Just One Day in the Life of a Ranching Family

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One of the delightful surprises of this year’s visit to Wyoming was the invitation extended by our friend Laurel Foster to attend “Preg Test Day” up on the Mesa.  Laurel is a 5^th generation Kaycee, Wyoming resident, Director of the Hoofprints of the Past Museum and member of the Hanson ranching family. 

We eagerly accepted her invitation to observe the pregnancy testing and vaccination of a herd of cattle and thanks to Laurel and her family, we had the chance to experience a day in the life of a ranching family and what a fabulous day it was!

Brock Hanson is patriarch of the Hanson family and Laurel’s father.  We’d met Brock, a rancher and historian, on the museum’s tours and enjoy being in his presence as he is a delightful teller of history and one very smart gentleman.  Brock’s mother wrote the book Powder River Country based on stories told by her father and grandfather who settled in the Kaycee area in 1884.  The book is out of print but I’ve been able to order a used copy and look forward to reading it.

Leif Hanson, Brock’s son and Laurel’s brother, moved the two-year-old cows from a pasture into a corral on the Mesa.  The cows were then separated into smaller groups and moved by Brock, Laurel, her cousin Randy and Tom, an in-law, into the Silencer Hydraulic Squeeze Chute.  While in the chute they were safely and humanely secured while Veterinarian Summer, Leif’s wife, conducted sonogram testing of the cows to determine if they were pregnant. It was exciting to view the sonograms and see the calves in utero.  We were very impressed with the obvious care for and humane treatment of the cows. 

Summer, wearing an apron and plastic sleeve as she was positioned at the business end of the cow and I don’t mean the intake end, inserted a sonogram probe into the cow.  If the cow was pregnant, she called out “Bred!” and placed a green chalk mark on the cow’s rump.  Cows that weren’t pregnant were chalked orange and later moved into a pen to be sold. Leif noted the cows’ pregnancy status in a journal and vaccinated each cow before they were released from the chute.

Ranching is a family affair and the Hanson family are certainly all involved.  Brock and his wife Paula, Laurel, Leif, Summer, Paula’s sister Donna, her husband Tom and their cousin Randy on a visit from California all joined in to assist on Preg Test Day.

In conversation with Paula, she told us that the historic Ranger Jones’s log cabin (a story for another day) built in the late 1880s was on their Red Canyon Ranch property and available for hunters and vacationers to rent. This rustic historic cabin has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen and sitting room and is situated alongside a pretty creek with the beautiful Red Canyon in view.  If you’re interested in staying in a rustic historic log cabin in this beautiful and peaceful country contact me at jttripsnpics@gmail.com and I’ll put you in touch with Paula for information about renting the cabin.

Back to the cattle … We were surprised to learn that in this part of the country each cow needs 20 to 40 acres of land upon which to graze.  When the weather is bad and/or a drought affects the area more acres are needed per cow as not as much grass per acre is available due to the weather impact.  In addition, cattle are fed hay and the price of a large round hay bale can run as high as $800 depending on whether the hay is grass or alfalfa and the availability of hay.  Ranching is not for the faint hearted!

Ranching is important work that’s integral to the welfare of our nation and without our ranchers and farmers our country would have to import almost all of our foodstuffs making us dependent on the whims and politics of others.

John and I were thrilled to have been able to attend a Preg Test Day and thank Laurel for her invitation and the Hanson family for their kindness in educating us and sharing just one of the important days in their ranching life.  We owe a debt of gratitude to our nation’s ranchers!

Note:  If you’re thinking about a trip like one of ours in either the USA or Western Europe, please know that I offer travel consultations and curated itineraries for the trip of your dreams. If you would like assistance in planning such a trip for yourself, please contact me on our website’s “Let’s Connect” page or via email at jttripsnpics@gmail.com.

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