THE HERITAGE TRAIL

Erika Weder – “Bull Fashion Photographer”

Dr. Moo — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 06:45:18 +0000

Not only do we raise commercial cattle on our ranch that become beef for Heritage Angus we also raise cattle that become the dads of the cattle that become beef in other ranches. Erika and I have purebred Aberdeen Angus, along with our commercial Angus cows, Highland Cows and the Herd of Longhorns. Raising purebred cattle is very intensive work from a standpoint of keeping all the records of the cattle, who bred who and who will breed who the next year to get the perfect mating. It is enjoyable seeing the great cattle we produce over the years and to know their genetic history and what mating’s created what. Our bulls are sold across Canada and into the United States and because we live in Alberta’s Outback its difficult for many ranchers just to drop by and select their bulls. It is why we love the internet and so its amazing what we can do with a good digital camera and camcorder. As easy as it is to load it still takes a pile of time to take the perfect shot….Erika has a lot of patience and has gotten very good at the art of taking cattle shots … last week was cold and so today the weather was just right… we loaded the crew and headed out to the bull pasture and had fun doing our “Angus Fashion Shoot”

How Cows and Calves Survive Winter

Dr. Moo — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:55:24 +0000

I get asked all the time how do our cows survive the Winter? Are they in barns, Do they get special feed, Are they cold? All sorts of curious questions…. yes there is many a day where it can get below minus 40… however this year that has been a rarity and we have had a very mild winter. Needless to say the cows and calves are fat and sassy! Our cows lick snow for water and because of the digestive system and the extra heat that it creates the cows do not need to burn extra calories in order to melt the snow. We try and graze as late as possible to minimize the need for machinery and diesel fuel….hence the name “Solar Powered Forage Biodigestors”. Once we finish grazing the standing forages the cows bale graze… literally the bales that were made by Lukas in August are devoured by the cows like piranhas in the Amazon…. whats left behind is fertilizer for next years grass… Its an amazingly simple system but sometimes simple seems complicated for the human mind…. Sort of like why Heritage Angus Beef is so good…. because we keep it simple and down to basics, the way mother nature intended. No they do not stay warm by dancing to Lady Gaga!!!!

Winter grazing at minus 30

Dr. Moo — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 06:22:25 +0000

Erika and I have been ranching in the Peace River region of northwest Alberta for close to 10 years. We started with 65 cows and now have well over 750 cows plus of course their calves, yearlings and bulls. Looking after all these animals in the summer is not to hard provided that there is enough grass and adequate water… Wintering cows is a different story and needless to say what worked when we started would not be too feasible today. We always look at new and innovative ideas, to see what works, what does not and modifying things from there. Several years ago we began bale grazing cows…. in a nutshell leaving and or setting the bales of hay in the field and letting the cows take care of things rather than bringing them feed on a daily basis and spending large amounts of money for machinery and fuel. It works well as it reduces costs, by letting the cows take advantage of the natural environment, letting them fertilize the pastures without a liter of diesel being burned to do so and not having to worry about heating water bowls as the cows rely on the snow for water. This year we decided to take it a step further by leaving the calves on the cows longer rather than early weaning them…. well it is working well. The calves are growing good, they are healthy and our cows have done a great job babysitting their calves. What used to be a big chore to look after in the winter has become a lot less since our new discovery… amazing how we over manage our business sometimes with no contribution to the bottom line.

Where did that banana come from?

Dr. Moo — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 06:21:53 +0000

Have you ever wondered or taken the time to think where your food comes from and who was all and what was all involved into producing it? I guess as a rancher I produce beef and know that story well… what about that banana? It to has a story and I guess if more people knew what it took to to grow it and what it did to the soil and water you might think twice about your eating decision. Contrary to what many think, bananas did not come from South America but rather came from southeast Asia. The banana and the industry around it has in many ways shaped the politics of central America and the term the banana republic certainly could not be more accurate http://www.mayaparadise.com/united_fruit_company.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana

We had a chance to tour some plantations and see first hand what the cultivation of this crop does in terms of soil erosion and what can happen in terms of water pollution. Most Bananas are raised the conventional way but there are organizations that are trying t change how the crop is produced by looking at organic and more integrated approaches that are less detrimental to the environment. One such place we toured was Earth University. http://www.earth.ac.cr/?lang=en At earth University students from around the world come to learn sustainable agriculture production systems so that they can go back to their perspective countries as agronomists and help to stimulate changes…. I know we learned a lot and I will never look at a banana again the same way.

THE PLANTATION

THE CHOP

THE BANANA TRAIN

THE SORT

THE LABEL

THE FAMILY TAKING IT ALL IN

Fix the Fence

Dr. Moo — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:03:43 +0000

Life on the ranch is pretty busy for most ranchers. Most work the equivalent of 14 months in a 12 month year …especially in the summer when it seems there is no shortage of daylight hours to burn… needless to say taking a holiday in the summer is often a difficult thing to do. In winter things slow down quite a bit and besides making sure the animals are well fed and cared for there is not as much to do… the only problem is trying to go camping with the kids is a bit tough when it is minus 20. This year Erika and I have been married 10 years and so as celebration and as a way to get in some quality family time we took a winter vacation to Costa Rica. The kids had a 2 week break and the beef program goes into a bit of hibernation as we packed our bags an headed south. Yes we spent time on the beach, in the jungles and we saw a lot of country… however as any other rancher would do we also saw a lot of cows and saw another perspective of agriculture. Below is a clip of one of those adventures. It was long deserved and I certainly enjoyed all the one on one time we had together as a family….

2012 Alberta Beef Producers Environmental Stewardship Award

Dr. Moo — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:13:49 +0000

This past summer we were nominated for the Alberta Beef Producers Environmental Stewardship Award. In August a selection committee of 5 ABP members and staff came to our ranch and spent the day touring the pastures, forests, creeks and cows to see what Spirit View Ranch was all about. They came to see how we manage our pastures, look after our soils and water resources and in general how we look after our environmental impact of beef production. After our ranch the selection committee continued on to tour other ranches in Alberta. Three days later we were called and notified that we were selected as the recipients for the 2012 award. The award would be presented in December but before that they wanted to have a film crew come out and do a mini documentary about Spirit View Ranch. In September the crew showed up on a beautiful fall day and thsi is the result. We are very honored and proud of this award and look forward to being ambassadors for the environment and the beef this province produces.

Family Fall Processing

Dr. Moo — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:47:38 +0000

When Erika and I started ranching it was Erika, I and the dog…working cattle was a chore and took some time because it was just the two of us. Then came the 1st child Pasco and it tool more time because now one of use had to where a back pack with a baby in it and work cattle…. then came the next and then another and another…..It seemed every time when we worked cattle it took a little longer getting the cattle processed …. however finally we have hit the tipping point…. and now our kids are becoming our crew. They are helping out in a big way and we are getting quicker and more efficient at getting cattle processed. Its a lot of fun working as a family and hopefully what they learn by helping us will instill some good work ethics later in their life….if we are lucky maybe even one or two new ranchers.

The Turkey Ranch

Dr. Moo — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:29:43 +0000

We are proud on know that on our ranch we have well over 130 different bird species that frequent, live or pass through our pastures and forests. Everything from common chickadees to ravens to owls, ducks, geese, falcons and eagles…. Till now however wild turkeys were not part of the mix….. well that is until last week. A friend of ours who does all our bale hauling usually takes the in winter off to hang out in Mexico and said he had a problem. The problem it was were a flock of turkeys that moved into his yard and that had made themselves at home… they had become his pets and now he felt guilty that by him leaving for Mexico they might be frozen and starved turkeys if they were left alone in the Peace Country Winter…. So last week Erika and the kids went on a Turkey trapping expedition… needless to say they were successful and now they are a part of the Spirit View ranch scenery… very entertaining to say the least and we can safely say that they have adjusted well to the move.

Live from London

Dr. Moo — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 19:30:01 +0000

I am starting to sound like a Willie Nelson song….. On the Road Again. I left on the 12^th of November and I am on a 2 week marketing trip to see importers, distributors and end users of our beef in Europe. Stopping countries include; Denmark, Germany, England, France, Switzerland and Italy. While I was just over here a month ago I had to come back to follow up with leads gained during the ANUGA food show and to line up our shipments for the coming year. It is a hectic pace, however not near as hectic as for Erika on the ranch. All was fine and well when I left but we got a snow storm this past week and not only do we have 30 cm of fresh snow we now also have night time temperatures of minus 30!!!! Its times like this I really hate being gone… it’s a huge responsibility for Erika to look after… not only does she have 4 kids but 500 plus cows and as many calves and yearlings to look after. Needless to say the last week will go by quick and in the end all will work out fine. In the meantime I have to focus on the task at hand and that is to sell more beef and meet all our customers that are proud to be…. “part of something good”

It Was Wolves

Dr. Moo — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:40:30 +0000

After an extensive investigation and a good heap of evidence it was established by our Fish and Wildlife officers that the murder was committed by a pack of young wolves. This is not the first time that we have had wolves attack livestock on our ranch. Two years ago in June we lost a 3 month old calf and 2 years previous to this Erika was witness to 2 wolves tearing down a mule deer right in front of our house! How do we feel about this?…. Well I say shit happens and as long as it does not become a monthly occurrence we can live with it. We will be compensated for this kill and hope that it will be the last one for at least another 2 years. If it happens again then we will have to revert to either trapping, snaring or shooting them if we were lucky enough to see them. In other parts of Canada wolves are becoming more prevalent and the picture below comes from a wolf that was trapped at Risky Creek ranching west of Williams Lake B.C. Looking at his size you could imagine that he had a good appetite for Angus beef. Needless to say knowing we have wolves on our ranch tells us that we have good wildlife habitat and that’s a great feeling knowing that we have bio diverse lands.