A Year on the Ranch

I've always had a passion for ranch life...I grew up working on a ranch and it's still my life! I married the cutest cowboy and we work on a large scale cattle ranch in Utah. We have a sweet little boy who is four months old, and I only hope he'll love this life as much as we do!
     A year of our life on the ranch looks like this: In January, we're out on the desert where the cows winter. It's basically making sure to keep them where the feed is good and making sure they have water. In the feedlot, it's doctoring sick calves and feeding. Not too much goes on until calving starts around February! Then, it's riding around the calving pastures keeping track of the mamas and bringing in the ones that need help giving birth! Some cows lose calves, and some calves lose their mamas, so we try to stick the bummed calves on a heifer without a calf. I love seeing all the new babies, though for my husband it means long hours!
     When calving season is over, it's time for branding...the best time of the year! At Ensign, they gather a pasture and set up a panel corral. They head and heel all the calves. They get branded, tagged, and get shots. So many people come out to help and everyone hangs out and jokes around at lunch! It's such a fun time.
      When branding is over and done, the cows and calves get shipped up to the summer range in North Eastern Utah. It's so beautiful up in the mountains, especially after being on the desert for six months! So yes, we move twice a year. Summer is pretty laid back..just riding pastures and doctoring sick livestock. It leaves a lot of time left for ranch ropings and bronc ridings. We have a lot of fun in the summer!
     It gets busy again when fall gathers come around. It takes a lot of riding in a lot of steep country to gather all the cows, but it's my favorite time of the year! I love to see all the beautiful country from the back of my horse. I wouldn't trade it for anything!
     Each pasture that gets gathered then gets sorted and the calves weaned and shipped to the desert, where they will be processed and kept in the feedlot. The cows get shipped a few weeks later. Then, it's back to the desert to start it all over again!
      That's an overview of our year...so much happens in between, and I can't wait to tell all about it!