Dear Friends, Today, as I cruised through the umpteenth curve on US Highway 93 between Challis and Salmon, Idaho, I saw border collie Clyde's ears perk up. He saw them before I did; as I started braking, a line of about thirty-five bighorn sheep were single-filing across the highway in front of …
On the “Ins and Outs” of Grassfed Organic Beef
I like to look at manure. Really. In the humble cow pie is the stuff of story: who, what, when and where. Some would say that I know my manure. Now, I know there are other ways to say "I know my manure" that perhaps slide off the tongue a little more colorfully, but regardless, manure is something …
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All is Safely Gathered In
The fall colors on the Range had waxed and waned; the cold began to seep in, first imperceptibly, then, with abandon to where it was hard to keep warm in the saddle. An Arctic breeze would snake its way down from the rocky tundras of the highest part of our summer Range. Every so often, when we …
Alderspring from the Bee Point of View
When Tom takes off the winter blankets from the hives, I try to remember to keep my mouth shut. I'm no beekeeper, to be sure, but you pick up a few things when you have as many bees as we do on the Ranch: over 1 million, by Tom's estimate. Since our headquarters ranch is about 2.5 miles long, the …
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The Quiet Kind of Horsepower
I'll never recommend using a draft horse as a babysitter, but in a pinch, I guess they'll have to do. It was a leaf-blowing autumn day, and the air was thick with the fragrance of decay back on the first edition of Alderspring Ranch, in Tendoy, Idaho. Snow had already encrusted the peaks of the …
Dogs, Wool, and Wolves
Sometimes an old wool garment can save a life. There's something about real 100% wool that I've always loved. Because it's a natural animal fiber, it often retains a little lanolin with it. Lanolin is the oil of sheep. It's the thing that repels moisture and keeps sheep alive, thriving and happy …