2012

Wishing everyone a happy New Year! We’ve been busy at the Swinging B Ranch this year.

With the weather this year, we’ve been like everyone else trying to find enough leases, hay, and water to feed our herd. This December has been good to us. The stock tanks are full, and it looks like Spring with all the winter grass coming up. So looking forward to 2012 being a better year weather wise. Bullet Proof is chilling in the back pasture, since he came back from Elgin Collecting semen.
Smith and Wesson, his son, is down there now. Look for him in the Beefmaster Cowman in January, and at the Houston Futurity Sale.

2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,700 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 28 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Hazards of a Ranch Wife

Figure there are a few more Ranch Wives that can relate to this:

Julie Carter, guest columnist:

Hazards of a ranch wife

JULIE CARTER    Guest columnist     Sunday December 5, 2010

The score: Gate 1, Ranch wife 0. And the town folk likely wanted to call police to report a beating when they saw her in town. Anyone with any knowledge about ranch wives knew exactly what had happened when she said the words “a gate and a cow.” With a shiner that sent black and blue over most of one side of her face, an eye that peeked through a narrow slit in the swelling, and bruises that obviously weren’t leaving anytime soon, she laughed and said, “You should have seen it yesterday. It was a lot worse.” It’s an old story and this tough woman proved that it’s still an ongoing hazard for the ranch wife — a husband who says, “Hold that gate and don’t let (the cow) by.” In 100 years of cattle ranching, the bovine species has never gotten the memo about that particular plan. At something maybe close to 5 feet tall, this little gal grew up holding her own in the corrals sorting and working cattle. Gender has never required allowances for special treatment when it comes to ranch work. When the operation is a “mom and pop” deal, mom has to pull her share without regard to stature, age or domestic duties. As 1,000 pounds of cow steamrolls toward a gate with an obvious determination to exit through it, and the little woman holding said gate knows, “this is gonna hurt.” There is a flash of mental calculating that determines what happens next. With Herculean strength, at least in her mind, she more often than not will try to hold her own, ergo hold the gate, against the cow, steer or even a freshly weaned 500-pound calf. With a hope of the odds and perhaps angels on her side, she prefers that option to the likely hollering or even a cussing from the “boss.” Or worse yet, the thought that she “can’t do this job.” She knows there are consequences if she decides to pitch the gate and run. With any luck, the results won’t require a wild and bumpy pickup ride to the “local” hospital emergency room a couple of hours away. That would really mess up a well-planned afternoon of getting some cattle sorted and tended to before dark. But, sometimes, the cow wins. Odds are she’ll be a favorite cow, one that’s raised five or six good calves. And although she’s a little on the cranky side even on a good day, her production stats determine that she be given dispensation for her attitude and grievances against the little missus. And the missus? Well, according to the head cowboy, she needs to get a bag of ice on that eye because she’s got a job in town that she needs to tend to on Monday. Have to keep the priorities in order so as to make a living. There are a few tough gals who have learned quitting is sometimes a temporary option. Nothing taxes a good ranch marriage like working cattle together in the corral. Sign language and hollering are a given, as are threats of cold meals or worse yet, a week of Spam sandwiches. Worth remembering is the story about the cowboy who, in his anger at his non-compliant help in the corral, told his wife to “just go on to the house. I’ll finish up by myself.” Obediently, she got in the pickup and drove home. However, in his tempered state, he had forgotten that they’d come to the pens together. That pickup she drove off in was the only vehicle at the corrals. It was an eight-mile walk back to the house.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year January 4, 2011

We had a busy end of the year it seems, and imagine it was the same with everyone else. Started it off with a little moisture in the ground. Sure thankful for that. We need rain badly. And that moisture will help the winter grass come on up. Starting to have a few calves to hit the ground. My Son’s 14 year old show calf had a beautiful heifer. But for some reason the silly thing won’t nurse. This is the first calf, she has ever had trouble with. And she has had lots of babies for my Son. So guess we’ll see what happens. My daughter in law was excited to think she might have a calf to bottle feed in her postage stamp back yard in town. Don’t figure my son will be too happy! We continue to work on cross fencing. A long way to go, but more is getting done each day inbetween all the regular ranch work. We will be headed to Three Rivers this weekend to support the Bull Sale, even though we are not in the Market for a Bull this Season. But there are always some nice bulls down that way if anyone is in need of a replacement bull. Hope all our Mclennan County Kids are having fun getting there projects finished up. The County Show and Sale in just a few weeks away. Good Luck to everyone! I remember the frenzy of getting those heifers and steers show ready. Even though it has been 7 years ago. Wow! Seems yesterday we were there! I’ll close…..and hope everyone is blessed with a wonderful New Year!

 

Tidy Up time Around the Ranch July 17, 2010 This week has been tidy up time around the ranch.  Been cleaning up around the place, cleaned out and organized the barns, and got the loft ready for square bales.  How come it gets in such a big mess?  Seems this year it reached to beyond messy……..now don’t anyone dare mess it up!  And that means you! lol

Game Day comes home

Game Day comes Home

July 12, 2010

Game Day came home today from New Mexico. He’d been in the mountains with Elgin Genetics collecting semen. Seems the cool weather was just what he needed. We have several hundred straw pulled. So if you need a good clean bull to clean up some of your heifers or cows, he’s the one you need to AI to.

Face Book Page

The Swinging B Ranch has now opened a facebook page. Hope this will be easier to keep updated.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Axtell-TX/Swinging-B-Ranch/122179011146688

Today’s Cowboy

Today’s cowboy, still does some things the same way as yesterday.  Using a rope and your hands! Even in the pen.  Seems there are lots of new calves that need to be tagged on the ranch, so sometimes the easiest way, is just to rope the stinker and put in the tag.  As you can tell, momma wasn’t too happy!  And she sure wasn’t!  This is a new calf Kiss An Angel!Born 2-10-2010.

The Sun is Shining….!!!!

Wow!  For 3 whole days the sun is shining bright and big at the Swinging B Ranch. It feels so nice!  And making that Spring grass really start to shine.  Yes, you know it’s getting Spring when the cows rather eat grass, then hay!  But they still love that feed.  I noticed the other day, as our ranch manager was leaving to get a bulk feeder filled the cows followed him to the gate.  Then as he drove back in they followed him back to the barn.  They were quite disappointed when he put the feeder up behind the barn, and it wasn’t for them.  Back to the fields they went! lol  Mooing sadly, I should say!  It wasn’t as if they haven’t had their breakfast of cotton seed hulls.  Those never ending appetites! 

On another note, with the pear trees blooming, and the peach trees loaded with buds.  I do feel Spring is on the edge of pushing thru’.  Now if it will only dry up enough for me to plant my garden.  I am way behind this year.  But maybe by this weekend I can get it planted.  I really hope so. 

And everyone that hasn’t checked out our website.  Last week I updated the herd reduction pages.  As well as added a bull to the herdsire page.  I hope, to be able to post more in the next few weeks.  We are excited about our website.  It seems to get more hits everyday, and we have been getting lots of phone calls on cattle, from ranchers checking our site out.  So thanks everyone for checking out what the Swinging B Ranch is all about!  http://swingingbranch.mysite.com  

And the last note is do not forget to mark you calendars for our Springtime in Texas Sale in Brenham on April 24th.  There will be lots of great cattle there!

So have a happy sunny day…wherever you are!

ps.  Remember Sunday to Spring forward as Daylight Savings begins!