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Fire Season Field Notes

Intern Andrew Mainini has a firm grasp on the measures that can be taken to prevent wildfires on the plains and ranches. Read how he explains how the E bar U Ranch takes such measures.

We are in the midst of summer here at the E bar U and as cool season grasses begin to turn dormant our chances of fires increase daily. Fire can be devastating for any ranch across the nation, but there are precautions that can be done to lessen the likelihood of a fire.

Prescribed fire can be used in the spring months to control sagebrush, other woods forbs and leaf litter. All these can greatly increase the fire fuel throughout the landscape; burning these off with prescribed fire will lower the fuel load. With a lower fuel load, if a fire is started unintentionally it will likely not have enough fuel to become out of control and is less likely to burn large areas. Burning sagebrush will also increase forage production because once the sage is killed; it will allow more room for grasses to grow.

Here on the E bar U, prescribed fire is a management tool that has been used for decades and the results are clearly shown throughout the ranch. Once sage covered ridge tops that were not utilized by cattle are now dense grasslands and are often heavily grazed.

Forest Fun

Rangeland Intern Tyler Flatt has had the opportunity to help with ranching duties in not one, but two states this summer. The Ladder Ranch crosses into Colorado, and Tyler got to work both sides of the border this last week.

This week at the Ladder Ranch has been just a normal week. Monday, we went to the Colorado forest and pushed some cows back up that were starting to come down. We put out some mineral out of hope that they would stay in the higher elevation. Tuesday, I spent most of the day putting up hay from the upper meadow. I’ve gotten pretty good at stacking bales since I’ve been here.

Wednesday, we went to the Wyoming forest to ride through the pairs and see if anything needed to be doctored. We had a few calves and two bulls that had foot rot, so we doctored them up and went along our way. Thursday, I put up some more hay then raked a new pasture that had been cut. Friday, I baled that same pasture that I raked and put that hay up. Saturday, we rode through upper big gulch looking for a bull that needed to be doctored. We didn’t find him but we found a few cows that needed to be moved as well as some bull that were with the heifers that needed to be separated. It’s hard to believe that next week is my last week. I’m excited to see what next week has to offer.

Jedidiah’s Week Alone

This week I got firsthand experience managing the Perry ranch by myself. Mr. and Mrs. Perry went to their annual family reunion on Wednesday; Jeff and Amie left on Thursday. They all returned by Sunday afternoon. I put in some long days between cutting hay, flood irrigating, moving cows, and fixing fence. Everything held together and we had no major wrecks.

On Monday, I collected manure samples from the cows and calves so that the vet could test for worms. The results from these tests will determine what type of vaccine to give when we wean in a few weeks. We also got to do a little cowboy work moving cows on the lease. On Tuesday, we started taking the shoes and skid plates off of the swather and repairing them. All of them were worn thin and cracked at the place where they run over the ground. We welded ¼” plates on over top of the break to help protect the cutter bed and prolong its life. This option was much cheaper than purchasing new skid plates and rock guards from the equipment dealer. We priced that at about $1500.00. We already had the steel and just had to remove the plates and weld them together. Our job will probably protect the swather just as well and won’t wear out as quickly as the new parts would.

While the Perry’s were gone, I managed to get in some more corral repair and built two wings for the cattleguard by the house. It was patched together with some cattle panels and a wagon wheel before, so it looks much better now.

It just happened that all the hay that I cut down got rained on this week. While having an inch of rain is a blessing for the fields, it will delay our baling for a bit. We will probably try to get the field done next week before we start working calves for shipping.

An Intern & His Horse

This summer I was fortunate enough to bring my personal four year old gelding up to the E bar U for summer work. Through out the summer he has been my main saddle horse. From dragging calves, to making big circles and even taking cattle up the mountain, this horse has gained a vital experience that is critical in the making of a young ranch horse. Through out the summer the Kanes have put an emphasis on low stress stock handling and keeping cattle gentle. This requires being able to read a cow and make your move before the cow does, this will eliminate having to run down any cows to make them turn back. Doing so will also train the cows overtime to be more conducive to being worked. Knowing when to move slow and when to move fast is very important in stock handling, having a horse that knows the difference can make that process very easy. Through out this summer, both my horse and I have gained very good experience in low stress stock handling.

Another Slow Week for Tyler

It was another slow week here at the Ladder Ranch. Monday, we moved some cows around the pastures close to the ranch. I tried a new horse today and he was a really smooth ride. The only thing I didn’t like about him was that he was very spooky and jumped at almost everything.

Tuesday, I spent all day in a tractor either raking hay or baling. It was nice with the air conditioning and the radio blasting so no one could hear my singing. Wednesday there was more of the raking and baling. Thursday, we went to the Wyoming forest and moved some cows into a different pasture. My new horse did a lot better today.

Friday we went to the Colorado forest and moved cows. I used the big 17 hand horse I liked today because it was a longer day. Saturday we just spent the day taking down corrals and turning the poles into stays for fencing. Next week we have a lot of haying to do. The cows are pretty much where they are going to be for a while so we are going to take care of the hay.

Odd Jobs & Ends For Jedidiah

This week was full of small projects that ended up keeping us very busy. We did some corral repair and hung more joints of methane pipe where the old fence was in disrepair. I had to weld some of the pipes and I caught a small patch of cheatgrass on fire since it was so dry. We got a hose and sprayed the area around the fence to prevent any further hazards. We also had to set some new posts for a windbreak that was leaning badly. We also attacked the shop lean-to that was very disorganized. We hauled off several loads of junk and made the area very open and clean, not to mention organized. One of the skylights was broken in the barn, so Jeff and I went up in the tractor bucket to fix that. It went together very nicely and no one got hurt. Mr. Perry had me put fly-rubs out for the cows this week as well. I had never done that before, so it was a learning experience. I mixed the insecticide (10% Permethrin) with oil and dribbled the mixture on the rub. It seemed to take a long time and my arms got tired from holding the oil jug up. It will be interesting to see the results.

We finished up irrigating with the side rolls this week. However, I had to replace several birds before we were done because they either broke or weren’t distributing the water evenly. We were notified that one section of our gated pipe was leaking, so we went to repair it. As it turned out, one of the joints of gated pipe split clear down the entire length, so our trip to fix a little leak turned into a pipe replacement trip. We still have one pivot going for a little while yet. I prepared the swather last week, so we are ready to start 2^nd cutting on Wednesday. Next week we will be moving cows, haying, and trying to dodge the forecasted thunderstorms.

Intern Andrew Plays Doctor

After last weeks adventure of trailing cattle to the mountain it is now time to continuously be with the herd and watch for sickness as well as keep cattle scattered through out their pastures. Keeping cattle scattered ensures that they will not over use forage in any area of the pasture. To do so, we will be moving them every few days as well as placing salt and mineral in areas that will draw the cattle away from areas of high utilization.

Foot rot and phenomena are two common sicknesses that occur on the mountain. Typically these calves are roped and doctored; recently we have transitioned from roping calves to shooting them with a gun that shoots darts filled with medication. Using the dart gun is less stressful to the animal because they don’t have to be ran down and roped. With lower stress levels for the animal, it allows the medication being administered a better chance to show a quick response in the animal. Animals that are doctored with excessive stress levels may show a negative response to the medication.

Tyler Flatt Gets his fill of Haying

This week has been the week of haying. Monday we went around and raked all the fields that had been mowed last week. Tuesday we cleaned all the equipment and finished what little raking was left. Wednesday I spent all day in a tractor baling hay. It was pretty nice just sitting there listing to music and jamming out baling hay.

Thursday we cleaned the equipment again and did some more baling. After that we went to Steamboat and went to the hot springs. It was nice to have a night to relax and have a little fun. Friday we did some more baling and raking up the stuff the baler could not get the first time. Saturday we were back to horses. We had to go move cows up to a new pasture in the forest. The forecast for the future is more haying with a chance of riding.

Jedidiah Tries to Beat the Heat

This week was definitely a cooker! We have been struggling to manage working all day in the heat and still have energy and motivation. I worked all day on Monday on a short piece of fence in the corral that was patched together with panels. I re-set the posts because they were badly leaning and we hung methane pipe on with lag screws and metal clips. It was very nice to have two people to put the pipes up because the spans were about 29’ and VERY heavy.

We moved cows on Tuesday to a different pasture and I got to try out my newly made bull whip. It worked pretty well. We worked the rest of the day on gated pipe and electric fence. On Wednesday, we helped Mr. Perry’s brother clean out his garage and hauled some telephone poles home that Mr. Perry had purchased from him. I was also able to go to the Sheridan Wyo Rodeo that evening.

Thursday and Friday were spent cleaning up around the shop and doing some general repairs. I rebuilt a retaining wall out of railroad ties that was falling down and cleaned up a lot of junk around it that was buried in the weeds. It looked a lot nicer when I was done! The irrigating has been going good for the most part. I went through both side rolls, cleaning and replacing birds that were defective. The new pivot has been doing it’s job quite nicely, except for the times when it gets stuck. The alfalfa is doing well in the heat, as long as it has water on it. Next week we will probably prep the haying equipment for the second cutting.

Pardners In Prosperity-150 Years of Cheyenne Tradition

This past Friday, July 14th, 2017, the Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce held their annual “Pardners in Prosperity” event. Pardners in Prosperity recognizes the many businesses, associations, and people that work with the Chamber to make this town a smooth running machine.

It was quite different from most of the events that have been held in years past though. Since it was the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the city of Cheyenne and it’s Chamber of Commerce, this summer’s Pardners in Prosperity took place downtown in the Historic Depot Plaza, right in front of the train depot and across from the Wrangler western store. The main focus and theme for the event was agriculture, and recognizing the impact and history that it and local ranchers have had and still continue to have today.

A live country band, an auction of western items, and a “Farm to Table” lunch was provided, with all food coming from local locations. The beef was provided by 7 Bar 2 Beef, and the rolls and vegetables were provided by Grant Farms. Organizations, including the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, that have been members of the Chamber of Commerce for well over 100 years and were established in Cheyenne were given a chance to speak as well. Local livestock producers, including the Warren Livestock Company and the King Eisele Ranch to name a few, were present and were recognized for their efforts towards working with the community. A board was branded with all of the ranchers who were present to the event that brought their branding irons along.