Organic Beef Matters
News from Alderspring Ranch, with an occasional rant about American agriculture
Ol' Snake Bite has come up missing on this, the 4th of July. The little steer, still on the mend from a near-fatal strike from the western diamondback rattler he encountered in the low country, was a little trail weary from the 7 mile hike up to the cool meadows of the high country. Every patch of …
I was the Forage Scout yesterday. What that entails is getting my 56 year old rear end fastened to a dirt bike for a rough and tumble journey of 140 miles across hill and dale and mountain and canyon and seeing what the grassland situation is across all of our wilderness range. There's some old …
I never thought I'd say I'm happy about the bug goo on my windshield. I am actually so deeply grateful. There are some nights on the Salmon River Road when the mayfly hatch makes it almost impossible to see anything in the glare of oncoming headlights. The average summer day is not much better. One …
As I was crawling up Larkspur Canyon in my non-late model Chevy pickup, I kept my eyes peeled for the huge rocks that would roll down on to the densely vegetated two-track from the steep walls that soared above me. Only we drive this remote jeep trail smack dab in the middle of our wild grazing …
The large lean-to tarp flapped in the cool night air and the Coleman lantern cast a warm orb over the cook tent. I eyed my crew as we sat quietly eating supper off the camp stove and grill. They were catatonic as they chewed dinner, and looking slightly stupefied. It was near midnight, and I've seen …
With the rain increasing in intensity, I gave my mare, Natalie, her head as she picked her way across the steep, slick and rocky mountainside, bent on catching 25 recalcitrant cattle that clambered high above us near the peak of the volcanic dome. They had cut from the main herd, in search of what …
