The Cowboy

The Cowboy

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
Good friend and colleague, Tommy Allen runs a herd of beef cattle as a kind of side job. Well, it turns out that it has been all-consuming this fall given that is herd is all mixed up with other herds owned by neighbors. “Tommy, you've had quite an adventure rounding up your cattle. They are spread all over the place and other guys have the same situation. What’s going on? You know David, it’s hard to really say what’s going on. It is easy to blame it on the predators like the wolves that are pretty thick in that area right now. Either it's a weird year this year where people didn’t take care of their fences as well as they should or it was a dry year where feed ran out quick and neighbors’ cattle kept pushing on fences and getting out but everyone's cattle are scattered everywhere. I've been writing through pastures looking for my yearlings and there are three or four different brands running together, it’s just kind of a cluster. Everybody wants to blame the wolf. It is easy to do when I came across eight of them crossing my pasture and yes, that would be pretty scary for cattle and calves and they would take off and run if they saw that. It has been a disaster and it is been a tough go. We have been having to get out and rope cows out in the open and tie them down, it’s quite an adventure. On the one hand, my observation is it’s tough on you but on the other hand, our listeners are getting an opportunity to hear what it’s like to be a true old time cowboy on horseback roping cattle. Would you agree? Definitely, but it’s all you can do. Thick hillsides, deep timber or you’re out on rocky shale and you have to do what you have to do.”
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