Gates in the Desert

Some ranchers are really creative when it comes to gates. Here is the entryway to one nearby rancher's house. I like the patriotism and symmetry.

This is a gate into a corral. It's called the "visitor gate," I guess because it impresses the visitors. It sure impressed me! 

Here's another fun gate, painted blue.

Behind the gate is an old hay derrick, which in olden times before loaders, backhoes, and forklifts was used to stack hay. 

This gate was made by a master metal craftsman in our little town. Desert Boy had a lot of fun checking it out.

He took the gate as a challenge--can I get through?

He had some problems with his head. 

Then he figured that out and perhaps got into some bigger trouble!

The Feedlot

It's fall, which means it's time to move the cows off the summer range. Some go to winter range, while others are brought into the feedlots. In addition to feeding our own cows, we also feed cows for other people.

As you might imagine, one of the main activities in a feedlot is feeding. The feed wagon usually distributes feed to the cows anywhere from two to five times a day. Can you imagine having food delivered to you that many times a day and never having to prepare it? On the surface, it sounds really good! Of course, when you realize how repetitive the feed is (a mixture of hay, barley, corn), it might not sound quite as tempting.

Usually you see the cows bent over the feed, eagerly chewing it up so that it can go into their first stomachs and then be regurtitated later so they can chew the cud and send it back down through their digestive system. This photo shows what the cows look like from behind, just in case you were wondering.

These calves, a black angus and a red angus, take a break from eating to glare at me. Don't they look mean? Usually cows have such sweet dispositions, but I don't think these two like having their brunch interrupted.

This particular calf escaped from the pen. Instead of being happy about it and eating somewhere along the trough, she just stares at me. Maybe she likes having her picture taken.

Desert Destination: Wildlife in the Fields

Mule deer in alfalfa field

Sometimes I travel long distances to go look for wildlife, but today I didn't have to go far. Wildlife love coming to the ranch. They have lots of food, good cover, and of course, good company. So to celebrate some of our animal neighbors, here's a series of photos of these creatures saying hi. (Or saying get the heck out of here and let me get back to my business, but if they're saying that I'm just pretending not to understand.)

Canada geese flying overhead

Canada geese taking off from field

Ravens on fence next to corn field

Mule deer near pivot

Mule deer eating alfalfa

Group of pronghorn antelope in recently cut hay field--

sorry these are little specks, but the shadow of the airplane is cool, isn't it?

Chopping Corn

It's that time of year to harvest the corn. We have several pivots of field corn, and it has grown nice and tall, about eight feet tall. 

Corn is one of my all-time favorite vegetables, and it takes some restraint not to reach out and pluck those ears of corn, even though they are field corn. The deer don't show so much restraint--they hide happily in the corn fields and munch away to their heart's content.

When the corn has matured to just the right point and the weather is cooperating, it's time to cut it. What is that right point? According to my dear husband, it's the half milk point. I think that's what he said. If I understood him right, it's when the kernels on the ear have dented in deeply and are hard about half-way down. They are still adding a little starch to the ears, and this is the best time to cut for silage. If you just want to cut the ears (earlage), it's best to wait a little bit longer.

The big chopper is the machine of choice (and Desert Boy's favorite piece of equipment to climb). The chopper cuts six rows of corn at a time. As it drives along, the silage truck drives at the same speed so that the corn goes into the truck.

They start on the outside of the pivot, going in a huge semi-circle. Why not a circle that goes all around the field? Ah, the pivot is in the way, so it's simpler to do two semi-circles than a circle with a major detour. It generally takes three to four days to cut and chop an entire field.

Gradually the rows of cut corn keep expanding.

A silage truck can only hold so much cut corn, so after a few minutes, another silage truck comes in to take its place. The first truck heads off.

Where does it go? Not to worry, Desert Boy, Henry, and I followed it to see.

The truck backed up to this red machine next to a long white bag. It lifted its load, and the silage started coming out.

The red machine, called a bagger, compresses the corn silage into the plastic bag. In this closed environment it ferments slightly, preserving it. Fermentation is an anaerobic process, so the plastic helps keep that oxygen out. Just think fine wine...or not. 

Here's a view from the other side. The white bags are a football field long. The corn silage needs to stay in the bag for at least 30 days before it's used as feed.

Here's the loader getting some of last year's silage. After it gets its scoop... 

...it loads the feed wagon, which then makes a trip through the feed lot and distributes the mixture of corn, alfalfa, and barley silage to the cows.

The end result is some happy cows! 

Up on a Horse

The ranch has some beautiful horses, but they're all working horses, meaning that they can be a little feisty and aren't the docile retired animals that you usually find at trail rides. Seeing how that's the only type of horse I had been around before I moved out to the desert and got married, I've had a bit of a learning curve as I try to master riding a horse.

My sister-in-law Tana makes it look easy. She's a true cowgirl, and has no problem taking little Desert Boy for a ride. They both are loving it.

Desert Boy even looks like he knows what he's doing, holding on to the reins and looking around to search for cattle. Tana started riding before she could walk, so perhaps with Desert Boy starting early he will also make it look easy.

This is my nephew Tractor Buddy. When I look at him, I figure that this is what Desert Boy probably will look like in about eight years. 

And now it's my turn. Tana let me take a ride on her horse Jewel, a gentle horse who had just finished herding cattle and was feeling a little lethargic. Perfect for me, the neophyte. I love riding horses, as long as I feel in control. I feel in control when the horse is moving slowly--anything faster than a walk gets my heart pounding!

That dusty ground looks like a soft landing in case I do take a spill. I walk Jewel around in circles, and then...

...the world starts getting topsy-turvy. Oh no!

Just kidding, I wouldn't have actually been able to take a photo while I was falling off. That would take too much coordination. Here I am, just strolling along, pretending that I am a world-class horsewoman. 

Moving Cattle

On Sunday my husband received a call from his brother Dave that he needed help moving 350 cows out of the meadow and into the corral so that they could be preg-checked (checked to see if they were pregnant) the next day. Desert Boy and I tagged along to photograph the event. We went down to the big meadow at the south end of our property, where the cows were contentedly grazing, unaware of what was going to happen next.

My husband doesn't like horses much, but he sure looks good on one! He even dug out his old cowboy boots so that he would be prepared. The cowboy boots usually remain on the floorboard of his truck, buried under irrigating boots, electrician's manuals, parts for different tractors, and grease-stained jackets.

My sister-in-law Tana is in the front, with Dave behind. They both know about everything you can know for riding horses, so I always try to soak up a little knowledge from them. My nephew Tractor Buddy is in the back, drafted into service and not too sure that this is what he wants to be doing. Our old cowboy Lee, 80+ years old and still riding strong, is along for the ride, along with Tractor Boy's dad (my husband's other brother).

Once they get into the meadow, the cows no longer are milling about in all directions, but sense that it's time to move. They gradually start heading in the right direction.

The horses and riders keep them going, and the cows are really well-behaved.

I am just loving every moment. The mountains in the background give a sense of the Wild West to the picture. It's quiet all around except for the sound of hundreds of cattle moving through the grass, mooing now and then.

Here's my nephew Tractor Buddy. He looks like he's doing pretty well on a horse. He chose his nickname, so you can see what his first love is.

The first 350 cows have been moved through the gate and are at the corral at the end of the area I'm waiting in. Dave opens the gate...

...and they start in. This area is really dusty, and you can see the dust cloud starting up, obscuring the mountains.

The cows ignore us over on the truck and just head right into the next corral where they're supposed to go. They were being really good! Sometimes they'll mill around and walk in circles and make life a little difficult.

The horse riders are really in the dust following the herd. Nevertheless, my brother-in-law Dave has a big smile on his face, glad the cows are doing what he wants. Or maybe he knew I was taking a photo.

Dave and my husband follow the cattle into the corral, eating the dust.

And then all we can see are ghost riders on the range.