Recently, we ran a promotion with a friend who has been a fan of our beef for years. His customers are very health conscious, and clearly are willing to spend money on the best supplements, technology, and sports equipment. While a large number of his customers gave our beef a try, a few …
When Fall Rushes in Like a Lion
What had been a tempest of wind finally abated enough that I could hear again; it was no longer ripping through the treetops of the thick Douglas-fir forest we were herding 280 head of beeves in. The adrenaline rush that had driven me for the past two hours was finally ebbing—I took long …
Old Pickups Die Hard
When you have cattle and crews on the range, the days are long. And they can be longer than long. Adversity rears its ugly head, and people tire. Patience wears thin. Sometimes it is hard to be nice, and words slip out of your mouth abruptly rather than the better way of with a little butter and …
Stampede
The earth shaking rumble of the oncoming freight train in my dream was real enough to startle me awake. I sat bolt upright in my tent where I was sleeping quite soundly. It had been a long previous day. My crew and me had switched with the previous range riders in the afternoon, and then rode …
Death on the Ditchbank
The long ditch was on. We had diverted a cleansing flow from the Lemhi River, and now it was going to be several days of shepherding the water with a pitchfork down the 6 miles to the ranch. It was early Alderspring, when we were running on 650 acres of rented rocky terrace land pasted against the …
The Shocking Truth About Sandy
The county fairgrounds are unusually quiet for the week before the fair. It's yesterday afternoon, and it is cool. Big thunderheads cruise over the mountains that reach up to the sky along this valley, the Lemhi. The clouds promise at least thunder, and perhaps a shower. I have many memories …