I can tell the seasons are about to collide. Summer is slipping out, and autumn is peeking around the corner. The air feels different and some of the green life is sorta worn out, droopy and sagging, and there is a new aroma in the air. I like the first of the day when all are just about awake but still in the throes of darkness. The sweet smell of earthiness is like nothing else, and it has changed. I am thankful to have made another one!
The offspring are busy keeping me busy. We cleaned out the maternity stalls yesterday, and today is already on the list to haul some square bales to the little hay shed for convenience, just in case. We have the calendar marked for gathering and working cattle this month, and lots of costs are involved.
I am always amazed, when thinking back to early times in my life, at the change in medical practices concerning cattle. We branded, castrated and doctored anything on the hide with what we had. Most of the cuts or tears on cattle needed some protection from flies and drying out, so we used grease of many kinds. I guess we were so sparsely populated that diseases were not passed easily. Not like today when we are receiving loads of cattle from all directions, bringing what they were already immune to with them to share. Even swamp diseases are here in the arid part of the world.
The cost of meds is a major outlay for us and many beef producers. We vaccinate against everything we are aware of and try to keep the herd as happy as possible. We feed extra additives to enhance health and production. Our bovine are better cared for than are many foreign countries' populations. We are not ignorant of the fact that our cattle make life easier for us if they are well taken care of. You can count on the price of a good heifer to pay the bill for the meds to work cattle one time.
Then there are the costs of pain-relieving drugs for the old people working the cattle. The feller that runs the branding iron is usually so worn out by the end of the week that his eyes roll back in his head and he walks to the house in a stupor. The youngsters are not in much better shape. But, what is our favorite activity in this whole world? Sure enough, and without a doubt, we love the job of taking care of the beasts that we raise!
It is my opinion, and everyone has one, I'd rather inventory a herd of good cattle than a million cans of green beans in a grocery store! I'd rather do my job than stand behind a barber's chair and cut hair, make steel girders or build cars. I believe the folks that produce beef are blessed beyond measure and have riches that are so immense they can't be counted! I believe the families of the producers are chosen by the Lord to have a life of goodness over all other occupations. Money can't buy what we have!
But it would sure be nice to have some of that money to buy supplies, wouldn't it?
Bill is the pen name used by the Gravette-area author of this weekly column. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 09/07/2016