In agriculture your life revolves around SEASONS. With the many changes in the world (COVID, the 2020 election year, and the list goes on) i've been thinking a lot about seasons. Seasons can refer to both changes in life and changes in the weather. Agriculture is extremely grounding because changes in the weather also mean changes in daily life. It is truly very seasonal.
I always think back to this Bible verse:
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Ecclesiastes 3
Late Summer & Early Fall is a season all of its own on the ranch. The weather of this season is HOT and often Santa Anna winds start to hit in early Fall. For our daily lives and work - late summer means the start of weaning time at the ranch. Each and every season on a cattle ranch has its own special workload. Is it branding, planting, cutting & bailing, calving, weaning, etc? The list goes on. This all also fluctuates with the climate and the weather patterns. Those that work in agriculture have to be ready for the changing seasons and workloads. You must also be ready to re-arrange your plans on a daily basis. Change in plans is truly the only constant. Agriculture truly depends on the weather and the seasons; not to mention the livestock that has a mind of its own.
Weaning calves is when calves born last year are weaned off of their mothers. This gives our mama cows a chance to recover and rest before calving season begins. We gather all the cattle and sort off the calves. It is a bit loud as everyone adjusts. Both cows and calves "bawl" for a bit. It is essential though, "for everything there is a season".
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