My Time on the Drift: Air Time and Dust

The romance of our western lifestyle has been portrayed in movies, books, musicals, and more, yet when it comes down to romance I would say most days there is very little of that. Unless it's breeding season, then there is plenty of romance to be found. Most days are long, filled with some enjoyable and not-so-fun tasks that ranch life provides. Like many, we are working family operations that have lasted many generations. This is a romance I can get behind. The love of family, land, and our animals because without all that, we have nothing.

In the last several years our lifestyle and livelihood have been documented and wrote about in local and national news; everything from educational to political. The PBS documentary, "The Drift: An American Cattle Drive" is one that I highly recommend you watch. It gives a non-biased view of a historic cattle drive our family operations rely on so much. In the coming months, we can also expect a feature on 60 Minutes with Bill Whitaker as well. We had the pleasure of riding with Bill for a day as he and his crew watched us gather and sort cattle before we started our trail north. He caught us on a long day as we sorted yearlings and pairs that belong to our neighbors from our herd of cow-calf pairs. Sorting yearlings from "hot cow", a term meaning a cow that is cycling to be bred, can be frustrating at times. Because this is national television, we watched our language as best we could and got the job done before noon. I would say a win-win for all! Being from New York, he learned a little bit of everything that our lifestyle has to offer and quietly watched as we worked cattle. Working with livestock takes patience, knowledge, and a bit of determination, so he was given ample opportunity to ask questions and observe as the morning went by.

I have to admit that as a family, we were skeptical of this opportunity. A wonderful one to tell our ranching story, but also one that will put us in the view of the scrutinizing eye of the public. Our lifestyle is different and at times hard, which lends itself to harsh opinions. We sought legal advice, discussed it amongst our cattlemen's association and families, and ultimately decided that if we didn't share our side of the story, no one would. I've had the privilege of being interviewed for articles and radio, but this one topped the cake. Being a "stay-at-home" mother for the past two years, my interview skills were a bit rusty and my nerves high.

Representing an industry and people who you admire and work amongst is a responsibility I didn't take lightly.

I hope once the feature airs, possibly this fall, you all are proud. All of our stories are different, but our common love of the land, animals, and people remains the same.

Since then, we have started our cattle on the Drift as we move across the Mesa, passed the Tyler Waterhole, under the Cora-Y underpass, and today through the driveway that parallels the Cora highway. This is the highway that ultimately leads to Green River Lakes. Like I've said before, this year has been trying to say the least. We had a few long days where the cattle wouldn't cooperate or mother up. Each day sets the tone for the next, which can cause some anxiety. We have been lucky and aside from a few hard days, the cattle have moved well. Between no water or grass, the cattle are ready to summer grass and cooler temperatures. Rumors have it that our time on the mountain will be cut short because of the drought. This means the cattle will be on our home pastures longer. With little hay to cut once haying season starts, we will most likely have to cull our herd to keep only the youngest and the best and buy hay. Which at $180 - $220 a ton makes for a huge expense that we normally don't have. Please pray for rain and our sanity, we need both!