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Monthly Archives: August 2012

Navajo interns on the Ladder Ranch

Navajo interns on the Ladder Ranch

Last June, Pat and I visited the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry (NAPI) farming operations near Farmington, New Mexico.  The farm was established by the Navajo Nation to grow crops using water supplied by the Navajo Dam.  NAPI boasts the largest contiguous farmland in the nation., with about 70,000 acres currently in production, and another 40,000 to be developed in the next couple of years.   Their  Navajo Pride brand includes potatoes, corn, alfalfa, beans, and small grains, such as barley, wheat and oats.

While we were there, the farm manager Tsosie Lewis asked us if we would host interns later in the summer.  NAPI sponsors scholar interns and summer interns who are students and

are part of the Navajo Nation.  The scholar interns receive a college education and in turn work on the farm for a period of time.

Three young ladies, Alexandra, Shantel and Leticia came and visited our ranching operation.  They visited sheep camps, helped move cattle and toured various parts of the ranch.  We really enjoyed having them, and were glad to have a chance to repay the hospitality we had received.

Leticia, Siobhan and McCoy, ready to ride

Shantel, Alex and Leticia, mounted

Siobhan and Leticia–look-alikes with boots, jeans, red shirts, baseball caps and long ponytails

Alex relaxing on Daisy

15 heifers and a cow

Shantel on Coco

Eamon said he had never had so much help!

 
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Posted by on August 19, 2012 in Cattle, Events, Family, Folks, Folks who help us out

 

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Sheep wagons on the move

Peroulis’s team, sheep wagon, and supply wagon

Often folks ask about the sheep wagons.  In my view, they are a perfect example of form following function.  The wagon has a 3/4 bed at the back, with storage underneath and a table that pulls out.  Two bench seats are built along the sides, with more storage underneath.  On the right front side is a wood burning and/or gas stove and on the left side is a low cupboard with a shelf for the water bucket on top.  Hooks are located strategically for lanterns, and shelves behind the stove hold cooking pots and other utensils.  Additional storage on the outside hold items like grain and horseshoeing tools.  That wagon behind is the supply wagon, which holds firewood, hay, oats, horse blankets and other bulky items that are needed in the winter months.  They are usually parked at ranch headquarters in the summer.

Above is a wagon being pulled by a team of horses.  Less picturesquely, we move our wagons with pickup trucks, which calls for more fuel, but less labor.

Pulling our wagon (very slowly!) with a pickup on the Battle Pass Road

 
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Posted by on August 3, 2012 in Animals, Sheep

 

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