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Last Updated on Thursday, 16 December 2010 15:27

Written by Christy Martinez

Beaver Rim – When Tom Abernathy’s father began putting the family ranch together in 1962 he started with a few cattle and a sheep outfit south of Lander, later adding Tom’s current location below Beaver Rim in southern Fremont County.
“He worked for ranchers in the Glenrock area and always wanted his own place,” says Tom of his dad. Tom has lived at his location, which used to be the Haley stage stop, since 1974. “It fit right in with the sheep ranch we already had, which was all the way around it.”
Tom says the family operation started with a few milk cows crossed with beef bulls. “He started building a herd and bought a few cows. The place he leased south of Lander had a 90-head permit, and he bought a few Herefords, too. He bought the sheep ranch four or five years later and ranch sheep until the spring of 1973, after which he built on the cow herd.”
A big component of the Abernathys’ operation is the Green Mountain Common. “We have one of the largest cow permits there, part of which we sold and lease back from the LDS Church,” says Tom of the ranch on the Sweetwater River purchased by his dad. “We later did a land exchange for winter range north of there, because the Church really wanted that location, which was the sixth crossing on the Sweetwater. After the BLM harassed us so bad and made us herd our cattle in imaginary boundaries, I was ready to sell, or do something, and it was a good opportunity for winter range. But now we’re still leasing it 13 years later.”
Tom says time has not changed the ability to reason with the BLM. “We still don’t have a valid plan. We’re operating on what they call the ’99 Decision, which has a lot of goals, and one of them is to rotate through the imaginary boundaries and pastures, using stubble height as criteria.”
Tom says last year the permittees did have some success with stubble height, as well as this year. “But they started the plan during the last 11 years, and part of those were the driest years in the last century, so we really had a tough time and only used 36 percent of our permit.”
The BLM had said if permittees would mitigate a permit and not use very much, they’d be moved up on a permit sooner after the drought. “Which isn’t the case,” says Tom. “But we are running 60 percent this year.”
Technically there are 19 permit holders in the Green Mountain Common, but Tom says many are consolidated, so there aren’t 19 different outfits running cattle.
In addition to extreme dry years, Tom says wild horses have been another challenge in living up to the BLM’s goals. “They’re a real problem. They gathered several hundred two years ago, which helped our stubble height last year, but it doesn’t take long for them to get their numbers back, and they’re always hovering right over the appropriate management level, which is frustrating.”
He says two years after the ’99 Decision the permittees weren’t allowed to turn out until June 15, and that year he went up to turn on a well project and found the ground covered with horse manure. “We took pictures and measured with a ruler, and the stubble height was already down below three inches,” he says of the horses’ affect. “I went over the hill to look at the next riparian area, and there they were.”
To get the herding accomplished, permittees in the Green Mountain Common have to hire herders. “They want us to have three people on just the west side, which is five cattle permits and one sheep permit. We have two guys out there this year,” says Tom, adding their herders are locals. “That’s costing us well over $2,500 per month, which is split between permits on that portion of the allotment, of which I hold 55 percent.”
Of the cowherd, Tom says his family runs mostly Angus now, still transitioning from Hereford. “The last three or four years we’ve sold our calves on video with Superior, and this year we went with Northern. It’s expensive, but that’s ok if the market’s up.”
Tom says his area is good for winter country, as there’s quite a bit of wind to open it up. “And, we’ll usually be about 10 degrees warmer than Lander, on average. In the winter of 1978/79 we were about the only open spot in Fremont County. A lot of people refer to it as the ‘banana belt,’ but it can be aggravating with the wind.”
The Abernathys don’t have to feed a lot of hay in the winter, but they do bale the ranch’s meadows and purchase some hay. “It’s a nice place to winter, if you can find a nice place in Wyoming,” he comments.
Tom and his wife Millie, a schoolteacher, have a married daughter Avery, who lives nearby with her husband Joshua Anderson and their son Joshua. Tom and Millie’s son Rhett is on the ranch. Rhett’s degree in range management from Chadron State has led to his responsibility for the monitoring on the ranch. “I’m turning the monitoring with BLM and NRCS over to him, because one guy just can’t do it all. He can’t run a ranch and be here and there,” says Tom.
“I really like living 27 miles out of town,” says Tom. “Our closest neighbor is two miles away, and I like the freedom, open space and being able to do my work at my own pace.”
Although he likes his area, Tom says federal agencies have become so much more intrusive into their everyday lives. “As ranchers we used to get together and talk about ranches and cattle, and now all we can talk about is bureaucracy, the agency people, BLM, DEQ and whoever. When the Mormons bought that place, I should have bought an all-deeded ranch in eastern Wyoming or Nebraska. But everyone says I’d miss the mountains. I like the fact that we’ve got so much room here, and that it takes five to seven acres per month for a cow and a calf.”
Christy Martinez is managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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Last Updated on Thursday, 26 May 2011 09:07

Written by Melissa Hemken

Lander – “Sometimes think I’m not much of a ranch wife,” says Kacee Thacker. “When you picture a ranch wife, you see a woman who is in the kitchen at four o’clock in the morning, and has coffee and eggs for her husband. He goes to start the tractor to feed and she is right behind him out the door. She’s riding a horse all day, and doesn’t need a pair of gloves. She has a heart of gold, but is as tough as nails.”
Kacee lives on and manages the Double D Ranch in Fremont County near Lander with her husband Jeremy, and for over a year she’s hosted a blog about her experiences as The Ranch Wife.
“As for me, I love my gloves and refuse to touch hay without them. I’ve gone from working in a bank and wearing heels to all of the sudden living on a ranch. It definitely has been an adjustment!” she says.
“When I first started the blog I was worried that I wouldn’t have enough things to talk about,” Kacee explains. “So I jotted down some stories and events that had happened beforehand. I’ve used some of them, and others I haven’t. So much happens every day, there is always something to talk about. You know – the horses might get out or the bulls are in my yard again.”
The Thackers manage a cowherd and ewes, from which they raise club lambs. While Jeremy was raised on a ranch, Kacee was born in Riverton and spent her childhood in Michigan. Her family lived in the country and was surrounded by cornfields and agriculture, but she says they were never involved in any of it.
“This year was my first lambing, and I wrote a lot about lambing and my first bum lamb,” Kacee says. “I brought him home and he screamed and bawled, so I took him back to the barn.
“Then the bum lamb got a surrogate mama and that event was definitely a blog post – I entitled it ‘Tears Before Coffee.’ I went to check the lambs first thing in the morning, still in my robe and before I had my coffee. I was walking through the sheep, and a ewe had given birth to twins and one was a stillborn.  
“So I called Jeremy and he said we should skin him and put the skin on the bum lamb so we could get him a mama. I had heard stories about the process, and seen pictures, but never done the real thing. So I was sitting there holding it while Jeremy was skinning it, and I just bawled over having to skin this dead, cute little lamb.
“I was crying and telling Jeremy that I haven’t had any coffee either, and it just isn’t fair! It was terrible. But then the bum lamb got a new mama and a twin sister, and everything was good. I took pictures of the white bum lamb in his black skin coat, which looked like a Superman cape, and put them up on the blog. It makes interesting reading, for sure.”
Kacee formulates most of her blog posts in her head as she goes about chores on the ranch, and she later elaborates in writing. She finds blogging useful to look back and relive life’s daily events.
“I have found that a lot of my readers are either ranch wives themselves, used to be, or were raised on a ranch,” Kacee says. “I get a lot of comments or emails that begin ‘I remember when…’ I have two friends who started as followers of my blog and now they have their own blogs. I think it is great, because that’s more people with whom they can share their ag story, and whom they can touch and bring back to their roots and agriculture.”
The Ranch Wife blog receives about 200 hits per day, and on the days Kacee posts that number doubles. She doesn’t post on a schedule, but according to what is happening on the ranch, which generally works out to once a week.
“There are website functions that enable you to pre-write blog posts and set them to publish on certain dates,” Kacee explains. “I don’t normally wait, though. If it’s done I just publish it. I’m actually pretty terrible at technology.”
Kacee also owns Ranch Wife Photography, and she attends craft and trade shows where she sells framed and matted prints.
“I was at first really nervous about having a booth at these shows,” Kacee says. “Other than putting up photos on my blog and website, I hadn’t really put myself and my work out there for direct feedback from people. These same insecurities prevented me from beginning the blog sooner. You know – who wants to hear about my life and see a picture of my husband’s boot?
“The first few shows I went to I sold absolutely nothing, but it was a good learning experience and people would come up and tell me, ‘I voted for your picture in the magazine,’ or, ‘You’re the Ranch Wife? I love your blog.’ The whole process has been a combination of an encouraging family, my husband and supportive readers.”
The Thackers were excited to find an employer who shares some of their visions for agriculture and family. Their daughter Caden, age 3, is able to accompany them on the ranch and already loves to ride horses.
“It has long been a goal of Jeremy’s to have a natural, custom-fed beef business,” Kacee says. “When we came to work here, our employer Dwayne Oldham had also been thinking about diversifying in that direction. We are now in a place to make it happen with an employer who has the same vision, which is incredible.”
The Double D Ranch is just beginning their custom fed beef business, and is currently accepting orders for this coming fall. So far, the amount of orders has been promising, and they may have to get some outside cattle to fulfill the orders.
“We have already talked to some of our neighbors about supplying steers,” Kacee continues. “We know how those cattle have been raised and have seen them across the fence for their whole life.”
“The good thing is that, especially here in Lander, there is quite the movement toward local food. I decided to offer chickens on LanderTalk, the local email list serve, because I want some chickens to eat and I might as well raise a few more for other people. Now I have orders for 28 chickens and I only posted it on LanderTalk twice. If I actually advertised it, I would have so many chickens running around here that there wouldn’t be room for any cattle!”
Visit Kacee Thacker’s blog at wyomingranchwife.typepad.com. Melissa Hemken is a correspondent for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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Last Updated on Saturday, 25 February 2012 10:07

Written by Saige Albert

Worland – It’s no secret that the average age of farmers and ranchers in the U.S. is continuing to creep upward, and that getting involved in the industry isn’t easy.
    At WESTI Ag Days in early February, a panel of young and beginning producers, as well as industry representatives, provided advice from their experience for young people interested in getting started in agriculture .
    “If this is what you want to do, go for it,” said Worland area farmer Steven Snyder. “Get involved in ag, and get involved early.”
    “This is the optimal time to step in and take off,” said Basin area farmer Chris Bolken. “Interest is good and commodity prices are good.”
A good education
    A good education was noted by multiple panel members as being high priority, both in the classroom and on the ground. Ag business, farm and ranch management, accounting and computer classes were among the top classes recommended for beginning producers.
    “I think the biggest plus about college was the bookkeeping end of it,” Snyder added. “It’s pretty confusing, but you need to be able to understand it and see what you are doing.”
    He also recommended taking advanced soil science classes and ag economics to learn about markets and risk management.
    “I advise kids to take business, farm and ranch management, record keeping, macro and micro economics and accounting. Take as many business class as you can,” explained Northwest College Livestock Pavilion Coordinator Quin LaFollette. “Many kids know how to do chores, but very few know about the business side of things. There is more money to be made in the business side.”
Practical experience
    “You learn a lot of the bookkeeping in college, but the day to day operation you learn from hands-on work on the farm,” said Snyder, adding that often times other producers are willing to help out.
    “It’s a good idea to get out there, and, if you know you are coming back to production, try to get a summer job that exposes you to a lot of different producers and operations,” suggested Worland area farmer Vance Lungren, Jr.
    Management skills are also important, noted Bill Morrison of the Farm Service Agency, who said that operations couldn’t get by without cooperating with employees like truck drivers and hired help.
    “I’ve had several producers that have problems strictly with keeping employees,” Morrison said. “In large operations, you need to know about the management of employees.”
    Bolken added that continuing education is also important, and new things can be learned in lots of places. Utilizing UW Extension educators and programs, as well as other classes held around the state, is helpful, and neighbors and operations across the state can also help new producers learn.
The money
    The financial aspect of starting an operation proves to be challenging, and while education is necessary to being successful, Morrison also added that student loans and bad credit could be detrimental to a beginning operation.
    “Start putting a nest egg away so you have some cash to get started,” he recommended to students.
    “Short of winning the lottery, it’s tough to get started,” added LaFollette.
    LaFollette’s advice for people interested in getting started was simple – be realistic.
    “We have a lot of kids come to Northwest College, and a lot of them are fairly unrealistic about their approach,” he said. “Make sure that it’s what you want to do.”
    Getting over-extended financially is a concern, and Snyder commented, “You have to prioritize your first year in farming – you can’t buy everything.”
    He also added that renting equipment from neighbors or family members is a good option. Lungren added that new producers should plan on purchasing used equipment.
    “Unless you have a huge operation, you can’t buy a $300,000 tractor and make it pay,” he said. “You can find some good used equipment out there. There are also some lease programs that are advantageous if you are just starting.”
    Government subsidies and funding for projects can be helpful, and Snyder noted that the government is a big part of the financing for operations. However, with the recession, producers have been receiving fewer subsidies, and some of the funds are drying up, said Lungren, adding, “Farm Bill programs are vital.”
    “With the new Farm Bill coming out, those funds may be changing,” explained Sherri Foust of the Wyoming LEAD program. “We don’t expect to see payments go up, rather we expect to see them go down.”
    Morrison, however, noted that the Farm Bill is primarily food stamps and nutrition programs, and he forecasts that those segments of the bill will only continue to increase at the expense of agriculture. He also added that changes in policy like sugar tariffs or wool incentives could affect producers.
It’s about relationships
    “Young people have to have some sort of a relationship with neighbors or farmers or someone who is willing to lease you land and give you a chance,” said Morrison. “It takes a little bit of knowledge and know-how.”
    LaFollette added that some of the brightest moments for producers are when they can help new or young farmers get a leg up.
    Snyder also encouraged young producers to not be afraid to ask questions of established farmers because their experience can be very helpful.
    A positive relationship with government entities is also important, and Lungren said that cost-share programs have been very helpful for his operation, helping to implement both irrigation improvement and new technologies to improve practices.
    “I’m a first generation farmer,” said Bolken. “The big thing is knowing someone that you can rely on, having a passion for dirt, being outside and for all the elements. It can be done.”
    “If you want to farm or ranch, you need to set goals, and work your way towards those things in baby steps,” said Morrison  “It can be done, and I’ve seen some phenomenal things out there. It is possible.”
    “I think the future of ag looks pretty good, and I think we will see more younger producers getting involved,” commented Lungren. “There are opportunities right now.”
    Saige Albert is editor of they Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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Last Updated on Thursday, 16 December 2010 15:13

Written by Heather Hamilton

Riverton – “My dad moved up here and homesteaded around Ocean Lake in the mid-1930s. We moved here in the early 1940s and Dad built a log house – hauled the logs in himself. When they came here there was no drinking water in this end of the valley. It was kind of tough going,” explains George Pingetzer as he points across the road from his current residence to the original log house.
“That was right at the beginning of the Depression. My parents moved here to get a new start,” adds George’s wife Velma.
George and Velma Pingetzer still run a large cattle, hay and crop operation with their son Bob and his wife Paige. Bob and his brother Rich were born and raised in the valley.
“We’ve got a farm that’s over 1,400 acres that’s mainly in oats, corn and hay. Our registered cows are both Red and Black Angus, and we also have commercial cows,” explains Bob of the operation today.
Calves are kept to heavy feeders and marketed at about 800 to 900 pounds. “We have retained ownership in the past, but the last few years it didn’t look like it would work out as well. We also haven’t found a feeder who would work with us the way we want. We like to sell half interest to the feedlot so they have a vested interest in the cattle and want to make them work and will sell them when they need to go,” explains Bob. Any registered calves not kept as bulls are marketed right along with the commercial calves.
“To start this out George bought 20 head of little black heifers, and he gave five to Rich and five to Bob. Then we went up to Beckton Stock Farms to buy some bulls for our commercial herd. Sally Forbes would give us the performance papers and George would go pick them out. Well, if they indexed over 100 she would have a pretty good price on them. So George would ask about number 25, and he would have too high an index, and so on. So we went in to visit with Sally and said we couldn’t afford to buy the bulls for our commercial herd at the quality we need.
‘Well’, she replied, ‘I know something about you, I know you bought 20 head of nice little black heifers. You go pick yourself one really nice herd bull and put him on those 20 heifers, and raise your own bulls. You can do it as well as I can. You might say I’m cutting my throat, but I’m not – you’ll be back for herd bulls.’”
“That was her way of telling us how to do better,” explains Velma.
“So that’s what we did. We bred them to a red bull and started recording information, and started breeding red cattle that way. Then, in 1972 Dad bought some red heifers,” adds Bob.
“We went with red at the time because they were required to have performance data, and blacks weren’t,” comments George.
From that starting point the family tried Charolais, then Simmentals and a couple Limousins at one time. “We got into polled Herefords a little and had some registered polled Herefords for a while. Then in the early 1980s we got into the Salers, and Rich wanted my polled Herefords, so I took his registered reds.
“We stuck with the Salers for over a decade. They’re good cattle with tremendous feet and legs, but they’re really hard to market, so we phased them out,” explains Bob.
“Then Paige and I  have the bull test on the side,” notes Bob.
The Pingetzers put in a bid to feed bulls in the Wyoming Beef Cattle Improvement Association (WBCIA) bull test about 15 years ago and have done it ever since. They feed about 200 bulls each year for the test, in addition to holding the sale on their place. Sale order is based on daily gain, but some producers also have their bulls utrasounded and genetically tested.
“We are looking at the possibility of implementing some feed efficiency with the Cornell Program, but nothing has been decided yet, and it will depend on what the consigners want,” explains Bob.
The Pingetzers’ registered bulls are fed and marketed through the WBCIA bull test and the Midland bull test, with high levels of success at both. “Being in both gives us a good comparison, and we’ve done well at Midland,” notes Velma. Having the Champion pen of Red Angus bulls three times at Midland is one highlight for the family.            “We’ve maintained a registered herd since the mid 1980s, and the commercial herd has grown as we’ve added to our range country since,” notes Bob.
Cows are calved out beginning the first of February at George’s place. Heifers and the black cows calve starting the first, and about 20 days later the registered cows start. The commercial cows start about March 15.
“Some think we should back our calving season off, but then we get into farming. It’s kind of a Catch 22 with some of our dates,” comments Bob.
The Pingetzers market between 1,000 and 1,500 tons of hay annually, and the rest goes through their cattle.
“It’s a sizable operation that keeps everyone busy. We have six kids, and the boys cuts and bale hay and the girls and I stack it. We all set water and pitch in wherever. It’s mom and dad and my family and one or two hired hands to make it work,” says Bob.
Heather Hamilton is editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .