The Seven-0 Cattle Ranch Tour - 10/13/2015

Our retirement group, the KCPL Power Partners Retirement Club, held their monthly event at the Seven-0 Cattle Ranch in Urich, MO on October 13, 2015. The owner of the ranch is also a retiree from KCPL.  He was a rancher before he was a utility worker.  The KCPL job helped keep the ranch afloat during hard times.  It isn't easy running a small operation.

Being small hasn't meant being behind the times.  Rod utilizes computerization to keep his records on his business and on his cattle.  We were amazed at the kind of data that is kept.  They breed and raise cattle for sale and they know which bulls are productive and which ones aren't.  Growth rates for the calves are closely monitored and feed composition is adjusted to keep development on schedule.

Branding the cattle is no longer just a single ranch logo.  Now the brand has numeric coded information on each cow's heritage.

The ranch covers 800 acres and the herd is approaching 200 cattle.

I couldn't resist a few photos of the cattle skulls.  I remember sketching one in art class in high school.

Rod has his own chuck wagon which we will use latter for a luncheon.

Rod and Kristi give us the history of the ranch before we start the tour.

We had about 30 club members make the one hour drive from the Kansas City area to the ranch.

Sigrid has the pink jacket.

The grandson of one of our club members.

This building housed the hydraulic cow press (not the right name but I am a city boy).  One by one, the cattle can be brought into the press which holds them in place for injections, castrations, etc.  It also has a weight scale built in.  All the data is collected in the small yellow device and then downloaded to a computer.

The grill is being prepared for the hamburger and all beef hot dogs we will eat later.

Most of us toured the ranch on the hay wagon.

The cattle are located all over the ranch.  Electric fencing is used in the pastures to control where they graze so the fields can be rotated.

We planned our tour to coincide with the berthing season.  There were a number of newly born calves in the pastures.

Heading back to the house.

A few of us rode in the Kawasaki mule when space ran out on the wagon.  Rod used to use horses to get around the ranch but now relies on the mule.

The food was great.  Rod provided the meats, buns, and beans.  Club members brought side dishes and desserts.

It goes almost without saying, but the hot dogs were all beef.

The weather was fantastic as was the food and company.  Another fun adventure in the books.

Jamesport, MO and the Produce Auction - July 13, 2015

Our friend, Saundra Jerman-Noble, visited us just after Independence Day and stayed for a week.  We had a great time and stayed busy the entire time.  One of the sight-seeing activities we did was to visit Jamesport, MO on July 13, 2015.  Our granddaughter, Petra High, also joined us on the trip.

Jamesport is a very interesting and unique town in north central Missouri.  Jamesport was founded in 1857 and is thought to be named for Dr. James Allen and James Gillilan, the men who laid out the town. However, it was originally called Auberry, with the name later being changed to Grant. When the town was incorporated as a city in 1872, the name Jamesport was adopted.  Jamesport has the largest Amish community in the state of Missouri.

We enjoy the little shops and restaurants and usually go to Jamesport once a year.  This visit will be a little different since we will go to the North Missouri Produce Auction for the first time.  The auction is held three times per week during the growing season.  It provides an outlet for the individual farmers, many of whom are Amish, to sell their crops.  The quantities auctioned are too large for individuals like us to purchase but it is fun to watch the action.

It was an hour and a half drive from home to Jamesport.  The temperature was around 96 F with a comfort index of 110 F due to the high humidity so it was a little uncomfortable.  

It is a common sight in Jamesport to see a carriage or wagon pulled by a horse on the street.

We had lunch at the Gingerich Family Restaurant.

One of a number of antique stores in Jamesport.

We stopped to check out the Simply Primitives Antique store.

Petra is the only thing in this photo without a price tags on it.

I found this piece really interesting.  It is a license for prostitution issued by Wyatt Earp in Dodge City, Kansas in 1867 to Elizabeth Sue.  It is good for three months.  A person can buy this for $55.  I am sure that it is not original.  The only question is whether it is based on an original or just something created to sell.  It is still interesting.

I used to play with cast metal cars and trucks like this one when I was very young.

The North Missouri Produce Auction began at 12 noon.

Getting unloaded and ready for the auction.

The young auctioneer was good at his job but you have to develope and "ear" for the cadence to understand it.

I noticed a number of the Amish men were drinking Mountain Dew from cans.  That reminded me of a Diane Sawyer news special on the poor of Appalachia and their addiction to Mountain Dew.  Dew is loaded with caffeine and does rot your teeth out if you drink enough of it.  I wondered if what I was seeing was just a coincidence or if the Amish here have something in common with the Smoky Mountain folks.

Here is a video clip of the auction.  Can you follow what is being said?

I have fun making the fruits and vegetables look special.  What else are you going to do if you can't understand the auctioneer and you are dripping with sweat?

Saundra and Sigrid.

We decided that we will not come back to Jamesport for a while.  We have seen about all there is to see here and it is a long drive for a buffet lunch.