What I’ve Learned Since Starting the Ranch

When people hear we run a ranch, they sometimes picture land handed down through generations, a family farm with old family fences, a line of cattle stretching back decades. But that’s not our story.

We didn’t inherit this life. We chose it.

Back in 2019, while Arlin and I were still drowning in the immigration process (he’s from Canada), we bought the ranch. There were cows on the land when we arrived, but they weren’t ours. Once it was officially ours, the rancher left, and the pastures rested for a year before we were ready to start building our own herd.

From the beginning, everyone warned me it would be a lot of work. I didn’t understand the warning because I already knew how to work. My first career had long hours and long days, too.
Making money is work.
I will give them that calving season is intense.
I had the notion that nature would handle most of it, and sometimes she does.
But when she needs help, she demands your full attention. Now. No delay.

That’s me in a runout the house outfit. This calf was “failing to thrive” and didn’t have a suckle reflex, not something you can train. This rope around it is a madigan squeeze. Some ideas are crazy enough to work.

I’ve always been a planner, but with ranching, I’m still learning that the plan will not go smoothly. Flat tires, broken fences, cracked pipes, a cow on the wrong side of the fence: you learn fast that your to-do list might not be your own.

But through it all, I’ve found pride.

I’ve learned that just because a choice made sense once doesn’t mean it’s right forever.
Growth often means outgrowing even good ideas, and that’s okay.

I spend more time than I ever expected trying to let people know we exist. Marketing has become a significant part of my daily life. I pour hours into our Facebook and our website, trying to help folks find us. And when they do? When they tell me they follow us or send photos of the meals they’ve made with our beef?
That fills me with more joy than I ever expected.

I’ve been called “the beef lady,” and I love that.
Because that’s what I do: I feed people with protein raised right.
That’s the whole mission, really.

If I could give my younger self one piece of advice, back at the ranch gate that first day, it would be:

“It won’t look like you think it will. It’ll be better.”

Arlin and I are a team.
He’s a cowboy down to his bones, and I bring a fresh set of eyes.
Together, we don’t always do things the “old farm way.”
We do them the way that’s right for our animals, our land, and our customers.

And that’s what I’ve learned.

This life isn’t easy. But it’s worth it.
Because even when it’s hard, it’s ours.

You don’t have to know the whole story behind your beef.
But if you want to… we’ll be right here.