It’s now November. Fall is quickly losing its ground to winter. The cows have started their trek home and will be welcomed by green fields of vegetation. We typically try and keep the cows on the mountain until Thanksgiving time but inevitably some find their way home sooner rather than later. Those that have already made their way home are looking good with calves in tow. Such an exciting time!
We have three former 4H heifer cows (Pepper, Chauncey, and Baby) that we will be adding to the herd. Pepper welcomed a steer calf named Ruger in June. Chauncey welcomed a heifer calf named Velvet in August. Baby will be birthing her first calf soon. These cows have all been tamed by their 4H students and will be introduced to the herd and observed over the winter months to insure they connect and find their place to make the travels into our mountain range in the spring.
Ranch Term: Sorting
For those not raised around a ranch, the term “sorting” refers to sorting the herd of cattle. We sort the herd in several ways such as nursing cows from dry cows and heifers from steers. It is a constant process that helps us to know that the entire heard has made the journey back to the ranch from the mountains.