Ranch Pictures - Final Spring Branding

**markm** · 06-12-20, 14:12

Originally Posted by OH58D

Ah yes, a Palo Verde tree in the holding pen, found in the Sonoran Desert. Looks like anywhere between Phoenix, Tucson and on down towards Sierra Vista.

Exactly. Casa Grande, AZ.

**OH58D** · 06-12-20, 14:18

Originally Posted by markm

Exactly. Casa Grande, AZ.

I went to college at the U of A from 1978 to 1982, then after flight and air frame schools, spent time at Fort Huachuca flying experimental radar jamming gear between there and Yuma Proving Grounds - that was in 1983.

**jsbhike** · 06-12-20, 14:21

Originally Posted by OH58D

Elm along the fence line, mixed with Cottonwood. The native vegetation in the background is One Seed Juniper and Rocky Mountain Juniper.

We have the occasional Elm here and that surprises me that they can handle the fairly wet we have here as well as the fairly dry it looks like there.

**OH58D** · 06-12-20, 14:26

Originally Posted by jsbhike

We have the occasional Elm here and that surprises me that they can handle the fairly wet we have here as well as the fairly dry it looks like there.

Elm in this part of the world is considered a trash tree, and they can spread like a weed. They do handle temperature extremes. We've had temps in the low 90's this week, but cooler now in the low to mid 80's. We're over a mile up in altitude here. Need rain - it's dry as a bone.

**jsbhike** · 06-12-20, 19:02

Originally Posted by OH58D

Elm in this part of the world is considered a trash tree, and they can spread like a weed. They do handle temperature extremes. We've had temps in the low 90's this week, but cooler now in the low to mid 80's. We're over a mile up in altitude here. Need rain - it's dry as a bone.

We have had loads of rain in KY starting around spring/summer 2018(set a record that year) and ran till mid August 2019. I would guess during that time there was more days per week/month with rain than dry.

Mid August 2019 to on up in October we had no rain at all to the point even charcoal grills were verboten and there were a few forest fires here.

After that it was back to roughly more rain days than not until the last 2 to 3 months. Now we might have a rainy day every couple of weeks, but it will be a heavy and long rain causing flooding in areas I have never seen water standing in before.

A side effect of all the rain has been trees getting uprooted with minimal wind. Lots of pines, but I have even seen healthy oaks get tipped over the last 2 winters including in Daniel Boone where I hike and hunt.

**AKDoug** · 06-12-20, 19:45

I always love to see how different parts of the world handle cattle. My wife's family in N.E. Montana doesn't even use horses anymore. There's not a horse left and I'm not sure there's even a lariot left on the place. Due to them having to grain in the winter, 95% of the cows just follow the grain pickup into a pen. A couple good dogs drive them into a series of chutes where we separate the calves out put them into squeeze shoots to deal with them. The same dogs go out and find the 5% of cows that don't cooperate and bring them in. Not nearly as romantic, but efficient.

**jsbhike** · 06-12-20, 20:21

I enjoy watching herding dogs and hunting dogs.

My parents have a Great Pyrenees that moved in with them when the husband part of a neighbor family took a job requiring lots of travel. She only liked him, so when he headed out she came over to their place. The guy wanted the dog happy and my parents are dog nuts so he let them have her.

Think they are at least the 3rd owner since the traveling neighbor had got her when she didn't work out on a farm. Dog is terrified storms and most everything else except coyotes and if she hears a pack she is ready to go fight them.

I assume farm issue was fear of storms and stuff because when she gets loose from my parents she goes looking for livestock to watch. They found her at midnight once with a herd of cattle in a corner watching them and if any tried to wander off she would guide them back to the rest before going back to her watch spot and laying down.

**OH58D** · 06-12-20, 20:46

Speaking of herding dogs, we have a crew of Australian Shepherds who help with the process. These pictures were from yesterday showing moving cattle to our Summer range: