Category: Ranch Slants
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Calving Season Survival Checklist
Prior to calving season, my husband always inventories calving supplies that we need to buy or find. Having everything on hand avoids the stress of discovering in the middle of the night that we don’t have what we need. His checklist includes mostly items like mineral supplements, veterinary, and doctoring supplies, but he tends to…
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Eighth Wonder of the World
Most people aren’t aware that South Dakota has two wonders of the world; Mount Rushmore and our Herford cow Annabelle the eighth wonder of the world. A neighboring rancher told my husband once that a Hereford cow that doesn’t get pinkeye or sunburned udders and doesn’t prolapse is the eighth wonder of the world. Hereford…
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Dreaming of Sleep
Of all of the dreams I want to come true, my current one is that of sleep. When calves showed up in freezing temperatures my husband and I started cow checking at night more consistently. Night checks that can take up to three hours if there are problems have left my husband and I sleep…
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Who’s Running the Show?
Calving season is a challenging time of year for my husband and me to keep up with our kids’ involvement in school, church, and club activities. Obviously, the ones who are running the show around here are the cows we spend most of our time chasing after during calving. Until spring arrives at our place,…
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Eyesore, My Eye!
I can’t imagine life without a clothesline, but evidently some people can’t imagine life with one. I wrongly assumed once that everybody has experienced line-dried clothes and loves the smell of fresh air in their laundry like I do. When I pluck sun-dried laundry off the line, I burry my nose in them; inhaling a…
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Ranching Lifestyle Survey
If the thought of ranching for a living sounds interesting and fun, you should take the following survey first to determine if ranching would suit you. Some of the questions concern your personality; others determine your knowledge about ranch life. 1. After accidentally stepping in fresh manure, a. you’re convinced that your shoes are ruined…
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Revisiting Ranch Country
It’s time for a trip back to ranch country which means another lesson in the country’s language (you can read the first lesson at www.ranchwifesslant.com archives section). The following are more words and popular slang terms used by natives of ranch country. Gather: To scatter in all directions or spread out. By doing so, horseback…
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In My Next Life I Want to be a Cow
In my next life I want to be a cow on a United States cattle ranch so I can find out what it feels like to be spoiled. Cows live a cushy life as a result of a rancher’s hard work and his pocketbook. If I were a cow, I would get to eat an…
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Learning in Style
How stylish one wants to look while doing ranch work is totally up to the individual. Correctly understanding what’s expected is far more important on our ranch. Learning through one’s style to comprehend instructions and process information is helpful in fulfilling job expectations but our ranch utilizes all three learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic/tactile…
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Producers and Their Cows
Part of the reason people don’t know much about cattle handling practices is because the cattlemen are busy spending time with their cows. Ranchers are committed to raising and caring for their stock to the best of their ability which means getting frequent updates on their herd. Numbered ear tags serve as an identification and…