With the arrival of the summer solstice, we are looking back at spring on the ranch. Monthly Scenes from the Ranch have fallen by the wayside lately as I juggle several other priorities, so here instead is our seasonal update:
Storms track south of us making for beautiful, dramatic skies, but dry ground. April, May and June have brought just a scant 1.5 inches of rain. What a change from last year when we had over 8″ in the same time span! Thankfully, our cattle herd is right-sized to the acreage we have, regardless of drought, and we are able to put up the hay we’ll need for the winter. On the plus side, the flies aren’t nearly as abundant as last year. There is always a silver lining somewhere!
Bart has been working with Jack, Jill, Beth and Indie to get them in shape for haying. Last summer, he didn’t get to work very much with Beth and Indie because they both had foals. Jack is the go-to partner for anyone getting started and he paired well with both Beth and Indie during harrowing this spring.
We were pleased to have Keegan Rumsey Equine visit and work on our herd of horses. They all seemed to thoroughly enjoy her body work using the Masterson method. The really young ones (like Rilla here trying to check out Keegan’s camera) were a little fidgety at first, but mostly settled in to enjoy the individual attention.
Despite the dry conditions, wildflowers have emerged and fed many a pollinator, such as this bright green fly. The large eyes, short stubby antennae and just two wings (not four) reveal its identity as some sort of fly (order Diptera). It is perhaps a syrphid fly (aka flower fly or hover fly).
And in other news: we are restocked with ground beef AND brats just in time for grilling season! We will be delivering to Billings in early July. Fill your freezer with an order today.
Coulee Creek Ranch 