Fort Stockton, TX

ON THE RANCH

Some have been calling it a winter wonderland, but for us ranchers out in West Texas - the snow is equivocal. To some it's beautiful and hardly effects them and to others (well, they may or may not think it is beautiful) essentially, it's hard work. Ranchers are putting out hay all day long, busting ice and making sure floats are working properly. It's driving a feed truck with a heater that hardly works to make sure the livestock are fed. It's torching a lock because it's literally frozen. It's the long hours put in just to make sure the livestock are fed and water is available. It's putting in that work but knowing that it's likely some calves and lambs may not make it. It's knowing that the irony of it is that the precipitation is needed but you have to weather the storm before you get the rainbow.

Some call it ranching, but we call it a lifestyle here on the Trans Pecos Ranch.