As many of you know, Gail
and I have begun a new adventure. When
“Poppa” passed away two years ago, he left us a tract of land that is ideal for
raising hay, a pasture with a large pond, a house in town, and half interest in
cow/calf business. For two years the
house sat empty and our partner Richard has been taking care of the herd by
himself and it has been a daunting task for him.
Last year was a “trying” time for cattlemen. The drought in Texas/Oklahoma and much of the
Midwest prompted many ranchers to sell their herds. Not only was water a continual problem, but
the price of hay for winter feed tripled in price! With cows being the only means of producing
more calves, selling the herd is tantamount to selling your factory and you are
left with no means of production.
Thankfully for us, our partner, Richard, took a calculated risk and with
the help of the best producing hayfield in the region, was able to weather the
storm. As a consequence, when most of
the local ranchers are trying to rebuild their herds, our herd (factory) is
in-tact and new calves are arriving almost daily. As an added bonus, cattle prices are nearing
an all time high.
Raising cattle is a task that has been segmented into three
distinct stages, each one a specialty of any particular rancher. “Poppa’s” segment was called the cow/calf
part of the business. In this segment of
the industry, the rancher keeps a couple of bulls and a herd of cows that each
give birth to a new calf each year (hopefully).
These calves are raised until they reach about 700/800 lbs. in weight,
at which time they are sold to a rancher specializing in the second stage of
the business. In the second stage, the
cows are raised until they weight about 1200 lbs. then they are sold again to
the man operating the third stage of the business, the feed lot. In the feed lot, they are fed a special mix
designed to fatten them up for the slaughterhouse!
After much soul searching, and facing the prospect of
fighting off continual weight gain from our sedentary life in California,
we decided that in lieu of selling everything here in Oklahoma, it was in our
best interest to move here and not only take care of business but to live a
more active lifestyle. The home here is
much smaller than the one we left in California,
and that has been the biggest adjustment we have had to make. What to do with 40 years of accumulated
“stuff.” Much of it is still in boxes
and will probably stay that way for a while.
I started a room addition just a few days after we arrived
and it will make things much easier. I
have had fun doing it and the physical labor has already shown its benefits
with the loss of excess baggage (fat). I
am tired every day but I feel great and sleep like a baby. Gail has
been just as busy trying to get things organized. She has the house in pretty good shape now
and is finding more time to devote to her favorite activity, shopping.
I can never hope to fill “Poppa’s” shoes, but with a little
luck I think I will make a decent cowboy.
I certainly have lots of help and accumulated knowledge from Richard,
Frank, Jerry and a few of the other
locals who I have become acquainted with over the years during my previous
visits here. Stay tuned!
