Agriculture has to be one of the most unpredictable occupations in the country. Things happen. Markets fluctuate; diseases strike crops and livestock; drought destroys production; hail wipes out a year’s work in a matter of minutes. Accidents cause serious injury to farmers and ranchers.

And much of the uncertainty that’s endemic to agriculture is beyond human control.

No one expected, for instance, that a late December blizzard would dump nearly a foot of snow on the Texas High Plains and scatter cattle across the region. Some estimates put wandering cattle numbers in the thousands of head. Many perished in the harsh winter weather.

But not nearly as many died as would have had it not been for one thing that is as predictable among farm and ranch families as the certainty of tomorrow’s sunrise.

To read more and view the gallery, click here.

You might also like:

7 ranching operations who lead in stewardship, sustainability

Why we need to let Mother Nature select replacement heifers

Photo Gallery: Laugh with Rubes cow cartoons

Beta agonists wrongly blamed for fatigued cattle syndrome

Lessons from the 2015 cattle market wreck

Feed and bed your cows without all the waste