Tag: cowboy living

The End and The Beginning

On By Marci WhitehurstIn My Blog2 Comments
Sometimes the changing of the year feels like a fence–it separates, but the view isn’t totally different from one side or the other.

Hi Friends,

New Years is a time to reflect on how the past year went and what we are looking forward to in the coming year.

But I don’t want to do that.

Maybe that sounds childish, but the past year was intense. I had goals that were “oh-so-close,” but slipped away like a calf under a fence. I had goals that I accomplished.

I follow a lot of people who are posting year-end reviews about their accomplishments and all that God did this year–and I think these are awesome! I applaud my friends’ efforts and I truly am excited for them. Honest.

I just don’t want to count everything that did or didn’t happen this year because it would look something like this:

Year End Review:

  • Got dressed and got moving every day. Except when I was sick, which was more than in previous years, but has been better in the last 6 weeks.
  • Fed my family.
  • Prayed.
  • Slept. Sort-of because my sleep health isn’t ideal–yet.
  • Worked.
  • Prayed.
  • Held a hurting child–who hurt for a very long time.
  • Watched that same child become herself again.
  • Prayed.
  • Read my Bible.
  • Survived a very palatable AI week! (So much better than last year’s AI week!)
  • Had a lovely year of weather–a fair amount of rain and very little smoke in the summer. Although, the winter of 2023 set records for low temps and high snow fall. The ranch bought a snow blower to get in and out of houses and feed cows.
  • Coached high schoolers–this is so rewarding as well as exhausting!
  • Prayed.
  • Wrote. I wrote a lot. Books, magazine articles, and journal entries. Some of it may one day see the light of day. Some of it definitely won’t.
  • Moved cows.
  • Helped my hubby.
  • Sold calves and enjoyed the market.
  • Survived, thrived, and also survived some more.

I can’t put this year into a cute little list of accomplishments, but I can be ever so grateful for the progress–on the ranch, at the school, and in my writing. What I can do is share this:

Next year, I want to live. As in live fully alive.

I’ve been asking the Lord what my take away is from this year and what to look for going into next year and this is what I feel: 2023 drained me. Nothing life altering or terrible happened, but I just feel wiped out. With my schedule and the ranch’s, there is never a “down time” or a “slow season.” My work schedule ramps up when things are a little slower on the ranch. This worked for several years, but it isn’t sustainable. And if sustainability needs to happen in our fields, then it needs to happen in our lives.

So here are the 2 things I know going into 2024:

  1. I’ll not be continuing my job at the school after the first part of February. (Don’t worry, the school is aware, so if anyone stumbles across this, it isn’t a surprise.)
  2. The word for 2024 for me is LIVE. By living, I need to adjust my rhythms for work so that I can be present in the moment. Awake. Listening. Looking for awe and wonder because so much of the past few years turned into surviving instead of thriving–and God wants us to thrive.

I don’t mean this as a downer what-so-ever, but rather a wake-up call to shift my life patterns and habits. Anyone else feeling drained after this year? Here’s a New Year’s prayer for us all:

Father,

Thank you for endings and beginnings. Thank you for holding time in Your hands and carrying our hearts next to Yours. Forgive us for becoming busy with things that didn’t matter and for feeling anxious over things You had in Your control. Cleanse us from the residue of the past year and thank you for the many blessings of 2023! Fuel us for a new beginning. Reignite passions that You want us to have and give us resources to accomplish all You have for us. Thank you that You are hope and peace and joy. We delight ourselves in You and Your Word. Let us see the world through Your lens and let us help others with the blessings You’ve given us. We look forward to all You have for us in 2024. We open our hands to receive from You–thank you for fresh starts!!

Amen.

Top 5 Ranching Myths

On By Marci WhitehurstIn My BlogLeave a comment

riding-crew-2

If you haven’t lived it, you don’t know it.

I don’t have a clue about hailing a cab…or traffic in cities… Or selecting wine…Or hoola dancing. There’s more, but if you are going to read about everything I don’t know how to do, well then my friend, you need more hobbies.

It’s interesting to be on the other side of the fence though: hearing someone talk about ranching as though they know, BUT… they’ve never lived it. I think it’s helpful to share life experiences to round out our perceptions, so here are 5 ranching myths, busted wide-open:

1. We’re not environmentalists.

Environmental issues are of grave importance to ranchers. Stewardship of the land is paramount to the future of agriculture. We assess riparian areas and maintain healthy land balances. We recycle. We put back into the land whatever we take out; and more so when possible.

2. It’s subsidized.

Ranchers do not receive any kind of government subsidy. Yes, there are subsidies for farming and they are used ONLY when appropriate, but ranchers do not receive funding. There are no guaranteed yearly payments or buyouts.

3. You ride off into the sunset.

As my daughter says, if you ride into the sunset, you’ll end up riding in the dark or making camp somewhere. Ranching is a lot of work. It’s worth it, but horses don’t come when you whistle, like they do in the movies. You have to fight the elements: frost bite in the winter and heat stroke in the summer. Predators are a real threat to us and our livestock. We grieve if we lose an animal.

4. Ranching doesn’t take intellect or education.

If you’re going to make a living and survive in agriculture, you need to study market trends. Cattle prices hinge on the stock market. You need to be able to budget large amounts of money and live off a once-a-year paycheck (when you sell your calves). We have spreadsheets and bookkeeping galore to keep records and make good business decisions.

5. It’s like rodeo.

Ranching is nothing like rodeo. Ranchers may enjoy attending a rodeo, but what you see in the arena is wild compared to what happens in a field. Cattle producers move slowly and quietly in their daily routine. We use low-stress handling techniques for herd health and safety. We do not whip or shout. We wish to work with the animal and what is natural for them.

I think the myth I hear the most is that ranching is like a rodeo. It’s nearly opposite actually!

No matter what you do or where you are, I’m sure there are myths in your lifestyle or profession. Whatever we do, may we do it well and do it with purpose. The world needs our passion.

 

The Future of the Industry

On By Marci WhitehurstIn My BlogLeave a comment

We just got back from the Idaho Cattle Association’s summer gathering. Since we are fairly new to Idaho, it was encouraging to meet new people. My husband has had the opportunity to mingle with other producers, but this was my first time. There is a desire here to promote the industry and share our stories with those not familiar with cattle. I love this because sharing the heart behind the industry is vital. We want consumers to know that we work hard to protect the resources under our care.

Our land practices must provide for our cattle, native wildlife, and future generations with great efficacy. This includes not only maintaining pasture health, but promoting it. Many of our habits today are proactive rather than reactive. Water resources must be protected rather than salvaged. Nutrition programs encourage cattle health, for gestational wellbeing and birth, as well as longterm viability. Our desire is that what is witnessed in our fields will not only sustain our families, but our environment for years to come, while at the same time, providing a food source for the billions of people on our planet.

It goes without saying that ranchers desire to supply the world with sustainable beef. Not just because it is good business, but because it is good practice. Although the “law” of sustainable beef has yet to be written, there is a code that the majority of producers follow: provide the best life possible for the animal as it provides life for us.

Many consumers buy meat, not knowing the practices behind the product. Hopefully this will change. As the word gets out, may the population know that producers are enacting practices such as crop and grazing rotations, fencing off riparian areas, and animal health procedures (just to name a few) that seek to promote the health of land and animals alike.
We are blessed with the opportunity to take part in ranching and look forward to the future!

august 2010 030 The Future Generation