Freeze branding

Saturday we freeze branded the heifer calves. These heifers are coming up on their first birthday, and have "made the team". They will be bred this summer to calve next spring as two-year-olds. We sold the bottom end (B and C squad, if you will) at the auction barn, some in February and some in early March.

So back to freeze branding. It is different than the traditional hot-iron branding. Rather than using a hot iron to create permanent identification, freeze branding uses extreme cold to alter the pigment of the hair. The process is more labor intensive than hot branding. Here's how it goes. Continue reading “Freeze branding”

Coming soon…

"On the 100th Meridian" is a column written by Garnet that talks about rural life.  The 100th meridian runs within a hundred feet of the ranch house, hence the name of the column.  The 100th meridian is the traditional dividing line between east and west in the US.  Life here is a unique combination of both cultures.  The column is published weekly in the Hoven Review, a local newspaper.