The Brand 2017

One of the hardest, hottest, most rewarding, memorable and amazing jobs on a cattle property is a fortnight-long task know as The Brand.

Our annual muster, bringing in all the cows and calves so we can treat the mamas for pests (like buffalo fly and ticks) and identify and mark the calves, is an essential chore which  we all love.

Here is this year’s team – Salina, Mr I, Tee (our new-ish ringer), Violet and Dash.

Aside: what are our kiddos up to here, I hear you ask?  They are taking a SELFIE people… they are t(w)eens of the teens and this is what cool kids do (before they post it to their Instagram accounts!)

Well what could I expect? Their mama IS a blogger, after all!

This part is exciting – all those butterflies in the belly, as the team psyches up to scout the first paddock…

It has been super-hot this year – hardly one day in the two weeks we worked was UNDER 40C.

Our new technique in dealing with the heat has been to muster in the afternoon, separate cows and calves overnight, brand early the next day, mother up, and have them back out in the paddock before lunchtime.  No work in the hottest part of the day (well, adult humans do ‘other’ work away from the cattle who can just drink and rest over this period, and younger humans have a swim and recover with ‘normal holiday’ stuff for a couple of hours).

It’s meant we are a little slower getting through the brand, but much easier on man and beast.

There is always time for a bit of a mooch and a natter along the way, during the muster. You need to pick your moments for a mooch though, or bosses get noisy.

Violet and Salina took good advantage of this little lull in the action. (Love this pic, showing off our hills, creeks and granite boulders!)

Tee has slotted in like an old hand – a big change of scene for her, but she has been capable and dependable right from the get-go.  Her horses have had a fair work-out too!

Dash is always a great young cattleman…

He’s not quite as horse-mad as Violet (not sure that’s even possible) but he does adore his steed Taszer and is pretty much always in the ‘right place’.

Salina is a great ringer – on her beloved giant mount ‘Winchester’, who knows the ropes and looks after his riders very well. (I should know, he is my steed of choice too!)

I was driving the ute (and photographing from behind the wheel) again this muster – it’s been a while since I have ridden and I miss it, but my knees need a little ‘fixin’ before I saddle up again. *sigh*

Cows on the horizon…

Ambling along a paddock road towards the yards…

Maybe my favourite pic this muster… Dash on Taszer, riding the ridge.

Salina and Mr I pushing the mob up the hill… they are like water – they go downhill MUCH easier than UPhill! Ha.

Working the race – T on the back yard and Violet on the gate. They decided to try and hide their faces from me after this pic… I am not sure who they thought they were dealing with? Have they even met me?

GOTCHA. LOL…

Here are some of our gorgeous Brangus calves after they have had their eartags (white electronic buttons in right ear and visual ID in left ear), been branded (with our stud ID, their individual ID number and abbreviated birth year), inoculated and assessed for traits.  We do our best to make their time in the branding cradle quick and smooth, so we can get them all back to their mamas as fast as possible.  Some of them actually graze near where we are working after their time in the branding cradle.

We get them back to their paddocks after I ‘mother up’ (matching their new ID’s to their dam’s ID number)…

Violet and Tee were all smiles at another paddock done and dusted!

And the calves – well, as you can see a good feed on Mum, some familiar territory, and they are right as rain.

Speaking of which…

A precipitation post coming up shortly!

😀