With the season of Thanksgiving approaching quickly, the Idaho CattleWomen are taking this opportunity to show our appreciation to our fellow women in the beef industry.

Come put a face and name to Idaho agriculture! Stay tuned for our 30-day Idaho Women in Ag Blog Series. Every day in November, we’ll feature a different women every day.

Come here daily to learn more. Or better yet—sign up to receive our blog posts directly to your email so you never miss a post! Fill in your email in the Subscribe box in the righthand column.

It’s National Beef Month. Take the 30-Day Protein Challenge and make beef a part of a health lifestyle!

Hey! Did you know that May is “National Beef Month?” Yes, that’s right…a whole month dedicated to beef! We don’t know about you, but our mouths are watering just thinking about it.

It probably doesn’t come as much surprise that the ladies of the Idaho CattleWomen are pretty excited about beef month in general, not to mention what’s in store for our blog! We’ve got lots of fun things planned for the rest of the month, including a few more posts than normal, and possibly even a giveaway, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled!

Make sure to join us next Monday, as we’ll show you the first of a two-part series filled with tips and tricks for both buying and cooking beef!

Happy Beef Month!

~ Idaho’s cattle ranching women and families

It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to sit down and write about all the happenings on the Rafter T. This is by far our busiest time of year, so my free time has been very limited. Since I’ve failed to keep up on my writing, let’s play catch up!

Sale Day- A couple weeks into February, we sold our calves; a process that happens through a local sale yard. For those of you who have been to an estate sale, or watch Storage Wars, it’s pretty much the same concept. People (cattle buyers) show up, and bid on the cattle they’re interested in purchasing. Some are buying for themselves, while others are buying for “orders.” Those orders usually come from bigger feeders, such as JBS, Simplot, etc. If quite a few buyers show up and the market is hot, you’re golden. However, if only a couple buyers are bidding, it doesn’t matter what the market is doing—they’ll only bid against one another for so long. I won’t lie, it’s a bit defeating to know that your annual pay day depends on someone else; but that’s just part of the cattle business.

Girl Scouts-The week after we sold our calves, a Girl Scout troop from Glenns Ferry came to the ranch for an afternoon tour. They got a chance to see a few newborn calves, feed some soon-to-be mamas, and grain our horses. Those girls had more fun doing chores than I could ever dream of having! I love getting a chance to talk to people about where their food comes from, especially the younger generation. At the end of their adventure they received a fun coloring book and brochure, courtesy of the Idaho Beef Council.

Bottle Calves-The Chinese might consider this to be the Year of the Ram, but around here it’s been the year of the bottle calf. In total I’ve had six little bundles of joy, but am currently down to four. Hallelujah! While we don’t name every cow and calf we own, bottle calves always end up with a moniker of their own. Currently, we have Nola Dakota, Jumbo, Marvin and Peanut. While it’s a bit of a pain to feed them three times a day, their personalities make up for the inconvenience.

Branding-Awwww, branding. The true definition of “March Madness.” We usually have four groups to brand—two groups at home that typically occur around the 15^th, and two out on the desert that happen at the end of the month. The last two take a lot of planning since they happen quite a few miles from home. One pickup is dedicated to packing all of the necessary branding supplies: propane, firewood, branding irons, vaccines, ear tags, etc., and another is dedicated specifically for bringing the food. When it’s all said and done, branding is a pretty big ordeal. Thankfully, we’re blessed with some pretty handy friends and neighbors who are always willing to lend a helping hand.

Turn Out-Our cows go back onto our public lands allotments April 1, which is why it’s imperative that all of our branding and sorting takes place before then. This year was an exciting year for Justin and me, as we turned out our own set of cattle. Personally this is my favorite part of the work season, since it represents the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.

Irrigation-Usually the first 10 days of April are pretty relaxing around here; all the cows are out and our irrigation water isn’t in the canal yet. We very rarely take time for vacations, but when we do, this is when we go. I honestly look forward to April 1-10 like a kid looks forward to the last day of school. Until now. This winter/spring season has been extremely dry, so the irrigation company chose to let the water in a few days early. While I’m happy to see things start to green up, I’m still a bit bent out of shape about my “down time” being almost nonexistent. For the next six months you’ll find me shoveling mud and dodging snakes in the pasture! Until next time!

J.

Jessie has returned to her roots on her family’s commercial cattle ranch in southern Idaho after college and working on behalf of the state’s cattle producers. She’s passionate about agriculture and the western way of life. When she isn’t doing ranch work or writing, Jessie enjoys baking, golfing and drinking coffee. As a newlywed, she’s also turning a little cabin on the ranch into a home.

An old tractor sits on our family’s property.

I’m sure I’m no different than most women involved in the ranching business, but last summer I realized how versatile we women are. We wear many hats—or sit in many seats to help get the job done.

One day during the summer we were haying and finished baling in one field, then moved the equipment to another field. I had been baling, then when we moved fields, I drove the baler, the pickup, a hay-hauling truck I call Mary Kay—because its kind of a pink color—and the Telehandler.

Enjoying some time in the seat of a saddle during a trail ride.

I came home and took the grandkids on a four wheeler ride, mowed part of the yard, fixed dinner and collapsed into the recliner. Hey, it’s a seat too.

I don’t think for a minute that I am any different than any other cattlewoman; I’m just proud of the fact that we are a versatile group.

Whether we are haying, working cows, planting crops, branding or assisting in those activities, or working in town, helping with homework, upgrading the house, cooking for the crew or sneaking away to golf, we are an independent bunch.

The beautiful hay fields of the Lemhi Valley.

I think women in general have to be very versatile just to keep up with busy families and lives, but I’m proud of how we step up to fill in, learn how, take over or step back and watch if that’s what’s needed. Maybe that’s why we’re never bored—because things change daily and seasonally for us.

Now we are starting into calving season and that brings another set of skills including the ability to know how to layer on warm clothes. I prepare taxes also at this time of year, which makes for a packed schedule for 3 months.

What hats do you wear or seats do you sit in everyday that keeps you busy? We’d love to hear!

~ Robin

Robin and her husband raise Angus cattle in the Lemhi Valley. They both grew up in ranching and farming families, and love the lifestyle. They raised three children and are enjoying being grandparents now too. Robin, like many Idaho cattlewomen, helps whenever and wherever needed on the ranch.