Duke's First Cattle-Yak Drive

It was time to wean the calves from the cows and of course,
because we calve later than most ranchers, we also wean later.

We thought we'd see how Duke would handle bringing the herd home.
 Unfortunately, he didn't start off very well.
He was so excited, he ended up turning the herd back 
in the direction they just came from.

The cows were a bit wound up also, so all in all,
it made for a volatile situation.

This video was taken after his mistake and you can see how
one yak-cross cow tried to put him in his place.
Thankfully, Duke didn't take it personally and he went right back to herding.

After that little mishap, Duke ended up sitting in the truck.

Where he watched the action taking place outside.

Until the end, when we thought we try him out for the final push up the hill.

All things considered, he did quite well for only being seven months old
and it was a learning experience for all of us. 

Duke The Wonder Dog

Have you wondered what has Duke been up to in the past few months since my last post about him?
To start with, he's been eating and growing and playing and learning.

He loves to ride in the truck and his spot is on the floor, passenger side.

But he will try and get away with trying out the driver's side,

or wiggling his way up on to the passenger's lap so he can look out, or curl up and fall asleep.

He's learned to raid our compost and discovered a treat, 
corn on the cob, minus the corn.

(Is this what's known as a corndog?)

He has a few favourite toys, like his Greenie. 

But he'll pretty much chew on anything he can get away with (see corndog photo above).

Needless to say, our front doormat has taken a beating.

He loves to retrieve a ball, bone or stick and as he's young and full of energy,
 he will play this game endlessly, if he can keep your attention.

He's also learned to play catch with himself.
On a windy day, he will find something light,
pick it up in his mouth and throw it into the air and run and catch it.

So far, he knows the words sit, lie down, shake a paw, jump up, kennel, owl, deer.

He made that all important trip to the vet.
Have you ever seen anything more pathetic looking than this?

The "cone of shame" didn't last long as it terrified him more than it helped him. 

Thankfully, the surgery has helped his mind focus better.

He will howl with some encouragement.

He has a unique way of relaxing.

Ah, this is the life!

He went on his first Christmas tree hunt out to the mountains.

And he's getting familiar with the bovines.

Watch this clip as he tests the limits with one of our

Red Angus/Simmental-cross cows and a yak-cross heifer.

Is he a wonder dog? Yep. He's wonderful to us.

Watch for my next post when we'll see what happens

when he had his first experience moving the cattle-yak herd.

Dzo Photo In The Financial Post

You may remember my post from last summer when Journalist Twyla Campbell and Photographer Michele King paid a visit to Springridge Ranch, as well as the subsequent article that appeared first in the Edmonton Journal and then other newspapers across the country. It recently came to our attention that on November 28, 2011, a farm related article appeared in the Financial Post and the accompanying photo was one that Michele had taken at Springridge Ranch last summer! To see the photo and article, click here.

2012 Springridge Ranch Calendar

Happy New Year!

If you would like a pdf version of our 2012 one page calendar, please send us an email and we will gladly send you one! Email: eat_more_yak@yahoo.ca

Merry Christmas!

Springridge Ranch Yak-Cross Beef would like to take this opportunity to thank our customers for supporting us this past year.
Thanks to you, we've had our most successful year yet!

We would also like to wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas!

Pioneer Christmas Market - December 23, 2011

Springridge Ranch Yak-Cross Beef will be set up at the Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village for the Pioneer Christmas Market on Friday, December 23, 2011 from 5 to 8pm.

Come and see us for your last minute holiday meat ideas!

The Snow Eater

Our little corner of the world has always been known for its wind. And not just any wind. Strong wind. It's why we now have so many windmills in the area. Winds are generally stronger in the spring and fall but lately, it's been at the extreme end of the spectrum. When it gets up past the 100 km/h range, it starts to get scary. In fact, when it gets past 120 km/h, it's the same as a category one hurricane in terms of wind strength. This is when roofs start to peel back. Buildings destroyed. Fires get out of control (why is anyone burning when the wind is blowing that hard anyway?). Bales roll down the field. Snowballs form on the ground in just the right temperature. Corral walls fall down. Windows blow out. Trees broken and uprooted. Yes, all of that has happened in our neck of the woods. Folks either learn to live with the wind, or they can't stand it and have to leave.

However, there is a plus side to it all. The winds in winter are sometimes the results of a weather pattern called chinooks. Chinooks can bring on some of the strongest winds, but along with that come sudden warmer temperatures and some spectacular sunrises...

...and sunsets.

One of the most distinct features of a chinook is the arch that forms in the western sky.

They can have a smooth edge...

This is a photo of an ususual summer chinook arch!

...or a rough edge.

The Aboriginals call chinooks "The Snow Eater". Why? As stated in Wikipedia,
"A strong Chinook can make snow one foot deep almost vanish in one day".

The map on this page shows where the most chinooks occur, and we fall right into the red category. 

So what do the critters do when the winds howl? The wild animals find shelter in trees or bushy areas. Or, like these prairie chickens, they hunker down and wait it out:

If the domestic animals don't have some bush to take shelter in, and if there's no barn or wood fence to stand behind, then they turn their backside to the wind. Here are our horses, taking shelter behind a board fence:

And here are the cows coming for their feed:

I apologize for the shaky camera, but when it's blowing that hard,

it's difficult to keep anything steady!