Provider: Rick Kuntz
Profession: Rancher
Hometown: Dillon, MT - Diamond Bar J Ranch

February, 2007 Diary Entry

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!  Hope you have a good one.  It is a special day to celebrate your friends and family.  Enjoy.

We survived the cold snap I mentioned in my last diary entry.  We suffered through some temperatures that dropped to 25-30 below zero.  It was a tough three or four days, but then the weather turned abruptly around and we enjoyed some days of sunshine and temperatures up around 30-40 degrees.  They say if you don't like the weather in Montana - wait 10 minutes and it will change!  That has certainly been true for the past few weeks.

We've been busy feeding hay to our cow herd.  This is a daily chore that requires 3-4 hours in the morning.  We use a loader tractor to place a feed (usually about 40 bales) onto a flatbed trailer and drive out to our cow herd and flake the hay off.  All cows get about 25# of hay each day.  Then we chop the ice covering their water holes along Grasshopper Creek so the cows can get a  drink.  The cattle have done well and appear to be in good condition as we get closer to calving season.

The crippled bull I mentioned last month is still being cared for here at the ranch.  He is not doing much better, so it is highly questionable whether we'll be able to use him any more.

After we finish feeding the cows every morning, it is time for lunch.  After lunch we have kept busy with odd jobs around the barnyard.  I've also been busy with bookwork (preparing taxes, annual financial statements for our banker, etc), so there is no lack of things to do.

We are about  three weeks away from calving, so we are getting things ready. Shortly, the cows will all be moved to corrals and hay mangers closer to the house so we can keep an eye on them.  I will be busy for the next few days getting the baby calves' ear tags ready.  We put a tag in the calf's left ear that corresponds with the tag # her mama has in her left ear.  This helps us keep better track of mama and her baby.

I found out recently that I have been adopted by a couple of schools in Los Angeles this year.  I will be going to L.A. in early June to meet with the kids.  That is always a highlight of the year for me.

Until next time:  stay happy and healthy, study hard, and - if the going gets tough - remember to COWBOY UP!

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