Almost Gypsy Soul

Let's be honest, I've got some serious catching up to do. I'm going to attempt to hit on all the highlights of the last several months since I've shared my life with you. Of course, these shares will mostly be fun, awesome stuff because who really want to hear/re-live the not so awesome parts of life...can I get a Heck Ya!? I was feeling pretty blah last summer and thought that something out of my comfort zone might be just what I needed to get back on track. Read my teaser here .... I signed up to head to Puerto Rico on a Hurricane Maria Relief detail with the Farm Service Agency. I was gone for 4 weeks, worked in 4 offices for an approximate 275 hours of work. I worked exclusively on a new program for hurricane relief called WHIP. WHIP provided growers assistance who lost both crops and a means for production. The most common crops we dealt with were coffee, plantains, bananas and mangos. Most of these crops do not produce the first crop until 18 months to 3 year...

Driving a loader is empowering, even if you suck at it. I mean it looks easy.....just run around the field and scoop up 2 big square bales at a time, the scoot on over to the semi and drop them off on the trailer....give 'em a little bump and off to the next set. And the end result can be seen in less than 20 minutes. I'm here to tell you, its not as easy as it looks and people who make it easy have loaded ALOT of hay to make it look that way. Not everyone can load 12 bales on a 24 bale trailer all by themselves with help I, on the other hand, look like a 2 year old trying to color inside the lines when loading hay. I call success fitting 12 bales on a 24 bale trailer in no less than 1 hour. In my defense, I could have fit more on the trailer, but there was only 12 left in the field by the time I got turned loose with the loader. I think it might help if I could remember which lever went which direction, but whatever. Gypsy Friend was super patient, but I think my loader ...

I've been in a funk at work, not really knowing what the problem was....then I realized.....ITS FEBRUARY AND I HAVEN'T BEEN TO A SINGLE SHEEP CAMP. doh, easy fix right there! So I spent my day off in coveralls on the desert and just like that I feel better! I love it, I love spending time with my ranchers, I love meeting the herders, I love the dogs, I love the sheep and I love being in the wide open spaces. Hours melt into minutes on the desert and I honestly can't think of much I'd rather be doing than helping move camps, deliver groceries and making sure everything is ok. Q: I know most of your dogs aren't aggressive towards people, but this one is extra friendly...what's his story? A: Usually we put the guard dog puppies in a corral with sheep so that they will bond with the sheep and not with humans. Fugo didn't spend as much time in the bonding pen as he should have ie, he was "adopted" by humans. Fugo is not only a guard dog, but...

I am the state president for our employees' association. Each state throughout the nation has a state chapter and then we are also divided areas. Wyoming happens to be in the NorthWest area which consists of Washington/Alaska, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. I was volun-told that Wyoming would be hosting the NWA Rally this year and I would be in charge of the even as the President. Keep in mind that I had never planned an event larger than an about 20 person bridal shower....and I could expect somewhere between 40 and 90 people to attend Rally. Yikes! I joked that if they made me do this I was going to have it in Rock Springs....suggestions to alternate locations came rolling in....instantaneously. The most popular suggestions? 1. Jackson, I squashed this one almost as instantaneously. Jackson is ok, but its the only place people ever think about when they hear Wyoming. Its expensive and there are so many other places in Wyoming that ...

Every year there is a string of weeks that hits Sweetwater County. The National High School Finals Rodeo is the first to hit Rock Springs. There are thousands of high school kids and their horses coming to the area. As soon as they leave, PRCA cowboys come to town for the Red Desert Roundup and as that winds up the Sweetwater County fair fills the following week.....that's a whole lotta activity. One of my favorite things that the town does is cow sponsorships. Businesses can buy a cow, decorate it how they want and display it around town throughout the month of rodeos and fair. There of course is a contest, for the most popular cow. This year I thought I'd give you a sneak peek at some of my favorite bovines that can be found around Rock Springs. And I of course missed getting a picture of my other favorite, so until next year these will have to tide you over! Joe's Liquor, smallest bar in Rock Springs Fotos by Jenni Wyoming Financial

I get a little angry when people talk about the "wild horse" herds that are roaming around my area and how the ranchers are simply trying to keep all the grass for their livestock in order become extremely wealthy on the back of America. But today was a real win for a lot of folks....of both the 2 legged and 4 legged kind. The U.S. 10th Circuit Court upheld earlier court's decision to manage wild horse herds in southwest Wyoming. Yes, this was brought about by a lawsuit originally filed by the Rock Springs Grazing Association (RSGA). RSGA is a large private landowner in an area known as the "the checkerboard" which is alternating sections of deeded and federal lands, most of which is unfenced and managed by the BLM. RSGA won this lawsuit and BLM was ordered to remove horses from the range, due to an emergency injunction filed by wild horse advocates the gathers were brought to a halt. The way has now been cleared for BLM to remove approximately 800 horses f...

Q: What is the percentage of twins that are born? A: We usually expect about 115%, this year is looking better because of the great weather we've been having...I wouldn't be surprised if we dock at 130%. Catching a nap in the warm sunshine Q: What happens if a ewe has trouble lambing? A: If we find her, we will help by pulling the lamb. Any that don't breed, don't take a lamb or have trouble lambing get a permanent marker. They get two chances to raise a lamb before they are culled. Any ewes that have had trouble before or have big bags get cut from the main herd before lambing and are kept at the ranch where we can keep a closer eye on them. Its easier to help them there than it is on the open range. Q: How does this range lambing work? A: After shearing all the sheep are trailed to the lambing grounds. Once they start lambing, each day the 'fixer' will cut out the ewe and her lamb(s) and they are put into a 'bunch'. The 'bunches'...

I went through it once when my family stopped farming and I felt like I went through it again when one of my favorites sold his sheep a couple weeks ago. 31 trucks, that is what it takes to haul away a third generation ranch's range sheep herd.   Loading and leaving the desert A band waiting to be loaded onto the trucks Watching those trucks being loaded and then driving away made me sad. Things are changing and I'm don't like it. Aurelio and I at sheep camp I said goodbye to my favorite herder, Aurelio and goodbye to one of my favorite ways to spend a morning, going to sheep camps. Oscar, Aurelio's son pushing sheep to the trucks Its hard to comprehend the amount of red tape, controversy and plain BS that these guys have to deal with in order to run their operation, provide food and fiber to the world and take care of their families. Unfortunately most of it is government red tape and its making the outlook on survival of the range sheep ope...

Well its official, other than the whole ability to actually find a sheep camp on my own (I'm not a very good mud driver either so that might be a strike against me), I've been deemed worthy of being able to go to sheep camps on my own (this deeming may never be tested!). I think its because I know all the herders by name and I can say Hola and Hasta luego.....what else can you really need to know right? Although I did find out that one of my favorites may be able to speak fairly good English. I tried it out on my latest trip and I got some answers in English, probably need more cookies to really liven up the conversation........ So what did I find out on my latest sheep camp outing? Q: At what weight are lambs usually slaughtered? A: Lambs in the feedlot are usually slaughtered around 165 lbs. Q: Where do the bucks go after they do their work with the girls? A: After the bucks are cut out of the herds, they make their own herd until they head back to the summer cou...

When I found out that the herders LOVE sweets, I knew that this was something I could deliver. I love to cook desserts that aren't good for me. The problem is then I proceed to eat said desserts. So its the perfect arrangement really, I cook yummy desserts, have my one allotted dessert and package the rest up to take to sheep camp. Win-win if you ask me. Arejullio, is my favorite herder and I his favorite dessert deliverer. He is super nice and he gives me giant hugs when I take him goodies. Presumably, a hug is used because we don't actually speak the same language, but we can both understand the gratefulness of a hug. (I really need to get on that Spanish learning goal). Unfortunately, life called and I wasn't able to hand deliver the goodies this time :(  but rest assured the rancher got my hug. ok that didn't really happen, but all the herders were grateful for some sugar! And because I do what I want (and that I can't eat fast food anymore) I'm co...

I had a less than awesome week at work last week, so when one of my favorites came into the office on Thursday afternoon an impromptu field day Friday was planned. He is on my County Committee and I spent most of Friday helping him out, getting out and seeing the country and it was an almost perfect Friday....cold wind and all. I know at least one of my readers, plus me is interested in range sheep operations and as with most things....no two range sheep operations are the same. Even as they winter graze the same BLM allotment, they are quite different. Q: You don't have any black sheep, what do you use for markers? A: As soon as we are done shearing, we "paint" our markers red. As the wool grows out it is only on the outside edge so their wool can still be sold after the next year's shearing. Q: Do you have to keep the died wool separate? A: Yes, it doesn't affect the quality of the wool, but it is kept separate to be washed a little differently...

I am in awe of range sheep operations here. I just love them and I always have so many questions that I'm sure that my guys hate love taking me with them because I probably ask stupid questions, but they humor me and answer without laughing at me too much. Q: How many times are your sheep ran through "corrals" in a year? A: 6; shearing, docking, mouthing, before they go up to the forest for summer, coming off the forest and when we take the bucks out. Q: How do you protect your sheep against predators? A: We use herders and guard dogs. Great Pyrenees - Guard Dog Q: Are your dogs aggressive towards people, like people they don't know, like me!? A: Ours aren't, but some people have more aggressive guard dogs. Q: How often do herders get groceries delivered? Do they get to pick what they want to eat? Do they change it up? A: Groceries are delivered every 2 weeks, herders make their own list and anything goes as long as they don't eat better ...

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is charged with managing public lands for multiple use which includes the management of "wild" horse herds. When I wrote my original post in response to a news story that was ran by NBC News, I decided that in order to further educate myself, as I encouraged all my readers to do, I needed to attend a wild horse gather. And I did just that. Last week I attended the Salt Wells Herd Management Area (HMA) gather, where BLM estimated that approximately 150 head would be removed from the range. Throughout the entire month of gather, an expected 700 head would be removed. This sounds like alot right? Consider that this covers an area that is nearly 2.5 million acres and 700 head isn't all that much. I'll be honest, the gather was pretty much what I expected and not all that exciting. We were a good mile away from the trap and we waited for a long time before horses started coming in. The ran pretty far from us and there were no incidents...