Coming to Barker Cattle!

Check out our two new bulls purchased from J/C Simmentals at the Great Lakes Beef Connection in Michigan.   We think they'll be a great addition to our bull battery and are gearing up for Breeding Season.

       JC MR BSR McLintock 103C  5/8 SM 3/8 AN

     JC MR BSR Kahuna N163C   ½ SM ½ AN 

                                               

Branding Smoke!

We're getting started with the branding a little bit earlier than usual this year, but with the nice weather and long winter we've had, it seemed like a good time to do it.  And not to mention the fact there's going to be 100+ more calves to do with the heifers we kept.  Might as well get rolling!  We're giving the cows their pre-breeding shots and they'll be ready to go as soon as the date is right on the calendar.

Sorting through the bull calves to see who will now become a steer. 

There's something about the smell of branding smoke.  

Some extra help came from Utah this week..great Spring Break activity.

Parker getting assistance from His Dad & Robert to get the shot in.

Ruel giving a roping demonstration to the grandkids!

Drew & Parker...We Caught one...Now what?

It was a long day, but you finished it guys! 115 head done.

Checking Cows

Went for a drive today through all the cows & calves to check on everyone and make sure they're all healthy and doing good.  It was sunshiney, but still enough of a breeze that you have to wear a coat, hat, and something to cover your ears. You gotta love it though when everyone is feeling good and running and bucking around.

All spread out on the feed ground on the dry farm.  Something about the cedars that cleans them up and makes their coats look better. 

Another new baby with some color.  Got about 75 left to go.

This guy was getting his lunch in even if Mom wouldn't stand up.

Covering Some Country

We've been hitting the roads delivering bulls and heifers to their new homes.  It's always fun to get to see new parts of the country and check out how other people work their operations.  We made a run to Paradise Valley, Nevada by way of Winnemucca.  You could tell there was a lot of history as you drove down the main street there!

Two Churches & a Saloon..What more could you need? 

You could make a western movie here.

Miles & Miles of Rocks & Sagrebrush through Nevada.  Looked like they got some snow too, so maybe grass will be good this year. 

We headed to Pocatello, Sugar City, & last stop    was Lemhi.  They still have winter there. Beautiful country to visit...and good people too!

Nice view headed out of the ranch on Basin Creek Road.  

We're going to head for our hills where there's not quite as much snow right now!

Bull Sale Success

Another Barker Cattle Company Bull Sale is successfully completed!  It's a nice feeling to be at this point.  Tom is on the road delivering to buyers, Ruel is hauling home others that need to go to their destinations soon, and Braden is back to business at the ranch catching up on all the tagging that needs to be done. We've had 2 more sets of twins in the past week.

The Sale was a huge effort with many helping hands from family and friends that was very much appreciated.  You don't realize all the little details that have to be taken care of in order to pull off something like this until you've done it yourself.  A BIG THANK YOU to all those who pitched in and helped us in those many stations that needed filled.  We were very grateful to have nice weather and the parking lot and seating area filled up well. We heard many good comments from past buyers regarding their past purchases and welcomed quite a few newcomers to our sale.   Now we'll settle into life as we know it for a while!

Finding a pen

Many walks up and down this alley all day long pushing the bulls & heifers.

We could tell them how to do it, but we'll let them try their way first. :)

Ready for buyers!

Office crew: Thanks for the new program Tammy!  

11:30 am and the alleys were filling up

Long time friends & customers Rod & Laura Jones discussing bulls with Tyler

Tom & Tyler both were kept hopping with the phone lines ringing.

This is trouble!  Barker Boys...what are you up to?

Lunch ladies...It was yummy as usual. Thanks Kay, Ann F, and Talee O.

It's time for an Auction!

Good to see those seats filling up.

A lot of "bull talk" going on here!

Getting a  better view of them.

Stayin' busy

We are working hard towards the bull sale and trying to keep up with the ranch at the same time.  It can be a challenge to make sure everything is being checked, maintained, and cared for. Braden & Aubrey are doing their best to keep up with the tagging and care for the cows. We are on the last round of AI'ing and all the clean up calves are coming now too, so it's a little western. They go out and tag one day, and the next there's just as many if not more tags to do again.

And it sure seems like things like to break down around here...a lot!  Tom spent most of the day on Tuesday trying to fix water situations. He ended up calling the professionals in when the other water system at the house broke down on Wednesday!  The old reliable Chevy Truck that we use to check cows is now in the shop too. When it rains, it pours around here.

Down the hole...we really aren't Plumbers!

The herd bulls patiently waiting for their water to be fixed.

At least the springs are running at the DryFarm!  A true sign that Spring is here.

Cowboy up! 

A good sight to see when a graft calf goes to sucking and the Mamma cow doesn't even kick it off.

Livin' The Dream

We're calving along in this weather that can't seem to make up it's mind.  It's sunny, it's windy, it's freezing, it's snowing, it's raining, it's muddy.  Getting about 10 born a day (and through the night!) but it's sure hard to know what's coming next.

Mid Day in Elba Feb 2016

Getting a tag and first born shots

Now What, Braden?

Bull testing day. 102 bulls Trich, Semen, & BVD tested. Put their new lot #'s in their ears.  Starting to look like sale time is here!

No Surprize bull calf born out of Kamri's show heifer "Miss Swanky"(Nautica 1 x Who Made Who)