Working Ranch Magazine Summer 2025

Base of the Butte

Carl and Wanda Hampton

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRENDA HAMPTON

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2025 First thing this morning, Dan and I headed down the field in the side-by side to look for new babies. A new calf was with its mama on the other side of the creek, so Dan waded across to tag it. This mama was quite protective and did not want Dan anywhere near her new calf, so he decided to wait and tag it another day. After breakfast, Dan and I loaded one steer from the ranch, and he picked up a second steer that had been grain-finished 3-4 months in town and trailered them to the proces sor in Cody. We offer both grass-fed/ grain-finished and 100% grass-fed in our beef sales. This is a unique oppor tunity we have providing both options for our customers. Steve fed the cows in the afternoon. It takes about two hours to get everything fed each day.

THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025 We had three new calves we tagged this morning. I spent the morning on the computer, drafting a newslet ter for Easter specials, updating our online store, and emailing customers. Later, I worked in the “Beef Shack” organizing stock and preparing and branding boxes for shipping. Our new pairs stay at the ranch for up to a week, then we move them to another location. Steve and I rode

horseback to bring a few pairs from the field to tag, then transported them to our airport pasture. Dan or Steve will drive the tractor over to feed there as well. FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2025 We woke up to another beautiful blanket of snow. Steve found a calf that had not nursed so we brought it into the barn. The cow has a huge udder, and the little heifer needed help. Dan and Steve got the cow, a big mama I might add who did not want to be there, locked in the head catch so that they were both protected while helping the calf nurse. After patiently working with the calf for about an hour, it began nursing and we turned them back out in the pen close to the house so we could keep a close watch. After feeding the cows and doing other chores, I prepared dinner for Dan and me. As you would expect, it was beef! We love burgers and cook them almost every night. It is one of the benefits of owning your own cat tle and we never take it for granted. SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 2025 At the homestead, Justin or Jamy feed hay to the cattle each day. We keep our weaned heifers and steers there through the winter. In late May, we put our bulls in with the heifers to breed for thirty days. After that, we haul them back out to the ranch where they spend the summer on the mountain. Janna and her husband Clint loaded their horses in the trailer from the homestead and went to check on the cows and available water at the var ious reservoirs in the badlands. We

Family Branding Crew

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRENDA HAMPTON

50 I SUMMER 2025 WORKING RANCH audited readers run 21 million head of beef cattle.