 On the ranch, we own two Suffolk Punch draft horses, by the names of Red and Snap. Basically, they are our volunteer fence-knocking down crew. This, because of immense size and weight (they could cut back a little), is easy for them, and more than one of our vehicles have marks from one of those …
Riding for the Brand
I'm the oldest of seven sisters in Idaho. We all ride for Glenn Elzinga, our dad and boss on a 1700 acre ranch in "the middle of nowhere". We fall a bit short of the old time cowboys riding for a big outfit, getting meager pay. Really, most of what we do is little stuff, like helping out with the …
A typical spring week running a cattle ranch.
You might think running Alderspring Ranch is about rural bliss: kicking back with a tall, cool lemonade, watching kids play in the spring sun, listening to bees buzzing in the apple trees. Unfortunately, we don't have much time to kick back in the spring! Here's what we did last …
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Fish-friendly Irrigation at Alderspring Ranch
A big project we're working on this spring is a complete irrigation upgrade on the ranch. The project closes a long irrigation diversion ditch that sourced out of the Pahsimeroi River that we shared with about 4 neighbors. All of us have agreed to close the ditch to better ensure sufficient flow …
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New Calves – the Start of Grassfed Beef for 2010
Spring on the ranch is the busiest time of year! Fields are being readied for spring, fences being mended, irrigation systems are upgraded, and new calves are being born daily (we are averaging 5 new babies a day). They take a large amount of time as we carefully monitor their health, as well as …
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Muffins by Mae Worth Getting Out of Bed For
Nine year old Mae likes to make muffins on Saturday morning. As those beautiful corn and buckwheat muffins rolled out of the tins, I had just come back from checking cows (had two new babies before sunup) and fixing fence (they had gotten out and were eating my brand new crested wheatgrass …
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