Readers Share Their Best Of The Worst Ranch Moments
May 21, 2013
Last week, I shared my top 15 signs you might be having a bad day on the ranch. Admittedly, when I compiled the list, I realized it might be a little reminiscent of comedian Jeff Foxworthy's "you might be a redneck" schtick, but I figured my bad days were probably a lot like some of yours. It turns out I was right, and in BEEF Daily reader fashion, many of you weighed in on the many ways your day hasn’t gone quite right on the ranch.
And, just like a video reel on “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” where you know the guy is going to get hurt, you can’t help but chuckle a little bit at the bloopers on TV. The same goes for some of the reader stories shared in last week’s blog post.
So, without further ado, here is a roundup of the best of the worst ranch moments shared by readers:
1. You might be having a bad day on the ranch if, “you see the water break on a good heifer on Saturday night about the time you and wife are going to town for a nice meal.” -- Anonymous
2. You might be having a bad day on the ranch when, “I slipped and fell down when stepping over the fence; I couldn’t get off the fence fast enough.” -- Bob Voegeli
3. You might be having a bad day on the ranch when, “I forgot to close a gate after moving the cattle and soon all the cattle were running around the yard near the house." -- Dawn Butzer
4. You might be having a bad day on the ranch if, “you're walking through mud when your boot gets stuck by suction, comes off and you step with your bare foot." -- Nebraska farm/ranch wife
5. You might be having a bad day on the ranch if, “an infield breaks down and while you’re either survey situation or trying to fix the problem, you discover you’re standing or lying in red ants! Yipps!” -- Dr. Cathy
6. You might be having a bad day on the ranch if, “the sheriff calls and asks if you own a particular colored bull near the highway.” -- Rodney Eckhardt
7. You might be having a bad day on the ranch if, “you're working a big bunch of cattle, and you miss catching the last one through the squeeze chute, so you have to go sort her out and re-pen her. Or, you've sorted a cow out of a group, and are bringing her to the barn....right as she gets to the last gate, she turns, and zips back off to the group before you can stop her. Or, the power goes out in the middle of working a group of cattle through your hydraulic squeeze chute.” -- Patty F
8. You might be having a bad day on the ranch if, “you catch your favorite pair of jeans on a barbwire fence as you’re climbing over.” -- Anonymous.
9. You might be having a bad day on the ranch if, “you’re putting a cow back in the pen while you’re on your way to a job interview, and your panty hose falls down.” --Nicole
10. You might be having a bad day on the ranch if, “your ground hay pile catches fire. You push the burning portion into the driveway to save the rest. You try to put it out, to no avail. Eureka! Load it in the feed wagon and dump it in the muddy pen to the cows, so they can clean it up. Bury said feed wagon and tractor up to the axles with a load of smoldering ground hay. Bad day.” -- Warren Symens
One of the common themes among readers who weighed in on this discussion was that the benefits of living on a farm or ranch far outweigh those days when things just don’t go as planned. With less than 2% of people in the U.S. directly involved in production agriculture, our working days are pretty unique.
So, whether the cows get out, or you break down, or you get stuck in the mud, remember that you could be sitting in a cubicle somewhere. So, breathe in the fresh air and know that you’re lucky to be in agriculture. I’ll take the good and the bad; I’m still happy to be in the cattle business.
Do you have more “bad” days to add to our list? How about we look on the bright side of things. What makes a great day on the ranch? Help me create a list of those perfect moments in agriculture that make the bad days worthwhile. Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
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