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Is It
That Romantic?
(new!)
"Most of us have watched Western movies and seen many
episodes of TV Westerns where the heroes are seen doing
little except riding horses all day long. And the adventures
I chronicle in the book Ain't This Romantic likewise focus
on horses. But most people have a romantic idea
about ranch life that isn't based on reality."
Click for more... |
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Ranch Hand Job Description
(new!)
"Calving – March, April - Daily feeding
- Make sure all cows and calves eat and drink
every day - Check cattle - every 2 hours from
daylight until dark - once during the night –
more if storming - Be sure that every calf is
fed and dry as soon as practicable."
Click for
more... |
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Branding
101
"In the large acreages of the west, branding is a
necessary part of cattle management. It is impossible to
keep all of the livestock within the fences all of the time.
The pastures are often miles from home, and it may be weeks
between checks of the cattle. There are usually mountains
and valleys, trees and brush for the cattle to hide in.
Livestock can disappear for months - branding provides a
"return address" for cattle and horses."
Click for more... |
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Intro
to Calving
"To understand my life you must understand calving, as
calving season is the peak season in a ranch cowboy's life."
Click for
more... |
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Branding
101
"In the large acreages of the west, branding is a
necessary part of cattle management. It is impossible to
keep all of the livestock within the fences all of the time.
The pastures are often miles from home, and it may be weeks
between checks of the cattle. There are usually mountains
and valleys, trees and brush for the cattle to hide in.
Livestock can disappear for months - branding provides a
"return address" for cattle and horses."
Click for more... |
|
●
Intro
to Calving
"To understand my life you must understand calving, as
calving season is the peak season in a ranch cowboy's life."
Click here for
more... |
|
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Cutting Pairs
"The primary type of ranch found in
Montana is the cow-calf operation. Calves are generally born
in the spring and sold in the fall, when they are shipped to
feedlots in the Midwest to be fattened for beef. There are
numerous occasions during the year when cattle must be
sorted, and it is essential that the cow and her calf are
not separated." Click here
for more... |
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Feeding
Cows 101
"The grass in Montana is some of the best in the world.
Cattle grow quickly through the summer, and gains are cheap.
In fact, the whole romantic idea of cowboys and cattle
drives began with trailing herds of cattle up from Texas
into the rich prairie grasslands to fatten through the
summer before being shipped by rail to markets in the east."
Click here for
more... |
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Roping 101
"I
do like to rope. Unlike most western riders, my
lariat is not hanging on my saddle as a decoration – it gets
used. (See “Bull-Roping” from the book
Ain’t This
Romantic.)" Click here for
more... |
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The Economics of Ranching
"Ranching is easy – right? All you have to do is watch the
cows eat grass and make you money. Wrong! Many people
dream of doing it, and if it was that easy
everyone would be doing it. So let’s take a look at
the economics of raising cattle and see why all ranchers
aren’t driving Cadillacs."
Click here for
more... |