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| Thanks for the nice comments on pics. These pics were a few years old, so the kids are quite a bit bigger now. We usually try to start branding Easter weekend every year. With 6 ranches having cattle in this herd, everybody has extended family that comes and helps plus good friends that live or have lived in the valley at sometime. The cook plans on feeding 80 + people dutch oven the first branding. That's not to say he likes that many mouths to feed, so it's better to slip him a bottle of brandy every once and a while! LOL Well after the first weekend the numbers drop down to maybe 50 people. Sure is nice to have all that young help that is full of energy, so there gets to be a little horseplay as the day goes on. Then when we are done there, we all go home and brand smaller bunches at home. So by the end of the day those kids are tired.
One thing that I've noticed over the years is that any kids that are involved in livestock, animals never seem to get in real trouble. Seem as they are well adjusted in life. I love to see kids have the interest in farm life. Plus it provides a interaction with our lifestyle if they are living in town and removed from farm. It helps get our story out that grazing, livestock, etc. is good for the environment.
The reason we still try to keep to some of the old ways, is because it is the only way to cost effectively work these cattle where we run in the open together. The old tradition used to be going on rodear in the spring, the cowboys would ride and follow the cook wagon a horseback for a month or so trailing back into Idaho. The cook even has the old cook box out of the wagon he keeps supplies in to cook with. Now with stock trailers, its just a few minutes and your home. | |
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Amsunshine, here is how we do it here in the spring....
