Country Lifestyles
Cowboy Culture – Reminiscing on Spring Brandings
By Clay Reid
As I am winding down on another year of spring branding here at the ranch, there is always that moment in time when I catch myself dreaming of all the other brandings of years past. With that dream comes the memories of some of the great cowboys I was able to share the pen with and some of the great episodes they starred in.
One such cowboy was John Gaither, a true man of God and a great cowboy. He was a man who walked the walk and talked the talk when it came to his faith in God, and I never saw him waver from it. He was also tough as a boot, a testament to that picture so famously floating around of him going over the horse’s head as it is stumbling and crashing to the ground at a steer roping. He was a very old man at the time, but he never missed a beat.
He had given his heart to God, and has left this old world behind, but I will always miss those conversations about living as we were trotting to the backside of a pasture.
Another old legend in these parts was the infamous Lewis Blair from Dundee, Texas. Blair was an old rodeo clown who was well known for his iron grip and his love for chasing coyotes with his greyhounds. As a matter of fact, Gaither and I were able to share the branding pen with Blair the last time he ever drug a calf to the fire at Jeff Williamson’s Javelin pens, west of Dundee.
Blair and Gaither were both dragging, and Blair had necked a big old bull calf. When I went to the calf, I was met with some pretty serious resistance. However, with a bloody lip and a little muscle, I was able to get the calf to the ground in a headlock. The only bad thing was, I was on bottom.
To read more pick up a copy of the May 2018 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By: Martha Crump
Most cattle producers can tell you quite a lot about balancing cattle diets for energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals based on the specific needs for their herd and type of operation.
A key factor, and one that is often overlooked, is that how your animals perform is also directly affected by their water intake.
Now many of you may already be thinking “well of course water is necessary, anybody knows that!”
In many years, as September marches into October, we are beginning to experience some return of rainfall. But as many of us know, that is not always the case. Often we are still experiencing hot and dry weather, and water supplies are dwindling.
When we find ourselves experiencing those types of fall conditions, it is critical to not only understand the daily water requirements for cattle, but also the impact that the quality of water can have on herd health and development.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Annette Bridges
A friend and I were recently talking about our husbands. She made a comment that I felt also perfectly described me and my hubby.
“He slows me and I hurry him. I’m sure that is why we do well together,” she said.
“Precisely!” I thought. Why?
Because when two different worlds collide, it can be magical.
No matter what those two different worlds are- a man and a woman with very different personalities, beliefs, or backgrounds, two partners with contrasting passions, strengths, or talents, or when a country boy marries a city girl.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Watauga, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth, is known for its rich history as a railroad stop, but over the course of the last year, one teen girl has put it on the map for agriculture as well. Emma Harvey has lived in Tarrant County her entire life. Despite being highly involved in her local 4-H chapter, she still felt there was more she could do. In the spring of 2023, she stepped up to the plate to take over the title of Tarrant County Teen Miss Agriculture USA.
“It all started when I put in an application for the teen title here in Tarrant County,” explained Harvey.
The Miss Agriculture USA program is a national non-profit, age-inclusive pageant program that offers both competition and non-competition titles to women dedicated to the promotion of agriculture.
Read more in the October issue of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available online and in print. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive NTFR in your inbox each week.
Photo by Hannah Claxton.
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