By Cora Tasset
Special to Tiger Media Network
In agriculture, we might be quick to get defensive when we are questioned about the things that we do. Instead of being this way, we should use this opportunity to explain our side of the story. Being an agvocate is one of the most important things I can do for this industry, myself, and my family.
Our number one priority in the industry is caring for our cattle, as beef is one of the top exports in the U.S. We are often questioned on how we do things with our cattle because in the end we eat them, but they are often cared for more than the farmers and ranchers themselves. We have a responsibility to ourselves, our consumers, our families, and most importantly to God to take care of our livestock and do everything we can for them.
Farming and ranching aren’t a 9-5, it’s our livelihood and if we fail to care for our livestock we will lose more than just our jobs. We work daily to keep them fed, watered, and protected. “They can’t take care of themselves like they used to, we have helped a few heifers and pulled their calves this year because they were struggling. We saved their lives, and I couldn’t have done that if we weren’t checking them all the time,” my dad said. The amount of time we put in just for our cow herd would really amaze some people!
A lingering question that people have is, what do we do with our livestock in extreme conditions? Not a whole lot of ranchers have the resources to bring their animals into a barn; could you fit 100+ cattle in your shed? We do everything we can to protect our cattle in extreme conditions, like putting out extra feed, laying down bales for bedding, planting trees and building windbreaks, and moving them closer to home, as recommended by Superior Ag. When you get a snow day, we get a stress day! It is very scary to be out in a blizzard with extremely low temperatures, high winds, and crazy snow, but we have to do it for our cattle. Protecting them from weather is one of the hardest and probably most dangerous things we have to do, but we won’t stop until they are safe.
Other concerns that I have heard and experienced, is how we handle our cattle while processing them. I have been around many different farms and experienced the different ways that people handle their cattle. Keeping cattle in the lowest stress situations possible is one of the most important things to do while handling and processing. It will keep them and the processors calm to help ensure everything is going correctly. Having the correct facilities will also help to keep the cattle protected. Dr. Temple Grandin used her insight into animal behavior to design corrals, alleyways, and chutes to help move the cattle in a stress-free way. The designs that she created use the animal’s natural instincts to move through the facilities, calmly, by themselves.
Another important role in raising cattle is our vaccination and herd management processes. Starting with our calves we do vaccinations at around 3 months of age when we first process them. We also do booster shots to keep them healthy. Our cows get vaccinated and poured annually to keep them up-to-date on shots and provide healthy cows in order to raise good calves. Our bulls are tested and checked annually as well to ensure they are sound and good for breeding season. As suggested by the Sullivan Veterinary Clinic we dehorn, castrate, and wean our calves at the safest possible times for the animal.
The responsibility we have as farmers and ranchers to provide for our family and farm is much deeper than that, we are stewards of the land and animals. God put us on earth to take care of the creatures that he created, and it is a privilege to be in a family and a community that does this. “It is very personal and independent to have the responsibility to provide food for so many people, and we take pride in what we do for our consumers,” my dad said.
We care for our cattle to provide not only for ourselves, but for the whole world. We need our cattle, and so does everyone else. They provide so much more than just the hamburgers you eat. Caring for our cattle is in our blood, starting with my great-great-grandpa; and I will hopefully one day continue on his legacy as a fifth-generation farmer and rancher.
Cora Tasset, a 2018 Spearville High School graduate, graduated this spring with a degree in farm and ranch management from Dodge City Community College and will graduate this December with a Bachelor of Science degree in animal science from Fort Hays State University. She is the daughter of Allen Tasset, Spearville, and Kim George, Stratton, Colo.