Earlier this week, we had some visitors. They were distant relatives, from Long Beach, California. They were mind blown at the idea that raising cattle was our business. They asked many questions, with genuine interest, but the question that stuck with me most was directed toward my dad.
“So what is your daily routine?”
Dad answered by saying, “Every day is different, but our seasons are routine.”
He kept it simple and started by explaining calving season, then breeding season, wheat harvest, wheat planting, weaning and shipping. He explained that there is always something to do on a ranch even between ‘seasons’. He said that some projects are big and some are small but whether it’s fixing fence, building corrals, keeping records, servicing equipment, feeding, gathering, branding or shipping cattle; there is always something to do. The visitors were only there for a short time, but I could tell that Dad would have loved to give this gentleman a ride the feed truck and share more of the beef story.
If there is anything that is a daily routine here on our ranch, it is taking care of the land. If you haven’t heard, today is Earth Day. It has been said several times that, everyday is Earth Day for cattlemen. I couldn’t agree more! After all, what other business do you know of that owns something for generations?
It wasn’t long ago, Charles, my 4-year-old, was walking with my mom, (She’s “Nan” to him.) as we followed a group of cows from a larger pen into the corral. Mom stopped, bent down and picked up a piece of wire. As any 4-year-old would do, Charles asked, “Why did you pick that up Nan?” My mom then explained that it’s a good idea to keep our pastures, cattle pens and corrals picked up and free of anything the might hurt the cattle or tear up our vehicles or equipment. Yes, it sounds simple, but what Charles learned that day has stuck with him. He always has a keen eye out for something to pick up ‘because Nan said it was a good idea’.
What Nan was also doing was laying the foundation to teach Charles to take care of what God has given us. For us, taking care of the land and our cattle, is taking care of God’s creation and we don’t take that lightly. Many times, caring for the land involves management plans that take years to fully implement and sometimes a large investment to make it all happen. With modern technologies available, we’re able to use genetics to produce cattle that gain more weight using less resources and use less fuel and seed by utilizing GPS on our farm equipment. On our ranch, today and everyday is Earth Day. And everyone is involved, no matter how large or small of a part you play.
What is your daily routine on the ranch? Dad did a wonderful job of answering the question, but the next time I get that question here’s how I’ll answer.
1) We take care of what we have been blessed with.
2) We make it better than it was when we got it.
3) We teach someone else to do #1 and #2.