Welcome to the Ranch!

If you are a seasoned rancher or just beginning your ranching adventure, Texas A&M University holds a three-day short course for you.  It is almost always the first week of August, which I realize is late for you this year, but mark your calendars for next August.  This event is held on campus in College Station, Texas.

It is a great event in the ranching community that draws people from all over the world.  Dr. Jason Cleere, who grew up in the same area as we live, heads the whole course.  TAMU is known world-wide for its premiere agriculture and animal science programs and research.  At this short course, the university combines its knowledge and discoveries in various seminars with a trade show and social events.

The Beef Cattle Short Course is not only informative, but it is fun.  It is a way to meet and mingle with fellow ranchers and make contacts.  The trade show provides an opportunity to see and hear what is new in the cattle industry.

Last year, the short course actually told ranchers to not get involved with grass fed beef.  They claimed that it was a fad and was hurting the cattle industry.  My husband just rolled his eyes.  Sometimes it takes people a long time to accept change.

This year they put on an entire seminar explaining the differences between organic, all-natural, and grass fed beef.  A woman rancher spoke about her grass fed operation in Texas.  I think the tide has turned.  Perhaps, TAMU is seeing that consumers want an opportunity to purchase beef that is raised naturally on the range.  They want a healthier alternative to traditionally raised beef.  Maybe they realize that grass fed beef is not a fad, but here to stay.

Regardless of TAMU’s stance on grass fed beef, the Beef Cattle Short Course is a valuable tool for the modern-day rancher.  You learn a vast amount of information.  You take home an immense volume that includes all the slides and information from each seminar.  This way you get all the information and do not worry about missing something or choosing the wrong seminar to attend.

My husband said there were about 1300 ranchers in attendance.  If you are interested in attending the 2011 Beef Cattle Short Course, check out course’s website for all the information and the dates.  I will try my best to remind you in an article here on “Welcome to the Ranch.”

For years someone from Cross Creek Cattle Company has attended the short course.  We feel it is a small investment in our future.  We have been ranching for so long in our family, but there is always something new to learn.  The cattle market and industry change, and we like to keep abreast of the climate to better serve our ranch and, of course, our grass fed customers.  We highly recommend the three-day course for anyone interested in ranching.

A mama cow watching several calves.

Observing a herd of cattle is a great tool of ranchers.  You can learn a lot about the behavior of the herd and the behavior of the cows as individuals.

For example, there is always a lead cow.  A cow that is in charge.  As a rancher, your job is much easier when you figure out which animal is in charge of the herd.  Then you only have to be in charge of that cow.  The rest will follow.  We have trained our leader, Fatty, with a sing-song call.  We can be two pastures away and call, “C’mon cow, let’s go!”

Seconds later we will hear a “Moo.”  Then a minute later, we will hear a chorus of “Moos.”  Soon we will see the cows headed towards us with Fatty in the lead.

In addition to our leader, Fatty, our herd bull, Romeo, plays an important role.  His job is protector of the herd.  And, he takes it seriously.  Fortunately for us, our cattle are docile.  This is the main reason that we chose to raise Beefmasters, which are known for their good dispositions.

On cattle working day, we sort the calves from their mothers.  Then we run them in the chute to await their branding, de-horning, and in some cases castration.  Instead of grazing with the rest of the herd, Romeo stands on the other side of the pen watching his calves.

I have to be honest.  On occasion, his presence has been a little intimidating.  After all, he weighs about two thousand pounds.  He waits until the last calf has been worked.  As they are released back to the herd, he greets them with a reassuring nudge of his nose.  Only when his herd has been reunited, Romeo resumes grazing.

Another behavior that intrigues me is the way that cows baby-sit for each other.  Sometimes it is a new mother who is in charge of all the calves.  Sometimes they recruit or train an older heifer to watch the calves.  The cows have a system and they trade off responsibilities.

If you don’t believe me, simply spend some time observing cattle.  They don’t have to yours.  They don’t have to be on our ranch.  Cattle are cattle.  However, they do need to be a multi-generational herd.  In a pen of only calves, there will not be a baby-sitter.  But in the natural setting, cattle share these responsibilities.

This is what you will see.  The whole herd seems to be randomly grazing in a grassy pasture.  All the heads are down and they are steadily, but slowly eating their way through the grass.  A few cows might be full.  They have laid down together and are chewing their cud.  All the calves seem to be grazing together.  Or, they are tired of eating grass and are exercising and playing with head butts.

If you watch closely, there is one cow/older heifer in charge of these calves.  She keeps them together.  She is not grazing as steadily as the other cows.  She keeps her eyes on the calves.

Soon another cow stops grazing or stands up from her rest and walks over to a calf.  The calf runs to meet her.  They smell each other and the cow licks the calf on the forehead.  The calf goes straight to nursing.  Here comes another mama cow.  Soon all the calves are nursing.  When the calves are full, the mama cow will lick them down their necks and sometimes on their sides.  If it is a brand-new calf, she will lick the navel to clean it.

Then the mother leaves to resume grazing.  If it is her turn to baby-sit, then she stays and the prior baby-sitter is relieved of her post.  She can now graze steadily and fill her belly with confidence that her calf is being watched.

Cattle are smart creatures.  They are also interesting to study.  I have often marveled at the way they work together as a herd.  I am glad that Cross Creek Cattle Company raises cattle in the natural way.  I am not sure that these observations can be found when cattle are not raised naturally.  I personally think that it is the best way to raise cattle for the rancher’s sake and for the sake of the herd.

Yesterday I received a text message from my aunt.  It said, “Can you say global warming?”  As most of you are experiencing, an artic cold front is making about 60% of the mainland United States experience freezing temperatures.  The temperature outside is dropping steadily.  It is already well below freezing with a chance of sleet today and snow flurries tomorrow.  Temperatures are expected to be well below freezing for at least 48 hours.  We are not used to this kind of winter weather.

If we are not used to it, then neither are our animals.  We took extra special precautions yesterday by rounding up horse blankets.  Stores all over the area were selling them like hotcakes.  I personally had to call three different stores and have them hold blankets for us until one of us could make it to town.  Using our fingers to do the walking worked.  We were able to find enough blankets for all of our horses.

Some of the horses were not too enthused about having a blanket strapped around their body.  But, I bet they are thanking us later today.  It is rather awkward to wear a blanket.  Straps go in front of the chest, under the heart girth, and between their back legs.  The latter is the most strange to the horses.  They are not used to feeling straps around and between their legs.  Some of our horses rolled around on the ground trying to lose the blanket.  After several attempts at rubbing the blanket off, they gave up.

In addition to putting blankets on the horses and ensuring that they have plenty of fresh, unfrozen drinking water, we are also increasing the amount of feed they receive.  We expect them to shiver and shake, which burns more calories.  We are trying to account for this by providing them with more fuel for their bodies.

The cows are fine, but they are going through the hay at a much faster rate.  The best part of this time of year (and I say this sarcastically in light of our weather this week) is that it is calving season.  Usually this is not a bad time to be born in Southeast Texas.  The temperature is cool.  The fire ants are down in the ground.  In the dog days of summer, calves have to fight not only extremely high temperatures; fire ants can prove to be fierce predators.  They have been known to blind calves and occasionally even kill them in these parts.  Fortunately, Cross Creek Cattle Company has not lost any calves this way.

But I digress, this week will be unlike most winter weather patterns we experience.  This is not good when cows are having babies.  The calves can literally go into shock.  Think about it.  Calves have been happily enjoying living in an “oven” at about 103 degrees.  Suddenly they are pushed out, hit the ground, and it is 15 degrees.  Not only is their body having trouble adjusting to the rapid change in temperature, but the wind chill is in the single digits.  It can be a potentially dangerous situation for the health of the newborn calf.

What does this mean for my husband, the ranch manager?  It means keeping close watch over the herd.  It means being ready to intervene with blankets, colostrum, etc. as needed.  It means walking quite a distance in below freezing conditions off and on all day long for days.  He has to walk now because he almost got stuck this morning.  The rain that came before the front soaked the already saturated ground.  It means discomfort for the ranch manager.

As my dad always says when things on the ranch don’t go smoothly, “Welcome to the ranch!”  It is part of the life of a cowboy.  It is part of the life of anyone running a ranch.  The animals are our livelihood.  You have to take care of them regardless of the weather.  Thankfully, it will be 40 degrees again soon enough.  I don’t know how the ranchers do it in Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, or everywhere else where this weather pattern is the usual.

I just hope that everything does go well for us, our home, and our animals.  I will let you know.

Last night a big thunderstorm awoke us in the middle of the night.  I was waiting to hear the sound of a train whistle signaling a tornado.  The wind-driven rain was striking the house in all directions.  Luckily we escaped any major or minor damage, but the pastures are very muddy this morning.

I am proud to announce that Cross Creek Cattle Company has been named Cattle Ranch of the Week by Texas Born Texas Strong.  It is an honor to be profiled and showcased on this website.  We want to thank them for choosing our ranch.  Check it out and leave a comment, if you would.  The power of word of mouth is amazing.

As this year winds down and the holiday season is in full-swing, everyone at Cross Creek Cattle Company wishes each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  I will resume writing in January; until then,  have a great holiday season.

Our snowman last December.

While most of the United States of America is accustomed to snow in their winter weather forecast, it is a rarity in Southeast Texas.  We actually have a chance of this beautiful precipitation on Friday and Saturday.  Already this week it has snowed in El Paso, Lubbock, and Dallas.

Last year two weeks before Christmas it snowed.  It snowed hard during the evening hours.  My kids bundled up and went out in the darkness to play in the snow because we knew it probably would not last until the morning.  They built a 8 inch snowman and a extra large snowball.  They made snow angels on the trampoline.  As funny as this might sound to someone in Colorado, we had a blast.

Hopefully it will snow again this year at Cross Creek Cattle Company.  We don’t need it.  It is not a necessity; however, a little snowfall is good for the soul.  It brings the kid out of anyone regardless how old.  It brings a sense of quiet to the ranch as even the animals stop to admire the beauty of a falling snowflake.  They have no idea what it is, but they know it is special.

When we have a winter blast of cold weather, we do have to take precautions for our animals.  We put the cows on a pasture with a wind block to the North.  Usually a solid, thick portion of a wooded pasture helps block out the bitter, cold wind.  Sometimes it is the dam on the lake.  Whatever the form of the wind block, we make sure that our cattle are as warm as possible.  We also give them plenty of hay as the grass in the pastures are gone until spring.

We have a very old horse named Ladd.  He starts shivering at 50 degrees; therefore, he wears a horse blanket when the temperatures dip.  The blanket does a great job holding in his body heat.  Ladd quite enjoys his occasional winter outfit.

Of course if it does freeze, our main concern is water.  We have to ensure that all of our animals have access to fresh drinking water.  When I was a child living on this ranch, I raised animals for 4-H.  I remember many mornings before the sun rose above the horizon that I was outside with a flashlight breaking the ice off of the top of the water troughs.

Winters here at the ranch are typically mild, which is great for our cattle and horses. They do not have to endure long freezing cold winters.  However this weekend we wait with anticipation to see if we will receive any snow.

Andrew DeHaven

John Wayne starred in a movie titled, “Cowboys,” in which a group of young boys become men.  They did not grow much older on the trail, but they did come of age.  By being entrusted with responsibility, each boy developed a great work ethic.  Each boy returned home a different person as the trials of life shaped them into men.

I personally think that our society is full of overgrown boys.  Men-sized boys who are more interested in self-gratification and the here and now without the vision to see into their future.  I see this problem not only with males, but with females as well.  Few seem to look long-term.  We, as a society, seem very short-sighted.

I also think that this problem permeates all areas of life.  Parents seem to wait expectantly for the time when their children finally leave home.  They are tired of having to provide for them, clean up their mistakes, etc.  I do not think that our society places enough emphasis on how important ones job as a parent is.  In fact we seem to demean anyone who makes financial sacrifices as they dedicate their lives to their family.  How many times have you heard or said yourself, “Oh, I am just a mom (dad).”

Isaac DeHaven

We are a little old-fashioned at Cross Creek Cattle Company.  And, that is just fine with us.  We purposely spend a lot of time together as a family.  Not just our immediate family, but our extended family as well.  We invest our time, talents, and energy to operate a cattle and horse ranch in the 21st century.  It is not for the money.  Ranches do not make the money they once did.  We do it for the love of it.  We love working together to accomplish something.  We love having a common purpose.  We love the work ethic it takes to run the ranch.  It surely does not run itself.

As a mom, I want my four sons and daughter to grow up with a vision.  To grow into their adult bodies, wise beyond their years.  I want them to experience life and learn from it.  I want them to know responsibility.  I want them to be prepared to be able to survive on their own.  I look forward to the day when they leave of their own accord to make their own mark on the world, as men and women in the true sense of the word.

Therefore, it is no accident that when we worked cows this morning that all of our kids were there.  Jake helped Lane sort the calves.  Clayton and I worked different gates.  Kyla watched the “babies” Isaac and Andrew in the barn where they still felt part of the action.

When I deemed it perfectly safe, I allowed the two boys to come into the round pen and stand on the catwalk adjacent to the chute.  We needed to load calves to take to the sale.  Each boy had a cow working stick like everyone else.  Isaac could barely see the calves over the protective wooden wall of the chute, but he smiled as he yelled, “Get on outta here cows!  Yah!”

His smile said everything.  He felt a part of the team.  He helped load the cows.  He cannot wait until we have to work together again.  Even Andrew, who just sat on the catwalk holding a stick, said, “Yah, cow!  Yah, cow!”  At three years and nineteen months of age, my little boys are becoming cowboys, who will one day become men.

This is the last installment of the Horsemanship Camp series.  The ranch sent my three oldest to the Texas Charm School and Cowboy College. Cody Johansson runs the camp.  Her goal is to empower youth with horsemanship.  I know that all three of my children gained knowledge, skills, and confidence.  They had five great days at her place in Field Store, Texas.

Today Clayton, my thirteen year old, will be demonstrating longeing and the human currycomb.  Clayton is becoming an accomplished rider, but has learned that ground work is just as important.  He enjoys working with his horse, Roxie, at the ranch.

I hope you enjoy watching him work with a horse named Mike.

This week is Jake’s turn to show off the skills and knowledge that he acquired at Texas Charm School and Cowboy College.  It is located in Field Store, Texas and operated by Cody Johansson.  Jake fell in love with her pony named Boudreaux.  He said, “It feels great to be as tall as a horse.”

If you read the articles from this blog, then you already probably feel that you know Jake.  He is a cowboy through and through.  Jake is eight years old now and going into the 3rd grade.  He is happiest when he is outside doing something with his hands.  Horses have been a great outlet for him.  He has to learn to be relatively calm and quiet around the barn, which is slightly difficult for boys his age.  He also has to be focused.

I hope you enjoy watching Jake with Boudreaux.  I think that you will see how much Jake enjoys being with this pony.

Cross Creek Cattle Company sent my three oldest children to Texas Charm School and Cowboy College last week.  The instructor is Cody Johansson, who wants to empower children through horsemanship.  My children had a great time and learned a lot about horses.  For the next three weeks, I will be posting a video of each of my children as they showcase what they learned at camp.  Ladies are first, so here is Kyla.

Kyla just turned ten years old last week.  She loves horses and has been working with them seriously for a little over a year.  Kyla attended the horsemanship camp hoping to gain more confidence working with such big, powerful animals.  I think that as you watch the video there will be no doubt that she is confident.  Enjoy!

Last week I described the performance that the Grimes County Jr. Deputy Sheriff’s Mounted Posse was practicing for the grand entry of two rodeos.  They did a great job representing the county at the rodeos.  At the last minute, the Posse had to change their ending song from the “Star-Spangled Banner” to the “Grand Ole Flag.”  Apparently the professional drill team that followed our performance were already using the national anthem.

Kyla and Jake ride in first holding the Texas and American flags.  They ride into position and hold it while other team members ride their horses in different drill patterns.  Clayton is riding a black and white paint mare.  Together they made a great pair and are relatively easy to spot.

I just thought that ya’ll would like to see the performance for yourselves.  Enjoy the video!