Uncategorized - The Idaho Rancher's Wife

A Rancher’s Part in Fighting Wildfires

September 23, 2020 by Allison

The Rancher is on our local fire department and a casualty of his love for fire is that I too have learned a lot about fire. This time of year we talk A LOT about fires, where the hot spots are, how fast they are moving, destruction they cause, and all sorts of enlightening insights about firefighting that I never knew. There is always one thing that we come to-

Fire is really complicated and really simple.

The complicated part is… obviously… complicated… and not what I want to get into here.

The simple part is this. Fire needs three things- oxygen, fuel, and an ignition. Obviously, there is no way that in a wildfire we could ever contain or control the fire’s access to oxygen. In some ways we can or can TRY to have control over the source of ignition. We can try to be smart about camping with fires, sparks from shooting or exploding targets, controlled burning and fireworks. But sometimes people aren’t smart or despite their best efforts, things get out of control and fires happen. Even if we could put a stop to all fires started intentionally or unintentionally by people, there will still always be a chance of a natural fire starting. In our area, most wildfires are started by lightning.

We are forced to admit that we can’t completely control the ignition source.

Fortunately it’s a different story when it comes to fuel. Fuel in the path of a wildfire, grasses, brush trees, cannot be COMPLETELY taken out of the picture, but it can be significantly reduced. Actually, it’s the best option when it comes to being able to prevent or control a wildfire.

Now begs the question, if we want to try to limit the fuel in the path of the possible wildfire, how would we go about it? Honestly, I think we already know a handful of good and useful practices that have proven themselves in the past that we really need to take hold of. My first answer is grazing. Graze the fuels, grasses and weeds and brush and whatever else we can, to keep them at a manageable size. Cattle, sheep and goats have proven that their grazing rangelands can decrease potential fire fuels and slow the spread of wildfire. Grasses are the fastest and easiest means for a fire to spread.

Grazing the wild lands and ranges is actually a pretty terrific win-win. The cattle have good feed on the range. It’s true, it’s a great win for our ranchers. But the other winners of this deal are practically EVERYONE else. Because reducing fuels, reduces a chance of fire or at least helps keep fires smaller and easier to put out, and doing that keeps our skies clearer, air cleaner, and wild lands safe and beautiful for EVERYONE and ANYONE to use.

Doesn’t that sound like a win-win? And isn’t that a good thing? Even, a GREAT thing?!

Recently I watched a fire on our own rangeland. On a hot, dry August day with dry lightning in the forecast, it was no surprise that a wildfire started. This area of the range was rocky, spotted with cedar trees, and had been pretty well grazed by our cattle.

As I watched the progress of the fire, I was sort of in awe of its power. The fire was terrible and, honestly, incredible to see how it moved. It was just like watching water from a ditch move across the ground. It never was deterred. It never slowed. It never hesitated. Anywhere there was a path for it to go, it went. The areas with taller, thicker grasses were the places that it burned with greater vigor. But in those places that the grasses were grazed, it slowed, giving the firefighters more time to gain control.

My experience isn’t the only one out there that demonstrates the benefits of grazing when it comes to wildfires. Over the last few years, California has been devastated by rangeland fires. In May of 2019 there was a wildfire near Los Angeles that threatened Ronald Regan Presidential Library. As a means to protect the library, they contracted with a local goat rancher to come in and graze down the area to reduce the fuels. The fire came in raging but slowed to a crawl once they came up on the grazed area. In fact, the firefighters said that slowing the fires was key to giving them enough time to get ahead of the fire and save the library.

There is a lot of push back for grazing. A lot of people feel that grazing is disruptive to the course of nature both because farm and ranch animals don’t belong on wild lands and because it is trying to control nature rather than allowing it to takes it own course and should be left alone. True, grazing can seem somewhat invasive. And that can be considered a real bummer. But we have seen that the fallout of wildfires is more destructive than any grazing herd could ever cause, not only to the land but to communities and families near and far. Something even more terrible comes when we don’t take proactive measures like grazing. Mother Nature’s answer to fires is to let it go. Let it go until it either runs out of fuel (which means that it has burned EVERYTHING in its path up) or it has come upon a natural fire break.

This may have been ok hundreds and hundreds of years ago but this isn’t a suitable option anymore. As cities, businesses, and interests have changed and developed our communities, businesses and homes have spread across the country and many are now in the paths of wild fires. Not stopping fires and not preventing them allows too much devastation. A totally hands off approach to taking care of our wild lands may seem like a good option to keeping nature natural, but we have a greater responsibility to provide a safe place for people to live, work, play and raise their families. In fact NOT getting rid of the fuels that we can seems like we are setting ourselves up for disaster. Is it too bold to say that it seems irresponsible or even reckless to let those kinds of things go without being maintained?

Fire is really complicated and really simple. The simple part is that we have means to reduce the devastating effects that come as a result their unrelenting power. Grazing can play a big part in protecting the beautiful country we are all blessed to live in. While there is so much we CAN’T do to prevent fires, there are some things we can do. Let’s do them.

Beef. Its Your Choice

April 4, 2019 by Allison

It won’t surprise you to hear that I love beef. Beef of ALL sorts- I love a good burger, some yummy smoked tri-tip, pulled brisket, a chicken fried steak, a thick juicy sirloin steak, or a beef fajita. I don’t love beef just because it tastes so good or because we raise our own, but also because it is good for you. Really, really good for you.

Does THAT surprise you?

There are so many different voices telling consumers that beef is bad. Red meat is bad. Meat in general is bad. But I don’t think so. If it was I wouldn’t be eating it and certainly wouldn’t be feeding it to my family.

For a minute I am going to get all nerdy on you (I’ll admit it… gulp… I’m a nerd). Lets quick chat about all the good that is in beef. Beef is seriously loaded with all sorts of goodness. It is a significant source of 10 essential vitamins and minerals (protein, zinc, selenium, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin and choline). In one serving of beef (3 oz) you get at least 10% of what you need daily of these 10 essential vitamins and minerals in less than 10% of your daily recommended calories. I could go into more detail (and will if anyone is interested) of how and why your body needs these nutrients.

Now, if you wanted, you could say, “Hey, The Rancher’s Wife, I can get all of that from other sources of protein.” Yes. You can. And its totally fine if that is the way you want to go. But you should know that in one serving of beef you get more and more complete nutrients in half the calories as you would in other plant based sources of protein. So in essence, you get more bang for your buck.

Beef is also a good source of the healthy fats that we need in our diet being considered one of the best sources of monounsaturated fats. That’s the same kind of healthy fats that we get out of avocados and olive oil!

Yes, beef is healthy!

All beef.

Grass fed (which most cattle spend the majority of their life on grass), grain finished, organic, and natura are all types of beef that WILL have these all nutrients. The beef from all the different ways the cattle are raised WILL be a benefit to your diet. Whether the cattle have been finished in a feed yard, given antibiotics when it was sick, or raised on a meadow and never doctored, IT IS ALL GOOD.

And leads me to my final thought…

It’s all your choice. To eat beef or to not eat beef. To have grass or grain finished beef. To have organic, all-natural, dry-aged, home grown, or whatever other options are out there! It’s all up to you. I’m not here to say that you HAVE to eat beef or that it will miraculously change your life (Ok… the yumminess may change your life, especially if The Rancher cooks it up for you!). What I’m here for is to give you the information you need to make a good choice for your family, to tell you that it is a great, healthy option for you and your family and for you to know that my family is here doing our best to give you a product you can be proud to serve your family.

The Rancher’s Rules of Feeding

March 18, 2019 by Allison

Over the years of getting out and feeding cows in the winter, I have come to learn that The Rancher has some particular ways of feeding hay. Usually this guy is super easy going and just flows with what is happening around him, but once in a while there things that HAVE to be done a certain way- his way. I will admit, his “Rules of Feeding” are good. It doesn’t take long to see the common sense in his thinking (which has to be one of his strongest traits/skills…) and that following his rules will make feeding go a little smoother and faster.

Here are the rules…

The first rule The Rancher follows is actually well before feeding time, during the haying season. You see, making a bale just right is all the difference in having it roll out nice and easy or it falling apart in one clump or not coming apart at all. When you have several bales of hay to roll out each day, those extra minutes it takes to get the bale to unroll can sure add up. The best way to ensure this is to make sure that the hay is baled at just the right time, with just the right amount of moisture.

Rules two (and a half… or we could say three… Ya, they are good enough to be their own rules.) The Rancher tries to keep a stack of hay close to the different fields we feed in. Rather than making one stack of hay in the summer while we are putting up hay, he will haul the hay straight to the winter feed yards to make it ready to go. Of course it is hard to estimate exactly how many bales we will need each year and most of the time we will have to haul more hay down. So to keep from having too many extra trips, The Rancher has another simple feeding rule he lives by. He loads up with bales every morning he goes to feed. And not just one extra, but all the extras he can carry. If the feed truck is going down, so is a bunch of hay. Why not? It saves work down the road, for sure!

Next, when day one comes to start putting the feed down, don’t start right inside the gate. The Rancher grumbles every day he has a rough drive over bumpy, hard, and frozen cow pies. To avoid this he starts feeding the cows as far away from the gate as possible and then works his way to the gate, day by day. Yes, there will be some poop scattered all around the field, but the majority of it will be where the feed is because that is where the cows are spending all their time eating. And pooping. And hopefully, not where he is going to be driving.

See… they make sense. So simple, yet so brilliant.

This next rule The Rancher follows I think is pretty clever and pretty darn observant. On our net wrap, there is a little yellow strip that goes down only one side of the bale. If he picks up the bale with the strip on the left, the bale unrolls just right. Every. Time. mostly… Ya know, like toilet paper.

If you pick up the bale with the strip on the right, you have to roll out the bale driving backwards. The Rancher handles it just fine, but the combination of driving backwards and feeding hay all at the same time just doesn’t work out too good for some of the rest of us. If The Rancher can manage it, he will even stack and line up the bales with that yellow strip all on the same side. So organized. So efficient. So beautiful.

The Rancher has a handful of other tips more than rules when it comes to feeding. Tips like how you should always have a sharp knife ready to go and to first bust off the snow and ice off the bale as best you can. Of course the best tip he lives by is to always bring a buddy along to open the gates and cut off the net wrap so you can stay in the nice warm feed truck!

Try out The Rancher’s “Rules of Feeding”. I would bet they will help you out too! What are your rules of feeding?

The Cattle Raised the Family While the Family Raised the Cattle

February 20, 2019 by Allison

Every once in a while I have the chance to do a little freelance writing. While I love these opportunities, I always get a little nervous because I’m writing for someone else… and what if what I write isn’t good?! Lucky for me, my subject this time was my own family- the Eliason’s. The February issue of the Line Rider, the magazine put out by the Idaho Cattle Association, was their Cow-Calf feature and they wanted our operation to be their cover story.

Situated in the Curlew Grasslands of southeastern Idaho sits the Eliason Livestock ranch, a ranch that through the generations has developed a high quality operation of land and cattle. Over the years, each generation has worked to not only maintain what has come before them, but to make their own improvements to the business. Through the work that they have done, the hardships they have encountered, and the advancements they have achieved, they have found success. And while the success on the ranch has been their ultimate goal, the success in their families- raising up the next generation- has been their greatest accomplishment. Fortunately, these successes came hand in hand- while the family raised the cattle, the cattle helped raise the family.

The Eliason ranch found its start in the early 1890s when August Eliason found an opportunity to make his own start. After leaving his home at 14, August found work with the Bar M Ranch, eventually becoming a herd foreman, running thousands of cattle along the railroad through Northern Utah and Southern Idaho. Poor grazing practices and a devastating winter compelled the owner, a railroad baron, to abandon what little cattle had survived. August and others that had worked for the Bar M Ranch were able to lay claim to the abandoned cattle and use them to make a start of their own. August new the land well after working over it for so many years and developed a similar operation of trailing the cows north during the spring and summer months to Holbrook, Idaho and back to Locomotive Springs in Utah for the winter. Within a short time August was able to homestead a few acres in Stone, Idaho and establish a headquarters for his ranch.

It was a lot of work, but August’s cattle operation began to prosper. His success can be contributed to several factors. First, the land, if managed well, provided a hearty and healthy place to raise cattle. The summers in Idaho had good feed and fair weather and the winters in Utah were more mild and ideal for calving. Second, running his cattle on the open range meant that they grazed with cattle of other ranches. This enabled the ranchers to pool their resources, time and energy to collectively care for their cattle. Third, August had a drive and a desire to be successful. It pushed him to work hard, long hours, to adapt and find new ways to go about the work, and to instill a passion for the work in his sons.

At 45 years old August fell ill and passed away leaving the operation to his sons, Chester and Bert. Although they were quite young, the boys were able to keep the ranch operating and running smoothly, evidence of August’s success as both a rancher and father. Over time the brothers acquired their own homestead land to add to the ranch, built their own homes and began their own families. They had worked hard to build up the ranch from what their father had left them, thriving with their herd of Hereford cattle and small herd of wild horses.

Chester and Bert faced their own challenges and hardships as cattlemen. 1929 was a particularly hard year. That winter a blizzard blew through Locomotive that caused the herd to wander more than 50 miles around the west side of the Great Salt Lake. Eventually the men found the cattle and began the long and cold trek back to Locomotive. Several of the cows were too weak to make the journey as a result Bert arranged a railroad car to take them back. It was that same year that they struggled to sell their cattle due to the Great Depression. In an attempt to keep things afloat, the Eliason brothers participated in the Agriculture Adjustment Act, the government’s effort to subsidize the cattle market. Chester and Bert sold 40 cows at $14 a head that were simply killed to reduce the surplus.

Shortly after the Great Depression, Chester chose to take his part of the operation and expand north into Holbrook, Idaho. For years he had his eye on a particular piece of ground, the Rockhouse Ranch, and finally had the opportunity to buy it for himself. His uncle, Dave Dille, owned the ranch and had first offered Bert the chance to buy the cattle and land. With Bert declining the offer, it was Chester’s for the taking. He jumped at the chance and moved his family the 14 miles north in a horse drawn wagon and went to work. The ranch came with a few modest buildings, fences, cows, hay lands and was the new beginning Chester had dreamed of. The combination of his new land, the original homestead, and his share of the range permits provided a solid foundation for the beginning his own small cattle enterprise.

Chester got to work improving the ranch and making it his own. He began by salvaging the better existing buildings, getting together a team of horses and ditcher to clean out the ditch that had only previously been cleaned by a hand shovel, employing the help of his neighbors to build a new barn, and trading a saddle horse for their first tractor. Often he would hire men to help with the work, especially during the summer to help put up hay, but his most reliable hands were his two sons that learned to work by his side.

While Chester made significant changes and improvements to what his father had begun, he stayed true to so many things that were at the core of the father’s success in ranching. He continued to run cattle on the range with the neighboring ranches. They found a collective strength in working and running cattle together. It provided the means, resources, energy, support and man power to get the work done, but it also allowed them the autonomy to run their own operations how they wanted. Not only did he continue to run his operation in a similar manner as his father, but he did so with those same values of hard work, honesty, responsibility, and drive that were fundamental at keeping the ranch not only running, but successful. And again, these traditions and values were something that Chester instilled in his children.

For years, Chester worked with his sons, Ray and Don, but eventually it was Don that took over the operation. With the innovations of the times, there were several areas that Don could make improvements at the ranch. For quite a while they had been moving cattle from Locomotive to Black Pine in two 2-ton trucks. While this was faster than the 10 day cattle drive they had done for years, it was still slow and hard. In 1982 Don took the plunge to buy a semi and cattle trailer to haul the cattle (ironically buying the trailer before the truck- literally the cart before the horse!). Not long after that, he purchased their first round bailer which transformed their haying operation after putting up loose hay for nearly 100 years.

Don improved their irrigation system by moving from flood irrigating to hand lines and then again upgrading to wheel lines. New buildings and sheds were erected to better maintain and care for the equipment. He slowly grew the herd by keeping more cows each year, and grew it to a sizeable number only rarely supplementing by purchasing cows. In that time he also moved from a Hereford operation to Black Angus.

Eventually both of Don’s sons, Ken and Ron, returned to the ranch after finishing college. They worked as partners for years, each bringing new ways to maintain and improve the ranch. In some of his college courses, Ken had learned how to preg check cows and was one of the first in the area to begin using that practice for better herd management. He admitted that in the beginning he was inexperienced but over time he became more proficient and his talent became quite an asset for the ranch. No longer were they keeping and feeding open cows that were not profitable or having calves born late into the fall every year. Preg checking allowed them to have a clearer picture of their herd- what cows were profitable, what needed to be culled as well as more easily manage each year’s calf crop.

As they were fine tuning their herd management, they were also improving their herd genetics. The cattle already had strong genetics to thrive on the rough range. Ron focused on finding genetics that would produce larger calves through AI-ing and the new herd bulls purchased every year.

As opportunities arose, the men would purchase or lease land that would allow them to expand their operation. They purchased more land locally that provided the space and hay land to manage a growing herd. Eventually the hay acreage was sold to facilitate buying more land in Locomotive, which continued to be an ideal place to have the cattle during the calving season. For a few years they leased acreage on the Gamble/Wine Cup Ranch in Nevada where they ran several hundred cows year round. Having some of the cattle in Nevada worked well because of the good feed and its low maintenance but eventually the distance became too much and the cows came home.

It has been important to the Eliason’s that as they tried to improve where they could, to continue using those practices that had proved successful over the years. To this end, the men continued to run cattle in Locomotive and in the association with several other ranchers formed so many years ago. The benefits that August and Chester had found still serve the current cattlemen well. There is also some amount of pride in continuing the heritage of calving, riding, roping, branding and weaning out on the open range like the cowboys did so long ago.

Eventually Ron and his family chose to leave the ranch to chase their own adventures. Don and Ken continued to work side by side but with Don ageing, the business of the ranch was turned to Ken. Through the ups and downs of ranching, Ken has continued to see the progress and growth of the ranch. He recalls how they used to keep and feed their weaned calves through the winter to sell in the spring. But now, they are able to sell heavier calves months earlier, a success he attributes to their continual striving to make the operation better. A clear example of just how notable their cattle operation has become is in the ICA Annual Grass Futurity Contest. The Eliason’s have entered a calf each year for the last three years and have been one of the top three finishers for two of those years. In 2018 their calf not only won the contest, but was the heavy gainer two of the four months.

In looking to the future Ken has some very clear goals. First, he wants to pass on the ranch to his sons as had been done for so many generations. There is a legacy and heritage found in the family ranch that he is honored to pass on to his sons. His second goal is simply to keep and maintain what they have. Ken’s final goal is to carefully manage the growth and financial affairs of the ranch. Over so many years and generations they have developed an impressive operation and while he wants to expand, he isn’t willing to risk losing what they already have.

Ken is proud of their family’s ranch. Proud of the work that was done before him, proud of what he has been able to do, and proud of the future the ranch will have in his own children. He and his wife Kristy have raised their five sons, Brayden, Clayton, Nathan, Quinn, and Eric, on the ranch and they largely attribute their living and working on the ranch to shaping them into the men they are today. They learned well the lessons of hard work, responsibility and accountability. They learned how to run cattle, work with horses, use and maintain equipment, and harvest what they sow. Ken talks about how great it was having their boys to work with him as they were growing up. “They loved the work and always wanted to be involved in whatever we were doing. The hardest thing was always finding enough horses or saddles or whatever to go around for them all!”

Their life on the ranch set the stage for each of their futures. As they attended college they all studied ranch and ag related degrees. Their passion for the industry and their individual talents has made for some great opportunities for the ranch and in their own lives. The boys all admit that they would all love a chance to come back to live and work on the ranch but understand that that is unlikely. For now they take whatever time they can to come and help and still be part of what is happening on the ranch.

Currently, two of the sons, Brayden and Nathan, have returned to the ranch with their families. With their return they have brought with them new ideas and dreams for the ranch- pivots to replace the wheel lines, a drone and cameras to more easily watch and check the herd, more advanced haying equipment, and better herd health and nutrition.

The ranch isn’t the only place that has benefitted from the hard working family. The Eliasons feel strongly in being involved and serving in their community. Throughout the generations, they have been involved in their local volunteer ambulance, fire department, search and rescue, fair board, church, and community rodeo. Several of the Eliasons have even served on the ICA Board of Directors. When it comes to service, Brayden says, “If not me then who, and if not now, when?”

The Eliason ranch has changed in so many ways over so many years, but so many things have stayed the same. Each day is filled with the men doing their best to improve upon the day before while holding close the heritage and values that the ranch had been founded on. Ken says, “We have raised a lot of cattle through the years, but our best crop has always been our kids.” It is evident that through the legacy of hard work not only has a successful cattle operation flourished, but more impressive are the successful generations of a hard working ranch family. The family raised the cattle, but the cattle also raised the family.

Weekend Adventures in Locomotive Part II

March 28, 2018 by Allison

**If you missed out on Part I of our adventures, find them {HERE}**

While we were out to Locomotive to work, we were also there to get a little vacay in. That meant sleeping in and a good long breakfast. Doesn’t camping call for a hot breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon? Once the dishes were cleaned up and we had donned our work clothes, we all packed into the gator and took off to check the cows.

We run the cattle in a few different herds on our personal rangeland in Locomotive. One herd is what will graze on the Forest Service ground during the summer and then other will join the BLM association cattle in May. The last herd we watch on the range is our first-calf heifers that have calved at home and have been taken to the range as their calves have gotten older.

Checking the cattle is pretty straightforward. We check the calves to make sure that they look healthy and that they are thriving. We watch to make sure that they get up and moving, that they nurse well, that they aren’t sick with scours, drooping ears, coughing or anything else that looks out of the ordinary. We keep an eye on the mommas too, to make sure that they are healthy to take care of their babies. Obviously, we make sure that if they are calving, that there aren’t any complications like the wrong foot or a nose coming first or that they haven’t prolapsed or retained their placenta. The last important thing we pay attention to is to make sure that the cow’s udder is in good condition. If the udder is engorged and her teets are big, her calf will have a hard time getting their mouth on and being able to suck. If the calf can’t suck, then they won’t get the nutrition they need and they will get sick. As we drive around we try to get a look at every calf and cow.

Friday was a big day of driving through the herd. We gave everyone a once over and then tagged a few of the newer ones. Overall, everything looked great! Along the way, we did see a few things that peaked our interest.

Just as we finished going through the BLM herd, we noticed a cow off on her own. We buzzed over to her and saw that she did have a little baby there with her. The Rancher jumped off the gator and caught the new baby to put in a tag and castrate it. Everything looked good, but then he noticed the calf had just one ear! We could see that he had been born with both ears, but somehow he had lost it. It hadn’t been cold enough for him to have lost it to frostbite so the only other likely cause was that something had chewed it off. After The Rancher tagged him, he jumped up and took off after his momma, showing that he really was doing fine. He will just have to go by One-Eared-Tom (compliments of our kids) the rest of his life…

Before we moved on to the next herd, we had a little work to do, like… to gather up the back hoe and trailer that had been abandoned by the road after our late-night-stuck-in-the-mud-saga. Along the way, The Rancher stopped at a water trough and moved dirt around and in the trough to fix the leaks. It only took a few minutes, but those minutes were nice to be in the warm back hoe.

After making it back to the corrals we decided to take a lunch break. A girl can only handle frozen toes for so long and hungry babies never make good passengers.

With thawed out extremities and full bellies, we loaded back into the gator and took off to the next herd. We bounced around the range, seeing nothing but good. The calves were running and bucking while the mommas were busy filling their bellies and keeping their noses to the ground. Of course, when everything always seems to be looking good, there is always something that has to put a kink in things.

What we found was a momma with a big, BIG udder and teeny, tiny calf. That combination means that we needed to step in and make it so that this baby could nurse. We started the pair headed towards the corrals and slowly but surely made our way. I have to tell ya, watching this momma with her big bag swaying from side to side and getting rubbed raw… oh it just made me hurt…

On our way to the corrals, we had to go through a gate and as always, I was the lucky gate girl (hazards of riding shotgun). After opening the gate, I took a step back to help her head out through the gate, except she didn’t appreciate that. I lose no pride in admitting that this old girl had me on the fence when I took one step to push her through.

Getting her to the corral was only the beginning of the battle with this bad-word cow. How do you set up an alley and chute and herd a cow into the alley and chute when she won’t let you step foot into the pen she is in? I’m not gonna lie, the corral itself didn’t give me a lot of confidence of safety because I’m pretty sure it’s as old as the dinosaurs and could come crashing down the first hit of an angry momma cow (ok, not really, but they are old and shaky and I didn’t trust ‘em!). The Rancher and I played a fun game of distract-the-angry-cow-while-the-other-one-risks-their-life-to-get-everything-else-ready. After everything was good to go, we had the next hurdle of actually getting the cow into the chute.

I don’t know that I have seen a cow with such a stubborn streak and rubber sides. We poked and prodded and coaxed and anything else we could think of to get that cow to step into the chute. We could get her almost there and maybe even a step in, but then she would hunker down and quit on us. And then she would change tactics on us and blow right through the chute and we would have to start all over again.

And again.

There may have come a point that we were the perfect demonstration on the definition of insanity- trying the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.

The Rancher deemed this old cow nylon deficient and rounded up a few ropes to try plan B. While it would have been much easier to milk out the cow and help the calf nurse in standing in the chute, we were perfectly fine roping that cow and tying her down to get the job done. We got a rope on her neck and a rope on a hind leg, tied them to the fence and just like that we were in business, milking business to be specific.

In these moments I try to channel all of my granddaughter-of-a-dairyman talent and hope that my little hands can hold out long enough to get some milking done. This had to be one of the more challenging milk out sessions we have had because she was so engorged and that it was hard to gain any momentum to our milking. Good heck, where was a lactation consultant when we needed one?!

Eventually we milked her out enough that the calf could suck without help. We collected a lot of the milk and put into the bottle to give to the calf so that we knew she had full tummy before we let them go. Whether or not this would be a permanent help or not, time could only tell.

Our time out on the range is never dull! From the baby to this momma, there is always something happening that brings a smile to our faces and keeps us coming back. There are challenges and setbacks but most often there is progress and satisfaction.

Stay tuned for Part III of our weekend adventures in Locomotive!

Fall in Less Than 50… um 500… um 660

March 15, 2018 by Allison

This post has been a long time coming. One because its about fall of 2017… which was a long time ago. I mean it feels like it was just yesterday-ish… ok maybe more like last week, but certainly not MONTHS and most definitely not LAST YEAR. But it was… You may be thinking, “Allison… let it go! It was so long ago, don’t take us back. Move on!” But guess what? I’m the one with the password to be writing here and I love the photos from last fall so… boom… I’m posting.

Its also a long time coming because, man, it has taken me so long to get it all together and edited and play mom… but here it is.

I say that, and it sounds like this is going to be super fancy or exciting or crazy. And its not. I mean its nice and a fun look at our fall in its nearly comprehensiveness, but its not life changing or anything. Just a look at our crazy, beautiful life (in the fall, of course!).

The fall work officially kicks off when the cattle come in from the summer range in Cow Hollow to the fall range in the Bowis fields. Just before their hit the final destination, they take a pit stop at the Stocker Corrals (not stalker… even though sometimes I write that instead… sounds creepy in steady of beefy, livestocky…) to sort off any bulls or any cattle that don’t belong with the herd. Mom life keeps me from getting head out with the crew to gather first thing in the morning, but my posse and I meet up with everyone at the corrals and get our fill in the rest of the day. This is the same place that went to last year and got lost along the way. Surprised? Anyone?

Once the cattle are moved to fall range, we get to the “fall work”. We start by weaning off the calves and brining them home. We have 3 main groups that we have to wean. Each group has a day of gathering, sorting the calves off, and sorting calves between the different ranches. After having the calves home a few days, we run the calves through the chute to vaccinate, retag, and do a wellness look over them. Then we start all over with the next group. Eventually we kick all the calves out in the alfalfa field to eat down our 3rd crop.

October is prime preg-checking time. With so many cows that we run with, it take several days to get it all done. Of course, the work is sweetened with load of candy, donuts, and great range dinners. I think these guys like the long days working together and teasing the man that happens to make a mistake. The inside jokes and stories can keep ’em laughing all day long. Of course, its all kept a little interesting with the feisty, ornery cows that have been penned up for a few days.

We always do a little trucking in the fall too and I’m pretty sure that the whole reason we keep doing it is for the view. OK, not really. But getting a scenic drive up Logan Canyon as the colors are at their peak would be reason enough for me! I always try to get at least one run with The Rancher up there to take in the colors as well as snap some photos of the cowboy life in canyon.

Fall work ends with a bang when we ship the calves. This is more than the culmination of the season but of the YEAR! We work day after day throughout the year for this one day that we finally get our paycheck. We need to keep all the calves alive, healthy, and heavy to have a profitable year. 2017 didn’t disappoint with its ups and downs but we lived, learned, and earned enough to make it to another year.

Fix up After Fire Season

December 20, 2017 by Allison

As you probably know, things on the cow front are pretty slow right now. Super slow. Which is good. Good because I get to enjoy my husband a little bit more. But also good for The Rancher to get some of the maintenance work done. After the summer we had, Locomotive really needs a lot of maintenance.

Our summer was riddled with thunderstorms rolling through our private and allotted BLM ground. The storms were popping with lightning and too many times that lightning turned to fires that swept across the range. I got pretty good and recognizing when those moments were upon us. The Rancher would get a call and you would hear things like, “Where did it hit?” and “Is there any wind? Which direction is it moving?” and “Who is there?”. Then of course there was the, “We will be down there right away!” At that point I just got some snacks and water and told him to be safe as he headed out the door.

The worst timing was when he got a call on the night of July 3. We had been gone for the weekend to a family reunion. We were tired from too much fun and too many miles sitting. And to top off the terrible timing, my brother and his family were there visiting for the upcoming holiday. So here comes a fire RIGHT on our land and The Rancher HAS to go. By brother and his daughter had been hoping for some awesome ranch action so they pile in with all the cowboys and go along with them. Not quite the action I was hoping to give them but you gotta roll with what ya got. They loved watching them work the fire, even if they got home in the wee hours of the morning. That sorta killed my plans for an early morning 4th of July 5K but it was still a great day!

We can only directly fight the fires if it is on our own land. When that’s the case the boys load up the tractor and disc and head down. We go around the fire itself and make a line to stop it from spreading any further. By discing up the grass that fuels the fire we are able to make a barrier to keep it from moving on and eating up anymore of our feed. But so many of the fires neighbored our land or were moving to our land that it was still prudent that we take the time to go down there and protect our land. Instead of going around the fire itself, they disc around our land. Doing this can totally head off the fire from causing any damage on our land. Its amazing what a rancher in a tractor can do to stop a fire.

Sometimes there can be tension between ranchers and those responsible for putting the fire out on BLM ground. We have the experience and know-how to get the fire out but we aren’t authorized to do it. But we are motivated a little more than others to get moving and get the job done because its our livelihood. Every bit of grass burnt up is feed we lose. We can supplement the feed with hay either in Locomotive or by bringing the cows home. But the greater loss is the time we lose feeding down there or not being able to keep the cows in Locomotive to calve out when we have to bring them home. So you can see how things can be a little tense…

But that stuff is all in the past. Now is the clean up. Those fires ripped right across the range taking out fences in any direction. And of course it ate up all the feed, so there was work to be done planting seed for some spring grass. The Rancher and Cowboy E spent a long week and then some getting things settled and back to the norm for the winter. It was long and hard but its so satisfying to put the effort in to do a good job to put things right again.

I haven’t been down there myself since all the fires have happened so I asked The Rancher to get some snaps of what the land looks like now. It is bare and black, but now we have new fences and new seeds planted and ready for a new season of growth.

From The Idaho Rancher's Wife From The Rancher's Wife

Christmas for a Rancher

December 12, 2017 by Allison

I am a big fan of Christmas! BIG FAN! I love everything about it- the tree and ALL decorations, the gift wrapping, the baking, the music, the snow, the hot chocolate… ALL of it! Except all the crazy shopping. I do admit that my anxiety reaches an all time high when I am shopping and there are 12 other people looking over my shoulder trying to find tooth brushes too. Ok, it was only 5, but still… CRAZY!

Shopping is especially stressful if I don’t know even what to get someone, especially The Rancher. I can pick out Barbie’s and tractors with the best of the best. I know my toys. But I have those moments of total blank-ness (yep, made that word up… Merry Christmas!) when my blonde hair sinks deep in the midst of a brain fart and nothing comes to mind to put under the tree for my cowboy. That’s when I wander the isles aimlessly hoping something will jump out at me to give him.

Obviously the smart thing to do is to ask him what he wants for Christmas. I do. And he doesn’t answer me. Or he says, “I don’t need anything. Spend it all on the kids.” So sweet and noble, right? But I know deep down inside that there is still a little boy inside that wants something exciting for Christmas too! Should I resort to filling his stocking with tractors too? I mean, there should be something besides socks in there, right? Anyone else in this boat with me?

Actually, this year… I got a list. Well, sort of a list. It was a list of all things that he likes. Not quite what I was hoping for but its definitely a start. Ya know, for those moments that nothing comes to mind as I’m staring at the shelves with an empty cart. (More likely when I am searching amazon with an empty cart and nothing coming to mind…) I thought I would share The List for any others that sometimes need a jump start for a cowboy. This list is certainly not totally encompassing and lets be honest, shopping from this list could really empty out the penny jar. But, in the case where a girl just doesn’t know what to get her cowboy, this might just get you through.

A cowboy hat– They can never have enough. Ever. Just when I think he is good, its time for a new one. And there are so many kinds you can have and they need to have them ALL.

Horse tack- Sometimes I feel bad getting him tack because that seems like work stuff. I try to be a little more original than that. So that’s when I get maybe a little fancier bit. Make it seem like more than just ‘work stuff.’

Clothes- The Rancher can go through work shirts and jeans like candy. Barbed wire, pocket knives, oil stains, poop… It is all hard on his clothes and a wardrobe upgrade is always welcome.

Boots- He teases me about how many shoes I have, but does he really need so many boots? Yes, he really does and there is always room for more!

Tools- Whether it is a new Leatherman or knife or wrenches or whatever, more is certainly merrier. Because tools get lost all. the. time!

Cowboy gear- What cowboy doesn’t want a new pair of chaps or a new work coat or wild rag or gloves? It may seem like a boring gift but they will put a smile on their face for sure!

Gun- Guns and ammo are always good. Yep.

Then there is always the list like- a new custom saddle, a new truck, a new trailer, a new horse…. the dreamer list. If you can shop the dreamer list you have made their Christmas for sure! I haven’t made that yep but someday… maybe…

Now that I have shared a few ideas to get you through some cowboy Christmas shopping, what are you getting your cowboys? What do you want for Christmas? Merry Christmas, Friends!

Hey From the ICA!

November 14, 2017 by Allison

I’m writing to you from the snow-capped mountains of Sun Valley, Idaho! Actually, they are more like snow dusted but it sounds more exciting the other way… But I am sitting here waiting for my baby to fall asleep and thought I would take a minute to come talk to you!

Every year we take off this week to be a part of the Idaho Cattle Association’s annual convention. It’s partly because it’s the closest thing we get to a work trip but also because it is a terrific place for a cattle producer to get a little extra help. Here’s why… ICA is an organization created to support cattle ranchers at the grass roots level and take action wherever and however it is needed. Ranchers are busy keeping up with all the problems at home- fencing, feeding, calving, haying, ect., that they don’t have time to face the big picture ranching problems- fighting public lands issues, water rights, endangered species stuff, ect…

A few years ago, the government was attempting to regulate what work kids could do on the ranch. They were claiming that kids were too young to operate tools, machinery and work with animals. Yes, it may be surprising at how young our kids do start working on the ranch but when they are totally immersed in the lifestyle, its actually more of a challenge to keep them from helping! My seven year old son BEGS to help chase cows and rides a horse for hours. My four year old daughter stood by the chute for hours loading the tagger for her dad because SHE wanted to. Kids learn by watching, so naturally, ranch kids learn quickly how to do the work that they see happening all around them.

It was organizations like ICA that were able to stop the regulations from actually becoming reality. They knew what we needed as ranchers and, more importantly, they knew what to do. They have the contacts, the research, the lobbyists, the time and the knowhow.

The ICA not only advocates for ranchers against those that try to tear down the industry, but they do a lot to promote beef and keep ranchers up to date with the best minds, technology, and resources to keep ranching efficient and up to the demands we face.

Aside from getting a little vacation and a little knowledge, this year we have a few different reasons to be here. One- The Rancher has been asked to be on the ICA board to represent our area. He is a little nervous but also excited for the opportunity for a little growth. The second reason we really needed to be here is that I get to present on my blog and you!

Did your jaw just drop?

Ya mine did too when I was first. Before I knew it, I answered yes and then I thought, “Um… do they know who I am? Do they know how little I really know about this?” But none the less, I am here ready to present tomorrow and pray that it all goes well.

I’ll be sure to update you when I am done… Wish me LUCK!

The Calves Have Shipped- RELIEF

November 8, 2017 by Allison

Guess what, Friends? The calves are SHIPPED! You can’t deny that THAT day is one, if not the very best days on the ranch. The year’s work has finally paid off and you can see the results of your labors. You don’t have the stressful responsibility of keeping the calves healthy and alive. Things just turn calm and slow and I love it!

You would think that the slow down and relief would be mostly for The Rancher, but I too am relieved for when the calves on are gone.

I’ll you why…

Because without fail, EVERY year, there are calves out. And not only are they getting out, but they get out when there are no ranchers around to put them back in. We have been back to the ranch several years now and I don’t think that there is a single weaning season that we have gone through without a few calves sneaking out.

In some regards, I’ll take any chance to earn some Rancher’s Wife Stripes and have The Rancher owe me for dropping everything and helping out. But dropping everything just isn’t a convenient thing when you are a busy mom. Plus, the stress of putting the calf in the wrong place or just NOT getting a calf in at all makes me wonder if the Rancher’s Wife Stripes are even worth it!

This year was no different, of course. You would think that I would have learned by now to not schedule anything on the days that the guys are gone. That way I would be ready for the break out and have the time to put the sneaky buggers back in. But I haven’t.

Just a few weeks ago, I had a project that needed done and I had a tiny window of time between getting kids’ homework done and getting dinner going. I’m outside, minding my own business, trying to keep The Cowboy Kid off of the busy road in front of our house, and getting some work done when I see a handful of calves walking through my garden! Lucky for them, I had pulled everything out of there that I was planning to use. If the peas had still been growing, those calves would have been in big trouble…

So I scoop up my baby and we start them back to the pasture. The trouble with putting calves back in, especially around the ranch yard is that you never know where they are going to go and what is going to pop and get them. We have chased in circles around the homes or through the equipment sheds. The dogs have come to help only to chase them in the wrong direction. This time they actually head back to the field ok, but just as we were getting to the gate, the chickens jumped out.

This presented a problem in a couple of ways. One, it meant that the chickens were out, probably my least favorite critter to get back in. Second, it sent my already flighty and skiddish calves busting through the gate. They were hung up on it and in it and scurrying around it and I was sure we were going to have a wreck. When all was said and done, the gate was the only one worse for wear. There is a big ol’ bow in it and it doesn’t swing exactly right…. But The Rancher can deal with that. I did put his calves in, after all.

2017 Calf Crop from The Idaho Ranchers Wife

2017 Calf Crop from The Idaho Rancher's Wife

2017 Calf Crop from The Idaho Ranchers Wife

That wasn’t the only day that the calves put a kink in my day. The week before we shipped calves was pretty packed for me. Which means that nearly every moment is scheduled and that I only have spare minutes to clean up the baby’s spilled milk, not put The Rancher’s calves away.

That day I had planned to get yard work done- the lawn mowed and leaves cleaned up, the flower beds cleaned up and bulbs planted. I’m cruising around the yard, thinking I was totally on top of the day, when I spot a calf out across the road. Then another. And then a whole pile of others… I’m pretty sure I rolled my eyes and cursed The Rancher under my breath but I parked my mower and jumped on the 4 wheeler to get the calves. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it only took a couple of minutes to get them back in. No catastrophes! I closed the gate and headed back to work. It wasn’t but a few minutes when I saw another handful of calves. I went through the same routine of rolling my eyes, really cursing The Rancher, getting the calves in, and heading back to work. Even before I got back on the mower, I could see a few more calves out and I knew that wherever they were crawling out from wouldn’t wait until the guys were home to fix it.

Being the great ranch wife that I am (HA!) and for my own sanities sake, I headed to the shop for tools, wire, and staples. After driving the fence the kids and I found a calf sized hole that the escapees had been breaching all morning and got to work. I would love to say that I just snapped out a beautifully fixed fence but that wasn’t the case. When the calves had broken the fence, they had broken a pole and loosened the wires. I’m sure The Rancher would have just replaced the pole altogether, but that was beyond what I was willing to do. A little patch job was going to have to be good enough. After about 5 trips of getting the right stuff, we had finally finished our crude attempt at fixing the fence. I knew it would hold but it certainly wasn’t the prettiest job… But it was done and the calves were in.

At least until my next busy day!

You can see how I am just as relieved as the guys that the calves are gone! Maybe this momma can get a little bit of work done around here… Probably not, but we are gonna give it a try!