CALF_News_June_July_2018

45 CALF News • June | July 2018 • www.calfnews.net  CALF HUMOR On the Edge of Common Sense With Baxter Black Feedlot Cowboy LET’S PUT IN GOOD WORD FOR THE FEEDLOT COWBOY. That group of fell- ers that meet every mornin’ early at the horse barn, saddle up, get their instruc- tions and ride off down the alley. These boys and ladies come from everywhere. Most are fair to middlin’ horsemen with some sort of rural background. A few have come in from the outside, doin’ ranch work. These particular buckaroos and brush poppers often have trouble adapting to a world of crowded pens, clangin’ gates and speedin’ feed trucks. They’re used to a little slower pace and the madhouse routine of pen checkin’, processin’, doctorin’, sortin’ and shippin’ leaves ‘em a little bamfoozled. Some of ‘em catch on and others just float around the yard hopin’a heifer will calve or a steer will get out on the road. A big bunch are young people who grew up around feedlots or horseshoers, rodeos, small farms or sale barns. They gravitate to bein’ a feedlot cowboy. Some are naturals. They have cow savvy and a good eye. They put in their apprentice- ship and work their way up to be the cattle foreman or manager someday. There’s another group who have a little college, maybe a degree, who are willin’ to work and learn from the more experienced cowboys. If they don’t get shot or run off by the crew, they eventu- ally gain a position of responsibility. Lots of feedlot cowboys are married. It’s a steady job, often with housing furnished, a place to keep a horse or two and they’re home every night. ‘Course there’s always a few young single bucks Why Do You Read CALF News ?  Tell us why you read CALF News ! Go to our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/#!/calfnews who sleep in the bunkhouse, stay up late and stay broke. All of ‘em complain about the mud, heat, cold, wind, sorry company horses, Holsteins, the cattle foreman, the pay, the doctorin’, the cattle buyer, the no- rope-no-dog rules and countin’ with bankers. They love harrassin’ the new man, coffee in the shack, Sunday after- noons, tellin’ jokes, seein’ someone else get bucked off and Copenhagen. Women,“cowpersons” if you will, are becoming more common on cowboy crews. There’s never been much question that they could ride and spot sick cattle as well as a man, but we’ve been kind of a chauvinis- tic business. They’re getting’ their chance now.  Bubba & Janie Bain American Akaushi Association Flatonia, Texas I like that CALF News encompasses articles relating to all segments of the cattle industry, from cow-calf production all the way to the rail. They have a great set of contributing editors who provide insight on what’s going on in the beef industry today, as well as real life stories about hard-working ranching families. Betty Jo and her staff do a great job producing a well-rounded cattle magazine with great information. Keep up the good work.