Stories and thoughts of Keith Bentz, Co-Owner of Heaven On Earth Ranches. We Believe that God's design for animals is they way that we think they should be raised.
Monday, September 24, 2012
In doing so I have found some neat things that I would like to share with you all.
An Old Cowboy's Advice
* Keep your fences horse-high, pig-tight & bull-strong.
* Keep skunks & bankers & lawyers at a distance.
* Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a International Harvestor tractor.
* Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.
* Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.
* Forgive your enemies. It messes with their heads.
* Don't corner something that would normally run from you.
* It doesn't take a very big person to carry a grudge.
* You cannot unsay a cruel word.
* Every path has a few puddles.
* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
* The best sermons are lived, not preached.
* Most of the stuff people worry about is never gonna happen anyway.
* Don't judge folks by their relatives.
* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
* Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none.
* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
* Sometimes you get, & sometimes you get got.
* Don't fix it if it ain't broke.
* Always drink upstream from the herd.
* Good judgment comes from experience, & a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.
Ride For the Brand
The following is a poem by Red Steagall Entitled "Ride For The Brand"
It is about the relationship that Employees should have with their Employer.
To often in todays society employees feel entitled to be employed, when in reality they often owe their employer more than they know.
I like the part in the poem where it says:
"Remember it was you Who asked for the job, So don't bitch when you ride for this brand. Mr. Waggoner don't Hold with complainers, He'll fire one before he can quit. So if you don't like your outfit, Then head down the trail, Find a hoss that your saddle will fit. But if you get up early And catch your own bronc, Show the boss that you're makin ' a hand; Mr. Waggoner'll be there To cover your bets As long as you ride for his brand."
People, If all you want to do is complain about your job well then maybe you should go find a different one!
Heres the poem in its entirety,
Ride for the Brand
by Red Steagall
His skin looked like leather,
He walked with a limp
And talked with a slow Texas drawl.
His knuckles were knotted,
His left thumb was gone,
Said a stud bit it off last fall.
We knew he was lyin'
We watched him dally it up,
But it ain't healthy to call him a liar.
It was Saturday night
Before the wagon went out
And he was settin' this new kid on fire.
Now we've all heard his stories
'Bout places he's been - We all think that Jake's pretty strange.
He looked over at me
Said "I'm schoolin' this boy
'Bout the unwritten laws of the range"
The kid was enthralled,
Kinda like a trance,
Jake sensed that he had a good grip.
He straightened up, hitched his pants,
Took a drink of cold beer;
Turned around with his hand on his hip.
He said, "Son, a man's brand Is his own special mark
That says this is mine, leave it alone.
You hire out to a man, Ride for his brand
And protect it like it was your own."
He said, "Mr. Waggoner Come out here in 1903,
This country was sagebrush, mesquite trees and sand
He carved him a ranch Outa blood; sweat, and guts,
So be proud that you ride for his brand.
If you hire out to string barb wire,
Then build him a fence-
Don't matter if it's four or five strand.
Remember it was you
Who asked for the job,
So don't bitch when you ride for this brand.
Mr. Waggoner don't Hold with complainers,
He'll fire one before he can quit.
So if you don't like your outfit,
Then head down the trail,
Find a hoss that your saddle will fit.
But if you get up early
And catch your own bronc,
Show the boss that you're makin ' a hand;
Mr. Waggoner'll be there
To cover your bets
As long as you ride for his brand."
He said, "The winter I spent
At the Sixes,
We had a man at the old
Taylor place He rode up on some hiders
A skinnin ' a cow,
And squared off at them scamps face to face.
Now he coulda rode off;
Never looked back,
But he just wasn't that kind of man.
We found him in Ash Creek Shot all to hell,
Nocona Joe died for the brand"
We know the old man
Tells a windy or two
Like the one about losing his thumb.
And Nocona was killed In a bar in Fort Worth
By the demons in a bottle of rum.
But I got to thinkin ,
'Bout what he had said
And the more of it I understand.
The more I believe
We'd be all better off
If more people would ride for the brand,
Shown is Heaven on Earth's Brand
I Ride for this Brand
Code Of The West
Code of the West
(from "Cowboy Ethics: What Wall Street Can Learn from the Code of the West" by James P. Owen)
1. Live each day with courage.
2. Take pride in your work.
3. Always finish what you start.
4. Do what has to be done.
5. Be tough, but fair.
6. When you make a promise, keep it.
7. Ride for the brand.
8. Talk less and say more.
9. Remember that some things aren't for sale.
10. Know where to draw the line.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Advantages of Pure Raw Milk
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Harvest Time
Next step... gathering up the shocks and then we will be hand thrashing it.
End game... turn it into flour to make bread.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Milking Our Nubian Goats
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Egg Handling Guidelines for Producers
I just thought that I would blog my ideas and practices on Egg handling for producers.
Egg Gathering;
Step 1: WASH YOUR HANDS!
Step 2: Gather eggs no less than twice a day when the temperature is between 32 degrees and 75 degrees.
Once in the mid morning and once in the late afternoon.
If above or below these temperatures gather no less than three times a day.
Once in the morning, once at lunch time, and once in the afternoon.
Step 3: Wash your Hands.
Egg Storage;
Step 1: Wash your hands.
Step 2: Separate the clean eggs from the dirty eggs.
Step 3: Wash your Hands
Step 4: Put clean eggs in new containers. ( Candle 5% of eggs)
Step 5: Brush off loose debris on dirty eggs. If egg is still soiled, wash with warm water in egg bubbler for no more than twenty minutes. Let egg air dry. Do not wipe dry as this will further remove the protective layer eggs naturally possess.
Step 6: Wash your Hands
Step 7: Repeat step 4 above.
Step 8: Wash Your Hands.
Step 9: Store eggs in refrigerator @ 40 degrees fahrenheit.
Sell your Eggs within one week of production to give your customers a good 2-3 weeks of shelf life.
It may seam that I am obsessed with hand washing, but the truth is that if you are touching clean eggs with dirty hands you are risking the health of your customers.
If your goal is hatching eggs;
Only brush them clean so as not to remove the protective layer. Put in incubator within 6 days of date laid.
Friday, January 6, 2012
1/06/2012
The facilities that I am creating can double has a rabbit hutch. The hutch also has a totally enclosed section for them to get out of the weather if needed.
We are expecting chicks to start hatching anytime now, some of the eggs are showing signs hatching. We are also expecting the rabbits to start kindling.
Stay tuned for more updates, they can happen at anytime.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
2012
Next weekend we are expecting kits from our New Zealand Whites and the first couple dozen eggs should start hatching.
Wishing all a Prosperous New Year,
Keith