Allison - The Idaho Rancher's Wife

The Fun of Preg Checking Buffalo

January 2, 2015 by Allison

When I talk about our couple of days working buffalo, I usually only mention that we were preg checking them. But it was really more than that. At the ranch they only work the buffalo once a year. Can you blame them? I mean really, who wants the stress and working buffalo more than that?

With the whole herd gathered, everything goes through the chute. We wean off all of the calves and sort the bulls from the heifers. That means that they each get a tail lift… In some ways it can be kinda tricky trying to sex them. So much hair… And as it got darker the differences sure became hard to spot! But there is an easy, unreliable way to ID gender- their horns. Interestingly enough, the horns on the bulls grow wider… Random, I know.

And then we obviously preg the cows, cull the opens. Its so interesting to see this herd and the range in ages and size. We have young calves to old cows that have been in the herd for years. But what they all have no matter what their age is, they are all so crazy. Over and over they would have a problem with the cows tipping over backwards. See, in their craziness, they try to jump out. And they could if it was just a cow ally (buts its not anymore). With the ally being tall enough and strong enough, they can’t jump over. But it doesn’t keep them from trying, over and over again. And eventually, their top heavy head gets the best of them and they just topple over backwards. It really is comical to see because its as if once they get up to the top, it all goes in slow motion while they try to NOT tip over. They fling their hooves and wiggle their head. But its inevitable… They tip over on their backs and CAN’T get up. “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up…” (name that show?!).

Once they have tipped over the crew is gathered because it takes ALL of the men to get the upside down buffalo right side up. After this happening so many times, they have got their system down. They throw a rope around its head and pull, rolling it up. It seems simple, but buffalo are heavy. Super heavy! Seriously, it takes 9 guys to do this! And sometimes one has to get a little brave to jump down in the ally with the buffalo to get the rope on. Exciting right?

They did get to pull over a good handful of buffalo, but fortunately nothing really happened. Hardly anything to get your blood pumping. We had one little incident where a calf managed to back out of the chute, right by me. It was like preg checking cows all over again. But that meant I new just what to do- grab the baby and run! I had been recording numbers and standing right next to the chute when the little bugger psyched out the gate man and was able to back out. We danced around the table, trying to keep something between us and the calf and at the first chance we jumped up on the cat walk. The guys were prepared for something like this and pulled out some panels to herd the little buffalo back in. And it did just saunter in and we went back to work, shortly acting as if it had never happened.

Preg checking was, once again, exciting this year! Not enough to cause any really harm, but still enough to know your heart can be good and fast.

Merry Christmas from The Crew

December 26, 2014 by Allison

What a glorious season it has been! It certainly has been busy with friends, family, service, playing, working… The list can just go on but in reality it has been a terrific season of celebration. I am a religious woman- you know that (not too many ranchers are NOT).

I take this time of year to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ because of the blessings that have come from His life. Every day I am grateful for His birth, His life, and His death. It has given me so much and everyday I strive to live in a way to thank Him.

I have been blessed with a family- a wonderful, hard working husband, two happy and healthy kids, and a lifestyle that shows no bounds. Every day we can connect with Him and, in His way, we work to serve people all over the world.

From all of us at the ranch, we want to say Merry Christmas! Thank you for a fun year riding with the Eliasons!

The Buffalo-Working-Crew

December 22, 2014 by Allison

I’m finally getting around to telling you a little more of working the buffalo from my trip to Lemhi. The crew The Lemhi Rancher assembled was all sorts of random. A sister and her crazy kids, a brother and his family, a few hands from the ranch and then the office crew.

The owner of the ranch has several businesses under his hat, which means he has a variety of guys that work for him. The office guys come in really handy on the days when they run short on ranch hands.

Most ranches are only run with a few guys. Sure there is always work to be done, but for the most part, the day to day things can be taken care of without a big crew. But then there are a few days that you just can’t do it alone. On our operation, we turn to our neighbors and friends and in return we help them. We realize how valuable the ranchers are that we work with and grateful we are that they are willing to step in. In a way they become invested in our operation, hoping that the work that they do for us isn’t in vain. Because of their hard work, we are happy to turn around and help them whenever they need. And its become a real blessing working so closely with neighbors. They aren’t competitors down the road but are family of the industry.

At Lemhi, it isn’t quite the same. The cowboys don’t go into the office to help do the accounting or paper work. But working together on the ranch helps them have a better understanding of the role each of them play in the big pictures. Working buffalo might not be their strength, but every bit of help is welcomed. We take the buffalo-working crew however they come, with grateful hearts.

Little Lemhi, Idaho- My First Happily Ever After

December 21, 2014 by Allison

Lemhi, Idaho will always have a special place in my heart. Mostly the ranch that my brother worked on. Why? Good question… I’ll tell you.

This is the place I met my cowboy.

I always said I would marry a cowboy but then when I went to college, there were no cowboys around. I was interested in the nursing program at BYU- a school where there is nothing remotely close to an animal science or ag business programs. See.. ya… no cowboys. It was a little much for this country girl so I would head up to my brother’s to visit, ride my horse, and get out of the city. It so happened that The Rancher thought that Lemhi would be a great place to do an internship and took a semester there. We met. We played. We worked. We checked cows until midnight. I though nothing would come from it because he didn’t even come say by as I left that first weekend I met him. That was until I got a call from my sister in law warning me that The Rancher had asked my brother for my phone number! Too scared to ask me, but not too scared to ask his boss for his sisters number… Boys…

So we romanced and fell in love and got married. Then we moved to the ranch! We worked on the ranch the first 8 months before we went back to school. It was like a long honey moon- we just worked and played with practically no one else around (have you heard of Lemhi? No? That’s because its suuuuper small. LOVE IT!).

Now when we go to visit I always think of those great few years where The Rancher and I got our start. In some ways it will always be home because that it where we had our first home. I love to take time to drive around the valley and the ranch to just take it all in. This was the beginning of my happily ever after!

Cousins make the best of friends! How many boys does it take to open a gate?…

A Drive Through the Buffalo

December 16, 2014 by Allison

My family loves to work together. Is that weird? For family reunions we have cut a horse (castrated him), built fence, and put up drywall. Everyone does stuff like that, right?! Someone once told me that so long as you are doing something you enjoy, you can consider it recreation. We like to recreate by working, sweating, stinking… Ok, maybe not everyone and not all of the time… there are times we like to sit and do nothing. But that doesn’t last long at all.

So whenever my older brother announces that he has big work days like preg checking the buffalo, we all (those within a reasonable distance) head out there.

The kids and I showed up the night before the big day, not long before The Lemhi Rancher (my brother) walked in the house. He sat down with a sigh and said, “All the buffalo are in the corrals… what a relief!” You could see that he REALLY was relieved. Working buffalo carries a little more anxiety than working cows. There is nothing really domestic about these animals. They are still so primeval that whenever they encounter anything that stresses them out they go fight or flight. Hard core fight or flight. So for the work to go well, for the buffalo to get in the corral without any intense effort, IS relieving.

We had one long day of work (more about that later…), like so long that at the end we had a few phones out to shed some light on the work. Working hard all day meant that I didn’t have anytime for pictures. Which was just fine… That meant I had to take a drive the next day to satisfy the photographer in me!

I loaded up my kids and the cousins (to open the gates of course!) and we drove through the buffalo. This was a first for us in a sorts. We are usually up in the spring and summer, so to see the buffalo not losing their hair and in the snowy fields was a fun change. I’m awed to watch the buffalo and like to imagine what it might have been when they roamed for hundreds of miles on end. They are constantly moving, almost like they still have that instinct to migrate. Good thing The Lemhi Rancher has some big pasture!

Like I said, primal… not domestic… Certainly interesting, entertaining and always making a fun shot for this Rancher’s Wife.

Have no fear… I’m still here!

December 12, 2014 by Allison

Oh, dear readers… I owe you an apology. Do you know that it has been nearly 3 weeks since my last post?! I can’t believe how fast the time has been slipping away! It seems like we just shipped the calves but that was weeks ago. Since that time we moved cows, finished preg checking cows, went to our annual ICA Convention, gave thanks with our family, competed in the Farm Bureau Discussion Meet, and now we are full swing celebrating Christmas. What a whirlwind (and a long sentence)!

Since so much has happened I have so much to share with you… and share I will! But first I want to tell you something, explain something.

I love life. I love MY life. I love all of the pieces of it- being a mom, being a wife, working in the community, being involved in my church, pretending to be a photographer, blogging, and living on the ranch. I don’t know that there is anything I would change. If there was something I could change it would only be to have more time to do more. So much to do in so little time and there are so many dreams I have yet to live! But having so many different areas to spend my time means that my time to work on each is spread thin.

About a year ago, a new fire was lit to inspire me in my blogging/photography work. Speakers, conferences, discussions on society’s perception of agriculture- it all pushed me to see how I could couple the things that I loved and use them for our industry. Since then I have been pushing myself. Pushing to learn new things about writing, taking photos, graphic design, web design, and being more aware what is happening in my little niche of the world. Pushing myself to be more present in the social media world. Pushing myself to meet new people and hear their story.

And in it all I came to a conclusion.

I have an incredible opportunity to connect the ag industry to the consumer. For the most part, our world of producing beef never really comes in contact with those that eat our beef. Once the calves leave the ranch, we begin to focus on the next bunch to be raised. We don’t have the luxury of tracking the beef to the plate. I wish we could see the families that use our beef for dinner. I would love to ask what their favorite recipes are, how they think its tasting, and then answer any questions that they might have. I wish we could have a conversation with the consumer.

But we can’t… At least not a traditional conversation where we sit down and talk back and forth. That only means I have to get creative to make that conversation happen. Instead I am going try to have a conversation without really knowing if anyone is really there to listen. I am going to tell my story, answer the questions that I hear out there in the virtual world, and hope that someone will hear it.

I love this work and I will do it in the hopes that it will help or inspire somebody. And I will keep doing it if my life gets crazy and weeks slip by without touching the keyboard. I want to connect to people through all of the craziness of life… So… sorry its been so long. But know that any time I have a brief hiatus, I will always return!

The Rancher’s Wife Calendar 2015

November 21, 2014 by Allison

I did it again. I made another calendar. Last year I didn’t really know what I was doing and this year…. I mostly do… I’m jumping in again and just praying for the best. I actually like trying to do some bits of graphic design and making a calendar that I would like to hang on my wall allows me to dabble in it a teensy bit. And this last year I have loved to see some of my favorite photos on a calendar hanging on my wall.

So with out further ado, I am announcing my 2015 calendar!

If you are interested in a calendar, please email me or comment on this post. The calendar will be $25.00, which already includes shipping.

Family Photoshoot in the Snow

November 18, 2014 by Allison

For having a population of about 90, there are so many terrific people in this little valley. In the few years that we have been living here I have made some incredible friends. Over the last few struggling years its been humbling to watch our ranching and farming friends plead and pray for help and to see them celebrate in their triumphs and stand tall in their trials.

This little family has to be at the top of our best friends. He was best friends with The Rancher as they grew up, she and I hit it off instantly and we have kids the exact same age that already love each other. She asked me to take a few family pictures and we found the perfect day on the morning of the first snow of the season. Now when I say she wanted me to take a few, she really meant it. “I just need a family one, one of each kid… and I guess just the two of us!” That’s just what we said. I snagged a few others and then talked them into taking a few fun ones “sledding” that I think turned out so fun!

I’m a work in progress, ready and eager to learn how to take AWESOME pictures, and I’m grateful for those willing to jump in and let me capture their story!

Headed to Fall Pasture

November 16, 2014 by Allison

Calling it fall pasture now sounds wrong that it is currently covered with a sheet of white snow, but since the calendar still calls this time of year fall we will go with it. Fall pasture. That’s where we headed a week ago. The Rancher asked me one of my favorite questions- do you wanna ride? Um… YES!

It really was a fabulous day and a fabulous day for a ride. Unfortunately… there was one part of that day that wasn’t so fabulous- I didn’t bring my camera! I was so busy getting kids together and getting out before the cowboys left me that it slipped my mind. But in some ways it made for a different kind of ride.

I always enjoy being out for a ride and I love capturing the scenes of the day. But as I’ve been riding and photographing at the same time, I realized that as much as I take in with my camera I don’t personally it take in. I look around seeing my next photo or noticing some exciting action and then I take the picture instead of internalizing what’s happening. And that is exactly what I did this ride.

We gathered in the forest cattle, the same bunch we had brought in twice already. This time it was to sort off all of our remaining cows to head over a couple of hills to the fall pasture. Luckily they pretty well sorted themselves… a few of them were a little hot and if too many were that feisty it might have made for a bad day… When they take on the horse in front of them rather than running through the gate, you can see that there was plenty of fun that day. Once we got all of our cows out The Rancher, Cowboy E and I started moving them down the road.

It was uneventful. The cows moved slow because they were busy eating all along the way. The air was chilly but the sun beating down was warm and comfortable. We commented about how good and fat the cows looked. And we called for the dog keep the cows moving (NEVER move cows without a good cow dog… he’s worth his weight in gold!). It was nice to have a moment to connect to what we were doing and take it all in. The creak in my saddle, the cow’s hooves on the gravel, and the dog running were the only things to really take my attention.

This little uneventful ride helped me realize how beautiful of a life we live, in its simplicity and in its intensity. We have times of the year that we fall into bed exhausted only to wake up early again the next morning. Then there are the days that The Rancher gets done early enough to saddle up the horse for the kids to ride. In all of it we get to live a life where we work as a family to raise beef to help feed the world. We work hard, play hard, and have beauties all around. On this ride to fall pasture I didn’t capture the day with my camera, but I certainly captured it with my heart. If only I could help you to see the imprint it has left on this rancher’s wife.

The End of a Satisfying Year

November 14, 2014 by Allison

The first week in November is always a big week for us. Over that week most, if not all, ranchers in the valley sell and ship their calves. We calved out these babies, grown them over the summer, and then put the weight on them since weaning. I’ve said it over and over-this is the day we work for. Sale day is the day that makes every other day possible. And when its over we can finally relax (its only for like a day until we start thinking about the next year!).

We have had amazing growth over the last two months and it really showed on sale day. They were chubby, so chubby that we weighed in heavy! Seriously, fantastic! When we contract our calves, we contract less than what we have (mostly to hedge our bets because occasionally we contract before the calves are even born!). When we weigh heavy and have more calves than in the contract, that means there are more we can keep and sell on the side. Its like having two paydays! We do keep back anywhere from 90-115 heifer calves to keep for replacement heifers the next year.

The morning of sale day we bring the calves, already sorted into steers and heifers. We weigh all the calves, getting an average weight. Based on that weight, our broker will pick out any calves that he won’t be taking and then we reweigh those (to make sure we have the MOST accurate weight down). After the work of sorting and moving and weighing and reweighing its time to load the trucks. Once those trucks are full, they drive off into the sunset and we all live happily after. Ok, not really… It was noon so more like driving into the sun…. And its not all sunshine and roses, but having another year behind us is as sweet and satisfying as any fairy tale ending!