News

The Drought of 2011

We're Still Here!
Our Herd of Survivors is Making a Statement

We've all heard our parents or grandparents talk about the drought of the 1950s. Well, we're confident that generations to come will hear us all talk about the drought of 2011!

At Bradley Ranch, we have seen temperatures this year from -6 to 117. It's hard to describe how hot the inferno was on some days when the wind blew and it was over 100 degrees. We thought we were prepared for a drought with a drought plan—and to some extent we were. But, we were not prepared for the combination of such extreme heat and no rain.

Like many of you, our pastures have seen minimal rain (less than an inch during the growing season and less than three inches in 365 days). The good news is that our rotation system has worked. Our cows have grazed standing forage that was grown back in 2010. With more than 70 days over 100 degrees, it is difficult for a cow to ever cool down. Complicate this with a ranch that is host to "gyp" water, and you begin to understand why we have dubbed our cowherd "the herd of survivors."

In an effort to save what little forage we have left, we humbly accepted an opportunity to move some of the cowherd to a neighbor's irrigated pastures. This is the first time in 56 years that a cow has left Bradley Ranch to raise her calf elsewhere. This was a tough and emotional decision to make. But, we intend to be here for years to come and it was the right decision for our land and our cows.

As you would expect in a drought, our 2011 weaning weights are lighter than in the past. While this is a disappointment, we know the bulls will perform well on our gain test and be ready for our sale next spring. Phenotypically, this is the most eye-appealing set of calves we have ever raised. The performance outliers will tell the story and you can always be assured of this from our bulls—you will get calving ease with muscle.

Finally, we know many of our customer and friends have suffered through tragic fires this year. Continually, we have prayed for your safety and ability to get through such tragedies.

Praying for rain,

  Mary Lou, James and Minnie Lou