Welcome to the Ranch!

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.

After an incredibly dry spring and summer, we are experiencing a very wet autumn.  It started raining, and it feels like it has not stopped.  As a rancher, I am not complaining.  We have to adjust to either drought or deluge.  Fortunately, nothing is flooding even after inches and inches of rainfall, which demonstrates how dry our land was.

Immediately following the first few inches of rain, the grass turned a deep and brilliant green color.  The pastures are beautiful.  Luckily through the drought, our pasture grasses did not dry up and die like many ranches in our area.  We count ourselves fortunate and thank God.  Our pastures fed the cattle, and will continue to feed them a little while longer.

Where the ground had cracked from extreme dryness, the soil is dark with moisture.  As the rain fell for days and days, the soil just soaked up the rain.  No rain even ran off.  The ground was like a huge sponge soaking up all the moisture it could get.  After even more rain, walking through the pastures at Cross Creek Cattle Company is like walking on supersaturated sponges.  “Squish, squish.”  The roads are also beginning to get muddy, but they are not impassable yet.

Now that the ground is saturated, the rain is beginning to run-off.  Our ponds and our lake are finally starting to fill up after lowering to worrisome levels.  I do not remember the water in the lake ever being that low before.  I am sure the fish are happier with more room to swim.  A good supply of fresh drinking water is critical for raising healthy cattle.

With rain, comes mosquitoes.  They are everywhere.  All the little eggs have hatched and the little mosquitoes are hungry for blood.  If you plan on spending any time out-of-doors, make sure you have something to repel the pests.

Despite the mosquitos, the rain has really freshened up the place.  It has washed away the dust from the county road that used to lay thick on the perimeter trees and bushes.  The pastures and trees alike are well-nourished.  The rain has also brought a coolness with it that broke the seemingly constant 100 degree streak we were having.  The air itself smells clean.  Because of the rain, it feels like there has been a rebirth of nature on the ranch.  We are seeing more wildlife out and about, even snakes.  Rain is good.  We are enjoying the fall season at Cross Creek Cattle Company.

When my family first moved to our ranch in the early 1980’s, the woods surrounding our home were practically empty.  The deer population was very small.  We had no feral hogs.  Even the squirrel population was down.  For years people had been poaching on our land.

Creating an environment where cattle and native wildlife could co-exist was very important to Kenton Holliday, my father.  He set to work immediately to remedy the problem.  First he built and/or repaired all the perimeter fencing as well as post ”No Hunting” signs.  These let others know that this was private property.  He surveyed our property finding a pool of natural spring water in the woods.  It is a beautiful and peaceful spot with thick brush surrounding a cool watering hole.  To encourage our existing wildlife to stay, he decided to completely let it be.  We began calling it the “wildlife refuge.”

In addition to the wildlife refuge, we have not clearcut any of our pastures.  There are buffer zones throughout the pastures of brush and trees which enable the native animals to feel more secure.  More buffer zones follow the creeks that cross our ranch.  Keeping these zones also helps with erosion.  The roots keep the soil from washing away in the creek.  We also keep our deer feeder filled with corn all year long.  The deer, birds, and squirrels enjoy the easy food.

As a result the deer population has grown considerably.  Kenton and Cathey enjoy seeing them at the feeder most mornings.  Kenton manages the buck population with responsible hunting.  In addition to the State of Texas’ hunting laws, Kenton has his own rules to ensure the population is healthy: not too sparse and not too heavy.  There has to be enough room and food for everyone.

Since we have lived on our ranch, the population of native animals has greatly multiplied including the return of several species.  In addition to deer, squirrels, and birds, we see raccoons, skunks, armadillos, roadrunners, snakes, red and grey foxes, bobcats, and coyotes to name a few.  We have two different panthers in the area.  We also have feral hogs.

While some of the species are a pleasure to host, others are less desirable.  Regardless, we are so excited to see the wildlife refuge working.  It is something near and dear to the hearts of us living on Cross Creek Cattle Company.