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4A Daily News – Saturday, July 9, 2011 Agriculture & farm Western Jr. Limousin Expo The Western Regional Junior Limousin Show and the Western Limousin Exposition Medal of Excellence show were held June 17-18 in Klamath Falls, Ore., respectively. Sixty-five entries were exhibited between the two shows. Western Junior Limousin Show Judge Ty Bird, Red Bluff, sorted the 17 junior cattle. Bird selected a 1,120-pound steer shown by Eric Summers, Klamath Falls, Ore., as the champi- on. Austin Speck, Chehalis, Wash., exhibited the reserve steer which weighed 1,015-pounds. TSA Xpect It, is a April 18, 2010, son of DJ Temptation. The champion Lim-Flex female was DJ Xuber- ant, a Jan. 1, 2010, daughter of DHVO Deuce 132R out of MAGS Sister Act. She was exhibited by Lance Bierlink, Blaine, Wash. Speck led the reserve champion Lim-Flex female. BEUS X-Woman 225X is a Feb. 27, 2010, daughter of BEUS Superman 614S, out of Bell Key Black Lucy 225. Emily Haugen, Los Molinos, claimed champion bred-and-owned Lim-Flex female with EGHL Xtra Special Blossom 1X, a July 6, 2010, daughter of EXLR Southpaw 835S out of DWHL Ultimatum 107U. In the bred-and-owned Limousin female show Speck claimed top honors. TSA Winds of Change, a Feb. 19, 2009, daughter of TNUH Blue Print 245H, was crowned the champion bred-and-owned and champion owned Limousin female. She was exhib- ited with a Feb. 26, 2011, son of Mytty In Focus at side. LANZ Wednesday, a Sept. 2, 2009, daughter of VL Tower of Power, was crowned reserve champi- on bred-and-owned and owned Limousin female. Bierlink exhibited the female. The champion bred-and-owned Limousin bull was KVDH Xcalibur 57X. Kevin Dean, Los Moli- nos, exhibited the Aug. 13, 2010 son of KVDH U R Rockin 1U. Bierlink had the best pair of females. The Red Bluff fire- works on the 4th were colorful and wonderful as I watched them from our driveway. Many thanks. Bill and I attended the annual 4th of July gather- ing at the Five Dot Ranch, in Willow Creek Valley. The gathering and picnic has been continuous for 51 years, when the ranch- ing families gather with their friends. The first years we were the middle generation with small children. Now we are the senior generation, and our children are proud parents of the young adults, the college age or high school students. Two days previous we were at Horse Lake for the memorial service for Marlene Wood, with sev- eral hundred members of the beef cattle ranching community, plus family and friends. We saw old friends that we hadn’t seen in 25 years, when we had met for weddings. The faces were familiar, but putting a name to the face was difficult at times. It helped me when they smiled and said their name. The eulogy given by Midge Swickard of Five Dot was heartfelt, and brought back memories. “I am honored that Joellen asked me to make the beans, with Laurel’s help, for this memori- al. Marlene, Ed and I made beans for the Jr. Rodeo for many years. “My family and especially I have been This report has updated precipitation amounts for the Durham station. Comparing the accumulated totals from this week and last week will show a small discrepancy. Precipitation amounts from the rain gauge at Durham show up a few days later during the sum- mer. This is unavoidable and is the result of filtering out sprinkler irrigation amounts. blessed to have Marlene in our lives, for a friend and neighbor. She and the Wood family welcomed and accepted us from down below. We were very ignorant of living at 5,000 ft elevation and all that goes with it. “We moved over Labor Day in 1959 with a 2- year-old and 2-month-old baby and a stock truck of belongings. “In late fall Marlene called on my cherished Willow Creek phone line and told me how to prep for winter in case of being snowed in. ‘Have plenty of wood for heat, and food for at least a week and a plan to feed the cat- tle.’ “Ed was probably chuckling in the back- ground thinking to him- ranch Celebrating the Fourth at Five Dot Courtesy photo Long time friends Jean Barton,Frank and Bernice Hagata,Midge Swickard at the Five Dot Ranch 4th of July gathering. Not pictured are Bill Barton and Ed Wood. self that this was going to be great to see. “Marlene was a trea- sure because she very qui- etly gave her opinions and suggestions in all conver- sations. I admire her so much for going to college to learn to use the com- puter. She never quit. She was a quiet, strong and good influence on all of us. Jean Barton “She was precious.” Everyone moved using the stock trucks because we didn’t have trailers or goosenecks, and using a moving van was unheard of 50 years ago. I know we used my father’s green Ford truck with the wooden racks, when we moved. Later that truck hauled the girls to many 4-H horse shows, trail rides, and fairs. Our daughters still remember calling the tele- phone operator when they want- ed to talk to Diana, and ask- ing for Horse Lake 2-1-F- 04 because you could not direct dial that number on your rotary phone. As you drove into the ranch, there were lonely wooden poles, with an insulator and one wire still standing along the road going up and down the hills for five miles from the turn-off, or 15 miles from the pavement. For Midge it would have been hard living at 5,000 elevation after com- ing from the coastal cli- mate, with a toddler and infant, and 15 miles to town. Without Marlene’s advice she wouldn’t have been prepared to be snowed in for a week without electricity or phone. The grand-daughters mentioned how they “helped” in the garden, and one year the Christ- mas present included a subscription to Sunset magazine. They didn’t like gardening, but they liked being with their grandmother in her rock garden. In summer while a col- lege student Dallice helped with the canning of cherries, peaches, and pears with her grand- mother. That Christmas it was a subscription to Bon Appetite. Marlene helped Ed on the ranch, and was active in the Lassen County CowBelles and later, Cat- tleWomen. Everyone smiled when her “moun- tain oysters” at the Cattle- Women’s Wine Tasting were mentioned in anoth- er eulogy. She was a wonderful cook, as were the women who brought salads, appetizers and desserts to go with the New York steaks and beans. She will be missed. *** The Tehama Co. Cat- tlemen, California Cattle- men, John Owens and Lee Loverin are still offering $12,000 for information leading to arrest of the person or persons respon- sible for the theft of Owens cattle. Tip- line 1- 800-671-4327, or 530- 520-9399 or 530-527- 6332. While at the memorial I heard that a Lassen County rancher lost a truck load, 24 pairs, two years ago while they were on winter feed in the Maxwell area. The cattle were never recovered and it was a severe loss for the young couple. *** We visited the Hone Ranch in the Carson Val- ley on the California Beef Cattle Improvement Association tour last Seed Saving Class Sat., July 9 @ 10 am Preserving The Harvest Sat., July 16 @ 10 am LIC #808524 Call For Free Information Toll-Free (800) 464-1403 or (530) 365-1403 6183 MEISTER WAY ANDERSON, CA 96007 (530) 365-1403 • (800) 464-1403 Please call to reserve your seat (530) 527-0886 Garden Center Red Bluff 766 Antelope Blvd. (Next to the Fairground) month. They had estab- lished the ranch in 1980 and breed Angus and Gel- bvieh bulls for Nevada conditions since they must travel, and have easy fleshing. The cows will water every two to three days as they graze the rugged range country. They expect to feed two ton of hay per animal each winter. The hay fields are not fertilized, but the meadows are dragged after the cattle are removed. They will put up 400 tons of hay, getting 4 ton per acre. The bulls are merchan- dised by private treaty, at the Fallon Bull Sale, and the Nevada Bull Sale. One year they were interested in getting feed data, and they consigned a group of bulls to the Midland Test Bull Sale, where all made the sale. They AI one cycle, and put in bulls for the second cycle for a 60-day calving that ends in March. They own 250 acres and lease another 300 acres. The Hones sell local corn fed beef, that is har- vested at the Fallon packing plant. The senior Mr Hone was absent, but we saw how he had used one of the brick buildings for making home- made sausage. Our next visit had all the women on the trip oohing and awing over the lovely flower garden, and deck as we enjoyed the view of the valley, from the Chris and Faye Gansberg home across the line in California. Faye told us that she had replanted the flowers two times this spring because of the late frosts and snow. The latest being Mothers Day. Chris told us a bit of the history of the ranch, since he was the 4th gen- eration and the family had bought the place in 1903, now ranching in six coun- ties and two states. The cows winter in Amador County, and the cows calve in August. Last fall at Thanksgiving time they had one and a half feet of snow and had to feed the cows hay since they hadn‚t been shipped to the winter ranch. The hay fields are watered by the West Car- son River and Lake Tahoe effluent. They started using the effluent 40 years ago, when the ranchers were asked to take it. Now it costs. It took five days to trail the cattle the 90 miles to Amador County, and it was hard on the cows because their feet were soft after being on the meadows all summer. Now they ship by truck. The Gansberg horses are well known, and they used to have 20 brood- mares with the three stal- lions, but now they only have 10. Following World War II, the ranchers were offered thoroughbred studs from Poland and that improved the ranch horses in the west. The ranch is a com- mercial cow/calf ranch with Angus cows, and now using some Hereford bulls as well as Angus. They market through Western Video Market with the cattle going to the midwest. For 50 years they fed out the yearlings, but haven’t for the last 11 years since it was too much of a gamble. Instead they sell them as stockers, and the steers weighed 780 lbs when they shipped in May. Jean Barton can be reached at jbarton@theskybeam.co m.