2015 Winter Cattlemen's Edition

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup

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2015 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

On April 14, 1888, the Sheridan Enterprise wrote, “A dispatch was received here this morning from M.C. Harris, who went to Cheyenne about 10 days ago with the petition praying the Governor to appoint three commissioners to organize Sheridan County, saying that the Governor had signed the petition and that the necessary papers and instruction would be drawn up at once.”

Thus, Sheridan County was born, and Harris, C.E. Boulware and H. Baker were appointed as County Commissioners.

An election was held on May 7 that year to select county and precinct officers and to determine the location of the county seat.

“Big Horn, Dayton and Sheridan were all in the running for that last honor,” reads a piece by Cynde Georgen in Centennial Minutes: Excerpts from Sheridan Newspapers.

“Although Sheridan had the biggest population, 600, Big Horn offered a courthouse, jail and free county offices for five years. In the end, Sheridan was voted county seat, winning with more votes than the other two towns combined.”

Sheridan County boasts a rich history, filled with stories of colorful characters and civic achievements.

Settling the area Sheridan was founded

by John D. Loucks, who also served as the town’s first mayor.

John came to Sheridan with a man named John McCormick, who was in need of a wagon team driver.

“He has been told that I had been asking for a way to the Big Goose country,” wrote John in an early account. “I could go with him if I would drive one of his teams, and it would not cost me anything. He had a ranch on Little Goose, and it was to be his last trip, he said.”

John continued that he kissed his wife and two babies goodbye and started for the Big Goose country.

It took nearly a month to make the trip from Miles City, Mont. to the area that is now Sheridan, and John wrote, “In a few days, I hunted up my old friend J.D. Works, and nothing would do but that I stay a week with him and look

over the country, which I did.”

John noted that he saw “a great future” before the area and decided to stay and “try it out.” He soon after purchased land and a house from a man named Lloyd Rhodes to begin the town.

Forming Sheridan Over that summer, John hired surveyors and began to stake out the town, with streets named after the few local settlers. John also selected the name “Sheridan” at that point, after Civil War General Philip Sheridan, under whom he had served.

“In Sheridan’s early days, there was two ways to get title to the lots,” John said. “One way was to preempt them by making payment of $10 for each, and the other way was to wait until we became incorporated and then make proof of settlement. We chose the latter, as it would be much cheaper.”

Other towns Wyoming’s first woman mayor was elected on May 9, 1911 to serve the town of Dayton. Susan Wissler was the second woman mayor in the U.S. Arvada, Banner, Big Horn, Clearmont, Leiter, Parkman, Ranchester, Story, Wolf and Wyarno are all nestled in Sheridan County and are home to a number of farmers and ranchers still today.

Agriculture When Sheridan was first formed, John mentioned in his account, “A few of the cattle companies sent me word that they did not approve of me building a town right in the heart of grazing country.”

The Chicago Livestock Report reported in 1893 that the Sheridan area’s agriculture was confined to stock raising.

“Outside of home consumption, grain can never be raised there profitably, except the mining interests develop to consume the product,” the publication says. “Cattle, sheep and horses, for the present at least, will bring the wealth to this country.”

“We say, stick to it,” the Chicago Livestock Report continued. “Let Dakota raise the wheat, Nebraska and Iowa the corn, but raise the satandard of stock raising and slowly but surely add to your wealth.”

The same publication

noted that cattle were plentiful and of fine quality in the country, but good bulls were in high demand.

They mentioned, “Grazing promiscuously in summer among the hills the action must be co-operative to be just and successful.”

Supported industries Sheridan grew over time, supporting a variety of industries – from agriculture, to timber to mining.

The county is also home to the oldest polo venue in the West, started by brothers William and Malcolm Moncreiffe in the 1890s.

The Sheridan flour industry’s memory is preserved today by the Mill Inn. “Although Sheridan County never enjoyed a great reputation as a wheat producer, flour milling in the area dates back to before the turn of the 20th century,” writes Pat Blair in Sheridan Chronicles: History Revisited. “Among the early mills were the Kearney southeast of Story, the Beckton Roller Mill on what is now Forbes Ranch prop-

erty, and a mill in Dayton.”

The mills produced “Pride of Sheridan” flour, which was sold across the U.S., and livestock and dog feed, marked under the name Tomahawk.

“In its heyday, the mill’s daily output included 2,500 hundredweight of flour, pancake and biscuit mixes and, in addition to dog food, 150 tons of mixed feeds for poultry and

livestock,” Pat adds.

The mills, buildings and equipment were sold in 1974.

In their 1893 article, the Chicago Livestock Report concluded, “Rich in cattle, with wealth of agricultural advantage, with a thrifty class of people, this neighborhood has a grand future before it,” a belief that many people still hold today.

The information in this

article was collected from “Around the Edges of Sheridan County,” a book published by the Sheridan County Historical Society. A special thanks goes to the Sheridan Chamber of Commerce for allowing us to borrow their copy.

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr.net.

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Sheridan – In 1876, Chas Kane’s grandfather arrived in the Sheridan area, settling on Big Goose Creek.

“My dad moved over to Wolf Creek in 1919,” Chas says. “Then in 1932, he bought another ranch that joined them. We’re still there today.”

Chas and his wife Arlene have continued to grow and expand, ranching with their son David and his wife Terri.

“We like tradition,” says David. “We still trail cattle to the mountain, and we still drag calves to the fire.”

Chas adds, “We still do all of our work on horses, too.”

Wyoming Livestock Roundup

With their traditions firmly in place, the family continues ranching, working to improve and move the operation forward.

Cattle Kane Ranch operates as two ranch units – the HN Ranch and E Bar U Ranch.

They run an Angus-based cattle herd.

“Up until about 1987, we bought all Hereford bulls,” Chas explains. “We turned out all black bulls in 1990.”

The switch to Black Angus cattle was predicated on changes in the cattle market.

“Buyers wanted black cattle,” he continues. “It was

Working together - The Kane family operates on both the HN Ranch, west of Sheridan on Wolf Creek, and E Bar U Ranch, on the Wyoming-Montana border. Family members (from left to right) David, Terri, Arlene and Chas each play an integral role in the operation. Saige Albert photo

hard to go away from the Herefords, but it got hard to sell Hereford cattle.”

“We really run two bunches of cattle,” Chas says. “We keep a bunch of cows out at the HN Ranch at Wolf Creek, and we keep a bunch at the E Bar U. They don’t mix much after they calve as two-year-olds.”

“We take what we need for replacements on the HN from the E Bar U herd,” he adds.

Inside a year The beginning of the year usually means that the Kane family is feeding their cows and preparing for the calving season.

“We start calving our first-calf heifers in the middle of February, and the cows start the middle of March,” explains Chas. “We calve for about 45 days.”

Calves are sold the last two weeks of October on a video sale. Their steers are age and source verified, all natural, non-hormone treated and BVD-PI-free, which increases their marketability and value.

Between 200 and 250 replacement heifers are retained every year. Replacement heifers are wintered in a lot near Bridger, Mont. from the middle of November to the first of May.

“Right after we bring the heifers home in May, we put the bulls in and breed them for 40 to 45 days,” Chas says.

In the middle of July, the cattle are trailed to Forest Service permits that sit at between 7,500 and 8,000 feet on the Bighorn Mountains.

“We don’t hardly have time to change horses before we have to trail cattle home,” Chas adds. “We trail up July 16 and come home Oct. 10, if we don’t storm out.”

Trailing takes nearly a week, with two or three days to gather the herd and nearly three days to travel the 22 miles to the mountain.

“They also have to trail right through the town of Dayton,” adds Terri. “We have a lot of stories from coming through Dayton.”

After the cows are on the mountain, they spend the rest of the summer putting up hay.

“We also buy hay in the spring of the year as an insurance policy,” Chas says. “On the E Bar U, we used to have all dryland hay, but when coalbed methane companies came in, they built five storage reservoirs and put in five pivots.”

Conservation efforts In addition to raising cattle, the Kanes focus on conservation.

“We are involved in conservation because ranching is all about making the place better,” Chas says. “Those conservation practices pay.”

Chas and Arlene’s son John is the chairman of the Sheridan County Conservation District Board, and the conservation aspect of their operation is important.

“We’ve worked with the

Natural Resources Conservation Service in different projects, including putting in pipelines,” says Terri. “We have 19 miles of pipelines between the two ranches.”

David also adds that they utilize flea beetles as biological control for leafy spurge, and they’ve done a lot of controlled burning of decadent sagebrush, as well.

In addition, they have reduced prairie dog numbers to increase vegetation and carrying capacity while reducing erosion.

“We’ve increased our carrying capacity a lot,” he says. “In 1991, we were running about 7,000 animal unit months on the E Bar U. Today, we are running over 10,000.”

Getting involved Being involved in the organizations that support the agriculture industry is important for the Kane family.

“I was president of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, and we’ve worked hard to accomplish a lot,” Chas says. “When my dad died in 1966, the executive committee members of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association immediately appointed me.”

Chas and Arlene have only missed three meetings of the organization since 1966.

David re-started the Sheridan County Stock Growers Association in 2000. Though small, the organization has

managed to address some issues that producers in the area were encountering.

“It is important to be involved if we want to take care of our industry,” David comments. “We can’t rely on someone else to get involved, and we can’t ignore the issues.”

Chas adds, “We see the same issues being addressed, but that means we are holding our own.”

“Every producer ought to belong to an organization that does benefit to them, otherwise they are free-loading,” David says. “There are a lot of free-loaders.”

Reasons to ranch “I love every aspect of ranching,” continues David.

“I raised three boys on the ranch, and there isn’t a better place to raise kids.”

Chas says, “We’ve never even thought about leaving the ranching business.”

As they move forward into the future, David will run the ranch into the next generation. His son Nate is currently at the University of Wyoming, but has expressed interest in returning to the operation after graduation.

“I’m excited about the future,” David says.

“The next 10 years look good,” adds Chas. “Cattle numbers are down, and the market it up. Things look good.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr.net.

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2015 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Leiter – Art Thomas loves his cows. It’s obvious when one visits with him that the cows are his top priority.

“I probably love them more than I should, because I treat them a little better than I should since this is a business,” Art says. “I like to feed them extra cake and extra hay. I don’t believe in a skinny cow.”

Although Art grew up on a ranch near Devil’s Tower, his career path found him working for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) where he worked with predator control first under the Endangered Species Act then as a government trapper for coyote control.

“After I left the FWS, they moved predator control over to the Department of Agriculture,” Art muses.

Back to ranching Art got back into ranching due to a twist of fate.

He had been transferred to Sheridan by the FWS and had been in the area five years when he got blood poisoning and took a leave of absence.

“Ranching has always been in my heart. While I was working in Sheridan, I had met the man who owned this ranch, which we now call the Cadiz Ranch after the original family who homesteaded it,” remembers Art. Originally, he started overseeing the ranch, and the owner then asked to

know if Art wanted to work for him. That led to a lease, and then a partnership in 1978.

“We’re working on him slowly turning the ranch over to me,” Art says.

“That’s how I was able to get back into ranching. I plan on leaving this ranch to my two sons.”

Art and his wife have a daughter and two sons.

Their younger son, Jeremy, has been working with this father, and they are in partnership not only with the ranch but also in Bear Well Service, an agricultural well water service business.

Ranching operation “This ranch isn’t a big ranch. We have 470 irrigated acres for hay and around 1,600 acres for grazing,” Art explains. “We also have a custom feedlot where we’ll feed about 150 heifer calves and 160 coming twoyear-old heifers.”

He continues, “We start feeding most of the heifer calves the first of December with hay, mineral and lick tubs. I believe the best thing we can do for a heifer calf is to keep her gaining. That’s the only time she’s going to eat for herself. After that, her gain is primarily going to grow a calf during pregnancy and once that calf is born. As for the two-yearold heifers, we want them healthy so they have good milk and raise a strong calf, so we feed accordingly.”

The Cadiz Ranch starts

calving March 15, and the operation is self-sufficient.

“We do our own preg-testing and have an ultrasound machine,” Art says.

The cattle are in the hills for the summer, and in the fall they graze on the hay fields.

“Weaning time in the fall depends on the grass,” he explains. “Because of the abundant grass the past two years, we’ve been able to graze in the hills until Oct. 15. In dry years, we will wean the calves in mid-September and put those cows on the alfalfa meadow. We contract our calves and keep some replacement heifers.”

Water business The rancher admits that the well business has made life a lot easier.

“It really helps when times are hard. Fortunately, it can be lucrative,” he notes. “We bought one well truck and have expanded to own three.”

“We will usually start our mornings with ranch chores, then go do well work,” Art continues.

“Sometimes we will have three wells in a day. We essentially have no competition because nobody has a well service like this in Sheridan County. We’ll travel to the big ranches, from Recluse to Ranchester, for the big ranches like the Padlock and Kendrick to smaller places. We go south

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to Buffalo and up through Decker, Mont. We’ve even done well work in Lavina, Mont.”

Art says well repair is all word-of-mouth.

“We have never advertised,” he says, “but people know about us.”

Where the heart is Although the well service helps pay bills, Art reiterates that the ranch is where his heart is.

“I’ve been full-time ranching since 1978 and never went to another job,” he says.

He credits his wife Chris with being a great helper.

“I couldn’t have done this without her,” Art adds.

“For several years, she did most of the baling.”

Thanks to the well business, the Thomases were able to purchase newer haying equipment including balers, swathers and tractors.

“And they’re all green,” Art adds. “Now we have two balers, so Chris and I can be out there together baling. We bale 1,200 to 1,500 tons of hay each year.

We’ll keep some for our cows and sell some.”

They have also been able to move from flood irrigation to a pivot system.

Community-minded Art believes in helping in the community.

He is the assistant fire chief and chairman of the Sheridan County Fire

Board. His wife is a dispatcher for the area and takes all of the 911 calls.

In the past they held farm safety programs for 4-H kids and were involved in R-CALF. They also raised sheep for several years.

Today they simply keep busy with their Angus cows and ranch life.

“Boredom has never set in,” says Art. “I love ranching because of the solitude and freedom. If we make a mistake, it’s our mistake. We are not relying on someone else. I never was a socialite or politician, so living out here is fine with me.”

He adds, “What I enjoy

more than anything else in the world is when my wife and I bale hay. I love baling hay.”

While many people dream of trips to Europe, Asia or Hawaii, Art admits to being perfectly satisfied where he is – three miles outside of Leiter.

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world.

We have never taken a vacation because we are happy right here,” Art comments.

“Ranching has never been a job for us. It’s been a way of life.”

Rebecca Colnar is a correspondent for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.

Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Cows and community - Art Thomas is passionate about his cattle.

His commercial cows run on the range during the summer and on hay fields in the fall and winter. Courtesy photo

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Big Horn – The Meredith family has held a love for Wyoming since the 1970s, when they entered into a partnership with the

Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Ucross Land Company.

When they began looking for their own piece of property, the Little Goose Ranch was available, and

they jumped on the opportunity.

“Little Goose Ranch has a nice location,” says Tom Meredith, current

Ranch sanctuary - Little Goose Ranch is nestled at the end of Little Goose Canyon west of Big Horn.

The Ranch provides an isolated area to raise cattle, as well as a place for the Meredith family to enjoy and relax. Saige Albert photo

owner of the ranch. “My father’s original vision was to have a working ranch, but he also wanted a place the family could come and enjoy themselves.”

The Merediths purchased Little Goose Ranch in May of 1984.

Tom first visited that fall.

He returned to his home in Iowa shortly after, put in his two weeks’ notice at work and has been in Wyoming ever since.

“We’ve been doing our best on the place,” Tom says.

Chad Bradshaw and Justin McKenzie are also integral to the operation of Little Goose Ranch. The pair takes care of much of the day-to-day activity on the place.

Beginning a registered operation Historically, Little Goose Ranch has raised commercial cattle. They began transitioning to registered cattle three years ago.

“To get a start in the

registered business, we bought a load of registered bred cows,” Chad says.

“We wanted to get our feet wet and ease into the business just a little bit.”

The last of the commercial cattle were sold a year ago.

“In the fall of 2013, we sold over 300 commercial cows and bought some registered cows from a reputable breeder,” Chad says. “It wasn’t easy getting rid of the commercial cows that we had worked so hard with, but it was a good step.”

Today, they run exclusively purebred, registered cattle, and 2015 marks their second bull offering.

“Now, as we get into the registered business, we are very optimistic about the future,” Tom says.

“We’ve just done commercial cattle in the past, but with the unpredictable costs that we deal with, it is easier to specialize.”

Selling bulls Tom explains that they are seeking to develop high-gain, high-performance bulls.

“We are trying to blend proven, traditional genetics with cutting-edge lines,” Chad says. “We don’t want to be mediocre.

We want to raise a functional, high-quality bull.”

“We are offering really great bloodlines that aren’t the norm,” Tom adds.

“People can get some diversity in their bloodlines from our bulls.”

To this point, he says that they have received good feedback, and Little Goose Ranch hopes to continue to improve and develop their operation.

Learning and developing “Everything is flexible right now,” Chad says. “We change as we learn more and as demand changes.”

Chad wasn’t raised on a ranch, and he comments that he has learned a great deal in the 15 years he has spent on Little Goose Ranch. Justin has been involved raising cattle his entire life.

He also notes that those prominent, long-standing ranchers who neighbor Little Goose Ranch have been incredibly helpful.

“I ask a lot of questions and consult with a lot of people,” Chad says. “It has also been really nice that the Meredith family has given me the opportunity to be a part of this.”

Haying operation Little Goose Ranch has also operated a custom haying business over the past several years, and they raise hay for sale, as well.

“Our hay production is absolutely incredible,” Tom comments. “We just raise grass hay out here, but Chad and Justin really

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2015 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Continued from previous page know their stuff when it vides a great place to raise comes to raising good registered cattle, but the location also offers its grass hay.”

Chad mentions that in own challenges.

“Little Goose Ranch the past, they have done a large amount of cus- seems like it is 80 percent tom haying or haying on vertical,” Tom says, notshares, but increasing hay ing that their location at prices dropped their busi- the base of Little Goose Canyon means they have a ness back a bit.

“We still raise our own lot of land that isn’t neceshay to feed the cows,” he sarily productive.

At the same time, there says. “The last few years, all of our second cutting is little opportunity for hay was certified weed- expansion because of the free. We have an estab- high price of land.

“The real estate marlished buyer who takes it to the southeast U.S. It ket here is phenomenal,” Chad notes. “There is limworks out well.”

Challenges of the county ited land to expand, espeSheridan County pro- cially if we would look for

contiguous acreage.”

Worth the challenges “As all ranchers know, there is a lot of work that goes into ranching,” Tom comments, “but I think it is worth it in the long run.”

Chad says, “Justin and I like to raise cattle and be around them. We get satisfaction from raising cattle and doing it the way we think is right.”

“We have a lot of pride in the industry and in our animals,” he adds.

In the registered business, Chad continues that it can be challenging to develop a reputation, but he has enjoyed meeting a wide variety of people and building their program.

Registered cattle - Chad Bradshaw, general manager of Little Goose Ranch, notes that they emphasize high gaining, high performance bulls that are functional. Saige Albert photo

“As a purebred breeder, we aren’t selling a pot-load of calves. We are selling individual bulls,” he says. “It is a lot more challenging because every bull has to perform.”

“Reputation is everything in this business,” Chad continues. “We are really working to build the best reputation we can.”

A look forward As they continue into the future, both Tom and Chad mention that they plan to continue to grow the operation.

“We are still new in the registered business,” Chad

comments. “We are constantly evolving. We are dynamic and making changes with the challenges that come along.”

As they continue to grow, Chad mentions that Little Goose Ranch will work toward developing their own bull sale, but that is a few years off yet.

“In the next 10 years, we want to increase our herd size a little bit,” Tom comments.

“We are really striving for a unique herd that can be useful to either the commercial or registered producer.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr.net.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup

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Now, equine medicine, along with preg-checking cattle, is one of her favorite things.

Although she doesn’t like to see colic cases come into the hospital, they are one of her favorite challenges.

“They can be very frustrating and heartbreaking, but when they are successfully treated, it’s great,” Sarah says.

Family connections Sarah’s sister is a veterinarian, as well, but she works strictly with horses.

“She is a lameness ultrasound specialist in California, and I am hoping to get to spend some time with her this spring,” she comments.

Sarah hopes to learn as much as she can about ultrasounding lame horses.

“It’s become a very

Mcclun’S M

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ented when I grew up,” she comments. “When I interviewed here, I was really impressed. It reminded me of the Dillon, Mont. and Bozeman, Mont. area when I was a kid.”

Sarah knew by the time she was in high school that she wanted to be a vet.

“There was a point in my life when I was fairly young that I would have rather been a cowgirl,” she says, adding that she ultimately chose to go to vet school.

Becoming a vet Sarah went through vet school in the food animal and large animal block and took small animal classes as extra courses.

“I did college rodeo, and I was very much into horses, but I didn’t know if I wanted to work on them,” she explains.

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Sheridan – “We have to be ready to see anything in mixed animal practice,” states Sarah Schreiber, DVM. Moxey Schreiber Veterinary Hospital in Sheridan sees dogs, cats, reptiles, guinea pigs, horses, a few pigs, some sheep, the occasional llama, goats, a camel and plenty of cows.

After a recommendation from a friend, Sara Schreiber stopped in to see Lance Moxey, DVM, and his wife Susan on a trip between vet school and her hometown.

“I fell into Sheridan, going back and forth,” she says.

The veterinary hospital was in between Colorado State University and Ennis, Mont. where she grew up.

Childhood dreams “Ennis was very ag ori-

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sophisticated science, now that they can do things like MRIs, ultrasounds and arthroscopic surgeries. All of those things have taken equine medicine into a true athletic area, and it’s difficult to keep up on all of the technology,” she explains.

Staying up-to-date Sarah works hard to stay up on the latest veterinary information, which she says is changing all the time.

“What was not popular 10 years ago, was popular 20 years ago and is now working again,” she explains.

She notes that it is important to stay openminded, as well as critical of new research, looking at who is doing it and how they are going about it.

Keeping it simple “I’ve come to believe in the last two or three years that the best treatment on a wound is water,” Sarah says.

Hydrotherapy, she explains, is relatively harmless, and there are a number of ways that it can be beneficial.

“One is hot soaking, with Epsom salts and water, in either a bucket or an IV bag taped on the leg,” she explains.

This process works like a salt bath at home. Because the salt is hypermolar, it

pulls fluid out of the body, cleaning the wound.

“I really like hydrotherapy with a hose,” she continues.

Cold water is preferable on a brand new wound, and warm water is preferable to clean it out.

“The propulsion of the water does a lot for swelling and damage,” she says.

Sarah also points out that although some old-fashioned type treatments are successful, new medicine is necessary, as well.

“I think we have to be able to flush joints and do those aggressive, modern treatments, too. There is a whole range of things that we have to consider in both diagnostics and treatment,” she says.

She wants to be able to make the right choices for her clients on a case-bycase basis.

Animal histories “There is a lot that we need to know and a lot to decide in each case,” she states.

When clients bring in a history of their animals, it helps out tremendously, Sarah notes.

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Sheridan vet - Sara Schreiber operates a mixed animal practice and sees a wide variety of small animals, horses and cattle in Sheridan County. Natasha Wheeler photo

Dogs that have gotten into the garbage can show signs of liver disease, kidney failure or pancreatitis.

“We come to find out the dog just has gastroenteritis from eating the garbage,” she says.

By sharing the history of animals brought into the hospital, a simple upset stomach can be differentiated from something more serious.

Large animal treatment Most individual animals that need to see Sarah come to hospital.

“We can do better diagnostics in here and better treatment than we can out in the field,” she says.

Although, herd work such as preg-testing and Bangs vaccinations is done on the ranch.

“For C-sections, we usually bring animals in.

We have a really good set-up for C-sections that Dr. Moxey set up,” Sarah notes.

She explains that timing is important when it comes to calving.

“One of the big pluses is that most of our cattlemen know what they are doing. We are much more successful when they recognize a problem early on and are able to bring in an animal for assistance,” she explains.

Sarah enjoys the challenge of her work.

She comments, “We see a little bit of everything and are constantly challenged by the diversity of a mixed animal practice.”

Natasha Wheeler is editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at natasha@wylr.net.

A9

2015 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Arvada – Sussex cattle came to the U.S. the same time that Angus and Herefords made their mark in the West, but they didn’t catch on with the same fervor. Today, the PeeGee Ranch, owned by the Pritchard-Gordon family of England and managed by Kelby Kretschman of Arvada, is developing the breed with successful results.

“The Pritchard-Gordon family is a great family from England,” Kelby says.

“They are absentee owners, and they come here a couple of times a year.”

On the ranch Giles Pritchard-Gordon, who passed away three years ago, purchased the PeeGee Ranch in 1989. The land the ranch sits on was once the K Unit of Kendrick Cattle Company.

“They have expanded and bought pieces here and there,” he continues. “The Pritchard-Gordon family has been in agriculture for quite some time.”

Giles took over raising cattle from his father in England and expanded their ranches around the world.

Today, Alice Wingfield Digby, Giles’ eldest daughter, oversees the operation from England.

The family also operates ranches in Australia where they raise Sussex cattle and Black Angus.

“The Sussex breed is from England, and the family wants to develop it further,” Kelby explains.

“Right now we have about 300 purebred Sussex cattle, and we are the only Sussex breeder in the U.S., as far as I know.”

They also run commercial Black Angus-Sussex

cross cattle.

Sussex breed The Sussex breed of cattle is well known for its ability to be efficient.

It is widely accepted that the breed descended from red cattle from the South Coast of England.

“Sussex cattle are very efficient and have a very good conversion rate in the feedlot,” Kelby explains.

“The last set of Sussex cross steers saw about 5.7 pounds of feed for one pound of gain.

The average on other breeds is around 7.5 pounds of feed for one pound of gain. In this economy and with these feed prices, that is important.”

Sussex have early sexual maturity and breed as well.

They are also a docile breed.

“The Sussex is a dark red cow with a white poll and white tuft on their tail,” Kelby explains. “They look like a Saler, but they have the best disposition and are good to be around and deal with.”

“The cows are really moderate-sized. We have about a 1,200 pound top,” he says. “They are not tall. They are very wide and short.”

Marketing Though it has been a slow process, Kelby says they have developed a good base of customers looking for Sussex genetics.

“Most people have no clue what a Sussex cow is – and I didn’t when I came here, either,” he continues.

“We are working to teach people about the breed.”

To make the cattle more marketable, they have crossed them with Black Angus.

“It is tough to market something new. People tend to be afraid of anything that

they don’t know what it is,” he comments. “We cross it to the Black Angus to make it more recognizable.”

Kelby notes that there is also a market for Sussex cattle for those people who want to add English influence to their cattle.

Breed challenges “While Sussex convert grass well, it is like going 60 years back,” Kelby says.

“They haven’t been played with, and their genetics haven’t been studied.”

As a result, he says the process of developing the breed is more difficult.

“The calf weights are 450 to 500 pounds, and there are no EPDs,” he continues.

“It can be frustrating, but

we are plugging along and working on them. It’s a lot of trial and error.”

An additional challenge with breeding is the ability to find new blood to introduce to the line.

“In England, a lot of ranchers tinkered with the blood,” Kelby says. “They mixed Limousin and Gelbvieh with the Sussex, so there are very few purebred Sussex cattle around.”

Yearly schedule Calving starts the year at PeeGee Ranch in late March.

“The artificially inseminated (AI) cattle calve on March 20,” he says. “Our main bunch of commercial cows start April 20, and they all calve outside.”

Both the registered and commercial cattle are bred for 45 days, and they calve out on the ranch.

“We AI the purebred

Sussex cows,” Kelby says, noting that they import semen from both England and Australia. “We also do some embryo work.”

Following breeding, the cattle are put on grass.

“We run all of the cattle on grass, and we don’t feed cake,” he continues. “We do a lot of tubs during the winter, though.”

Then, the ranch gets to work putting up 2,500 tons of hay to feed during the cold winter months.

Selling animals After a summer of grazing in the Powder River country, calves are sold on Superior Livestock Auction’s Big Horn Classic Sale in August.

“We sell the steers and keep the heifers,” Kelby notes. “We will market the heifers in February.”

PeeGee Ranch also sells

20, 2015

some bulls private treaty, but Kelby mentions that he is careful to make sure that buyers understand the breed.

“We will work toward putting together a sale, but I don’t think the cattle are quite ready for that yet,” he explains. “They aren’t a calving ease breed. If people understand how to use them right, we market bulls to them. All the bulls are sold private treaty right now.”

Kelby notes that the benefits of the Sussex cattle mean there is potential for the breed to grow in Wyoming, but there are still improvements to be made.

“We are working forward,” Kelby says, “but it is challenging.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr. net.

A10

Sheridan – By the age of 30, Tom Balding had a successful business, earned prestigious certifications in welding and built a name for himself, but the southern California native says, “I had burnt myself out, and I realized there was more to life.”

Tom packed up his belongings and started driving.

“I’d never ridden a horse, but I thought that I wanted one,” he says. “I wanted to live in a place where horses could run free.

So I started driving, and I stumbled across the Sheridan area.”

From the beginning Tom began welding when he was only 14 years old. As soon as he was able to work professionally, he began welding racecar exhaust systems.

“I was pretty restless and moved from job to job,” Tom says. “I got experience in all types of welding, and I got certified to do government aircraft welding. In 1973, when I was 23, I started my own business. It was pretty successful.”

After he moved to Wyo-

Wyoming Livestock Roundup

ming, he sought to learn as much about horses as was possible.

“I bought a book on how to ride and break a horse,” he says. “Six months later, I was riding every day.”

Tom began working on ranches in the area, learning as much as he could every day.

“In 1984, a lady knocked on my door and said she had heard that I could weld anything,” Tom says. “She had a broken bit, and when I started working on it, I got goosebumps because I knew what I wanted to do.”

Tom fixed her bit. Then, he immediately began constructing a new bit out of spare sailboat parts from a previous job in California.

“The next day, I drove to Sheridan and had business cards printed,” Tom says.

“That was 30 years ago.”

Today Since then, Tom has expanded his business, Tom Balding Bits and Spurs, to an incredible level. Last year, the company made over 4,000 bits and spurs, selling them all over the world.

“Even though we make

thousands of bits and spurs, each piece is individual,” Tom says. “From the very beginning, I decided that I didn’t want to copy anything.

I wanted to make something new and different.”

Tom has developed over a dozen unique features that he incorporates into the bits and spurs he makes, and many of those features have become common in the industry.

Unique features One of his first trademarks is what Tom calls the “tuxedo” look.

“When I first started, I knew that I could weld two different metals together – mild and stainless steel – to create a new look,” he says.

“The tuxedo is a two-tone effect, and no one had done it before.”

Tom registered the tuxedo concept as a trademark for his business.

“Even today when I’m designing something, I’m always thinking of the twotone concept,” Tom says.

“When I’m designing a new mouthpiece, I just dream them up. I’ve never used any of them, but everything

I make is sent out to the top trainers for a trial.”

Every new product takes nearly a year to design, test and refine before they are sold to customers.

“We want to be really careful and make sure it works,” he adds.

While he personally prefers clean, simple pieces, Tom notes that many people demand a more elaborate, fancier product, so he addresses customer needs.

Building a bit Tom starts building each bit with simple, raw materials that are bent, shaped and machined into specific parts.

“We make 400 to 500 different pieces in large quantities,” he explains.

“We are constantly building parts.”

Each piece is specifically bent, smashed, engraved and stamped to the proper specifications before it goes into the assembly process. They create very little waste in the process.

Individual parts are stored until they are needed.

Tom comments, “We are constantly building our inventory and parts. We can build shanks and mouthpieces, but there are thousands of combinations, so we don’t build a complete bit until we get an order.”

Finishing touches A variety of finishes can be applied to each piece – from a black finish created in gun blueing tanks to rust-colored tones developed in ovens. Both processes are tricky and labor intensive,

Passion for bit making - As soon as he fixed his first bit, Tom Balding knew that he wanted to pursue the trade. For 30 years, Tom has crafted high-quality bits and spurs that sell around the world.

Courtesy photo

but Tom notes that they are important.

They also have the ability to engrave silver, meaning brands, names and other embellishments can be added to the bits and spurs that come from Tom’s shop.

“Engraving is a really unique process,” he comments. “We lay everything out by hand and make the initial cuts. Then, everything is hand-sawn.”

The most important part of the process, though, is the welding.

“We have several hours into making all the different pieces and hot forging them together,” says Tom, “but it all boils down to 40 seconds to weld the pieces together.

Strong team Tom Balding notes that five people work in at Tom Balding Bits and Spurs full time, and many of them have been there for more than 10 years.

“Kelli Anderson, Sam Davidson and Justin Massar have all been here for longer than 15 years,” he says. “Desirae Barkar is a new addition, and she is amazing.”

Justin has worked at the shop for 15 years, and Tom says, “He’s just amazing and can do anything we ask him to.”

Sam is also involved in building bits and spurs and has been part of the business for over 20 years.

Kelli is responsible for coordinating and works with many of the customers to select a product that is right for them.

“Kelli has sold tens of thousands of bits and spurs online,” Tom says. “She is really good at recommending and giving basic guidelines on using our products.”

“Desirae has been here three years,” he adds. “She is a genius with our graphics and marketing.”

Ryan Bircher is also a technician in the shop.

The entire team is essential to the work of the shop.

We only have one chance to do it right.”

When a final product is created, Tom can take photos for marketing right in his shop.

He says, “The single most important part of the business is marketing, and it was a huge leap when I could start shooting photos that I was really happy with.”

Moving forward Tom is constantly seeking new ways to improve and create new bits.

“I’m working on a lot of designs that will utilize really high-tech computer-operated milling machines,” he says. “I’m searching for the right company. These new designs will be sculpted and tapered.”

He loves every aspect of his business, and Tom looks forward to the future.

“Someone asked me what the most rewarding part of the business is,” he says.

“Sometime it is the designing, sometimes it is the photography, and sometimes it is the relationship I have with my employees. We have a really neat business.”

Tom continues, “At the end of the day, it is our reputation for quality that I love.

It is pretty neat, and a good reputation is hard to come by.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr.net.

A11

2015 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

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A12

Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Sheridan – For Gary and Vicki Koltiska, it’s all about family and loving the farming and ranching way of life. The Koltiskas run a small diversified agriculture operation six miles east of Sheridan, not far from where Gary’s father homesteaded in 1905.

Today, Gary and Vicki run 50 head of cattle on their land on Cat Creek. They put up 120 acres of hay to feed their own cattle and are currently what they call “horse poor,” including a team of Percherons.

The couple has scaled back their responsibilities in the last year, leasing one of their properties near Clearmont to another producer after Gary had open-heart surgery last January.

Identifying element But more than their cattle or horses, the Koltiskas are probably best known in the Sheridan area for their pumpkins.

In the late 1990s, Gary decided to branch out and begin growing pumpkins, largely just for the challenge.

The Koltiska pumpkin patch spans 20 acres, with four different five-acre fields planted on a rotating basis.

The pumpkin fields are alternated with other crops, like grain or squash, or they are left fallow, which helps keep the weeds under control and prevents the soil from being depleted of important nutrients.

Gary has even rotated pumpkins with watermelon, with varying degrees of success.

Pumpkin patch Initially, the Koltiskas sold their pumpkins to area grocery stores, but as the last locally-owned store closed its doors, the couple was faced with a field full of pumpkins and no place to sell them.

Vicki proposed the idea to Gary, and the Koltiska Pumpkin Patch was born.

Now, each fall, the pumpkin field is opened to the public for individual pumpkin picking. Families, daycares and schools are all invited to pick their own pumpkins right

Raising pumpkins - Gary and Vicki Koltiska began raising pumpkins to diversify their operation. Their pumpkin fields are rotated with grain and squash or left fallow. Courtesy photo

from the field. Several hundred visitors find their way to the Koltiskas patch to find the perfect pumpkin, enjoy a hayride, petting zoo, cookies and take in a little taste of country living.

The work on the labor-intensive crop begins in midMay when the water is turned on, and planting begins. The first year, Gary and his son planted the five acres by hand over three days. Now, with the help of a planter Gary has built himself, it takes about a third of the time, but each seed is still hand planted.

Water is turned off at the end of the summer to get the pumpkins to ripen in time for picking in mid-September.

“The pumpkin patch provides extra income from the farm, and we’ve developed an attraction that no one else in the area has,” Vicki says. “We plant a variety of pumpkins, so there is something for everyone.”

A decade of pumpkins 2014 marked the 10th year

of the pumpkin patch.

Vicki says she tries to add a new component to the patch each year to keep it fresh and fun for returning customers. She’s organized a photo competition, guess the weight competition and raffle with family-oriented prizes.

Gary has also made accommodations, like a wheelchair ramp and low-profile people hauler, to help the elderly and disabled also enjoy a day in the pumpkins.

“This has turned into a community favorite, and we really want to keep it fun and affordable for families,” she says.

Vicki says they have also raised corn, selling the stalks as decorations in the fall to go along with the pumpkins.

“It’s sort of amazing to me, but people will pay more money for a cornstalk to decorate with than they will corn to eat,” she says.

When the public has picked their last pumpkin, the leftovers belong to the livestock. Gary collects a few boxes for treats for his goats over the winter, then turns out his cows. The cattle eat everything but the woody stem, but Gary said seeds are their

favorite.

“Cows learn pretty quick how to open a pumpkin,” he says. “We have mostly whitefaced cows, and their faces will turn completely orange from going after those pumpkin seeds.”

Off the ranch Over the years, Gary and Vicki have both held off-farm employment, whether it be running a commercial spraying operation or working in area businesses. They’ve also done some outfitting on their land.

Last fall Gary celebrated 50 years of hosting out-ofstate hunters, although now most of the hunting opportunity is reserved for their kids and grandkids.

“We had to work off-farm and diversify the operation to support our bad habit of raising cows,” jokes Gary.

Ag commitment What Gary is serious about, however, is a commitment to production agriculture.

“True production agriculture comes from within,” he says. “The true love of the land and a love of livestock can’t be taught. We need to make a living and pay the

Kolts Fine Spirits According to their website, the Koltiska family has been known for two things, a lust for life and a fine liqueur. Justin and Jason Koltiska, sons of Gary and Vicki Koltiska, and their uncle Robert Koltiska, are the Sheridan county residents behind turning a family recipe into that fine liqueur sold across the Rocky Mountain West.

The Koltiska men started Kolts Fine Spirits in 2001 and launched their first spirit, Koltiska Original Liqueur (KO), in 2005.

The liqueur is a type of grain alcohol the Koltiska family had been making since they settled in Sheridan over a century ago. They added KO90, a higher proof liqueur just one year later. While, the spirits may not be for every palate, a 2013 San Francisco World Spirits judging panel awarded KO a silver medal and KO90 a

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bronze medal in their competition.

The Koltiskas operate out of a small distillery in Sheridan, making KO and KO90 to distribute in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Washington and Oklahoma. KO was originally intended to be enjoyed straight. Local bartenders began experimenting with KO, and the ensuing collection of mixed drink recipes has gained something of a cult following over the years.

There’s KOboy Coolaid, KOboy Cola and the KOrita, a spin on the traditional margarita.

The Koltiskas work to keep their Wyoming-based business supporting other Wyoming businesses by using raw ingredients, manufacturing equipment and other professional services from Wyoming.

For information on this uniquely Wyoming product and family, visit koltsfinespirits. com.

bills, but we can’t just look at the dollar signs.”

All of Gary and Vicki’s work has been to provide a place where their sons can come home to, if they choose.

They’ve leased out land they no longer manage, rather than sell out, and they have shied away from tools like conservation easements or subdividing, choosing to keep their ranch intact for future generations.

The next generation “I would like to ‘abuse’ my kids and grandkids in the best way possible and keep them in agriculture,” Gary explains. “We don’t know what life will look like in 20 or 30 years, but it’s important to us to give our kids the option of returning to the place, or at least having some land where they can have a garden, raise some horses and livestock or just be more self-sufficient.”

The three Koltiska sons, Travis, Jason and Justin, have all stayed in the Sheridan area, and the Koltiska grandchildren are keeping Gary and Vicki busy. Their barns house numerous 4-H and FFA projects. The grandkids work side-by-side with Gary and Vicki to learn about crops, livestock and the responsibilities of being an ag producer, like cleaning pens, grinding grain for food and doctoring livestock.

“I’ve had people ask me why we don’t retire someplace warm,” Vicki says.

“A person can sell a house, sure, but the land is something else. I can’t replace the ranch. This is home.”

If Gary and Vicki have anything to say about it, with a little luck and a lot of hard work, the ranch will remain home for the Koltiska family for another 100 years.

Teresa Milner is a correspondent for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

A13

2015 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Sheridan – Ned and Jan Ward raise more than just Hereford cattle. They raise Hereford cattle that work for producers on the range.

“This is the only thing I ever wanted to do,” says Jan of raising cattle. “I’ve never wanted to do anything else but raise cows.”

Jan grew up on a commercial Hereford ranch in central Montana, where her father instilled a love of cows from a young age.

Ned grew up on a farm in Indiana and came to Montana during college to work on a ranch.

“He never went back, and we’ve been here for 30 years now,” says Jan. “Growing up, I had a few purebred cows, and that is where our cowherd base came from,” she adds.

Purebred cattle The Ward’s purebred Hereford cattle are the breadand-butter of the ranch.

“We try to run our cows as much as we can like commercial cattle,” says Jan. “The difference is we have to calve earlier so our bulls are older and can be sold as yearlings.”

Each year, the Wards start their year at the beginning of February, calving their cattle.

At the same time, the family works to finalize the details for their bull sale.

The Wards develop their bulls on the ranch where they can closely monitor their growth and development.

They are fed a high-roughage ration to ensure soundness.

Each year at the end of March, the Wards hold their annual bull sale.

“In all of this, our big goal is to produce a group of bulls for commercial cattle producers that are as good as we can make them,” Jan comments.

After the sale “As soon as the sale is over, we get ready to start breeding,” Jan says.

“By the time we get the cows out to summer pastures, it is time to hay, and our summer disappears,” Jan adds.

She continues, “Fall is my favorite. I love September, when we get to really look at our cows and make decisions for the next year.”

At the end of the year, the cattle are grazed on winter pasture near the home ranch, and the cycle starts again.

Developing the breed “We are all about breeding for balanced traits,” Jan explains. “Too many people focus on single-trait selection, which doesn’t work in a long-term operation.”

“We sell our commercial calves by the pound, just like everyone else, so we have to have weaning weight in our cattle,” she says. “We’ve been lucky in our balanced trait selection to also improve our carcass traits.”

Wards have worked to positively influence their calving ease.

Female focus “We also have an embryo and semen business,” she says. “We produce the embryos to build our cowherd. We need more good cows to produce a better herd more quickly.”

Jan says they focus on developing their cowherd, which, in turn, improves their bulls. They utilize the best of the best cows when producing embryos.

“We better be sure we are using the proven, best end of the cows to produce eggs,” Jan comments. “We flush our cows once and expect them to breed back on the next heat. We expect our cows to keep a calf with them every year, rather than having a donor herd.”

The Wards utilize part of their commercial Red Angus cattle for recipients.

Integral roles Ned and Jan both note that without the help of their 16-year-old daughter Bell and Cody and Shawna Chabot, their operation wouldn’t be the same.

“Everyone has their role and the things they are good at,” Jan explains.

Cody, a Riverton native, helps in every aspect of the ranch, and Jan says, “He is

Feeding bulls - Ned and Jan Ward develop their bulls at the home ranch outside of Sheridan. The bulls are developed on a high-roughage ration to ensure soundness. Saige Albert photo

really allowing us to expand our operation.”

Cody’s wife Shawna also works for the Wards parttime. She helps out wherever she is needed and is responsible for clipping sale bulls and taking the cattle to Denver, Colo. for the National Western Stock Show.

Bell helps out wherever she is needed when she isn’t in school.

Jan says. “We want Bell to be well rounded and learn about every part of the business.”

“Everyone has their special projects, but we all like to work together,” she adds.

Continuing forward As they move forward, Ned and Jan hope to continue to make improvements in both their herd and the Hereford breed.

“We are constantly trying to produce a better product,” Jan says. “We can’t ever

think we have it made. We have to keep on top of it.”

To continually improve, Jan notes they hope to continue to increase their numbers and increase the number of bulls in their sale over the next 10 years.

“We are working very, very hard to improve our cowherd,” she notes. “If our cows don’t meet our specifications, they don’t stay around. It has taken us quite a while to get here, but we don’t want to sell a product that won’t do someone else some good.”

The Wards will continue to increase their purebred herd and improve their genetics. They will also work to up the numbers in their commercial herd.

Ned and Jan agree that they are lucky to make their living in the agriculture industry and to live in Sheridan.

Jan comments, “We’re so thankful to be where we are.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr.net.

Registered Herefords - Ned and Jan Ward are very proud of their registered Hereford cattle. They have worked hard to develop the breed as much as possible by selecting for balanced traits. Jan Ward photo

Show cattle aspect Ned and Jan Ward make their living from their registered and commercial cattle, but each year, they also show Herefords at the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) in Denver, Colo.

“We go to Denver, but that isn’t our focus,” Jan says, noting that they focus on producing bulls for commercial cattle producers. “If we come up with an animal that is good enough to take to Denver, we do.”

The Wards also sell the pick of their purebred heifer calves in the National Hereford Sale. The show and sale have has helped them gain exposure around the world and has positively influenced their semen and embryo business.

A14

Sheridan – After seven years in Kentucky, Tad Tipton has returned to his roots in Wyoming.

“I was born and raised in a ranching family, and my parents are still ranching, raising registered horned Herefords and selling bulls every year,” he says.

Tad now lives in Sheridan, running his veterinary business, Blacktooth Large Animal Services.

He calls his pick-up truck his office, hauling his equipment with him when he visits producers.

“In many cases, treating the animal on the farm and letting it go back to its herd mates or in a place where it’s quiet, instead of in a busy clinic, keeps the animals more stable,” he states.

Large animal focus Tad treats large ani-

Wyoming Livestock Roundup

mals, focusing on cattle and horses.

“On the equine side of things, of course we have polo. It’s very big here in Sheridan County and Big Horn,” he says.

In Kentucky, he worked with many of the most well known horses in the United States, such as Zenyatta.

“Hagyard Equine Medical Institute offered any and all aspects of equine veterinary services,” he states, “from the foaling stage to breeding to maintenance of a pregnant mare and maintaining the equine athlete.”

He also worked many rehabilitation cases with horses that came off of the racetrack.

“That job gave me experiences that I probably wouldn’t have got-

ten anywhere else,” Tad explains.

For example, he flew with horses all over the world. Tad’s work took him to Ireland, England, France, Australia and Japan.

“But I still missed the cattle aspect of it.

The only cattle I touched out there were the ones I roped,” he says.

Cattle Tad notes, “Working with cattle is a highlight of my job. They are such resilient creatures.”

Now, he works mainly in Sheridan County but travels to any corner of the state.

He is also licensed in Montana, Nebraska and Kentucky where he maintains clients.

“I am completely ambulatory, so I get to see new country and dif-

Addressing cattle health needs - Tad Tipton’s mobile vet clinic provides him the unique opportunity to bring high quality veterinary care to the field. Natasha Wheeler photo

ferent faces everyday,” he explains.

Producers In Wyoming, Tad says that it is hard to put into words how the values of his clientele make his work so enjoyable.

“Out here, people have full respect. They respect a person for who they are and what they do. That person hands them the

same respect, and it makes for a lifelong relationship,” he explains.

He sees his clients not only as business partners but as also as friends.

“It’s been a great ride to get to this point, and I think I am finally where I really want to be. Nothing is the same day-today, and I enjoy every bit of that,” Tad says.

Learning from history There is long-standing family history in the county, and Tad says there is always something to learn from producers.

“They have had to work through generations to keep and preserve their family reputation on a ranch around here,” he explains.

He enjoys sitting down with producers and discussing management practices.

“Whether it be vaccination protocols or a calving ground rotation, there are so many things that producers can manipulate in the cowherd to produce a better product and to make it more economical to the producer,” he explains.

Veterinary practice Many producers in the area begin calving in midMarch to the first of April.

Tad works with sick calves and even does an occasional cesarean during the calving season.

“I don’t do nearly as many C-sections as we used to though, because producers are more knowledgeable about the genetics on their cows,” he says.

Spring months bring semen testing, vaccination and drug orders for branding and mare reproduction work.

“There are some people who breed mares all summer long, clear into early fall,” he explains.

Cow work slows down in the summer, but there are heifers to ultrasound beginning in late July, followed by normal herd work.

Though he sees some consistency on a year-toyear basis, variety in his work is one of the elements that Tad likes best.

“I don’t think there is anything typical in a day for me,” he states.“I could have a full day of preg-checking lined up, and it could get split three

ways, because of the calls I get in the middle.”

Health challenges Tad notes that there are viral and bacterial components that affect the health of an animal that can be a concern, like many places in the U.S. However, in the Sheridan region, brucellosis should not be ignored.

“It’s one of those things that we, as producers, need to be a little bit more proactive about than we have been,” he states.

He explains that test results should be available, so that if elk in the area are found seropositive for the disease, there is evidence that the disease has not spread to the cows.

“The more numbers we have to present to the state, the better chance we have of other states not causing us problems in the future,” Tad says.

Whether a producer tests the whole herd or only the culls, he suggests testing at preg-check time.

Portable operation He has a set of portable horse stocks and a portable hydraulic squeeze chute, as well as a computer, printer and equipment for digital radiology that he can take with him wherever he goes.

“It used to be back in the day, veterinarians came to the producer.

Then it changed over the years, and vet clinics were set up so producers had to haul into the vet clinic,” he notes.

It is now starting to move back the other way, as veterinarians look to decrease overhead and serve more clients in a timely way. When Tad arrived in Sheridan, there was limited mobile veterinary service in the area.

In some cases, Tad refers animals to other veterinary hospitals for certain specialized care such as colic surgery in horses.

Although he prefers to work in the field, Tad has the ability to move animals out of the elements if the case calls for it.

“I’m adaptable,” he states. “I can fit any need.”

Natasha Wheeler is editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be contacted at natasha@wylr.net.

A15

2015 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Sheridan – With input costs continuing to rise, some registered seedstock ranchers are doing what they can to produce cattle that need little pampering. Summering cattle in the rugged hills of the Wyoming-Montana border, David and Diana Oedekoven have selected cows that are able to take care of themselves.

“When we started in the registered business, we looked for cows with a moderate frame, that were easy fleshing and had some eye appeal,” David says of his small cowherd. “Our cow/ calf pairs summer in some really rough Campbell County grassland with a lot of high hills and deep valleys covered with red shale.

Those cattle have to drop down into the valleys to find water and climb back up ridges to eat grass. They need good structure and feet to travel in that kind of country all summer long.

We select cattle with some stability to them that won’t break down.”

Because of this, the cows are selected for structural soundness and capacity. Fertility, calving ease, teat and udder placement and good mothering instinct are also deemed important.

“We select cows that can raise a calf without pampering,” David says. “The calves should have strong growth potential and great carcass quality.”

Docility is also important to the couple.

“We are getting older

and don’t want to play clown with any of our cows,” David explains. “So, when we got into the registered business we tried to purchase cows that were extremely gentle.”

The couple calves these cows starting in February, so they wanted cows that would calve by themselves.

They also wanted to be able to go out and tag the calves without rolling around on the ground because of an over-protective mother cow.

Commercial roots The Oedekovens got their start in the commercial business with Black Angus cattle.

“We were raising and selling commercial bulls with a strict artificial insemination (AI) protocol,” David explains. “One day, we decided to make the switch to registered, thinking it would produce more income. We planned to do it over time, but one of our neighbors saw that we were selling some females and ended up buying all of our commercial cows, including the heifer calf crop.”

Temporarily out of the cattle business, the couple started traveling to a few sales where they purchased some registered bred cows and heifers for their new enterprise.

Since then, the cows have adapted well to the harsh environment.

“I try to monitor their body condition score carefully,” David says. “If I notice they are slipping, I might increase the amount of

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roughage or hay they are getting.”

The cattle are provided free-choice mineral and salt.

Breeding strategies Because of space limitations, the couple still relies on a strict AI protocol.

“We don’t have a bull on the place,” David says. “We don’t have room for them.

An AI technician comes in the spring and AIs the cows for a 40-day calving interval.

In the fall, if they aren’t pregnant, they go in someone’s freezer or to the sale barn.”

The cows are bred through two AI cycles, although most are bred by the end of the first cycle. The conception rate averages 80 to 85 percent.

Raising registered Angus cattle is something the couple thoroughly enjoys, but they are the first to admit the occupation comes with its challenges.

“We spend a lot of time developing our customer base,” David explains. “We cultivate those relationships.

It is important to me to meet with our customers and our potential ones.”

Moderate animals When the couple was operating a commercial business, they catered to extremes.

“We had some customers who just wanted bulls that would produce more pounds on the ground, while other customers wanted light birth weights so they didn’t have to get up at night during calving season to check their cattle,” David says. “Now,

with this registered herd, our focus is more on moderate cattle, instead of the extremes.”

That isn’t to say they aren’t in tune with what their customers want.

“We try really hard to pay attention to what our customers are looking for and help them with the decision process, if we can,” David shares. “EPDs are becoming more and more important, as well as genetic testing. We try to make all those numbers available to customers.”

Birth, weaning and yearling weight data is also submitted to the Angus Herd Improvement Recordkeeping system, which helps track herd performance.

Top of the line The couple also spends a lot of time studying and evaluating semen catalogs to see what’s available so they remain on the cutting edge.

The bull calves have been developed at different facilities over the years, including at home and through the Midland Bull Test, but they are now developed along with Kretschman Angus bulls at PeeGee Feedlot on the Powder River.

“I really like the way they are finished and how they handle our bulls,” David says.

Oedekoven bulls are sold at the Cowboy Classic Bull sale held the second Saturday in March at Buffalo

Raising registered - Oedekoven Angus sell registered Black Angus cattle that take care of themselves in the rugged hills along the Wyoming-Montana border. The Oedekovens have developed cattle that they are very passionate about. Photo courtesy of Memories by Ella

Livestock Auction.

Female focused Since they rely on AI, the basis of their operation is the mother cows.

“One of the events we participate in is the NILE Merit Heifer program,” David says. “We have a pretty aggressive goal of always finishing in the top five. Sometimes our heifers win it all, and other years they are number five, but we have never dropped below that. The competition is very competitive, so it is an important event for us.”

They also sell a few heifers at the Wyoming Angus Association Select Female sale in Casper each November. The rest are sold private treaty or retained in their herd as replacements.

“We have a lot of interest in our heifers, particularly from people who have

seen what our heifers have done in the NILE Heifer program,” he says.

The Oedekovens also donate heifers from time to time to support 4-H beef projects in Sheridan County.

Although the bulk of their replacement heifers are raised, they still purchase some if they feel the heifers will add some fresh genetics to their herd. They are proud of their genetics, especially the Pathfinder-bred cows, which they take to Cow Country Genetics for flushing and embryo transplant.

“We want to keep some of those heifers for replacements because those are the cows we want to retain in the herd,” David explains.

Gayle Smith is a correspondent for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

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A16

Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Big Horn – “My great-grandfather was a remittance son. He was the youngest son, and in those days, they practiced what is called strict primogeniture,” says Paul Wallop, current owner of the Canyon Ranch.

In that system the oldest son receives the family title and wealth, the

younger sons typically join the military and clergy. As the youngest son, Oliver Henry Wallop received a remittance and set off for the land of opportunity.

“He came to the United States because he had no future in England,” Paul explains.

Oliver Henry Wallop served in the Wyoming

Canyon Ranch - Paul and Sandra Wallop manage a fourth generation ranch in Big Horn that has been in the family for 120 years.

Natasha Wheeler photo

State House of Representatives before he was eventually called back to England to serve as the eighth Earl of Portsmouth.

“His eldest son, Gerard, was born here in Wyoming on the Canyon Ranch in the American Frontier West in the late 1890s,” Paul says. “At age 13, he was put on a train in Miles City, Mont. and shipped back to England on a train for his education.”

Passing it down Gerard studied at Oxford, spent 20 years on coffee plantations in Kenya and became the ninth Earl of Portsmouth.

His younger brother, Oliver, stayed in Wyoming to manage Canyon Ranch.

“Oliver handed over management to Malcolm Wallop, who was a U.S. senator, and Malcolm gave management to Paul,” Paul’s wife Sandra explains.

“In the ranching business, we are selling grass,” Paul says. “It doesn’t matter how we are selling it on the backs of our cows, or someone else’s, as hay or for wildlife. Our inventory is the grass and that is what we are protecting and managing,” Paul states.

He explains that grass is sold in hay or grazing, through the product of cows or in the value of managing wildlife. The Canyon Ranch in Big Horn has capitalized on their

Spotlight on Genetics

grass in many ways.

“We lease all of the grazing now to the neighboring ranch,” comments Sandra.

Canyon Ranch has also seen many other usages in the last 120 years.

“We’ve been in the horse business, the cattle business and the recreation business,” Paul points out.

Horses Before they started raising cattle, Canyon Ranch bought and sold horses for the U.S. and British cavalry.

“The horse industry used to be based in military use,” Paul explains.

The Wallop family and the neighboring Moncreiffe brothers received a contract with the British cavalry to sell the Queen horses for the Boer War. “Ultimately, over 20,000 horses were shipped out of here to South Africa,” Paul comments.

Paul adds that the military horses were the beginning of polo in the area.

“As part of their training, the cavalry would come up from Cheyenne and other places to play polo,” he says.

As a result, the Big Horn Polo Club is the oldest continuously running polo club in the country.

Canyon Ranch bred some of the top horses in the country. They bought horses from many different places and also received the top thoroughbred from England as a gift from Oliver Henry’s father, the seventh Earl of Portsmouth.

Raising bulls Most recently, grass on the ranch has been managed for wildlife and registered Angus bulls.

Paul’s grandfather

began to focus on cattle after WWII, when the military started mechanizing and the remount program collapsed.

Before the ranch got into the business of recreation, they ran registered Herefords.

“My grandfather did very well with that,” Paul notes.

A show barn from the era still stands on the Canyon Ranch.

Later, Sandra developed a registered herd of Angus bulls.

“I loved selling bulls,” comments Sandra.

She adds that she enjoyed keeping a registered herd and all of the learning that goes along with it.

“I did the selections, evaluations of the EPDs and purchasing of cattle while Paul did all of the work,” she says.

Sandra also credits John Carrel of Pine Coulee Beef in Montana for helping her to understand and structure her seedstock business.

“We were setting out to improve the beef industry and provide quality animals, so producers can raise quality beef,” she says.

The herd’s maternal line predominately originated from Everelda Entense, and sires were chosen to match the cows.

“What I always found fascinating was that our EPDs actually translated to what we got on the plate in the quality of the beef. That’s how it all tied together for me as a seedstock producer,” Sandra

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explains. “We weren’t just looking at a bunch of numbers that don’t make any sense. We selected bulls based on specific traits.

It all ultimately ends up helping the beef producer raise a more quality product.”

Wildlife While managing grass for the bulls, Canyon Ranch also managed for wildlife.

Sandra notes, “In the most recent decades, the biggest group of livestock we’ve had are pheasants.”

In the mid-80s, Paul and his grandfather began a driven pheasant shoot.

They also began a guide service, taking people fishing in the summer months.

“In England, gamekeepers can apprentice to learn how to raise birds, keep them in the wild and get them set up for shoots,” Paul explains.

He spent a few months with his uncle, the Earl of Carnarvon, as an apprentice at Highclere Castle, learning how to care for the birds at Canyon Ranch.

“We had a replenishment program. We would hunt an area and then leave it for two weeks. Right after we hunted it, we would put more birds in so we always had a two-week rotation,” he says. “We hunted every week.”

The rotation gave the pheasants time to establish themselves and acclimate to their environment.

“Canyon Ranch did the driven pheasant shoots for 30 years,” Sandra says.

The ranch also received Orvis endorsement for their fly-fishing lodge.

“We’ve had an international reputation in horses, a great reputation in cattle and a national reputation in the recreation business,” states Paul. “It takes a little while, but we get good at what we’re doing. Then we figure out something else.”

Natasha Wheeler is editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at natasha@wylr.net.

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A17

2015 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

“Mammoth hunting had gone on in the valley below these peaks for many years,” comments Judy Slack, manager of the Wyoming Room at the Sheridan County Fulmer Public Library.

Later, the land was inhabited by Native Americans who subsisted on plums, gooseberries, choke cherries, wild onions, buffalo berries, huckleberries, deer, bear, geese, fish, buffalo, elk, grouse and duck.

“They also made a perfect food called pemmican,” states Judy.

“Used for many years, it was made out of dried meat, pounded fruits and fat or tallow,” she explains.

European settlers Domestic animals arrived with the settlers, initially brought over from Europe.

“The pioneers brought them in the 1860s and 70s,” Judy says. “The pioneers came in wagon trains earlier than that.”

The first trail herds going through Wyoming were documented in 1867.

Milk cows and chickens arrived with them.

She continues, “People also had big gardens early on.”

One young woman’s diary outlined her family’s production, which included

corn, peas, potatoes, chickens and plums.

“The Dows planted one of the first orchards in what is now Sheridan County,” she adds.

They raised apples, pears, cherries and plums from the trees they planted in 1881.

Another resident was J.O. Willits, whose decedents are still in the county today.

“He had Peking ducks, potatoes, pumpkins, squash, onions, cabbage, beets, rutabagas, watermelons, turnips and celery,” Judy says.

Planting grains In Sheridan County, the first settlers arrived in 1878, and in February 1879, a man made a trip to Cheyenne to bring the first plow back to the area.

“It took him a month to go down and come back,” Judy says.

It was a cold trip with bad roads, she explains. He stayed in some roadhouses or with ranchers along the way, but he often had to camp out through the night to make the trip for his plow.

“It was a grain drill, and he used it to plant corn,” she notes.

A biography of George Beck refers to the stone grinders and mill he purchased, with the first batch of flour being produced at

Beckton Roller Mills in 1885.

Wheat was another major commodity in Sheridan County.

“Eventually, Sheridan grew a lot of wheat,” Judy continues. “We had wheat that took first place in the 1892 World’s Fair in Chicago from Big Horn.”

On the south end of Sheridan stands a large concrete building that was built in 1923 to hold wheat after the original mill burnt down.

“It started out as Denio Milling Company and then it became Best Out West,” Judy says.

The company produced wheat cereal, biscuit dough and donut, pancake and waffle flour.

“I remember Best Out West in my house the whole time I was growing up,” she comments.

In 1934, Sheridan Flouring Mill was the largest employer, and there were 13 grain elevators between Hardin and Gillette.

The flour mill closed in 1972.

Dairy Early on, Judy continues, “There were six dairies in Sheridan County and one creamery.”

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Big Horn was his home for about a year before he moved to Buffalo.

“Brown provided food to Fort McKinney,” Judy explains. “He found that Fort McKinney was where he could sell most of his goods.”

He was known for the cheese he made and aged in local caves.

“Thirty-five head of cows came with him from Minnesota,” she continues.

Brown, she adds, eventually moved back to Big Horn, after making strong comments as a commissioner during the Johnson County Cattle Wars. Both he and his daughter made it onto the hit list.

By 1950, there remained only one creamery, located at 140 South Main Street, but the number of dairies increased to 50.

“In the late 50s, we had 69 milk producers,” she says.

“Each one of the dairies in the community would take their turn, one day a week, to bring their milk into the Jersey Creamery.”

The onset of refrigeration closed the small dairies down.

“Refrigerator trucks would go to the major dairies to pick up milk, and eventually Jersey Creamery had to shut down,” she says.

The creamery shut its doors in 1975.

Industrial production In addition to the wheat mills and dairy processing facilities, other indus-

trial plants thrived during the early and middle 1900s.

“The sugarbeet factory started in 1915,” notes Judy.

Sugarbeets were raised into the 40s, and the pulp from the factory was fed to sheep and calves.

“It was a great supplement because it was free to the farmers and ranchers.

They just had to haul it,” she explains.

The sugarbeet factory closed in 1947. However, sugarbeets continued to be raised in the area and were transported out of the county for processing.

“In 1953, there was a potato chip factory here, and I was raised on Spud Snack potato chips,” she says.

That factory closed in the late 60s after operating for about 15 years.

Garber Potato Farm raised potatoes for the school district and local grocery stores when Judy was young, as well.

“They sacked them in 100 pound sacks,” she adds.

Meat production In 1885, the first Wyoming fair was held in the county and two pages worth of certificates were given.

“The different poultry divisions included chickens, turkeys, ducks, pigeons and eagles,” Judy states.

“Another thing that saved a lot of people in the 20s and 30s was turkey production,” she says.

Children would be excused from school so boys

could help with butchering and girls could clean and de-feather the birds.

“When I was a young girl in the late 50s, I know there was a turkey farm close to Big Horn,” she comments.

But Judy doesn’t remember many turkey farms in the area after that. She says that most of the production moved toward cows, pigs and sheep.

Legerski’s Meats survived for nearly 100 years.

“They were the only USDA certified meat processor in the state of Wyoming for a long time,” Judy says.

In the late 90s, the meat processor closed. It has since been reopened by a younger generation, but the USDA certification has not been restored.

Today Now, major production is limited. Alfalfa, cows and horses dominate the agriculture market for the area. But more variety can be found in small gardens and backyards.

“People still raise potatoes and corn in Sheridan County, as well as cantaloupe and watermelons,” she says.

Honey and strawberries have also persisted in the area.

Judy states, “Sheridan County has always been a big ag producing county.”

Natasha Wheeler is editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. She can be contacted at natasha@wylr.net.

A18

Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Dayton – Homer and Mildred Scott founded Padlock Ranch in 1943 with some land on the Tongue River outside of Dayton.

“They started fairly humbly and, over time, they’ve expanded to what our ranch is today – over 450,000 acres with nearly 11,000 cows,” says CEO Trey Patterson.

“They are in their second, third, and now fourth generation of ownership.”

The operation, which straddles the Wyoming-Montana border north of Sheridan, holds its base in a cow/calf herd, but they also run a farm and feedlot that are integral to the business.

“We use our farm products, primarily forages, to grow calves from our ranch units,” Trey says. “We feed the calves to yearling weights and sell them in the spring.

The farm and feedlot are very integrated with the cow/calf

operation.”

Systems approach Padlock Ranch approaches the ranching business from a systems approach.

“We account for the various enterprises separately, but the synergy of the system makes it work for us,” Trey says.

The Angus-based cowherd on Padlock Ranch utilizes crossbred bulls to harness the positive impacts of heterosis.

“From the cow/calf standpoint, we are trying to produce a mature cow that is expected to run out most of the year without being fed hay,” he continues. “It depends on the year, but usually we can accomplish that.”

The later calving season helps to accomplish that due to the stage of gestation cows are in during the winter.

During rough years, Trey says the feedlot provides flex-

ibility to feed more cows and market calves at lighter weights.

The farm produces hay and corn for silage, which provides the base for the growing ration used in the feedlot.

“We use the hay to augment the corn silage, and we buy grains to feed with that,” Trey explains. “We also feed hay to young stock. First-calf heifers are fed hay in the wintertime.”

“We try to raise enough hay and corn to sustain the operation,” he continues. “We buy some extra corn locally and purchase distiller’s grains from South Dakota to supplement the rations.”

Production strategies Each year, cows begin calving in May and June.

Beginning in July, cows are bred by natural service, and heifers are artificially inseminated. In October, Novem-

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ber and December, calves are weaned into the feedlot.

“We get the calves into the feedlot and start pregnancy testing cows in November,” he says. “After that, we move into our spring marketing.”

During the winter months, cows are run on the range to keep costs down.

From February to May, calves are shipped, and the process starts again.

Padlock uses a special program with their heifers to help improve the herd.

“We try to keep costs down in developing replacement females,” Trey explains.

A portion of the replacement heifers run in the same conditions they are expected to run as a mature cow.

Because of their later breeding period, they are able to run with just modest supplement during the winter months.

Marketing focus “Marketing is not a by-product of running cows,” Trey says. “We have an intentional goal, and marketing is a huge part of what we do.”

Padlock Ranch places an emphasis on quality, which is reflected in their management.

“We are trying to get a cowherd that that produces calves that are high value,” he continues.

One strategy they have used for marketing is tied back to their heifers.

“We breed all of our firstcalf heifers to Wagyu bulls,” Trey explains. “Those bulls tend to throw calves that calve easy, so we can range calve our heifers and eliminate the need for calving barns.”

“We have a high-value, premium calf that was born from a heifer,” he says. “We are able to produce a very marketable animal.”

Keeping in the business “The continual challenge of dealing with the complicated interactions between

Wagyu calves - Padlock Ranch breeds the first-calf heifers to Wagyu bulls every year. The strategy allows the operation to capture the calving ease from the bulls while also producing a high-quality, marketable calf. Saige Albert photo

livestock, land, the environment and people is a continuum of opportunity and challenges,” Trey says. “It is really exciting for me.”

Padlock Ranch strives to sustain the historic, western traditions of the ranching industry while embracing technology to take advantage of the future.

Horses are used in the majority of the cattle work for efficiency and to keep the traditional western culture flourishing on the ranch.

At the same time, they have also implemented the use of electronic identification, as well as other technology, to provide in-depth records on their cattle.

Focus on the future The well-planned and intentional management of Padlock Ranch is focused on the future for the business and the agriculture industry.

“We want to be finan-

cially excellent and be good stewards of the land that we are running,” Trey explains.

“Our goal is to have our range in stable to improving condition. We want to be an integral member of our community and area.”

The ability to sustain the ranch through the next generation is important, so Padlock Ranch works to develop excellence in their cattle, staff and community to develop the legacy of the Scott family.

“The Scott family is engrained in having strong businesses with good people,” Trey says. “They are both profit driven and conservation-minded, and it is our ultimate goal to provide and support their legacy on the ranch.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr.net.

Conservation Conservation is an important aspect of Padlock Ranch’s operations.

One important aspect of conservation is range and grazing management “We look at the range plants as being the factories, and the soil is the capital that fuels the factory,” he says. “We try to take care of that by paying attention to nutrient cycles and timing of grazing.”

Their planned, time-controlled grazing system utilizes larger herds of cattle that graze for shorter periods of time, allowing the pastures to rest after use.

“If we are intentional about managing grazing, we can improve the range,” he says.

They have also worked to improve the Tongue River by removing riff-raff from the river and installing natural features to reduce erosion and improve the stream’s function.

2015 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

A19

A20

Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Lisco & M Diamond Angus

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Section B

Big Horn – In the 1950s, Mike and Orrin Connell’s father purchased a ranch outside of Big Horn.

“My dad, J. Robert Connell, bought the home ranch in 1957,” says Mike. “He was a veterinarian. We bought this place in 1976.”

Today, Mike, Orrin and Mike’s son Jeff run their operation, JC Ranch, Inc. The Connells run Angus-Amerifax cattle and strive to develop a herd that supports all three families.

Unique breed One integral part of Connell’s cow/calf operation is the Amerifax bloodlines in the herd “Amerifax was a breed developed in the 1960s,” describes Mike. “Two bachelor brothers decided they wanted better black cattle, so they toured Europe. Behind a barn, they found cattle – Beef Friesians – that were used for work and meat. The brothers brought some semen back and started fiddling with it.”

After a while, the brothers developed a cow that was three-eighths Beef Friesian and five-eighths Angus. It was also black and polled.

“The Amerifax breed ran in percentages,” Mike continues. “We bought half interest to a three-quarter blood bull in the late 60s. Our herd today has a small percentage of Amerifax running around in it.”

Improved cattle The idea behind Amerifax cattle is to improve the disposition and mothering qualities of the black cattle.

“The Friesans put a bigger pelvis in the black cattle, and they were more quiet,” Mike says. “Disposition is important for me. I’m too old to get smashed against the wall or to jump over fences. We want quiet cattle. They gain better, and everyone is striving for good disposition.”

Though they are quieter cattle, he notes that they haven’t lost their mothering ability or protective nature.

“They give us a minute to tag the calf and check it out,

but they will fight a coyote and protect their calves,” Mike adds.

“The Amerifax bloodlines still run faintly in our herd, and we’ve been holding onto it for years,” he says.

Production “We start calving around Feb. 15 and go through March and April,” explains Jeff, noting that while they are typically finished by the end of April, the family doesn’t necessarily immediately cull late calvers. “We have some deep lineages that we want to keep around. We look at the cow and her records before we decide what to cull.”

Cows are kept for an average of 10 years, and first-calf heifers and second-calf cows are given the chance to be productive later in life.

At calving, every calf is given a vaccination and is rated.

“Every calf is watched at calving,” Jeff says. “We are by no means perfect, but we feel like we have a duty to these cows. We put everything we have into our calves to make sure they can survive.”

“We do everything in our ability to give the calves a good running start,” adds Mike.

Summer schedule Calving is followed by branding. Then, cows are moved to outer pastures until July, when they are trailed up to the mountain. The Connells have held Forest Service allotments for many years in the Big Horns.

“We have grazing leases on the mountains, and our cows have to fight everything from four-wheelers and people to wolves,” Jeff says.

“They are smart mothers, though, and they do well.”

“Orrin handles all of our Forest Service allotments,” comments Jeff, adding that the cattle utilize their mountain pastures efficiently, due to strategic placement of salt and mineral by Orrin.

During the summer months, the family also puts up several hundred tons of hay into small square bales. The

Polo ponies Along with their cattle business, the Connell family is also involved in Big Horn’s thriving polo industry.

“Big Horn is booming in polo right now,” says Jeff Connell, the third generation of JC Ranch, Inc. “My mother, Perk Connell, and Uncle Orrin raise polo ponies.”

For the last 35 years, Perk has been involved with raising horses for the polo industry, and Jeff says, “Mom has always raised polo horses. She moved up here 32 years ago with my father and has kept at it.”

When the couple moved to Big Horn, Perk was able to expand her operation and worked to train young horses and rehabilitate injured animals.

“It takes a long time and a lot of horses to build an operation,” says Jeff, but Perk and Orrin have both succeeded in raising successful horses for the polo industry.

Perk brands her horses with a CA, while Orrin’s are branded with a lightning bolt.

The polo industry has brought with it an influx of people to Big Horn, who began buying land and building a house and barn for their horses.

Jeff notes, “A lot of the polo people are gone after the summer, but they really support the economy.”

hay is primarily used in their accompanying polo horse operation.

“We buy pretty much all of our cow hay because the horse operation has gotten so big,” Jeff says. “We buy more hay than we need, just to make sure we have enough.”

Coming home “In September, we precondition all the calves. The steers are sold mid-October right off the cow, and the heifers are weaned at the same time. The heifers are sold 45 days after weaning,” Mike says. “We keep 100 to 150 replacements every year.”

“We try to produce the best set of steer calves to offer our buyers that we can,” Mike adds.

Additionally, every third year, bull calves are kept.

Their strategy is to maintain some line breeding and the Amerifax genetics.

Cattle are grazed through November and begin receiving hay sometime in December, depending on feed conditions.

“Dad is really good at understanding the feed rations and mixing the ration to fit the right stage of pregnancy,” Jeff says. “I’m getting better and learning from him as I go.”

Changing, challenging industry While they have sold off some cattle during the difficult economic years, Jeff says the family is beginning to rebuild their herd now, despite the challenges they face.

“The world has changed from the 50s and 60s when we started here,” says Mike. “The people have changed, and the business has changed.”

On top of the changes, a number of challenges impact JC Ranch, Inc.

“The urban interface here is a challenge,” Mike says, noting that people don’t understand the agriculture industry or best management practices that go along with the industry.

Jeff adds, “Because of the weather and the scenery, Sheridan attracts more of a population that is not always ag-oriented. Some have gone as far as talking against what we do.”

Aside from the human challenges, some pest challenges, such as weevils and grasshoppers, pop up from time to time.

Getting involved To combat the challenges and changes in the cattle industry, the Connells have stayed involved.

“I’m on several advisory boards,” Mike says. “I was on the planning and zoning board, and I’m on several ditch boards and am president of our largest reservoir company.”

Mike is also on the predator management board and weed and pest board for the county. Jeff serves on the volunteer fire department, and Orrin is involved in the conservation district.

“We have to stay involved,” Mike adds.

Continuing to ranch The Connells plan to continue ranching as long as they can.

“As long as I can get into a tractor and be productive, I’ll keep this up,” Mike says.

“I’m glad I’ve lived long enough to see the industry get to this point.”

“Sheridan is a magic place,” he adds. “It has always been an unbelievable community, and lots of great people live here. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr.net.

B2

Sheridan – Just outside of Sheridan in the early 1900s, a man named Waldo Forbes developed the Red Angus breed. Today, Red Angus cattle continue to graze the land where the breed originated under the direction of Waldo’s son Cam Forbes at Beckton Red Angus.

“One of the first homesteaders here was a man by the name of George Beck,” explains Cam. Beck, a surveyor and engineer, wanted to make his life out West, so he left a job with the railroad in the late 1870s and settled near Sheridan.

Cam says, “Beck homesteaded here in 1878, and my great-uncle bought what he had put together in 1898.”

Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Modest beginning After purchasing the land, the Forbes family began to expand and acquire small homesteads from the area.

“My father moved out here in the 1930s,” Cam continues. “He gathered ownership from his other family, consolidated the ranch and made it Beckton Stock Farm.”

“He was the one who had the idea of developing Red Angus cattle,” he adds.

Cam notes that his father was a forward-thinking man who helped change the industry.

Building a breed In the mid-1900s, Red Angus cattle were considered “throw-away” animals that were a by-product of the development of the Black

Angus breed.

“If two Black Angus cattle carried the recessive red gene, they have a 25 percent chance of getting a red calf,” Cam explains. “The red calves were cull calves and couldn’t be registered in the American Angus Association.”

He continues, “My father saw, in many cases, that they were really good calves, and because it is a recessive red color gene, they would breed true and never produce a black calf.”

In 1945, Waldo began purchasing red calves from Black Angus breeders throughout the United States.

“Word got around that he was looking for red calves, and prominent Angus breeders would call him when they

had a good one,” Cam comments, noting that they soon had a herd of Red Angus cattle.

Beckton Stock Farms became the foundation herd for the Red Angus breed, and after the death of Waldo Forbes, his wife Sally continued running the operation.

Coming back After college, Cam joined his older brother on the farm.

“I came back in the mid 1970s,” he says. “My mother did the marketing and promotion all through the 80s, and my brother liked the books, records and computer systems.”

When Cam came on as co-manager of the operation in the 80s, he took over most of the outdoor work related to the cattle. His brother resigned as manager in the mid-80s, and Cam took over.

Beckton today Beckton Red Angus continues to run Red Angus cattle today, selling their regis-

tered bulls every year in an early-April sale.

“By February and March, we are planning for our bull sale,” Cam says. “Historically, that is when we generate the majority of our income. Our business is producing commercial bulls.”

At the same time they are planning the sale, they are also calving.

“April is always a very busy time,” he says.

After the sale, they deliver bulls and return to the ranch for breeding season.

Breeding strategy The operation uses a unique breeding strategy with the goal of seeking true EPDs that reflect the abilities of their bulls.

“Unlike a lot of ranches, we still do most of our breed-

ing natural service,” Cam explains. “We have a lot of small pastures that can hold 40 or 50 cows with a bull.”

“We try to keep the cows in a single pasture with a bull so we can get everything bred to a known sire,” he adds.

Typically about 10 percent of their females are artificially inseminated if they want to utilize an outside sire or older sire for their genetics.

Beckton Red Angus also uses almost entirely random mating.

“Our entire older cowherd is randomly mated,” Cam explains. “They are gate cut and put in pastures. Bulls are put in randomly.”

In addition to the simplicity of management, the strategy allows more statistically accurate EPDs. Planned mat-

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2015 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Continued from previous page ings, explains Cam, can skew data, for example, when low birth weight bulls are put in with high birth weight cows.

“We want our best cows and worst cows to have an equal chance with every bull,” he says. “The only exception is with some yearling heifers, where we intentionally do some half-sibling matings to test for genetic defects.”

The strategy has worked well, and Cam also notes that they have been lucky and avoided genetic issues within the herd.

Selection In selecting bulls, they try to select bulls from within the herd for a balance of traits to best benefit their customer – commercial cattle producers from around the nation.

“We are not after maximizing yearling weights, and

we are not after minimizing birth weights,” he says.

By selecting against every cow that has a calf over 90 pounds, Cam notes that they have effectively capped their birth weight, which is good for the herd.

He adds, “People buy our bulls because they are highly productive but moderate in size, and they produce moderate cows and calves.”

Developing bulls After breeding, the cows are trailed to the mountain.

In September, bull calves are weaned. They are developed in central Nebraska.

“We first took the bulls to Nebraska in 1979,” says Cam. “Our soil and feed conditions are not good here in northern Wyoming.”

He notes they typically cull 40 percent of the bulls.

“It made more sense to

take the calves to Nebraska when they weighed less and feed them there,” he says. “We bring the bulls to sell back up here and ship the calves to the feedlot from down there and are able to collect carcass data using nearby packers.”

The next steps “I’ve been really lucky,” Cam says. “It has been great to live here.”

If one of the next generation decides to come back to help on the operation, he says he would welcome their interest.

“Wyoming is a beautiful place,” Cam comments.

“With a family ranch, I’ve had the luxury of being able to be here and control and manage this operation. I like it, and there are lots of opportunities.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr.net.

Selling bulls - Every year Beckton Red Angus holds a bull sale at the beginning of April. The Red Angus cattle are known as the number one herd for stayability, calving ease and low maintenance energy requirements. At the same time, Beckton bulls are leaders in total rate of growth, from birth to market weight. Courtesy photo

Forming an association In 1954, seven breeders from around the country met in Texas to create the Red Angus Association of America. They developed a set of bylaws and elected leadership, also drawing numbers to determine the order of registry.

In forming the Association, rules were laid out to mandate performance testing for cattle and to accept open artificial insemination.

“These were progressive ideas at the time,” Cam Forbes of Beckton Red Angus comments.

“My father died shortly after the Association was formed in late 1956,” he continues.

“It was really my mother, Sally Forbes, who implemented my father’s ideas through the 50s and 60s.”

Sally Forbes played an integral role in many aspects of the cattle industry.

“She trademarked the name Regus cattle, which was a seven-eighths Red Angus, one-eighth Hereford cross,” Cam says. “The crossbreeding with Herefords improved the Hereford breed and produced an excellent range cow.”

Beckton Red Angus still has some Regus cattle today, which are branded differently from but managed identically to their purebred Red Angus cattle.

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B4

Sheridan – “We wanted a good tomato in February, and that’s how we got started,” says Brad Holliday of Holliday Family Farms.

Fruit, vegetables and chickens raised on the farm are all delivered locally to Sheridan and Dayton.

“We’re working with the school district, delivering produce to them every

Wyoming Livestock Roundup

week. We deliver to the hospitals, the Branding Iron Café and a couple of health stores in town, and we sell direct to people, as well,” states Brad.

In the winter months, the farm grows cherry and slicer tomatoes, green and red bell peppers, carrots, chard, kale, spinach and radishes.

“During the summer, we have a lot more variety,” he says.

Nearly half an acre is dedicated to strawberries and raspberries.

Chickens “We also do pastured poultry and free-range chicken. We did about 700 chickens last year,” Brad explains.

The chickens are delivered in batches throughout the summer as two-day-old

chicks from a hatchery in Oregon. They are sent out onto grass at about three weeks old.

“We raise and process them ourselves. We are a state-inspected facility as far as processing, so we do it all in house here,” he says.

The farm raises Cornish-cross chickens, which are a white meat variety with a rapid growth rate.

“They get a bad rap because these are the birds people see in the cages. But if we pay attention to where we buy our birds from and if we get them out on grass early on, they run around on grass just like any other

Learning curve

Growing tomatoes - Brad Holliday is capable of growing produce year-round. The warm side of his greenhouse is dominated by tomato plants. Natasha Wheeler photo

Brad Holliday explains that he would use a different greenhouse design if he were to start over again.

“These aren’t really set up for what we are doing. There is a lot of extra space that we are heating this time of year,” he says.

The greenhouses he utilizes were originally used for nursery and potted plants at the polo ranch in Big Horn.

“They were going to knock them down and bury them.

We were in the process of looking for greenhouses at the time, so we salvaged these,” explains Brad.

chicken,” Brad explains.

The chickens are moved every day, so manure doesn’t build up.

“If we’re smelling the manure, it’s a management issue. It’s my fault, not the chickens’,” he states.

Year-round growing Although chickens are only produced on the farm in the summer, Brad grows produce all year. His greenhouse is split in to two sides, with cool-growing plants on one side and warm-growing plants on the other.

“We don’t run heaters on the cold side because we don’t need to,” he says.

Kale, Swiss chard, spinach, carrots, radishes and greens are grown on the cooler side. Spinach, carrots and radishes are rotated through different beds.

“Once it’s up and growing, we pick kale and chard every week. We don’t have to keep re-planting it,” he explains.

Herbs such as basil and rosemary are grown on the warm side of the greenhouse, and tomatoes fill the room.

“We change out the oldest rows in batches, so we always have some in production,” he says.

The farm produces nearly 300 pounds of large tomatoes every week.

Challenges of vegetables One of the biggest challenges faced by the farm is the day length in the winter.

“We’ve had a really good winter this year. Last winter was so dark. Days where it’s bright out but there is cloud cover are not the same as when the sun is shining,” Brad notes.

The plants are supplemented with lights that go on early and stay on late.

“I would like to keep them on longer, but with respect for the neighbors, I don’t because the lights are pretty bright,” he says.

Propane is used to heat the greenhouse, and if one heater goes out during a cold spell, an entire crop can be lost overnight.

“It’s a minimum of 90 days before we can start production, so it takes awhile to get back up again. We lose three or four months,” Brad continues.

Experience Brad notes that the farm has learned a lot.

“We have learned some things not to do, and we have learned some things that work well,” he continues.

Watermelons and cantaloupe have not been successful. Peppers do well if the summer stays hot, and sweet corn is hit-or-miss.

“We struggle with spring cabbage,” Brad says.

But in the fall, cabbage does really well.

“Green beans, carrots, eggplant, a lot of squashes – like spaghetti squash, butternut squash and pumpkins – do well,” he continues.

Strawberries, raspberries, potatoes and onions are also successful.

“We can pick a whole lot of onions by hand in a hurry, but we have to dig potatoes. We aren’t going to do a whole lot of potatoes until we get some equipment,” Brad says.

Markets All of the farm’s production is done with organic management in mind. They use a lot of straw, organic matter from the chicken coops for fertilizer, crop rotation, ladybugs and fine netting to keep insects out.

“We are not certified organic because we are not interested in the paperwork that goes along with it,” Brad comments.

He enjoys being a local producer and building a rapport with his customers.

“People want this kind of food – non-GMO and organically grown.

It’s important to them,” he explains.

Brad continues to describe his customers as anything but stereotypical.

“When we’re at the farmers’ market and we see who comes out and buys from us, it runs the gamut from the rich to the poor, the athletic to the not-somuch,” he notes.

School lunch program Brad also provides produce for the schools.

“They were unhappy with the federal program, so they came to us on a trial basis,” he says.

Middle schools and high schools in Tongue River’s Sheridan School District Number One are now buying produce from the Holliday Family Farms, as well as products from other local producers.

“We are looking forward to next year and talking about what we can grow here that will work for them, so that we can expand it,” he continues.

Farm operations Brad notes that he has to do a little bit of everything on the farm.

“I am the marketing manager and the boss, and I have to go out and pick between planting and get dirty like everybody else. Then I have to clean up, run to town and try to make sales calls. It’s a variety of things, but I really like that,” he says.

After working for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, he now serves his own business full-time.

Brad comments, “I left the agency four or five years ago, and I haven’t looked back. It’s kind of been a whirlwind, but we jumped in with both feet, and here we are.”

Natasha Wheeler is editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. She can be contacted at natasha@wylr.net.

B5

2015 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Arvada – The tough country north of Arvada is home to Kretschman Angus, owned by Kelby and Lacey Kretschman.

The family runs registered Black Angus cattle along the Powder River and strives for moderate, useable cattle.

“I like raising cattle, and it is something I’ve done my whole life,” says Kelby, a third generation rancher. “We leased this place seven years ago, and we’ve been raising our own cows for the last 15 years. We started in the registered business seven years ago.”

When they purchased their own cows, Kelby says that he and his brother Kale invested in a herd from a dispersion sale in Livingston, Mont.

“We bought Angus cows and split them as they went down the alley late one night,” he explains. “That got us going because we had enough calves to really start selling them.”

Kretschman Angus has grown and developed, and today, they look to raise bulls that will work for producers.

“We are trying to raise an animal that will function in this country,” he explains.

“The Powder River breaks are pretty, but this is tough country. We need a really moderate cow that can raise big calves.”

“The bottom line is, we raise our cattle honestly,” says Lacey.

Starting with calves Feb. 15 marks the beginning of calving season for Kretschman Angus. Heifers are calved through a barn. On March 10, cows begin calving in a pasture near their home.

“The cows aren’t calved through the barn,” Kelby says.

“It gets a little tough that time of year, but they do really well.”

After calving, the family brands their cattle and moves into the breeding season.

“I do all of my own artificial insemination (AI),” he says. “We AI the heifers at the end of May and start the cows on June 10.”

After a summer of grazing, calves are preconditioned in August.

“We run everything on

Cattle that work - The Black Angus bulls produced by Kretschman Angus are range cattle that are able to survive in the harsh environment they are raised on. Kelby Kretschman says they are provided very little feed and supplement only in the winter months when snow and bitter cold settles into their area. Courtesy photo

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native grass,” Kelby says.

“We don’t use creep feed or anything.”

Calves are weaned and sold around Sept. 10. The family has developed a good relationship with a long-term buyer from the Midwest.

Registered calves are also weaned at the beginning of September.

“After we sell our calves, we try to stay out until the first of the year without feeding hay,” Kelby says.

When the snow gets too deep or feed is depleted, they begin to feed grass hay, which is also raised in irrigated pastures on the ranch.

“We do feed a little cake with our hay when we start feeding, but that’s about it,” Kelby comments. “Once they leave here in the spring, they are on grass.”

Environmental challenges In the area that Kretschman Angus is situated,

Kelby says the environment can be challenging.

“It is really cold here,” he says. “The cold air sits in this valley. We are usually 10 to 15 degrees colder than Arvada.”

“We have to have cattle that survive in this environment,” he continues. “It is cold and rough, but we still need good weaning weights.”

At the same time, the isolated nature of the area is a benefit for Kretschmans, and they enjoy their location.

Family operation Kelby and Lacey’s children, Shayna and Clancey, are integral in the day-today operation of Kretschman Angus. They help with every aspect of the cattle.

The Kretschmans note that the agriculture lifestyle is great for their family.

“I like dealing with cattle. I like the whole aspect of ranching. We do a lot of different things and aren’t ever stuck in a rut,” Kelby says.

“This is a good place to raise kids, too.”

Lacey adds, “It is important that our kids grow up and are knowledgeable about what

good cattle are.”

“The kids are both interested and have their own cows,” Kelby continues.

“They are learning about the business.”

A look forward Today, the Kretschman family sells their bulls each year at the Cowboy Classic Bull Sale held in March at the Buffalo Livestock Auction. The sale features animals from four producers around the area.

Kelby and Lacey want to

continue to grow their operation as they progress into the future, hoping to develop their own bull sale eventually.

“It has been tough to get started in this business, and Angus are tough to get started in,” Kelby says. “We have worked on finding our niche, and so far we’ve gotten good feedback.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr.net.

Family focused - The Kretschman family, including (from left to right) Shayna, Kelby, Lacey and Clancy, work together to develop their Angus bulls. Courtesy photo

B6

Sheridan – Don King began making saddles in 1946, and soon after, he opened King’s Saddlery.

What started as a saddle shop quickly developed into the best place around to find saddles, ropes and a variety of other items.

“Don King was one of the best saddlemakers in the country,” says Gary Mefford, who manages King’s rope shop. “He made saddles for the Professional Rodeo Cowboy’s Association (PRCA) for more the six years in the 1960s.”

Some of the saddles he made for the PRCA are on dislay at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and the PRCA Rodeo Hall of Fame.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Don was recognized for his work in many ways and was given many awards, including the Chester A. Reynolds Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, the National Heritage Fellowship for the Folk Arts from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Governor’s Quality Business Award from the state of Wyoming.

Along with saddles, Don began tying ropes for locals, an effort which has grown to the massive scale that it is today.

Don passed away in 2007, and his brothers John and Bob, who helped start the store, are also gone, but King’s Saddlery has continued to thrive.

“We are one of the larger rope manufacturer’s in the country,” Gary says.

Ropes Bob King, who passed in 2003, was responsible for the work that happened in King’s rope shop.

“Not only was he responsible for ordering the coils of nylon, grass or polypropylene rope and the nylon thread, which is twisted into rope, he also oversaw the making and treating of rope,” says the King’s Saddlery website, kingsaddlery.com.

King ropes are unique because of the way they are processed.

“Our ropes are aged and stretched, which takes some of the bounce and

the life out of them,” Gary explains. “Many companies make machinetwisted ropes. They are made straight and waxed straight.”

Gary comments that when ropes are waxed, they shrink.

“If we don’t pull the shrinkage back out, the hondus will turn,” he says.

“We take a lot of time to make sure everything is straight and correct.”

“However, we tie our ropes up and take them out to the ranch where we stretch them,” he continues. “That settles them down so they are easier to break in.”

King’s has used the process for over 40 years, and Gary emphasizes that it is heat, tension and time that creates the superior product they offer today.

Stretching ropes “We can put 250 coils

on at a time,” he says. “We have a pipe at one end of the field, and we stretch the ropes out and tie them off to another pipe.”

The ropes are stretched for anywhere from three days to three months, depending on the environment.

“After we stretch a rope, we come back and tie the knots and the hondus,” Gary adds. “The stretching helps the hondus to stay straight.”

The process also means that ropes are more consistent.

“We can’t always make everyone happy, but we

put more time and effort into our processing than many other companies just to make sure our ropes are high quality and straight,” he says.

Other aspects In addition to the ropes, King’s offers a full-service leather shop. John King, who passed away in 2001, was the saddlemaker at King’s for many years.

“We can do leather repairs and build leather items,” Gary explains.

“The leather repair man also builds custom saddles.”

“We probably sell more caps than we do anything,”

Full line of tack - King’s Saddlery offers a full lineup of tack for producers, and cowboys from across the West are known to visit King’s for their supplies. Saige Albert photo

B7

2015 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Continued from previous page he adds. “We have a full line of tack and a western gift shop, as well.”

Visiting King’s Gary has been working at King’s Saddlery since he was a sophomore in high school. He worked parttime after school and while he was going to Sheridan College. After he graduated, he started working at the store full-time.

“I love to rope, so I like it here,” he says of King’s.

Sheridan also offers a great location for King’s, says Gary, though they do see some challenges.

“We are limited because of our short summers,” he explains. “If we were down south, we could stretch more ropes, but up here we only get about

three to four months of summer.”

The heat of the summer is necessary for stretching the ropes.

However, Gary says, “Sheridan is good to us.”

The laid-back nature of the small town is something he enjoys, and they have a good location.

“In the summer months, we get a lot of rodeos around here, and a lot of cowboys come through Sheridan,” he says. “The WYO Rodeo is one of the bigger rodeos in the area, and Cheyenne Frontier Days is right after that.”

Gary adds, “The cowboys know where to find us.”

Working toward the future Bruce King is one of

the owners of King’s and oversees all the operations.

With Gary, Dan Morales makes rope on their rope machines and oversees the stretching process.

King’s also employs 25 to 30 people, and in the summer, they occasionally hire additional help to handle the influx of customers.

The majority of King’s Saddlery’s business is in ropes, and Gary mentions that they sell around 30,000 ropes every year. Nearly 80 percent of the business is mail order, and the company also provides wholesale products to stores around the country.

“Our products go all over the world,” he says.

“We ship to Europe, South Africa and Australia, as well as other places.”

Their top-of-the-line product continues to draw customers to the store.

“Over the next 10 years, we’ll just keep going,” Gary says. “We saw the economy affect us in the last four or five years, but now it’s going the other direction.

We’re going to keep going and doing what we do best.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr. net.

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B8

Sheridan – While many ranchers trail cows into the Bighorn Mountains in the summer months, Dana Kerns is not only bringing cows, he’s bringing a whole herd of people along. The Double Rafter Ranch cattle drives offer real-life cowboy adventures to people from all over the world.

Pioneering family The Kerns family

Wyoming Livestock Roundup

homesteaded in the Sheridan area in 1887. The family was trailing cattle to graze in the the Bighorn Mountains before the Bighorns were national forest.

“We may have been the first people to graze cattle in the mountains. We believe there may have been a theory that the mountain grass wasn’t very good,” Dana Kerns explains. “However,

Tips for guests For those ranchers thinking of adding a dude business to their operation, Dana Kerns offers advice.

Patience is necessary, he says, adding, “If people yell and scream a lot, don’t take in guests.”

Go with the flow, Dana adds. If someone does something wrong, laugh.

Reliable horses that don’t panic are important, as well.

Even though the dudes receive a list of what to bring, be ready. Have extra ground sheets, sleeping bags and flashlights.

Know that dudes want a high adventure experience, so be ready for everyone to be sore, dirty and happy.

we’re still grazing it 126 years later, so that means the grass must have some value.”

Dana explains that as the size of the ranch decreased over time, it became essential to think outside of the box. Like all family ranches, the property can only be split so many times down through the generations.

“We realized that to keep our family ranching, we would need to add another enterprise,” he adds.

Adding diversity Twenty-one years ago, we began taking paying guests along to trail our cows to the mountains.

People from all over the world come out to experience the life of a cowboy for a week,” Dana says.

“We do five trips each year

from July through late September. This opportunity is what allows us to make our land payment.”

When the cattle drives first started, the Kerns brothers, kids, nieces and nephews were all involved. However, as time went on and kids grew up and left, there weren’t as many family members to run the cattle drive.

Today, Dana, his son and wife primarily run the drive and hire out the rest of the help.

“Whoever takes a job here needs to be willing to switch around, though.

One day they might wrangle, the next, they might cook,” he says.

Guest operation The fifth-generation rancher points out that although taking in guests can help with the bottom line, it requires patience, the ability to be flexible and the nature to truly enjoy people.

“We keep in mind that people are buying this experience. This isn’t a nose-to-tail trip. We are actually taking cattle up the mountain, and a lot can happen that we haven’t planned for. We need to be able to adjust,” Kerns explains, adding that one needs to be able to read not only cattle but also the people. “We need to stay ahead of our guests and anticipate what might happen.”

On the registration form, guests are asked basic questions as to height, weight, gender and riding experience. Some of the guests might be experienced riders, while others are novices. Guests and horses are first matched up using that information. Dou-

ble Rafter has a clinician to go over riding and saddling fundamentals, and the time spent with the clinician ensures that everyone will have the horse and the tack that best suits them.

Horses range in age and experience, but the common denominator is they need to be agreeable to carry different riders up and down the mountain.

“A 15-year-old ranch gelding is the perfect choice, of course, but it’s hard to find those so we have a variety of ages and breeds. The 15-year-old gelding has had everything done to them that a cowboy can do, so packing a guest for a week is much easier than having one of the cowboys riding them. The horses need to be interchangeable for either our wranglers or our guests to ride,” Kerns says.

On the trail The rancher explains that once the group hits the trail they are outside for the duration of the drive.

“We are unique in that we’re not one of the dude ranches that bring people back to a cabin each evening. We camp on the trail. We break camp as needed,” he explains.

“A lot of the country we cover isn’t accessible by vehicles. We have no electricity, so we have to plan our meals accordingly.”

He continues, “We need to feed people three good meals each day. I always tell our guests they get fed three times a day and have all the mud and fresh air they can stand.”

When out on the trail, the cooks often use Dutch ovens.

“When 16-inch Dutch ovens are filled with food, they are heavy, around 40 pounds full, so it is a big

obstacle lugging those around. We usually try to keep equipment like that in our camps,” Kerns says.

“Our guests enjoy everything from spare ribs to barbecued steaks to tasty cobblers for dessert and all kinds of quiches for breakfast.”

The cooks start early, between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m.

Breakfast is served at 3:30 a.m., with horses gathered, saddled and the crew ready to ride by daylight.

If the Double Rafter Gator can’t make it into a camp with supplies, they take a pack string complete with six mules, six horses, which can be used as remounts, and lots of gear.

“It’s a lot of work to take the pack string, so we try to avoid it unless absolutely necessary,” Kerns says.

The horses Not only do the Kerns need to care for their guests, horse care is a necessity, as well.

“This is a marathon for the horses, and we are doing five of them in three months, so we do everything we can to prevent the horses from losing weight. We have a special feed mix and try to let them graze as much as possible when we’re done for the day. It’s important for a horse to keep weight on so they don’t get sore,” Kerns says. “We hope to use the same horse every day, but sometimes that doesn’t work out, so we do have extra horses along just in case.”

Heading up the mountain is like moving a small village. Not only do they take 20 guests and 45 head of horses, but five people to cook and four or five wranglers join the trek.

The wranglers’ job is the safety of the guests. And, of course, a herd of 300

Fifth generation - Dana Kerns continues to run his family's cattle and guest ranch, which was established in 1887. Courtesy photo

B9

2015 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Continued from previous page pairs is being moved along on the first trip. Another 100 pair with calves too young to walk come to the mountain later.

Cattle program “Because of our program, we don’t start calving until May,” Dana says.

“Calves can’t make this trip until they are at least three weeks old, so sometimes a cow will calve on the trail, and we’ll just have to leave them and pick them up on our next time through.”

“However, the guests are truly amazed at seeing the birthing process

and watching motherhood in it’s finest. We try to determine if a cow is close to calving and leave her behind, but sometimes they trick us. We’ll have cows and calves scattered around,” he explains.

Because Double Rafter Ranch calves late, as they find it cuts back on feed bills, they wean in December and January.

“We actually ran yearlings for a while instead of pairs, but that made for a really long fall,” Dana continues. “After the dude season, my son and I would be up in the moun-

tain trying to find yearlings until the snow got too deep, so we decided to go back to a cow/calf operation.”

Unique experience Kerns admits that taking in paying guests isn’t for everyone.

“One has to really like people. What I have found is regardless of where people are from, whether it’s China, Israel, Australia, Canada, England, Belgium or wherever, people who come on our drive are looking for the same thing. They want this real-life cowboy experience and the hardship that comes along with it.”

He sees this as an educational experience.

“Some of them didn’t realize the science involved with raising cattle. They had no concept that we need to know about nutrition with energy and protein or that genetics of breeding programs play such a big part, and they had no concept of what it costs to run a ranch,” Dana says with a smile. “One of the biggest myths we work to combat is the ‘environmentalists’ pushing how we mismanage public lands.”

“Our guests, however, are amazed at the knowl-

edge we have about grazing and how great the grass is where we graze,” he says. “We always ask them to look at areas we have been grazing for over 100 years and ask them if it looks abused to them. We also show them several areas that were fenced off from all grazing, including wildlife, in the 80s. Those areas are about a 15-foot square and completely overrun with woody plants and weeds.”

Continuing the program Kerns continues to take visitors on cattle drives because he truly enjoys the interaction with

people.

“I know as far as ranching goes, it would be simpler not to have guests.

This enterprise is labor intensive, and sometimes I will get four hours of sleep a night. Yet, I always have to have a smile on my face,” Dana says. “The people I meet are amazing. These people are buying an education and exposure to the real West, and I promise we don’t pass up the opportunity to educate.”

Rebecca Colnar is a correspondent for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.

Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Working cattle ranch - Dana Kerns and his family run a working cattle ranch in addition to their guest business. They were one of the first families to graze the Bighorn Mountains. They still trail their cattle up to the mountains every year. Courtesy photo

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B10

Sheridan – What started as a way to help the family dairy farm and provide some income of his own turned into a successful business and career for Bob Milner.

For almost 50 years, Bob has been a fixture in the livestock production industry in the Sheridan area, working as an ABS Global representative and cattle artificial insemination (AI) technician.

After graduating from Buffalo High School in 1967, Bob continued to work on his family’s dairy near Banner milking 55 cows.

Getting a start Bob’s father Marvin wanted him to learn how to artificially inseminate their dairy cattle, because Marvin hated waiting on the mailman, who was the AI technician, at the time. So Bob attended an artificial insemination (AI) school held by Curtiss Breeding Services in Cary, Ill. “Somehow, word got out,” Bob says. “People started calling, wanting me to inseminate their milk cows. There were about 26 dairies in the county at the time, and some of them saw the advantages of AI.”

Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Some years later, Curtiss dissolved, and Bob was approached by the ABS Global distributor for northern Wyoming about becoming an ABS representative.

Soon, Bob was selling ABS semen and working as an AI tech for the Wisconsin-based company.

Bob’s early AI work focused on dairy cattle, but as Sheridan’s family-run dairy industry died out, he began taking on more beef cattle customers.

Busy lifestyle At the same time, Bob’s parents closed the family dairy, and Bob went to work at the Wilson Animal Hospital as a veterinary technician and right-hand-man.

He would continue to AI cattle and work for Wilson’s clinic for nearly 30 years.

It was a viable way to support his family of four, but it meant long hours and hard work.

“I would get up at 4 a.m. to go in and do the clinic’s chores, then go do any inseminating needed and return to the clinic around 8 or 8:30 or so,” Bob said.

“After work, I’d go AI cattle in the evening again. Sometimes I wouldn’t get to bed

until midnight.”

During his busiest times, Bob would AI between 2,000 and 3,000 cows each year.

Bob’s territory is mostly limited to Sheridan County and Big Horn County, Mont., but he’s also traveled as far as Powell to AI cattle. He would sometimes put more than 30,000 miles on his vehicle, usually a little white pickup with a border collie in the back. He even spent several years inseminating cattle on the Padlock Ranch, sometimes taking vacation from Wilson’s vet clinic to AI the ranch’s 3,600 head.

“That’s really where I learned to AI cattle,” he says, simply from the incredibly labor intensive work.

Family focused The business was in part, a family operation.

Bob’s wife Leta kept the books, fielded phone calls and scheduled appointments. Often, his daughter and son would join him on calls. Bob says he’s enjoyed the AI work and being his own boss.

AI technology Today, AI is a commonly accepted practice in the cattle industry. AI offers access to genetically supe-

rior sires, allows the maintenance of a herd closed to new animals, provides disease protection and eliminates the need to keep bulls on the farm or ranch.

But Bob says when he first started, many producers couldn’t see the benefits.

“I’d talk to some folks early on, and they acted like I was talking nonsense,” he laughs.

He says the process of actually inseminating a cow has changed very little during his tenure, but other aspects, like heat detection and synchronization, have made AI an even more valuable tool for producers.

He’s invested in equipment like portable AI boxes to further increase his customer’s success rates.

“I feel working in the box or behind a chute is just better on cows and people,” he says. “I’m sure it helps conception rates, too, which helps everyone’s bottom line.”

Bob says he’s seen most of the livestock operations in Sheridan and has inseminated cattle in just about every imaginable situation – behind corral gates, at the end of a rope and even a milk cow on the ground dallied to a post.

Looking ahead After being approached last year about selling his business, Bob says the idea of slowing down sounds good to Bob. Now in his mid-60s, he wants more time

to enjoy his grandkids and other hobbies. He also hopes to do more teaching at area AI schools.

Bob broached the subject of selling his business to a husband-wife team who had also attended AI schools and had been assisting him when he inseminated cows on larger operations. A deal was soon struck.

Stephen and Denise Masters of Ranchester will take over Bob’s ABS Global position beginning in 2015.

The Masters will handle the semen sales, synchronization program and bookkeeping.

Bob will continue to AI cattle and assist the Masters as needed.

“I’m confident in turning things over to Steven and Denise. I know they’ll do a good job and treat my customers well,” Bob says.

“They have ambition and a real interest in the livestock industry. They have a place of their own to run but have the desire to branch out.

They are conscientious and really want to improve and provide a good service.”

The Masters both attended a local AI school as a means of learning how to breed their own registered cattle. They were interested

in improving their own skills, so they started assisting Bob AI on his calls.

Next generation Denise says they are excited at this unexpected new business venture.

“This is a great opportunity Bob has given us. Bob has been so generous and helpful,” she says. “He has taught us how to be clean, neat and precise. We’ve learned it’s about being professional when we show up at someone’s place and doing the job right.”

“Hopefully we can fill his shoes or at least mostly,” she adds.

Bob says he’s enjoyed his AI tech work the last 40-plus years, but that it’s time to turn some responsibilities over to the next generation.

“It’s been a good life.

I’ve seen some amazing operations, and I’ve met some great people,” he says. “This will allow me to keep inseminating cows, teaching people who want to learn and not have to worry about all the paperwork.”

Teresa Milner is a correspondent for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

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B11

2015 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Ranchester – “I am one of the luckiest guys in the world. I really am,” claims Bill White of Ranchester.

He says he has been fortunate in always knowing what he’s wanted to do and having the opportunity to do it.

Moving West Bill’s great-great grandparents came west at the start of the Civil War, bringing cattle from Missouri on a wagon train.

“They homesteaded near Arvada, Colo., and that’s where my grandfather grew up,” he explains.

“My dad’s grandfather was in the Civil War. He rode the train out from Michigan and got off in Cheyenne,” he comments.

That was as far west as the transcontinental railroad went at that time, and Bill’s grandfather went in to Colo. to homestead, where he met and married his wife.

Coming to Wyoming In the 1950s, many forest permits in Colorado no longer allowed for public grazing, as the state moved toward recreation and away from agriculture, so the family moved to Wyoming.

“My dad was very wise in trying to stick to land he could own,” Bill states.

Moving up to Sheridan in the 1940s, Bill’s father was able to take advantage of land that could be purchased.

“I was born here,” he says.

Bill enjoys riding and working with livestock.

“I’m not very progressive. I still run Hereford cows,” he comments.

Modern ranching But he has some modern habits.

For the last 10 years or so, he was been using video marketing to sell his cows. The nearest small sale barn is in Buffalo or livestock can be hauled to Torrington or the Black Hills.

“I’ve had good luck, and I’ll keep doing it,” Bill says of video livestock marketing. “I think it’s one of the better ways to do it now.”

Producers send information and photos to the company, which holds satellite auctions.

“It is broadcast, the

cattle are sold, and all of the terms are agreed on or spelled out,” he continues.

Grazing association Bill also works with a grazing association in the area.

In the 1970s, he says, “People would form an association and buy a larger piece of ground, and everyone could run their cattle on that.”

His father didn’t think it would work and chose not to join at first. But it turned out to be a good investment.

“When it was set up, we had to be a family operation,” he states.

The system was set up so that corporations would not buy into the associations.

“There are about a dozen of us left,” says Bill.

They run on ground northeast of Sheridan near Wyarno.

The next generation Bill also notes that he is concerned about the generational transfer of his ranch because of high land prices in Sheridan County.

“Any kind of expansion is a challenge. Trying to add more land isn’t easy,” he says.

His two sons are currently living away from the ranch. One works as a chemical engineer and is considering graduate school, while the other is a computer engineer who works in Colorado studying plant data.

Bill’s daughter Beth has returned to working on the place.

“She always knew she wanted to come back here.

It’s where she knew she wanted to be,” comments Bill.

After receiving a scholarship and completing college, Beth went to New Zealand.

“She spent about a year and a half working on a cattle and sheep station,” Bill explains.

She went to Australia after that, working on a cattle station at the edge of the Outback, before finding a job in Tierra del Fuego, Chile.

“She was right there next to the South Pole,” he notes.

Beth spent about a year there working with cattle and sheep.

Sticking with Herefords - Hereford cows are Bill White’s passion.

In January, his calves reside close to the house where they can be easily seen and attended to. Natasha Wheeler photo

“She saw some of the world before she settled down. That’s what she wanted to do,” claims Bill.

Seeing the world He has had a chance to see some world, too. Bill has been to New Zealand, Australia, Argentina and Costa Rica.

“Since I turned 50, I’ve been trying to do a trip every year,” he says.

He made it to Guatemala while his son was studying there.

“I enjoyed Guatemala in a lot of ways,” he states.

For now, Bill and Beth are back at the ranch.

Looking forward “Beth has been buying a few cattle, and we very much try to work together,” Bill explains.

Although he comments that someone has to have the final say, he adds that he and his daughter listen

to each other when discussing management practices.

“She is interested in doing some things I probably wouldn’t, but that doesn’t mean it is wrong,” he says.

For example, she uses ear tags in her cattle.

“She’s started to tag my replacement heifers, too,” he notes.

Bill has taken pride in knowing his cattle.

“I didn’t have to put a numbered tag on them to know them,” he states.

But he also acknowledges, he is hard to change and can see how the tags come in handy.

“I can go back to the house and say that number 14 needs doctoring, instead of trying to describe the markings on her face,” he concedes.

Making changes Bill notes that the world is changing and has already changed a lot in his lifetime. His daughter is bringing in Black Angus.

Raised in ranching - Bill White’s father moved to Sheridan in the 1940s to purchase land. Bill was born and raised on the ranch where he raises cows today. Natasha Wheeler photo

“But I still enjoy Hereford cows,” he laughs.

Bill still enjoys every bit of the ranching lifestyle, and he reiterates how lucky he is.

“This will be my 41 st year here full time,” he explains.

That doesn’t count working on the place through high school. He

enjoys the variety of the work throughout the season and notes that there are still projects he wants to tackle on his place.

“I’m still excited to get up and do it,” he says.

Natasha Wheeler is editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at natasha@wylr.net.

B12

Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Wolf – In 1879, brothers Howard, Willis and Alden Eaton started the Custer’s Trail Ranch in North Dakota.

The ranch began as a horse, cattle and haying operation, and friends of the family often visited the ranch from back East.

“They had people staying for weeks, and sometimes months, at a time,” says Jeff Way, current manager of Eatons’ Ranch. “These visitors would participate in the chores, and the family would feed and house them.”

Dude ranching pioneers Jeff continues, “The story goes that Bert Rumsey, a friend of theirs from New York who was visiting, said he would pay for the opportunity to stay on the ranch.

He was the first paying guest on the ranch, and that is how dude ranching started.”

In 1904, the Eatons moved to their present location at the base of the Big-

horn Mountains. While no one knows exactly why they chose to move, it is suspected that Sheridan was more centrally located and convenient for Howard Eaton’s frequent pack trips to Yellowstone and Glacier National Park.

“The first summer they opened in Sheridan, they had 60 to 70 people show up,” Jeff says. “Their guests lived in tents and ate off ironing boards. We’ve had people stay at Eatons’ Ranch ever since.”

Jeff and his family are the fifth generation on the ranch.

The operation is still owned and operated by descendants of the Eaton family.

Guests today Eatons’ Ranch is situated in a unique location on Wolf Creek, with 7,200 acres of private land adjoining the national forest.

The operation is home to more than 90 structures and 51 guest cabins. The most

popular cabins, the Gold Coast Cabins, are situated along Wolf Creek. The rest of the cabins are scattered amongst the trees on the private land.

“We take reservations and plan for the year during the winter,” Jeff comments.

“We also take care of annual improvements.”

As the weather warms up, the family begins preparations for guests, and he says, “It takes quite a bit of time to get things ready for our opening on June 1.”

Eatons’ Ranch is open for guests from June 1 through the end of September.

After the guest season closes, they offer guided deer, elk and antelope hunting from Oct. 15 through the first week of November.

Production agriculture In addition to their guests, the Eatons run an Angusbased cattle operation, though the herd still carries the Here-

ford influence reminiscent of the earlier years of the operation.

“A long time ago, there was also some Salers influence, but most everything is black and black baldies now,” Jeff says. “We are trending toward solid black cattle.”

“We maintain around 200 mother cows, though we are down from that now,” he comments. “My uncle Bill Ferguson is in charge of the cattle operation.”

Cows begin calving during the middle of March.

While the cows are grazing on the Bar 11 Ranch northwest of Gillette during the summer months, Jeff says the family puts up over 300 acres of irrigated and dryland hay at the home ranch.

“In 2007, we worked with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to costshare on a pivot,” Jeff says.

“It has taken us a few years to see the difference, but our hay production has increased.”

Calves are shipped before Thanksgiving, and the cows are wintered at the main ranch.

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horses are moved to the Bar 11 Ranch.

Over the last several years, the Eatons have purchased bulls from the Midland Bull Test, and their cattle herd has been improving over the years.

“Our conception rate this year was around 95 percent, which is very good,” Jeff says. “We are keeping the good mothers with good bags who are sound.”

“The cattle business is about 10 percent of our business,” he adds. “The guest business is certainly our main business.”

“Even though we don’t have activities associated with the cattle, it helps our guest business to say we are a working ranch,” Jeff comments.

“We also maintain a herd of about 200 horses that we use in the guest business.”

A guest experience For a guest, the typical day begins after breakfast, when horses are saddled and available for riding around 9 a.m. Guests can ride until 11:45 a.m. for a morning ride or take an all-day ride, returning to the barn by 4:30 p.m. An evening ride is also offered after dinner.

“On the weekend, we offer two rides on Saturday and one ride on Sunday,” he continues. “We like to give the barn staff and horses an afternoon off.”

Unlike many other guest ranches, Eatons’ Ranch offers guests the unique opportunity for guests to ride alone.

New guests are required to ride with a wrangler to ensure they are comfortable with the horses and surroundings.

“We do this because we know our horses, and it is a big draw,” Jeff comments.

“In a typical week, about half of our guests want to go on their own, and the other half choose to be guided.”

“Really, the experience is about being disconnected from today’s fast-paced world and trying to help our guests disconnect – whether they relax by the pool, read a book, fish, hike or ride,” he continues.

Optimism for the future As they move forward, Jeff notes that the family continues to plan for the future with cautious optimism.

“Ten years ago, I believed that the guest business was going to continue improving,” he said. “In the next 10 years, I really think it will be slow and steady.”

“We will try to retain our base crowd while making sure that first-time guests have a great first experience,” Jeff explains. “We are a family business in a family location.”

Because of their family focus, the Eatons also work together as a family.

“I take care of the day-today operations, and my cousin Mary Eaton takes care of reservations and all other aspects of the operation as a co-manager,” Jeff explains. “Bill Ferguson takes care of the cattle, and TJ Ferguson, another uncle, takes care of the Bar 11 Ranch, also working with Bill to manage the horses.”

Other family members also play a role in the working of the ranch.

“This truly is a family operation,” Jeff comments. “It is a challenge to run a guest ranch, but it all works out well for us.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr.net.

Challenges in dude ranching M R Gamer 4983 BW: 68 BW: -0.2 WW: +49 YW: +88 Milk: +28 SC: 36.5 205: 709 PAP: 41

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Jeff Way comments that Eatons’ Ranch has a number of challenges that come along with the dude ranching industry.

“As with other guest ranches, our biggest challenge is getting people to come and experience a dude ranch,” he says. “The Dude Ranchers‘ Association out of Cody has done a great job of marketing the industry.”

However, since 2008-09, there are a number of vacation options for people to take.

“We have a good variety of guests. Nearly 60 percent of our guests are returning guests,” Jeff adds. “But since we have been in business for so long, we are in a transition period. We are losing the generation where the patriarch brought their family here each year.”

To retain and attract new families, Jeff notes that they try to focus on children by providing specific activities for young people during the afternoons.

“People can’t go on vacation where the kids aren’t having fun,” he says.

They focus on a positive first horseback ride, and the Eatons is working to develop an experiential educational program for youth.

“We want to make this a real learning experience,” says Jeff. “We want to teach these kids about their surroundings and provide them the opportunity to learn about geology, the mountains, wildlife and ranching.”

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B13

B14

Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Sheridan – For veterinarian Ted Vlahos, a love for his job and horses are the reasons he has risen to the top of his field and excelled as a pioneer of equine veterinary medicine.

Ted started Rocky Mountain Equine Hospital in Sheridan in 1997 as Sheridan Equine Hospital.

With the support of his wife Cathy and his family, Rocky Mountain Equine Hospital’s influence continues to grow.

Growing demand From his initial practice in Sheridan, Ted has continued to grow and expand his practice. Most recently, he opened a clinic in Billings, Mont. in June 2012.

“For years, some of our biggest clients and barns have been in Billings,” Ted says. “It was an area that we needed to expand our business. We just keep growing.”

The three practices that

operate under the Rocky Mountain Equine Hospital family, located in Sheridan, Cody and Billings, are very different, he says.

“Cody is more of a general and recreational horse practice,” Ted explains. “Our clinic in Billings is located at the White Aspen Ranch, so we are on a premise with a big, heated indoor barn and 60 horses year-round.

Our business is less seasonal there.”

In Sheridan, they are heavily involved in the breeding industry.

“With the return of the breeding industry, we now ship semen to about 160 mares, plus 30 or so onsite,” Ted says. “We continue to grow, and we are busy, in general.”

The three facilities work closely together, sharing personnel and equipment to treat horses to the highest standard.

Integral role As the owner of the practice, Ted has an important role in all surgeries and the operation of the practice.

“We have veterinarians in all of our clinics all of the time, and this year, we will likely have three other veterinarians full-time in Sheridan,” he comments. “They rotate, as well. If we have a big day in Billings, they help there, or they come to Cody for big surgeries. We can share resources, equipment and employees.”

Because of the growth of the practice, Ted notes that they are busy, so they schedule and work efficiently.

Primary practice Rocky Mountain Equine Hospital covers a wide range of health issues, but Ted notes that their practice sees a heavy emphasis in lameness and surgery.

They treat a number of

rodeo horses, including those that have competed at Circuit Finals and the National Finals Rodeo.

“We see a lot of performance horses,” he says.

“The breeding business is great, as well, and we love it,” he comments. “The studs get here in February and leave in July. We start our really busy breeding season in June.”

In his 27 years of practice, Ted has logged over 1,000 colic surgeries.

“We do all of our major surgeries in Sheridan,” he says. “We do broken legs, arthroscopic surgeries and general abdominal surgeries.”

New technology Ted is most well known around the world for his work in artificial limb surgery.

“I’m one of the pioneers in the artificial limb procedures,” he says. “We are at over 40 cases, and they’ve been very successful.”

For artificial limb surgeries, Ted consults around the world. At the end of December, he sat in on a surgery in Australia, overseeing the procedure from his home via

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tive of the work that we do in Sheridan, Cody and Billings.”

Stewardship Ted notes that everything he does is about stewardship of the industry for the next generation.

“Life is about stewardship,” he says. “It is truly a gift and a blessing to be able to do this.”

Ted has never considered being a veterinarian as work because he truly loves and appreciates what he does.

“This is all about providing the best care for the horse, given what this area and our region demands,” he says, “and we have to meet those needs at a really high level.”

“It is really great to know that we can provide university-level care in a small town and get all the benefits of living here,” Ted continues. “It is a pretty cool balance.”

Passing it on Teaching the next generation of veterinarians is an important part of Ted’s focus and practice.

“There is a new veterinary college in Arizona, and we are now part of their extern program,” he says. “Their fourthyear veterinary students will completing some of their clinical rotations up here.”

Rocky Mountain Equine Hospital has also been involved in a number of mentoring endeavors through the ABVP. “There are a lot of young veterinarians who want to be board certified – a six-year, very difficult process,” he comments. “It is a huge time and personal commitment.”

“It is cool to be able to mentor these bright young people,” Ted comments. “I want people to be successful because they have good standards and have chosen to excel academically.”

Saige Albert is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at saige@wylr.net.

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web-based video technology.

“We’re asked to consult all over the world,” he adds.

Rocky Mountain Equine Hospital has always been a leader in technology and equipment, as well.

When digital radiography came out in 2000, they were the first to adopt the technology in the region and the 32nd user in North America.

Today, Ted is working to install magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at their Billings facility. MRI technology for equine is not available anywhere else in Wyoming, Montana or the Dakotas.

“MRI is a great modality,” Ted explains. “The decision to put it in Billings is twofold.”

“This is expensive technology, but it will allow us to see a lot of things we can’t see with traditional imaging and ultrasound,” he says. “We can look at soft tissue and deep bone injuries that we can’t see on ultrasound.”

They are also doing stem cell work and utilizing stem cells for regenerative medicine with plasma, as well.

Leader Because of his work to advance equine medicine and improve the profession, this year, Ted was also elected as the Equine Regent on the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP), a position he will serve in over the next three years.

“There is only one board-certified equine specialist in the country who serves on the Council of Regents,” he explains. “The Board deals with a lot of issues.”

“It is a big compliment to be unanimously put on that Board by the specialists I work with,” he says, noting that he will represent 100 horse specialists from across the country in the position. “Being elected to the AVBP Council of Regents is a big achievement in my career. It is reflec-

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B15

2015 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Sheridan – “I have an acre of land with gardens, right on the creek, and that’s where I grow my vegetables,” says Carol LeResche.

In 2003, Carol and her business partner Mona Mitzel began growing vegetables for the local farmers’ market.

Getting started “We were the only people there with produce,” she says.

People would line up for the products they brought in to the farmers’ market, and it was some time before other produce began to appear at the market.

“I no longer go to the farmers’ market because I have a CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture program,” Carol explains.

Her program, she says, is a marketing tool. Participants buy a share of the business up front and then receive produce once a week throughout the growing season.

“I am a certified organic grower,” she states.

Strategy for growing Carol uses two high tunnels and two greenhouses, which allow her to begin planting early in the season.

One of her tunnels was installed through the help of a cost-share program, supported by the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and she notes that the organization helps producers to get tunnels and start their own operations.

“I would encourage young people to get into this kind of program,” she comments.

Returning to her roots Carol grew up in Sheridan, moving to Alaska after college and living there for nearly 20 years.

“I always knew I would come back to Sheridan. I never thought I would be somewhere else all of my life,” she says.

She adds, “My great grandparents homesteaded here, out by Parkman, so

our family has been here for a long time.”

Carol and her family visited her parents every year and finally decided to buy their ranch in 1995, saying that they would come back to Wyoming to live and work it within five years.

Production “We spent July every year here after we bought it,” Carol explains.

They built a cabin on pilings and stayed for a month every summer. Lessees raised alfalfa and ran cows on the land.

“There is still a lessee who runs cows,” she says.

The LaResches provide some of the inputs on the leased land while the lessee puts in the labor, and everyone gets a share of the results.

Gardening projects In her own garden, Carol enjoys experimenting with different produce.

Recently, she has been focusing less on the most lucrative produce and concentrating more on less labor-intensive crops.

“Asparagus is a wonderful crop, and it grows in Wyoming,” she says.

She buys the roots and plants them, and after three years, they are ready to pick in the spring.

Strawberries also grow well, and arugula reseeds itself.

“I love peas, but I have to pick and pick them,” she laughs.

“I’ve learned a lot about gardening since I’ve

started,” she notes.

Her CSA deliveries stop for the year on Sept.

15, when she takes a break from the business. But she is always thinking about improvements.

Although she hasn’t tried it yet, Carol believes that the operation could be year-round. Packing the tunnels with straw would add winter insulation to keep the plants warm.

“I’m preparing in January and February for March,” she says.

That is when she moves out to the ranch and starts her cool-weather plants in the greenhouses. Produce such as tomatoes and eggplant go in when the cool weather plants are moved outside later in the spring.

“I usually start delivering the June 1 with spinach, lettuce and kale,” she says.

Organic growing In the cold winter months, she brings all of her organic certification paperwork up-to-date and orders seeds.

“I buy only heirloom seeds for the most part,” notes Carol.

She uses pelletized chicken manure and bone meal for fertilizer, as well as some compost from leaves and grass.

“Keeping the soil fertile is a real job for me,” she says.

Maintaining fertile soil and keeping the weeds down are her two biggest challenges in the garden, but she finds that it is worth the effort. She likes that she

has a place for bees to go with no pesticides.

“Bumblebees are the best thing for tomatoes,” she states.

When her garden was new, the neighbors had a weevil infestation and sprayed their fields. The next day, Carol noticed that there was no noise around her as she checked up on all of her plants.

“There were no bees,” she says.

All of the honeybee keepers in the area had been notified that their bees should be removed for two weeks so they wouldn’t be killed.

“For two weeks after that incident, I didn’t have any pollinators,” she says.

The honeybees came back, but the native bees were gone. After a year or two, native bees slowly began to return, but Carol now retains organic status on her operation.

“Nobody sprays on our place,” she states.

Consumer support Buyers are happy with this decision, as well. Once a week during the growing season, they make the trip to collect their produce and to meet with Carol.

“Food is not just something to eat. It is something to be around with friends,” she explains.

It is a centerpiece for social events.

Involvement “One of my favorite

things to do is invite people over for dinner,” Carol says.

She also believes that more people should be involved in growing their own food.

“There should be less lawn and more vegetable gardens,” she comments.

Carol adds that a small plot of land is a worthwhile investment.

“With intensive planting, turnover and managing the soil, a person can make a living,” she states.

She also encourages producers to get involved.

“There are a lot of things we can do as a group, as local food growers, to encourage our state legislature,” she says.

Carol hopes that pressure can be applied to make it easier for schools to receive local products.

“The federal government does some things for farm to school, but there may be things that state government can do to encourage school districts to buy from local producers and to help local producers meet that demand,” she states.

Carol urges producers, and especially young people, to take action.

She explains, “We can influence people by telling our story.”

Natasha Wheeler is editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be contacted at natasha@wylr. net.

Clear Creek Farms - Carol LeResche owns and operates Clear Creek Farms as a certified organic grower. She grows produce throughout the summer and distributes it through her Community Supported Agriculture program. Courtesy photo

B16

Wyoming Livestock Roundup