Battling the Cold Front: A Week on the Ranch
This week, most of the country was hit by a Canadian cold front, bringing frigid temperatures far and wide. We were no exception. From Monday night through Thursday, we saw temperatures drop as low as 0 degrees. Factor in the windchill, and it felt well into the negatives.
For us, that didn’t just mean bundling up—it meant breaking ice in brutal conditions. Brutal, at least, for folks used to Texas heat.
Monday: Packing Orders & Family Tradition
The week started as usual in the packing house, fulfilling your orders. It’s an all-hands-on-deck operation, with the family working together to pull individual steaks from the big freezer, move them to deep freezers in the packing house, and carefully pack each order into a styrofoam cooler.
But to us, these aren’t just steaks. They’re a testament to five generations of American ranching—steaks raised with high-end Black Angus genetics, perfectly marbled, never chewy like the grocery store, never flavorless like big-box bulk buys, and never over-marbled like Wagyu. This is beef the way it was meant to be.
Tuesday: The Cold Sets In
Tuesday, the cold front rolled in. The ice wasn’t too thick yet, but the wind cut through like a knife. I made a dumb mistake—forgot to check the weather and left my insulated boots in Amarillo. That meant cutting ice in running shoes. Big mistake. Ice water splashing onto my feet made sure I paid for it.
We cut the ice wider than usual, knowing it would refreeze thicker overnight. It’s little things like this that make the next day’s work slightly easier.
Wednesday: Gearing Up for the Deep Freeze
After freezing my toes off Tuesday, I made sure to grab proper gear before heading back out Wednesday morning. Driving down I-40, I could see how cold it had gotten—the trees were coated in frost, and the wind was still howling. The cattle didn’t care, though. As I pulled into the ranch, they were already gathered, waiting for Roger to bring their morning feed.
Ever wonder how cattle stay warm in this kind of weather? It all comes down to their digestive system. Their rumen—the largest chamber of their four-compartment stomach—works like a built-in furnace. As microbes break down roughage like hay, they generate heat, helping the cattle regulate their body temperature. But that doesn’t mean they like standing in the wind. That’s where we come in—feeding them, breaking ice, and letting them retreat to more sheltered spots.
The ice was definitely thicker by Wednesday, which meant swinging the axe harder and dealing with some serious grip fatigue from the vibrations. Fetching out the heavy chunks of ice with a pitchfork wasn’t much easier, but we made our way from tank to tank, getting the job done.
Thursday: Finally, A Break in the Weather
By Thursday morning, temperatures had dropped even lower overnight, meaning even thicker ice. But for the first time all week, the weather was actually better. We were finally out of the storm—yee haw!
Like the days before, we went from one water source to the next, breaking ice so the animals—both domesticated and wild—could get a drink.
Looking Ahead
As I write this on Friday, gearing up for Saturday’s newsletter release, I wanted to let you know that we’ll now be adding more videos to go along with these updates. That way, you can see firsthand what I’m talking about.
You’ll find these videos either embedded or linked, depending on the platform you’re on. They’ll be posted under my YouTube account, which also features some fitness and dirt bike riding content if you’re into that.
Till next week, folks!
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