March 7, 2012

Fertilizer

Posted by RealRanchers under Environmental Stewardship, Real Ranching | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |
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There are different ways to fertilize the ground you grow your crops on.  Our crop is hay.  We grow it in the summer so we have something to feed the cattle in the winter.  When the cows come home from their summer pasture in the fall they are left to roam and graze in the already harvested meadows, but when the snow comes it gets to be pretty tough picking.  So we feed them the hay we cut during the previous summer.

RealRancher Kent Price feeds his cattle in the winter, alternating where the hay is placed in order to get better manure/fertilizer coverage

In order to make the most of the feeding we feed the cattle their hay on new ground every day.  As you know, what goes in must come out and what comes out is good fertilizer.  By feeding the cattle their hay back onto the ground where we harvested it, we provide reseeding and nutrients for the next year.  The cattle are happier too when their feed is placed in a new spot every day because just like you and I, cattle like to eat from a clean plate.

RealRancher Kent Price feeds his cattle in the winter, alternating where the hay is placed in order to get better manure/fertilizer coverage

From RealRancher Kent Price – Daniel, Wyo.

 

August 1, 2011

2011 Upper Green Cattle Drive

Posted by RealRanchers under Public Lands, Real Ranching | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Yes, I know I’ve been lax in my duties writing about the Upper Green River Cattle Drive this year, so here is a little summary and photos to make up for it.

There was so much snow in the mountains this year and it took so long to melt off that the drive started about a week late.

Bob Klaren and Kent Price look off the south end of the Mesa during the Upper Green River Drift (Photo by Gina Feltner)

Bob Klaren and Kent Price look off the south end of the Mesa during the Upper Green River Drift (Photo by Gina Feltner)

The cattle had very good grass down on the Mesa where we started and they hated to leave it, I can’t say I blamed them since all they had to look forward to up on the mountain was shorter grass and wolves and grizzly bears, but once we got moving, the cattle trailed pretty well.

Early Morning on The Mesa (Photo by Gina Feltner)

There were a few interesting things we saw this year on the drive.  We had our first bear-killed calf on the trail this year as the cattle were moving up.  It is the furthest down we’ve ever had a kill; I guess the bears got tired of waiting for dinner and decided to come find it.

Charles Price Kent Price Search for Sick Calves Photo by Gina Feltner

Charles Price and Kent Price search for sick calves during the Upper Green River Drift (Photo by Gina Feltner)

Gina Feltner and I saw a grizzly bear on the trail one morning toward the end of the drive.  Despite all the problems the grizzly bears cause, they are still fun to see.

Down the Hennick Draw Photo by Gina Feltner

Going down the Hennick Draw during the Upper Green River Drift (Photo by Gina Feltner)

We also had dudes with us from Irv Lozier’s outfit again this year and I have to give a shout-out to them.  Some of them were here last year and some were new this year, but they were all very friendly and helpful.

From RealRancher Kent Price – Daniel, Wyo.

 

December 17, 2010

Just Feedin’ Cows…and Deer!

Posted by RealRanchers under Real Ranching, Wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Things have slowed down on the ranch now.  We aren’t pushing cows and we aren’t shipping cows, that’s all over with.  Now it’s time to settle in for the winter.  Most of our time is spent feeding the cattle and finishing or starting odd projects around the place that need doing.  We’ve made it through pregnancy testing and weaning so now we have about three separate herds of cattle at home.

The first herd is the weaned calves. We feed the weaned calves all winter so they can continue to grow into nice, fat yearlings. They will then go up the Green River on next summer’s drive and come down again in the fall to either be sold or kept as replacement stock.  The second herd is the first-calf heifer herd; the heifers that will have their first calves this coming spring.  We like to keep them separate so we can feed them well and watch them closely.  They are not only growing a new baby calf they are also still growing themselves so it is important they receive a little extra nutrition than older cows.  Finally, we have the main cow herd, consisting of cows that have all had at least one calf in the past.

Early in the winter we feed the first-calf heifers and cows supplement.  There is still lots of grazing available on the ranch and the cows can forage and do quite well, but they need some extra supplemental protein (usually in the form of pellets) to be able to better digest the grass available.  Once the grass is grazed to a level that is healthy for the grasslands or the snow becomes too deep, whichever comes first, we start feeding the hay we grew and bailed in the summer.  As for the calves that have been weaned, we start feeding them hay and supplement right at weaning time.

Here we've just finished feeding the cows their supplement and they are busy licking up every last speck.

It’s not only cattle and ranch stock that we feed in the winter.  Plenty of deer, moose and sometimes elk also spend the winter on our ranch.  Some deer and moose will stay on our ranch year round, but in the winter time a lot more of their friends come down from the mountains to join them.  They are able to enjoy good winter grazing, warmth in the willows and some protection from predators.

Ranches provide an important habitat for all kinds of wildlife throughout the year.  By maintaining open spaces the deer, antelope, moose, geese, ducks, sage grouse (we call ‘em sage chickens), etc. have a place to live.  If these ranches were to go out of business, as so many have, they would most likely become subdivided with houses built up and the deer, moose, etc. would no longer be able to stay or they may become some national park, in which case the wolves would move in and the deer, moose, etc would still be out of luck.  Either scenario paints a grim picture for the wildlife. Thank goodness for ranches!

Wyoming has 26 million acres of private agricultural lands that not only produce food and fiber and sustain rural communities, but also provide vital habitat for a myriad of wildlife species!

From RealRancher Kent Price – Daniel, Wyo.

 

November 22, 2010

Ranchers Brand New Elementary School

Posted by RealRanchers under Culture, Real Ranching | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |
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On July 20, 2010, the Green River Valley Cowbelles organized a branding for the new Pinedale Elementary School. Forty-five ranchers from the Pinedale, Daniel, Boulder and Cora areas were called. Thirty-five ranchers showed up with their brands and 73 brands were put over the entrance to the school and the entrances to the three pods. Kent Price brought a branding stove and did most of the branding. Cotton Bousman, Coke Landers and I also brought branding stoves. To learn more about brands and how to “read” them, click here.

Green River Valley Ranchers setting up the branding stoves to heat the branding irons in the back of the new Pinedale Elementary School

Kent Price putting on the brands while one of the construction workers vacuumed the smoke

Ranchers (Dave, Zach and Margaret Noble with Jonita Sommers watching and instructing Kent Price on how to place the brands

Placing a brand on the Plains and Meadow Pod

Brands on Doorways at Pinedale Elementary School 2010

Plains and Meadows Pod Entry  (Brands read left to right on log)

Rancher, Town                 Brand Name

1.  Mary Kay Jensen, Boulder        S 9 Bar

2.  Aaron and Diane Wilson, Pinedale      V O

3.  Scot Noble, Cora          S Lazy S

4.  Zack Noble, Cora          Bootjack

5.  Pape Ranches, Daniel          M E

6.  Messed up brand          A and P (not a brand)

7.  Max and Dianne Boroff, Daniel        Buckfence

8.  Mandy Frank, Cora          H Bar Lazy T

9.  Swede McAlister, Daniel        Backwards D M Quarter Circle

10.  MaryAnne Almquist & Annie Espenscheid, Pinedale  Y T Slash

11.  Jim and Jamie Jensen, Boulder        L 7 Slash

12.  Roberta Bacheller, Pinedale        Wagon Hitch

13.  Hailey Noble, Cora          H L Bar

14.  Aaron and Diane Wilson, Pinedale      Lightning Bolt

15.  Roberta Bacheller, Pinedale        Rafter E

16.  Sommers Ranch, Pinedale        Open A P

Mountains and Forests Pod Entry

Rancher, Town                                Brand Name

1.  Murdock Cattle Company, Pinedale      Two Bar E

2.  Jerry A. Jensen, Boulder          N A Bar

3.  Donald and Marilyn Jensen, Boulder      B F

4.  Roberta Bacheller, Pinedale        Arrow P

5.  Reese Noble, Cora          Lazy T Bar

6.  Chuck and Chris Bacheller, Pinedale      Falling Rock

7.  Gene and Betty Lou Pearson, Daniel      Down E Spear

8.  Lozier’s Box R Ranch, Cora        Box R

9.  Carroll David Noble, Cora        Quarter Circle F

10.  James and Andrea Rogers, Pinedale      Two T

11.  Carroll David Noble, Cora        L V

12.  Grindstone Cattle Company, Daniel      Lazy Y Y

13.  Charles and Dee Ann Price, Daniel      Bar 7

14.  Irv and Robin Lozier, Cora        Lazy Y Spear

15.  Brook Noble, Cora          Z O

16.  Doug and Lynda Vickrey, Daniel        E F

Rivers and Streams Pod Entry

Rancher, Town                  Brand Name

1.  Jamie Blaha, Boulder          W Bar

2.  Jensen Ranch, Boulder          Bar O 4

3.  Klaren Cattle Company, Pinedale      Steer Head

4.  Tom Noble, Cora          A K Bar

5.  Justin and Sandy Wright, Boulder      Fish Tail

6.  Donald and Marilyn Jensen, Boulder      6 X Quarter Circle

7.  Mike Vickrey, Daniel          Slash D

8.  Kent and Dawn Price, Daniel        Bar Diamond

9.  Bousman Livestock, Boulder        Seat Hook

10.  Chris and Carla Sullivan, Boulder      Bar C S

11.  Dr. Tom Johnston, Pinedale        J T Reverse J

Main Entrance

Rancher, Town                 Brand Name

1.  Blaha Ranch, Boulder          T 2 Bar

2.  Charles Price, Daniel          Open Box Lazy T

3.  Carrie Jorgensen, Pinedale        Quarter Circle V Bar

4.  Albert and Jonita Sommers, Pinedale      O 4

5.  Price Ranch, Daniel          H Reverse 7 Bar

6.  Sommers Ranch, Pinedale        Quarter Circle V

7.  Swede McAlister, Daniel        Pea Tree

8.  Klaren Cattle Company, Pinedale      V Lazy P

9.  Briggs Ranch LLC, Pinedale        O L

10. Kristen Klaren, Pinedale         Reverse K Reverse N

11. Susan Briggs, Pinedale          N J

12. Mark Jones, Boulder          M J

13. Laurel Bousman, Boulder        Spider

14. Palmer Klaren, Pinedale          Reverse K Lazy 3

15. Walter Bousman, Boulder        Bar V Z

16. Sandy Bousman, Boulder        J Lazy J

17. Nick and Lora Nichols, Boulder        Upside Down T Slash Upside Down T

18.  Jonita Sommers, Pinedale        Two Spear

19. Albert Sommers, Pinedale        Lazy M F

20. Norm Richie, Boulder          Sixty-Six Quarter Circle

21.  Jep Richie, Boulder          P Anchor

From RealRancher Jonita Sommers -Pinedale, Wyo.

 

August 23, 2010

Super Cow

Posted by RealRanchers under Real Ranching | Tags: , , , , , |
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We had a purebred angus cow that wasn’t holding still long enough for her calf to eat.  Confining her in the corral gave her calf a chance to finally get his dinner. By the next day the old gal felt like she had things in hand and was determined to leave as soon as possible.

Her exit strategy? She made a high jump right over the corral fence, a six foot pole vault, previously unscaled.

Though she came through without a scratch she did manage to break the top most pole on her way out.  I tried to get her to go back the way she’d come but she would have none of that so I put her into another area that I felt would keep her corralled.

She immediately jumped that fence too without any damage at all to the poles. However, she left her calf behind and while I worked to get him to the gate, she decided  to come right back in, knocking down another pole in her unsuccessful attempt to get to her calf.

When I was finally able to get the pair into a nearby pasture I knew that “Super Cow” was a most suitable name for this belligerent bovine, a moniker to be forever remembered in the Price Ranch annals.

From RealRancher DeeAnn Price – Daniel, Wyo.

 

August 20, 2010

Gardening…Sublette County, Wyo. Style

Posted by RealRanchers under Culture, Real Ranching | Tags: , , , , , , , , |
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I hear it all the time.

“You can’t grow a garden here.”

“It’s too cold!”

(An elevation of 7,192 feet doesn’t help much either).

There is no doubt that we can have frost here any day of the year.  We usually can’t plant until the first of June and sometimes even later than that. Tomatoes, corn and winter squash aren’t going to make it but all of the root vegetables do fine, and I grow lettuce, peas, beans and snow peas as well.  It helps to buy quick maturing seeds from a seed catalog. Cabbage usually does well and most of the time I have broccoli and cauliflower too.  A pretty good spread, especially when what grows most is sagebrush.

I laugh though when I tell people that sometimes I cover my plants more than I uncover them.  My old blankets are usually in use through August and September.

When our son, Kent, and wife, Dawn, moved here three years ago, Kent came up with an innovative idea (innovation on the ranch is all but a necessity). He gathered up the leaky and discarded cattle watering tanks around the place, filled them partway with gravel and then the rest of the way with manure and topsoil, (our sagebrush soil requires a lot of organic material).  After mixing the soil and manure together with a shovel he planted his seeds and I was surprised to see how well his plants did compared to mine.  Last year he found a couple of tanks for me also and I planted my beans and snow peas in those.

I actually got a few extra beans and peas to put in the freezer.

From RealRancher DeeAnn B. Price – Daniel, Wyo.

Pictures by Kent C. Price

 

August 17, 2010

The Bovine Babysitters Club

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Did you know that cows have babysitters? Just to be clear…I’m not talking about the adventures of teenage girls like in the Babysitters Club …I’m talking bovine to bovine, you know, helping a fellow cow out.

Aren't you glad your friends don't have this many kids? ...Or that you don't have this many kids?

Look out in the pasture on a sunny day and notice how most of the momma cows are busy eating while their calves are still lying down in a scattered group with a cow nearby to watch over them. She’ll be there to alert the others in case of danger (coyotes, other predators, or crazed paparazzi, they’re everywhere on the pastures of Wyoming). I wonder how those bovines decide who’s going to babysit, and how much to charge per hour.

From RealRancher DeeAnn B. Price - Daniel, WY

Pictures by Kent C. Price

 

August 13, 2010

Another Day at the Office

Posted by RealRanchers under Public Lands, Real Ranching | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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The cows have been up on US Forest grazing allotments for more than a month now. The Upper Green River Cattlemens Association pays riders to stay on the mountain with the cows and move them around to prevent overgrazing, watch for problems, doctor the sick, and keep an eye out for bear and wolf problems. While these riders do a good job moving the cattle around, typically this time of year we help them move some of the livestock into a different allotment on the mountain.  Today’s ride was to Trail Creek Park.

We spread out across the allotment that the cows are in (the allotment is quite large) and move through the trees, willows and valleys locating cattle and pushing them with us to a common trail where everyone shows up.  It was a little difficult to find the cows early on because a thick fog was settled in.  At one point I was supposed to meet up with fellow rancher Albert Sommers, but the fog was so thick I couldn’t see very far.  He called out my name and we discovered that we were only about 100 yards apart.  Eventually the fog lifted and despite everything we did make a fairly good gather.  The cows went into Trail Creek very smooth.  It was a nice cool morning for driving cattle.

Often we will find kills made by wolves or bears when we make this ride, but none were discovered this trip.  Last year I found a calf that had been killed by a grizzly bear and then chewed on by the wolves.  The only thing available to look at was the hide and bones, there was no meat left.  They found that it was killed by a grizzly bear judging from the bite marks on the skin. On our way home we heard over the radio from one of the riders in another area that they had discovered a yearling (one-year-old) that had been killed by a grizzly bear and buried.  Also they had spent time that morning chasing wolves away from a cow/calf pair (mamma and baby cow) the wolves were trying to attack.  We are not allowed to kill the wolves or grizzly bears to protect our livestock.

The wolves and grizzly bears have become a major problem in this area and not just for ranchers, for campers and other people too.  It is no longer safe for you or your kids to roam up and down the little streams to fish by yourselves.  The grizzly bear and wolf populations are out of control and many feel that a regulated hunting season would be a good compromise for all sides.  After all, deer and elk populations were thriving while being hunted, at least until that wolves started to impact their numbers.

I took this photo (above) of a clear cut on our ride today (where the trees were all cut in a certain spot during the logging days in this area).  It shows the damage being caused by the pine beetle plague we are seeing all up and down the Rocky Mountain Range.  These clear cuts are the only solid green areas you will see in the forests today.  The trees are young enough that they can fight off the pine beetles with their ample supply of tree sap.  Unfortunately, many years ago most logging was shut down in this area due to litigation by extremist environmentalists.  It seems that logging wasn’t so bad after all when you look at this picture.

Despite all the issues we ranchers deal with when grazing on public allotments, you sure can’t beat the view from our “office” window.

From RealRancher Kent Price – Daniel, WY

 

August 12, 2010

When Grizzly Meets Calf – Not a pretty picture

Posted by RealRanchers under Public Lands, Real Ranching, Wildlife | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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We helped one of our riders push cows to a different grazing area in the Teepee Creek allotment the end of July.  It was a beautiful day.  The cows were gathered from a large area in small bunches and pushed toward the new grazing area. The beautiful day quickly turned, let’s say, not so beautiful. So let’s start out with a pretty picture…

My fellow ranchers Gina Feltner, Bob Klaren & Taylor Selby push through the wildflower-dotted meadows up to Teepee Creek Ridge.

On our way down the mountain we ran into a neighbor who found one of my calves killed by a grizzly bear. (To learn about the value of a calf, read this great article on the Economics of Ranching). Remember all the ranting I did in one of my posts about grizzly bear problems…this is why I holler.

He was verified by the Fish & Game Department as being killed by a grizzly. Notice how this is a nice big calf and NOT some weak, little, sick calf like some people would have you believe predators always eat. Typically a griz will bite the calf (sometimes they kill full grown cows or yearlings as well) across the withers (front shoulder area) and puncture the lungs and other vitals in this manner. Then they will proceed to eat them, sometimes burying part of the calf and coming back later. When they are done the calf will be completely skinned. The wolves will find the bones and crack them for the marrow inside. If the animal was killed by wolves they will often show bite marks around the flanks, the tail may be chewed off, the nose will be bitten and chewed on, and often the rectum is pulled out (the wolves often pull out the rectum while the animal is still alive).

The type of trauma on the hide proves the calf was killed by the bear. This little fella didn’t die on his own for a bear to find him later. He met a brutal death.

The Green River Drift is the largest continuous operating cattle drive on federal land in the United States today.  Some of the cattle travel as far as 75 miles from the home ranch to the summer grazing allotment. These ranchers know how to properly manage the land and care for their animals while persevering through a myriad of challenges.  This drive and the ranchers involved in it are endangered because we are not allowed to adequately defend our property.

Ok, ranting session over. I’ll leave you with a pretty picture…

Ranchers Charles Price, Bob Klaren & Gina Feltner move cattle up Teepee Creek.

From RealRancher Kent Price – Daniel, WY

 

August 11, 2010

A Filipino in Wyoming

Posted by RealRanchers under Animal Welfare, Real Ranching | Tags: , , , , , , , , , |
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My wife, Lovella Dawn has sometimes found it difficult coping with the wide-open spaces and the lack of people in Wyoming.  She is originally from the Philippines near the capitol, Manila.  Manila and surrounding greater suburbs has a population of approximately 20 million people — about 40 times the entire state of Wyoming.

After getting married while living in Wisconsin we moved back to the ranch I grew up on, which my great-grandfather originally homesteaded.  Although she had visited before, nothing can quite prepare a person to live on a ranch in Wyoming if they’ve never done it before, but her love of animals helped her through those first hard times. Now she gets involved in working cows in the corrals, she pulls calves in the spring, she takes care of her chickens, and the entire cat herd follows her everywhere she goes.

Just the other day my wife came back from town (Pinedale, Wyo.) complaining about the traffic and the number of people at the grocery store. Pinedale only has a population of 1,400…I think she’s converted!

Native Filipino and RealRancher Lovella Dawn Price pulls a kid goat when its mother had trouble during birthing.

This goat was having trouble giving birth to her kids (baby goats) so she needed some help.  My wife’s hands are quite small and would cause less pain for the goat when helping her give birth.  Lovella Dawn pulled the first kid out, a little billy (male) goat with dewlaps (A dewlap is a fold of skin that hangs down under the throat.  Goats often have two dewlaps.) and then the mother goat had the second kid on her own, a little nanny (female).

 

I think this Filipino is a true Wyomingite.

From RealRancher Kent Price – Daniel,WY

 

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