Those are some of the same feelings we have experienced during our trials and tribulations of cattle ranching. When given a choice, a cow will always go out the wrong gate. My husband Carl had been wanting to purchase the acreage behind our house ever since we moved to Kansas in 1991. In 1994, the owners decided to auction the land off and we won the auction. In the spring of 1996, Carl bought three stockers at our local cattle commission.
Stocker is bovine talk for a castrated male that is fattened up for beef.
We had three breeds represented in our first herd-Angus, Gelbvieh and Hereford. I named them Andrew, George and Howard, respectively. They ate our grass over the spring and summer. They were then confined to a small feed lot on our property where they were fed grain and hay daily. So let it be known that cattle ranching and starting a cow-calf operation was NOT my idea and was my husband's hobby, NOT mine.