Mertens Land & Cattle branding with PD Jones www.pdjoneshorseranch.com

[raquelwooldridge]

Glad I found this! I really like your video :)

[3000petshop]

c nul et bete!

[pdj47]

@3000petshop Why yes French children are known world wide for their livestock handling knowledge.

[granitehills2t]

You boys need to set up your fire closer to the calves. Holy crap the hide will be burned off the calf after you drag it for ten miles. Or you should push the calves closer and rope them out in the open, closer to the wrasslers.

[pdj47]

@granitehills2t I didn't see any hide burned off did you? Yup chase them around in the "open" & stress the crap out of them & drag them a 1/4th mile or more instead of 50 ft? You are a moron & the last time you worked calves was never!

[granitehills2t]

@pdj47 I count 8 at least ten foot panels from the calves to the fire. That is eighty feet. Why go that far? Put the fire in the middle of the corral and drag them forty feet, get the work done faster, don't sour a horse and put less stress on the calves. Also cutting a small group of calves closer to the fire and roping one is not stressful it is called horsemanship. Look I don't think you boys are terrible but would hurt to take a suggestion?

[pdj47]

@granitehills2t Sense the last time you ever done this is never I'll explain why its done the way it is. The pen had to be big enough to hold 100+ cow/calf pairs & to have them squeezed in to a tiny pen the cows would be running over calves & make it difficult to sort & in a small area you would have calves being crowded & getting away through the branding area & dragging them another few feet don't make a damn bit of difference.

[granitehills2t]

@pdj47 NO, no you are missing the entire point! You have a portable set up, so I assume a portable fire! You kick out the cows with your horses and THEN set up your fire in the center of the pen, thus recucing the distance of dragging the calves. Me, personally I like to leave about half of the cattle in the corral with calves and do it more rodear style, and the fire is the minimal distance from the calves without getting in the way. Cows keep calves calm and allow for sneak shots.

[pdj47]

@granitehills2t Well you go ahead & leave the cows in to tromp on the calves & set up in the middle of the pen Where the worked calves will be getting back with those that haven't been worked & un worked calves getting pushed through the working area & gettin away & I'll keep doing it my way. I don't get why you seem to think dragging them a few extra feet for the reasons I stated is such a big deal!

[granitehills2t]

@pdj47 If I brand a hundred pairs, I kick out about 60-70 head of cows. The thirty cows left calm the calves down and dont' "tromp" on them. It sets you up for sneak shots and those last few unbranded ones are not so wily. Come to think of it, I've never been to a branding in Neb. that they didn't do it your way so it must just be a regional thing. Most of them Neb. boys jam 50 head in a pen big enough for about 20 head and drag em out that way. Different strokes for different folks.

[pdj47]

@granitehills2t How in the hell would having cows in the pen "calm them down"? Hell yes let's have cow's follow the calf up to wipe out the crew working them. The last time you branded was never! Let this be a lesson to to folks. Listen to those that show you how you do things, not those that tell ya how but don't seem to show you how they do the moronic things they suggest.

[granitehills2t]

@pdj47 It is called rodear style, only in a corral Pd. Ever hear of the term rodear? It is buckeroo term, and is used usually to head and heel calves. We just leave a few cows, and no one has ever go "wiped out." All the big outfit boys in Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, and parts of Montana and Wyoming do it this way, trust me. I think it is funny, you dont think I have branded calves. I have done it a zillion different ways. Nord Forks, tables, dead man, head and heel and your way I have done it.

[cwarrior3]

Damn good horsemanship and cattle handling right here. for all of you below that are criticising these men and women that are making this dragging go so smooth have no idea what the hell you're talking about. i would be absolutly tickled to have these guys come drag with me anytime they wanted. one of the best draggings i have ever witnessed right here. excellent job fellas keep it up. Long live cowboys!

[Angusangus3]

i meny sore sorry about that he's sore on his left front you can realy see it when he's draging calves and i have a great sence of horses I've been around them and cattle for my hole life and we brand our calves the same way but the yella horse is sore and thes guys could come and brand with us any time

[Angusangus3]

the guy on the yella horse needs to get a horse that is'nt sour

[pdj47]

Are you an idiot or do you just play one on the internet? Men & horses like that would be welcome on any outfit. I would guess your horsemanship skills are on an about equal level as you're writing skills.

[broncpeel]

whats sour about him you idoit?

[wombatstew1]

We stopped branding in 1976. We use ear tags and freeze branding, which are less painful, less dangerous, cause fewer infections, and best of all: result in quicker weight gain and less 'shrinkage' of calves. Also, we stopped routinely castrating. Bulls have a MUCH higher feed to meat ratio, make leaner beef and can be slaughtered at 12 to 14 months of age.

Less pain & stress = better growth and quicker turnaround

Quicker turnaround = higher profits!

Also, no brand = much higher hide price!!

[pdj47]

Maybe 1% of cattlemen feed out bulls as the meat isn't high quality & it is worth less than steers. I guess the 99% of cattlemen that castrate just aren't as smart as you! I'm guessing your a wacko with 2 cows in your back yard...Do your calves enjoy having tags jabbed through their ears?

[wombatstew1]

BULL-shit!

Bull meat, up until 14 months of age or so, is INDISTINGUISHABLE from steer meat. That is, YOU CANNOT TASTE THE DIFFERENCE. And, since many people want clean, hormone-free, lean beef, we have NO problem selling our meat, and for TOP PRICES. 

Not as smart as me? Maybe that's the problem; ranchers who REFUSE to modernise, despite all the advances in cattle handling and marketing.

2 cows in my back yard? No. 445 Simmental-Angus, plus 96 purebreds. Average carcass weight: 886 lbs.

[wombatstew1]

Oh, and one more thing: The word you were looking for is "YOU'RE," not "YOUR." You see, 'you're' is a contraction of 'you are,' as in "You're a hillbilly redneck who cannot learn a damned thing." On the other hand, 'your' is an adjective, implying possession, as in "Your ranching practices are antiquated and cruel, which costs you more money than you will ever be able to figure out."

Get it?

PS: Ears are not nearly as innervated as scrota, so less painful to tag. Go ahead, look it up.

[pdj47]

Oh great, an English teacher that is smarter than 99% of all cattlemen!!  What does ear tagging have to do with castration (witch is done to 99% of all meat animals). It would be much better be compared to branding. Cattle have very thick hides & branding leaves no open wounds. Tagging leaves a 1/4th in hole in the ear & I'm sure stings a bit!

[bigbuckhunter130]

@wombatstew1 holy fuck go back to schoolwe don't want your god damn spelling ideas here

[granitehills2t]

@wombatstew1 This bull business you speak of is pure bullshit. First of all, I have worked on a registered bull outfit and bulls are a pain in the ass. When they are not getting out to go harass the neighbors heifers they are riding each other and generally making a mess of things. Why else would cattle men castrate? It take longer for bulls to put the finish on that a steer will in a shorter amount of time.

[hcmalou]

That cow had feelings to!

[pdj47]

Well first they aren't cow's, their calves & this might shock you but meat don't grow from cell's in the meat case in your supermarket! If you are a vegetarian bitch all you want but if you eat meat just be quiet because this is just how it's done & American cattlemen raise the finest beef in the world.

[wombatstew1]

"THEIR" is a plural possessive adjective, which means you use it to imply ownership by more than one person.

"THEY'RE" is a contraction of 'they are.'

"CELLS" is the plural of 'cell.' An apostrophe between the body of a noun and the pluralising 's' is incorrect, as it implies ownership, as in "It was that hayseed's video that showed how old archaic they are."

Finest beef in the world? Then why do the most luxurious cruise ships use Alberta beef??

[pdj47]

2 questions...are you drunk & where can I find out about all of the best cruise ships using bull meat? Pretty sure they wouldn't advertise that!!

[selrod55]

thanks for posting, true american history still alive & well. i loved it

[pdj47]

We'll be starting again in a couple months. It's my favorite time of the year, get to see & work with a lot of people I hadn't seen much of all winter. I have other branding & horse videos if you haven't seen them.

[firecat6232]

do you always heel 'em for branding, or is it just which end you grab first?

and one more comment: you can shove that desk/office job. THIS is honest workin for an honest livin.

great videos, pd!

[pdj47]

You want them by the heels, makes it easier for the guys to throw & by the neck would choke them. We got done just in time. It started raining pretty good on the last few & rained the rest of the day..

[countrychick2013]

my uncle is rele good friends with the mertens boys i rele mis their momma judy her nd my grandma would always get the food ready for aftr the branding wether it was theirs or ours pasture golf always came nxt lol

[pdj47]

Judy was a nice lady & will be missed. You never went away from a Merten's branding hungry!

[countrychick2013]

i was totally there!!!

[broncsaddle08]

Some good working horses.

[sunlei5]

Thanks so much PD for posting these wonderfull real working ranch vids. All we ever see are rodeo type roping and thats not the way the real ranch owners take care of their cattle. I'm living near the city, wish I could have another horse out here...I'd buy one of yours! It was very hard to find my current horse, took almost a year! I did get a good mare for me but I had to check out many bad or dangerous horses before I found her.

[pdj47]

I think it's important to show the time & hard work it takes to fill the nations super markets.Most peope seem to think anymore that meat is grown from cells in the meat case. Glad ya found a good horse!!

[Vanthus]

I'd like to have mine medium rare LOL. Thanks PD.

[pdj47]

LOL..The good ones are seldom for sale!! I'm just heading out to spend the afternoon team roping with most of the folks ya see on here.Just kinda like a big ol dysfunctional family with everybody from kids to a few old geezers like me & we always have a good time..

[anuttama]

I'm surprised the animal rights people haven't found this video. I thought cows kept on ranches were treated kindly before they were sent to be killed. Sure wouldn't want to be one of those calves.