Welcome to the Ranch!

Summer is in full swing here at Cross Creek Cattle Company.  The daily temperatures are hitting in the mid-90s and staying above 70 degrees during the night.  This is prime grass growing time.

With the new growth of our grass, the herd is on a strict pasture rotation now.  We are in the midst of our time-intensive pasture management.  It is time-intensive in that we check the pastures two times a day.  We are interested in the condition of the grass.  We also look for worn areas in our pastures.  We want to move the cattle before they erode any of our pasture land.

We make sure that the herd has access to plenty of good water. Cows drink surprisingly amounts of water in one sitting.  In this heat, full-grown cows drink about 25 gallons of water a day.  Times that by the head that you are raising and that comes to a high number of gallons necessary to support your cattle.

We use natural ponds as reliable sources of water.  We also utilize well water in one of our pastures.  In another, we pump water out of our largest watering hole into a large water trough using solar energy.  To read how my husband set that system up, read my article, “Watering Your Herd on a Dry Pasture.”

As long as the rain continues to fall, we will be sitting pretty on lush green fields.  I hope that we do not suffer from another drought.  Two consecutive years of drought would be devastating to Texas ranchers.  We did better than could be expected last year.  In fact, Cross Creek Cattle Company was blessed with fat cows and green grass.

While other ranchers in our area were feeding hay to their herds during the summer months, we did not.  I attribute it to many things.  First, we prayed specifically for fat cows and green grass.  To understand this statement better, read my article from Texas Homesteader called, “Pray More Effectively.“  Additionally, we adhere to strict pasture rotation.  These are the two things that we credit our success last year.  God-willing, we will be blessed with plenty of good rain, fat cows, and green grass this summer.

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.

Angus in the snow.

I could not believe the weather forecast early this week.  Meteorologists were predicting snow.  They were not just saying that there was a chance of snow, but they were predicting anywhere from 2-6 inches of accumulated snow.  It was hard to believe.

We already received snow on December 4th, which was the earliest recorded snowfall in our area.  Then not too long ago, we awoke to find a light dusting of snow had fallen overnight.  This winter has been one of the coldest winters in over the last decade.  We don’t know what to think.

It began raining mid-morning on Tuesday.  Before we knew it, the temperatures began falling and so did sleet.  About 1:30, the first flakes intermingled with the rain and sleet.  It was a real messy mix of precipitation.

The view from the dam.

I decided to stay home instead of traveling to College Station to drop my children off at violin lessons and dance class.  I am glad that I did.  The rain and sleet dissipated as the snow fell heavily.  I have not seen snow like this since my family skied in Colorado.  It was amazing.

Something magical happens when it snows.  There is silence as everything seems to quietly enjoy the beauty of the fallen snow.  Our horses did not mind the snow.  They were dressed warmly in their horse blankets.  I think that they enjoyed the change in scenery.

The cows stayed in the woods.  They enjoyed staying under the natural cover of the evergreen branches.  By the end of the night even the pine trees were covered with snow as if someone lightly flocked them.

The deer were moving at dusk as usual.  Watching a herd of seven does cross the county road, leap across our fence line, and amble across one of our pastures was a beautiful sight.  My husband saw a grey fox earlier that morning in the same pasture.  Our family takes great pleasure in co-existing with wildlife.

Cross Creek Cattle Company is a great place to live any time of the year.  Each season brings about different activities.  Because snow is such an uncommon occurrence here, we tried to enjoy it as much as possible.  The inscription on the James Farley Post Office in New York reads, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers of the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

The ranch could have a similar motto, too.  Regardless of the weather, a rancher must take care of the animals.  The herd has to be checked.  The horses need to be fed.  Hay has to be put out to both in the winter.  Ranchers never get the day off.  There is always something that needs to be done.  It just goes with the territory.