Welcome to the Ranch!

Our new hay barn.

Months ago I wrote an article, “A Dozer of a Day,” which told of our preparing for the site of the new hay barn.  I have been remiss in announcing the completion of the project.  We not only have a new hay barn on site, but it is filled with fresh hay for the up-coming winter.

With careful planning, the new hay barn at Cross Creek Cattle Company meets all of our needs.  The barn is huge!  It is has plenty of room for our hay.  We have filled it with round bales.  There is also room for our tractor implements.  The barn also has a covered area for our ranch truck and cattle trailer.  It is better for your equipment to be under cover.

In addition to plenty of room to keep our round bales of hay and ranch equipment, the construction of the barn was well-thought out.  It has vents at the top of the walls to let out the heat as it rises.  It is covered by three sides and has high gates on the fourth side, with which to deter any cow from trying to enter.  In other words, the barn is well-constructed and stout.  We are very happy with our hay barn.

In our horse barn, we have a feed/hay area, which is completely enclosed.  Square bales are stacked neatly and fill the whole room almost to the ceiling.  We are prepared for whatever winter throws at us this year.

A double stack of round bales.

Last year we had a very odd winter.  We had three snowfalls.  It froze almost every night for weeks.  We consider it a hard winter for our part of the United States.  This year we don’t know exactly what to expect.

However, there are signs in nature that you can observe.  First, check your animals’ coat.  Both our horses and cows are still slick.  They have not begun to grow a thick, winter coat.  Last year, we had never seen them get so hairy.  For this reason alone, we do not expect a very hard winter.

Obviously this is not a very scientific method at weather prediction, but how often are trained meteorologists actually correct?  Regardless of the winter that is coming, our livestock will have plenty of good hay to eat.  It is stored in covered barns and protected from the weather.

After all this extreme heat last month, I am personally welcoming a change in temperature.  Welcome autumn and come on winter!  We are ready for you.

Our new barn.

Horses play a big role here at Cross Creek Cattle Company.  First and foremost, we enjoy riding horses.  All of us ride even the smallest members of our family.

Isaac and Andrew, aged 3 and 2 respectively, ride in tandem saddles.  If you have not seen a tandem saddle, they are great.  The saddles are made out of a canvas material.  It is like a saddle and blanket in one.  They connect to a regular saddle and sit behind it.  It has a handle on which to hold much like a saddle horn.  You need great horses to ride in tandem as most horses will not like the feel of the second saddle.

My older children are all members of the Grimes County Jr. Deputy Sheriff Mounted Posse.  They each need their own horse.  They also enjoy riding on the ranch for pleasure.  My sons, Jake and Clayton, ride with a neighbor on our ranch almost every day.  They ride for hours.

Horses also help us work our cattle.  We believe that low-stress handling directly affects the quality of our grass fed beef; therefore, we use a sing-song cattle call to move the cattle from pasture to pasture.  A horse or two following behind the herd ensures that all the calves and stragglers move into the next pasture.

Utilizing horses as part of a low-stress management program works well for us.  It is also good for the horses.  They are allowed to work for us and they enjoy it.  Our horses are not just put out to pasture.  They have a purpose on our working ranch.

A horse stall.

For months we have been planning and preparing for our new barn to be built.  The task is complete.  We have a new barn on the ranch.  Its main purpose is to facilitate the needs of our horses.  We have a stall for each of our horses.  The stalls are custom built for each horse.  As some of our horses are larger than the average horse, we enlarged their stalls to give them a more comfortable place.

Our barn has a tack room and a feed room.  It has plenty of room for square bales of hay and some equipment.  One of the most exciting aspects of our barn pertains to our grass fed business.  At this time we only sell beef by the whole, half or quarter section.  We do not have the facilities to store beef and sell it by the cut here at the ranch.

Well, now that our barn is finished, we have the room.  With the addition of some deep freezers, we will in the near future have a store in which you can purchase beef by the cut.  It is exciting!

I will announce when we are open for business, but it will be months so don’t make plans this weekend to make the drive to the ranch for steaks.

We are proud of our new barn and the direction that our grass fed business is taking.  Our horses like it too.  Hopefully our grass fed beef customers will also share in our excitement.

This weekend is fast approaching.  From everyone at Cross Creek Cattle Company, “Happy Mother’s Day!”