Photos of branding cattle and ranch in California
While the presence of ranches in today’s California
is gradually vanishing, ranches have always been considered to be the
basic building block of California’s history. Those few remaining
ranchers who still embrace the lifestyle many of us heard of only in
adventurous novels put in long days of hard labor that is hardly appreciated
by those who benefit from its production.
»Check R« ranch in
Cuyama is one of the last working cattle ranches in California. Owned
and run by Claudia Russell, it raises cattle for meat. Once
a year, the herd is gathered for annual head count that includes
branding
of new offsprings and castrating young bulls not selected for breeding
purposes. The day of branding becomes a get-together for family members,
friends, and neighbors who gather to lend helping hand in the process.
At the end of the day, all participants are hosted to a good BBQ
and lots of cold beer.
All
photos by Milan Sabata©
You can find other photos by Milan Sabata
at www.europix.net
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