.

 

There's an old saying:

 

"We owe everything to six inches of topsoil and the fact that it rains."

 

 

And this year... the rain has been hard to come by.

 

But this is where having a plan matters.

 

We keep extra hay.

 

We save grass.

 

We think about winter before winter gets here.

 

Our grazing plan will adjust.

 

The cows will graze the alfalfa instead.

 

We'll save as much grass as possible for later.

 

It doesn't mean everything goes perfectly.

 

It just means we're ready to adjust.

 

That's ranching.

 

Take care of what you can, prepare for what you can't, and keep moving forward.

 

And honestly, that's why we talk so much about having a plan for your family's food too.

 

Whether it's beef sticks in the pickup... a few bundles in the freezer... or a beef share ready for winter meals... having something set aside sure feels good when you need it.

 

Thanks for showing up and riding along. We appreciate our ranch family more than you know.

 

If you're new here, welcome to the T Bar J.

 

If you've been here through droughts, calves, concerts, meatloaf, and everything in between.

 

P.S: Beef sticks are shipping now while we wait for summer beef deliveries to begin.

 

If you reserved a summer beef share, I'll be calling soon to line everything up.

 

Your beef is getting closer. 

 

And if your family's plan includes a freezer full of beef this fall, reservations are open.