Taylor Short - Missouri Agvocate!

Today we welcome Taylor Short from the Missouri Ozarks. Taylor is passionate about agriculture!
My name is Taylor Short and I am senior majoring in agriculture communications at Missouri State. I am proud to be from Missouri more so from the Missouri Ozarks.

I am a third generation Angus breeder; our family has raised Angus cattle for almost 50 years qualifying us for the distinction of Historic Angus Herd in 2014.

Our farm has been in our family for 5 generations. During the summer I show my cattle at various state and national shows/fairs. this has allowed me to make lifelong friends and awesome memories. I write blogs for I love Farmers they Feed my Soul as the lone catalyst for conversation in Missouri – I love being involved in this movement because it gives everything a new light making it cool to talk about agriculture. I am also involved in Farm Bureau at the local, college, and state level.

A typical day since I am still a student involves learning all I can about agriculture.

I live and breathe agriculture. Agriculture is awesome- I mean where we would be without agriculture. Agriculture is my passion. Therefore it is my goal to be an agvocate for my fellow agriculturists and educate anyone who will listen about who works to provide for their food supply as well as other products that are raised by farmers and ranchers. If we don’t agvocate our “services” then those with less experience will – like the media. As agvocates we want the true story from farm to market to enlighten the consumer. Advocacy needs to be progressive in order to attract consumers and be able to answer their questions.

Agriculture is my passion and I want to share my passion with everybody. I was told if we don't tell our stories someone else will tell our stories. agriculture means the world to me I want people know that.

I run into a lot of misconceptions on certain areas that I think a lot of people just are scared and confused about issues...but the whole telling you story is important.

You find me on acebook The Aggie Hipster and on my blog at http://theaggiehipster.wordpress.com/
I am currently working on a vegetarian diet for 15 days to gain a different view on agriculture.

Thank you Taylor for the work you do and good luck with your vegetarian adventure!
Be sure to follow her blog!

You could be the NEXT feature!! E-mail us at foafeature@gmail.com today to learn more!

Beckstead Family - Custom Harvesters & Ranch Operators

For our next feature, please welcome Tana Beckstead and her family as they share with us their unique agricultural story! 

Our agriculture story is made up of Beckstead Harvesting LLC, Mount Oxford Ranch and Oxford Mtn. Ranch LLC. We are Doug and Tana Beckstead and our three children are, Wiley age 17, Savannah age 14 and Hazen age 8. 

We live in southeast Idaho in a small town called Swan Lake (about 45 miles south of Pocatello, Idaho and 45 miles north of Logan, Utah) along Oxford Mountain.

As a family we operate and manage two separate farm and ranch operations owned by different corporations and businessmen. Mount Oxford Ranch in Downey and Preston, Idaho is a cow/calf operation with 350 Black Angus beef cows and calves as well as alfalfa and irrigated grain crops. Oxford Mountain Ranch, LLC in Swan Lake, Idaho is a cow/calf operation with 100 head of Black Angus cows and calves as well as the alfalfa, irrigated grain crops and dry land grain and safflower. Our oldest son Wiley pretty much runs the Swan Lake place by himself - he does all the pipe moving, field work and runs the cattle on his own - with a little help from Grandpa Beckstead occasionally in the summer. All together we farm close to 4500 acres.

In addition to operating the two ranches we also started our own custom harvesting business as a family. Two years ago we purchased a John Deere 9560 combine and we custom cut grain crops for farmers in the local area. Our little business is growing and last year we were able to buy a semi and a grain trailer to haul grain. We also own about 10 good ranch horses and the kids like to participate in local rodeos and jackpots in the summer time. Our older children, Wiley and Savannah both got youth loans through our local FSA office and purchased their own Angus cows and heifers and raise them along with the bigger herds. The kids plan on attending college with the money they make from selling the calves.

Doug and I (Tana) have been married for 18 years and have been involved in agriculture our entire lives. I was born and raised on a small dairy and beef cattle operation in Downey, Idaho and was active in 4-H and FFA while growing up. I was the Marsh Valley High School Chapter FFA president in 1994 and the District FFA President in 1995. Doug started working for a dry farm in the Preston, Idaho area when he was in his early teens and grew to love every aspect of farming. He worked the dry land hills and fields with old D-4 caterpillar machines and John Deere hill side combines. His blood runs green and nothing compares to John Deere when it comes to farm equipment! 

A typical day for our family is long and busy! Right now it is summer time so there is a LOT of pipe moving going on and we are just finishing up 1st crop hay. Wiley takes care of the pipe at the Swan Lake place and Doug, Tana and Savannah move the pipe at Mount Oxford Ranch. (Our little Hazen likes to play in the water and get the end plugs for us-pretty soon he’ll be big enough to lift the pipe!) We work together every day as a family. YES, we all have to work on the ranch! Whether we are calving cows or doctoring or branding calves or cutting or baling hay or disking or drilling a field, we all have important jobs to do! Doug hires a part-time hand to help out in the summer at Mount Oxford Ranch and also hires on temporary help from January to April for calving and branding season, but for the most part we do it all as a family.

My favorite part of working and living on a ranch is getting to raise my kids here. There is no better way in my opinion than growing up and working on a farm or ranch! Our kids have learned the value of a hard day’s work and they are responsible, knowledgeable kids for that very reason. We get up early and go to bed exhausted, but I know my kids aren’t out making trouble or doing drugs or worse. 

We do like to have fun too! Our favorite time of year on the ranch is branding season. We make a big day out of the brandings and I cook a big meal and we make a party out of it. We have great friends that love to help us brand and we never have to pay them to help.

When our youngest son Hazen started Kindergarten they had to give him a test to see what level he was at and the teacher asked him a series of questions and one of the questions was “What are the four seasons of the year?”. Hazen answered just as cool as could be, “Well there is calvin’ season, brandin’ season, farmin’ season and huntin’ season!” The teacher thought that was the cleverest thing she had ever heard. In his world these are the seasons on the ranch. Our local FSA agent heard the story and has a poster hanging in her office with the Four Seasons by Hazen Beckstead.

The one thing I wish people could understand about our particular ranching and farming story is that just because we work for a corporation doesn’t mean the money for the ranch is just flowing free at our disposal. Many times we hear people say “You have it so easy because the owners just buy everything you need or you don’t have the stress because you don’t have to worry about the bottom line.”. This is so not the case! If anything we worry more about making things work and being in the “black” at the end of the year. Doug and I have to put together a yearly budget and operating expense account and we have to pencil out how things will work and run smoothly. If we are short or don’t pay off these expenses we have to answer for it at the end of the year. We run these ranches just like we would our own if we had our own ranch.

Thanks for the great feature Tana! Agriculturalist come in all shapes and sizes - just like you! If you or someone you know should be featured on Faces of Agriculture please contact us today! 

A Ranch Mom - Kay & Cliff

Please welcome Kay and Cliff as they share with us what it's like to live and work on cattle in Wyoming! 

Howdy folks! I'm Kay, from A Ranch Mom. I live with my husband and our 4 kids on a ranch in SE Wyoming. The ranch is located along Horse Creek. We run Black Angus cow/calf pairs. We are about 25 miles from the nearest town, so I've learned how to keep milk in the fridge! But we enjoy living out here, away from the city. We are too busy to get bored! My husband (Cliff) and I both grew up primarily in the Midwest. We had been married 5 years when we loaded up our horse trailer with a few household items and one horse, and moved to Pueblo, CO, where we learned to do care on yearling cattle. We moved to WY 6 years ago, and really enjoy life here.

I home school our children - they love to finish early and go play outside! They spend a lot of time playing down by the creek or riding their bikes. They are also great helpers with the chores, and they enjoy riding with their dad when he moves cattle. We believe that ranch life is a great way to raise kids - they learn hard work, responsibility, neighborliness, and so much more.

We usually calve out heifers in late winter. We keep them in corrals close to the calving barn, so they can be taken inside during the brutal winter storms we get here. The heifers get checked every 2 hours around the clock. That takes a lot of time, as you might imagine! Sometimes they have some trouble, and then Cliff has to pull the calf. After the heifers are done calving, the main herd of mama cows start calving in early spring. We just leave them in the fields, but keep them close to the ranch headquarters. They get fed hay and 'cake', which is cow feed in the form of large, pressed pellets. They generally have easy births, and take care of their babies, unlike the first-time heifers, who sometimes don't know what to do with their babies.

After calving is spring branding. This is my favorite part of ranch life! There is a lot of ranches around here, and whenever we have a branding, there's plenty of neighbors to help out. Even so, it takes 3 days of branding to get them all done. Then we go help the neighbors when it's their turn to brand. I don't help a lot with the branding - I'm too busy cooking for the cowboys and taking photos. Summer is haying time...or at least it was until the drought hit last year. Summers here are quite lovely - temps don't top 90 too often, and there's usually a breeze. I enjoy gardening, and working in the yard in the summer. In the fall we gather the cattle, process them, and sell the calves.

Cliff and I own a small leather business, CK Custom Leather, which we do on the side. Cliff makes custom saddles, tack, and chaps. I weave traditional mohair cinchas. We do have a Facebook page for our business.

Most people don't realize how committed you need to be when you live and work on a ranch. The cows don't stop eating, drinking or getting sick on weekends. They never heard of holidays, either! You have to enjoy this lifestyle to put in the time and energy that it takes. But watching a new baby calf begin to breathe after a rough start, or watching the sunrise through the trees, or roping a steer - makes it
all worthwhile.

Thanks so much for the great feature Kay! Be sure to follow along with Kay and her ranch life over on her blog - A Ranch Mom. You can also check out the page for their custom leather shop - CK Custom Leather. 

Remember - if you or someone you know would like to help spread awareness about agriculture and the real people behind the cows and combines (and everything else as well!), please contact us today to learn how! YOU could be the next Face of Agriculture! 

Josie - Wyoming Cowgirl

Today we welcome a young lady from Wyoming. Meet Josie! She enjoys living and working on the ranch!

Hi everyone! I am Josie, also known as the Hillbilly Goddess of my blog, “Wild & Wooly”. I am 16 years young & live on a ranch out in the boonies of northeast Wyoming. I have a huge passion for agriculture, horses, and rodeo. We raise purebred commercial Black Angus cattle as well as American Quarter Horses, with Hancock/Driftwood bloodlines. My job on the ranch is to do anything that needs done, to the best of my ability. Whether that’s, cleaning corrals, making brownies, changing tires, or playing fetch, I’m able.

Me, getting on colt – Photo credit: Kate Tracy

Most of the year you can likely find me horseback; either, breaking and training colts, checking water, moving cows, or at a barrel race. Whatever the case may be, I love riding! I currently have 3 horses that I’m working with – a 5 year old brown gelding, Ranch Style Beans; a 2 year old dun gelding, Giddy Up Go Reno; and a blue roan yearling, Rock N Roll Roni. You can say I stay busy. I love the progress I see day-to-day when breaking a colt. It’s one of the most frustrating and patience-trying things I have ever done, but it is also one of the most rewarding and fulfilling. I hope to continue to break, train, and compete for as long as I live.

My dad and I at chute – Photo Credit: Kate Tracy

I am homeschooled, and love it! I went to public school my 3rd grade through the start of my freshman year of high school. Now, a junior, I clearly see that homeschooling is a tremendous blessing pretty much every way I look at it. It has given me such a great opportunity to pursue my talents and interests! Math comes easiest to me, so it would have to be my favorite subject. I also enjoy accounting and business math, which I know will benefit me for the rest of my life. Homeschooling has also given me a greater opportunity to not only be of help on our ranch (and my grandparents’ ranch, who live about 20 minutes away), but to learn many things that the public school system may not ever discuss.

Our dog Gem herding a cow - Photo Credit: Josie 

My other found loves include photography and working out; neither I did before starting homeschooling. Photography is something I know I will be able to enjoy for the rest of my life. There is so much to learn, but I am getting a lot better and expanding my knowledge every time I take pictures of a different subject. I am thankful to live in such a place that I am able to take pictures of a wide variety of material.

I like to describe myself as an endorphin junkie. I love to work out. It’s a high! I enjoy Beachbody’s P90X andTurboFire. Insanity is next on the list to try. Staying fit, and as healthy as I can, helps me every single day. I sleep so much better and actually have more energy when I work out, compared to when I don’t. I motivate myself by remembering that I can’t ever expect my horses to perform at their top game if I don’t ask just as much effort from myself!

In my spare time I enjoy make jewelry, especially necklaces, and bandanas, with all sorts of fun junk on them! You can never have too many accessories. (: “Hey and that’s a fact Jack!” I am a lover of turquoise, sterling silver, good leather, REAL cowboy boots, silk scarves, and denim.

My favorite time of year on the ranch is spring. Wyoming springs can be quite bipolar, but seeing babies hit the ground and green grass start to come up just warms my heart, even if it is cold. It also signals branding, which ensures that school is almost over and summer is on its way. I get so excited! Most girls kick off their summer by taking a trip to some beach, I, on the other hand, would rather get bruised up and smell like burnt hair. I enjoy branding because all of the family comes to help and we are outside actually doing something; making real memories!

Mares and babies – Photo Credit: Tami Tracy

Ranch ladies are known for many things but their food would be close to the top of the list. I am very blessed to be able to learn from my mama, whom I consider to be the best cook ever. I wanted to share a recipe that I have made ever since I was a wee little squirt. These are, My Cookies. You should be honored to be receiving the great secret of “Speed Balls”.

1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
½ Cup Instant Dry Milk
3 Tablespoons Water
Graham Cracker Crumbs

The directions are pretty self-explanatory…
Mix all ingredients.
Refrigerate till firm.
Roll into balls – hence the name, Speed BALLS.
Roll balls in graham cracker crumbs.
Refrigerate.
Then eat those babies! With milk. You will definitely want milk.

Boom. You have just mastered Speed Balls. You are welcome.

Speedballs - Photo credit: Josie

I could not be more proud of where I come from. Every morning, when I step outside, I know this is what I’m good at, this is what I enjoy, and this is what’s preparing me for my future. It’s teaching me how to suck-it-up, work a little harder, sweat a little more, and to embrace the journey. I thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ for having a divine plan and purpose over my life. I trust in, rely on, and am confident in Him.

Be sure to drop by my blog and say hellooo(:

Thank you Josie for this feature!!! Keep up the great work! Be sure to check out her blog "Wild and Wooly."

Do you live on a ranch or farm? Are you passionate about agriculture - then we need your story! Contact us today!!!

Meet the Crooks - Brangus Producers from North Carolina

Today we welcome another great feature from the International Brangus Breeders Association. Meet Evon Crooks of North Carolina Special thanks to Brittni Drennan (Communications Coordinator for the IBBA) for bringing us this feature!

It does not take very much time talking to Evon Crooks to realize there is something unique about him. Crooks is one of four brothers, and yes, he came from a ranching family and has extensive experience breeding cattle. However, his unfamiliar accent suggests he might not just be a typical rancher from North Carolina.

Crooks and his three brothers grew up in Jamaica in the Caribbean where they worked on the family farm as adolescents. Their parents made a living raising beef and dairy cattle in the tropical, humid climate along with a number of other cattlemen. According to Crooks, there are three primary beef breeds that exist in Jamaica, red and black polled, similar to red and black Angus and Brahman cattle.

“Raising cattle is not new to me,” Crooks said. “I consider raising cattle a recreation and a stress reliever at the end of the day.”

Upon graduating from high school, Crooks moved to the U.S. to attend the City University of New York where he majored in Chemistry. He continued his education and attended graduate school at Long Island University in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he received his Master of Science degree in Chemistry. He soon began working as a research chemist, which he still does today.

Crooks coached his children’s soccer team until they moved away from home to attend college. With his background and knowledge of the beef industry, he decided it was time to get back in the beef production business. Crooks and his wife of more than 35 years, Carol, operate the farm and now have 25 head of Brangus mother cows at EC Farms in Mocksville, N.C.

“My background in chemistry helps to improve nutrition and condition in cattle,” Crooks said. “I look at the industry from a scientific aspect, and I can more easily solve problems in a scientific, cause and effect relationship.”

Crooks started out raising Hereford cows but continued to experience having problems with his cattle contracting pink eye. After conducting some of his own research, he came to the conclusion that black hided cattle had fewer complications caused by diseases and would have less problems. Crooks decided to invest in the Brangus breed. In 1998 he purchased two cow/calf pairs from Doug Williams of Whip-o-Will Land and Cattle at his neighbor’s sale.

“We’ve been able to slowly build our herd, and we have a heard we are really proud to have our brand on,” Crooks said. “And it’s good to see our customers happy with our product.”

Since he initially began raising Brangus cattle almost 15 years ago, Crooks has developed a quality breeding program and is pleased with his Brangus cattle. He has produced the kind of cows that put producers in the black instead of the red when it comes to return on investments. He said Brangus cattle produce good mothers and provide advantages such as heat tolerance.

“They have very high growth rate and can wean calves at seven months old in the 600 to 700 weight range, and it’s hard to do that with other breeds,” Crooks said. “It’s nice to drive around in our pasture and see nice cattle that I know will work well in this area.”

Crooks said he selects for fertility, and as far as phenotype, he wants an animal that has broad shoulders, a stout rear end and depth in the rib. He also places a great deal of emphasis on calving ease. He said having live calves is crucial to success and is proud he did not have to pull any calves last calving season. But Crooks’ real secret to his success is plain good management.

“The cattle industry is a big investment,” Crooks said. “I can tell you what my intake is and what my output is in terms of feed and performance; I know how to be cost effective.”

Crooks implements rotational grazing on his pastures and works to develop his cows to turn a profit foraging on grass. He said it is more cost effective to have animals that can do well on grass without significant amounts of supplements, especially with the current increased price of corn and grains. He also implements artificial insemination (AI) techniques to increase efficiency and return.

“Feed cost is a significant cost of management,” Crooks said, “but I can put my herd on good quality grass, and they can forage well on my pastures.”

While continually improving the genetic quality of his herd, Crooks remains efficient because he knows quality and efficiency are both related and can greatly reduce input costs if managed correctly.

Crooks has become more involved in the Brangus breed and has since been a member of the Southeast Brangus Breeders Association. He has served the association on the Board of Directors and was recently inducted as President this September.

Thanks to the IBBA for brining us this feature! Check out their website, Facebook Page, and Beef Tips Blog

You can be the next FOA feature - contact us today!

Missouri Farm Girl Deena Aaron

Today we welcome Deena Aaron from Lipstick, Camouflage and Farm Life as she shares with us her adventures of Missouri farm life! 

My story is about being a Missouri farm girl and loving every minute of it. My husband Richard takes care of the family farm with his 90 year old father at his side. The farm has been in my husband’s family for about 100 years and consists of 600 acres. From the time Richard’s grandfather bought a small piece of ground and slowly added other small parcels as they became available, there have always been cattle here. We now have around 100 cows and calves and Richard and I have another 80 acres where we live about 15 miles away which is my family farm where my Dad lived and where my Mother still lives. We run three bulls, moving them back and forth, a registered Black Angus, a registered Beef Master, and our newest bull just bought last month, a 10 month old registered Hereford.

 

If someone had told me 20 years, even 10 years ago that I would be this involved with raising cattle I would have never believed it. But you will now see me out nearly every night checking cattle on the four-wheeler when my husband can’t. We both still work full time, I am a Senior Secretary at the University of Science and Technology in Rolla Missouri and Richard runs his own business - Aaron’s Archery which he has owned since 1980. It is next door to our home which makes it convenient for him. On top of working full time I also do professional photography. 

As all cattle owners know there is always something to be done on a farm - fence to fix, hay to bale, tractors and equipment to be fixed, always something so we are always busy. Oh yes, and it seems pretty much always cows where they are not supposed to be. On top of all the cattle I have three sheep that come running when they see or hear me. Now that’s a funny story - mama sheep showed up as a stray sheep, I have always taken in stray cats and dogs, but stray sheep!! Really I’m telling the truth. Well after she had been there about a month I thought she was looking pretty fat and one morning I had left for work and Richard called me and said you might want to come back home and see what we have. She had twins and of course they are all here to stay. It took me several months to gain her trust and now they all three love me. She took the babies and ran off once and we looked and worried about them but she finally came back. I guess she didn’t like me locking them in the barn every night but they were so little I was worried something would happen to them. 

All of the property has been cross fenced since Richard started overseeing the farm. This year we had a drought as a lot of other people did so we have bought hay out of Northeast Missouri and had it trucked in. This has never happened before in our 28 years of marriage but no rain means no pasture like we usually have. We have worried and had a lot of sleepless nights figuring out what to do.

Baby O was the first calf born on our 80 acres and was very little, although her mom whom we call “Big O” is a big cow but Baby O was very weak. We found ourselves out in the field at 10:00 pm giving her a bottle. Now we probably worry more than we need to and are too over protective but we haven’t lost one calf at our place yet. By the way, Big O gave birth this spring to twins, which I will share later. Having said all that Baby O is now a momma and of course she had her baby in March when it was very cold and she had trouble. 

We were at the barn, got her in the head gate, Richard had his arm inside and had ahold of one of the hooves when she got loose, he lost his grip and I had to climb the corral to get away from her. That scared the heck out of me. That was my first time that a cow tried to hurt me. She just knew she was hurting and I guess thought it was our fault. We got her back in the head gate and finally Richard pulled her calf and he was a big one and both front feet were turned under so he made some braces and duct taped them on until the little guy could stand up and he is thriving and growing up like a weed. That was the second time Baby O beat the odds, she would have surely died and the calf too. The full story is on my blog. 

I also am in the process of writing a series of children’s books about our dog “Jake the Farm Dog” and am looking for someone to illustrate and publish my books. They are quite entertaining as Jake and his friend Bear get into a lot of mischief over their girlfriend “Lipstick”. More to come on that. I hope you have enjoyed our story and I have many more to tell. For instance I will just put this picture on and tell you this is Lucky Girl and we raised her on a bottle and now she is going to have a baby of her own. I’m sure when that happens it will be quite the occasion. Maybe we will have a “calf shower”. 

 By the way I am an avid Turkey Hunter and just had my picture and article published in the National Wildlife Turkey Federation “Turkey Country” October issue in “Women in the Outdoors” and have also been featured in the magazine Living the Country Life. 

 If you like my stories you can join my blog for more of my life as a Missouri Farm Girl!!

Thanks for sharing your story Deena! Be sure to visit her blog and twitter to learn more!  

If you or someone you know would like to be the next Face of Agriculture please contact us today, we need YOUR story! 

191 Livestock Company

Today we have a post from Robert Brown and Francine Acord-Brown. Together they raise cattle and performance horses in western Colorado!

191 Livestock Company and 191 Performance Horses. One can tell from the name of the companies, Robert & Francine already wears many hats and has many faces in both the cattle industry and horse world. Robert also has more than a full-time job as a drilling consultant in the oil and natural gas industry.

191 Livestock Company is the Registered Black Angus program (specializing in breeding seed stock genetics that are PAP tested for fitness to thrive in the high altitudes in the Rocky Mountains along the Continental Divide). Francine grew up cattle ranching in the high country (winter ground elevation is 8,200 +/-) and she spent all too many years understanding first hand brisket disease, diagnosing it and realizing death loss because of it.

Luckily, Francine’s father is a well respected and progressive commercial cattleman, and Dr. Timothy Holt became an annual winter visitor to test the new bulls he purchased after they had time to acclimate to the high elevation above Yampa, CO before PAP testing became a standard practice by the Seedstock producers. The “PAP test” stands for Pulmonary Arterial Pressure. 191 Livestock PAP score goals are from mid-30’s to low 40’s. Most of our customers are well informed and know what scores work for their altitude. In our market, customers look at PAP score first, then the bull. Their livelihood depends on it. Our goal is to not only have low PAP scores, calving ease AND high $B’s on every single heifer and bull we produce. If we have cattle with a high PAP score, someone in lower elevations can take them and they can still produce the kind of cattle they can feed out and collect the carcass premiums for themselves. The breeding decisions we’ll be making in the next two months will affect the consumers’ plate in 2018. 191 Livestock Company does not take this responsibility lightly.

191 is one of the few breeders that PAP test both heifers and bulls calves. “We AI our cattle, most of the AI sires offered do not have PAP scores”. Certain genetic lines tend to PAP test better, but 191 feels that if we know our heifers, their dam scores and grand dam scores, we can make a more educated guess which sires should cross with our females. But environmental factors also play into it such as a calf born in the cold wherein frostbite gets their ears, calves born backwards and respiratory infections early in their lives all attribute to higher PAP scores which is undesirable, but not genetic. “We can only control and predict so much”. Worst case, if they don’t have a desirable PAP score for the high altitude, they can thrive at a lower altitude and become excellent lifelong producers for those not challenged by high altitude.

191 Performance Horses is the other side of 191. 191 also reining and cow bred horses to compete in Reined Cow Horse/Reining/Versatility Ranch Horse events. The goal of the 191 horse program is to breed, raise, and do the basic training on the babies. Francine has started showing the horses that fit the non-pro program, where in 2012 she has become successful in the show ring. Currently, two trainers assist them and the program is just starting. 191 Performance horses has only been showing horses a total of four years and refocused two years ago on the working cow horse/versatility show pens and have had remarkable success with both the open and non-pro horses.

Many people ask where the “191” comes from. That is “our” Colorado brand. The Acord family has many brands and Francine had her own brand (Stairstep F) prior to meeting and marrying Robert. Both families come from generations and generations of farming and ranching families.

Robert and Francine are late bloomers in Ag coming full circle back to our roots. Robert has had a life long career in the gas and oil business travelling worldwide and offshore to stay in the industry. Francine was a single parent from the time her youngest daughter was 2. Her youngest is now 26 and together, they have 7 grandchildren, who are all fortunate to have their young lives touched by horses and agriculture in varying degrees.

Robert and Francine married in 2009 and within a month of being married, they purchased the first 12 head of Black Angus cattle, and bought several more within a few months. Within a year, they sold all the commercial cattle and purchased an entire herd of Registered Black Angus cattle. They not only bought cattle, they purchased a program, with the intent to not only continue, but to improve the overall program. The previous owners wanted to retire and put their 14 years of expertise into building a program. “It would have taken us at least that to put together a program, so we bought them out instead”.

Neither Robert, nor Francine had ever “owned” their own cattle before. “When we purchased the registered cattle, we picked our very own heifers, named them and halter broke them. Francine took them to a Chef’s trade show to show off “real cattle” at the Vail Marriot for people to actually see and touch real cattle. The live display was a hit, and a challenge that frankly, they were unsure if she could pull it off. Francine had 6 days to halter break, clip, bathe and break to lead and load. We put up four 12 x 12 panels, but nothing solid to tie the panels or the cattle to. She pulled it off and it really hit home not only how good our genetics were, but also their dispositions. It was like your kindergarten kids making you proud. The organizers were impressed and 191 with more notice the second go around, had another great display for 2011.

The Browns built their ranch from scratch, from the calving barns, to livestock pens. Francine has never been happier in the cattle business. Growing up on a large cattle ranch in Yampa, CO, the ranch was “work” and never any time to enjoy life. “Now, we can work cows in less than two hours, weigh them and know everything about each heifer and bulls genetics, and can look up information and genetics like the horse industry.” Francine does all the AI’ing, freeze branding and together they make the day to day decisions. Robert still has a more than full time job. Francine’s job with the cows allows her the freedom to pursue her lifelong dreams in the horse industry also. There is nothing like “loving life” every single day, and getting to do what you always wanted to do!

There is no typical day on our ranch. Since we are in the registered business with both our cattle and horses, we do everything at least 30-60 days earlier than the rest of the ranchers in the area. We calve in January, foal in February. We wean the end of August, while most ranchers are still gathering into October. It’s so nice to have small numbers, super quality in both the cattle and horses and still enjoy life. We both love to boat on Lake Powell and spend time with our families (three sets of parents and grandkids). We have three 6 year olds, two 4 year olds and a 2.5 year old and baby. They are all close in age and like most of the same things, although the closest family is 2.5 hours away, the other two families in Wyoming are 5 hours drive in two separate directions.

The Brown’s are enjoying life together and love the life they’ve built as a couple in recent years. If nothing else, we are proof that dreams do come true, both relationship-wise and feel blessed they have made the life together they enjoy with the cattle and horses. We want our grandchildren and the next generation to know where their food comes from and how to be self sufficient and to never give up on finding that balance in life. Drought years bring realization that sometimes we all need to buckle down, make tough decisions and press on. Tough times never last, but tough people do.

191 Livestock Company/191 Performance Horses
Rulison, Colorado (Western Colorado)
Robert Brown & Francine Acord-Brown

Thank you Robert and Francine for a great feature!!! Please visit their websites www.191cow.com and www.191horse.com and Facebook pages 191 Livestock Company and 191 Performance Horses to keep up with whats going on at the ranch!

Are you proud of your farm or ranch? Tell us about it! You could be the next feature! Please contact us today!

Rose Cattle Company of Three Forks Montana

Today we feature Rose Cattle Company of Three Forks, Montana! Karoline Rose is a proud agvocate for agriculture and encourages producers to get involved in the beef industry!

Rose Cattle Company is located in Three Forks Montana, a beautiful small town in Montana where the three rivers meet to form the Missouri. We are a family operation 100% with the occasional day workers. John Rose, my father, is a cattle buyer/broker and we are in 7 different sale barns a week. Most of the cattle my father buys and resales are shipped to the Midwest and feed in feedlots there. Cattle buyers/ brokers are simply cattle traders. He is the middle man, buying from the families that raise cow calf pairs and selling to the feedlots.

We run a group of yearlings during the summer and my brother, Jacob and his wife Kelsey are in charge of the yearlings. My grandma Mary is a frequent visitor and helps Silvia our secretary in the office. Jackson, the baby of the family plays a huge role also. He is always there when we process calves or doctor yearlings. Processing calves involves giving them all the needed vaccinations, so we can maintain a healthy sellable product. I, Karoline Rose, raised pure bred Angus Cattle and help with both the office work and they daily feedings when I am not at school.

One of the best parts about being in the cattle industry is the fact that I get to work with my brothers and dad everyday. Not only do we spend time as a family supporting my brother, whether its watching Jackson play football or watching Jake ride in a ranch rodeo, we also get to function as a family business.

I wish people understood how much time and effort is put into a family business. It’s 24/7, waking up at 2 am to check for calves or feeding at 10pm after a football game. We do it together and learn to work through the challenges and be successful. The future is Ag is huge and there is tons of potential for everyone.

There is not one thing I would change about my life in the cattle community. I can’t wait until I get done at Montana State University so I can go back and work side by side with my family everyday.

Cattle aren’t our avenue in the agriculture industry. We raise stock dogs, and my dad puts on working dog clinics all over Montana. My brother Jacob graduated with a natural horsemanship degree from University of Montana-Western and he breaks and train horses on the side.

Working stock dog from the Rose Cattle Company

Please get involved with the industry, whether you like to write, speech or take photos we can use all of you! If your interested in cattle, dogs, horses or just to chat feel free to contact us! Follow us Facebook, Twitter or our Blog.

Thank you Karoline for a great feature!! Be sure to check out their Facebook, Twitter and Blog. You could be the next FOA feature!!! Check out our contact page - or e-mail us at foafeature@gmail.com to get started!

Tricia Miller - Wyoming Ranch Wife and Entrepreneur

Today we welcome Tricia Miller of Wyoming! Tricia and her family live on a ranch raising Black Angus cattle. She enjoy's working on the ranch but has also has some special endeavors of her own.

My name is Tricia Miller. My family and I live on my husband’s family’s ranch in eastern Wyoming. We reside in Niobrara County, the least populated county in the least populated state in the nation and also an agriculture-based community with a small-town atmosphere, where everyone knows everyone and friends and neighbors are still happy and willing to help each other out, whether it’s working cattle or fighting fire.

Milking "Jewel" the cow

My husband and I were both raised on ranches and wouldn’t trade the country life for the world. We’ve continued the tradition by raising our kids to appreciate the land and animals and the lifestyle that promotes responsibility and hard work ethics. The sport of rodeo is another part of the Miller heritage, and our older son, Colton (19), rides saddle broncs for Central Wyoming college, and our younger son, Blake (7), enjoys participating in local junior rodeos in the summer.

The Miller Ranch, established in 1951 by my father-in-law’s (Patrick) parents, is located outside of Lance Creek, Wyoming, and supports a Black Angus cow-calf operation, with Patrick and his two sons, Justen (my husband) and Jason, as the main operators, plus a full-time hired hand. To help support the cattle income, Jason continues a thriving career in rodeo (2007 Steer Wrestling World Champion), and although Justen was an accomplished saddle bronc rider for many years, he chose to leave rodeo to help his dad with the family’s booming business, Miller Enterprises, Inc., an oil field roustabout company.

As for myself, while I help out with ranching duties as needed, I also have other furry and feathery endeavors I pursue, such as rabbits, chickens, ducks, pigs, and a Brown Swiss milk cow. We have a couple of pet rabbits for Blake, a trio of meat rabbits, and one English Angora rabbit (Scooter), which produces a lovely fiber for spinning, another hobby I’ve recently taken up. We typically have around 80 chickens of varying breeds, such as Barred Rock, Rhode Island Red, Buff Orpington, Leghorns, and a few others. We buy them as chicks and raise them. I sell eggs to locals who enjoy farm fresh eggs, delivering in town every Tuesday afternoon. And just for fun, we have some White Crested and Khaki Campbell ducks around the yard, as well as a pair of Muscovy ducks, but we also use their eggs for baking as well. They’re quite entertaining to watch and fun to feed! We raised three pigs this summer, which was a first for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed them and would love to do that again.

Gathering eggs

Every morning when I return from taking Blake to the school bus, “Jewel” the milk cow is waiting for me to come milk her. She is quite possibly the sweetest cow you’ll ever meet and you won’t find better tasting milk and cream anywhere! She is giving about 4-1/2 gallons per day currently, but was up to 6 gallons a day for a while earlier this summer. I use the milk and cream to make wonderful butter and soft cheeses, such as cheese curds, cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, and others, and hard cheeses, such as cheddar. I also use it to make delicious sour cream, kefir, and buttermilk to drink.

Making mozzarella cheese!

A few years ago, after a conversation with my husband about the things our great grandparents knew how to do/make that we don’t anymore and have to depend on the grocery store for, I decided to learn to make soap. Little did I know what my curiosity would lead to! I found that making soap was really fun and so satisfying to make something with your hands for your family that was better than what we could get in the grocery store! After giving it to friends and family with lots of positive feedback and encouragement to sell it to the public, I also started Miller Soap Co. a few years ago, a handmade soap hobby that blossomed into a successful business that has enabled me to work out of our home. I have a business page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/millersoapco) for online customers, have soap in a few stores around eastern Wyoming, and also attend craft shows.

Photo courtesy to the Lusk Herald

The country life is definitely not the easy life. The animals and land require a lot of tending, and it doesn’t matter what the weather is, and in Wyoming, that can be anywhere from -30 degrees in the winter to 100+ degrees in the summertime, most of the time with wind. The hours can be long and the critters don’t always cooperate to make the job easy. It’s a long drive to town for groceries and kids’ school and 4-H activities, and the gas prices put limits on trips to town. But overall, there is something special about living hand-in-hand with nature on the wide-open spaces and having the freedom that comes with a little control over your own schedule. It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme, but it’s an extremely satisfying experience. It may not be the life for everyone, but it is most definitely for our family!

Thank you Tricia for a great feature!!! We wish you much success in your soap making business!! Be sure to check out their Facebook page to check all of her homemade products!!

YOU could be the next Faces of Agriculture feature! Contact us at foafeature@gmail.com to learn more! We are telling the story of agriculture one face at a time!