Yesterday evening, at dusk, I was checking the older pairs in the back. My camera usually goes with me. I captured this image above that I thought speaks volumes.
This cow I introduced to the herd when the ranch dispersed. When I was little, my grandparents had bought two cows, two different bloodlines, with one goal. To use these cows to produce a herd for me later on in my future. I remember them buying this cow's grand dam like it was yesterday. We were in Denver at the Denim & Diamonds Sale, where Papa sat with some of the other Angus breeders at the top of the sale ring that overlooked the whole sale. When "Lagrand" came into the ring, I begged Papa for her. I watched him bid, and I still feel the motion of the gavel hitting the block. He bought her, we took her to the yards to my aunt Marilyn's pen, and I have loved her bloodline ever since. Even after Lagrand's passing, her bloodline still stands true, producing good cattle. A bloodline that I hold very close to my heart.
The moral to this story is to buy the cattle, buy the bloodlines, and build the herd for the next generation. The lessons that are built, the passion that drives it, and the progeny it produces make it all worth it. The bloodlines hold sweat, tears, dedication, hard work, and love for the Angus breed and the cattle industry.
To the generation receiving the herd, don't let it go; keep the legacy going. That's the gift.
