Friday, August 10, 2018

Celebrate 4H Livestock Projects

“No one wants to works”

It’s a complaint I hear, a lot, from other business owners, near and far.  I structure our business growth plans on labor our family can provide. Hard workers are hard to find.  Very few people actually want to work, though I’ve met a good number who sure want a paycheck.

It is just so true.  No one wants to work.  
Wait a minute.  Wait, right there.  
I just witnessed about 50 kids from Rio Arriba and Los Alamos Counties work their butts off.  Like seriously hard.  Working.  My kids were in the mix, and I watched them and others kids just like them, working really hard.  Sweat dripping from their brows, early mornings and late nights.  What is this hard work?  4H livestock projects.

A little explanation for those that aren’t familiar.
A kid purchases a prospect livestock animal.  It may be one from their family herds.  It may be one from a close friend or neighbor.  Most likely, it is from a show animal sale, and prices reflect trends in outstanding show animals well above a market value.  For cattle, this usually happens about ten months before the fair.  For pigs, goats and sheep, this is roughly 5 months before.
I’ll use my daughters goat project for an example.  She bought 2 goats at a sale for a total of $700.  This was well above the going market rate.
She felt the added cost was worth the opportunities the quality of animal would provide.  We knew cost was well above what she could get if she had to sell it at the sale barn, but it was a calculated risk.

Now, they start this magical work concept.
Show animals need to learn how to walk and stand.  They eat the best feed, vitamins and minerals possible.  They are groomed regularly.  
This isn’t something they buy and then show up with.  This is where they work.  Early mornings, exercising and grooming, feeding and cleaning.  Planning ahead, evaluating progress in the animals gain, health and condition.  Evenings are more of the same.  Family vacations go the the wayside because the work and responsibility can’t be set aside.  Sleepovers at friends’ houses come at the high cost of family negotiations.  Brother will help, but doing his chores and laundry are part of the deal.  Deals happen, but the weight of the responsibility is heavy on everyone’s mind.  Feed sacks empty quickly as animals grow.  The high quality feed is the best money can buy, and the savings account shows their withdrawals as they continue to invest in their project.
This trend continues every single day.  For months.
If the work doesn’t happen, the chances at making a sale slot drop.
The kids know this, so they work harder.  They play music for their animals, mimicking fair days so the animals won’t get stressed.  They load and unload from trailers and walk around obstacles.
The livestock are getting bigger, and they eat more.  Healthy appetites are maintained with ample exercise, and the investment in the child’s time is evident.  The feed bill is mounting, a big portion of the
pastedGraphic.png
investment in a market animal.
Then fair gets here.  Kids clip and wash, hand-feed, wash again and groom some more.
They walk in the ring, moms and dads holding other animals to be shown.  They wipe drops of sweat from their faces when the judge isn’t looking.  They ease an animal around a ring that outweighs them.  They stand them proudly, hoping they will brace, standing just so the judge sees them at their best.  They remember to help the kid in front of them, whose animal doesn’t want to move forward.  They smile at a judge, hours and hours of practice boiling down to this one short window in the ring, where the color of the ribbon may or may not be what the child hoped for.
Then, it is over.
If they make sale, they hope to make enough to cover this years costs and invest again.
If they don’t make sale, they work at negotiating sale out of the ring.   They hope that add-ons will come from some of their invitations to fair.  They make plans to do it again.

Why am I telling you all of this?

Because, I know buying an animal at the county fair may seem unnecessary.
You may not really want to deal with a whole steer or lamb.  It might seem like a big investment.  Maybe someone else will do it.
But, wait.  We need workers.  We need people who aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and work hard.  And we can help by buying livestock at a fair.  And now, we know that these kids have invested a lot just to get here.

It really is that simple.  You, and I will be old one day.  We need hard working individuals to carry this country forward.  We need compassionate business people who can make calculated risks and understand there is more to just a bottom line when making business decisions.

If you support the youth in your county by buying livestock, my hat is off to you.  You are doing something extraordinary for our future!

If you haven’t bought at a fair, I implore you to consider it.  You can fill your freezer with high quality meat.  You can donate the meat to a food bank - doubling your investment into your community.  You can simply donate the animal back to a child, or sell it at a livestock auction.   We can make it easy for you.  You can give add-ons (a donation to livestock youth without the purchase of an animal).

Help celebrate the hard working future of our communities.  Help reward hard workers.

Celebrate perseverance and join us at the fair!

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Thai Beef Salad

Years ago, when we were in the grass-fed beef biz, we participated in an event pairing local beef with chefs in Santa Fe, NM.  We worked with the chef at Harry's Roadhouse.  For the life of me, I can't remember his name, but he was an incredible young man with mad skills!  He served our beef up in lettuce wraps, in a Thai Beef Salad style.  Oh my goodness, one of my top five beef meals ever!
Here's my version... It's always changing to whatever I have around.  I use up whatever leftover grilled steak we have, and when I grill I usually just season with salt and pepper, sometimes garlic or garlic salt.

Per person:
4 oz cold grilled beef (can use hanger, flank, sirloin, whatever you want). We like it med rare.  Slice thin.
Approx 1 cup salad mix.
I use mixed greens, baby kale, carrots, celery, cucumber, green onion or red onion, peppers, whatever you have on hand, this is a great place for crunchy and dense textures.

Dressing (this dresses about 4-5 servings, increase or decrease as needed.
1/4 cup lime juice
2 TBSP fish sauce
1 TBSP was grated ginger and garlic
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, basil and mint
Sometimes I use a tbspn of toasted sesame oil, but not always.

Let sit and serve up.
This is one of this dishes I make in huge quantities as it tends to get better after sitting in the fridge.  It is perfect on busy, hot summer days when we need healthy meals to keep us going from sunup until well after the sun goes down.
On a side note, my friend and her family send home the most beautiful canned beets and I love serving those along side this meal.

Enjoy!

Friday, May 29, 2015

Trailerloads full of Blessings

Counting My Blessings by the Trailer Load

We set out this morning running late.  Got the kids to school.  Shane walked through the carrot heifers.  Sort of.  They were squirrelly.  They wanted to bunch up and be heifers.  We got it done and went on with the schedule.
We got up to Alamosa, met my father-in-law, took the heifers to the sale-barn that weren't replacement quality, and stopped to eat.  We were well ahead of the lunch rush and ordered pretty normal stuff.  Well, except Shane, he ordered extra jalapeƱos, and I have this funny rule about crossing the border and expecting anything New Mexico-like in food.  Don't do it.  But we ordered, and waited.  And waited.  And waited some more.  Finally, Shane and Skeeter got some food (so it wasn't his jalapeƱos) and our little waitress apologized, saying mine was coming.  I am not nice when I get really hungry.  Its the one time I don't mind my Ps and Qs.  I am hungry.  Bring me food now.  Just my luck.  OK, sidebar here.  This is the time I like to remind myself, "Really, Sage?  You have the time and money to sit in a restaurant and order food and sit with people you love.  If this is the worst luck you have today, you are indeed lucky.  Blessed, and lucky.  So suck it up, buttercup."  It finally came out and she apologized again.  We ate quickly, this had turned into well over an hour and we needed to get back, the kids talent show would be later in the evening.  The manager came over and took care of our whole bill - apologizing again, his head chef was late to work and our order got dropped.
We loaded heifers easily, these were the girls that were going to be replacements.  I jumped in to drive our truck, Shane was tired.  Skeeter followed me and we hit the road.  A minivan driving in front of us had a bed frame, mattress, box springs and a couch, all stacked on TOP of the van, and was traveling very slowly.  I considered taking a picture but I was driving and figured I better keep my hands on the wheel.  I had already woken Shane up once when I admired the Amish buggy parked at the Dollar Store (yes, I am easily distracted and very appreciative of anything outside my little norm.)  I passed the minivan and got into the little town of Antonito.  They have been doing a road project there for months, and tend to not think about trailers when they set their detours so I turned and went down a back road, trying to miss all the construction.  I was just getting back onto the highway, and looked back to make sure Skeeter saw me swing wide, when I saw him stop.  And I saw cattle on the road.  Our cattle.  Oh, thats a terrible feeling.  I hollered, "Crap - we have cattle on the road."  Shane jumped a half foot in the seat, woke up, and I turned around.  Skeeter got his gate closed, Shane jumped out and I followed the two heifers.  I got them turned back towards Skeeter and Shane, who had pulled Skeeter's truck in next to a barbed wire fence, hoping to use it and my truck to make a wing and load them.  It was a nice plan but anyone who has ever dealt with heifers; well, they are not the brightest little bulbs in the room.  They are silly and goofy, and thats just my nice words.  (I ate, so I am still being nice.)  The heifers split, one jumped a fence and went in a crop field.  One crossed the highway with her tail up over her back.  Shane decided to go back and get horses.  I called my neighbors to see if they could take the kids in for the talent show, knowing I wouldn't get home in time.
As Skeeter and I waited, a sweet little lady drove by us, and then came back by.  She asked if she could help us and I explained we had spilled cattle and asked where the closest corral was.  She told me about a set north of town, told us "God Bless You" and went on.  She hadn't gone a block when her back up lights came on and she came back, telling me the man who owned the field owned the little burger joint on the corner.  I walked to the corner burger stand and asked, and the young man at the window said it was his dad and called him.  The Dad explained how to get to his pens, and his son went and helped me walk the heifer down to them.  She traveled so good - holes in the fence, dogs and lots of challenges, but the young man and I got her in (oh yes, she went to the top of the list, the other heifer...well, she better show some good sense and pretty soon!)  In the midst of all the oh crap moments, here was this sweet kid who kept running ahead and opening gates and helping me for no reason.  His parents should be proud.  And you should eat at G6 (it is the little burger stand right on the south end  of Antonito; on the corner, across from the gas station) and tell them Sage sent you, and she says, "Thanks."  The other heifer got in the river bottom and  we couldn't find her - we were running out of daylight.  Skeeter and I decided to head home so I could get the kids picked up.  I walked in to the talent show just in time to watch Bay sing her song, Bruno Mars "Just the Way You Are."  Yeah, I am that mom that bursts into tears at really inappropriate times.  Here was my beautiful oldest daughter, feeling like a rock star and singing her heart out.  We had missed disaster today, and I guess all those feelings of gratitude and love came rushing in!  I missed Keelin's performance, but the school does a CD, so I ordered it.  I checked my carrot heifers, and we came home.
Shane stayed up there until dark.  We have calls out to the ranchers we know in the area, and will go at it in the morning but for now I have a long prayer of gratitude going up tonight.  Five minutes before our gate opened, we had been traveling sixty miles per hour down a heavily traveled highway.  We didn't spill heifers then.  We didn't cause an accident, or drop heifers on a car behind us.  We didn't hurt the heifers, or loose the whole load.  For any of you who deal with livestock, you know things like this happen.  For those of you who don't, imagine having the whole little league team play ball in your front yard.  At some point, a window is going to break.  I have seen a gate open twice now, with livestock, while headed down the road.  Both times, it was thankfully not as bad as it could have been.  For those of us who haul, this is a good reminder to check your trailer gates and latches.  For those who don't, its a good reminder to give anyone hauling livestock a little room.

Sunday, May 17, 2015

It's been a long time...

I haven't posted since 2008.  Yep, 2008.  That's been a, ahh, while!  Things have changed - kids are 10, 8, 7.  No wonder I haven't blogged!
I still love food, game meat, ranching, family...but I'm no longer in the niche grassfed beef biz.  We are leasing the ranch we managed, and just run yearlings in summer as grass and drought allow.  I love grassfed beef (and grain finished, and pastured, and feedlot, and, well, let's face it I love beef in all its many forms!)
Not sure where the blog will go - I've always got lots of thoughts about a little of everything.  Follow along if you've got the time!

Monday, July 7, 2008

No Time for food Mexican Shrimp Salad

Sheesh...we are so busy irrigating and moving cattle around, not to mention chasing kids that I am not sure most moments if I am coming or going...
And, MAN, is good help hard to find. We have had three different 18 year old young men working for us this summer and not a one made it into July. It is irrigating, not too hard on the brain, not too hard on the labor end; but, well, now I sound like all the older generation friends and family, kids just don't want to work these days! Sure like that paycheck though. So, now I am trying to get this ranch irrigated and not for lack of trying, but I just ain't much good at it! At any rate, the kids and I do like this for a quick lunch:

Mexican Shrimp Salad

1# cooked, peeled shrimp (I use the 20-30 count shrimp)
2 avacadoes, diced
1 or 2 cucumbers, diced
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
2 or 3 green onions, chopped, or a slice of large onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
2 cups tomato juice
juice of 2 limes or about 2 TBSPs
salt (I really like Kosher salt) to taste
pepper to taste
1 jalapeno, finely diced
few dashes of hot sauce - or more, we like it spicy!

Mix it all together, serve it up with chips, crackers or other bread - yummy, a light summer lunch or appetizer. You can take the shrimp right from the freezer, run cold water over them for a meoment or two and put them right into the salad - keeps everything cold!

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

That Famous Cheese Dip, made with Game Meat!

yumm - I think everyone I know has a version of the cheese dip made with Ro-tel tomatoes, sausage and velveeta or cheese soup.... this is even better and just another way to share your hunting reward with your pals.
Shane went feral hog hunting a few years back and had the processor make some sausage out of it. We should have done the whole thing in sausage because it was so delicious, and I had a hard time coming up with ways to cook the rest of it that we actually enjoyed! Most processors I know that do game meat have a sausage recipe, and it is usually really good. This is a great thing to do with that sausage, but you can also just use ground meat. It is a must-have for football games, get togethers and just fun family time (just be ready to munch a lot!)

Wild Cheesey Dip
1 lb of game sausage (or ground meat with sausage spices added, see note)
1 can Ro-tel spicy tomatoes
1 can nacho cheese soup
1 small box of Velveeta, cubed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I use cheddar montary jack mix)

brown meat well, add rest of ingredients and heat until cheese is melted through. Mix well. Be careful, it will burn if the heat is too high.
Put in the crock pot and leave on low and serve with your favorite chips and have lots of friends enjoy it with you.

Note: If I use ground meat, I add a few dashes of garlic salt, lots of pepper, a pinch of sage (careful, this stuff is strong!) and a few shakes of chile pequin or paprika.

Friday, December 28, 2007

Morgan's Christmas Saddle


Christmas is always my favorite holiday. From the good food to the family gatherings to, yes, the gifts. This year was no exception. My kids are just begining to understand that there is something to the festivities, in fact, my son (the middle child at a year and a half) was mostly just overwhelmed. But my neice, Morgan, reminded me of just how special a time of year it really is. Morgan has cerebral palsy and is a cowgirl to the bone. She loves horse anything and if you can listen fast enough, she will tell you all about it. The idea of a saddle just for her has been on her Grandpa's mind for quite some time. We looked into having one made, and really couldn't afford that... so Grandpa bought a kids saddle and they modified it with the back from a specially made wheel chair that was hers. A few bolts and straps and Morgan has her own saddle, with modifications fit for any cowgirl in her place. Of course, there are risks to anything equine and Morgan's parents are aware of them, but the smiles you get from this little girl are priceless, when you see her horseback. And for my two cents, letting her have a piece of her dream, now that is the best gift of all.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

My thought for the day, the G's of Good Beef

You know, we raise some very good beef here on this ranch. But, I was thinking, we really can't take a whole lot of credit; God, grass and genetics make some mighty, tasty beef - we are just lucky to be here and eat a lot of it!
Enjoy some beef this holiday season, we are lucky to have ranchers who do their best to bring us the very safest beef in the world. And get creative, try some local beef from your neighbor, some oat-finished Herefords from the folks down the road, some grain-finished 4-H beef from your neighbors kids; beef really has a lot of different flavors, you could even become a 'Beef Connoisseur' (picture some swishing and swallowing of tasty beef, "um, yes, some grassy undertones, with a slightly dandelionish aftertaste, yes, this is grass-fed from New Mexico.")

Green Chile Stew

This is my husbands recipe, and my favorite thing on a cold winter day, I have tried it with meat other than pork and it works with everything! Try it out, with any game meat; javalina, pork (wild or domestic), elk, venison, beef, etc.

4-5 potatoes, diced
1 lb stew meat
garlic salt
1/2 to 1 cup diced roasted green chile, more if you like it hot, less if you don't (ask if you have a question on this!)
2 small cans tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste
water

boil the potatoes in salt water until barely tender (you will cook them more, so this step can be skipped unless the meat you are using is really tender, and then cook the potatoes all the way).
fry stew meat (use a bit of oil in the pan if needed only to keep it from sticking, you don't want any extra oil.)
After your meat is browned, add the green chile and garlic salt, salt and pepper. Add potatoes and about a cup of water to de-glaze the pan and get all the good browned bits up. Add the tomato sauce and simmer over low heat for an hour or longer if meat is tough, just until everything gets tender and serve with tortillas and enjoy!

Barbary Sheep

Had a question about Barbary Sheep meat...yum!
I have heard from several folks that Barbary Sheep aren't that good but, BOY, do I disagree, it is probably some of my very favorite game meat!!! It is mild and similar to antelope, I think, not too tough and easy to substitute in most beef or elk recipes.
I think the trick is to take care of the meat when you process it, I really take my time and make sure there is no hair, clean up around where you shot it, no blood, etc. Then I de-bone it all and try and take off most of the membranes (so you do end up with some small pieces). The stuff that is too small I just made stew meat out of. Then, I butterfly the steaks into about 1/2 thick and double paper wrapped it and into the freezer it went!
Recipes - I think our favorite way to eat Barbary Sheep is to chicken-fry it (see below) but also, it is good marinaded (one hour, all day, either is fine) in lime juice and olive oil with lots of pepper, garlic and a little rosemary (fresh or dry) and then grilled. Depending on how much you cook, just put enough marinade (about 1 part lime to 2 parts olive oil) into a ziplock bag to cover it up and put your meat in and set it in the fridge and yummy!
Interestingly, the shoulder steaks were nice and tender, but the round steaks were tougher (usually the other way around with beef, elk and venison in my experience!)
Enjoy!