Welcome to the Ranch!

In the grass fed business, being able to weigh our cattle is important. We decide if an animal is ready to be harvested based on they way it looks as well as how much it weighs. We have cattle scales under our squeeze chute, which has been used for countless years at Cross Creek Cattle Company. The years had not been so kind and had begun to take its toil on our equipment.

Rust eats away at metal. My husband had already tried fixing the floor of the chute without unbolting it from its concrete slab, lifting it away from our working pens, and welding a new and improved floor. Well, his floor worked for a year, but it was only temporary. We eventually had to take the aforementioned steps in order to truly repair the chute.

It was difficult just getting the chute to my husband’s shop where he could begin the repair process. Once there, he involved our two oldest sons. They removed the floor, surveyed the damage, made a list of things to buy, and set out to make a brand-new, heavy duty bottom.

Jake was very excited about learning to weld as it is an interest of his. He would coax me out to the shop in order to show me which welds were his. I, of course, praised him immensely. Once they had replaced all the rotten pieces and reinforced the floor, Clayton began painting the metal with rust-resistant paint.

I enjoyed seeing my men working together for a common purpose. They are proud of their work as they should be. They did a great job. The chute is back in its place and ready to work for us. Hopefully, it won’t need more repairs for decades to come.

Being a ranch manager entails more than overseeing cattle graze in green grass. At times, you are a mechanic when the tractor breaks down. Sometimes, you are like a veterinarian caring for an injured animal. Other times, you use your skills of construction to build needed items like a pier, barn, or fence. Times like this one, you have to be the resident welder. It is a profession that never gets old or boring. There is always something to do.