Wheat Harvest

It was an early wheat harvest this year due to extreme heat early in the season. The combines rolled along in the field.

Trust Your Neighbor But Brand Your Cattle

On a Spring Sunday, we gathered with friends and family to celebrate the newest additions to our herd.

The cowboys branded the calves which means using a hot iron to burn the hair so a symbol called a "brand" appears on the calves forever. This makes sure our neighbors know who the calf belongs to if it were to escape from our pasture.

We also gave the babies shots and medicine in their nose to keep them healthy so they are ready to go to pasture for the first time.

The burning of the hair is a distinct smell. 

It also gets very smoky. "Now you see them... 

now you don't." 

Here are a few pictures of the shots we give them,

the bottles of medicine,  

and the "nut bucket".

The calves that are unlucky enough to be born boys also get castrated on this day. Before we sell the bull calves, we like them to be steers instead. The younger the calves are the easier it is for them and for handling the calves, especially if the calf is large.

This branding was also very special because it was our daughter's very FIRST branding!

Branding is a tradition in a lot of cowboy families... 

It's a time for learning new tricks, 

for exploring new textures and tastes...unfortunately...one small piece did manage to get swallowed,

for riding bucking bulls...well, at least bucking calves,

and this Cowgirl loved every minute of it!

 



 ~Photos by Country Dove Photography taken at the Bromiley Ranch

Branding with Friends

The Meaning Behind the Name

Last Saturday, we moved our momma cows and their babies home from the 'Home Place'. Right about now you are asking yourself, "Aren't they already home if they are at the 'Home Place'?" Well, when you have a family-owned farm that has been passed down for generations you tend to end up with many "landmarks". 

 

For instance, the 'Clark Place' wasn't named after our Uncle Clark, it was named after a family who lived there with the last name of Clark. The 'Home Place' is were the first generation farmers homesteaded but nobody lives there anymore so when we bring the cows 'home', we are really referring to Uncle Clark's ranch...but not the 'Clark Place'.

 

I really enjoy listening to all the stories behind the landmarks. Why they were named that way, to learn about the kind of people that lived there, and to hear about recent stories too.

You Lookin' at Me?

 A new story, "You Lookin' at Me?", has been posted on www.CountryDove.com. See more photos and hear about the story behind the picture.

~Photos by Country Dove Photography taken at the Bromiley Ranch~

Moving Cattle at the Bromiley Ranch

On this rather warm January day, we used four-wheelers to push the mamma cows to their winter pasture. This is where they will stay until they get closer to calving. With the lack of snow this year, they are able to stay out to pasture longer than usual.

Preg Testing

Working cows on the Bromiley ranch usually means a good time with family and friends and hopefully a speedy work crew. This day we preg-tested the mamma cows. We do this to see if the cow has been bred and is carrying a calf. Cousin Eddy and a friend trade off having to do the dirty work which involves checking for a calf inside the cow. As you will see, there are many jobs when working cattle. Some people are in charge of pushing the cattle up the alley and into the chute, others operate the chute, give shots, and write down the cows' tag number when they come through.