One More Payment And It's Mine
🎵 "One more payment and it's mine..."
And no, we didn't sneak off to another concert this week.
This time it was the tractor.
Seven years ago, we made a pretty big decision.
We had three old tractors. And when I say old, I mean 40 years old.
They had fed cows, moved hay, pushed snow, and showed up every day. But we needed something that fit where the ranch was headed.
So we sold those three tractors and bought one used tractor. It was three years old then.
Today it's ten. And this week, we made the last payment.
It's finally ours. I have to admit that it felt pretty good.
Around here, a tractor isn't just a tractor.
It's how hay and windbreak panels get moved, back scratchers, and mineral feeders.
It's how cows get fed when the snow is blowing, and everything still needs to be taken care of.
It's one of those behind-the-scenes things that keeps a ranch going.
The calves, green grass, and sunsets usually get the pictures.
But ranching is also made up of a lot of ordinary days. A lot of decisions. And sometimes a lot of patience.
Speaking of patience, we finally got some rain. June 13th was our 90-day fog storm from March.
And sure enough, the rain came. We ended up with .8 inches. It did help everyone's attitude.
Was it enough to bring back our hay crop? No.
But every drop on this Montana prairie matters.
And our bees had a change of plans this week.
The bees came here ready to work the alfalfa.
But between the dry spring and the freeze, there just wasn't enough for them this year.
It didn't matter what our plan was. They need flowers.
So Pol came, loaded them up, and took them to where they needed to go next.
Agriculture is all connected. Cattle. Grass. Bees. Weather.
Sometimes the plan you start with isn't the plan you finish with.
And speaking of bees, I've been working on some of our honey from last year's harvest.
If you've ever had real honey crystallize, don't throw it away. It didn't go bad.
Raw honey just needs to be treated a little differently than most honey sitting on a store shelf.
A little warmth.
A little patience.
And it's right back where it should be.
That honey is something we love sharing with our T Bar J families.
A little extra taste of the ranch.
Now speaking of someone else with her own plan. B444.
Apparently, she did not write down the same due date I did.
We are down to our last two cows left to calve.
Her milk bag is filling.
She's getting closer.
But like always, the cow gets the final vote.
And while we are waiting on one calf, another one is keeping us humble.
This little bull calf decided getting an ear tag was not on his schedule.
And I couldn't catch him!
Sometimes calves have plans too.
Usually, their plans involve making us change ours.
We also took our last group of summer beef steers to the butcher this week.
Those beef shares will soon be headed to families.
We are getting ready for our Wyoming and Colorado delivery trip.
It's always one of our favorite things getting to see the families who trust us to raise their beef.
If you'd like your family added to our fall delivery list, now is a good time to make your plan.
Whether that's starting with a 1/8 beef share or filling the freezer for the months ahead, we'd love to help you find what fits.
Reserve Your Fall Beef Share Here
Before we go...
Happy Father's Day to all the dads. The ones fixing things. Teaching kids. Showing up. Doing the quiet jobs that sometimes nobody sees. We sure appreciate you.
Thanks for riding along with us this week.
If you're new here, welcome to the T Bar J.
We're glad you found this little piece of Montana.
P.S. We shipped more beef sticks this week and received a 5-star review from Margaret, in Texas, that sure made our day.
Excellent.
Excellent meat sticks- I will definitely order again. Thank you for the samples too- I appreciate your thoughtfulness!
Good beef. Raised here.
Ready for wherever the summer takes you.
