Wow, it’s hard to believe it’s Dec. 2, but there really is no denying the calendar. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebrating with family and friends. I always enjoy this season. The sights, smells and sounds of the holidays bring a smile to my face. And while I offer thanks and praises every day; it’s still nice to have a day completely dedicated to showing gratitude for our many blessings.

I am thankful for a strong family. Not only did I grow up with a large, supportive family, but I gained many wonderful people into my life when I married. Through good times and bad, we are in it together and committed to making it all work. It’s like that with so many of Idaho’s ranching families. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and visiting with them over a cup a coffee. They love the land, their animals and their families. And whatever life throws at them, they just get back up and keep fighting for what they believe in.

I am thankful for my husband and children. You never know how much you can love your spouse until you get all bundled up and go out to check heat on the cows in the middle of the night or help fix a fence in a blizzard because the cows got out (that was really early in our marriage). Our children provide us with moments of joy and laughter daily (and some times minutes of head shaking too). Truly though, I am thankful I get to be their mom because they continually inspire me to be better tomorrow than I am today. They are our future, our legacy.

I am thankful for my health. I know friends and family who are struggling now with various health setbacks, and I do not take for granted being physically fit and healthy. And beef is definitely part of my healthy lifestyle.

I am thankful to be part of a strong agriculture community. Being part of the food and fiber industry is not easy as so much is dependent on factors completely out of our control—like weather, markets and consumer demand. But I can’t think of an industry more noble or rewarding.

Speaking of what’s unpredictable. It snowed again here. Last week was quite mild, then boom, it’s winter again. Of all the weeks this month this was not the one my husband wanted snow. He’s been planning his schedule for breeding cows and this is the big week. He has done all the prep work, given the shots, synchronized them so they would come into heat at the same time, researched all the pedigrees, calculated the EPDs, purchased the bull semen, and spent many hours studying and planning. The weather is not on our side right now as it can affect the conception rate in cows. I’m hoping all his hard work will still pay off though. There is nothing so rewarding as seeing the new baby calves hit the ground (which will happen 9 months from now if all goes as planned).

But that is one thing with cattlemen and women. Even though the weather is not going as planned, we will still be thankful for the moisture. We will be thankful in all things—both big and small.

~ Maggie

Maggie and her husband raise their four children and registered cattle on his family’s southwest Idaho ranch. As a family, they enjoy sports, showing cattle, 4-H, church and other activities when not working on the ranch. She likes to experiment with recipes in the kitchen, shares her love of sweets through baking with her children, and has been known to start a DIY project every now and then. Sometimes she actually finishes one.

Every rancher we know has a plan—that outlined picture of what the future holds. Some people have it typed and saved on a hard drive, others pencil it out on paper-—or scribble it on a napkin—and yet others sketch their plans in their mind map. Whatever the case, we are all aware of what we’d like the future to look like. If we are really honest, we often have two plans—the practical plan and the “whoa, I’m dreaming big, baby!” plan. Usually we file the first and tuck away the second in our underwear drawer so no one will see our outlandish thoughts.

Recently, something happened in our own little world that defied both plans and made us stop and think: “What do we do with this?”

It isn’t on the plan—not even the wild plan. It feels like it’ll really make things better or spiral us toward the polar opposite.

Will it be like the time I lost my rope or saved a calf?

 

Often things come into our lives that we aren’t sure what to do with—and somehow our uncertainty seems to make us think we’ve failed. There should always be a plan, whether it is the normal one or the big one, right? Plans have always helped us, but they just can’t always be concrete. Life is bound to change; surprises happen. Sometimes it isn’t exactly a cut and dry answer that’s needed (Unless it can be fixed with duct tape or baling twine), as much as it is a process.

Truly ranching is a process and one that I’m thankful for regularly. As we celebrated Thanksgiving this week, thankfulness is on my mind. I love how producers help each other and share information. I treasure how friendships can be formed easily. I’m thankful for fresh air and animals. I’m grateful that even though plans change or get flipped upside down, we still have ranching. I’m thankful for everyday ideas and “Whoa, baby” big plans—and for the people in my life who appreciate both. As producers, we have a lot to be thankful for—both in industry standards and in each other. Here’s to dreaming big and flexible plans!

~ Marci

Marci is a city girl gone country. She married her cowboy and never looked back. While life may be different than what she first imagined, it’s also better than she expected as well. She and her husband are raising their three kids on the ranch, and she has grown used to all the boots by the door.

I just returned home from an amazing three days in Sun Valley at the Idaho Cattle Association Convention. It had been more than ten years since our family had been to a Convention, so I was wondering how much had changed. Fortunately, only the venue from Sun Valley Lodge to Sun Valley Inn was different. The good people remain the same regardless of the years. The Convention’s theme was innovative. . .”Not your Grandad’s Industry.” That was an understatement with the current market conditions. The speakers and agenda were thought-provoking with some interesting trends. I kept thinking that it wasn’t Grandad’s industry, but it will be our children’s industry. The time away from the ranch and its demands gave me time to think and plan and question. The current topics and statistics were important to me as we strive to inform our consumers about our product.

On the drive back home over the Camas Prairie, I realized that “getting the heck out of Dodge” is very necessary, especially in ranching. We’ve never really taken a “vacation” in 30 years of marriage. If we did get away for more than 24 hours, the event was generally tied to cattle or kids. But, that has been the interesting part; to travel to something or somewhere that rejuvenates your passion.

On a recent college visitation trip to Kansas and Oklahoma, my daughter, Dana, and I took an afternoon to explore the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. What an amazing tribute to our industry, its heritage and art. I was thankful we took the extra time to visit it.

Although I have lots of laundry, a basketball game and cows to feed today, I feel ready to tackle the demands with a bit more energy. It was great “gettin’ out of Dodge,” but it’s really good to be home.

~ Julie

Julie and her family own a cow-calf, yearling operation and custom feedlot in southwest Idaho. She and her husband were raised on livestock ranches and their industry roots run deep. Their children have been very active and involved in the ranch and feedlot, and are developing their own herds of quality cattle.

It’s looking a lot like old man winter around here. We had our first snowstorm of the year and I believe most of the state is under a blanket of white now. I have to admit—we weren’t quite ready for snow before Thanksgiving. The kids even got a snow day from school because of it. They may be bundled up and enjoying the snowy landscape outside, but there is still plenty of work that needs done around here. There are no “snow days” for a rancher.

The hubby was up early to check on the cows and calves. We had calves born this fall so we want to make sure they stay warm and dry so they don’t get sick. We’re also expecting more embryo transfer calves to be born soon, and this is not great weather for brand new babies, so the guys are getting those cows still needing to calve in by the barn so they can be watched more closely.

Daily chores include feeding animals by the barn and in the pens. These are our herd bulls, donor cows and weaned bulls and heifers for our upcoming shows and sales. We’re fortunate to have automatic waterers, but they need checked to make sure they don’t freeze in really cold weather. Because several inches of snow is covering the grass, the cattle in the pasture will start getting hay to supplement their nutritional needs. They will also have access to protein and mineral tubs as well. We’ll put out straw bedding for them to have a warm and dry place to lie down. Keeping them dry is important.

I thought on this cold November day I’d share a new recipe I created this fall. When it was warmer. And there was no snow.

I love fall—the turning of the leaves and pretty colors, and all the yummy smells like pumpkin and apple.

I miss fall. It seems to have gone from fall to winter overnight.

This a good recipe all season long, especially with holiday gatherings and get togethers coming up. It was inspired by a box of Honey Crisp apples I picked up from the local farmer’s market. We’re surrounded by orchards, so there is no lack of fresh and delicious fruit this time of year. I had never tried the Honey Crisp variety; we usually opt for Fuji or Gala, but I was reminded of fresh apple pie with my very first bite—crisp, fresh and sweet. Even though we eat several apples a day and could get through a 20-pound box with ease, I decided I would use some for an apple pie.

Remember how I mentioned I like to experiment in the kitchen? Well, I know baking is more of a precise science, but the rebel in me likes to take risks there too. Instead of going with a typical pie crust recipe (which is not hard at all), I wondered if I could do more of a shortbread crust. I’ve made shortbread before and I knew it was easy—flour, sugar, butter. The first time I tried making a shortbread pie crust, I didn’t quite have the ratio of flour, sugar, butter right, so I did a search and found a crust that works well. I used it and modified the recipe as needed.

So glad I tried this; it turned out delicious. And because I thought it would be fun to try a smaller version, I put the crust and apples in a muffin tin to make mini pies. They are the perfect serving size and you can even eat them with your hands. Of course, you can use the crust for a traditionally-sized pie as well. I also must mention I call this Rustic Shortbread Apple Pie because you don’t roll the dough, it’s just pressed into the muffin or pie tin. There’s no fancy pinching of the edges making it perfectly pretty. But, I promise, it is super easy and delicious! Hope you enjoy!

Rustic Shortbread Apple Pie

Crust: 3/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 cups flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 beaten egg yolks
Apple filling: 6-8 apples (I used Honey Crisp, but Granny Smith would be great too.)
1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 T flour, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 pinch nutmeg (optional)
Peel, core, cut apples into small chunks. Add brown sugar, flour and spices then mix.

I ended up trying this twice because my oldest decided to try her own little experiment of baked apples. She is her mother’s daughter and didn’t measure the cinnamon. I love cinnamon, but a little goes a long way. Needless to say, we had to add several more apples to her mixture—enough to make another apple pie!

Whatever your weather is where you are, stay warm!

~ Maggie

Maggie and her husband raise their four children and registered cattle on his family’s southwest Idaho ranch. As a family, they enjoy sports, showing cattle, 4-H, church and other activities when not working on the ranch. She likes to experiment with recipes in the kitchen, shares her love of sweets through baking with her children and has been known to start a DIY project every now and then. Sometimes she actually finishes one.

My grandma had 11 kids…… ELEVEN! I have one busy little 2 year old. I am convinced my grandmother is the most saintly person on this earth. While raising all these great people, her and my grandpa had the typical farm, complete with hogs, chickens, cats, dogs and of course, cattle. In later years, every spring and fall us grandkids, would drive the cattle herd from cow camp to the home place or visa versa, which took about two days. These memories are some of my most treasured. My cousins and I played hooky from school and when the bus approached we thought we were the coolest cats on the prairie as we led the bus through the cattle on our horses, waving at the kids that had to attend school that day.

The second best thing about long days helping grandpa with cows, was my grandma’s sandwiches. She would come with bread sacks full of them. Most were bologna, slathered with some white stuff and if she felt fancy, some cheese. They were the best sandwiches I had ever tasted. Now thinking back, it was probably just because we were so hungry. About a year ago I finally figured out her secret of Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise. Who knew!?

This brings me to my topic of ranch wives. I am very early in my experience of being a ranch wife/mother, so I am constantly observing other gals that share the same lifestyle. I have concluded that ranch wives are a very special breed of women, like my grandmother, that have amazing skill sets that make newcomers like me, a little intimidated. They can cook, mend, clean, take care of the babes and husband, keep the place tidy, like a traditional wife. PLUS they chop wood, fix fence, memorize spring and fall vaccine protocols, ride, rope, hammer nails, castrate calves, drive truck—the list goes on. Sometimes they do all this and even hold down a full time job in town!

Growing up in agriculture definitely gives you a leg up, but I am sure finding a young gal that has mastered all those tasks doesn’t come around every day. If you find one, I’d recommend marrying her, quick!

See, I learned more about the outside chores from my mother than I did inside, which I am grateful for, but cooking did not come as naturally to me as some girls. I can burn dinner as good as anyone. Early on, I was more likely to kick in the oven door by the time all was said and done. Now I find myself mulling around in the kitchen trying new recipes any chance I get. Although I would rather be outside (as I’m sure most of us would) doing all the activities that create calluses or riding our ponies around, housework has grown on me. Not that any of us particularly care to do dishes or laundry, but there is an element of satisfaction knowing you have a clean house for your family to call home. Of course this balancing act is not narrowed to country folk; it’s any new wife or mother. We all share these times of trial and error, rancher or not.

Our daughter Mesa, keeps my husband and I on our toes. We are in the process of fine tuning our negotiation and bribing skills. No matter the degree of meltdown, when we ask if she wants to see the baby calves, she always responds with a sniffle and a “yeah!” It warms my heart to see her enthusiasm towards an industry I am so passionate about. I hope she never loses it. I am a lucky gal to have had some strong female influences growing up and now Mesa has them as examples as well. You can bet that I will do my best to teach her the qualities of a ranch woman. Goodness knows we need more of them! Sometimes when I have planned ahead and have a meal ready for all of us after we come in from working cattle and I didn’t even mess up drastically, I feel like I am getting closer to being one of the many ranch wives I idolize. Ranch wives are tough and caring, bold and compassionate, full of grit and pride. They know when to stand their ground and when a caring touch is needed. There is no better group of women and I am fortunate to have them as family, friends and neighbors. I look up to these talented women and maybe someday I can earn a place among this bunch of cowgirls.

~ Diana

Diana and her husband grew up farming and ranching. Now they own a crop and rangeland spraying business, and their own herd of cattle. Diana is a busy ranch wife and mom to a two-year-old little girl. When not helping with their spraying or cattle, she travels throughout north Idaho discussing feed programs with ranchers as a full-time feed consultant.