Working Ranch Blog
Low-Stress Field Day by Brett Haas
Sep. 1 2010, 10:00 AM
Sep. 1 2010, 10:00 AM
Months of preparation and planning came together this last Saturday. Our local cattlemen's group, the Leavenworth County Beef Improvement Association, held its fifth annual field day at J&N Ranch. The LCBIA renewed an old tradition five years ago. We chose a ranch or farm of a local, county producer, brought in a few speakers/demonstrations, put on a big feed, and, for the last three years, have had some live entertainment. Every year the event becomes a little bigger and draws a few more folks. This year was no exception. We asked Joe and Norma at J&N if they would be interested in hosting last year. They were just coming off of their big auction and were preparing for the inspection of their feedlot by the KDHE. So, we gave 'em a tad more notice and asked 'em again this year. They obliged.
J&N ranch is the headquarters of the American Black Hereford Association. Joe and Norma started the ranch in 1978. Originally they were a registered Hereford outfit. Then, in 1992, registered Angus cattle were brought in, and in 1997 J&N purchased the American Black Hereford Association and the foundation herd from fellow Kansas rancher, John Gage. Then, in 2000, the ranch decided to focus solely on Black Herefords and dispersed their Angus and Hereford cattle. J&N holds a sale annually in February. Last year buyers came from as far as Texas, Virginia, and South Dakota. Needless to say, because of the hard work of Joe and Norma, the Black Hereford has brought much success to J&N ranch.
This year the LCBIA was fortunate enough to get Curt Pate and the Stewardship & Stockmanship tour. Pate travels the country demonstrating low-stress livestock handling techniques. I use the word livestock because these methods can be used with many varieties of animals. (Well, maybe not chickens, but you get my point.) A "Bud Box" was used vs. your traditional tub and snake setup. The "Bud Box" consisted of one large catch pen adjoined to a smaller pen, and then an even smaller pen before the cattle got to the alleyway.
Pate had his work cut out for him. The temperature was in the 90's and the heat index was pushing 100. Initially, we were going to start the demo around 4, but, in order not to heat stress the critters, held off until 5:30. The J&N crew brought in ten bred heifers (not the easiest creatures to work) with ease around 5:15. As the cattle settled a bit, Curt addressed the audience about the desire the general public has to learn about what we do. And, in this age of camera phones and YouTube, it's best they learn from the majority of producers that treat their animals right, vs. from the few bad apples in the bunch such as in the undercover video from the Ohio Dairy.
J&N ranch is the headquarters of the American Black Hereford Association. Joe and Norma started the ranch in 1978. Originally they were a registered Hereford outfit. Then, in 1992, registered Angus cattle were brought in, and in 1997 J&N purchased the American Black Hereford Association and the foundation herd from fellow Kansas rancher, John Gage. Then, in 2000, the ranch decided to focus solely on Black Herefords and dispersed their Angus and Hereford cattle. J&N holds a sale annually in February. Last year buyers came from as far as Texas, Virginia, and South Dakota. Needless to say, because of the hard work of Joe and Norma, the Black Hereford has brought much success to J&N ranch.
This year the LCBIA was fortunate enough to get Curt Pate and the Stewardship & Stockmanship tour. Pate travels the country demonstrating low-stress livestock handling techniques. I use the word livestock because these methods can be used with many varieties of animals. (Well, maybe not chickens, but you get my point.) A "Bud Box" was used vs. your traditional tub and snake setup. The "Bud Box" consisted of one large catch pen adjoined to a smaller pen, and then an even smaller pen before the cattle got to the alleyway.
Pate had his work cut out for him. The temperature was in the 90's and the heat index was pushing 100. Initially, we were going to start the demo around 4, but, in order not to heat stress the critters, held off until 5:30. The J&N crew brought in ten bred heifers (not the easiest creatures to work) with ease around 5:15. As the cattle settled a bit, Curt addressed the audience about the desire the general public has to learn about what we do. And, in this age of camera phones and YouTube, it's best they learn from the majority of producers that treat their animals right, vs. from the few bad apples in the bunch such as in the undercover video from the Ohio Dairy.
Curt emphasized finding your leaders and using them to move the herd. Here he's got a couple hooked on.
Curt stressed the need to slow things down a bit, and consider life from the critter's point of view. "Cattle like to see you", he said. "Their eyes are like the "fish-eye" or concave mirrors on your trucks. They see better from the side." Pate then demonstrated how cattle are worked better from the side vs. the traditional idea of pushing cattle from the rear. "When you watch a good cowdog work, he moves back and forth behind the cows so they can always see him." He slowly worked the herd around the big pen, training them to move where he asked. "Much has been said about the flight zone of the cow," offered Pate as he moved the cattle around him. "I don't want to penetrate that flight zone. I want to hit that pressure zone just outside the flight zone that simply makes the animal move away at a slow walk. I don't want them running from me."
He slowly worked them up into the 2nd pen, and then practiced allowing the cattle to move past him, back into the 1st pen, but slowly, and one at a time, as he asked. Curt would let one heifer pass on the right, then the left, then maybe the left again. He was clearly in control. "I'm trying to learn Spanish. When I'm talking with someone and I can't understand them, I ask them to slow down so I can. Cattle, and all livestock for that matter, want to learn our language, but first we have to slow down so we can teach them." Pate continued by moving a few of the cattle into the final pen before sending them down the alleyway. He had a little trouble with a gate. For some reason, the yahoo in charge didn't check it to see if it opened up all the way. He managed to make due, though.
He concluded the demo by addressing the audience directly once again. "Our industry has come under scrutiny in the last few years. Instead of allowing this criticism to discourage us, let's allow it to make us better. In the end I believe it will."
Peggy is a brave gal and all, singin' about chickens at a cattlemen's event.
After we finished a fine beef brisket dinner provided by New Haven Angus Ranch, we moved on to some cowboy poetry by Jeff Anslinger and some cowgirl singing by Peggy Coleman. Jeff was key in helping us put this altogether. He did a fine job and had the crowd smiling and crying with poems such as "20% Chance of Flurries" and "True Love". Peggy made the trip all the way from Pawnee, OK. As soon as she donned her chicken hat and sung us the bitter tale of a poor chicken rancher in "Ghost Chickens in the Sky" we were all glad she was there. Heck, she even took my request for a Loretta song. You can beat that now can ya?
All in all it was a great evening. A lot of folks worked really hard to put this altogether. We fed 180 people that night. We learned how to be better stewards of the critters that God has given us charge over. We laughed and we cried. We visited and told some tales, and as Mr. Black would say, "Some of them true.". We sweated putting tables and chairs up, and just as much, if not more, sweated putting them back at 9:30 at night. Humidity: It's a Kansas thing. Don't ya love it? And last, but not certainly least, we raised a couple thousand dollars to help the next generation of farmers and ranchers pay for college. Yes sir, a fine evening.
Tell me about your local cattlemen's orginization at thekansascowboy36@gmail.com or friend me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
He slowly worked them up into the 2nd pen, and then practiced allowing the cattle to move past him, back into the 1st pen, but slowly, and one at a time, as he asked. Curt would let one heifer pass on the right, then the left, then maybe the left again. He was clearly in control. "I'm trying to learn Spanish. When I'm talking with someone and I can't understand them, I ask them to slow down so I can. Cattle, and all livestock for that matter, want to learn our language, but first we have to slow down so we can teach them." Pate continued by moving a few of the cattle into the final pen before sending them down the alleyway. He had a little trouble with a gate. For some reason, the yahoo in charge didn't check it to see if it opened up all the way. He managed to make due, though.
He concluded the demo by addressing the audience directly once again. "Our industry has come under scrutiny in the last few years. Instead of allowing this criticism to discourage us, let's allow it to make us better. In the end I believe it will."
Peggy is a brave gal and all, singin' about chickens at a cattlemen's event.
All in all it was a great evening. A lot of folks worked really hard to put this altogether. We fed 180 people that night. We learned how to be better stewards of the critters that God has given us charge over. We laughed and we cried. We visited and told some tales, and as Mr. Black would say, "Some of them true.". We sweated putting tables and chairs up, and just as much, if not more, sweated putting them back at 9:30 at night. Humidity: It's a Kansas thing. Don't ya love it? And last, but not certainly least, we raised a couple thousand dollars to help the next generation of farmers and ranchers pay for college. Yes sir, a fine evening.
Tell me about your local cattlemen's orginization at thekansascowboy36@gmail.com or friend me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
