Canadian Cowboy Country April/May 2023

COWBOY CANADIAN

COUNTRY

Farm & Ranch Life

PM# 40070720

APRIL/MAY 2023 • $6.95

CRAFTING AN ICON 150 YEARS OF RED SERGE

WESTERN COLLECTIONS

RAWBONED & RARE NATIVE RANGELAND

REFLECTIONS

60 is My New 80

BY BRYN THIESSEN

You can hold a rope, a child’s hand And a grudge against barbwire, But what you hold deep in your heart, Are the things you most desire.

I’m writing these words as we’re drifting through winter and into spring and all the promise the season will bring. By the time you’re reading them, I’ll be old enough for a Senate appointment and some days about as useful.

On my journey. I’ve acquired the trinkets and truffles, experiences, and opportunities that life can bring, but I want to speak of what I’ll carry with me into this time.

As I approach the middle of my sixth decade, I’ve climbed far enough up the mountain called life that I have a view of what’s behind me. I can see the coulees and washouts where I couldn’t see more than a step or two, to lofty vistas where it seemed my vision could see way past tomorrow. I can also see what loads I’ve carried and what I’ve dropped off and, at times, littered the trail.

These thoughts started taking on new meaning a couple of years back as we moved Bonny’s folks into the same seniors complex my folks are in. As this required them to downsize, they had to decide what to keep close, what to give to family and friends and what to just

get rid of. In the end, what they kept close was some furniture so they could rest and combine over 175 years of memories. By the time you’re reading this, it will be the first anniversary of Glen’s (father-in-law) passing. Not long after we’d gathered to say goodbye, we welcomed our sixth grandchild. As some of the decisions of my youth have slowed my physical prowess and ability, I’ve had to change some of what I do and let go of some.

I still run some cattle, horses, and dogs but have not day worked or rode pasture for a couple of years. I’m still speaking, preaching and poetry throughout the West but not as frequently as in years past. My vision has dimmed, but the memories are as clear as a full moon’s light shining on freshly fallen snow. What I hold onto and value is the “West” with the memories of the places and people I’ve rode with.

To quote myself, “60 was the new 80 in my body.

This way, I can enjoy and remember being 80.” What I value most is the freedom and right to be me, with all that I’ve done and will do.

If I look a little deeper, I recognize this freedom comes from being secure in who I am, where I came from and where I’m going. I understand I was created, not from the goo to the zoo to you, but from One who not only created me but gave me a purpose and a desire to follow Him. Philippians 2: 1–6 speaks of the mind of Christ. How he didn’t close his hand and hold onto what He had but opened HIS hand and heart to be hung on the cross.

What He valued most was you. Can you say the same? c

Bryn Thiessen is a rancher, poet, cowboy and preacher at Cowboy Trail Church in Cochrane. Bryn and his wife Bonny market grass-fattened beef from their Helmer Creek Ranch southwest of Sundre, Alta.

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Canadian Cowboy Country April/May 2023

DARYA/ADOBE STOCK PHOTOS

A hand, it is a wondrous thing, Four fingers and a thumb, But if you are a cowboy, You might be missing some.

ARTS & CULTURE

PORTRAIT

Drifting Into Sculptures ARTISAN TINA MILISAVLJEVISCH

BY CRAIG COUILLARD Bravado 22" x 28"

cowboycountrymagazine.com

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HOMEGROWN FIRST IMPRESSIONS

BY ANDREW EXELBY

First impressions are important!

Positive first impressions illustrate the pride that we feel for our farms and ranches, whether they are multi-generational or newly established. Communities in Bloom have always encouraged efforts that enhance first impressions. Our farms and ranches are part of the overall community, and their positive appearance and vitality contributes to the overall success of the entire locality.

Laneway signage is a great way to make a positive first impression, and there are so many different ways to make a beautiful display that everyone can see as they drive onto your property.

Think about the heritage of your farm or ranch. You probably have a name for your farm, and if not, the family name being used on signage is always a safe approach.

Antique equipment, local rocks, logs, and more are all cost-effective material for creating your sign, and of course there are always professional sign companies that can create some beautiful designs as well.

Plasma-cut steel is a great option for signs, and steel signs are really versatile as they can be mounted on displayed equipment, large rocks, fences or almost any other material. When you are planning for your sign or display, don’t forget about all the seasons. A good sign can be just as impressive in the winter as it is in the summer.

Once we get past the end of the lane, think about what you want the focal point of your property to be. Maybe there is already a perfect place for that eye-catching display.

The Pig Statues featured in a picture on this page, were at the entrance to a farm yard in the V as the lane split into separate directions for the house and the shop area.

Trees can also be a great way to enhance

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first impressions. Most people are naturally inclined to appreciate a treed space more than an open space. Planting a sweeping row of trees along your lane (but far enough back not to catch the snow) is a great way to really make your property impress! Consider planting a single specimen tree, such as a Weeping Birch or Ivory Silk Tree Lilac, near your home. These are trees we typically

don’t mass plant, but they are beautiful when you need that single tree to stand out.

Hopefully, these ideas help you this spring as you begin to think about summer yardwork once again!

For more information about Communities in Bloom in your province, please visit: www.communitiesinbloom.ca/how-toparticipate/provincial-editions c

Canadian Cowboy Country April/May 2023

FARM & RANCH

FARM & RANCH

PRODUCTS WORTH CHECKING OUT! FARM & RANCH

THE BUZZ ON DRONES Check fencelines, water tanks, creek crossings without the travel.

The possibilities are almost endless with a drone.

DJI Mini 3 Pro with Smart Controller $1,249.

AlbertaDrones.ca

cowboycountrymagazine.com

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COWBOY WAY Statistics show the Nelore cattle breed of Brazil is dominant, and comprises 65 per cent of the world's beef population

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Canadian Cowboy Country April/May 2023

COWBOY WAY

First Impressions

BY DYLAN BIGGS

ERICH SACCO/ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

Another calving season has begun for some folks. We calve our cows in May and June, so it’s still a ways off for us.

cowboycountrymagazine.com

Regardless of when producers calve, many handle the calves as newborns to tag, band bull calves or take birth weights, etc.

I have always wondered what effect (if any) that first experience of being handled by humans might have on the calf. Does the experience of being chased to be caught and restrained set a behavioural precedent for the future? Is it any different if the calf is caught at a standstill with no flight involved or if the curiosity of the calf inspires it to walk up to you and be caught?

I have always assumed avoiding a fearful reaction is ideal, but that is purely speculation. Possibly, the calf doesn’t remember any of it regardless of how it reacted to being handled, and it has no bearing on future behaviour in response to being handled by people.

Then there is the question of temperament. There most certainly is an inherited contribution from the parents with regard to the sensitivity or degree of docility in response to people. Over the years that we bred with artificial insemination, we observed progeny of specific sires that were consistently more sensitive and other sires that consistently sired very docile calves.

Those who have attempted to calculate and quantify the genetic contribution to an animal’s disposition suggest about 40 per cent is a result of inheritance, and 60 per cent is learned. So it is safe to say that cattle learn, which confirms memory, and so whether we acknowledge it or not, every interaction they have with people has the potential to teach them something.

This begs the question: what are calves learning as newborns from being handled? What do their first experiences teach them, and how does it influence future behaviour in response to being handled by people?

It is acknowledged as confirmed by research that the brain of newborns is more malleable and is more capable of learning and or influence compared to the more mature brain. The brain of calves is most impressionable during the first 30 days of their lives, with the first seven days being the most receptive period.

Might this relatively short window of optimal brain malleability or plasticity offer an opportunity to set a positive precedent for the calves’ future health and behaviour?

Interestingly, there has been research done in Brazil on dairy calves to determine best management practices. One of the practices identified was massage, or what is referred to as tactile stimulation. Calves exposed to the combination of best management practices demonstrated decreased pneumonia and diarrhea and increased weight gain.

These positive results initiated a more specific study on tactile stimulation in around 1,300 calves per year of the Nelore beef herd in Brazil. When processing newborn calves, the last procedure was to give the calf a one-minute firm massage. The massage is done in a manner that mimics the cow licking her calf. Half the calves were massaged the other half were not. A surprising result observed in the massaged heifer calves when they gave birth to their first calves was a marked decrease in protective behaviour directed at the cowboys

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