a virtual visit to wyoming's rural communities
This is our yearly Cattle Drive, which is about 25 miles long.
We trail about 200-350 cows every year back and forth between home and the place we lease. We start early in the morning and get done late in the afternoon.
Its become a fun family time! We trail in the spring and then again in the fall and have been taking the trip for 6 or 7 years. I think it feels shorter every time we go!
From RealRancher Katie Keith – Casper, WY
Remember snow days when you were a kid? It was so much fun! No school; just drinking cocoa and wearing 14 layers of clothes to go run around in the yard.
Well, the RealRanchers of the Green River Valley (and most others I’ve ever been around) do not believe in snow days.
THIS is a snow day for Wyoming ranchers. It means you’re working IN the snow. Not getting OUT of work or school because of the snow.
In order to be the best caretakers of the animals they raise, ranchers have to be on call 24/7/365. Whether it’s gathering the herd in a blizzard, feeding in below-freezing temps, chopping ice on water or doctoring sick animals in the howling wind, the work must go on.
Those animals aren’t going to take a day off from eating or drinking. They’re selfish that way.
Do you have a similar story to tell? Tell us about it in the comments section or at www.facebook.com/realranchers.
Photo taken by RealRanchers.com during the 2011 Green River Drift.
You’ve all seen Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe on the Discovery Channel, right?
Well Dr. George Harty can relate.
Our thoughts go out to the person that does George’s laundry.
From RealRanchers, the Hamilton Family – Lance Creek, WY
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.
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, located in Carpenter, Wyo., offers all-natural homemade jams and Wild Chokecherry Syrup. Smucker’s ain’t got nothin’ on Baer’s!
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 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 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 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.
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 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.
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.
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 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 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
Fall is looking good in Crook County, Wyoming.
Rancher and Wyoming State Senator Ogden Driskill took this photo recently of his heifers (young female cattle that haven’t calved or have just had their first calf) on his ranch which is located near Devils Tower. Devils Tower was the first U.S. National Monument and has quite the legend.
Many of Wyoming’s ranches border state and federal land, ensuring the connectivity of open spaces and Wyoming’s iconic landscapes.
The 2011 Wyoming Angus Tour, Sept. 17-18 in Southwestern Wyoming, was a success with breeders from every corner of the state making the trip to Lincoln and Sublette Counties.
According to the American Angus Association, Angus cattle first came to America from Scotland in 1873. The breed is naturally hornless and most are black or red. They are one of the most popular breeds raised in the U.S. and more than 60% of all American cattle have Angus influence, according to a representative from Certified Angus Beef.
The tour included breeder stops at Teichert Angus in Cokeville, Hepworth Angus in Auburn, Jensen Angus in Boulder and Lucky 7 Angus in Boulder.
The tour also stopped at the Afton Civic Center for a tour of the CallAir Museum and at the Denbury Resources office in Big Piney for a presentation on their Riley Ridge Gas Plant Project that is nearing completion.
Tour Sponsors included the Wyoming Angus Association, Denbury Resources, Farm Credit Services of America (Brad Willford), Rock Springs National Bank, Accelerated Genetics (Don Cox), Jensen Angus, The Wyoming Livestock Roundup, Chef Wendy Schwartz, Colonel Dave Stephens Auction Service and The Boulder Store.
From Curt Cox – Wyoming Livestock Roundup
Humane treatment of livestock is something ranchers are doing continuously through their livestock management practices. Typically these actions improve the health and well-being of the animals in their care, and are enjoyable tasks for everyone. But, what about those situations where being humane and doing what’s best for the animal isn’t a fun practice? This post dives into one situation on an Eastern Wyoming ranch where keeping the animal’s best interest in mind wasn’t an enjoyable task, but still a necessary one to ensure the animal was treated as humanely as possible.
To read the full story visit RealRancher Heather Hamilton’s blog – Double H Photography
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!
“When those famous Wyoming thunderstorms rumble across the Eastern Wyoming plains this summer, ranchers can be seen atop every high hill watching for the accompanying lightning, and potential range fires that result. An abundant grass year as created a waving sea of fuel that can light up in seconds, and result in detrimental losses for residents. See how ranchers and county fire fighters come together to work tirelessly in an effort save their friend’s and neighbor’s resources in this post.”
To read the full story visit RealRancher Heather Hamilton’s blog – Double H Photography
My farmer husband and I have been irrigating all summer. And when I say “my husband and I,” I mean, mostly him, and rarely me. I have a cushy office job and he does the real work.
However, I was along on one trip to help roll out plastic ditch in early July. I am fascinated by the stuff. Whoever came up with it gets a checkmark in the “win” category. Plastic ditch is used in flood irrigation situations and the concept is similar to using gated pipe. On our farm, we have a mixture of flood and pivot irrigation.
This is how we put up plastic ditch. First my farmer husband pulled a shallow ditch through the end of the field. This ditcher is nothing fancy, but it works. The dirt ditch helps keep the plastic ditch in place while we roll it out.
My farmer husband rigged the plastic ditch up to the pipe that brings the water to the field. Then we stuck a shovel handle through the center of the plastic ditch roll and decided to go for a stroll. We’re romantic like that.
We walked the roll out until we ran out of length. All the while we were adjusting to make sure the plastic ditch stayed in the dirt ditch. I told those ditches to play nicely together, and they listened for the most part. I’m well respected like that.
We were using only part of a roll and it wouldn’t reach to the end of the field so, we had to combine two lengths of plastic ditch using this coupler. We used wire to unite the two pieces in holy irrigationhood.
Then the fun part started when we turned on the water and watched it run through the pipe. Look at all the little bubbles fly by! This is how I entertain myself on the farm. Don’t judge.
We tied off the end of the plastic ditch and got down to business punching holes for the gates. As you can guess, I’m incredibly skilled at this, but I let my farmer husband do it for the practice.
I followed closely behind with my big blue bucket of black gates (man I love alliteration!). I placed them in the punched holes and then my farmer husband tightened them with the same punch tool.
And that’s how you do it!
The corn was about knee high in early July and now it’s way over my 5’11” head. We’ll start to chop silage and combine corn in September and October. The corn is used to feed cattle (Beef! It’s What’s For Dinner) and the cattle across the land will rejoice when the feed trucks dump their ration into the bunks. And all will be right with the world. The end.
From RealFarmWife Liz Lauck – Wheatland, Wyo.
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a virtual visit to wyoming's rural communities
a virtual visit to wyoming's rural communities
Horse & Rider Training. Serving The Northern Front Range Since 1981
a virtual visit to wyoming's rural communities
a virtual visit to wyoming's rural communities
a virtual visit to wyoming's rural communities
a virtual visit to wyoming's rural communities
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a virtual visit to wyoming's rural communities
RealRanchers.com 
