Welcome to the Ranch!

There are fewer and fewer full-time ranch managers anymore.  It is a job description that encompasses many skills; it requires much more than being a cowboy.  So I thought I would interview the ranch manager of Cross Creek Cattle Company to give a better idea of what his job entails as well as tell you about the ranch.

Lane DeHaven

Lane DeHaven has been working for Cross Creek Cattle Company for four years.  He brought many skills to the ranch and has acquired many more through on-the-job training.  He is a husband and the father of five children.

What is your most challenging job as ranch manager?
I think it is like most jobs where your biggest challenge is keeping the boss happy.

As ranch manager, what are your main responsibilities?
I am in charge of pasture management, equipment management, managing cattle, managing horses, fence building and repair, and wildlife management.  There is always something to do.

Why did Cross Creek Cattle Company make the switch from traditional ranching to grass fed beef?
It was a family decision.  We saw a need for more healthy beef and wanted to enter this new and exciting market.  We have always enjoyed eating our own beef, and we thought we would extend that privilege to other families.

What is the biggest change for you as ranch manager since the switch?
I spend a lot more time out in the pastures.  I really have to watch the grass and rotate the herd accordingly.

In what ways, if any, is the ranch environmentally responsible?
Well, this is something near and dear to Mr. Holliday’s heart.  We created a wildlife refuge.  As mentioned previously, I really watch the grass in the pastures to ensure proper grazing which eliminates erosion.  We keep our waterways clean and uncontaminated.  We do not use antibiotics or hormones in our cattle.  This translates into healthier food for ourselves and our customers.

What is the biggest advantage to having your family live and work on a ranch?
There are so many advantages to this lifestyle.  We are able to provide our own food.  We raise other animals, have a garden, and of course raise grass fed beef.  But the absolute biggest reason and the reason that I continue being a ranch manager is that I get to see my family throughout the day.  It is so wonderful to work and play alongside my wife and children all day.

Are there any downsides to your job?
I enjoy being outdoors and doing physical labor.  For some, these would be the downsides.  However, I guess the downside for me is knowing that I will never be retiring a multi-millionaire.  I think it is much more important though to invest ones time in the things that matter like family.

What is your vision for Cross Creek Cattle Company in the future?
A bigger tractor would be nice.  Naw, I am just giving the owners a hard time.  Seriously, I would like to see this ranch more profitable and a leader in the grass fed beef industry.  I would like to see our grass fed beef sold by the cut to families, restaurants, and grocery stores.  Most of all, I would like to see the ranch continue to be family-owned business for generations to come.

There you have it.  The words of a full-time ranch manager who obviously holds his family and its business dear to his heart.  If you want to contact Mr. Lane DeHaven, click here.  If you would like to read about or order the grass fed beef that Lane serves his own family, click here.

We all know how important fresh drinking water is.  It is equally important to cows.  Cattle can smell water from miles away.  Typically they drink twice a day.  Each time a cow generally guzzles 12 gallons of water in one sitting.  We had one pasture on the ranch that had no supply of water.  Therefore when the cows were on this particular pasture, we had to open up a neighboring pasture for their water needs.

New water trough

As this was not an ideal situation, we carefully weighed our options.  One option was to dig a tank and wait for it to fill with rain water and run-off.  Since we are in a drought, this option was not suitable.  We did not want water next year; we needed it now.  Another option was to have a water well dug.  This option is the most expensive.  Having a water well installed costs about $6,000.00 depending on how far they have to dig to hit a good water table.  In addition you have to have electricity run to the pump.  All in all this was too expensive.  The last option was to lay water line from the nearby lake and install a pump to fill a water trough on the dry pasture.  Okay, sounds great, but how does one do that?

Well, you have to think like my husband, Lane, who is the ranch manager for Cross Creek Cattle Company.  He came up with the idea and thought all the steps through before purchasing the supplies.  If you have a similar problem on your ranch, you might want to really pay attention.

First he rented a trencher and used it to dig the water line from the lake to the desired spot for the water trough.  Unfortunately for Lane, the ground was like cement and even the trencher was put to the test digging through the hardened ground.  Then he decided where the pumping station was to be and laid the pipe from it in opposite directions.  One side going to the lake and the other to the trough.

The pumping station complete with solar battery charger.

Then Lane installed the pumping end into the lake.  First, he fitted a screen on the end of the pipe so that minnows, tadpoles, debris, etc. would be sucked up into the pump.  Then he extended the pipe about 15-20′ off of the shore and down deep onto the bottom.  He did not want anyone fishing, rowing, etc. breaking the tip of the pipe.  In addition he put a cinder block around the pipe end to help protect it even more.

Now he installed the round water trough in the most level place he could find.  Lane hooked up a faucet end that he will reinforce with bigger pipe and fill between the two pipes with sand.  This not only gives the pipe more strength, but the sand also acts as insulation when the temperature drops below freezing in the winter.

Lane then hooked the pump up to the battery, which is charged by solar energy.  He turned it on and looked for any leaks that might appear from the joints of the pipes.  Fortunately, there was none.  He filled in the trenches with dirt and packed them down with the tractor.  Meanwhile the pump is steadily sucking water out of the lake and filling the trough uphill and about 200′ away.

It did take some time for the water pump to build enough pressure to actually begin pumping the water.  But once it began, the water streamed through the pipes flawlessly.  Now the cattle will have plenty of fresh water on an otherwise dry pasture.  Ingenuity at its best right here on the ranch.  The supplies for this option cost relatively little.  The pump was $65.00.  The solar charger was $40.00.  The pipe and fittings were about $45.00.  The trough was $299.00.

Not only was this option the most inexpensive; it was the most practical option as well.  Lane did a great job.  I have to tell you, I was impressed with his ability.  I guess that it is a good thing when your husband never ceases to amaze you.

Yesterday, Lane and I had the pleasure of  giving a tour of the ranch to some prospective grassfed beef buyers.  We really enjoyed being able to show the herd, facilities, and pastures to this family.  Both the parents and their four children enjoyed themselves.

It is funny how you can live here most of your life, but it is not until someone comes to visit that you see your home in a different way.  You see it through the eyes of the guest.  You see the green pastures.  You see the lake and tanks filled with fresh water and fish.  You see the fat, docile cattle resting in the shade of tall pine trees.  You see the tall Bahia grass waiting for the blade of the cutter to make unfertilized hay bales for your cattle in the winter.  You see horses sleek and graceful in their pens waiting for you to stretch out your hand and rub their faces and necks.  You see your ranch and home as it is.

We love it here at Cross Creek Cattle Company.  If anyone has questions and/or concerns about show cows or grassfed beef, please feel free to contact us here.   If you would like to see the ranch and what we do, we will schedule a tour.    Our herd is raised on pasture grasses, water, and sunshine.  We raise beef the all-natural way.  Seeing is believing!  Consider this your invitation; here you can be our guest.

Kyla riding hands free.

All five of my children love to ride horses.  Because of their ages, the oldest three are much more accomplished riders.  As I watch them ride now, I am so proud of how far they have come since their first day of riding.  If you have ever seen a first-time rider sit the saddle, you know what I mean.  Riders that are stiff in the saddle.  Riders that hang on to the saddle horn and reins like their life depends on it.  In so doing, riders that are too rough on the horse’s mouth and/or send it mixed messages through the bit.

My children were not quite so rigid as I described.  I attribute this to the fact that they rode bareback for a month before sitting in a saddle, but even then you could hardly call them relaxed as they sat in the saddle.  Through the guidance of my father and his wife, my children have learned to move with the horse regardless of the gait.  While walking, they sit in pure relaxation.  While trotting, they post.  While loping, they sit relaxed, but alert.

Riding bareback really helped them learn to move with the horse.  There is nothing separating the rider from the horse; therefore, it is much easier to move as one.  Still there has to be a certain level of comfort and trust between the rider and the horse.  Groundwork really helps the two to get to know one another.  Longeing, round-penning, etc. are all methods to help develop trust and comfort as well as a sense of respect for each other.

Jake also riding without hands.

While riding my children also do some desensitizing exercises.  As they keep their horse moving, they are also leaning back and touching its hindquarters or leaning forward and patting its neck.  This exercise helps make the horse less sensitive to movement on its back while building confidence in the rider.  You want to ride a horse that you are not always worried will jump out from under you because you leaned to the side.

In the end all these exercises and techniques develop a partnership between the rider and his/her horse.  They become friends.  They both look forward to their next time together.  Now that my oldest children share this level of comfort with their own ability and their horse, I often hear, “Look, Ma, No hands!”