In my last article we talked about changing weather, and what that means for us as ranchers. We talked about pulling cattle off of grazing permits – whether that be federal permits or private land – and how grazing benefits the environment, economy, and fire prevention. Today I want to focus on the next stage of fall and what we are doing now that our cows are down in the…
Read MoreEPD’s Explained – Part 2
Ranchers use a multitude of tools to make decisions to improve their herd genetics. One of the pieces of that is known as Expected Progeny Differences or EPDs. EPDs predict the likelihood of the parents to pass on certain genetic traits to its offspring. EPDs are calculated by using data submitted to each breed association. Ranchers record actual birth weight, weaning weights, and many more pieces of information, and that…
Read MoreShipping Calves
Fall means a lot of things for cattle producers in the area. We’ve already discussed how we choose replacement heifers, but what do we do with the rest of our calves? Most ranchers will be selling their calves into the next stage of the production cycle, but some others are retaining ownership through the entire life cycle, retaining ownership until the calves are a year old, or even pre-conditioning their…
Read MoreGunnison Valley Cattlewomn
Please note: this is republished from my column in the Gunnison Country Times. The CattleWomen have been an integral part of Gunnison ranching for many years. A local group of ranch women in 1951 started planning ways to help their husbands with the business. They were chartered as the Gunnison Valley CowBelles in May of 1951. They came together to promote beef and handle more of the public relationships side…
Read MoreRanching in Gunnison
It’s a new season here in Gunnison. The new Western students are getting moved in, the ranchers are getting their hay put up, and I heard that we got some snow in the high country! This weather just makes me want to curl up in a hoodie and drink a latte. As we welcome in a new season, I think its important to remember how essential agriculture is to Colorado,…
Read MoreEarth Day from a rancher’s perspective
Earth Day and ranching go hand in hand. Ranchers are stewards of the land and we all take pride in that fact. We work our hardest to utilize the newest technology and any other ways at our disposal to make ourselves the most sustainable we can possibly be. We rely on the land and we take pride in giving back to that same land. Lets go into details. Just how…
Read MoreAntibiotics and calving season
Antibiotics. That seems like a loaded word anymore – which is why we are going to break down antibiotic use and what it means for us as cattle ranchers and for you as a consumer. The first, and most important fact about antibiotics, is that there is absolutely no meat sold with antibiotics present, or none present at a level higher than approved by the FDA (or any drug residues…
Read MoreMore about me – and what is BQA?
A little more about me Hello everyone! Hannah here – and I thought I would give this whole blogging thing a chance. For those of you that don’t know me, I am a cattle rancher who lives in Gunnison County. I work full time off the ranch, as a facility maintenance employee of the Gunnison Fairgrounds. I was born and raised in Gunnison – growing up working my family’s cattle…
Read More