Fair time!

Flashback to last year's sale and this year's Reserve Champion at Shasta District Fair, in California.  Congratulations Valley Urricelqui for a great job! Can't wait to see how more of the calves did as the Fairs start happening.

Lot 20 BY924 I Am Legend Steer

Showcalves To Their Pasture!

Today we sorted off the show calves and their mamas and brought to their new pasture.  The grass is so tall, they're going to have to eat it down before we can see them!  Good problem to have at this time of the year. 

Beautiful day in Elba

I spy a red & white calf...do you?

Summer time fun! Livin' the Dream

First Crop Haying is Underway

The guys have been going morning and night working on getting first crop of hay up in Malta and Elba.  It's pretty amazing to be cutting such a great crop this early in Elba, but all the rain made such a difference. 

Nice alfalfa winrows ready to be baled.

Alfalfa field across from the house in Elba

Tom might've fallen asleep and let this one get a little too big.  20 ft bales are a kinda hard to load. 

Lovin' all the Green Grass!

It has been said the rains we received were a million dollar storm.  For us, it has greened up our valley and the hay crop is looking awesome! Cows are happy in their knee deep grass. 

There's going to be some great calves for our club calf sale this fall.  A little color to spice things up too.

Memorial Day Traditions would not be rained out!

Memorial Day is the time when all the Barker Family comes to Elba, young and old...granpa's, grandma's,  cousins, neices, nephews, in-laws, & outlaws.  The cold rainy weather threatened to hamper this year's celebrations, but tradition can't be done away with that easily.

Last group of 30 calves branded by this crew! 

Kamri & Charlee saddled up, ready to push the cows

Kamri, Call, Connor, & Megan at the Chute

Rocky Mountain Oysters were on the menu, but not cooked onsite this year! 

Cash giving it his all to hold on to that leg and Megan supervising

The roping crew...Drew, Call, Parker, & Cash tried their best to catch a calf out of the chute with their ropes. Call got going a little too fast and went for a slide in the mud! 

The pushers! Connor & Kamri

 

A fencing project to put in a new fence in the cedars out south was the plan for day on Saturday. The brigade fell in line travelling to the site. 

Despite the clouds that were settled in, 1/4 mile of new fence is in!

Flooding brings green grass!

We were starting to worry that it was going to be a short water year, and the grass wasn't going to be very good.  Them came the rains! Creeks were overflowing and there was water everywhere.

Back road was washed out. 

Cassia Creek more like Cassia River.  View at the bridge and down through the Valley.

We do love the green grass though!

Featured in Magazines!

The past couple of months, we have been featured in a couple of magazines.  It's a little interesting to be in the spotlight for doing the things we do for our everyday life here on the ranch.  The first article came out in the Simmental Association's monthly magazine, the Register.  You can see it featured on the Simmental Association's home page for the Current issue, April 2015 and titled, Partners in Performance.  It highlights our unique partnership of 3 families involved in Barker Cattle Company.

The second article is not yet out, but will be featured in the Ruralite magazine, the monthly publication by our local Electric co-op, Raft River Electric.  Dianna Troyer came and interviewed our family, along with Ruel, Tyler, & Jed Hutchison concerning our DNA testing on the cows and bulls that we do. Thanks to   Dianna for sharing some of her pictures with us after spending the afternoon with Tom & the kids feeding & tagging.  Sometimes we may forget that the things we take for granted that we do every day, may be a curious sight to someone looking in.

Team meeting before tagging.

Getting the medicines ready.

I'll pose if you make me!

Tom & Kamri

Angus cow & calf

Captured! 

All in a day's work.