Just Another Member of the Family

Our cattle are just that - another member of the family.  They have names, personalities and attitudes uniquely their own.  And they are treated as such.

Bella - Boss Cow. She is our sweetheart.

Julianna - Lovingly referred to as our
"Happy Retard"

Minnie Moo - My Mom's Favorite Baby Girl

I was raised to believe that animals are not dumb. I often think they are smarter than us humans. If you have ever watched how other momma cows will leave their calves with a single cow, you can understand that she is being instructed to be "the babysitter".  Or how they will make the long walk to the watering hole as a group at exactly the same time everyday.  Bella, one of my cows, can open the gate with her nose and tongue when she wants food.  And after all this, some still call these animals unintelligent.

This leads me to the fact that I have a deep respect for my cattle, and I love them just as much as sibling or niece or nephew.  So why would I want to mistreat them, or abuse them as so many sensationalist claims say I do?  I know I speak for ALL ranchers when I say this - WE DO NOT MISTREAT OUR CATTLE. WE LOVE THEM DEARLY AND THEY ARE OUR LIVELIHOOD.
We do things to our cattle with a purpose, and do it in a way that is the least stressful and painful for them.

One of the biggest complaints and worries that you as a consumer might have is the use of antibiotics.  Under no circumstance do we give these to our cattle freely.  There is no need for it.  Instead, if they become ill, we have a veterinarian diagnose what is wrong and are given the proper treatment to administer to these animals.  We do so in a manner that is contingent with strict injection spot guidelines and the amount given is based upon the animal's weight.  It should also be known that these antibiotics have extremely strict withdrawal times, and we have to abide by these, else our cattle cannot be harvested.  I often hear the argument that it would be okay to not give them any treatment because these antibiotics might leave a residue in the meat and cause us consumers to be subject to some new disease or risk factor.  But let me ask you this, if one of your children was sick with a cold, would you just leave them be?  Or would you give them proper medication to help them get better as quickly as possible?  If you chose the latter, than you should understand why we give antibiotics.  We do not want to see our animals in pain or feeling under the weather, so we do what we can to make them better.  From an economic standpoint, it is not profitable to be dosing these animals with antibiotics continuously, as some of the injections are very costly!  Fortunately, our animals rarely get sick, thanks in part to a system that keeps track of diseases and the movement of livestock and the preventative vaccines they are given throughout their lifetimes.

Another concern in regard to raising cattle is the treatment of them.  I see claims made all the time about how we "abuse our animals, and have no regard for their well being."  This is so far from the truth!  It is what I like to call - Bovine Feces (Politically correct for BS).  You may have seen some of the videos or  photos that anti-animal activist groups have posted of inhumane treatment of livestock, but these are often times taken from the perspective of someone who doesn't know why we do what we do and wants to make themselves an overnight celebrity.  If you look closer into several of the shared media, you will find little details that are off.  A great example of this is a photo posted of some dairy cattle moving through disgusting manure/sludge.  PETA has claimed these are the conditions these animals are living in!  But if you take a closer look, and know a little background about cattle, you will notice - they are clean!  How could a cow living in this much filth, be that clean?  Simply put, because they don't live there.  A reasonable explanation could be that they were simply passing through this area - maybe on the move to another barn after it had rained.

Look closely at the tails and underbellies of these cattle
They are mud free!

When reviewing these claims, PLEASE be sure to look closely and don't believe them right off the bat!  Do some research, or talk to a person who is involved in raising cattle - they may be able to tell you what is really going on! I am certainly an advocate for groups that want to make sure we, as an industry, are doing things right and taking care of our critters, but they need to make sure the facts are straight before calling anyone out.

 As ranchers, we do things for a reason, and that is to produce a quality product.  You've all heard the statement "Happy Cows come from California", well I would like to reword that statement and say "Happy Cows make a Good Product." This goes back to the way ranchers make a living - through the sale of their livestock, and not taking care of your animals will reduce their efficiency and value.  Beyond this, there is a moral reason for this.  We love our animals.  And they are member of the family.

Mickey enjoying an afternoon snack

Mickey, our newest member of
the family. Born April 2014