When life has you going crazy one of the best things I can recommend is to go stare at some cows. They remind us to breath, not do things too quick (most of the time), and have a sense of calm - and we could use about every ounce of calm we can get (ha!).
One of our lovely customers thoughtfully brought in some wonderful essential oils for us - one of which is called "stress away" - we basically smothered ourselves in the whole bottle.
When the topicals won't cut it though, the cows sure can.
They're growing right along - right as they should. We are anticipating signs of pregnant cattle - while we have our assumptions, we can't tell for sure just yet who may be carrying (we'll know more in the next few weeks). We're hopeful that Tonka has done his job, so that our herd can begin to self-sustain at a quantity that will support the demand for our ranch-raised, local beef.
The herd is still enjoying routine meals of spent brewer's grains from Corner Point Brewing Company, along with organic, locally grown hay, and vegetables from the local deli.
The brewery (Corner Point) will be releasing more Buckin' Beer (our collaboration beer) in the coming weeks! We appreciate the support shown for the local brewery making this beer so popular, and the engagement it creates for our ranch. We certainly appreciate a nice can of Buckin' Beer these days!
Our handful of Brahman cattle have been an interesting experience. We appreciate their unique features, and their size is great, however, there is a reason they are bred to be bucking bulls at the PBR! They definitely have the intimidation factor when they want to, but overall we think they will turn out to be a nice beef yield.
We are looking forward to more beef going out to customers in Spring of 2023, and the availability of individual cuts at the local deli that participates in feeding the cows, Badwolfe Butcher & Deli! Stay tuned for more news on this as the time gets closer! In the next month(ish), we are also anticipating the arrival of our newest herd member, Son of a Sinner, an adorable Texas Longhorn bull calf, from Murdock Farm in Massachusetts. He has a fantastic set of genetics, and we're thrilled to introduce him to our herd. He will be raised with the intent to be another breeding bull for us. This is a really fun phase for our herd - now that we have built it up with heifers and cows (females) we like, we can introduce more genetics that appeal to us, and grow our herd in a direction that is both suitable for beef and the potential for showing cows later, down the road.
Here he is with his Mama:
Our first calf, Jupiter, who was born this past August is doing very well. She is about as long as she is wide, and fluffy as can be! Here she is next to her Mama:
A very healthy calf for sure. Between Jupiter and our little longhorn, Roxie, Son of a Sinner will grow up with a nice set of cows his age.
I have been reminiscing a lot, about the thought that managing our beef program seemed like the largest thing I've ever had to figure out. Looking at where we are now, it makes our beef program feel easy breezy in many ways - perspective is everything.
I keep coming back to this sentiment - "nothing is un-figure-out-able". As much as our minds have been in a frenzy assuming our new business (which we love, but have a lot of ropes to learn), it can all be accomplished and understood, and figured out - as long as we take a few moments to stare at some cows, and just breathe. Nothing in life is so complicated it can't be figured out - we just need time and determination.
So - here is my early 2023 reminder that you can do anything you set your mind to, and when it all gets to be too much... go stare at some cows.
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