A Montana Ranch Week, One Week Before Christmas

What’s Happening at the Ranch

Last week, we were still sorting through the aftermath of the big steer escape.

This week? Winter showed up all at once.

So grab a cup of coffee and come to the ranch for 5 minutes. And if your Christmas card is late… now you know why!

❄️ From Rain to Blizzard Overnight

Last Friday and Saturday brought a full-blown Montana blizzard — 9 inches of heavy snow, strong wind, and ice underneath it all.

At lunch, it was 50 degrees and raining. By Saturday morning, it was 4 degrees, white everywhere, and slick as glass underneath.

Before the storm hit, we had a Chinook wind roll through, warm, dry, and fast. That should have warned us this was no ordinary storm.

It wasn't.

🎄 Moving the Cows to Their Christmas Pasture

Wednesday morning, during a break in the weather, we moved the cows into what we call their Christmas pasture.

This pasture is special.

We don’t graze it during the year — only for a couple of weeks around Christmas and New Year’s. It’s 80 acres close to the house, where we can keep a close eye on the cows through the holidays.

In the summer, our bees live here. At Christmastime, the cows do.

The grass is dormant and tall, a couple of feet high, giving them a place to hunker down in when the wind blows. Mixed in is new green regrowth from this fall. There’s plenty to graze, so no feeding is required.

And the water? That’s the part we’re especially proud of.

💧 Winter Water, Ranch-Style

There’s a big tire tank with a bleeder valve system that keeps everything open in sub-zero temperatures.

When the float shuts off, water continues to run through two small copper tubes, keeping the float from freezing. A longer tube keeps a drinking hole open, even in a Montana winter.

Good grass.
Open water.
Shelter from the wind.

That’s the goal.

🌬️ Then the Wind Came

We finished moving the cows in the rain… and then the wind hit. 80 miles per hour.

It snapped two power poles a mile down the road.
Peeled pieces off outbuildings.
Sent water tanks wandering.
And tipped over a 60-foot grain auger like it was a toy.

It was a miserable afternoon and a long night.

But that’s ranch life: you fix what you can, check the cattle again, and keep going.

🐂 A Little Extra for the Steers

Earlier in the week, we had developer pellets delivered for the steers, 11 tons in a feed truck.

Just another piece of the puzzle as winter settles in.

🥩 Trail Stick Update (Because You’ve Been Asking)

On the beef stick front: We received 190 Teriyaki Trail Sticks last week.

As of today? 👉 15 left.

Granite Health + Fitness sampled the Teriyaki sticks this week, and they were a hit. They added them to their regular order alongside Original and Jalapeño Cheese.

That’s always a good feeling, real food finding its place in real routines.