Scroll down for Glenn’s weekly story and updates from the ranch this week!

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This week on the ranch…

Josh snapped this photo at the home ranch of smoke from a fire that started this week on the other side of the Lemhi Range from us. In Caryl’s words, “The alpine range between us and the fire has too little fuel to burn, so we are no tin any danger. It’s our first fire in this part of Idaho this year. We had a long, cool, wet (for us) spring and early summer. About 3 wees ago, it turned hot and dry, and that unusually abundant growth from the wet spring started drying out. We new it was a matter of time. Fire ecology in the West is complicated ecologically, politically, and culturally.”

Below is a series of images and some updates from Melanie (the oldest Elzinga daughter) over the last several days both on the home ranch and up on the range.

Although the worst of the smoke has not yet blown over the ranch, it wafts over across the head of the valley, settling into the folds of Grouse Peak.

Smoke fills the valley in the evening from the fire over the ridge.

Becky grew a beautiful crop of sunflowers for her wedding two weeks ago, but because of the unseasonably cold May and June we had, they didn’t bloom until the week AFTER the wedding. So now we have a lovely stand of sunflowers that I can take pictures of, at the very least.

The sheep are doing so well on beautiful summer grass. Here, they range close to the house where they are safe from predators.

We keep the horses in a dry lot during the day, where they have access to water and mineral but cannot graze during daylight hours. At night, they are turned out on pasture to eat. It’s been working well for them (and for us). They are maintaining their weight well on limited grazing (still a little too well, if you know what I mean) and our pastures are recovering better between the daily rest and the rotation system I have with multiple electric fence paddocks. Horses are still hard on the grass and the soil; unlike cattle, they use their teeth to crop grass down to the ground. They are also more selective than cattle in the types of forages they will eat, which means that the plants that are not grazed tend to take over. It’s a continual learning process for me!

Suzie the draft cross, ready to be turned out on pasture for the night.

Evan looks on as Jed and Cat work together to get a couple of new shoes on Charles.

Jed definitely broke a sweat shoeing horses in the hot sun! It’s hard work, even when it’s not 90 degrees.

Maddog takes a break in the shade after a hot morning of catching horses and readying them to be ridden or led to the new camp in Big Hat last week! Always by her side is Patsy, cow dog in training.

Members of the crew the other day, with some new faces! From left to right is JD (new range riding intern for the month), Webb (summer range rider and ranch hand), Brittany (summer range rider and ranch hand, returning for her third season), Annie (second from youngest of the Elzinga girls), Linnaea (third from oldest of the Elzinga girls), Lily (new range riding intern for the month), and Morgan (new range riding intern for the month). Also in the photo are the Border Collie siblings Ginny and Stew. Just a few faces of the awesome crew we have!

Here new range riding intern Cat helps close the trailer door after loading a bunch of finished beef cattle headed for the home ranch. We sorted off nearly 40 head of finished animals right off the range last week!

Maddy and Wesley couldn’t help but look a bit celebratory after successfully loading cattle out of the rickety corrals in Little Hat.

Wesley works the gate (if one can even call the ramshackle piece of wood a gate) while sorting finished cattle right off the range. After the sort, we trailered almost 40 head of them home to the ranch.

This is Brittany’s third summer as a range rider and ranch hand. This summer she brought her own horse, Blue! He’s adjusted well to the challenge of the range.

The crew gathers around the back of the stock trailer after loading finished cattle on it, bound from the range to the home ranch. The door has been welded multiple times, but years of rust and road dust are taking a toll. Thus, the ratchet strap to reinforce the weakening structure.

Stew Jake discovered he wasn’t welcome to help load cattle in the stock trailer, so he found some shade instead.

Linnaea, Wesley, and Glenn ready a ratchet strap to reinforce the back of the stock trailer, where old welds on the door are beginning to weaken.

The old corrals in Little Hat are pretty ramshackle, but there is enough to work with to sort and load finished cattle off from the range herd.

Maddy pushes some finished cattle up the ally to the stock trailer, where they’ll have a short ride from the range to the home ranch.

Brittany and her horse, Blue, make a great team!

Maddy oversees the operation of loading finished cattle in the stock trailer for their ride down from the range to the home ranch.

Linnaea, Maddy, and range riding intern Cat sort through cattle to select finished animals that can be trailered down to the home ranch.

Linnaea and Maddy making their selections of finished cattle. It’s exciting to finish these animals up on the range, on a diversity of native forage. They’re obviously thriving and we can pass that nutrition on to you all!

Chancy was turned out on the Oregon desert for two years before we bought him last spring. He has made a steady partner with plenty of wet saddle blankets.

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Quote of the Week

“Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful, and most noble employment of man.”

-George Washington

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Dear Friends,

I don’t know what we’d do without border collies. There’s many who work with us on the ranch. They’re brave and stalwart companions who stand fast by our side through rain, hail, paw-smarting heat and snow (if it gets too hot for feet, we lift them to our saddles).

They’ll stowaway aboard our pickups– they know (by smell or uncanny canine telepathy) that we are heading out to the cattle or sheep.

Don’t get me wrong; they’re not perfect, but there is always the ‘try’ that exists in them… no matter how bone tired they are.

And that makes all the difference. I think if given the choice of living on easy street or going right into the thick of adversity they would contededly die for us.

I remember them all, and always will. Come with me back to a cold winter ride, horseback, looking for the lost 12 years ago. In the heat of the summer, after all, it’s nice to think some cold thoughts!

I hope that while you read, you have your own canine that just might sit by your side and give a lick to your free hand.

Happy Trails,

Glenn

Read the story on our blog by clicking below!

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And that’s it for this week!

Thanks again for partnering in what we do!

Glenn, Caryl, cowgirls and cowboys at Alderspring.

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