December 3, 2012
RealRancher Jim Hellyer explains safe and humane livestock handling practices on his ranch near Lander, Wyo.
“Like most ranchers we take pride in how we treat our animals and we try to treat them as humanely and safely as possible,” Jim said.
From RealRancher Jim Hellyer – Lander, Wyo.
March 21, 2012
We went on a cowboy vacation recently, also known as an overnight trip to a bull sale. Ranchers have varying opinions about bulls. In my opinion they are an important investment, a way to improve our cattle herd with better genetics. We have a budget, but try to buy the best bulls we can afford.
RealRanchers Rob & Carla Crofts took a family vacation to the Redland Angus Bull Sale in Buffalo, Wyo. this winter.
This year we needed new heifer bulls. This term confuses a lot of people. Heifers are young female cattle, and to ease their first birth experience we provide a bull that will produce a smaller calf. The heifer will recover faster and the calf will be more alert and responsive, usually jumping right up to nurse. While first calf heifers are monitored closely they will require less assistance during the birth process.
We have purchased bulls from Redland Black Angus in the past and they have worked well for us. We had spent several weeks studying the sale catalog and watching the video of the bulls. We had decided on the blood line we preferred and marked about 20 bulls that were all sired by the same herd bull with mothers who were closely related in order to produce a consistent set of calves.
RealRanchers Rob & Carla Crofts, along with their son, look over bulls for sale by Redland Angus at Buffalo Livestock Auction in Wyoming. Ranchers often buy new bulls to improve genetics in their herds.
We arrived at Buffalo Livestock fairly early, while it was still quiet. We went through each pen of bulls and agreed we liked the bulls we had marked in the catalog. We admired the bulls that would sell at a price we could not afford. We looked at the “new blood” that will be more predominant in Redland’s program in the next few years. And we enjoyed the fabulous smoked brisket lunch that the Johnson County CattleWomen always provide – what amazing cooks!
Auctioneer Joe Goggins is a fast talker. He sold 100 bulls in one hour and 5 minutes. People came to buy bulls, and they bid exuberantly on what they liked. We now own three new heifer bulls. Not the three we had hoped for, but close and in our budget. Now we are looking forward to next spring when we will see the first offspring – it takes time to see the results of the investment.
From RealRancher Carla Crofts, Armada Ranches, LLC – Lander, Wyo.
December 27, 2011
By Colin Beal
Colin spent time in Wyoming this year working on ranches. He helped the Hellyer family for a short time before heading off to new adventures. This is his account of his experience gathering cattle.
At 6 a.m., the National Anthem played over the radio at the breakfast table. Like the beginning of a sporting event, “home of the brave” signified the challenge ahead. The words proved to be accurate, as my host and friends would brave the cold for three days to drive cattle roughly 35 miles.
The drive started at the Burnt Ranch on South Pass, located at the intersection of what was the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails. The wide open plateau extends beyond the horizon on a good day, and well beyond visibility in blowing snow.
A coyote looks on as the cattle were gathered on Day 1
The herd was well-positioned to be gathered and fed at the west end of the Ranch around the cabin for the night. The cattle are accustomed to spending their summers on a mixture of federal and private land. This management strategy with public and private land is critical to the operation.
The Burnt Ranch cabin on South Pass
The Burnt Ranch is the base of summer operations for the Ranch. As summer turns to fall, the cattle are moved to irrigated pastures along the Sweetwater River. When winter approaches, the cattle are fed hay and gathered to begin the drive down to Lander and a friendly climate.
It looks like this cow was ready to get off the mountain
An anxious herd watches Rob Hellyer and his son, Jim, put tire chains on the truck
Several inches of snow fell that night and the strong winds made for rough road conditions. As a result, the ranchers’ reinforcements (all neighbors) had to improvise. The five-man crew coming up the mountain from Lander on the second day was forced to park their trucks and horse trailers in Atlantic City and ride the remaining distance up the mountain to meet the herd. This delayed their arrival, and, the four-man crew from the cabin set out alone to begin the drive. Despite the lead tractor getting stuck in a drift and a faulty tire chain that immobilized a truck and trailer, the four-man crew from the cabin was able to get the cattle lined-out and moving across the snow-blown mountain.
Rob Hellyer (on foot) and his wife, Martha (on horseback), moving cattle through the snow
A view from the back
Martha Hellyer and her son, George
With eight riders, progress was steady for the rest of day two. The cattle reached the overnight holding pen, 15 miles from the cabin, and were fed just before dark. After a long day, the crew was ready for a meal and a warm fire to escape the single digit temperatures and strong winds.
Jim Hellyer feeds hay in single digit temperatures
On the last day, the cattle were driven off the mountain along highway 28. The riders’ job was to keep the herd moving steadily, keep cattle out of the road, and be careful of oncoming trucks and traffic. Contrary to the dismal weather forecast, winds were mild on the third day and the crew was able to move the herd roughly 20 miles to winter pasture.
The herd passing Red Canyon.
Rob Hellyer and his daughter, Jessica, bring in the last of the herd.
November 28, 2011
con·trap·tion [kuh n-trap-shuh
n] a mechanical contrivance; gadget; device.
Have you ever built something that turned out not quite as intended? Well, from time to time I have built some things which cost a lot of time, do actually work, but really need improvement.
For example, consider my recent stab at a “portable fence corner.” Depending on feedback from this I may or may not enter FarmJournal’s best idea for a $100 contest.
To begin, a portable fence corner is necessary because…..well because I can’t make up my mind and may want to move it. Or, if there is a will there is a way. Or, maybe I didn’t want to dig a hole and decided that a more than one ton block of concrete should do the trick.
Let us break down the project.
This is phase one of what some in my family refer to as “another one of your contraptions.” In this picture I have assembled most of the various parts. Notice the cleanliness and attention to detail in the workplace.
This is phase two of my shovel ready project. Notice that the foundation of the future corner was set without the aid of a shovel. This greatly increases the speed and efficiency of the project.
The three inch circlular hole on the right of the block is designed to accept used oil field pipe.
Phase three brings physical placement. This requires a vehicle to transport the corner and associated parts and a loader to place the block and raise the steel components.
And now we arrive at the final phase, also known as implementation. Of course a fence must be attached to truly complete the project, but the corner is placed and should not budge. This particular corner block sits at a 45 degree angle to the future fence.
It will work. It may not have been as quick as setting several posts, but it was rewarding to build. Ranching is a rewarding life, not because of the project of the day, but because individuals get to run their own life. It is self employment to the max.
Perhaps someday I will share some photos of other projects. Things such as home-built gated pipe trailer for your four-wheeler (weight approximately 600 pounds upon completion), or my favorite: super bungee corral gate latch.
From RealRancher Jim Hellyer – Lander, Wyo.
July 11, 2011
Two tiny babes arrived last week. Their mother, like all mothers, immediately protective. Nervously nuzzling first one and then the other. Squatting to let them nurse. Instinctively knowing what to do.
One baby is a little larger and very healthy. He is already trying to buck and play.
The second is small and fragile. She struggles to find the nipple when nursing, tires after suckling just a few seconds. The second day it is obvious she is not doing well. Her mother continually nuzzles her, talks to her. These are her first babies and she is overwhelmed. One wants to play and explore this new world, the other is lying quietly-barely moving. If she makes it through the night she has a chance.
Day three brings renewed hope, she has been able to eat enough to fill her tummy.
Wait. She is not feeling well – she stretches to ease the pain in her tiny stomach. Can we give her anything to help? It is a slim chance, but all we can do. And then it is over. This tiny life has ended.
The next day we leave the mother and her surviving baby in the same barn so she will figure out the second baby is gone. That evening we put her with the other ewes and lambs. In the morning we let them out to graze. All day we can hear the mother calling for her babe – not the one nursing, the one that has died. Her pain is evident in her plaintive cry. When we let them in for the night she runs back to where she last saw her baby. Her head hangs in grief.
I don’t think there is a way to measure a mother’s grief – no matter if we are two legged or four legged.
From RealRancher Carla Crofts – Sweetwater, Wyo.
February 16, 2011
In my last post about our snowmobiling fun, I left out the best part. You see I was saving the best for last!
As can happen from time to time, unexpected things happen on a ranch. When Timmery and I were having fun up in the mountains on snowmachines we found a stranded cow, one of Timmery’s, and it was a long way from home. There was absolutely no way the cow could walk 17 miles of snowmachine trail and climb up to nearly 10,000 feet in the process. What were we to do?
That black speck in the center of the picture is the cow that didn’t come home from the mountain with her sisters last fall. We think she had been up there since late October.
Thankfully we live in a community where people help one another. The local snowmobile club, The Lander SnowDrifters, had an idea and the equipment to bring the cow home. We made a plan and met at the parking lot and off we went.
Upon arriving at the scene we found the cow for the second time and as seen below, Timmery put a rope on her and then several members of the club and I pushed and pulled while working a path in the snow to get the poor thing to the trail.
The next step in this expedition was loading her into the back side of the groomer sled. Surprisingly it didn’t take long to get her situated and strapped down for the ride home.
That is her, ol’ RT 13, all bundled up in hay and ready to roll.
At this point in the rescue mission it occurred to me that we probably had a lot more money tied up in snowmachines than this heifer was ever going to return. But, she is one of ours and she made it this far, this long, and we owed it to her to give her a fighting chance.
Above is the total crew with two big, yellow Ski-Doos hooked together and ready to start pulling up toward the pass. This is the critical part of the story. The SnoDrifters had the machines with wide tracks and low gear to pull the long hills and not just dig a hole and get stuck. So onward we went.
Some readers might recognize the sign. This is the same place Timmery and I took our self portrait last time. We really like our cows and decided to take them snowmaching with us for fun this time – not!
Eventually we made it back to the parking lot, loaded her into the stock racks on a pickup and headed out.
Finally we could tell ourselves the heifer was on her way home. There was only more task before we could celebrate. We had to get her into the barn. Thankfully, the SnoDrifters were a committed and capable bunch and they came all the way home to Timmery’s barn and helped us unload her…by hand.
The heifer had arrived. Too bad it wasn’t Christmas or something.
So, a big thank you to the Lander SnoDrifters for volunteering your time and equipment. You helped us fulfill our commitment to our livestock to care for them the very best way we are able.
From RealRancher Jim Hellyer – Lander, 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.
November 10, 2010
I know, I know. Sometimes it sounds like we ranchers are speaking a different language. But don’t fret! We’re about ready to explain what “weaning,” “shipping,” and “preg checking” are…
Weaning day is also shipping day for us. That means the calves that were sold last summer on a video sale and the females we keep (called replacement heifers), have been separated from their mothers and moved to another pasture. The steers (castrated males) have a new home in Nebraska, some of the heifers (females who haven’t given birth) in Montana, and the replacements are home in Lander for the winter.
Timmery Hellyer works the gate during sorting and shipping time on their family ranch near Lander, Wyo.
Our steer calves are sold on a video sale. The video is a basic form of forward contracting. It is a really good way for a rancher to show and offer the animals for sale without having to physically move them to a place where they can be seen. A video sale is broadcast live on satellite TV and generally happens on the internet as well.
Shipping day begins with the neighbors arriving to help and everyone rides through the pasture to gather the cattle and start the weaning. Sometimes it gets a little noisy as the calves start hollering for their moms. Once inside the corral the cattle are sorted into groups of cows and groups of calves. The cows are then penned by themselves and the calves are then sorted into steers and heifers. This is called sexing.
After the sexing comes shipping. At shipping the steer and heifer calves that make the grade for size and shape, called the “sellers,” are loaded onto trucks and their journey to a new home begins. The replacements and everything else also get a ride to a new home.
The day after weaning we start pregnancy testing. Testing takes the neighbors’ help as well. Testing reveals whether the animal is bred (pregnant) or open (not pregnant). The entire herd is worked through a chute and sorted two ways when they exit the test. The bred cows are let back onto pasture and the culls (cows that are either bred late, are open, or are old) are moved to a place where then can’t mix back into the herd. Sometime later this fall or winter the culls will be sold to someone else.
Cattle are worked through a hydraulic chute while the veterinarian checks whether they are bred or not. These livestock handling systems are efficient and safe for both the cattle and the operators.
With shipping and testing over at our place it is now our neighbors turn and we will soon begin returning the help to everyone who helps us. Just like at branding, if we didn’t have our neighbors, life would be a lot more work.
From RealRancher Jim Hellyer – Lander, Wyo.
August 16, 2010
I have been enjoying The Last American Cowboy on Animal Planet. I especially like all of the bleeps used to cover up the “color” during the everyday ranch problems that seem to afflict us all.
I am certainly not the last rancher around here and thankfully there is not a camera crew following me around. There would have been nothing but bleeps if a TV crew was present when one of my pivots was a mangled mess thanks to a severe wind storm. Even more editing would’ve been necessary if they’d caught footage of me discovering the water supply line feeding the newly seeded field was bubbling up in the field, instead of flowing out to the sprinklers. The culprit? A leaky pipe joint buried DEEP underground. The American public should be grateful I was not being filmed for their viewing pleasure. I, however, could have used some help.
I suppose I am more of a hybrid type of rancher. I don’t have a helicopter and I am not especially fond of horses. Motorcycles and 4-wheelers work for me. My favorite characters on the show are the ones who remind me of myself or my family or a neighbor in certain situations. There is the real possibility that at least once per episode each main character could well be a part of my family or a neighbor. Perhaps reality TV has a limited place…
From RealRancher Jim Hellyer – Lander, Wyo.
June 10, 2010
It’s all about the nuts.
RealRancher Jim Hellyer says, "We castrate for several reasons...It's easier to manage steers than bulls; it's easier on the animal and the rancher to castrate younger animals; and it's related to the overall tenderness and flavoring of the end product."
Young bull* calves in one side, young steer* calves out the other. My preferred method of castration starts with a very sharp clean knife and ends with two warm little oysters in the nut bucket. It doesn’t take long; first a small slice across the scrotum, squeeze firmly for grip, a little tug, another slice on the cord, and bingo….another steer just entered the world.
Seriously, if a guy really gets his hands properly wrapped around the problem the whole process is quick….say 20 to 30 seconds…
That is my job at the branding. I am the cutter. Castration is the task. And cleanliness is the rule. Always wash your knife and hands between animals.
Around our neighborhood there is a hierarchy at the branding. The elders place their mark, the help (irreplaceable neighbors) push calves and turn tables, and the organized keep score on a rugged PC and administer the health regimen. The joke around here is that it takes a lifetime to get from the back of the table to the front.
RealRancher Timmery Hellyer uses a handheld computer during branding and castrating. It is used as part of a "Source and Age" program their livestock are enrolled in.
We probably do it slightly different than the next, but not in any manner that is necessarily better. It is called branding season and it precedes irrigation season.
Bull – an uncastrated (in-tact) male bovine.
Steer – a castrated male bovine.
Source and Age Verification – Source and/or age verified programs utilize the RFID tag technology (like what Timmery is holding above) to record and verify the sources and ages of beef cattle.
From RealRancher Jim Hellyer – Lander, Wyo.
Photos taken by Marcia Hellyer.
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