Western Cowman July / August 2017 by EDJE

JULY / AUGUST 2017

20 Years

Celebrating Western Cowman

July/August 2017

EEAGLE P ASS RANCH AGLE PASS RANCH

FALL BULL SALE

Dos Palos Y Auction Yard - Dos Palos, California

Data Driven - Profit Focused Hybrid Genetics

Balancer

EGL DETERMINED D807

Brown Premier X7876 x LJC Mission Statement P27

XXL (Composite)

XXL DOUBLE OUGHT 80D

Baldridge Buckshot B008 x MR NLC Upgrade U8676

[ [ Balancer

EGL DOWN RANGE D173

EGL Barrett B050 x S A V Brilliance 8077

Selling

120

Balancer

EGL DIALED IN D711

PA Full Power 1208 x EGL Lock and Load X415

EAGLE PASS RANCH 2

Western Cowman

SimAngus

EGL DIESEL 151D

3C Pasque Y1539 x Connealy Protege 5391

HI GH M O R E, S D 1-855-303-BULL WWW.EAGLEPASSRANCH.COM

July/August 2017

Bulls

M O R E I N FO R M AT I O N -Commercial Sales: AJ Munger 605-521-4468 Registered Sales: Andy LeDoux 785-527-3188

EZ AnguS RAnch BuLL SALE

Sat., September 2, 12:30 p.m. • eSCaLON, CaLifOrNia Our Annual Bull Sale at Escalon Livestock Market, Escalon, Calif., will feature 135 performance-tested bulls with complete ultrasound information, Zoetis i50K DNA results, a rigorous breeding soundness evaluation, anaplas vaccination and tested PI Negative for BVD. Every bull that sells is backed by the EZ Angus Breeding Guarantee! Call or text to be added to the mailing list to receive a sale book, or email sales@parnelldickinson.com. The sale offering is very favorable for the $Value Indexes where producers can make broad improvement across multiple traits balanced across the industry’s current economic benchmarks. Sale bulls in the elite 25% of the Angus breed include: • 82% for $Wean Value – the perfect index to maximize weaned pounds in your operation. • 60% for $Feedlot Value – for those looking to attract calf buyers for maximum gain. • 74% for $Grid Value – the ideal tool for anyone targeting either QG or YG premiums. • 83% for $Beef Value – the industry appealing figure that captures both growth and carcass.

EZAR DiScovERy 6001

Sire: VAR Discovery 2240 • Born 1/1/16 Dam: VAR Blackcap 1059 CED BW WW YW Milk MA RE $W $B 10 0.4 71 133 34 1.02 .70 75.28 181.38

This Discovery son will lead off the 2017 EZ Angus Bull Sale with definite herd bull appeal. Dam of this bull was the high-selling heifer from the 2011 VAR Sale and then worked in the donor program for Express and Pollard before she was acquired by EZ Angus in the 2014 EXAR Sale, where she also produced the $175,000 top-selling bred heifer. A maternal sister to this bull was also the 3rd high-selling heifer at the 2017 Bases Loaded Sale. A tremendous opportunity here on a young prospect that has the individual performance, the DNA, the breed ranking and more importantly – the LOOK.

refereNCe SireS: • V A R Discovery 2240 • V A R Generation 2100 • Basin Advance 3134 • AAR Ten X 7008 SA • V A R Index 3282 • WR Journey-1X74 • Connealy Black Granite • Baldridge Waylon W34 • G A R Prophet • Basin Rainmaker 4044 • V A R Reserve 1111 • EXAR Denver 2002B

EZAR pAywEight 6022

Sire: Basin Payweight 1682 • Born 1/14/16 MGS: EXAR Upshot 0562B CED BW WW YW Milk MA RE $W $B 10 1.1 70 121 31 .91 .90 79.81 156.11

EZAR DiScovERy 6002

Sire: VAR Discovery 2240 • Born 1/1/16 MGS: S A V Bismarck 5682 CED BW WW YW Milk MA RE $W $B 10 -1.6 66 114 31 1.18 1.05 82.19 159.55

Follow us on Facebook to find out more our EZ Angus Ranch Inaugural Female Sale Mon., October 15, 2018, at the ranch, Porterville, Calif. Sale Management

THD ©

AnguS

RAnch

21984 Avenue 160

Porterville, CA 93257

John Dickinson ............................................. 916 806-1919 Jake Parnell ....................................................... 916 662-1298 Tim & Marilyn Callison................................................. Owners Chad Davis ................................................... 559 333-0362 Travis Coy.................................................... 559 392-8772 Justin Schmidt .............................................. 209 585-6533 Website .............................................. www.ezangusranch.com Western Cowman - July/August 2017 3

Vintage Angus Ranch 24th Annual “Carcass Maker” Bull Sale CED +14 BW +.8 WW +75 YW +128 RADG +.29 SC +.60 Milk +31 CW +70 MB +1.04 RE +1.49 $W +77.47 $F +98.73 $B +192.78

CED +8 BW +1.0 WW +66 YW +126 RADG +.35 SC +1.99 Milk +38 CW +63 MB +1.05 RE +.87 $W +76.29 $F +104.95 $B +186.95

VAR Rampage 6307

VAR Discovery 6293

Reg. No. 18432147 • DOB: 3/13/16 Sire: Quaker Hill Rampage 0A36 • Dam: Sandpoint Blackbird 8809

Reg. No. 18417046 • DOB: 3/10/16 Sire: VAR Discovery 2240 • Dam: SJH Complete of 6108 2570

CED +9 BW +.7 WW +67 YW +105 RADG +.23 SC +.72 Milk +36 CW +58 MB +.96 RE +1.44 $W +75.77 $F +66.29 $B +178.25

CED +7 BW -.2 WW +72 YW +118 RADG +.25 SC +1.33 Milk +37 CW +58 MB +1.04 RE +1.20 $W +93.89 $F +89.40 $B +182.66

VAR Journey 6086

VAR Foreman 6177

Reg. No. 18378635 • DOB: 1/9/16 Sire: WR Journey – 1X74 • Dam: Sandpoint Blackbird 8809

Reg. No. 18402428 • DOB: 2/10/16 Sire: VAR Foreman 3339 • Dam: VAR Ruby 1286

A Sample of Fall Yearling Bulls Selling: Tattoo

Reg. No.

SIRE

CED

Milk

MARB

6366

18706682

Discovery

+1.5

+79

+136

I+1.18

+37

I+60

I+1.07

I+.80

+81.10

+117.00

+183.87

6368

18556582

Discovery

+2.0

+71

+130

+1.17

+37

+59

+1.00

+.87

+80.12

+102.76

+168.64

6376

18556583

Discovery

+2.1

+75

+131

+1.79

+35

+63

+1.41

+.90

+85.87

+101.89

+182.15

6382

18561308

EXAR Stud

+.9

+68

+113

+1.06

+35

+52

+1.05

+1.08

+80.27

+76.46

+169.68

6422

18556608

Discovery

+1.7

+73

+131

+1.96

+39

+60

+1.08

+.77

+85.58

+110.45

+183.83

6425

18565317

Rampage

+11

+.5

+74

+128

+1.02

+29

+81

+.73

+1.30

+80.19

+94.82

+185.63

6443

18556618

Generation

+.5

+68

+121

+1.15

+38

+56

+1.17

+1.20

+87.65

+94.03

+177.51

6440

18565341

Rampage

+19

-1.9

+71

+124

+.57

+26

+60

+.52

+1.41

+69.92

+90.85

+165.70

VAR will offer the largest volume of “Multi-Trait Excellence” bulls. There are over 200 bulls on test for the sale, the group averages in the top 5% of the breed for WW and YW, top 4% for $W, and top 2% for $Beef.

Jim Coleman, Owner Doug Worthington, Manager Brad Worthington, Operations Manager Mike Hall, Bull Services 805-748-4717 2702 Scenic Bend • Modesto, CA 95355 Office 209-521-0537 www.vintageangusranch.com Email: office@vintageangusranch.com

Call, Email or Visit us online to receive your Vintage Sale Book - July/August 2017

Western Cowman

July/August 2017

Western Cowman

July/August 2017

Tuesday, July 18, Aug. 1 & Aug. 22 Special Summer Feeder Sale Saturday, August 5 11th Annual California Cattle Producers Fall-Calving Female Sale with 1,000 Fancy, Bred Cows & Heifers

7th- 8th 11th 26th

Tuesday, Sept. 5, Sept. 19 & Oct. 3 Special Fall Feeder Sales

29th

Saturday, October 7 Special Fall Female Sale featuring Cow-Calf Pairs & Bred Females at 10 a.m., followed by the Annual California Breeders Bull Sale at 12 p.m.

Western Cowman

July/August 2017

SEPTEMBER 12, 2017

F ARM ER ’ S L I V E S TOC K M A R K E T O AK D ALE , CA

L UNCH

11:30

• S A LE

To View t h e Ca ta l o g a nd Vid eo s , go to www.C ABullfe st.com afte r 8/10

Your source for performance Hereford genetics! S IR E D B Y N J W H O METOW N 1 0 Y, G B D OM INO 1 7 7 R , U P S D OM INO 9 5 2 5 , G EN OA B O N A N Z A , C HURC HILL S E NSATION , AND M OR E !

d H

GL Genoa 028X Sensation 16061

A powerful, athletic bull with a light bw!

CED BW WW YW M Marb REA $BMI $CHB

+9.0 +0.3 +53 +82 +33 +0.48 +0.30 +$22 +$34

CS Sensation Domino S533 A low bw, high carcass trait bull!

A lengthy spread bull with a great profile! or

A low birthweight bull with depth!

July/August 2017

+5.1 +0.6 +56 +97 +30 +0.41 +0.05 +$22 +$30

CED BW WW YW M Marb REA $BMI $CHB

+4.2 +0.3 +43 +66 +27 +0.29 +0.25 +$21 +$24

lle

GL Genoa 10Y Hometown 16060 An ideal made bull with great data! H

CS Future Sensation S5331

Carl and Susan Schohr PO Box 391 • Gridley, CA 95948 Carl 530-570-2275 ricencows@schohr.com www.SchohrHerefords.com

Western Cowman

CED BW WW YW M Marb REA $BMI $CHB

EPD *Trait is measured in the Top 20% or better of the breed.

Genoa 11051 Bonanza 16022

+5.7 +0.9 +50 +78 +28 +0.32 +0.43 +$25 +$30

CED BW WW YW M Marb REA $BMI $CHB

+4.2 +2.1 +57 +91 +32 +0.27 +0.58 +$29 +$31

CED BW WW YW M Marb REA $BMI $CHB

n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

CS Wachter Sensation S604

Dark red Sensation son with pigment!

G ENOA

L IVESTOCK

640 Genoa Lane • Minden, NV 89423 Office 775-782-3336 • Bob Coker 916-539-1987 Jared Patterson 208-312-2386 info@genoalivestock.com

Express Ranches Monday - October 2, 2017 - Noon At The Ranch - Yukon, Oklahoma

300 ANGUS BULLS 40 HEREFORD BULLS

50 Registered Spring Bred Heifers 300 Spring Bred Heifers 50 Fall-Calving Pairs

Bid Live On...

800+ Head Sell

If you have any questions on the cattle selling, don’t hesitate to call the Ranch. We are ready to assist you. For More Information or a Sale Book, 2202 N. 11th St. | Yukon, OK 73099 Contact the Ranch. Bob Funk, Owner | Jarold Callahan, President 800-664-3977 | 405-350-0044 www.expressranches.com Western Cowman - July/August 2017 9

Fullblood Wagyu dispersion sale

october 21 , 2o17 st

eau claire, Wisconsin

Selling Over 100 Head 66 Fullblood Females 6 Fullblood bulls 3 herd bulls including a SCD: AA Tenderness: 10 & 3 herdsire prospects all SCD: AA Tenderness: 10 many registered angus coWs and crossbreds carrying select fullblood pregnancies

featuring some of the top donors of the breed Open Forum with Michael Goodell and Jerry Reeves: 10:30 - 11:30 Lunch: 11:45 • Sale: 1:00 Central Standard Time

opportunity to acquire some oF tHe breed’s best genetics and matings!

sale location: clarion Hotel 2703 Craig Road Eau Claire, WI 54701

cattle VieWing: muddy Flats E18940 Hwy 12 Augusta, WI 54722 available October 18-20

updates

and

WWW.muddyFlatscattle.com

catalog

Michael Goodell • 715-271-8o21

www.jdaonline.com

LiveAuctions. TV Live on the Internet, Live Audio, Video Bidding

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

16 2017

VOLUME 20, NUMBER 1

F EA T URES Mebane family carries 16 The 58 Clinics forth tradition and pride with When you’re really serious

Western Stockman’s Market

Ranch Roping & Branding

the very successful Western Stockman’s Market in Famoso, California. By Heather Smith-Thomas

about your roping and branding skills, the clinics that Dave Weaver and Gwynn Turnbull conduct are the one for you, this husband and wife team are true powerhouses in the roping and branding sector. By Heather Smith-Thomas

Recycle Take a look around your shop, 22 Ranch or that corner of the barn where things keep collecting you might be surprised at the treasures you find. By Kay Dee Gilkey

is the BIG ONE when 30 This it comes to rodeo’s, there is

Mob Grazing

might be just the method 66 This you were needing for your own herd. By Heather Smith-Thomas

California Rodeo

something for everyone, and with a backdrop like Salinas, California you can’t go wrong. By Kindra Gordon

Agri-tainment With just a little creativity, and innovation you too can turn your ranch or farm into a tourist mecca. By Heather Smith-Thomas

High Desert Bulls

Mountain Ranch in 76 South Idaho specializes in raising

bulls that work on the high desert ranges. By Tierra Kessler

will be your ranch horse 80 This headquarters. Will Gill & Sons By Kay Dee Gilkey

Akaushi

Akaushi breed is making 48 The strong progress across the United States: Meet the team that keeps the Association solid and learn more about the breed you’re going to see more of in the future. By Jeri Tulley

regulars 12

Trails

Trails End. By Sherry Danekas

Riding Drag

Index

“A Cinderella Story” By Tyrell Merchant

The Bull Board

Summer Treats

COVER “Wild & Free”

Thanks for staying the trail.

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

BUSINESS&ADVERTISING

TR AILS “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

Editor

Sherry Danekas sherry@jdaonline.com

Associate Editor

Mercedes Danekas-Lohse mercedes@jdaonline.com

Advertising

Mercedes Danekas-Lohse (916) 837-1432 (916) 849-2725

Circulation

Morgan Fryer morgan@jdaonline.com

Graphic Artist

Israel Robinson israel@jdaonline.com

Mailing Address P.O. Box 8629, Woodland, CA 95776 Office Phone P (530) 668-1224 National Sales Representative. THE POWELL GROUP, INC. 4162-B Carmichael Court Montgomery, AL 36106 (334) 271-6100 Attn: Davy Taff

Website www.westerncowman.com

Western Cowman, is owned and published monthly except May/June and July/ August combined by James Danekas & Associates, Inc., P.O. Box 8629, Woodland, CA 95776. Subscriptions are $20.00 per year. Presort Standard U.S. Postage Paid: Tucson, Arizona. Address corrections requested. contributing writers: Sherry Danekas, Heather Smith-Thomas, KayDee Gilkey, Kindra Gordon, Jeri Tulley, Tierra Kessler and Tyrell Marchant.

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

~Winnie The Pooh~ Well the West has survived torrential rains and snows this past winter and spring only to give way to a series of heat storms that hailed summers arrival. Nothing new for us who live in the west it’s always best to expect the unexpected and roll with whatever Mother Nature decides to dispense our way. Rolling with the punches is something I’m becoming something of an expert at; I’m learning that houses take a whole lot longer to get built than originally scheduled and I’ve learned that there are some people in the world you should just never trust. My original contractor turned out to be “one of that kind” all promises and no performance, fortuitously my intuition kicked in about this character and I didn’t get too deep before I chucked him and was able to find a contractor with the “right stuff”. We’re back on somewhat of a schedule and my home is really beginning to take shape, I’m so excited to see it all come together. On the plus side I’ve gotten to spend a whole lot more time with my grandson and develop a special bond with him that may not have happened if I was not living with him. There is always something to be thankful for, sometimes you have to dig a little deeper to find it, but I’ve always believed that everything happens for a reason and sometimes it takes a little longer for it to reveal the why’s, but they will always surface. Speaking of surfacing that is just what is happening in this 20th Anniversary issue, some really remarkable articles have emerged this month. While we stayed in California for portions of the issue, we also left the route to bring you some very fascinating and instructive articles that will keep you contemplating long after you’re done with them. Our first stop finds us at the doorstep of the Western Stockman’s Market, where the Mebane family continues the legacy that began decades ago and was home to many of the great names in our business throughout the years. This is a special piece about a very special family that has succeeded in keeping the accomplishment of the Western Stockman’s Market flourishing yet today. The word “vintage” has unquestionably been abused the last few years, trending everywhere is vintage clothes, furniture, décor, and even in some instances, recipes. The beneficial thing for ranchers and farmers is everything they throw away or that has rusted and fallen apart is now booty coveted by the masses. Who knew those old tractor parts could become expensive lawn art, or that old rusted bucket is now worth more now than when it was first purchased. If I piqued your interest you’re certainly going to want to read the article “Ranch Recycle”, who knows what fortunes the barn contains. Who doesn’t love a rodeo? Nobody I know that’s for sure and of the best around can be found in Salinas, California. This is a big event taking place each July and entering into its 107th year, this informative article will make you wanting to acquire tickets of your own.

From recycling your “vintage” pieces to the article “Agri-tainment” we’re just trying to help you look at your ranch in a different perspective and put dollars back in those pockets, this is another piece that will get those creative juices bubbling. Still working to get you thinking and seeing what’s new on the horizon we’ve got an outstanding article about yet another up and coming breed that has made significant advances in the last few years, the Akaushi breed is making its mark among cattlemen throughout the United States, this is an excellent piece to learn more about a breed that may hold just what you’ve been searching for. Everyone wants to get better at what they love to do and for those of you that spend many hours in the saddle roping and branding and love every minute of it, this article “Ranch Roping and Branding Clinics” is right up your ally, I think you’re going to find this couple amazing and wanting to sign up immediately. “Mob Grazing” yes a very unusual title, but I promise it’s not about a bunch of liberals at a salad bar. No this might just be what you need for your own ranch; this is truly an evolution of an idea, and one you might want to implement in your own program. In the next two articles we take you to a ranch that specializes in producing bulls that can and do perform on the high deserts of the west and then back to California where the Gill family has been producing top notch ranch horses since the 1940’s, two exceptional articles that certainly merit your attention and time. As I’ve mentioned this issue marks 20 years in production. When I first stepped on this trail, I was fresh, the trail was fresh and the bumps in the road and scenery along the way was truly exciting This trail has had many curves, uphill climbs and downhill spirals, rattlesnakes and coyotes have crossed my path and when each issue left for the printer, I had the chance to set up camp, relax a night and pack back up and hit the trail again to take on the next issue. What have kept me forging forward have been an industry that I love and the amazing folks within it. Jim and I went out on a limb and started Western Cowman together. This was a feat unto itself as the publication was independent of any association and we took all the risk. The rewards have been priceless; we’ve had the opportunity to meet and know the best set of folks there are, while creating a publication that highlighted their way of life. We took on industry related issues, some popular and those that were controversial, we took a different perspective at the fun and light hearted sides of the life we live, we always strived to be informative in the finest way possible. In the twenty years I always knew what the readers were thinking, I received your letters, both the good and the bad. For some articles there would be praise and reprimand, but we maintained the trail of putting forth articles that informed whether you agreed or not. Many of your heartfelt letters were what kept this magazine and staff striving to stay fresh and valid for so many years. I’ve also had the opportunity to work with some of the best writers in this business; Heather Smith Thomas is probably the most ranch knowledgeable writers in this industry, and the most productive. I thank her for all the perspective she shared with me throughout the years and the many articles that have graced our pages. Wes Ishmael is so intelligent; his knowledge of this business and his ability to make it understandable to everyone is an immeasurable talent. I thank him for staying the trail with us for so many years. I also have to thank Kindra Gordon, her fresh perspective on pieces never failed to impress, I thank her for the wealth of ideas she always brought to the table. The younger talent we’ve had the past few years are remarkable as well and consistently amazed me. Recently, while traveling the trail, I came to an abrupt halt. There in front of me was a stranger who was eagerly wanting to take the reins. I reared up and traveled back the other direction giving myself time to let my thoughts negotiate what lay in the trail in front of me. When an opportunity approaches, one should never turn from it and with that, I headed forward on the trail welcoming a new journey. For twenty years I have been on this trail and albeit, success and pleasure has come of it, but as I saw the fork in the road with two options being presented, I had to visit each possibility with both my heart and soul. With this, I am happy to tell you that this will be my final ride. A whole new source will be taking the reins but on a new saddle, a new horse and heading a new direction. This may be the end of Western Cowman, but definitely not my ride. I am heading in a whole new direction and this transition has made it possible both mentally and financially. As the dust settles, I’ll oil up my saddle, shine up my spurs and get ready for what lies ahead of me; the only difference now is I won’t be doing it with you all. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for being the most amazing trail mates one could ever hope for: you have inspired me, educated me, and blessed me in so many ways. I am sad that this trail has reached its final destination and the hardest part of letting go is how much I will miss all of you. One final Happy Trails to you all…….

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 0 9 • W E S T E R N C OW M A N

July/August 2013

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

JULY/AUGUST 2014

J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 1 • W E S T E R N C OW M A N

JULY/AUGUST 2015

JULY / AUGUST 2017

20 Years Celebrating Western CoWman

July/august 2016

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

his innovative and forward-thinking auction market located in Southern California (15 miles north of Bakersfield, near McFarland at Famoso) has been in business for decades. Col Harry Hardy purchased the auction yard from the previous owners in 1966, and along with his son H. Skinner Hardy, started the current livestock auction yard as it is today. Their annual all-breed bull sale started in 1966. This sale was the first to grade their bulls to establish a sale order, and sell them on their merits. A group of 20 local cattlemen served as a grading committee to score the bulls, using the California Beef Cattle Improvement Association grading system, established by UC-Davis. The guidelines for scoring and grading were based on muscling, capacity, balance and structural correctness. The bulls were sifted for soundness ahead of time, before being introduced to the grading committee, and any bulls removed for soundness issues could not be sold in the bull sale. They were, however, offered for sale through the ring afterward as sifts. Over the years, consignments grew to several hundred head and by the late 1970’s there was no longer time to sell the sifted bulls at the end of the bull sale. Consigners of those bulls were allowed to hold them at the yard and sell them in the regular Monday sale. Col. Bill Lefty began auctioneering alongside Col. Harry Hardy in the late 1960’s. Lefty was instrumental in bringing consignments from several continental breeds like Charolais and Simmental, inviting breeders to bring their bulls. During the 1970’s many breeds were represented, including consignments of Brahman, Brangus, Santa Gertrudis and other “eared” breeds in addition to the British and Continental breeds. From 1975 to 1985 the Famoso Bull Sale had the largest offering of Brangus bulls west of the Rocky Mountains. Col. Bill Lefty worked the bull sale for more than 20 years, until Skinner Hardy sold the auction to Jim Pennington and Dave Thompson in 1991. They continued the Famoso All-Breed Bull Sale for nearly 20 years. Skinner Hardy helped with the annual bull sale until 2006 (the 41st annual sale), when he retired after 40 years of merchandizing livestock. Pennington bought out Thompson’s interest in Western Stockman’s Market. He and his wife Amy hosted the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship at their sale facility in 2000, and Col. Max Olvera (Turlock, California) took the championship title that year. The Mebane family bought the auction market in December 2002 from Jim Pennington. Dwight and Helen Mebane, along with their six children, take pride in their family business and work hard to maintain its reputation. Their two sons, Justin (age 33) and Bennet (29) manage the yard full time, and are proud of the business they have continued to grow. | Continued on page 18

W 16

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

By Heather Smith-Thomas

A Long Successful History Western Cowman - July/August 2017

The Mebane Family

Continued from page 16 |

This auction market has a sale every week, a small animal auction once a month (sheep, goats and pigs), plus a lot of special sales throughout the year. The regular cattle sale is held every Monday. “We also have a few special bred cow sales every year,” says Justin. “We sell pairs, bred cows and all of them are preg-checked, mouthed, and merchandized in groups by our staff here at the yard,” he says. The annual Famoso bull sale is held here, and this will be the 52nd year for this prestigious sale. “This was the first all-breed bull sale in the West. When it started, all the sales around here were breeder sales. You went to a certain sale to buy Herefords, or Brangus, or Angus. This was one of the first places to bring all the breeds together,” says Justin. The 50th sale in 2015 offered Angus, Hereford, Red Angus, Brangus, Gelbvieh, Balancer, Charolais and composite bulls from reputable breeders in California and Utah. This all-breed sale has been very successful, over the years. “One of the unique things is that we still invite many local ranchers/customers to come in ahead of the sale and grade the bulls. They assess each bull as they go through the ring one at a time on grading day. This panel of ranchers 18

grades the bulls, and we use that grading system to create our sale order,” he explains. Before the bulls are graded, a sifting committee goes through all the bulls that breeders have offered for the sale, to make sure all of them are acceptable. “One of the members on our committee is Dr. Jerry Woody, a local veterinarian. He has been working with our auction yard for a long time. He looks at all the bulls and evaluates them for structure and sifts them for anything that would be a problem or concern.” says Justin. “On our special sales we always try to find additional things that complement one another, like selling females the morning of the bull sale,” says Justin. Some of these females are registered but a lot of them are just good commercial females that ranchers might be looking for as replacements or to increase their cow herd. This sale might include everything from young open heifers and bred heifers to bred cows and pairs. “A few years ago we also started having a farm equipment sale in conjunction with the annual all-breed bull sale. This has been well received and is very successful. We sell equipment the morning of the sale, at 9 a.m. Following that auction, at 10 a.m. we have a female sale, and then in the afternoon,

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

starting at 1 p.m. we sell all the bulls. This has been a good addition to our bull sale because a lot of our customers come ahead of the bull sale to buy or sell equipment, or to buy cows or heifers at the female sale,” he explains. The Mebane family has always been involved in the cattle industry. “My parents have ranched in Kern County for many decades. Dad started out as a supplement feed salesman and has always been in the cattle business as a rancher. When I was a kid, my 5 siblings and I worked on the ranch and Dad would be busy traveling around trading cattle. So he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of the cattle business,” Justin says. Justin went to auctioneer school in 2003 in Bakersfield. “It’s called the World Champion School of Auctioneering, with Jim Pennington and Max Olvera. I thought it was kind of neat that the guy we got our auction market from was one of the guys that taught me.” Justin was 2007 Rookie of the Year at the International Livestock Auctioneer Championships in Calgary, Alberta, and has qualified as a semi-finalist for the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship each year since 2013. Justin represents California as one of 31 contestants who must qualify to compete at this event. Justin and his wife Jennifer have

Offering Bulls and Females private treaty with central delivery

41 two children. Their son Cash just turned 1, and their daughter Haley will be 3 in August, so they have another generation coming on. The family works together as a team. His father Dwight does the sale order, and his mother Helen does all the books and runs the office. She does everything from the books to help yard the cattle. His brother Bennet also works at the auction. “We are lucky to also have a good staff that is very knowledgeable about cattle,” he says. They have good help in the yard and in the office. Carol Levitz has been the clerk since 1974. “We promote our sales and the cattle offerings as much as we can. I personally go out and merchandize throughout the week and also on sale day. I go out on horseback and help the crew put together groups/merchandize cows in the mornings, and help merchandize the stockers in the afternoon whenever I am not selling. I am the main auctioneer for the sales,” he says. His brother Bennet helps with the auctioneering. The Idle Spur Café is located at the auction yard, providing a handy place for staff and customers to eat and customers to socialize. The auction draws a lot of buyers and consigners, selling hundreds— sometimes thousands—of animals through the weekly sale. About 7 years ago they added the monthly sale for sheep, goats and pigs, held the first Thursday of every month. The Mebane family pride themselves in having great sales, and in taking good care of the livestock at their facility. “This is a big part of what we do, making sure all the animals are cared for, with plenty of feed and good clean water. We care about animal welfare,” says Justin.

5 Annual th

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Western Cowman - July/August 2017

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52nd Annual Famoso All-Breeds Bull Sale SELLING BULLS, FEMALES AND FARM EQUIPMENT IN THE ANNUAL EVENT. This year’s event we’re featuring 1,000 bred cows and many pair 3 to 5 years old. All are bred Predominantly to Angus bulls and most cows originate from a one owner herd that ran on the Corrizo Plains of Western Kern County. These cows are adjusted for hot weather country. 9:00 A.M. Ranch Equipment Auction 10:00 A.M. Female Sale 1:00 P.M. 52nd Annual Famoso All-Breed Bull Sale

Don’t miss this opportunity to buy your females, bulls and ranch equipment all on the same day!

52 Western Cowman - July/August 2017

he old saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” rings very true when it comes to recycled ranch items. What kind of things? Well, old galvanized feed buckets or water pails, dented and missing a handle — even better if the bottom is rusted and filled with holes. Old warped barn wood, fence that has been chewed on by bored horses, rusted-out feeders, and sun and rain-stained pallets. I can hear my rancher friends saying, “You have got to be kidding me?! Why would anyone want that old junk?” Well, there are many treasure seekers who think that barnyard junk is the ultimate in decorating — whether their

home or their yard. Perhaps that old neglected enamel pail, reminds them of the one their grandma used to bring her vegetables in from the garden. Or the feed bucket with the advertisement on the side is just like the one their grandpa used to feed his calves. The nostalgia many feel for their childhood, or memories of their grandparents may be part of the draw of purchasing and decorating with vintage antiques. Others enjoy using and reusing old pieces of the past in new and creative ways. Jennifer Mengarelli, whose antique business is called Farm Girl Faithful, began taking her recycled and vintage items to weekend antique shows throughout Washington last year. She

grew up on a dairy farm and has always loved and appreciated antiques. She enjoys the hunt for items as well as the creativity in taking something old and creating an entirely new purpose for it. “My husband Riley and I both enjoy going to farm auctions, barn and estate sales. At first he would just shake his head at the items I’d purchase. He’d say, ‘No one is going to buy a rusty bucket with holes in it. It’s garbage!’ At our first farm auction, I found a pallet heaped with what looked like a lot of junk. I had the winning bid of $10. One of items was a rusted out sheep and goat feeding trough,” Mengarelli said. She showed customers how they could repurposed that trough as a planter. When she took it to a show last

WC By KayDee Gilkey

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

year, she had three people in a bidding war over it. The woman who purchased it was ecstatic that she only had to pay $100 for the perfectly sized planter for her Seattle apartment’s small patio. “I probably sold it with rust and holes for more than she could have bought it new at a farm store,” she said. “Rust is gold,” Mengarelli said. “I love finding unique items and figuring out another use for them — chicken feeders as flower pots or large old wooden spools as tables.” “When I’m looking for items at a sale or when a rancher allows me to pick through an old barn, I’m always thinking how would I use this item in my house?” she explained. Reusing vintage farm and ranch items in new and creative ways is a booming industry. The first weekend in June in Spokane, Washington, is the Farm Chicks’ Vintage Antique show. Thousands attend from around the Pacific Northwest and as far as New York and Canada to nab old window sills, dented buckets, screen doors and other items that served very industrial uses —but have been discarded. Attendees come to take home a piece of vintage country wares to add to their home decor. Mengarelli was chosen as one of 300 vendors to participate at the Farm Chicks event this year. “I loved attending Farm Chicks in the past and it was on my bucket list not only to attend — but be the person with a beautiful booth, selling the cool stuff I find! The application process is very rigorous. I submitted photos of previous shows and my merchandise. I explained how I would stage my merchandise and tell the story behind it,” she explained. The show is so big Mengarelli said that it is advised to bring three times the merchandise of a usual weekend vintage antique show. Past Farm Chick exhibitors she spoke with said that is a pretty accurate amount of items that are sold during the popular two-day show. She said, “We brought two trucks and trailers full of items for the weekend’s show.” “I had attended the show for the past five years and I knew how amazing and creative the many booths were.

To be a curator and create our booth space and have the opportunity to sell these really cool items I had collected throughout the year was so exciting. Seeing people who are not as familiar with agriculture, really appreciate the items we brought was so fun. Having my husband and mom there to help and be a part of the experience added to the bucket list event that I always had wanted to be a part of,” explained Mengarelli. “As mom of our eight-month-old daughter Kirra, doing this business has been a nice fit. I’m a full-time mom, but can still go to auctions and sales, use my creativity and share my merchandise with customers who appreciate using old items in new ways,” she said. Another aspect of being in the vintage antique business that she enjoys is being able to share the story of the barn, ranch or ag item with the public. “I’ve always been an advocate for agriculture and now this is yet another avenue that I can use to help tell ag’s story,” she said. “I can’t believe how many people I had the chance to

explain what a fruit box was or what that rusty sheep watering bucket was used for back in the day. They loved hearing the stories behind the things they purchased. I hope they learned to appreciate agriculture a bit more!”

To see more of Farm Girl Faithful and her fabulous vintage items, check out her Facebook page.

Recycled Ranch Relics Taking pieces of broken golf clubs, farm equipment, tools, various “found” objects, broken fan belts and creating art is not easy. However, Ron and Victoria Smith of Toledo, Washington, have been successfully creating whimsical and vintage metal yard art for more than two decades from items discarded as junk. “Our business really started after a trip to Arizona. I saw a guy building a whale out of horseshoes as poolside art. I took a lot of pictures and was intrigued. He had told me that eight to ten people stopped daily asking if he would do the same thing for them.I brought the photos home and Victoria and I vis | Continued on page 24

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

Continued from page 23 |

ited about the possibilities,” Ron said. With Ron’s welding skills and Victoria’s background as an artist, they make a very effective team in creating their yard art. “Victoria designs what the piece will look like, lays it out for me to weld and then I get to work welding. Every piece is unique,” Ron explained. Victoria is an award-winning artist and won a Best of Show at Diamond Cutter Classic Western Art Show for a bronze sculpture of a cutting horse and cow. She has made bronzes, does very realistic drawings in colored pencils, in addition to the acrylics, and also did cartoon strips for the Washington Horseman magazine for years. It is Victoria’s talent and creative that really sets the couple’s work apart Ron explained. “You can go to most any arts and craft fairs and see similar recycled items, but it is her artist’s eye in seeing possibilities of turning junk into something entirely different — like a flower or a wiener dog — that is what makes our pieces so special,” he said. He explained that their biggest sellers are their cheery flowers created from old horseshoes, fork handles or golf clubs and wiener dogs whose bodies are old fire extinguishers, and old railroad spikes for legs, and plumbing parts and spoons for the head. When they first began, they scoured second hand stores and scrap yards to find the material to make their art. Now, sometimes they will leave home and when they return there is a pile of “future art” left by someone who 24

just knows the Smiths can make it into something special. Many of the nearby town’s second hand and thrift stores are continually on the look out for items that the Smiths could use. “We often barter for material,” Victoria said. “Someone will bring us a ton of iron scrap and just ask for one or two of our pieces in exchange.” Initially, they sold their items at weekend arts and crafts shows throughout the Western United States. “Our secret to selling out repeatedly at shows is — in addition to have fun and creative pieces — we price them right. Most of our items are price tag between $30 and $75 — so they are affordable,” Ron explained. “We want to sell our pieces and have them bring people joy when they find the perfect place for it in their yard,” Victoria said. Ron added, “I love watching people who get so excited over our yard art. Bringing smiles to people’s face is one of my favorite part of what we do.” “We have many customers who have bought multiple pieces. One of our best customers has purchased more than 80 pieces over the years,” he said. One of the most unique customized pieces they created was a dog peeing on an actual bright yellow fire hydrant that was a retirement gift for a fire chief. “We came in and set it up. It had a hose connected to it so the dog was actually peeing. The man was laughing so hard. He loved it.” Although this business began as something to do in retirement, now at

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

80-years-old, Ron says people won’t let him quit yet as they still have pieces they want the Smiths to create. Many of their orders now are customized orders. They now sell most of their items wholesale to several stores in Western Washington and don’t participate in the time-and-travel-intensive weekend shows. “We’ve been working on garden trellis and arbors lately. We found some chicken house fans and used a half of a fan to top the trellis,” Ron explained. The Smiths have calculated that they’ve created more than 21,000 pieces over the years and they agreed that they have no idea how many pounds of material they have saved from garbage heaps and scrap yards. They have sold items to nearly every state in the country and have pieces in a few other countries as well. He has had offers to buy the business over the years, however that would present a problem. “If I sold the business, my wife would have to be included in the sale and I love her too much to let her go,” Ron said with a grin. If you’d like to see more examples of their fabulously creative metal yard art, go to their website is http://www. rrrelics.com and they have a Facebook page as well at Recycled Ranch Relics.

In addition to the popularity of reusing old ranch and farm items in creative new ways, another trend in recent years has been country weddings venues which also use everyday farm and ranch material in creative ways for wedding decorations and backdrops. When Riley Mengarelli asked his now-wife Jennifer out, they were standing in front of her family’s 100-year-old dairy barn. That was also the memorable location of where he asked her to marry him. “I had always dreamed of getting married at my parent’s place, in front of the barn that I grew up playing in and where we got engaged. I didn’t even think twice about any other venue when I knew that themes meaningful place to be married was in my parent’s backyard,” Jennifer explained. So along with her mother Karri and sister, Jessica, Jennifer worked hard to find both farm and ranch items to decorate the wedding held on her family’s farm. “I grew up on a dairy farm and Riley on a hop ranch so we wanted to blend the two different lifestyles in our decorating,” she said. There were old wine barrels, the arbor and cross her dad built with their old barn wood. They wrapped hop vines around old wine barrel rings to make chandeliers and they branded Riley’s brand on an old piece of barn wood to represent them as a couple coming together. There were even his and her skulls — a buffalo and a sparkly cow skull. “Our littlest ring bearer even came down the aisle driving his little John Deer Tractor pulling the littlest flower girl in the trailer. Galvanized buckets lined the aisle adorned with flowers. I made the groom’s and groomsmen’s boutonnieres with hops and burlap. The dinner place cards were written on old cow ear tags. Riley’s old wagon he uses to pull with ponies — like his dad and grandpa do — served as a backdrop to the guest book signing area. A refurbished bright pink 1954 Farmall tractor was included in wedding photos,” Jennifer said. The weather-beaten but sturdy barn itself served as the backdrop to the wedding ceremony. The nuptials were said under a wooden arbor with hops

wrapping up the sides coming out of wine barrels. Since the wedding in the fall of 2015, they have also had baby photos of their daughter Kirra in front of the dairy barn. “Our special day was made that much more special by having it on my family’s farm,” Jennifer said. “It reflects both of our background steeped in agriculture as well as our future as we currently live on a ranch and plan to begin in buffalo business soon.” She said, “I know a lot of people spend a lot of money on little impersonal knick-knacks for weddings. I was so proud to share what means the most to Riley and I with our families and friends and we saved a lot of money in the process.”

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

Special Sale Schedule

THD ©

Wednesday, JUly 19

clM RepReSentativeS Jake Parnell .............................. 916-662-1298 George Gookin .......................209-482-1648 Mark Fischer ............................209-768-6522 Rex Whittle.............................. 209-996-6994 Kris Gudel ................................. 916-208-7258 Joe Gates ..................................707-694-3063 Abel Jimenez ........................... 209-401-2515 Jason Dailey .............................916-439-7761

Sale eveRy wedneSday Butcher Cows .......................................8:30 a.m. Pairs/Bred Cows .............................. 11:30 a.m. Feeder Cattle ........................................... 12 p.m.

auction MaRket Address ...12495 Stockton Blvd., Galt, CA Office...........................................209-745-1515 Fax ............................................... 209-745-1582 Website/Market Report .www.clmgalt.com Web Broadcast .........www.lmaauctions.com

weSteRn video MaRket Call to Consign: Aug. 7-8, Cheyenne, Wyo. 26

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

Special Feeder Sale, 12 p.m.

satUrday, JUly 29

Annual Bred Cow & Pair Sale, 11 a.m. Featuring 800 Bred Heifers and Cows, including 5 loads of foothill- and anaplas-exposed bred heifers, 4 loads foothill-exposed 2nd calvers, plus many more consignments on sale day.

Wednesday, aUgUst 16 Special Feeder Sale, 12 p.m.

satUrday, sePteMBer 9

Arellano Bravo Production Sale, 12:30 p.m.

Wednesday, sePteMBer 13 Special Feeder Sale, 12 p.m.

tUesday, sePteMBer 19

Thomas Angus Ranch Bull Sale, 12:30 p.m.

Wednesday, sePteMBer 27 Special Feeder Sale, 12 p.m.

If you can't make the sales, be sure to register and bid live on www.lmaauctions.com. THD ©

WEDNESDAY

SEPT. 20

ANGUS

1:00 PM SALE GONSALVES RANCH BULL DEVELOPMENT CENTER MODESTO, CALIFORNIA SIM-ANGUS

Selling 100 Bulls... 50 18-Month & Yearling Angus Bulls 50 18-Month & Yearling SimAngus™ Bulls

Selling 50 Females... 40 Fall Open Commercial Females 10 Elite Registered Spring Bred Angus & Simmental Females Full sale offering will be online soon at www.ebersale.com! Steve & Jean Obad 209-383-4373 or Cell 209-777-1551 1232 W Tahoe St, Merced, CA 95348 Sale Management:

Joey & Kristy 209-765-1142 • Mike & Stacy 209-531-4893 Joe & Debbie 209-523-5826 7243 Maze Blvd., Modesto, CA 95358

Office 507-532-6694 Val Cell 612-805-7405 Roger & Andy Flood 530-534-7211 Kelly Cell 406-599-2395 636 Creek Rd, Oroville, CA 95965 www.ebersale.com WFlag estern Cowman - July/August 2017 2 7

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

” By Kindra Gordon

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

e are big on tradition here,” says Mandy Roth Linquist, marketing manager for the California Rodeo, which will mark its 107th year July 20-23, 2017 in Salinas. And for those familiar with the event, they know it is pronounced “RoDAY-o” as opposed to RO-dee-o. Roth Linquist explains that is a tribute to the Spanish Vaquero heritage in California. She notes Ro-DAY-o is derived from the Spanish word “rodear,” which means to round-up or surround. Today, the grandiose event – which features evening performances on Thursday and Friday and daytime performances on Saturday and Sunday and draws a crowd of 50,000 fans over the four days – is California’s largest rodeo and one of the top 15 rodeos in the country. Roth Linquist notes, “People love coming because it’s like a big festival. There’s something for everyone and it is still affordable family entertainment.” Held at the Salinas Sports Complex, each action-packed rodeo features bull riding, team roping, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding and tie down roping in the arena. Simultaneously, the track that sur-

rounds the arena has action including horse races, specialty performances, barrel racing, and mutton busting designed to offer double the action for the crowd. One example is the Industrial Calf Dressing, in which a team of three non-pro contestants must successfully dress a live calf in a pair of giant Wranglers in the shortest amount of time. Some 600 cowboys and cowgirls from across the United States come to compete for almost $400,000 in prize money – and the gold and silver Salinas belt buckle. Roth Linquist shares that next to the Wrangler National Finals buckle, a Salinas trophy belt buckle is one of the most coveted in the sport. It’s not an easy buckle to earn. The Salinas arena is one of the largest in pro-rodeo, so that’s a challenge. “Cowboys say they need their fast horses here,” Roth Linquist says. She notes that because of the size of the arena, in rough stock events they run four pickup men instead of the traditional two. Also unique to Salinas, in team roping the header and healer come out on the same side from the header’s box. “That’s just a long-standing tradition here,” she adds. The finale of each performance

after the bull riding is the Salinas Freestyle Bullfights. A bullfighter goes one-on-one against a Mexican fighting bull for 70 seconds. The bullfighter is judged on his willingness to expose himself to risk and on his aggressiveness. His objective is to stay as close as he can to the bull throughout the fight. Bullfighters have elevated the sport by employing spectacular maneuvers, such as jumping over a charging bull. Like the riders, the bullfighters score higher when the bull is more aggressive. Roth Linquist notes that this unique event was started over 20 years ago and held at several rodeos with sponsorship from Wrangler. While that sponsorship has ended and several rodeos have stopped holding this event, it has been going strong for 20 years at the California Rodeo. The California Rodeo Salinas boasts one of the nation’s largest freestyle bullfights with six nationally ranked bullfighters and $20,000 in prize money. (For the second year it is being sanctioned by Bullfighters Only and is part of their tour). It has definitely become a fan-favorite event.

Through the Decades Indeed, the California Rodeo has come a long way since 1911 when the first Wild West Show was held at the Sherwood Race Track grounds at Salinas. The weeklong event earned the name “Big Week.” In 1912, a crowd of 4,000 gathered for the rodeo which featured mostly local cowboys and cowgirls riding bucking horses. One visiting cowboy was Jesse Stahl, who was arguably the most famous African American cowboy of that time. Two years later the event became known as the California Rodeo. Through the decades several milestones helped the event grow. In 1924 a new grandstand of 8,000 seats, a ½ mile race track, barns and bucking chutes were constructed. A year later the California Rodeo was incorporated. By the end of the 1920’s the professional cowboys outnumbered the local cowboys. Attendance soared to record highs despite Black Thursday and the beginning of the Depression. In the 1930’s the California Rodeo hosted Hollywood stars with visits from Will Rogers and Gene Autry, who was shooting scenes for one of his movies. Professional cowboys started the Cowboy’s Turtle Association to improve the prize money and rodeo standards. | Continued on page 32

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

Continued from page 31 |

Brahma bulls were used for the first time in the bull riding event. Notable in the 1940’s, Edith Happy made her first appearance as a trick rider, returning each year until 1962. For 2017, Happy is featured on the California Rodeo commemorative poster – and she has been inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame; she also served as the California Rodeo secretary for many years. In 1947, new events like wild cow milking, wild horse races, and trick riders were introduced on the track. The Cowboy Turtle Association changed its’ name to the RCA- Rodeo Cowboys Association. By the 1950’s the first National Finals Rodeo was held in Dallas, TX. Jim Rodriquez, Jr., 18 years old at the time, and Gene Rambo were the first local cowboys to win the Team Roping World Championship at the NFR. Celebrity guests to the Rodeo included Richard Boone and Clint Eastwood. Chuck Wagon Races provided more than their share of excitement on the track from 1953-1956. 32

The 60’s brought the debut of Cowgirl Barrel Racing and the 70’s evolved with the addition of the popular Wrangler Bullfights. Other events that were initiated were the Industrial Calf Dressing and the Mare and Foal Race. In the early 1980’s the rodeo complex took on a new look with the addition of the Historical Museum, replacement of the bucking chutes and the construction of the Albert Hansen Pavilion. The 1990’s brought more construction when grandstands were built, more than doubling the seating capacity. A new Long Branch Saloon on the south end of the arena was also added. The Chuck Wagon races were brought back. In the 2000’s the California Rodeo was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. The replay screen was added to bring the action closer to the crowd and mixing technology with tradition. The popular Bull Crossing tent was born offering live music, a full bar, and a mechanical bull for after rodeo entertainment.

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

In 2010, a Centennial Celebration was held for the California Rodeo, and it marked the first year for Hall of Fame Inductions. In 2014 a wall was erected to honor those that have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Throughout the years the California Rodeo Committee has also been dedicated to giving back to the community. Roth Linquist reports that through direct dollars to groups that volunteer to help with the rodeo, donated tickets to businesses and discounted event center rentals throughout the year, the California Rodeo gives back $300,000 to $400,000 to the Salinas community annually. A scholarship program offering five to ten scholarships averaging over $1000 each for students graduating from Salinas Valley High Schools is also part of that community commitment. Programs that support and recognize important causes are also part of the California Rodeo tradition. A military day is featured at one of the rodeo performances and some Cali-

ContaCt Info:

1/8 mile south of Hwy 152 on Hwy 33. 16575 S. Hwy 33 Dos Palos y, CA 93620 Office .............................. (209) 387 4113 Joel E. Cozzi .................. (209) 769 4660 Joel A. (Joey) Cozzi ..... (209) 769 4662

fIeld RepResentatIves: Doug Gallaway ............. Mike Vieira ..................... Bill Enos ......................... Garrett Jones ................

(209) 617 5435 (209) 761 6267 (209) 761 1322 (209) 710 7904

auCtIoneeR:

Established in 1950

Doug Gallaway ............. (209) 617 5435 Garrett Jones ................ (209) 710 7904

GMa anGus RanCH Bull sale

eaGle pass Bull sale

WednesdaY, septeMBeR 13, 2017

WednesdaY, septeMBeR 27, 2017

WeeKlY sale sCHedule

MONDAYS: DAIRY • FEEDERS • SLAUGHTER BULLS & COWS THURSDAYS: FEEDERS • SLAUGHTER BULLS & COWS

www.dpyauction.com for the Tops in HEREFORD GENETICS DEMAND

fornia Rodeo proceeds are donated to Monterey Bay Veterans, Inc., a local charity helping Wounded Warriors and Veterans. As well, California Rodeo hosts activities to bring awareness and funding support for breast cancer research through Wrangler’s Tough Enough to Wear Pink program and bring awareness to the issue of domestic violence through the Man Up Crusade – also known as “Purple Day.” As well, to raise funds for Ag Against Hunger, the Friday night

| Continued on page 36

MH 9126J Domino 382 1ET

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Western Cowman - July/August 2017

By Tyrell Marchant

A Cinderella Story W

ate summer brings with it the anticipation and eventual actualization of one of the most American of celebrations: the county fair. Across the West, home-canned pickles, quilts, blatantly amateur photography, and delicious jams and jellies are being prepared for display at the fair. Countless lambs, goats, hogs, turkeys and, of course, cattle are in the final stages of putting on those last few pounds of a perfect finish and learning to set their feet perfectly. The showbox has been fully restocked with EZ Comb and Zoom Bloom, the clipper blades have been sharpened, and all the show sticks and Scotch combs have finally been tracked down. (At least, that’s how it works in an ideal world. In reality, that steer still kicks every time you touch that left foot with the stick, and the combs will all disappear somewhere between home and the fairgrounds. But the excitement is still almost tangible.) One small touch of show ring preparation I never quite understood as a kid was trimming the show calves’ hooves. It wasn’t like our show steers were dairy cows, whose feet it is vitally important be trimmed. In my mind, to be perfectly blunt, the market steers wouldn’t be using their feet that much longer, and what judge is honestly looking at the feet anyway? Why did Mom and Dad bother shelling out the 20 bucks a head just to trim their feet? Turns out, a certain fairy tale princess had similar skepticism about the importance

of feet. In Disney’s masterful 2015 reimagining of Cinderella—for which I have no qualms expressing my fondness—our heroine’s fairy godmother stops her just before she climbs into the pumpkin-carriage. Thanks to the fairy godmother (brilliantly played by cinematic treasure Helena Bonham Carter), Cinderella looks every bit a princess … except for thing. Or rather, two. “Are those the best you have?” the fairy godmother asks, pointing to Cinderella’s tattered, dull shoes. “It’s all right,” Cinderella tries to reassure her. “No one will see them.” She’s probably right; her magic, blue, floor-length ball gown ought to render any footwear all but invisible. But the fairy godmother persists: “No, they’ll ruin the whole look. Quick, quick, take them off. Let’s do something new for a change; I’m rather good at shoes.” Then, with a final flick of her wand, she creates the most iconic wardrobe item in all of literature, Cinderella’s famous glass slippers. Just think: If Cinderella had gone to the ball in her regular old slaving-aroundthe-manor shoes, she probably wouldn’t have lost one running out of the palace as the clock struck midnight. Even if she had lost one, any number of maidens in the kingdom may have been able to squeeze a foot into it, and Prince Charming would’ve been stuck with some gold-digger named Agatha. Without the shoes, the whole story falls apart. So it is with show cattle. In a com-

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

petitive show loaded with quality steers and talented young exhibitors, trimmed hooves might be the difference between that coveted purple ribbon and a solid-butunmemorable third in your class. Trimmed feet are indeed a minor detail. They may not be noticed at all. But skip the trimming, and Cinderella’s fairy godmother is right—it ruins the whole look. What I failed to recognize as a county fair-loving youth is that cutting corners simply doesn’t pay off. Leave the gate open because you’ll be back through in five minutes, and sure enough, the horses will get out and run down the road. Skip studying to watch The Walking Dead, and you’ll get a C- on that big chemistry test. Wait until tomorrow to patch that chip in the windshield, and you’ll have a crack all the way across your line of sight by morning. Sleep in the morning of the show, and you’ll get stuck at the wash racks way over by the dadgum goat barn. Forget to gas up before heading back from town, and you’ll wind up walking two miles to the little station that charges 50 cents more a gallon, then lugging that overpriced gas all the way back to your truck. The little things really do matter. Sure, you can skip out on them and still have a great time at the ball. If that’s all you’re looking for, go right ahead. You just might miss out on a big-shiny-belt-buckle kind of a happily ever after. WC

400 Bulls 100 Geldings 20 Stock Dogs Huge Western Trade Show Art Show & Sale

(530) 527-2045 For more details: www.redbluffbullsale.com

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

Continued from page 33|

performance of the California Rodeo includes an event where the track features giant mascots who race toward the finish line in a sprint combined with a special challenge. It’s all part of the tradition of featuring top rodeo performances, fun entertainment and strong community support that have the California Rodeo Salinas looking forward to its next 100 years. For more information about the California Rodeo and all of its special events visit: http://www.carodeo.com/ The California Rodeo’s 2017 Colmo del Rodeo Parade, presented by Star Market, will take place on Saturday July 15th at 8pm in Old Town Salinas. The Kiddie Kapers Parade precedes the Colmo Parade starting at 6:30pm. Both events are traditions and kick off the week leading up to the rodeo performances. The first informal night parade was held in 1911.The parade was held for several decades, then discontinued and brought back various times. In 2010 it was revived for the 100th Anniversary of the Rodeo, and 2017 marks the eighth consecutive year of holding the parade again.

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Western Cowman - July/August 2017

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Circle Ranch

Tim and Jill Curran • 209-765-1815 • 209-765-0450 1000 Cook Rd. • Ione, CA 95640 circleranch@volcano.net • www.CIRCLERANCH.NET Western Cowman - July/August 2017 3 7

T-Shirts Bumper Stickers A Way of Life

At the end of 2017, a portion of the Rancher Lives Matter t-shirt and bumber sticker proceeds will go to the Jack Yantis scholarship fund.

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Western Cowman - July/August 2017

Pedretti Ranches Registered Herefords since 1946

Bulls For Sale

At The Ranch Private Treaty

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

any farmers and ranchers struggle M to make ends meet when prices for W

By Heather Smith-Thomas

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

their crops or animals drops on a down market. Some are finding innovative ways to bring in outside income, without leaving the farm. One way to augment ranch income is to take in paying guests. Many people are eager to experience nature and a western ranch environment. Some ranchers host special events or entertainment for the public, in various types of agri-tourism, or agri-tainment, as one Texas rancher calls it. Janet Noble (in eastern Texas) has found innovative ways to bring the public to her farm. She sells eggs and pork to local customers, and raises Longhorn cattle. She wanted to expand her acreage to have room for more cattle but was frustrated because urban sprawl had surrounded her place and there was no way to get additional land. Then she realized that what she thought was a bad situation was actually a plus. Most people who direct-market their products to customers have to travel to farmers’ markets, or encourage people to drive a long way to come

get those products at the farm. “In my situation, people can come to me all day, every day, as they are going to and from work in town. I had to learn to be content with what I have, and exploit and market my position. Realizing this factor changed everything!” she says. “We’ve added additional enterprises involving recreation. Other places around the country do these things on a much greater scale, but we market recreation. We host a fall festival, offering fun activities for 8 weeks on our farm. We don’t do a corn maze; we do our maze with sorghum and our customers don’t care about the difference, and we have a dozen other activities for the people who come. Every Friday and Saturday night we have Flix in the Sticks--an outdoor movie. We set up bales of hay for people to sit on and invite them to enjoy our hay bale amphitheater or bring their own lawn chairs. This is a fun thing for city people to do because they can come here without driving for hours,” Janet says. “Our location is perfect for marketing recreation, to get people outdoors.

We are also doing a lot of education to encourage more awareness of nature. Our customer is the couch potato. The hiker, the outdoorsman, hunter, fisherman etc. already has a higher sense of awareness, appreciation and respect for nature than the person we are reaching. We cater to the couch potato who could benefit from a healthier lifestyle (more outdoor activity) as well as learning more about nature. We believe that if people come outdoors and have a nice time at our place, this could be a start,” She feels this is her mission—getting more people outside. “Other farm and ranch enterprises take people on the next steps with trail rides or dude ranching or cattle drives but our goal is just to get them outside. There are other people we refer them to, for more outdoor adventures. We just want them to look around and see that it can be fun,” she says. “We host birthday parties, and urban camping (we provide all the camping equipment) and teach people how to do it themselves. We don’t set up the camp for them. We show them how, and they learn to do it them-

selves—cooking over a fire, setting up their tents, etc. We play games around the campfire, and help give them a good time, but we are teaching them through all of this. If later they decide they enjoy this sort of thing and want to go to a park or lake, they could feel comfortable and capable doing it on their own,” she explains. “We are just the starter steps, the training wheels. We feel nature is very healing, and if we can just get people outdoors they may eventually make that connection for their own lives. We do a lot of teaching, dropping little hints here and there. We want people to find and learn this very easily, preferably while they are laughing and having fun, enjoying a good time,” she says. “Some farmers/ranchers don’t find the idea of inviting thousands of people to their property very appealing. My son and I enjoy this however. It’s a key component for our operation so it does work for us, and the people who come here have a good time. Many of them also enjoy looking at our Longhorns and learning about cattle.” | Continued on page 42

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

Garnet, Lyle, Isaac, Luke, Ella, Naomi

Continued from page 41 |

Rock Hills Ranch In South Dakota Luke and Naomi Perman are ranching with his parents, Lyle and Garnet Perman in the Swan Creek Valley region of north central South Dakota, near Lowry. Luke is third generation on this ranch. Improving the land and using holistic management practices have been a primary focus, and in 2014 their ranch received the South Dakota Leopold Conservation Award. Their diversified ranch operation includes 400 commercial Angus cows on native prairie and established pastures, and aftermath grazing on the notill crops (corn, wheat, and soybeans). To bring in more revenue, the family also hosts pheasant and deer hunters on their land. The improved wildlife habitat and increased numbers of deer and birds on the ranch has helped provide additional income with the deer hunting (archery, rifle) and pheasant hunting. A bed and breakfast enterprise, as well as on-site lodging is also available for the people who come on tours (beef tours and eco-tours), and the family takes these opportunities to educate people about conservation. The ranch began offering ranch “safari” tours in 2013, as a way to attract visitors to their on-ranch lodging and tell people about ranch life and responsible resource management. The family is also developing a walking trail that they call the “100th Meridian Trail” (since the ranch is located on the 100th Meridian). Trail markers along the way are large rocks engraved with cultural information 42

about each location, which is also highlighted in a printed brochure. The ranch offers half-mile to five-mile hikes and the participants can access the trail and rock markers with hand-held GPS units provided by the ranch. Enterprises like this not only bring in more revenue by tapping into the natural and cultural resources of the land, but also provide a way to help educate the public about how ranchers produce food while protecting/maintaining the environment. The Work Ranch In California There are many California ranches that utilize agritourism as part of their

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

annual income. The Work Ranch near Paso Robles has been doing this for a long time. George Work (second generation) and his wife Elaine have been improving their land for livestock and wildlife and it became an attraction for quail and pig hunters. “Our ranch is halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco in Monterey County, about 15 miles off highway 101, which makes it a great location for agritourism. We’ve been doing this forever, with our hunting program, but we didn’t call it that; the term hadn’t been invented yet! We still have an active hunting program but we have leased it to a hunting guide on a share/cash rent, and he handles all the booking. He has his own website, and we don’t list it on ours,” says Work. “We also are part of the Farm Stay program. Many of those guests are a different clientele. We pioneered that program here in California. There had to be state legislation passed before we could do it, because of all the regulaWork - Kelly’s Horse Camp

tory factors, but we were successful in getting that passed. It’s not a big program, but now people have the opportunity to do it and receive compensation for doing it,” he says. “My dad always let people hunt on our place but he never got paid anything for it. When ranchers started charging for this service, it caused a big uproar. Texans had been doing this for years, but they have a different type of state government,” says Work. The Work Ranch utilizes multiple aspects of Ag tourism. “On our website you will see that Kelly, our daughter-inlaw is doing the trail rides, girls’ horse camps, etc. Her 2 girls have been in high school rodeo and did extremely well, which has been good advertisement for her horse camps. This supplements the cash flow, and works very well because Kelly has always liked horses. Her mom also liked horses, and this was one thing that she and her mom could do together,” he says. “Elaine and I do some farm stays, and because of the farm stay program we are also able to have other guests come—because our kitchen is approved. The regulatory maze is really something, but we’ve gone through that hoop. A Christian University group has come up here from Santa Barbara several years for a retreat. The first time, they were going to camp at Big Sur on the coast, but the weather report showed it would be cold and rainy, and they needed an alternative place to camp. It ended up snowing on them here, but it worked,” says Work. “The group brought everything they needed, but just wanted a place to stay. They brought sleeping bags and slept in our living room--and everywhere--wall to wall (there were nearly 40 of them), but they had a great time, and they’ve come back for several years now. We don’t get paid much for that one, but we are glad to be able to do it.”

then brought back later. “These are things we are doing anyway, so we just bring guests on these rides,” Jack says. They built a camp facility with showers and flush toilets. “We have a chuckwagon and our family prepares the meals. We provide all the food, haul their gear to camp for them, and provide the horses, saddles, etc. We’ve been doing this for 25 years. We also started looking at doing trail rides. We’d already let a hunting club use our place ever since 1962 when we purchased the first piece of the ranch.” His son John Varian puts on a ride for the American Quarter Horse Association and one for the Arabian Horse Association. He also has a cowboy camp, teaching skills like roping and cutting. “We’ve found that our guest riding program has been a good fit with our holistic ranch management. This recreational aspect doesn’t impact the cattle or grazing. It is very complementary and sustainable, and something the public really wants.” The guests enjoy it and learn something about ranching. “If we have calves to brand, we invite them to help. We warn them that

it might not be something they want to watch, but they are welcome if they want to help. We let them vaccinate, castrate, etc. We rope the calves to brand them, and explain why we hotiron brand, to show ownership. When people see these things they realize it makes sense. I also try to explain the different vaccinations the animals get, and why, and that the discomfort for the calf is just a momentary thing,” says Jack. The guests enjoy the ranch experience because it’s the real thing. Cattle are being moved from one pasture to another for a reason, and not just to give the guests a cattle drive. The two purposes are complementary. Yolo Land And Cattle Another large California ranch that does tours and hosts events is located in Yolo County (west of Woodland, California, near the Blue Ridge Mountains). Operated by the Stone family, this ranch raises grass-finished beef, with a primary goal of being good environmental stewards. Casey Stone and his wife host tours on the ranch, and provide sites for the public to enjoy weddings and other special events in a | Continued on page 44

Varian - Trail Ride

Varian’s V6 Ranch Jack and Zee Varian and their children have taken advantage of the recreational market on their California ranch in southern Monterey County near Parkfield and they enjoy the people who come for this experience. Their V6 ranch straddles the Diablo Mountains so the cattle are taken over the mountains at one point and Western Cowman - July/August 2017

Continued from page 43 |

rural setting. Casey and his brother Scott run the ranch. “Our father Henry Stone purchased the ranch in 1976, with another partner, and formed Yolo Land & Cattle Company. Prior to that the ranch was part of the Henry Cowell Foundation,” says Casey. Cowell was a large California landowner in the late 1800’s. “In 1982, my father and his partner split and my father became the owner of Yolo Land & Cattle Company. My brother Scott joined him in 1983, and I joined them in 1991,” Casey says. Over the years, many breeds of cattle were raised here; Simmental, Hereford, Limousin, Charolais, and Black Angus. Ultimately Black Angus became the primary breed, and today about 95% of the herd is black. “In addition to cattle, we also raise hay 44

crops; pasture hay, ryegrass, alfalfa, and Sudan hay for export,” Casey says. “We were a fall-calving cow/calf operation, until 1996, when my brother Scott attended a ranching-for-profit school in Colorado. The emphasis of the school was to think outside the box about resources available on your ranch, and to tailor breeding and calving to more closely match feed conditions. We started a spring breeding program, which today comprises more than half our herd. Splitting the herd into two management units has saved on feeding hay, as the spring cows don’t usually require hay in the fall. It also provides a year-round supply of meat for our direct-to-consumer marketing program. My brother and his wife Karen oversee this component of

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

the operation. Their cattle are naturally grass-finished on irrigated pasture,” Casey says. “In 1996, we also started doing rangeland restoration work, replanting many of our riparian areas to perennial grasses and native trees. We worked with several partners and the NRCS to improve these areas. Today they provide lush habitat for aquatic species, and improved water quality for the cattle. Also that year we made improvements to our shop, which allowed us to host visitors for ranch tours and barbecues. UC Davis conducted a trial on grass-fed versus grain-fed cattle to determine the health benefits of grass-fed beef, which we provided the animals for. With the leftover meat we started a line of beef jerky products to sell to our ranch visitors.” In 2005, the bulk of the ranch was placed under a permanent conservation easement, held by the California Rangeland Trust. This easement was funded by the Wildlife Conservation Board, and the Great Valley Center. “We excluded the area where we do events and tours, so it wouldn’t be restricted by terms of the easement. In 2007, we were nominated by the California Cattlemen’s Association and the California Rangeland Trust to apply for the NCBA’s Environmental Stewardship Award Program. After winning our district, we were humbled to be national winners at the NCBA convention in Reno, NV,” says Casey. The last few years have been challenging. “Our father passed away in 2014. Prior to his passing he had established a purebred herd of Angus cows, and did very well at the Cal Poly bullfeeding trials. My brother and I still have most of his cows, but we haven’t maintained their records; we use them in our commercial herd. Our dad was the geneticist in the family, so we’re doing our best to keep his legacy going, but it’s tough with one less partner. “My brother and his wife also have a successful agriculture real estate company, [www.calagprop.com] which keeps them busy, in addition to selling beef. Prior to this year, California had a serious 4-year drought, which affected feed availability on our ranches. We elected to feed our way out of it, rather than sell off our breeding herd. We also went from record high prices in 2014 to near record lows last year, along with

low prices in the hay sector,” Casey says. Things are looking more positive this year than they have in a long time. “The drought is over for now, we have an abundance of grass on our rangeland, and the hay and cattle prices are starting to come back up,” he says. “On the agri-tourism front, we recently completed construction of a new tack room and shop, which will allow us to retrofit our old shop to better accommodate tour groups and events. We occasionally host weddings at an old barn on the ranch, and eventually plan to refurbish it with modern amenities. Most of our tours come from foreign farmers or producers from other states, and we usually have nice steak barbecues at the end of the tours. My wife, Angela, and I host the tours and events, and we have also expanded our beef jerky business, which supplies regional distributors and retailers. We also sell it online [www.yololandandcattle.com]. “This year we are updating our website to allow more e-commerce. We will also have a component highlighting the ranch as a possible film location venue. Last year, the California State Fair used our wedding barn as the backdrop for their promotional commercial. In May 2017, we are hosting military parachute training, as we are fairly close to several military bases. You have to look for interesting opportunities where you can find them,” says Casey. These opportunities can add additional enterprises and income to a ranching operation.

2017

Scott, Hank, Casey

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

Turkey Track Ranch

Located 18 miles West of the city of Williams on Highway 16 in Colusa County. This ranch consists of 2,575.50 acres, and is a working cattle ranch. There are two large reservoirs on the ranch with a nice hunting lodge and sleeping cabin. Excellent pig, deer, and elk hunting, and bass fishing in the ponds, A very secluded weekend getaway with easy access. THIS IS A SPORTSMEN’S PARADISE! $2,523,990

Johnson Ranch

314 acres on Creed Road near Fairfield and Travis Air Force Base in Solano County. Excellent dryland pasture, domestic well, barn, and nice building site in the trees. Very nice grazing ranch with good accessibility. $1,352,090.

Crum Ranch 235 acres of Class II soil, well located on the west side of HWY 505 & County Road 27 in Western Yolo County. Water provided by Yolo County Flood Control & Water Conservation District, used for irrigated rowcrops, lots of possibilities! $3,658,350.

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

Bowlsbey 320 COWS IN THE HOMESITE AREA

312 acres of excellent irrigated pasture in the heart of the Solano County pasture lands. The Ranch is in Reclamation District 2068 and has very reasonable water costs. This is an easy ranch to irrigate and manage. $2,500,000. Colisted with John Brennan of Brennan, Jewett, & Associates (530) 870-6625.

If you Sell’em by the pound... BullS wIth PayweIght

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Western Cowman - July/August 2017

orn and raised ranching in New Mexico, Bubba Bain has spent his life workOver the years he managed several ing in the cattle industry. Graduating cow/calf operations, owned and operfrom Oklahoma State University with ated a feed mill and feed yard, owned Bachelor of Science degree in animal science and a minor in nutrition, Bubba and managed a recipient herd and was Director of Field Services for a breed went on to experience many different association. Bubba also started his own facets of the beef industry. 4 8 Western Cowman - July/August 2017

consulting and marketing company to put on cattle sales across the United States and provided consulting services both stateside and abroad. One evening, a new opportunity presented itself to the Bains - Bubba and his wife, Janie. Brad Caldwell, of Elgin Breeding Service, called to talk about a new breed of cattle called Akaushi. He mentioned that the ranch that had them might be looking to put together a breed association. Bubba responded, “When they are ready for someone to put together an association, give me a call.” That call came in the Summer of 2009. After meeting with Ronald Beeman who, in 2006, purchased the HeartBrand assets from the doctors who originally brought the cattle over from Japan and after visiting the ranch, feed yard and further processing plant, Bubba accepted the position of Executive Director of the American Akaushi Association with his wife, Janie, as Executive Assistant/Office Manager. When the Bains began the association, they started from the ground up creating the entire structure that exists today. The first task was to establish Akaushi as a breed with the National Pedigreed Livestock Council and to set up the Certified Akaushi Beef Program with the USDA. They worked hand in hand with HeartBrand (the foundation herd) to insure that the Fullblood herd was properly identified and entered into the official registry. The American Akaushi Association’s main objectives are to register and transfer Akaushi cattle, to promote the Akaushi breed, and to manage and oversee all Akaushi animals – including terminal cattle. Every animal in the breed must be DNA parent-verified, and, to be considered Fullblood Akaushi, the sire and dam of the animal must both be Fullblood Akaushi. When asked how Akaushi is different from red Wagyu, Bubba explains it like this, “Wagyu means Japanese cattle; therefore, the word ‘Wagyu’ is an origin, not a single breed. According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, a breed is a stock of animals within a species having a distinctive appearance and typically having been developed by | Continued on page 50

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Western Cowman - July/August 2017

Continued from page 48 |

deliberate selection. There are five different breeds within that origin – Akaushi (Japanese Red), Kryoshi (the Japanese Black), Japanese Polled, Japanese Shorthorn, and Holstein.” Bubba likes comparing Akaushi to red Wagyu by saying, “It is like putting Hereford and Angus under one breed association because they are both English breeds. To throw all Japanese cattle into a single breed designation just doesn’t make sense to me. ” With five different breeds under the Wagyu umbrella, Bubba contends that an animal created by mating a red Wagyu with a black Wagyu is not a Fullblood animal. He believes that it is a cross. There are no genetic or phenotypic similarities between Akaushi and Kryoshi. The end result of what the American Akaushi Association is trying to accomplish is to develop and protect the integrity of the Akaushi breed and its genetic lineage. Bubba feels that the Akaushi Breed deserves to be properly defined by its origin and genetic makeup and by its differences from other breeds of Japanese cattle. In the beginning, the Akaushi numbers were very small and the genetics were sold only under contracts with restrictions. However, as of March of 2016, the requirement for contracts has been lifted. The Association still highly encourages all animals to be registered through the American Akaushi Association and to be DNA parent-verified through GeneSeek. At present, there are 9,000 Fullblood females and 3,000 Fullblood males in the AAA registry. Most Akaushi breeders sell their animals via private treaty. In the near future, Bubba envisions that public auctions will be utilized to sell animals. The American Akaushi Association strives daily to make as big an impact on the American beef industry as possible. By educating commercial cattlemen about the benefits of the Akaushi breed and the benefits they can expect to see when they cross their cattle with Akaushi, Bubba believes that Akaushi genetics can dramatically increase the quality of American beef without sacrificing other traits that breeders 50

have worked hard to develop. Bubba adds, “Akaushi can make a huge difference by giving consumers a higher quality and healthier product in just one generation.” As far as the Akaushi beef market, Bubba states, “Economically, we have tried to find a sweet spot of days on feed/ carcass qualify for producing beef that the United States public desires. The average Joe down the street would not have a palate for beef that has a Japanese Marbling Score (BMS) of 10 to 12.” Bubba believes that Beef Marbling Scores in the 5 to 9 range are more in-tune with what the majority of US consumers really want. To create and maintain a long-term market for Akaushi, HeartBrand Beef Inc./Certified Akaushi Beef program has been very intentional in producing meat with an eye towards economizing costs of daily gain and days on feed while maximizing quality to the level that its target consumers desire. Currently, the American Akaushi Association has approximately 300 active breeders in the association. However, by lifting the contracts, their numbers are growing daily. Many breeders who were interested early on but did not like the contractual obliga-

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

tions are now joining. To guide and protect the quality and integrity of the genetics, the Association is continuing the task of educating breeders about culling. Bubba explains, “Number wise, there still needs to be a good culling process. As with any cattle, not every bull or female needs to be kept. The animals will progress as time goes on with a good culling process. ” Bubba adds that each breeder needs to understand the purpose of the cull is to produce a better quality calf than when they started. He points out that because Akaushi animals sell for a premium it makes the culling process a little more palatable. Bain cautions breeders to be careful about selecting animals based upon single traits. One main goal for the association is to maintain a good rapport with the US commercial cattleman. Bubba

Bubba, Janie

believes that if you can keep him (the US cattleman) involved, you can survive. “Seedstock is mandatory, but the lifeline of your organization is always the commercial cattleman.” To build and maintain that relationship, the Bains travel nationwide attending cattlemen conventions to speak face-to-face with the producers. “We try to enlighten them on what we can do to improve their programs by incorporating Akaushi cattle into their herds,” declares Bubba. Besides attending conventions, the American Akaushi Association advertises in regional and national magazines and in several online sources to educate people about the breed. In the next few months, the Association is planning to introduce an online quarterly publication that will be sent to members and to others who are interested in the breed. Bubba grins and says, “We started off where people couldn’t even pronounce the word Akaushi. Now it has become more of a café name. We’re not a household name yet, but we are hoping to become more mainstream and more recognized and utilized for

what the cattle can accomplish. The Akaushi Breed deserves its rightful place among the other recognized beef breeds in the industry.” To learn more about Akaushi, visit www. akaushi.com or join Bubba and Janie at the next convention the last week in October at the Hyatt Lost Pines in Bastrop, Texas.

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

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“DRIVEN BY PERFORMANCE SINCE 1943”

AWA GENERAL MEETING Western Cowman - July/August 2017

ell known for their productions of The Californios Ranch Roping competitions (2000-2012), Dave Weaver and his wife Gwynn now hold ranch roping and branding clinics around the West. Their base of operation is west of Orland, California, in the northern foothills where they raise a few horses and host a few of their home clinics between clinic tours. Gwynn Turnbull grew up in California with horses and

has been working with them her whole life. “I worked for cutters and reined cow horse guys in my youth and then in my 20’s I became a student of the Tom Dorrance/Ray Hunt methods and their philosophy of horsemanship,” she says. “I’ve been all over and experienced a lot of things. I had been traveling quite a bit and lived in Wyoming for about 8 years; I came back to California and worked in the motion picture business as a stunt woman for 6 years specializing in horse work. I rodeoed for 3 years and rode saddle broncs in the PRCA. I wasn’t very good at it and didn’t fill my permit but it taught me a lot about

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

myself, my limits and how to control and adjust my mental state,” she says. “I was always somewhat involved with ranching and went to some big loop roping competitions but didn’t feel like that style really fit me. It didn’t seem like those events were recognizing all the quality/skill of some of the hands who were roping out there. So I started my own roping event—The Californios Ranch Roping and Stock Horse Contest—in 2000,” says Gwynn. The Californios was a unique, oneof-a-kind competition that was held annually in Red Bluff, California from 2000 to 2009. Then this event moved to the Reno-Sparks Livestock Event Center in Reno, Nevada where it was held in 2010 through 2012. It featured events/competitions that mimic the real-life working situations of the buckaroo, judged on skill. This was not a ranch rodeo; the events were not timed.

They were judged by a panel of highly qualified and respected judges who studied and scored each team on things like the size of the loop, distance thrown, the handling of the slack, control of the dally, horsemanship, handling of the cattle,

sportsmanship and style. Cattle were roped out of the herd. Teams of two or three cowboys expertly roped and laid the cattle down for doctoring or branding. These events showcased the expert stock handling techniques of Old California and the Great Basin buckaroo, and all horses were ridden in traditional gear. “I met Dave, my husband, when I handed him a flier at the Red Lion Casino in Elko for the first Californios event that I was putting on. He was working at the PX at the time and that ranch had some country that practically neighbored my place in California. His crew came out to California later that spring and they invited me over to brand and we got to know each other. We were just good friends for quite a while and

then we started dating and where married three years later,” says Gwynn. “We were working hard, putting on the Californios competitions, in Red Bluff at the time. It was growing, but still struggling financially because it was very expensive to put on. Out of necessity we started doing some clinics to help fund it. We started doing some ranch roping clinics in 2002 and did those for several years.” | Continued on page 60

By Heather Smith-Thomas Western Cowman - July/August 2017 5 9

Continued from page 59 |

Putting on the Californios took a great deal of hard work and dedication--and 5 years of substantial deficits and debt before the event began to break even. Gwynn and Dave were not getting paid for their time, just for their expenses, but they still had a lot of motivation to keep going. She and Dave both felt that the world needed the information they were providing. They felt this was the next step in the horsemanship revolution that the Dorrances started. “People had awakened to the idea that we should be good to our horses, that we should approach them in a way that took their psychology into account. I felt that this awareness needed to be expanded to the other livestock involved, and to life in general,” says Gwynn. There was a lot of pressure on rodeos and other competitive events using livestock, challenging some of the handling practices. Gwynn knew there was a way to preserve our western ranching/horsemanship heritage and still be ethical in how we handle the livestock. The Californios was her attempt to make a contribution on that front and help educate people. “We did the Californios competitions for 13 seasons and these were very successful events, but we finally had to quit doing them. I was spending too much time as an event coordinator 60

and not enough time riding my horses,” says Gwynn. “I didn’t like the fact that I didn’t have time to ride, and also my parents were aging and my dad was in rough shape. I was one of his caregivers toward the end of his life, and I just couldn’t do it all. Dave and I decided to stop the Californios event while it was still good, strong and popular, ending on a high note. Then I was able to be there for my Dad,” she says. He passed away last summer. Gwynn and Dave have been doing roping clinics for 16 years and gradually expanded it into a whole program. “We do horsemanship, cattle working, regular ranch roping, advanced ranch roping, and now the branding clinics which is the pinnacle of these clinics in terms of ability. This is a good, solid program. We’ve been doing it so long that we have a good idea now of how to help people become successful doing this,” she explains. BRANDING CLINICS “We do three or four ranch branding clinics each year, currently in Montana and California. We do a varied number of ranch roping clinics as well, and a student can’t come to a branding clinic until they have gone through at least one of our regular ranch roping clinics and we have approved them to

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

go on to a branding clinic. We do this for safety reasons (to make sure the person has enough skill) and also just to prepare them for the kind of instruction that we will be giving,” says Gwynn. “We get some beginners and some people who rope really well and have been doing it their whole life. We know that they are probably competent in terms of surviving it but we still require that they come to at least one regular ranch roping clinic first. This gives Dave and me the information we need about each person, and their personality, and how they learn. That’s the best way we can put something together at the branding clinic that will benefit them. So we keep that requirement, no matter how handy and experienced someone is,” she says. They take 10 students for the branding clinics. “We do one clinic that’s 4 days long and one that is 5 days long. There is a day or two of prep in each one, where we work on the finer points of everything, and then brand. We rope the whole time, but the actual branding days are customized to fit the ranch”. It’s all head and heel roping, rodear-style branding (out of a herd) and very well organized. “We don’t just have our students show up at a branding and let them wing it or slop through it. We have a very structured method

that keeps the branding organized and keeps a consistent momentum that is deliberate but very efficient. We feel this is better for the horses and safer for the cattle and for the people involved,” she explains. “It’s a very solid program. If people want to come to the branding clinic we encourage them to participate in our other clinics. The better we know you, the more information you are going to get, because we learn how to get information delivered to you in a way that fits your learning style. That’s the whole key, for us. If you want to be involved in the branding clinic we encourage you to get on board for the whole program. Find us wherever we are, try to take a horsemanship clinic, try to take a cow working clinic, or a regular ranch roping clinic—just so we are all on the same page in terms of aids (the cues you give your horse) and what we expect in terms of lateral movement and bend, and some of the points we feel will make you more productive at a branding.” The bottom line is that everything done at a branding boils down to horsemanship. “If you don’t have a flexible, portable, reliable platform to throw from (a horse you are completely in tune with) you are not going to be very productive. So we want your horse to be better broke, quieter, and more responsive at the end of the branding than what he was at the beginning. We don’t feel that you have to sabotage your horse to rope and brand calves, and then spend three days putting that

horse back together,” she says. Being in tune with the horse, helping him handle the work and becoming better at it is part of the goal. Their branding clinics were an innovation and are very professional and top of the line. “After we started doing these, there were other people thinking it’s a great idea and starting some, as well. That’s fine, but I feel ours are unequaled in what our students can learn. My roping ability and handiness is pretty average, but I can tell you unequivocally that when it comes to the branding clinic, Dave is the best. There is no one more qualified, no one else putting on clinics who knows more about it or has done it longer. He buckarooed for 30 years in Nevada, Oregon, Montana and California. That was his only job. He didn’t moonlight as a cowboy with a job in town. Taking care of cattle was what he did. He worked on big outfits with large crews and also had camp jobs working by himself. He did the whole gamut and has a wealth of experience,” says Gwynn. “A lot of the guys going down the road now, doing clinics, are great guys but they don’t have that kind of experience. A lot of them have part-time jobs and the roping and branding isn’t their whole focus. When you start putting cattle, people, horses and ropes in a learning environment it can become a mess.” You want someone in charge who has been doing it long enough that they can see a problem coming; they can anticipate and be proactive and head

off a wreck. Accidents can happen, that is the nature of working with large animals. To avoid problems as much as possible, your odds are greatly increased branding with Dave,” she says. Dave is also very good at “reading” what each person (and their horse) can handle and what they can’t handle. “Our job is to take people to the edge of their comfort zone and enable them to grow, but we don’t want to take them too far beyond that, or we’d be setting them up for failure. We are really invested in this, and we want people to learn and become a viable, productive hand—so that if they got invited to a branding somewhere, they could hold up their end and contribute,” she explains. She and Dave make a good team. Gwynn had a lifetime of experience teaching horsemanship. She dabbled in lots of different equine disciplines and had a lot of information on the mechanics for body control. She learned a lot from the Dorrances and Hunt, understanding how to motivate the horse to want to perform. Dave had a lifetime of experience on ranches with all classes of cattle in adverse and duress conditions. He was very good at getting the job done, reading cattle and riding tough horses. “We always joke and say that I taught him how to teach better and he taught me how to rope better. There were some finer points of classical horsemanship that don’t necessarily go with ranching, yet at the same time these are skills we can use all the time—things like hip control and flex | Continued on page 62

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

Continued from page 61 |

ibility, understanding the horse’s frame and leads. A person can use all of this, all the time, to help your horse when working a cow, doctoring cattle, etc. It all goes more smoothly. So that was a good trade between the two of us; he upped my game and I upped his game.” This is where 2 plus 2 equals 7. It’s a symbiotic and complementary relationship in which the teamwork creates much more than either party could do alone. They have put on some clinics already this year and have several more branding clinics scheduled. “We have one in early June in Laytonville, California at the Shamrock Ranch, and two scheduled at the North Fork Ranch near Babb, Montana. The sponsoring ranch supplies the stock because they are usually in the middle of their own branding season. We are very picky about where we go. We want to make sure the facilities are there, that we need, to keep people safe, and that the sponsors believe in what we are doing and are excited about expanding their abilities.” The ranch usually sets aside a pasture or two of cow-calf pairs for the branding clinic. “Then we arrive and start going through the preparation to get people ready for it. The ranch usually participates, with a crew member or two as representatives, along with the ranch owner. They work through the process with us, trying to improve the skills of their employees. To help subsidize that, we have outside students come in and brand with us. This seems to work well,” says Gwynn. “A branding clinic is very difficult to do, and have it be efficient and productive. It has to be done right, because we are working with the rancher’s paycheck—the calves. You don’t want to adversely affect any of those cattle, so it has to be in a controlled environment. The hard part for us is that there are now a rash of folks who are offering branding clinics, who are just not qualified. That doesn’t mean they are bad people, and it also doesn’t mean that they can’t go brand calves themselves and do fine. They are just not as able to handle the teaching element, the safety element and maybe don’t have the experience to get ahead of any problems that might arise--hopefully before they happen.” Going to one of those events can 62

be risky. “You might be put a bad spot with your horse or put yourself at risk. By contrast, our clinics that have been going the longest have been perfected—so you can get the best bang for your buck. Many of our students these days are in mid-life; they aren’t teenagers. We even get folks who are past middle age. When you get to that point in life, you don’t have time to learn it wrong because you don’t have enough life left to fix any issues that you might have been caused by inexperience. You need to make sure you learn from people who are as qualified as you can possibly find. Otherwise there are many things that can go wrong. If I was going to learn to fly an airplane, I’d want to learn from the person with 30,000 hours of flying and instructional experience, not somebody that just flies on the weekend” she says. People who come to Weaver’s branding clinics are serious about learning. They are not just young kids out for fun. “Your body isn’t as durable in mid-life as it was when you were 20 years old. Your margin for error is slimmer. One of the things we teach at our clinics--and it has become our personal catch phrase--is that we try to expand your margin for error so that you, your horse and the cattle can survive it, and it actually becomes a positive, productive experience. That’s what we’re shooting for,” she explains. A lot of work goes into this. “Many people do clinics and they do one in the morning and another in the afternoon. That works for them and that’s great. But in all the years we’ve done clinics, Dave and I have never done that. We do just one clinic for the day, because we put 150% of ourselves into those hours, and there is absolutely nothing left of us at the end of the day. Our level of focus is intense, and we are trying very hard to get the information presented to people in a way that they can absorb it—at whatever level they are. Everyone is different, learns a different way, they are riding different horses, they have different fears, and different levels of confidence. We are trying so hard, and putting our ‘all’ into it, to make it a positive learning experience for them. At the end of our clinic we are exhausted. I don’t know how a person could do another one right after that. I’m not criticizing the folks that

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

can structure their clinics that way, I’m just saying it doesn’t fit our teaching style.” She and Dave are professionals and perfectionists and have been at it a long time. A person has a lot of tools in their toolbox when they have been doing something this long. It’s also their only livelihood, as well as their passion. “This is what we do for a living. We are not doing it part-time; we don’t have a spouse in town with a good-paying job with health insurance. This is what we do. I’m not saying we won’t eventually diversify at some point, but for the last 16 years this has been what we do,” says Gwynn. “The only exception to that is that a few times a year we stop doing clinics for a month, just to get out and go back to work on the ranches. Dave calves heifers for a rancher in the Sierras or takes a few weeks of day work here and there. He does this to refresh himself and keep himself relevant. You have to actually go do whatever it is that you are teaching. He’s a stickler for that. We also go brand for someone or help process and ship cattle in the fall. This is how we keep our hand in the game so we don’t know more about driving down the road than we do about what goes on at the ranch,” she says. “We think of ourselves as professional teachers that actually work in the field here and there to keep our chops

up. I’ve never liked the term ‘clinician.” I always think of someone in a white lab coat when I hear it. We also don’t like getting celebrity status. It’s just not our thing. We feel it gets in the way of getting the information across. We don’t want adoration. Our best reward is when students actually learn the practices and are able to enjoy the fruits of their labor when working stock. At that point they shouldn’t be thinking of us, they should be focusing on the horses and the cattle and the country. “During our breaks we lose money because we don’t make as much when we go help someone with cattle, but we feel it’s important, to remain relevant and to continue to be prepared for the job we do.” This is a way to stay focused and centered. “I find it fascinating that other businesses often send their employees to training courses or continuing education—whether it’s in customer service or management, or safety training, or whatever. Some ranchers send employees to an AI school or some other course to help them do their job better. But there really are not very many ranches that actually understand that there might need to be some education for their crew if they still want to work their cattle horseback. They also need continued education. It’s hard to find clinics that actually teach ranch skills,” Gwynn says. Most of the competitions and events that you see at a ranch rodeo are not ranch skills. “Dave says the ranch rodeos, even though they are fun, have led to a decline in cowboy skills. People think this is what a cowboy does, but those timed events are just the opposite. Often today when he goes to a branding or goes to doctor cattle, he feels that the crew is treating this experience like it’s a practice session for their ranch rodeo events and competitions—and it’s hard on the animals.” One of the things she was most proud of about The Californios Ranch Roping and Stock Horse contests they put on was that out of 13 years of competitions and thousands of cattle roped, with hours and hours of competition, there was never an animal injured. “We never injured any cattle, horses, or cowboys at that event. That’s a tremendous record. People often ask if we are proud of how handy the people

were or how great they roped, or all the neat equipment and silver bridles, etc. that were so picturesque. But a cowboy’s job is to take care of the cattle, first and foremost. So the thing we were actually the most proud of was putting on 13 years of competitions without injuring anything,” she says. “Yes, there was some luck involved, because there are always some unpredictable things happen when you are working with stock. An animal may have had a previous injury and you get a bad bounce and break its leg. As livestock people we know that can happen; we’ve experienced it. So we do know that some luck was involved, but we also like to think that our safety record was mainly because we designed the show around the idea that you could get your horses broke, rope and brand your cattle and still have it be something that is not detrimental to the cattle,” she says. There are a lot of ranchers today who just work their cattle with 4-wheelers and don’t use horses. “They are probably just using good judgement and doing it the way they have to do it. When I look at the pool of people in their area who would be available to help them brand their calves, the riding people are in that timed-event world. They are not bad people, but they don’t have the kind of cowboy skills required to be able to accomplish the branding tasks without bouncing their cattle off the fence. The ranchers brand on a calf table because they can’t find any help that is qualified to do it horseback.” They might like to continue doing it horseback because it’s easier on the cattle to work the calves out

of the herd and only have the calves separated from their mothers for a few minutes instead of a few hours, but they can’t find the right kind of help. “Rather than completely abandon the idea, a rancher could hire a couple cowboys or send them to some training sessions or try to promote it—not just for tradition, but for the many benefits. A good cowboy can be 5 miles from a set of corrals and find an animal that needs treatment (a bad eye, a bad foot or something worse that makes it so the animal can’t travel) and be able to handle it on the spot.” This skill is very useful in range conditions; you don’t have to try to bring an animal to a corral or take a portable corral out there. “With the early style of branding you don’t need a set of stout corrals. You can have cowboys hold the herd or hold them in a fence corner somewhere while the calves are roped for the branding crew. Yes, it might take a little work beforehand, to teach your cows to hold up in a rodear but they can learn this very readily. You can just go out and brand them wherever they are, and when you are done the calves are done.” It’s a lot less stress on them. For more information about this kind of roping, you can watch their instructional DVD titled “Branding: Roping and Stock Handling Techniques of the Great Basin and old California” that Gwynn produced in 2008. The DVD as well as additional information is available on their website www.thecalifornios.com

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

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Western Cowman - July/August 2017

he term mob grazing is used to describe shortduration high-intensity grazing—with many cattle on a small area of pasture, moved once a day or even several times a day to new pasture. Kevin Fulton, a cattle producer in central Nebraska, says not everyone has the same definition of mob grazing. “We’d been doing rotational grazing on our place for more than 40 years, but not very intensively until 15 years ago when we started doing daily moves and even multiple daily moves,” he says. Any time you rest pastures longer—dividing them into smaller segments and taking more time to get back around to each small piece—you always see improvement in forage production. “The more paddocks you have, the more significant the positive changes will be, because the grass has

more recovery time,” Fulton says. Evolution Of An Idea Chad Peterson, a rancher in the sandhills of north central Nebraska near Newport, was one of the first stockman in the U.S. to try this method. He began on a small scale in 2001, feeling his way by trial and error during a drought when his cattle were short of feed. “There was nobody I knew of doing this until I found out later about Neil Dennis in Canada, in 2007,” says Peterson. “Rotational grazing is nothing new, but I wasn’t happy with my rotation system. We were in a drought and unable to get a long enough recovery period. The recovery period is just as important as stock density. As an experiment, I kept making paddocks smaller and smaller, to try to extend the recovery period. This was producing fantastic results so I just kept doing it,”

he explains. By the second year, 2002, he was happy with what he was seeing, but still not very confident about it. “At that time I met Allan Savory who was speaking at a meeting. I had a chance to talk with him, and then read his book, and realized that what I was doing was what he called ultra-high stock density. At that time there were some people in Africa doing something similar,” says Peterson. “When you bunch cattle that tightly, this creates what Savory calls continuous herd effect. A few years later, in 2007, Terry Gompert (cowcalf producer and Extension agent, University of Nebraska, now deceased) and Neil Dennis came to my place to put on a tour. Savory was our featured speaker. Someone started calling this mob grazing, and the name stuck,” he says. This is a very loose term. “There

WC Western Cowman - July/August 2017

By Heather Smith-Thomas

are many people who think they are mob grazing but they are just doing MIG (management intensive grazing). Savory has been doing true ultra-high stock density grazing for a long time and is way ahead of the rest of us. When I started doing this, it was out of necessity—just experimenting, observing new things but not understanding what I was seeing,” says Peterson. Meeting and talking with Savory gave him the confidence to ramp it up with more acres. It’s interesting that this idea popped up independently in different areas of the world--Allan Savory in Africa, Neil Dennis in Canada, and Chad Peterson in Nebraska—but at first Peterson didn’t know about any of the others. “Savory has been talking about herd effect, high stock density and animal impact for 30 years, but nobody was doing it here in 2000 and I didn’t know who Savory was,” says Peterson.

“Most of the Holistic Management educators and grazing specialists didn’t do it this way—even though their guru had been writing about it a long time. Many of them were using rotation, but at lower stock density and with shorter recovery periods. Terry Gompert was the catalyst for getting this idea to the public. He got me and Neil together, wrote about it, then had the tour in 2007 at my place. Since that time I’ve had people here from over the world. Interest in this went viral after Terry put that together,” says Peterson. Another stockman who learned these principles by trial and error on his own farm, starting 20 years ago, was Ian Mitchell-Innes in South Africa. He became a Holistic Management educator and now travels around the world to tell people about it—because he is passionate about helping people on the land make a decent living. Greg Judy, near Columbia, Mis-

souri, embraced mob grazing 10 years ago. He’d been using a rotational MIG (management intensive grazing) system for a number of years. “Before that, we were like everyone else doing continuous grazing. That didn’t work very well; we were always out of grass. The MIG system was a lot better than no rotation but we weren’t getting the trampling effect. We weren’t building the soil and litter bank like we are with mob grazing,” he explains. “I started doing mob grazing by just plain luck. I went to a bull sale in 2006, and an old gentleman from South Africa was down in the ring talking. It was Ian Mitchell-Innes telling about mob grazing. I was at the right place at the right time. He got my interest, talking about increasing stocking rate by increasing grazing density. It was all a matter of management, putting more litter on the ground for the microbes to work on. He’s the first one who told | Continued on page 68

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Continued from page 67 |

us we shouldn’t be calling ourselves grass farmers. We should be calling ourselves microbe farmers.” “Ian went back to South Africa, but left this burning desire within me—to learn more. I signed up with Kirk Gadzia for his 6-day holistic management class in Albuquerque, which was the only class I could find at that time, and it got me even more excited. I started corresponding with Ian and he asked if I would be willing to host a school with him. He came to our farm that fall and 220 people showed up. Ever since, we’ve held at least one, sometimes as many as three schools here each year,” says Judy. Stocking Density “To me, mob grazing is moving animals multiple times per day and/ or you have high enough density to have the proper effect—which is half a million pounds or more per acre (liveweight of the grazing animals),” says Chad Peterson. Doug Peterson, NRCS State Grassland Conservationist in Missouri, says that when someone tells him they are mob grazing, he wants to know what stock density they are using. “Are they using 100,000 pounds per acre, or 10,000, or half a million pounds of animal weight? Stock density is determined by pounds per acre, so 100 thousand-pound cows per acre would be 100,000 pounds. The calculation of stock density doesn’t take into consideration how long you leave them there. Even if it’s one day, half a day or two days, that’s 100,000 pounds. If you put those same 100 cows on a half-acre, that’s 200,000 pounds of stock density. If the 100 cows are on 10 acres, that’s 10,000

pounds. This figure tells me their trampling rate, how often they should be moved, and to some extent what the pasture rest period should be,” says Doug Peterson. The higher the stock density, which you get with shorter grazing periods, the more uniform the urine and manure distribution will be, fertilizing the entire piece--dumping more nitrogen back on that pasture. For instance 100,000 pounds of animal typically leaves between 50 and 55 pounds of readily available nitrogen on the ground. Animal Performance Ian Mitchell-Innes says people need to monitor their animals to know if they are doing this correctly. “You must monitor animal performance as well as the plants or you will go broke,” he says. Doug Peterson says you have to be careful, because when you have a lot of cows confined in a small area, they are incredibly aggressive grazers. “You can make them eat the thatch off the ground, even though they won’t get enough nutrients. They become extremely competitive for the forage, and each time they go into a new pasture they eat very aggressively,” he says. “I tell people the first thing to decide is how often they want to move the cows—once a day, twice a day, or whatever they are willing to do. Then, make sure cattle have enough forage and only eat the part of the plant that meets the nutritional needs for that particular class of livestock. If it’s dry cows, they can probably eat 60 to 70% of the plant. For lactating cows or young stockers, maybe only the top 30 to 40% will meet their needs,” he explains.

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

The next thing to look at is trampling effect. “Did you get enough material on the ground to protect the soil and feed the soil organisms? What was the animal impact like? If you didn’t get the impact you wanted, your only choice is to get a higher stock density, which means you need to give them a smaller area, which then means moving them more times per day,” says Doug Peterson. Multiple moves per day, if done correctly, with attention to degree of utilization and focusing on animal performance, is a good tool for increasing individual animal performance. “Examples are grass-based dairies or pasture finishing beef cattle. Some of these operations move animals 3 or 4 times a day to new pasture,” says Jim Gerrish, American Grazinglands Services (a consulting business at May, Idaho). You get a boost in milk production with a dairy, or increased rate of gain in stocker or finishing animals, but the key is multiple moves without utilizing an excessive amount of forage. You are still taking half and leaving half, with multiple moves per day. Many people who have tried mob grazing have fallen into the trap of trying to get a high degree of plant utilization (70 to 80% of what’s standing there) taking it off in an hour or two. But if they are not giving the animals enough total feed during the day, individual performance goes down. “Monitor the animals as well as the pasture. Your goals and purposes are part of the equation. With winter grazing of lower-quality stockpiled forage with dry pregnant cows, you can ask those cows to eat 70 to 80% of the forage. You can make them clean

Kevin Fulton

up more of it and still get good animal performance (maintaining or slightly increasing body condition). This is where you’d use mob grazing to get a high level of utilization and stretch that feed supply over more days in the winter,” says Gerrish. This is a different purpose than mob grazing in summer with pairs or stockers where you need to optimize animal performance. “During the growing season, with lactating or young growing animals, your focus should be on keeping daily intake of forage very high,” he explains. If you don’t move them soon enough, they eat a lot at first and then intake tapers off too much at the end, before the next move. “Multiple moves per day can keep intake very high. Ranchers who haven’t done this before may be concerned about the time it might take to move cattle multiple times per day. Layout and design of your grazing cell, and type of portable fence you use, becomes very important,” says Gerrish. It’s not very time-consuming if you plan it right. Many people don’t move the animals fast enough. They get them in a small area and are getting the density and outstanding results on the land, but animal performance drops. “They discover they’re not getting enough gain or milk production, so they say mob grazing doesn’t work. And it doesn’t— if you are only moving cows once or twice a day,” says Judy. “I’ve made all the mistakes. This is the best way to learn, but often

painful. What we’re focusing on now is just taking the top 1/3 of the plant and then moving the cows—regardless of what the pasture looks like. I am also watching gut fill on the animals. There’s a delicate balance. You watch the left side of those animals to see if they are full or not. When they come through the gate, you can look at them and know whether you left them in the pasture too long. Next to the hipbone there will be a big imprint like an empty cereal bowl, if a cow isn’t full enough. If you keep shortchanging them on gut fill, cows will not only lose weight, but they won’t breed back. So we are grazing the top 1/3 of the plant and moving to new grass, and our animal performance has skyrocketed. Plant recovery is also much faster,” says Judy. Increases In Stocking Rate As pastures become more productive with mob grazing, most stockmen can increase stocking rate. “We’ve seen 10% to 80% increases in stocking rate by doing mob grazing,” says Fulton. “How much you can increase it depends on what kind of land it is, what kind of shape it was in when you started. There are many variables. Some people say they increased their stocking rate 300 or 400%. We haven’t seen that much, but if you increase stocking rate by even 10 to 20% it can make a big difference. If you look at what it would cost to rent more ground to graze those additional animals, this is huge,” he says. “Conventional mentality is that if

producers want to run 50% more cattle, they rent 50% more land. Yet there’s a good chance they could increase numbers that much just by changing management, without buying more land (and paying more taxes) or renting more land. Increase in stocking rate is mostly profit because you don’t have any increase in overhead,” says Fulton. It just requires a little more labor. You can either increase stocking rate during your normal grazing period, or use the additional forage production to extend your grazing during fall and winter. “Some producers extend their grazing another 1 to 5 months. We’ve gone to a year-round grazing program. Many people say you can’t do that in central Nebraska, and there are times we have to supplement with a little hay, but we can stockpile grass and graze year round, most years. Some people graze all winter by using corn stalks, but we’re a grass-fed beef operation so we do it with grass.” Chad Peterson says his pastures grow much more total forage now, and he would have enough forage for his cattle even if it didn’t rain for a year. Originally his ranch was capable of running 300-400 cows, but now he can run double that, and also brings in 700 stockers to graze for 6 months. He has 5000 acres and pastures all of it with his 1000 cattle. He doesn’t feed much hay. “I’m in an area where there’s a lot of hay put up, so I buy some just to have in case of blizzards. When the buffalo were here, they could migrate out of the area during a blizzard and find grass. But on ranches today the cattle are stuck where they are. I buy about 60 days’ worth of hay, just for emergencies,” he says. Greg Judy says that by grazing just the top 1/3 of the plants and moving to new grass, plant recovery is faster and the canopy becomes thicker, producing more mass. “We are growing our haystacks, starting in April. There’s not only more quantity, but also more quality for winter grazing. We can feed more cows and feed them better.” Gary Wofford, in arid southeastern Colorado says that when he bought his ranch in March 2006 it had been grazed continuously from the beginning. “My place is 10 sections and the recommended stocking rate (by NRCS) was 125 pairs year round. I kept about 120 to 150 pairs until I got fencing and water sources partially developed for | Continued on page 70

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

Continued from page 69 |

mob grazing in the summer of 2008. Within a few years I was running the equivalent of about 500 pairs year round--about 4 times the recommended stocking rate--and grass has improved phenomenally. I think almost any ranch in the West that has been conventionally managed can double stocking rate after the first year and double it again the next couple of years. The potential is incredible,” he says. “This allowed me to buy and pay for one ranch (while getting the benefit of what I would have had grazing 4 ranches). It’s like getting to graze 3 ranches for free. I fed nothing to my cows. With planned grazing there was no need for winter feed. One form of increasing the effective stocking rate is to keep cow numbers the same and eliminate winter feeding by having ample grass for winter grazing. Then, when costs are lower, the stocking rate can increase,” says Wofford. “Conventional ranches are mainly concerned with animal performance and have damaged the grass significantly,” he says. Over time this decreases the stocking rate, whereas proper management can increase it. “My neighbors’ grass is 2 inches tall, if they are lucky. By allowing my grass to fully recover prior to grazing, cows are grazing native grasses that are more than a foot tall, with more total forage. My grass is also healthier, with deeper root systems, and much more drought resistant. In our drought, most of my neighbors had nothing but dry, brown grass whereas I had green grass growing all summer,” says Wofford. Species Diversification Mob grazing leads to more plant diversity, which is beneficial for nutrition. “The more diverse the plants, the more resilient the pasture in withstanding stress like drought—with both cool and warm season grasses, and broadleaf plants as well as grasses in the mix,” says Doug Peterson. “Having all four groups (cool season, warm season, forbs and grass) is important for plant growth and for soil biology and mineral cycling. Different organisms in the soil break down and mineralize different types of plants. Thus the more types of plants you have, the more types of soil biology you have, as well,” he says. Chad Peterson says mob grazing is an incredible way to restore land 70

Jim Gerrish

and pastures that have been overused. “Species diversity increases tremendously. We keep finding new plants every year,” he says. Getting away from monocultures and tame pastures (that stockmen once thought were satisfactory) greatly multiplies productivity of the pastures. Peterson never had a true monoculture; he had a lot of non-native grasses and it’s always been a mix, but with mob grazing the number of additional species has skyrocketed. He feels that long rest periods are the key. “I use a long recovery period--a year or longer, in some cases. With the longer recovery period, you continue to get more diversity in plant species. My pastures also need the longer rest because I am in a more brittle environment, with less rainfall. Once you overgraze, you are going backward. And by overgraze I don’t mean taking too much. Overgrazing means biting a plant before it has recovered. Sometimes that can happen in 3 days, or at some times of year it can happen in 24 hours after you move cattle into a new pasture where you are re-grazing regrowth,” he explains. In many types of rotational grazing systems, plants are always being grazed in their vegetative (growing) stage and are never allowed to become completely mature. “In those systems you never find the plant diversity we’re seeing with mob grazing. With MIG systems, for instance, you are trying to keep one plant (grass) at an optimum vegetative stage for the animals to eat,” says Peterson. When you manage grass by taking half and leaving half, this works well

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

for animal performance, but certain plants are always grazed severely while others are hardly touched—because cattle have preferences. “Even if you only leave cows there for a very short time, they eat their favorite plants. A cow can walk across a paddock and select some plants severely. Allan Savory has been saying this for 50 years,” explains Peterson. Forage in most pastures includes grasses and forbs, and cows prefer some over others. “If you realize there are always some plants grazed severely, you know you must extend recovery period to accommodate those plants or they will be abused and eventually die out. This is often the biggest challenge. People are thinking about the height of most plants, when evaluating whether they took too much or not enough. That’s not how it works in reality. The cows generally eat all of what they like and leave what they don’t like.” Over time this results in less diversity. “With a long recovery period and high stock density, there is always something growing that is palatable and nutritious. We have a lot of standing, headed-out forage and people think I’ve wasted it,” he says. But there is no such thing as waste in this system. Mature plants provide a canopy for other plants to grow up into, protecting them. Plants don’t dry out in the heat of summer because they have this canopy. “If you don’t have enough diversity, and graze too often, you are managing for cool season grasses, and it’s like a lawn. In the spring when it’s rapidly growing you can keep mowing it. But by July-August, without water it stops growing and turns brown, and you’re done. A few people who understand this have stopped doing the MIG system and are trying mob grazing— and have seen explosion of growth and more diversity coming back into their pastures.” This is even more crucial in brittle environments that have less rainfall. “In Missouri and back east, where climate is more humid, people can get away with a lower stock density in their rotations because all they have to do is trample. It’s so humid that plants will recycle quickly. The MIG system is very efficient and works very well in humid, wet conditions. It works great in Ireland, England and other areas that always get rainfall. But in the central and western U.S. where moisture is

more erratic there’s a summer slump and not much growth for a couple months,” says Peterson. “Where I live, and farther west where its even drier, we have to use the animals more, to break it down. We have to get the forage into the animal and get the remainder trampled to get it recycled. In the high desert country in the West, a plant takes longer to break down than in a non-brittle, humid environment.” Higher stock density is more important in these situations, to get the plants into the animals and recycled as manure, and more fully broken down. “People in the East talk about trampling the plants down and feeding the microbes in the soil. That’s great if you live in a moist/non-brittle environment but in a dry environment there’s something else that will feed the microbes— manure. I have to get better soil litter contact, to get this effect. Mob grazing works a little differently in different environments,” he explains. But the big plus is plant diversity, enabling a rancher to have different plants that do well in different conditions, always providing something nutritious for cattle to eat. “We also need diversity in our management,” says Doug Peterson. “If I pick a place and give it long rest periods and use high stock density for several years, eventually the only plants growing on that place will be plants that can tolerate that high density rate and long rest periods. This will favor certain species, and won’t favor the clovers, for instance. So we need diversity in management—some periods of very long rest, accompanied by high density grazing, and sometimes short rest periods, to stimulate the plants that do well under those conditions,” says Peterson. “We have to manage for what we want, rather than what we have now. I tell people that grazing management is not rocket science. It’s harder. You have animal nutrition and performance to consider, along with climate and rainfall, soil biology, etc.” You wear many hats. Grazing management is an art as well as a science, and it takes a bit of work to figure it out. Starting Small To start mob grazing, especially in environments where there’s not much

rainfall and native pastures are fragile, Chad Peterson suggests starting small, expanding gradually. “Maybe take 10% of your ranch and do whatever you need for fencing—maybe put in a strip of fence or a water source on your most productive piece of ground, and do it properly,” he says. Some western ranches have just a small percentage of ground in hay meadows that can be watered, and the rest is dryland native pasture—in a mountainous or high desert environment. “You can put the cattle in your small piece of more productive pasture and do a good job of intensive grazing and use the other pastures as needed. You will see a big response from the small amount that you did right. This will get you much farther than doing a large amount half way. The first couple years, I only had about 400 acres out of 9000 that I was set up to do it on. Just having that 400, and then adding 200 more, really helped me. For a few years I had 600 acres mob grazed, and it changed my whole ranch. It took the pressure off the rest of it, giving it a longer recovery period, so it became healthier and produced better,” he explains. Traditionally, wet meadows or places that can be irrigated on western ranches are cut for hay and the hillsides/mountain pastures are grazed during growing season. Peterson started doing the opposite—mob grazing green meadows and using the hills for winter grazing when grasses on those fragile soils are dormant. He divided the meadows into long narrow strips, and further divides them with temporary electric fence, creating paddocks less than an acre in size, moving cattle 5 or more times each day. He grazes each small piece once during the growing season, then gives it a year to recover. By 2005 it only took 3 acres per day to feed 900 pairs on his best meadows. These sites were generally where the previous rancher had fed hay, such as in calving areas. This increased soil nutrients by adding more litter and manure. “The first year I tried mob grazing, we were going along at about 15 acres per day, and when we hit that old feed ground the cattle were satisfied on 3 acres. It wasn’t creating that much more tonnage, but the nutrient content of the forage was higher; it was more nutritious.”

If you can get something working, then it will pay for more, rather quickly. “Putting a permanent fence down the middle of a big ranch like some people do to set it all up for intensive rotation may not accomplish as much,” he says. “Many ranchers who are moving all their cows in large groups but not moving them quite often enough are not making as much progress. I would rather see them push the envelope harder on a small piece. The 10% that they set up and mob graze would pay back immediately, and then they could add another 10%. If you can take 10% and then double and then triple it, it pays off better,” says Peterson. Mob grazing requires close attention to stockmanship, moving cattle often. Knowing when to move them is both science and art. A person must have a feel for this, and for animalplant interactions. You are dealing with the animals, the land and the vegetation and can’t just follow a book. You are constantly adjusting to your mistakes. For example, if you moved them too soon, you don’t know that until you’ve waited too long. And if you waited too long, you don’t know that until you move them too soon. It’s a balancing act, adjusting and fine-tuning, trying to move with the right beat in the dance. Peterson says this comes more naturally for some people than others. “For the novice today, there are people they can talk with—who have made mistakes and learned from them. When I started there was no one to ask. I had to make all the mistakes myself. We continue to make mistakes because we are still learning. It’s a new idea and we learn as we go,” says Peterson. Find people who have been doing this awhile and learn from them.

No Such Thing As Waste We have to rethink our defini-

tion of waste. Most people feel that if they don’t completely use a pasture, they are poor managers and wasting something. We need to view this “waste” as an investment in the future of the land. “If we want our land to be sustainable we need to rethink this. Very little of our agriculture production system is anywhere close to sustainable,” says Doug Peterson. Mob grazing is probably the best exception.

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

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ulls that can thrive in the high desert without falling apart are more than worth a commercial cattleman’s investment. South Mountain Ranch specializes in bulls that do this with ease. Matt Duckett grew up outside of Jordan Valley, Oregon on a commercial cattle operation which gave him an understanding of what cattle need to do to thrive in a high-desert environment. South Mountain Ranch is based in Caldwell, Idaho and focuses on breeding, raising, and developing bulls for ranchers who run in big, rough, rugged high desert country. After high school, Matt obtained an Associates Degree in Animal Science and Agriculture Business. He then decided it would be beneficial to focus on and learn business through the Accounting program at Boise State University. That degree lead to him obtaining his CPA license. Before returning to agriculture, he worked for 10 years in manufacturing and real estate in accounting and finance related positions. However, about five years after graduating college he began purchasing registered Hereford and Angus cattle. Matt and his wife have four children, their eldest just finished his Freshman year of high school while the

youngest will start Kindergarten in the fall. Matt made the decision to go into agriculture full time back when their oldest was in first grade so the kids could have the opportunities he had in his childhood. “I always wanted my kids to be able to grow up like I did, being able to work and help on the ranch,” Matt said. As agriculturalists, many of us see the positive impact that growing up in this lifestyle has on how young people turn out. Matt was appreciative of the things he’d learned growing up on a ranch and wanted to make sure his kids would benefit from the values, work ethic and ability to problem solve that he had found growing up. “That background benefitted me immensely when I went to work in industries outside of agriculture,” Matt said. “Because of my ranching background I could just outwork other people easily. I wanted my kids to have those same values, skill sets and abilities. It’s not that you can’t get that other ways, but in my opinion, agriculture is the best, easiest way to teach kids those values.” When making the move back into agriculture, the choice to utilize Angus and Hereford genetics came naturally

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

as those were the breeds his family had used in their commercial operation. Since he had known those breeds as a kid, Matt had an affinity for them and knew the definite strengths that make both breeds well-suited for the high desert rancher. The South Mountain Ranch bull sale is held annually on the second Tuesday in February. At this event about 100 head of Hereford and Angus bulls are offered. The bulk of these bulls will go the ranch’s strong customer base in the high deserts of Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. Creating cattle that can truly thrive in the high desert takes an awareness of the environment and attention to detail. The Ducketts have raised commercial cattle in this environment and therefore have a complete understanding of how their purebred bulls need to be developed to go to work for their customers. At South Mountain Ranch, you’ll find a focus on moderate-framed cows that don’t have excessive milk production and are correct in their feet and leg structure. As calves are born, attention in paid to how they are developed which means that within a month or two of birth the pairs are turned out into rocky, sagebrush-filled ground where

they remain until May – just like many commercial guys’ cows do. Proper development of these bulls results in ensuring that the genetic foundation given to them by their dams has the ability to live out its potential. The three areas of importance that are looked at when choosing herd sires every year are pedigree, physical traits, and EPDs. You won’t find a single EPD being chased at South Mountain, rather you’ll find balanced bulls that excel across the board. When figuring out what AI sires to use every year, Matt thinks about one certain criteria first. “The number one criteria I look at is what kind of a female a sire is going to put back in my herd.” Matt said. “If I don’t like the females, then that’s a pretty short-term strategy. Those females are bull factories for the future and so the daughters I’m going to get out of a sire are of utmost importance to me.” After the sires are chosen every cow is individually mated. The strengths and weaknesses of each female are evaluated to help decide what sire will complement her and help her make offspring that are better than she is.

“We do some pretty intense artificial insemination (AI) and heat detection which would be a lot easier if I had them in a pasture next to my house rather than out in the rocks and the brush,” Matt said. “I think it’s a good start for the calves. The bulls get out and learn to travel from a young age just like they’re going to on these ranches.” In the summer, the cattle go to pasture in Cascade and Donnelly, Idaho which gives the calves the ability to grow and wean heavy. This is beneficial because when the bulls are weaned they are in good shape and heavy so they don’t need to be pushed hard and therefore won’t gain weight too fast when being fed and developed for the spring bull sale. From weaning to sale time the bulls are on a ration that is high in roughage without excess grain, resulting in growth without becoming over-conditioned. South Mountain Ranch bulls don’t face issues with falling apart after turnout. They have a reputation for holding up better than most bulls do. From day one they’re outworking other bulls, not shaded up under the trees all summer. In the fall they come home still looking like bulls and pass semen tests the next

year. “I don’t get guys calling me saying I’ve got this bull that’s gone lame or can’t walk,” Matt said. “It just doesn’t happen.” While he specializes in attention to detail raising bulls, Matt also finds value in being involved in the beef industry and keeping current with what happens in government. In 2014 he was selected to go on NCBA’s Young Cattlemen’s Conference tour where he got a chance to spend time in Washington D.C. He currently serves as Treasurer of the Idaho Cattle Association. “I’m pretty involved in the industry and I think that’s important,” Matt said. “We donated heifers three years in a row and raised over $30,000 for the Owyhee and Idaho Cattle Associations for the Owyhee 68 litigation that has to do with grazing permits in Idaho. That’s definitely important to me.” South Mountain Ranch welcomes the opportunity to visit with you about your operation and cattle and discuss how they can best serve you. Learn more about this operation by visiting their website herefordangus.com or by email at southmountainranch@gmail. com. Join them February 13, 2018 for their bull sale in Caldwell, Idaho.

By Tierra Kessler Western Cowman - July/August 2017

— 61st Annual —

Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Sunday, October 1, 1 p.m. 130 YEARLING BULLS

Angus, Hereford, SimAngus and Red Angus

JOIN FOR THEYOUNG YOUNGCATTLEMAN’S CATTLEMAN’S COMMITTEE COMMITTEE JOIN USUS FOR THE FUNDRAISER DINNERSATURDAY, SATURDAY,SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER 30. FUNDRAISER DINNER 30. FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REQUEST A CATALOG CONTACT: FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REQUEST A CATALOG CONTACT: Keela Trennepohl, PH.D. Lazanoff AaronAaron Lazanoff Keela Trennepohl, Ph.D. Beef Cattle Specialist Beef Operations Manager Beef Operations Manager Beef Cattle Specialist (805)440-8421 (805)801-7058 (805) 801-7058 (805) 440-8421 kretalli@calpoly.edu alazanof@calpoly.edu alazanof@calpoly.edu kretalli@calpoly.edu

Cal Poly will be hosting the Stockmanship and Stewardship Program hosted by NCBA on Friday and Saturday September 29th and 30th. www.bulltestcalpoly.edu @cp_ bulltest @calpoly bull test @CALPOLYBULLTEST

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

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The Source for Superior Angus Genetics in the Northwest! 12:30

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- July/August 2017

By KayDee Gilkey

rom the beginning, the goal of our breeding program has always been to produce horses with plenty of cow sense — the kind of horse that can go from cutting cows from the herd to roping in the rodeo arena without missing a beat,” David Gill explained. Will Gill and Sons is a family ranch and they have always had a passion for good cow horses. While the family has been in the cattle business since the late 1800s in California, Will Gill, Jr — the patriarch of the family at 95 years old — and his family have been raising Quarter Horses since the 1940s. His son, David, and grandson Landon are involved in the day-to-day 80

of the ranch and daughter Judee’ Monte manages the office. They got out of the cow-calf business in 1981 and have run a stocker operation since then. “We mainly run cattle for Jack Sparrowk out of Clements, Calif.. We bring them to the ranch in November when they are weaned and keep them until early May,” explained David. Landon is beginning to build a commercial cow herd and has approximately 80 Angus and Charolais cows. “When my dad began in the ranching business, the family bought just enough horses to ride in their feedlots (at the time) and their cow-calf business. The horses had to be calm in nature and be effective in working cattle,”

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

said David. In 1945, the Gills bought Easy Keeper, a son of the famous American Quarter Horse Association foundation sire Driftwood. “Dad observed that Easy Keeper was really athletic, calm-natured, and had excellent cow sense — the exact attributes we needed and wanted in the horses we used on a daily basis. So, he decided to purchase a truckload of AQHA foundation brood mares from W. M. Howard and get into the horse business. In 1949, he registered our first colts,” David said. “My uncle Ernest loved team roping and competing in rodeos. He was the 1945 Pro Rodeo Team Roping World Champion and he used our ranch horses to rope off of,” David said.

“Well, the more successful he was in the rodeo arena, the more interest there was in our horses.” Several other cowboys that worked for Gills around that time — Olan Sims and Clay Carr — also competed on Gill horses had success in the rodeo arena as well. Jimmy Rodriquez, Jr., who won World Championship titles in team roping in 1959, 1960, 1962 and 1965 also rode horses with Gill pedigrees. “I’m always glad to hear about customers who have had success in rodeo or whatever event they compete in with our horses. I’m proud when our horses are doing good — whether that is on a ranch or at a rodeo, “ David said. “Because our focus is providing our customers with good ranch stock, all the trophies and titles customers have won while riding our horses is like frosting on the cake.” Gill bred horses have risen to the top of several different industry events — like reining, cutting and team penning — but David emphasized that their objective always has and will remain to produce ranch horses first and

foremost. They brought more speed into their herd when Will, Jr purchased Pelican, of Joe Hancock’s breeding program, from his cousin Roy in the late 1940s. Pelican was raced on the track and after continual beating Thoroughbreds, he was banned from the track. He was used to cross on the Easy Keeper mares and continued to improve the genetics of the herd through the late 40s into the 50s. David recalled some of the other sires that have really made a difference in their herd — in the mid-80s they purchased White Lighting Ike, which many of their current mares have him in their pedigree. In 2009 at the Hearst’s dispersal sale, David bought Alfana 194 out of Gray Starlight. They currently have three standing studs and about 10 brood mares. Every other year, since 2001, they sell their weanlings and broke horses in their Quarter Horse Performance and Production Sale that Will Gill and Sons hold on their ranch in Madera in conjunction with Joe Murray and Jim

Wheatly. Often they also include horses from their customers as guest consigners. This year’s sale will be on October 8, 2017, and approximately 70 head of solid, good young ranch horses will be sold. “We have a lot of repeat customers and even those families that have purchased horses from us for as long as I can remember,” David said. “Riding a good horse just makes a really good life ranching even better,” David said. “I’m currently riding a four-year-old stud, Lights Out Ike, whose sire is Shoot Me Ike. I look forward to riding him. He has a great temperament and could be a successful halter show horse but has the cow sense to be effective in moving cows. He is willing to do anything, I really enjoy cowboying on him,” David said. If you are in need of a solid ranch horse that can work cattle and is versatile enough to be successful in a rodeo arena or other activities, you should consider attending their Quarter Horse Performance and Production Sale on October 8, 2017.

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

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Express Ranches............................. 9 EZ Ranches..................................... 3 Fallon Livestock............................ 74 Furtado Angus.............................. 65 Genoa Livestock............................ 74 Heartbrand................................... 53 Herbster Angus....................... 28, 29 Hoffman Breeders.................. 75, 82 James F. Bessler............................ 75 JDA, Inc. ...................................... 83 KC Angus...................................... 72 Kent Larson.................................. 84 KERNDT Livestock Products....... 75 Kessler Angus............................... 72 Kyle Colyer................................... 75 L & N Angus Ranch...................... 36 Lander Vet Clinics........................ 85 Lewis Livestock............................. 72 Livestock Mortality Insurance..... 75, 82 Mrnak Herefords.......................... 33 Muddy Flats Cattle CO................. 10 Multimin....................................... 51 Nelson Angus Ranch.................... 73 Oak Ridge Angus.......................... 54 Pedretti Ranches........................... 39 Pheasant Trek............................... 73 Prestige Angus.............................. 73

Western Cowman - July/August 2017

Price Cattle Co.............................. 74 Pristine Springs Angus................. 73 Rancher Lives Matter................... 38 Red Angus Association.................. 54 Red Bluff Bull Sale....................... 35 Red River Farms........................... 19 Reynolds Brothers........................ 73 Romans Brangus.......................... 74 Romans Ranches Charolais.......... 74 San Juan Ranch............................ 74 Schohr Herefords................... 74, 87 Silveira Bros.................................. 55 Siller Ponderosa Angus................. 73 Snyder Livestock Co..................... 75 Snake River................................... 19 Southwest Fence & Supply..... 52, 74 Steve Smith Angus & Gelbvieh..... 73 Sunny Okanogan.......................... 47 Tehama Angus Ranch............. 56, 73 TLC - Sugar Top Bull Sale........... 73 Turlock Livestock Auction Yard..... 7 Trent Stewart................................ 72 Universal Semen Sales.................. 75 Vintage Angus Ranch........... 4, 5, 73 Western Cowman Cookbook........ 64 Western Stockman’s Market........ 21 Wyman Creek Brangus................. 74

Lander Veterinary Clinic, Inc. is now offering Embryo Transfer and In-Vitro Fertilization services for beef and dairy clients. Services offered include:

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Western Cowman - July/August 2017

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Western Cowman - July/August 2017

When it comes to producing bulls that will add pounds at weaning and consistant calves, look no further for premier Hereford genetics. For six generations, the Schohr family has been producing top quality Herefords; we know what the cattleman wants and we work hard to produce just that.

Selling sons of these leadingSelling siresSons of Join Us 9-12-17 . 1pm 11:30 Lunch

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UPS Sensation 2241 ET

Domino 9525 UPSUPS Domino 9525

DOB: 09/03/2009 BW: +1.75 WW: +66 YW: +101 MK: +24 RE: +0.60 MRB: -0.05 Sire: DS 3019 ADV 7602 Dam: UPS MISS DOMINO 7900

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SS AS Pharo Untapped 205 ET Reg # 43804294

CS WACHTER SENSATION S604 DOB: 3/16/2016 Sire: MH SENSATION 425 Dam: MH MISS WACHTER 4351 EPD’S Pending

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Reg # 43748713

CS SENSATION DOMINO S533

DOB: 10/4/2015 BW: +0.9 WW: +50 YW: +78 MK: +28 RE: +0.54 MRB: +0.53 Sire: UPS SENSATION 2241 ET Dam: JA L1 DOMINETTE 7608T

Carl & Susan Schohr: 530/570/2275 530/846/4354 W e s tricencows@schohr.com ern Cowman - July/August 2017 8 7 P.O. Box 391, Gridley, CA 95948

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OCTOBER 10, 2017 • 1 P.M. •BULL FORT ROCK, OR 9 PEAKS RANCH SALE Selling 50 Spring Yearling and 50 Fall Yearling Angus Bulls 10, 2017 • 1 P.M. •BULL FORT ROCK, OR 9OCTOBER PEAKS RANCH SALE KSSALE RANCH BULL SALE BULLS SIRED BY THESE LEADING SIRES! 9OCTOBER PEAKS RANCH SALE Selling 50 Spring Yearling and 50 Yearling Angus Bulls 10, 2017 • 1 P .M.Fall •BULL FORT ROCK, OR 11 ANNUAL 9 PEAKS RANCH BULL SALE S2017 A VOCTOBER RESOURCE 1441 S CHISUM 6175 MAR INNOVATION 251 10 ANNUAL 10,SALE • 1 P .M. • FORT ROCK, OR 10, 2017 • 1 P .M. • FORT ROCK, OR 9 PEAKS RANCH BULL SALE Selling 50 Spring Yearling and 50 Fall Yearling Angus Bulls BULLS SIRED BY THESE LEADING SIRES! 9 PEAKS RANCH BULL SALE OCTOBER 10, 2017 •and 1Angus P50 .M. •.M. FORT ROCK, OR ng Yearling 50OCTOBER FallYearling Yearling Selling and 50 Spring Yearling Angus Bulls 10, 2017 • 1Fall PBulls • FORT ROCK, OR S A V RESOURCE 1441 S CHISUM 6175 MAR INNOVATION 251 moving toForest our forest allotment The 9 Peaks cowherd spends the spring and summer grazing them BLM and 11 TH ANNUAL ServiceTH allotments raising the next generation of bulls that sell in our annual fall bull sale. We believe the best way to develop a range bull is on the range! TH

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+71.86

RANKS TOP 10% OF THE BREED FOR SEVEN EPD TRAITS! BW WW YW YWMK MK MBMB RE BW WW RE $W$W $B $B $B +110.19

130 22 75 .26 is one 1.4122 OPTIMUM .3 69 47 Chism .9176.37108 .7122 2.9high 51.32 160.81 108 22 .32 .87 One 86.09 of 152.67 2.9 68complete 11123 23performance .89 61.32 102.45 3.7 69 BALDRIDGE 130 22 .26 Z045 1.41 3.760.93 176.37 2.9 .3265$B .87 86.09 152.67 2.9 attractive, 68 111 .66.66 .89 61.32we 102.45used. We think of60.93 the65 most functional sires available. the most sires have BW WW BENFIELD YW MK MB RE $W $B BW WW YW MK MB RE $W $B BW WW YW MK MB RE $W $B RANKS TOP 1% OF THE BREED FOR CW, RE, $F & $B! RANKS TOP 10% OF THE BREED FOR SEVEN EPD TRAITS! RANKS TOP 1% OF THE BREED FOR CW, $W and Top 5% for $B! REALITY 6211 -.2$F & $B! 62 96 RANKS 21 TOP 1% .07 OF THE.71 66.73 113.84 RANKS TOP 1% OF THE BREED FOR CW, RE, RANKS TOP 10% OF THE BREED FOR SEVEN EPD TRAITS! BREED FOR CW, $W and Top 5% for $B! BW WW YW MK BW MB RE WW $W BWMB WW RE YW MK $W MB RE$B $W $B SIRE YW$B MK 3.7 69 130 22 .26 1.41 60.93 176.37 2.9 65 108 22 .32 .87 86.09 152.67 2.9 68 111 23 .66 .89 61.32 102.45 CONNEALY THUNDER -1.1 42 $W+109 82 $B MK 26+33 BW .58 .53 54.08 95.40 Aaron 633-3284 BW 22 WW YW WW 68 YW +1.09 MK RE .66$W WW YW MK MBCell: RE (541) $W $B PVF INSIGHT 2.9 0129 +1.5 SIRE WW YW MB RE $W23+73.27 $B +132.19 65 108 .32 MK BW .87MB+61RE 86.09 152.67 2.9+.44 111 MB .89$B 61.32 BW102.45 BW YWOF THE MK BREED MB FORRECW, RE,$W$F & $B! $B BWTOPWW MK THESE MB CW,TOP RE $W $B $B! BW TOP WW 10% YWOF THE MK BREED MB FORRESEVEN $W $B ALSO FEATURING SONS FROM HERDSIRES: RANKSWW TOP 1% RANKS EPD TRAITS! RANKS 1% OF65YW THE BREED FOR $W 68.08 and Top152.67 5% for 3.7 RIDGE 69 130 22 -1.26 1.41 60.93 69176.37 2.9 108 22 .32 .87 86.09 2.9 68 111 23 .66 .89 61.32 102.45 COLE CREEK CEDAR 1V 40 34 .41 .57 77.05 Rebecca Cell (541) 771-4151 COLE CREEK CEDAR RIDGE 1V OPTIMUM Z045 -1.1 +74 +.22 .71 +.7451.32 +87.80 +81.47 BALDRIDGE .3$W+42 47Top SIRE 75for $B! 22+34 .9 160.81 RANKS TOP 10% OF THE BREED FOR SEVEN EPD TRAITS! RANKS TOP 1% OF THE BREED FOR CW, and 5% BW WW YW MK MB RE $W $B 3.7 69 130 22 RANKS .26TOP 1% 1.41 2.9 RANKS 65 TOP 1% 108OF THE 22BREED.32 86.09 68 111 23 .66 .89 61.32 102.45 OF THE 60.93 BREED FOR176.37 CW, RE, $F & $B! RANKS TOP 2.9 10% OF THE BREED FOR SEVEN EPD TRAITS! FOR CW,.87 $W and Top 5% for 152.67 $B! Aaron and Rebecca Borror www.9peaksranch.com BRUIN UPROAR 0070 +1.4 +119 BENFIELD REALITY 6211 -.2 +65 62 OPTIMUM 96 Z04521+19.3 .0747+.80 75 .71 +.61 113.84+163.74 BALDRIDGE 22 66.73 .9 +62.44 .71 51.32 160.81 SIRE WW YW RANKS MK TOP 1% MB OF THERE $W CW, $W and $B Top 5% for $B! Aaron’s (541)FOR 633-3284 RANKS TOP 1% OF THE BREED FOR CW, RE,BW$F & $B! RANKS TOP 10% OFCell: THE BREED SEVEN EPD TRAITS! BREED FOR P.O. Box Fort Rock, OR 97735 BENFIELD REALITY 6211 -.2 62 96 21 .07 .71 66.73 113.84 CONNEALY CAPITALIST 028 -.2 +62 +105 +19 +.60 +.96 +70.65 +99.01 BW WW YW MK THUNDER MB RE $W $B BW WW MB RE 95.40 $W $B BW AARON WW 38, YW MKREBECCA MB RE $W $B AND BORROR CONNEALY -1.1 42 82 26 .58 YW .53MK 54.08 Rebecca’s Cell: (541) 771-4151 Aaron Cell: (541) 633-3284 BALDRIDGE OPTIMUM Z045 .3 47 75 22 .9 .71 51.32 160.81 ALSO FEATURING SONS FROM THESE TOP HERDSIRES: CONNEALY+116 THUNDER -1.1 42+.57 82 26 .58 +51.50 .53 54.08 95.40 Aaron Cell: (541) 633-3284 SITZ LOGIC Y46 +2.4 +61 +22 +.30 +136.12 3.7 69 COLE130 60.93 176.37 2.9 65 108 .57 22 .32$W .87 68.08 86.09 152.67 2.9 Rebecca 68 www.9peaksranch.com 111Cell 23 (541) .66 771-4151 .89 61.32 102.45 SIRE.26RIDGE1.41 BW WW BW 69 YWWW 34 MK MB RE $B CREEK22CEDAR 1V SIRE -1 40 .41 77.05 YW -1 MK $W $B BENFIELD REALITY 6211 -.2 COLE 62 96RIDGE 1V21 .07 .71 RE 34 66.73 113.84 CREEK CEDAR 40 MB 69 .41 .57 77.05 68.08 Rebecca Cell (541) 771-4151 P.O. 38, Fort Rock, 97735 YW MK 1% OF MBTHE REMORE $WINFORMATION, $B47 .3 75 47 CONTACT US FOR OR TO REQUEST A CATALOG. RANKS CW, RE,J.3$F & /$B! RANKS TOPBox 10% OF THE BREED FOROR SEVEN EPD TRAITS! 1% BREED FOR CW, $W160.81 and Top 5% for $B! Z045 51.32 160.81 75TOP 22.9 OF THE .9 .71 .71 SALE 51.32 www.9peaksranch.com www.9peaksranch.com 8 8TOPBALDRIDGE W eCONNEALY s t e r nOPTIMUM BREED C o w FOR mBALDRIDGE a n - OPTIMUM u l y Z045 A42u g u s t82 2 RANKS 0 1 722 THUNDER -1.1 26 .58 .53 54.08 95.40 Aaron Cell: (541) 633-3284 BENFIELD 6211WW us 96 information,or 21MB .07 RE .71 to66.73 113.84 Contact request a Sale Catalog. 75 22 BENFIELD .9 SIRE .71 6211 51.32REALITY 160.81 P.O. Box 38, Fort Rock, OR 97735 BW YW MK $W $B REALITY -.2 62 -.2 for 96 62more 21 .07 .71 66.73 113.84 AARON AND REBECCA BORROR P.O. Box 38, Fort Rock, OR 97735 COLE CREEK CEDAR RIDGECONNEALY 1V -1 40 -1.1 69 42 34 .41 .58 .57 .53 77.05 68.08 Rebecca Cell (541) 771-4151 THUNDER 82 26 54.08 95.40 Aaron Cell: (541) 633-3284 96 21 BALDRIDGE .07 OPTIMUM .71 Z045 66.73 .3 113.84 47 75 22 .9 .71 51.32 160.81

ALSO FEATURING SONS FROM THESE TOP HERDSIRES:

ALSO FEATURING SONS FROM THESE TOP HERDSIRES: Contact us for moreofinformation,or to request a Sale Catalog. ALSO FEATURING SONS FROM THESE TOP HERDSIRES: Also featuring sons Baldridge ONS FROM THESE TOP HERDSIRES: Optimum Z045, Benfield Reality WW 6211, Connealy ThunderSONS and Cole ALSO FEATURING FROM THESE TOP HERDSIRES: Creek Ridge 1V 47 Contact us Cedar for more information,or to request a Sale Catalog.

$B!

2.9

RANKS TOP 1% OF THE BREED FOR CW, RE,BW $F & $B! RANKS BREED FOR CW, $W and Top 5% for $B! SIRE WW MK TOP 1% MBOF THERE $W $B$W BW WW YW MK MB RE BW $WWW YW $B MK YW MK BW MB MB RE BW $W WW $B YW WW RE YW MB RE$B $W $B MK +176.32

AARON AND REBECCA BORROR AARON AND REBECCA BORROR

AARON AND REBECCA BORROR