THE MANY FACES OF CATTLE

                            THE MANY FACES OF CATTLE                                                `                                  by Arlie (Trooper) Wood                                                                                           `                                                                                         30 April, 2027

Cattle is a rather vague term, generally defined as animals domesticated for man’s use.  Genesis 12 is about the earliest mention in that definition.  Today, we don’t tend to think of camels or elephants as cattle; we are more inclined to think only of the Bovine.  Even that definition covers a very wide spectrum from the bucking bulls at the rodeo to the tiny newborn calf struggling to stand for the first time.  My thoughts always included the Bison as the North American cattle; obviously not domesticated but serving mankind’s need from food to clothing to sewing supplies to fertilizers.  Maybe I wasn’t too far wrong.  My daughter wanted to buy a nice rib eye for me at the meat market a few weeks ago.  Side by side was a  nicely marbled grass fed beef rib eye and an equally appetizing and marbled rib eye from Bison.

I grew up near the Wichita Wildlife Preserve in Southwest Oklahoma with its large herd of Bison and Longhorn Cattle.  It was surrounded by ranches.  Of course experimental cross breeding goes clear back to the Old Testament.  Wasn’t it Isaac who separated the spotted cattle so he would the larger share of calves?  King Ranch spent thirty five years to produce the Santa Gertrudis Breed.  Much such experimentation occurred with the Bison,  Brahman, and Longhoern.  Two giant steers was one result; over six feet at the shoulders and weighing close to one ton each.  This was at the Rocking R Ranch owned by the Frank Rush Family.

                                              

A few years back at Oklahoma State Fair, I saw a new breed on display; the Beefalo Breed.  I analyzed them and could easily see that they carried a greater proportion of salable meat to bone waste than many comparable breeds.

                                     

A company I worked for often commissioned us to go to the FFA/4H shows to make purchases as an advertising investment.  Of course it made the news when our bid purchased a Grands Champion or Reserve Grand Champion.  Those amazingly beautiful animals must then be butchered.  The results would amaze you and even carry a warning to some.  The hide was beautiful but the meat and organs would make you wonder how the animal could still be living.  The usual red meat was not marbled; it was saturated with fat.  The liver was rock like from solidified fat and the arteries of the heart had a fatty coating on the inside.  No free ranging animal would ever get in this condition.

                                                     -ii-

I was too young to remember when, as a newborn baby, I had trouble with nursing.  My Mother developed breast fever so an alternate had to be found.  The standard baby formula at that time was condensed milk with added molasses.  I could not keep it down and I would bite down on the nipple and prevented any flow.  My father got mare's milk from somewhere until he located goats out east of Waurika.  I couldn't keep either down.  I'm unsure of the exact situation when, in desperation, I was given straight Jersey cow's milk.  I filled my belly and slept peacefully.  I still like that raw Jersey milk.  I don't remember the old cow but I would be happy to kiss  her.

-III-

When I was a Border Patrol Inspector, we spent many nights up along trails on the Otay Mesa.  The Otay Ranch is an old Spanish Land Grant of unimaginable size.  The grazing is poor with limited water and they are careful not to overgraze.  They do not feed on the range.

When we would take our places, the cattle would all look at us then turn to their own pursuit, paying us no further attention however they would do us a great service.  When illegals came from Mexico, every steer and every cow, with no exception would turn toward the intruders and continue facing toward them.  This told us the location of those we needed to arrest.

This may be my first time to notice that grass fed beef won't come to meet you.

***********************************************************

My nephew Gerald Fansler and I spent a couple of days on the Black Mesa of Oklahoma.  A dinosaur left tracks on a ranch up there and I wanted to see them.  The ranch was overgrazed and the Black Angus herd of about an hundred were dependent on hay being hauled to them.  Of course the cattle mentality didn't tell them that my sedan was not hauling hay.  

  That entire herd came to greet us and surrounded my car.  We could reach out the window and pet steers. 

About fifteen minutes passed in making our way through those hungry cattle.  We finally reached the dinosaur tracks.  We also saw wagon tracks that remain from the Santa Fe Trail.

**************************************************************

North of Denver is a sickening mess; cattle feedlots.  The smell will greet you from miles away.  It is totally unlike a few head in a barnyard or a moving herd.  When you reach a point of view, you will see cattle standing in limited space, hock deep in their feces and urine, being treated with Bovine Growth Hormone while being force fed.  That unhealthy environment demands antibiotics.

                                                            -IV -

It was not far from the scene of that first battle of the milk in Waurika, Jefferson County, OK,  that I recently had the opportunity to meet face to face with some wonderfully kind Facebook friends.  Gary and Lauren Nitschke were no disappointment.  After visiting a while, Gary took me to tour their great Circle N ranch where they are reputed to grow Natural Grass Fed Beef.  I had never really been exposed to such operation although most of my life had been lived close to the cattle business.

The timing was right for new calves to be dropping; one was just gaining its first legs.  Those healthy cows had udders filled and ready.  I noticed as Gary drove through that we were only a subject of mild curiosity to the cattle.  They looked then continued their own pursuit.  They testified loud and clear.  Standing there in good grass with clean water readily available, their every natural need was satisfied and they neither needed nor expected anything from those intruders in the vehicle.

I remember the old roundup and branding; making a rough count of yearling steers and heifers.  It's not that way anymore.  It makes the 'begats' in the Bible look like sloppy record keeping.  The number of the cow that dropped that new calf is in computer records along with the sire from which she was bred.  The date of birth will be entered and each calf will have a genealogical record that will make my family tree look sketchy.

  

                                      -CONCLUSION-

I can’t recall all of the words to the old country song but these cattle are

                                  “♫♪Living their life from A to Z  ♪♫

                                        Doing what comes naturally♫♪”.                                

                             They are “Natural Beef”.  There is none better.

                              When this natural beef                                                                     `                                  Sits on your plate.     `     `                                                       `                               I’m sure that you                                                                        `                                        Will not hesitate                                       `                                        To do what comes naturally.

                                                         -El Fin-

DEDICATION: To Gary and Lauren Nietschke and their Circle N Ranch where Gary showed me how they are growing beef in the natural way for which they were designed when created.