dear cowgirl.
when you ride over those broken hills,
I want you to remember.
it's not about how look,
or what your reputation is.
because cowgirl,
when's your riding over those broken hills.
all that matters is how you feel.
how your horse feels.
you need to be one.
stuck together.
bonded.
you need to be wrapped,
in the passion.
wrapped in a joy.
& if it's not joy you are feeling,
then you need to get out of the saddle.
all that matters is that your horse is happy.
& that you are happy.
& that there's something in your loop.
dear cowgirl,
all that matters is that you feel passion.
_____
We are a family ranch in Southern Alberta.
We have a passion for raising happy beef,
riding good horses,
and making healthy vibrant soil and grass.
We love our community.
We love God.
Soil.
When Dad bought the ranch in the 1990s it wasn't much. Nobody thought he could make a go of it. The land had been poorly farmed and overgrazed, the topsoil had blown away(its windy here) and the dirt was dead.
A grazing plan was implemented that used fences to keep cattle in close herds and gave the grass long rest periods between grazings. This mimicked the ancient patterns of the elk and buffalo that had this country thriving before us humans came along and got in the way. Our ground breathed a big sigh of relief and started growing grass. Lots of it. Now we have a wide range of new species growing many of which the seeds had just been waiting in the soil for the optimum growing conditions. And our soil is alive, bugs and worms are everywhere. Sometimes we think of ourselves as bug ranchers because if you have healthy bugs you have healthy soil, grass, cows, beef, people, relationships, families, communities.
Beef.
As a ranching family trying to make a go of it it was a no-brainer that we ate our own beef. Our regenerative grazing plan has our cattle eating a wide variety of plants when they are at their best stage of nutrition and growth. Our cattle are chosen based on their ability to stay fat naturally in the grassland environment they live in. They are grass-fed and grass-FINISHED there is a difference. The results are amazing and we cant wait to share them with you.
Community.
Fishburn was a little town that started in the 1890's. With ease of transportation the town eventually fizzled out but our community is strong. One of the early owners of our ranch donated a small piece of creekside property as a park and we still have neighbourhood picnics a couple times a year. The Fishburn Community Hall is just downstream and theres a little red and white church with annual Christmas and Easter services up near the corner of one of our pastures. We invite you to come check it out. Maybe you'll get lucky enough to bump into one of our fantastic neighbours!
Gods' Country.
We don’t get the credit.
This land, these cows were created this way.
It's when we step back and observe,
that nature can reach its potential
& when we stop trying to force production with chemicals and abusive management.
We still mess it up too often but we are humbled and grateful for the opportunity to be a part of a big big plan that works.
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