April 12, 2012
This week we’re directing you over to RealRancher Ondi Shepperson’s blog to read her two latest posts. Ondi has a unique style and captures some great ranching moments and we’re honored she let’s us share her posts!
On an unrelated note, if you’re ever in Ondi’s neck of the woods you have to stop at the Meeteetse Chocolatier. It’s the law.
From RealRancher Ondi Shepperson – Meeteetse, Wyo.
February 1, 2012
Jennifer Faulkner, a University of Wyoming graduate student, received the Larsh Bristol photojournalism stipend in May 2011. This funding supports her current project, which aims to represent the ranching community. Her goal is to capture images of every day ranch life, with an emphasis on the diversity and challenges of this lifestyle.
Jennifer wrote in her proposal for the project, “Wyoming has a rich history of cowboy culture, and still uses this imagery as a source for attracting visitors. It is ironic, however, that the public perception of the cowboy is full of romance and sexuality, while ranching itself is often regarded as a profession left to the uneducated and untraveled conservative. Having been raised on a Wyoming cattle ranch, I am keenly aware of such discrepancies and misunderstandings regarding the ranching community. I regretfully observe this land-based lifestyle slipping down the same path of extinction as other past agrarian societies…The purpose of this project is to create a photographic collection representing the dynamic and multidimensional life of the rancher, from the perspective of a cow man’s daughter.”
Jennifer is seeking additional Wyoming ranchers interested in allowing her to gather photographs of their operations. Please contact Jen at 307-761-2556 or faulknerj99@hotmail.com, if you are interested in having her take pictures at your operation. She is happy to provide references of other ranchers who have graciously allowed her to visit and document their lives throughout the summer and fall.
Select photos from this project will be featured at a gallery display May 18th from 6-9 p.m. at Heart’s Alley, 404 S 2nd Street in Laramie, Wyo. The showing is open to the public.
January 26, 2012
The saga of Bessey Stacy Badger, my great-grandmother’s mother, who homesteaded with her husband, Leland, is a story of equality. They homesteaded in eastern Wyoming in the late eighteen hundred’s. Wyoming was known as the “equality state,” a fortunate state for Bessey and Leland to choose to homestead.
Leland Badger's parents circa 1871
This is not a story about Leland. Stories passed down abound of him being a ‘wonderlust’, as Robert Service would dub. I must portray lightly this character, Leland, to give you the entire fortune that equality in Wyoming brought for Bessey.
October 18, 2011
We recently hosted a promotion on our Facebook page. The 1000th person to “like” us won a prize package of Wyoming Made goodies! Our winner was Margreet from Ohio.
Our 1000th fan on Facebook won a large prize package of Wyoming Made goodies!
This is what Margreet told us about herself, “We have a small farm…set of 13 year old boy/girl twins, a 3 year old little girl, a golden retriever, a hamster, a cockatiel, a guinea pig and a bunny! I grew up in Holland (my dad had one of those large windmills) and was around animals all my life, so I guess there is always an interest.”
So obviously Margreet isn’t really involved in production agriculture, but we are so excited that folks outside the industry are connecting with www.realranchers.com to find out what REALLY happens in the meadows, mountains and Main Streets of Wyoming! We started this blog nearly a year and a half ago to help spread truthful stories and correct misinformation about agriculture and rural living.
Thank you to these Wyoming Made companies for your generous donation to our giveaway!
Baer's Pantry chokecherry jam
Baer’s Pantry, located in Carpenter, Wyo., offers all-natural homemade jams and Wild Chokecherry Syrup. Smucker’s ain’t got nothin’ on Baer’s!
Baker Farms whole wheat flour and Prairie Pie
Baker Farms On-Farm Bakery, located in Chugwater, Wyo., makes breads, cookies and organic whole-grain, whole-wheat flour. Contact Dennis & Terry Baker at dwbaker@vcn.com. Their Prairie Pies are unique and scrumptious!
Chugwater Chili spice blend, dip-dressing mix, red pepper jelly, steak rub and cookbook
Chugwater Chili Corp., is also located in Chugwater and is near and dear to my heart as my grandparents were one of the founding families. Their prize-winning chili spice blend has expanded to include dip-dressing mix, steak rub and more!
Encana Oil & Gas tape measure
Encana Oil & Gas is an industry leader and very involved in Wyoming. They are a main sponsor of RealRanchers.com and contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars to bettering Wyoming every year.
Gaukel Grown & Ground whole-wheat bread, pancake and muffin mixes
Gaukel Grown & Ground is family-farming at its finest! Kevin, Julie and their children raise wheat at Keeline, Wyo. and create all-natural whole wheat mixes to sell.
Kaycee Cutter and cotton flour sack towels from Miss in the Kitchen
The Kaycee Cutter was invented by Tony Armstrong who ranches with his wife Milisa and their 3 boys in Kaycee, Wyo. It is made right in Wyoming and packaged and shipped from the ranch. Milisa also has a food blog, www.missinthekitchen.com, where she also sells these 100% unbleached cotton flour sack towels with printed designs.
Lucy's Sheep Camp Hand-Dyed Wool Yarn
Lucy’s Sheep Camp is located in Thermopolis, Wyo. and run by rancher Billie Jo Norsworthy. She sells high-quality, hand-dyed wool products from her own sheep. Her yarn colors are inspired by nature and will spark anyone’s creativity.
Coasters from Riversong Leather Studio - Artist Leah Burgess
Leah Burgess is the artist behind Riversong Leather Studio in Laramie, Wyo. She creates original designs and custom pieces which emphasize the natural strength and simple beauty of leather.
Beef Jerky from Wyoming Pure Natural Beef
Wyoming Pure Natural Beef is owned and operated by the Goertz family in Slater, Wyo. They produce a high-quality product you can serve knowing that it was handled with care on the high plains of Wyoming.
The Wyoming Stock Growers Association
The Wyoming Stock Growers supplied an “Eat Beef: The West Wasn’t Won on Salad” bumper sticker, a “Code of the West” magnet, a Wyoming ranch history book from the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office and information about the WSGA Supporting Membership.
Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine
Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine is a wonderful quarterly magazine filled with Wyoming’s Treaures! You can pick them up for free at various places across the state or subscribe for a minimal fee.
We also sent some of these goodies to Pam in Colorado as a runner-up prize.
Thank you to all our loyal subscribers to the blog, followers on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube! Keep checking back and tell your friends, family, coworkers and strangers on the street about us.
From Liz Lauck, Wyoming Stock Growers Association
September 11, 2011
It has been a decade since that terrible day on September 11, 2001. And although New York City, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. are 2,000 miles from Wyoming, we felt the shock wave from sea to shining sea.
As the towers fell, we stood. No longer segmented by region, background or industry. We weren’t ranchers or city-dwellers. We were, and are, Americans.
Thank you to our friends for submitting their photos in remembrance of the fallen here at home and on the far away battlefields. God Bless America!
Photo by Tara Bolgiano (www.BlushingCrow.com) while in Joplin, MO
Photo by Stephanie Amici-Keegan. She writes, "My son Colton carried this flag around for 2 years while his Daddy was in Iraq. He is about 2 1/2 here, his Dad had left on his 2nd birthday.
Photo by Paul Colley (Lone Prairie Photograhy)
Photo by 191 Livestock Company (www.191cow.com)
Photo by Marty Wilson
Photo by Paul Colley (Lone Prairie Photograhy)
Photo by Wyoming Stock Growers Association (www.wysga.org or wwww.realranchers.com)
Photo by Performance Genetic Network of Strasburg, Colo. (find them on Faceboook!)
Photo by Liz Lauck of Wheatland, Wyo.
Photo by Christy Martinez (http://ponyridingby.blogspot.com/)
June 18, 2011
Father’s Day is this Sunday and we at www.realranchers.com wish to salute the men who give their all to the land they steward and to the families they raise on this land. Whether it’s a farmer, a rancher, or a small-town patriarch; we say thanks to these great Dads!
Happy Father’s Day!
Photo by Stephanie Russell - www.cowgirlgraphics.net
Our Facebook followers (those who like us, who really like us!) posted these “brags” about their dads. Only edited slightly for formatting reasons.
May 6, 2011
Moms are special! Here at RealRanchers.com we share and celebrate rural Wyoming living and, in honor of Mother’s Day, we’d like to recognize Rural Mother’s everywhere.
Our Facebook followers (those who like us, who really like us!) came up with this list of “You Might Be A Rural Mom If…” Only edited slightly for formatting reasons.
March 2, 2011
The Women’s Agriculture Summit was hosted by the Johnson County CattleWomen in Buffalo, Wyo. in late January. They had great inspirational speakers who spoke about a common theme of getting your agriculture story out before the anti-agriculture movement does.
RealRancher Connie Lohse of Kaycee and other women attend the 1st annual Women's Agriculture Summit in Buffalo, Wyo. Photo from Wyoming Women's Summit's Facebook page.
The main point I took from the summit was to “pick your crop and plant the seed.” This isn’t corn, alfalfa or any other normal crop; we’re talking about Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and many other outlets of social media. The seeds for your crop will come from your agriculture experiences and knowledge. The crop will only grow by sharing that knowledge with others.
The agriculture community has a tendency to be a quiet, out-of-the-way kind of people. Unfortunately, those traits are not helping us fight against the anti-agriculture movement, which is trying to ruin our agriculture futures daily. It is time to speak out truthfully, purposefully and with dignity!
Jody Lamp from Billings, Mont. discussed social media in advocating for agriculture at the Women's Agriculture Summit. Photo from Women's Agriculture Summit's Facebook page.
During the summit I learned from speaker Jody Lamp of Billings, Montana that anti-agriculture organizations are using social media to its fullest.
Here are the numbers of fans listed for three anti-agriculture organizations on Facebook alone:
1. Human Society of the United States (HSUS) has 500,000 Facebook fans
2. People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has 950,000 Facebook fans
3. Greenpeace has 76,000 facebook fans
Here is an equation to remember: “Anti-agriculture + Social Media = Negative Influence.” Lets change that equation as an agriculture community to “Truth + Social Media = Positive Influence.” We can only change this equation by getting everyone’s story out, young or old. Let us plant the seeds while utilizing every generation’s strengths and knowledge to accomplish this goal.
Women from across Wyoming and beyond attended the 1st Annual Women's Agriculture Summit in Buffalo, Wyo. Photo from Women's Agriculture Summit's Facebook page.
Remember agriculture feeds the world so it is up to the agriculture community to keep it strong! Use your story with purpose and collaboration with agriculture communities and your truth will prevail.
From RealRancher Kari Bousman – Boulder, Wyo.
February 2, 2011
Have your heifers started? Did you have to pull very many? When do the cows start? All these questions are beginning to circulate between ranching neighbors at this time of year. Have you heard any of this lingo and wonder, what in the world are they talking about? This is a very important at this time for Sublette County because much of the rural population is ranchers. Let’s take a minute and find out what all this means.
During these spring months ranchers begin calving season. If you have never lived in a ranching community, some of the conversations can be confusing and jaw dropping if you do not understand the way of life or even the language.
Have your heifers started? Many ask this question to see if you started calving yet.
Did you have to pull very many? Is a question neighbors use to judge if you are having a difficult or fairly easy calving season.
When do the cows start? This is just another way of asking if you are close to being finished or are you just starting the season.
What is a heifer you may ask? They are cows that are having their first calf. Many heifers, just like humans, have trouble their first time so the ranchers have to watch them fairly close. All ranches are different, but many get up during the night to check on their heifers. Some operations have enough people to take shifts through the night and others are not so lucky. They all have to manage to function and perform the everyday ranch chores even if they are dead tired from being up all night with a heifer calving.
Sublette County Rancher Albert Sommers getting ready to pull a calf by putting a chain on the calf’s feet and hooking to pullers. When the mother is struggling to give birth, this is the safest way for both the mother and calf to get through the complication.
During the heifer checks, ranchers are looking for a heifer that is having trouble giving birth. If it is needed the rancher assists her by using a puller, or in certain situations they may have to call a veterinarian to perform a caesarian (c-section). The puller is a tool that is used to help pull the calf out quickly and safely. Every situation is different just like human births.
This calf had to be pulled from it's mother by Albert to ensure both the calf and mother survived.
You will hear people talk about their cows. In general, the word cows and cattle are interchangeable but not in this context. The cows are female cattle that have had more than one calf. They can range from three years old to 10 years or older depending on the operation. Each operation is its own business, so they all have their own system of keeping and culling cows. When a cow is culled it means, the cow is too old or no longer needed and is removed from the herd by selling it.
Cows are more experienced at giving birth, but there are still times they need help. A couple of times a day the rancher will check on the cows, tag the new calves and make sure the cows have cleaned. This means the after birth or placenta has been completely removed from the body of the cow. If she has not cleaned or has prolapsed the rancher has to bring her in to the corral. Once she is corralled she will be given antibiotics to help fight infection or fix the prolapsed cow. When a cow is prolapsed it means that the uterus slips or falls out of place. It is not a pretty sight and it is not a fun job to fix. Just like all jobs, ranching has its fun duties and not so fun duties.
Albert bottle feeds this calf with milk before reuniting the baby with the mother cow.
Nothing is more exciting than spring, even though calving can be mentally and physically demanding work. Many wonder why ranchers do it. Well if you have ever had a new puppy and it became the prized family pet, you will get a small sense of the strong love ranchers have for their cattle.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you overhear someone talking about calving or other ranching topics. We learn from each other every day. Understanding the language of our neighbors is the first step to understanding our neighbor’s actions.
From RealRancher Kari Bousman – Boulder, Wyo.
Photos by RealRancher Jonita Sommers – Pinedale, Wyo.
January 24, 2011
It’s not all work…sometimes we have fun too.
Winter on our place usually means feeding the cows day after day in snow that seems to get deeper and deeper.
However, with deep snow comes opportunity. Timmery, my wife, and I like to take a few hours from time to time and go up in the mountains and have fun.
That’s Timmery on her machine (called a sled) at Christina Lake in the Wind River Mountains above Lander, Wyo.
Sometimes the snow doesn’t have a decent base or the snow machine driver goes to slow or whatever, and then….
The machines get stuck. Just as Timmery did in the above picture. She always tells me that is why she married me…so I can help her get unstuck. I get stuck plenty too.
A typical day of fun with snowmachines involves going to your local gas station and pouring money into the gas tank of a machine that will break down at least once a year. Then a short drive to the parking lot to unload.
Here I am strapping down an extra gallon of “just get me back to the pickup.”
After a dozen or so miles of groomer trails you can usually find some untracked hills or parks to ride through. This is what it is all about….fun in the deep snow.
That’s Timmery on the gas after crossing a little creek “somewhere” last weekend. It is a “somewhere” because it is a secret spot only known by us and several thousand other locals.
When the gas gauge says it is time to quit we head for home. Sometimes we pause and take a picture to share with everyone. Then it is back to work.
From RealRancher Jim Hellyer – Lander, Wyo.
