Welcome to our Online Newsletter! Here's, where we share our thoughts and some of the little things we learn about life and ranching along the way. In the end, we are hoping that all these "little things" add up in a really big way, and maybe make a difference to everyone.

Once again, we had another trail drive to remember. Before we began, I counted the section lines on the map from our ranch to our destination, Medicine Lodge. It appeared to be 65 miles. I will guarantee, as will about 15 other drovers that the length was much nearer 85 to 90 miles by the time we zigged and zagged to get through gates and around impassable canyons. Even with the added miles, it was a gorgeous trip through the mid grass prairie and Gypsum Hills near Medicine Lodge. Every mile was photogenic.

The chuckwagon had a first this year, being pulled by a team of mules. There were a couple of times the cowboys had to tie on to the wagon and pull it up some steep hills with their mounts, but the mules did manage to keep the grub handy for us the whole trip.

The first night was a clear night. We turned the cattle out in a large pasture and ate, cleaned up and laid out the bedrolls. The cattle came in to get water about 11:00. I was settled in my bedroll, and was sure that would be the end of the longhorns for the night. Not hardly! Not once, not twice, not thrice, but 5 times they grazed back through camp to get water. I do mean grazed through. I couldn't believe the guys were snoring away as cows grazed just 10 inches from their bedrolls. Scrunch, munch, chew, Scrunch munch chew, Scrunch, munch, chew. That is the best I can make written words describe how a cow pulls of grass with her upper gum-less jaw and continues on to consume mouthful after mouthful.

After the third pass through camp at about 2:30 a.m., I gave up the thought of sleep and watched the cows. I knew there was no fear of them stepping on me or anyone else in their bedrolls. The cows were well aware of what was in the cocoons spread here and there over the campsite. One cow raised her head in surprise when my son let off a lone snore. It appeared she decided it must have been one of those pesky human sounds and continued on to eat undisturbed. Another sniffed the head of a sleeping drover. I suppressed a few laughs and looked at the stars. I actually did find a few constellations I recognized.

Five days later, we made it to Medicine Lodge. It was a great trip. The cattle performed in the Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty Pageant. It is a live historical re-enactment of history from creation through exploration, westward expansion and the wild- west to the famed signing of the Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty with the local Indian tribes of the area. The cattle behaved well for three performances.

The out-of-the ordinary fun was over that last weekend of September. Throughout the month of October we were branding, gathering, sorting, shipping to pasture, shipping to market, vaccinating and helping neighbors do the same. We were well into November before all the fall work was done. We had chosen to take advantage of some all time highs in the cattle market and sold most of our calf crop in October and November. It made for extra work, but turned out to be a wise marketing decision.

Joe and I both shot a buck deer this year. We monitor our wildlife numbers and watch them closely throughout the year. We only harvest those needed to balance the ecosystem. Some ranchers don't care for the deer. They see them as just another animal consuming grass their cows could eat. We see them as a benefit in the whole system. We were also able to have some young boys out to harvest a couple of does to manage the population. They were "town boys" and watching the thrill of what they saw and learned outdoors was rewarding.

November and December brought us some new chores on the ranch. Laramie, our seven year old, bought a flock of chickens. I bought a milk cow. I haven't decided which is best, fresh eggs or fresh milk. All my life I have eaten all natural, organic fresh beef. Now I am enjoying the organic eggs and milk. I will testify that the difference is amazing between ordinary store bought and "farm fresh". As the public questions the safeness of the meat they eat in restaurants and grocery stores, I am absolutely positive of the wholesomeness of the beef, eggs and milk we are fortunate to raise and eat on the ranch. No doubt if you come on our next drive or visit for a branding or ranch vacation in the summer time you will be able to eat a the fresh products and be convinced as well.

I have been doing some research on grass fed products. I know everyone is interested in great tasting food, and we are all concerned about the healthful benefits of what we eat.

The digestive system of a cow is called a ruminant system. In short, it operates much differently than that of a human or most other animals. They are great converters of grass into sources of nutrition, but not so efficient at converting other stuff.

In the 1940's when the U.S. had a glut of grain supply, they began to feed grain to cattle and made them into grain eating factories. The cow, a grass-eating herbivore, consumed massive amounts of grain when it was fattened. Over time, some of the cattle industry has fed all kinds of crazy things from sugar beet tops to stale bread, methanol by-products, ground up animal bone meal and even types of waste from municipal garbage. A very efficient herbivore is now being treated as a trash disposal unit and a meat-eating carnivore.

I have never worried about these caveats much since I have always had a very reliable source of safe, nutritious beef. Lately I have had some concern about Mad Cow Disease, but only to the extent it would affect our ranch economically. Our longhorn cattle can't be infected with B.S.E. simply because of the way we have raised them. If this peaks your interest, give us a call. We can deliver a delicious piece of beef to your kitchen. You will be able to enjoy preparing the cut as well as eating it, all the while knowing where it came from and exactly how it was raised.

~ Nancy Moore