In our June 11th PCC Update, I said we had been blessed with some very timely small rains. Those timely rains have continued – and increased in size. When I was at the bluegrass festival two weeks ago, we received over two inches of rain from one end of the ranch to the other. That rarely happens! Last Saturday night, we received 1.90 inches of rain at PCC® Headquarters, followed by another 1.15 inches the next night. Wow!
Tyson Pharo took the above picture Monday morning. This is the headwater of the Smoky Hill River. It is located on our Whitetail property to the west of PCC Headquarters. We are developing four groups of BEEFY BULLS on this property. This so-called “river” only has water in it after we have received substantial rainfall. All of the water gaps had to be replaced, but there was no major flooding.
Our country looks better now than it has for a long time. Unfortunately, these rains have been relatively spotty. There is a PCC® Cooperative Producer (CP) just 60 miles away in Kansas who has nothing but brown grass. Green-grass ranching is much more enjoyable than brown-grass ranching! The picture below depicts the brown-grass ranching we experienced at PCC Headquarters last year.
Rain is the lifeblood of agriculture – but it is not something we can always count on. As farmers and ranchers, we must be prepared to deal with all situations – WITHOUT givernment handouts. According to the Drought Monitor Map, our part of Eastern Colorado is officially out of the drought – but I’m reluctant to start thinking this drought is over.
NOTE: When we relocated all of our mature cows last December, I was hoping that would make it rain – and it did!
Herd Expansion
Herd expansion through heifer retention is officially underway. With tens of thousands more heifers to breed, there will be a tremendous demand for bulls with genuine calving ease next spring. If you are going to need calving ease bulls, you should purchase them this fall. Over 80% of our grass-developed Solar Bulls can be safely used on virgin heifers.
Quote Worth Re-Quoting
“Most people might be doing the same thing – but that doesn’t mean it is the right thing to do.” ~ Edmond Mbiaka