CALF_News_April_May_2020

39 CALF News • April | May 2020 • www.calfnews.net Midcontinent Livestock Supplements mlstubs.com info@mlstubs.com Proven Performance Jeff Anslinger 816-244-7340 Kyle Latham 254-715-2162 THESE FLIES ARE THIEVES! WE CAN STOP THEM FROM STEALING FROM YOUBY USING MLS MINERAL TUBS WITH ALTOSID ® IGR OR CLARIFLY ™ LARVICIDE. MLS #1 HI PERFORMANCE ●Maintains Cow Condition Through Calving ●Combination Mineral and Protein Supplement Tub MLS #12 HI MINERAL ●Elevated Levels of Essential Vitamins & Trace Minerals ●Controlled, Consistent Daily Consumption FOR YOUR RANCH HORSES MLS #4 EQUI-LIX OR MLS #16 EQUINE MINERAL PLUS WITH CLARIFLY ™ Clarifly ™ Larvicide passes through the animal, into fresh manure, where flies lay their eggs. This prevents house flies, stable flies, face flies, and horn flies from developing into adults, interrupting the life cycle. Altosid ® IGR is an insect growth regulator (IGR) that passes through the animal and into the manure, where horn flies lay their eggs. It breaks the horn fly life cycle by preventing pupae developing into biting adult. and current co-owner, would be my driver and host for the weekend. While loading up the car, Doug was generous and stated that it wasn’t the worst pack- ing job he’d ever seen, which gave me only a slight ease of the mind. It was an unusually mild winter’s day, with Denver’s gridlock traffic the last thing standing between us and my adventure. Once we hit the highway and saw the traffic in the rearview, it was as though I lost all track of time. The sun was setting, the sky was wide open, and the weekend had begun. Although I was heading out to “work” for the weekend, it felt different; It felt calm and comforting. Just past Limon, Colo., after turning off the main road and taking the trek slightly out of town, we arrived at With- ers Ranch. Founded in 1947 by Texas rancher, Lawrence Henry Withers, this would go on to be a multi-generational ranch, with their first herd in 1948. It was an honor to visit withWithers’ grandson, Doug, more than 70 years later. A view that was once nothing but land and sky for miles now had the same qualities, but was host to neighboring windmills with red flashing lights, an illustration of evolution and progress. As we drove, Doug educated me on the ranch’s history and explained what we would experience. He talked about his mom’s youth on the ranch, when the “new house” was built, and how he had started working there just out of college. He reminisced about how he learned so much – and still learns – from people who have spent their entire lives on working ranches; people who know much more than he did. He talked about some tough but necessary les- sons, and some of the things the ranch does differently now than when he first arrived or even in his grandfather’s day. He described to me how several Texas ranchers moved to the area and pur- chased land around the same time as his grandfather, many still a staple of this tight knit community. The way he lit up when he talked about the history and legacy of the ranch was humble, proud and genuine. It fit the mold of western lifestyle, the pride of hard work and EXPERIENCE OF BEEF Continued from page 37 heritage, coupled with the business side of it all. Doug went on to explain that we would be branding a smaller group of animals that had been born just a few months earlier. It wasn’t the usual “big branding” they host later in the spring, but would still represent the branding process fully, giving me a very up-close look at one of the first steps of this busi- ness. In addition, we would be heading out several times in the night to check the first-calf heifers that were impreg- nated the previous spring and were ready to welcome their offspring. A brightly lit house welcomed us as we pulled up, warm and open and ready to provide all we needed to be more than comfortable while working. Once inside, I was welcomed by Helen, Doug’s mother and business partner, along with his sister Marianne and her children. The ranch has truly remained a “family” business. Over dinner conversa- tion, it was easy to see that they weren’t the typical “cowboy” family one imag- ines. They were metropolitan, but also Continued on page 41  620-427-4200 www.fcsmfg.com FCS ManuFaCturing, inC. 3430 EE Rd. Gridley, Kan. 66852 Patent Pending! no. 29/694.456 AdvAntAge SerieS Overhead Feed 20% more storage than a round bin, better clean-out than a square! experience the Advantage!