Crumbs From The Cracker Barrel

The early scrub cows were small topping out at no more than 600 pounds.  In the early 20th century the import of Brahman bulls made a huge improvement in local ranching.  Purebred Hereford cows, popular in the west, fared poorly in the Florida climate due primarily to their propensity for contracting pinkeye.  The Brahman/Hereford cross produced today’s Braford breed which adapts well and produces calves that grow to 800 pounds at shipping.
                                    
                                     image via wikipedia

Cattle ranching is still a thriving industry in Florida ranking a close third behind tourism and citrus production.  Several large operations ship yearlings to the norther feed lots each fall, notably among them the Deseret Ranch in east central Florida.  The Deseret is spread out over three counties and the main body is 50 miles long and 30 miles wide.  It is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and employs and houses 90 ranch hands and their families and runs about 44,000 head of cattle.

I was fortunate enough to participate in a roundup as an observer some years ago on the Circle S Bar B Ranch–a small 10-600-acre spread near Narcoosee.  Everybody rides on both the spring and fall roundups–the cowboys, tractor operators, mechanics, truck drivers and even the cooks.
                                        
(The author prepared for his first and last roundup.  The guard dog didn’t go along)

When the animals are located they are driven, sometimes on public roadways, to holding pens where the calves are branded and wormed and the cows are chuted and treated as necessary.  Once the calves are mammied-up the cows are introduced to the bulls before being released to fresh pastures and another six months of relative freedom.  Some of the work becomes dicey as those Braford cows were wild and had not seen a human for six months and were mean as snakes.  When fall arrives another roundup occurs and grown up calves will be shipped north.

These days four-wheelers are added to the stable to make the job a bit easier but it’s still a tough job that lasts till well past sundown.   Everyone is dead tired.  No one sits around playing a guitar or harmonica like in the movies.  As for me, I was just plain saddlesore.