Hi there, my names Mike and this is our wyoming life.
This is the ranch...thousands of acres, reaching almost as far as you can see.
And thats me way down there trying not to crash this thing.
Primarily we are a cow/calf operation, raising calves from over 150 breeding cows and 5 Bulls.....but
to tell you the truth, there arent many ranches our size that can sustain themselves with
just raising and selling calves these days.
So we needed to diversify.
First we sold eggs.
Chicken eggs, duck eggs and even goose eggs.
Then we became involved in the local farmers market, we started selling extra produce from
the garden that our family didnt eat but soon we made new gardens and grew to the point
we were taking hundred of pounds of produce, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, onions, you name
it to farmers market each and every week.
Soon we realized that we had a great opportunity to serve our community in a completely unique
way.
We could theoretically put an entire meal in front of you that came completely and soley
from the ranch.
We started keeping steers back and fattening them and packaging their meat for sale.
We got into the pig business and began providing the community with farm raised pork.
Obviously We didn't get here overnight, its been a long convoluted journey.
My dad was a professional ranch hand when I was growing up, which basically meant he
worked on a ranch until he pissed the owner off, then he went and worked at another ranch.
We moved alot.
He did this until he became disabled and unfortunately passed away when I was 13.
I graduated high school, joined the air force, did my time there and then I got into radio.
I became a radio dj and met my wife, Erin in 2007.
I was a dj, she sold advertising.
Neither of us had anything do with ranching but her stepdad and mom did own a ranch in
Wyoming.
We married in 2008 and shortly there after we decided to leave the corporate radio world
and became part of the family ranch.
Erins stepdad was named Gilbert.
This guy was Wyoming, Old, crotchety and dirty.
But he was also the guy who would give you the shirt off his back.
So I started feeding....it was fall and all winter long, I fed cows.
I got to know our cows.
That spring a huge blizzard hit and we started having calves, and I started second guessing
my decision to leave the cushy, heated radio studio.
But I stuck with it.
Gilbert being the generous guy he was gave us 5 calves to start our own herd, including
the very first calf that born was born under my watch.
Shes here on the ranch today, and shes ear tag number 1.
Times passed and we settled into the ranch life.
We started attending the local farmers market in 2010.
In 2011 our oldest daughter was born and in 2012 we lost Gilbert.
He not only left us a ranch but he left us an entire life.
A life worth living and one we love.
Since then we had another daughter in 2013 and a son in 2015.
The core of our ranch is our family...its grown and changed....we've added to it and
lost.
10 years ago the ranch wasnt only ran completely different, it looked completely different.
Buildings have been torn down and houses have been built, bringing our family closer together.
This is my mother in laws new house, under constrution.
Shes moving from town out to the ranch.
Its 253 feet from our front door to her front door.
Her house....our house.
So that brings us to today.
and we are happy to have you along for the ride.
Subscribe to our channel and make sure you dont miss an episode.
As Ive said before, theres going to be alot going on.
You can look forward to videos from Erin about gardening on small or large scale, and how
you can support your local growers and producers.
I'll take you with me, we will help calves be born, we will cut and bale hay.
We will fix alot of fences, and we will have a few special projects along the way.
So subscribe and join us on our wyoming life