Fall on the Ranch

Fall on the Ranch

Fall on the Ranch

Fall on the ranch… It generally means finishing up on the last of haying, getting cattle home, sorting ours from the neighbors’, getting our late calves branded, then everything vaccinated, weaned and classed up, and finally, getting our calves shipped and sold or the other way around. When we finish that, it’s time to run all the mama cows through, preg check, worm and vaccinate, then separate pregnant from open cows, and cull out our old, sick or injured animals. 

Then we check every bull for illness, sperm motility, general health and age within our herd. We cull anything that has a problem or has timed out within the herd. Our final animal health related item for fall is to bring in the whole herd of horses, re-shoe a smaller number for fall/winter work, pull shoes and clean up the feet on everything else, check the mouths on every horse, and give fall shots and wormers. Then most of the ponies are turned out on good meadows to enjoy themselves with some well deserved time off. Some folks wean colts about now, but we generally let our babies stay with their mamas for a few more months and some clean through till spring. 

It’s a busy time but it spells the end of one cycle of work and the start of another. We generally start fall farming while still in the midst of cow work. Spraying weeds, seeding ground and making sure ditches are clear and ready for spring water. We also repair and winterize every piece of equipment on the place and store everything that won’t be used again until spring. 

There really isn’t a down time on a productive ranch, just less and more busy times. There is a circle of work during each year just like there is a circle of life. 

I guess for some, knowing what is to come each season could be seen as boring, but for most in agriculture, it’s anything but. While we understand the scope of the work ahead, every season abounds new hope and surprises. I’ve never had a boring year or even boring season on the ranch, The weather drives how every season unfolds and there isn’t a farmer or rancher I know who isn’t giddy about a great start to winter when it comes to moisture. 

For me, the best part of fall on the ranch is the weather and the return to internal order. Fall weather in northern Nevada is glorious and it’s a joy to work outside each day. I love watching our leaves change color, and I don’t even mind raking and burning them when they drop. I kinda enjoy the smell of burning leaves and the ritual of raking them, then playing with my dogs and kitties as I manage my burn piles. I also love the temperature in the fall, the presence of a breeze most days and an occasional cold rainy day. I like watching wildlife in all seasons but I can never get enough of the sounds and sight of migratory birds. I just love the change of season. When it comes to returning internal order to the ranch, I personally love having all my animals back home, everything health checked, in the right fields, water set so all my cattle and horses have enough to drink, and my product for the year, organized and sold. It gives me time to fix fences, do a little get ahead work, and worry less about cattle out on mountain range.

Fall is also a time to steal away for a few weekends. Sometimes we’ll hit a big barrel race, head up to our cabin or take a few days in Boise or Burns. It’s a time to relax just a bit. Right after Thanksgiving, we always try to take a legit vacation and that is really nice. Patrice and I have tried to develop some new traditions since Fred’s passing that belong just to us because some of our old ones feel sad and melancholy to us now. I’ve managed to arrange trading beef for a place to stay at our new vacation destination and also squeeze in a couple days in Las Vegas for the National Finals Rodeo. You may have guessed by now that our family are rodeo fanatics, so attending NFR and a quick visit with Fred’s best friend Bob Shaft is a tradition we chose to keep because we alway love seeing Bob and thoroughly enjoy NFR and view it as “the most wonderful time of the year”. By mid December we are back home and ensconced for winter. We’ll get ready to start feeding hay as soon as we’ve gotten enough snow to keep animals from foraging and/or until our meadow grass has been used up. 

I’ll save the details of winter and other seasonal work for another time. Suffice it to say, life on a ranch is hard but satisfying work. Conditions outside our control generally determine our profitability. We are at the mercy of the weather, federal agencies and regulators, markets both national and international, natural disasters, and most recently, inflation, supply chain and energy prices. Sometimes I wonder why I stick with a business in which I lose money more often than I profit. History is part of it. Patrice represents the fifth generation of her family on this old ranch, and as long as she loves it and wants to keep going, I’ll be her most eager minion.  For me, my daily inspiration comes down to feeling happy when I walk out the door each morning. There is a spicy quality to the air in autumn and I find myself waking up early thinking about the day ahead.  I love working with Patrice and Myron, and as most in my business say, the view from my “office”cannot be beat.

Kris Stewart is a rancher from Paradise Valley, Nevada.