Introduction to Barbwire Man

February seems to be the month my calf stories begin — for good reason, as it is in this month that the calving season starts. This is a true story that begins in early February 2020. The story is about a young newborn calf. The calf is a bull, and Flash is his name. For the next 18 months he lived on the land, in my heart, and in the hearts of three other people. Flash would prove to be not just an ordinary bull calf. There is no other way to say this except to say that Flash had the capacity to love. Not perhaps love as humans express and show love. As his caretakers, we understood that it was love on a level we did not totally understand but openly accepted. On the day he was born, unlike most calves, he was slow to get on his feet. Most calves after 30 minutes or so make attempts to get up. Having reached that point, they wobble along, take a step or two, and fall back down again. This stand and fall process is repeated until the calf finds the coordination and strength needed to s...

When Refel Rushing is not Ranching, Building, or Raising money he can often be found with a pen in hand as he embarks on his next exciting story or romantic poem. Check out some of his work on the new poetry site by clicking below.

Reflections and important moments to remember  February has often brought bitterly cold days to Texas ranchers. One would not want to leave the house or barn without cold weather clothing. Planning and routine care and feeding measures are a part of what a rancher must do to make sure his/her cattle can survive during extreme wintery conditions. An essential part of planning includes providing dry matter food sources such as dry or silage hay, mineral block supplements, range cubes, high energy molasses liquid feed, and oftentimes a high-fat, high-protein feed ration.  A rancher who plans well during the summer and fall seasons and takes extra steps of precaution out of an abundance of care can generally be assured that his/her cattle are conditioned well enough to withstand long periods of cold weather. A rancher who takes these precautions can have good sleep nights rather than sleepless nights.  However, the Valentine’s week of February 11-20, 2021, was anything but no...