The Bull With The Broken Ear Had To Move
This week required a pencil and a good eraser.
So if you have yours handy, bring it along.
You can help us figure out the T Bar J grazing rotation.
There is one thing ranching teaches a person over and over again.
You can make a plan.
But sometimes, you have to change the plan.
And that was this week at the T Bar J.
Last Friday, our crop adjuster came to look at our alfalfa.
Between the dry spring and the hard freeze, the decision was made.
It was too short to cut for hay.
Not the news we wanted, but that doesn't mean it goes to waste.
It means the plan changes.
The cows get to graze it instead.
Same field.
Different purpose.
That's ranching sometimes.
But before the cows and calves could move into the alfalfa, there was one little problem.
The boys were in the way.
Meet Gamechanger.
He's one of our bulls.
And if you think he looks like he might have a little attitude, you wouldn't be wrong.
A couple of years ago, when we took the bulls to the vet for their breeding soundness exams, I asked her to look at his ear.
It had started hanging funny, and I wondered if he had an infection.
She checked it out and said, "No infection."
Then she asked: "Does he fight much?"
My answer? "Every chance he gets."
Turns out, he had broken the cartilage in his ear.
Apparently, even his ear lost an argument.
The thing about bulls is they have a rule:
New pasture.
New pecking order.
And trying to walk bulls three miles, through five pastures, while they stop to decide who's boss, well, that didn't sound like the best plan.
So we changed it.
We brought them home, split them up, and hauled them to their new pasture in two loads.
And you know what happened when the second trailer load showed up?
Apparently, everyone forgot they already knew each other.
New pasture.
New introductions.
New discussion about who was in charge.
Bulls will be bulls.
Thankfully, they got it figured out, and now they're settled into their new man cave, with plenty of miles between them and the cows.
That's how everyone is happiest, especially us.
Then it was time to get ready for the cows.
Now cows are really good at a lot of things.
Making a winter feed plan is not one of them.
Budgeting grass is not one of them.
If we opened the whole field, they would pick their favorite spots first.
So we use an electric fence and give them slices.
Enough for today. Saving some for tomorrow. Whether it's grass, hay, or beef in the freezer, having a plan matters.
And speaking of plans changing, remember the twins?
Here they are a month later.
Their mom is 13 years old and part of our old cow group now.
She's done her job for a lot of years, so she gets an easier summer close to home.
And she's doing a pretty good job with these two.
We also took our second group of summer steers to the butcher this week.
Those beef shares are already spoken for, and I have called those families to line up delivery.
Meanwhile, the third group of steers will go next week.
The last two groups of steers are here at the ranch, growing for fall deliveries.
So if your freezer is getting low, now is the time to start making your plan.
👉 Reserve Your Fall Beef Share Here
Thanks for riding along this week.
If you're new, welcome to the T Bar J. We are glad you found us in these prairies of Montana.
If you come back every week to help keep an eye on the cows, calves, bulls, badgers, and those naughty replacement heifers, we're sure glad you're here.
P.S. Father's Day is almost here. If Dad is hard to shop for, maybe he just needs his own flavor.
Original, Jalapeño, Ghost Pepper... or somewhere in between.
We can ship T Bar J Ranch Beef Sticks right to him with your note tucked inside.
