Editorial / Opinions

Understanding cattle is impossible, or is it? Cattle workings on our farm have always been quite a sight, just like any other farm I’m sure. Parents, siblings and neighbors all pitched in on the big round-up day. I’m sure most of you can recall a few arguments and that one crazy cow that messes up the rest of the bunch!

Dogs are smart. If you don’t believe that, simply witness the next stock dog trial held in your community or go bird hunting with someone who owns a really good bird dog and learn, firsthand, about the amazing skills and loyal dedication of a trained dog.

Is that grass I see? Could it really be?

Life is fairly simple for my wife Pat and me. We retired from the corporate world and sold our ranches, but are still active in many things such as writing western novels, working on the Springdale Rodeo, several writer organizations, my columns and I serve on Ozarks Electric Co-op Board as their President.

I’m fairly certain that I learned some things in college. I must have, otherwise they wouldn’t have given me that diploma. Right? Well, for all the things I should have learned in 4 years at the university, I learned a hundred times that amount in my first year of teaching vocational agriculture in high school.

Is that grass I see? Could it really be?

Day 0 (The day before the storm):  Calving season started today. First one born was a monster! Fortunately, Judy was home to help me pull it. Unfortunately, its mother isn’t very caring. She wouldn’t even lick it clean and doesn’t seem to feel the need to get close enough to allow it to nurse. We were surrogates and toweled it off and fed it some colostrum from a bottle; kept them penned together for the night. Maybe the cow will feel motherly tomorrow; weatherman says a bad snowstorm is coming, but I’m not too worried since he hasn’t gotten a snow forecast correct this entire winter.

In November 2009, I wrote a blurb in the Ozarks Farm & Neighbor Rumors column blasting Drury University, in Springfield, Mo., for their new Animal Rights program funded by Bob Barker. I gave you the University President’s phone number and apparently you used it. The whole thing caused quite a stir.

Every job I’ve ever had was centered in agriculture. From radio and public relations to business planning and marketing, agriculture was always in the forefront.

There is irony in life. One of the fatalities in the Cincinnati, Ark., tornado was a ninety some year-old lady who also lost her husband in the storm. They found her injured on the ground near where her house was destroyed the morning of the storm. Due to the tornado damage and debris, it took responders some time to get to her. She later died in the hospital. She had been born in Texas, the story was related to me, on a night when tornadoes rumbled around her neighborhood. Born in a storm and taken away by one, ninety plus years later is simply part of the twist of things that happened on the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line that January morning.