Work Conditions

The last few weeks included some long days of cattle round ups, sorting and hauling. This life on a farm doesn't include a regular paycheck, and that can sometimes be disconcerting, especially when commodity prices are low and agricultural policy is uncertain with a new president.

Every day, my Facebook feed and farm magazines talk about consumers who believe we farmers are doing them harm with modern production practices and new seed technologies.

But in the midst of all that, I need to open my eyes to the blessings I do have. We certainly have a beautiful backdrop for work. I am blessed to see God's creation as it comes alive each spring - even if the smell of those blooming trees may sometimes be masked with the aroma of manure mixed with mud. 

Such was the day we rounded up cattle at Peace Creek. For this round-up, we borrowed a 4-wheeler from a neighbor and used our two 4-wheelers, too.

Even getting a group of reluctant mothers and babies to cross the creek gave me an opportunity to enjoy a morning where I could hear the birds singing and enjoy the white clouds against a vivid blue spring sky.

We finally got them to cross the water and we worked them toward the road, where we would drive them to the corrals to sort the mamas and babies.

I didn't take any photos of the time on the road, where we also detoured into tempting green wheat and alfalfa fields. Trying to drive a 4-wheeler and take photos at the same time as chasing cattle led to the demise of a camera this winter, so I stuck it in my pocket. It stayed there while we sorted mamas from babies.

 

 

Then I couldn't resist snapping a photo or two (or more) of the cute little faces.

Their mothers weren't thrilled to be separated from their offspring. We don't need to watch protests on the evening news. They happen in our cattle lots! They don't realize that we are actually protecting their babies.

We haul the babies separately from the moms so that the babies don't get trampled in the cattle trailers.

 

The Ninnescah Pasture looks like a pretty ideal "vacation" spot to me. It seems like a picturesque place to spend the summer.

The babies were ready to jump from the trailer to begin a new adventure.

However, they had to wait in the holding pens until all the mothers were there so they could reunite.

I couldn't resist my annual photo of these three trees as we left the pasture for another load of mamas. I may not get a paycheck, but the fringe benefits are pretty great.