We finally got rain! It’s been tough here for the last year and a half. It’s been hard for me to keep my chin up and keep thinking positive when it doesn’t rain for so long. I know you all know what we’re talking about because much of the southwest has been in an extreme drought for quite some time now. I’ve seen plants starting to die, cows losing weight and struggling to maintain their good nutrition, and wildlife disappearing. Even the creosote was starting to die in place

People often ask me what kind of wildlife we have here. I always start with a mountain lion, because everyone is amazed that such a large cat lives here. And no, I’m not afraid of them. I see their tracks everywhere and occasionally I will see a mountain lion as they cross my trail. In addition, we have bobcat, Javelina, coyotes, ringtail cats, fox, deer and the list goes on. Sometimes deer stop by our wildlife camera to say “hello” 😊 Mule deer in velvet In the last few ye

Recently, I’ve had various friends suggest that I write about my horses. I began to seriously consider it this morning and was a little surprised by how excited I got regarding the subject. I guess it’s not really all that surprising because they’re one of my favorite animals. In my opinion, nothing is more beautiful than a horse that is running or just acting like a horse. They are elegant, gorgeous creatures with incredibly unique personalities. That brings me to one of my

Keeping Cows Happy Have you ever considered how the well-being of a cow directly impacts their overall health and the quality of meat that you receive? When cows are treated humanely, they have a happier life. As a result, these animals are better off and more productive. In this article, we are taking a look at some of the most important elements to ensure cows are being raised in a happy and healthy environment. Proper Nutrition All animals need a balanced, nutrient-rich di

Environmentally Friendly Cattle Raising While raising cattle is essential for our food supply, there are ongoing environmental and sustainability concerns due to issues such as overgrazing and methane emissions. The good news is that many modern ranchers are adopting more sustainable practices, which help to reduce the impact on our beautiful planet. Various strategies can be used for environmentally friendly cattle raising, with the goal of improving soil health, lowering gr

While doing my morning rounds, I found a baby calf that was pretty weak. His poop was pretty soft and had a little bit of blood in it. My guess is he has coccidiosis. Not an uncommon thing to see in cattle, especially young calves. Not quite sure why he would have this, since they are turned out on fresh pasture. However, his immune system is compromised in some way and I’m sure the high temperatures and dry days are not helping. Nevertheless, we managed to scoop him up befor

Our sunflowers started blooming about a month ago and I enjoy seeing them so much! We have a pasture across the creek at HQ that we call...

Over 40 years ago, my dad stopped battling bugs and started working with them. No more spraying for bugs in any way. No more spraying...

Our horses are turned out into big pastures; some pastures as small as 300 acres and sometimes the pasture is as large as 2000 acres....

I have this red cow that we bought from a neighbor that is about as ornery as they come. Unlike other cows, she prefers to be on her own....

6/10 Did you know that we here at Date Creek Ranch are on the border between the Mojave and Sonoran desert? The Sonoran desert is well...

Sunday May 26th Today is supposed to be my day off, but because everybody is gone for the weekend, that means Stefan and I got our day...

About a year ago, I disappeared. I didn’t actually disappear, I just disappeared from the blog. My apologies. Life has gotten away from...

June 1 Cows constantly amaze me and humble me. I came out to the pasture really early this morning just as the sun was coming up because...

This is the beginning of our new series written by our very own Kimberley Knight. A take on what goes into managing the ranch, watching...