Where the Beef Cows Live~Sneak Peek

Spring is the time of year where we move our small herd of natural beef from the flat acreage they've been grazing upon since September, back up to the hill tops behind Stafford Lake.  

The date this year didn't coincide with school spring break so my kids missed out but I make sure not to miss this two hour event.

Before moving the cattle, they are brought in to a corral to be vaccinated and wormed and given a visual health check.  {all beef cattle; organic, natural and conventional are vaccinated}

Once they're finished, they walk through the shoot into another corral where they wait until the entire herd is ready to be moved up the hill together.

We move them with four-wheelers and trucks by following close behind and to their side to make sure they all stay together and moving in the right direction through gates.

They are now in what I call 'Cow Paradise', 800 acres of beautiful hillside where grazing will ensue until early July.  Once July arrives, they're all moved back down the hill and they usually calve in September.

Happy Trails.

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New Born Beef Twins

Well, I warned you I would be back with additional baby and mama beef photos.  It didn't take long!

Here's a sweet pair of twins born to this mama.  They were no more than a few hours old and still getting their walking legs underneath them.  SO cute!

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WW: Mamas and brand new baby beef

With the entrance of September comes many things; back to school, autumn weather, harvesting and for us, newborn baby beef calves.  Mid September is about the time when our mama beef cows begin to have their babies. 

We took a drive out the other day to check up on how progress was coming along.

All of our beef cows have been moved down the hill to the flat area to have their babies.  We have only spotted a few babies thus far. 

Here's one.  She was so very curious of the big camera pointed in her direction.

And if you look close, you can see this mama decided to stick her tongue out at the camera.

After the mamas calve, they'll breed with the bulls from October - April (who have been patiently waiting for the return of their mamas), graze, nurse their new born calves, and wait to be moved again in April.

Driving out to check the beef cows and newborn calves is one of my favorite things to do on the ranch, stay tuned for more photos.

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Cruisin' the Beef

Now that Paige doesn't have soccer on Thurday mornings, we have some free time.  Dominic was heading over to check on the progress at the 'Hidden Pond' so we went along for the drive. 

Along the way we came across a few of the beef cows; the two bulls and a couple of older mamas that don't make the trek up to the top of the hill {that you can see in the background} for the summer.

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Beefers

It's that time of year again....time to move our natural beef cows to the 800 acres up the hill, behind Stafford Lake, where they will graze until September.  They've been down on the flat pasture land since September, which  is where they calve and now that all of the mamas have calved, they're moved to lush green grass that has been untouched {except by maybe some deer} and growing for them all winter long and part of spring. 

The walk takes all of about 10 minutes. 

They know right where to go with just a little coaxing.

Here they have reached the base of the hill......happy eating!

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Shhh! Don't tell the others & Whole Foods helps to protect farm land via MALT

On this overcast northern California morning as I was driving to town from the farm, I look to my left only to notice one Happy Boy. 

In this particular pasture that sits alongside the road, my father-in-law spends hours upon hours tilling the soil, planting oat hay seed and then in the early summer, cuts the hay, turns it and bales it.....to feed the beef cows during the summer.  No one is allowed out in this pasture right now.  The few that get away with spending time here are a group of pesky Canadian Geese who can't wait for that seed to hit the ground, only so they can try eating it up as quickly as they can......but today, it's this guy. 

His lucky day, I'd say.

He knows he hit pay dirt as he stands in knee high oat grass, standing quietly as he eats, his friends close by {where they're supposed to be} not even noticing.

Beef.  They're notorious for getting through fence {in my opinion}.  Ours are normally found on the golf course nearby if they've gone through some fence, but today,  the golfers are not to be disturbed.

Something for the Locals:

Are you local to Marin?  If so, here's something you may be interested in supporting and if you go, I'll see you there!:

Are you a Whole Foods Market in Novato Shopper that wants to help protect Marin County farmland? If so, Whole Foods Market in Novato will be donating 5% of all their sales to Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT). It all happens on Tuesday, March 22, from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm at Whole Foods Market, 790 De Long Avenue in Novato. Come do your shopping and help save Marin's farmland while you're at it! http://www.malt.org/

Photo by Michael Woolsey of MALT

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The Grass is Always Greener

Every now and again, we receive a phone call from either the Park Rangers working at Stafford Lake or the good folks at Indian Valley Golf Course telling us there's a cow out near hole 9.  Imagine a golfer's surprise when he encounters a bovine, face to face, in the middle of his/her game.  We know it's most likely not one of our well behaved dairy cows or heifers, but one of these buggers that have once again found some way to gain access to the lovely, trimmed green grass at the park or at the golf course. 

Now, it's not that they don't have acres and acres of green grass of their own to graze upon, as you can see in the photos below.  These mama beef cows just never seem satisfied with what they have.

They are also fed a nice hearty breakfast of hay every day, but nooo, they want more, better, greener, lusher {is that a word?} grass.

So how do these beef cows get through the fence?  Sometimes a fence goes down due to winter weather.  Sometimes the other side of the fence is too much of a temptation and mama beef cow jumps it. Or sometimes the fence is cut  by an unknown party.  What ever the case, we always find the mama beef cow.

So if you're ever golfing at Indian Valley and come across a cow patty, you'll know why.



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There's A New Bull In Town

Meet our newest addition:  Red Bull.  I know, I know, not a very creative name but it fits!  He was bought on Saturday at a bull sale in Middletown, CA.  Our friend, Loren Poncia of Stemple Creek Ranch offered to pick out a Red Angus beef bull for us since he was going up there to purchase a beef bull for his own beef ranch and Dominic couldn't make the trip. 

Red Bull was delivered to us yesterday and last night we loaded him in the trailer and hauled him across the street, behind Stafford Lake, to where our natural beef live.  We found a few of the 45 mama beef cows we raise and decided to unload him there.  The other beef bull was nowhere in sight, which was a good thing......we wanted Red Bull to become accustomed to his new surroundings before he encountered the other resident bull, because when they do meet, they will have to go through the natural process of establishing who will be the dominent {or alpha} bull.

The few mama and calf pairs we encountered last night were very curious of the new, soon to be 'boyfriend' we had just unloaded.

They were all checking him out.  Even this black mama cow that hasn't calved yet.

I think Red Bull will enjoy his new surroundings, view {that's Stafford Lake you see in the background} and all of those mama cows to keep him company for the next few years.

It'll be a good, happy life.

Time to drive back home.

Oh, and Dominic told me when he went out to feed the beef this morning, both bulls were together and seemed fine with one another......no apparent signs of any struggle that had ensued between the two.

Happy Monday!
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What Does Labor Day Mean to You?

Labor Day for our family usually means there will be some sort of family get together or two spanning over the entire weekend.  As dairy farmers, Dominic and my father-in-law, George, work seven days a week and through every holiday. So we must plan our holiday schedule accordingly. 

Some of our family members had decided to go camping this weekend at a camp that is only 20 minutes away from our home....Olema Family Campground.  Since the camp is so close to our home, we met the family crew there for dinner on Saturday night.

George & Jim barbecuing.  Nothing says Labor Day like a good barbecue!

And especially when there's Rib Eye steaks involved from our natural beef .

It was Paige's Bday a week or so ago and she got to open a present from her cousins.  Don't you just love when birthday celebrations are extended for a few weeks?

The plan:  feed the kiddos first.

So the adults can have a nice, relaxed dinner afterwards.

Take One:

Just to explain, every time I take a photo of a group....any group, Bryce darts into the frame so he can be included.  Do you remember the series of books titled "Where's Waldo?" where you have to find Waldo on every busy page of the book?  Well, I have a group of photos that I should make into a book and title it "Where's Bryce?".

Ahh...that's better.

Here's my plate: salad, steak, fruit salad and zucchini.

Make sure to save room for dessert.

I don't know about you, but our Labor Day always includes some really dirty feet.

Labor Day is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Did you know that the first Labor Day was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union?

To read more about the Labor Day holiday, you can check it out at The History of Labor Day.

Labor Day, for me, includes a tribute to all of the farmers across the nation that work hard every day to put the food I eat, on my plate and help to feed the world.  From the bottom of my heart, I thank you!

P.S. The Pioneer Woman has some great photos to go with a Cowboys' Prayer on her site today....you should check it out.

Happy Sunday!

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Beef Short Ribs~Easier than you think!

Since we typically have a freezer full of our natural beef at all times, I like to dig into the depths of the freezer and pick out a cut of beef that I wouldn't typically buy at the grocery store. Not because I haven't eaten or enjoyed these cuts, but because I've had very little experience preparing them. Beef short ribs came up in my hand this time.

I searched online for an easy to prepare recipe that looked really good. This is what I came up with.....of course I added my own modifications to the recipe. I'm a big believer in using what I have on hand in the pantry at the particular time, rather than running to the grocery store for one or two ingredients.






Trim fat from rib meat. Salt and pepper the short ribs and place in a dutch oven.....


Okay, I'm not very good at trimming the fat......



Cover the short ribs with water and simmer for two hours. Boiling the ribs first makes them so tender and gets rid of a lot of the fat.......
While the short ribs are simmering, I mixed some ingredients together for basting.

1/3 cup honey (I used honey instead of molasses)

2/3 cup ketchup

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 T dry mustard

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. garlic salt (I used garlic salt instead of garlic powder)



Combine everything......


After two hours of simmering, drain and place short ribs on a broiling pan.




Baste with the sauce that has been mixed.......





Broil on medium for 10 to 15 minutes, turning and basting with sauce often.




The meat just falls off the bone......so good. Enjoy!
A great family meal!

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