After a summer of cell grazing, it is time for yearling steers to leave the high country. Here we are loading them on trucks, fat and happy.
When the cows and their calves come off of the summer National Forest grazing permits, it is time to sort them. We pregnancy test the cows, and sort out the opens, and the cows who won’t make it another year at our high altitude. Some will go on to slaughter, and some will go on to homes where the wintering conditions are easier. We sort the heifers from the steers. The steers are all sold, and go on to feed and eventually become steaks. The heifers are sorted into replacement heifers for us, replacement heifers for other ranchers, and fed heifers.
We never forget what a privilege it is to be raising children alongside our cows, sheep, horses, dogs, llamas, etc. Today, the three “big kids” (8, 6, and 4) went out to work with Siobhan’s 4-H steers, check the cows who are about to calve, and just play in the slush and snow.