Family Farm Friday # 13: All Hat, No Cattle

"There's nothing like sitting back and talking to your cows." ~Russell Crowe I had a professor in law school who would randomly, about once a week, come dressed in western clothing. Wranglers, button up shirt, belt, and boots. In undergrad at Oklahoma State, I would never have thought twice about this. But at UNM, this is a little bit more rare. One day I was meeting with him on a day when he was in his western wear, so I asked him if he owned a horse or something. His response? "Oh no honey, I'm all hat, no cattle!" Anyway, recently I felt his pain. My family has always raised cattle and sheep, and I've always had some of my own cows. I bought my first heifer when I was 10 years old from our neighbor. She was a Hereford cross with a red circle over one eye. I took the money I had made from selling my first lamb at the county fair (2nd place, lightweight blackface) and invested. Over the years I've pretty much always had some cattle that were my own, or belonged jointy to me and my brother. However, my 7 years of higher education (I know, I know....I'm a nerd) tended to tighten the budget, so I hadn't been able to keep replenishing the herd. I, like my professor, found myself in the "all hat, no cattle" situation. Until yesterday. I sent my brother to the cattle auction. Now, you have to know a little bit about my brother. He's one of those people who could sell ice to an eskimo as the saying goes. He knows everyone, talks to everyone and is friends with everyone. He also has a great eye for livestock. We both grew up judging in 4-H and FFA, and both judged in junior college. He easily has always had more natural talent than I have when it comes to livestock evaluation, so I trust his judgment. (Although, I suspected him of trying to make a "finders fee" so I insisted that I be on the phone during the auction to see how much he was really bidding!) Anyway, I am now the proud owner of a cow and calf. They were sold as a pair--which is a pretty sweet deal. The calf is a heifer, so that means I will either keep her to breed (which you remember I'm super excited about from my prior blog about bull semen), or I'll sell her and end up getting a big chunck of my investment back! Sounds like a win-win to me. I haven't seen them yet, but I'm hoping that when I go home for Easter this weekend, I'll be able to scope out my purchase. I'm debating naming the cow Bonus (since that's what is paying for hre!). We'll see if it fits when I see her.