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The rancher may be quarterback, but branding is a team effort
by Terri Licking

Ranching is a team effort. The rancher may be the quarterback, but it takes a front line including the veterinarian, the well man, the local ranch supply store, the feedlot owner and a slew of others to ensure the goal line of raising beef at a profit is reached on a yearly basis. Of course don’t forget the family, especially the spouse, who doubles as the hired hand.

This team effort is never more apparent than when brandings occur. Neighbors congregate on a pre-determined date at each other’s ranch to assist in proving ownership of the young calves that will hopefully grow up to be sold later. The size of the crew varies, but no one, except the very small and the very old, will not work on branding day.

The rancher is again the quarterback, delegating jobs and positions to the myriad of men, women and youth. Brandings occur like a well oiled machine – the only jobs that change hands through the work are that of wrestlers and ropers. Vaccinators, branders, castrators, dehorners, calf doctors all know what is expected of them and carry out their particular task until the last calf is roped and dragged out of the pen. Ropers in the first bunch of calves drag them to the waiting wrestlers who each know, be it the rope or the tail, which to grab to make the job of getting the calf on the ground seem effortless most of the time. The youth begin learning how to be a team player early on. Some help wrestle with their Dad or uncles. Some young cowboys and cowgirls too small to wrestle are not too small on their horse or pony to rope and drag just like the adults.

With each bunch of calves, new ropers enter the pen, while the previous ones become the wrestlers. Everyone that wants to rope generally gets a chance throughout the course of the morning. Eight seconds are allowed for riding times in rodeo events and that or less is what is needed to get the calf branded and back to his mom; 10 seconds maybe to change a bull to a steer. With everyone working together as a team, the task of branding even 600 calves is accomplished by noon. If other companies would work as well as neighbors helping neighbors, think of the productivity we would have!

Some of the most important team members on branding day remain in the house. They too know their jobs and assist in making sure the crew out in the pasture is rewarded with a meal to rival any 5-star restaurant. The cooks actually start before the rest of the home crew that day. Breakfast must be made for those that have come the night before, the meat put on, the rolls set to rise, desserts and salads made, tables set, coolers filled with the first round of liquid refreshments the outside work crew will partake of before eating. The cooks work where there is no breeze, where the house becomes hot from the cooking required to feed 30 or more hungry mouths.

The cooks are also the last ones on branding day to put their feet up and relax. Preparing the meal is only half of the job, clean up goes well into the early hours of evening. The rancher knows enough too, when supper time arrives not to ask “what’s for supper” but to go to the fridge and pull out some leftovers. The second time around is almost as good as the first.

So hats off to the team members on branding day. This tradition, which started more than a century ago, has only been improved upon by portable corrals, and propane branding pots. It will always need a team effort to get ‘er done.

Terri Licking lives on a ranch in the Nebraska San Hills near Thedford.

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