Howdy everyone — it’s been a while.
I think this might be the longest stretch we’ve gone without a newsletter — about three weeks now. I’m Connor McCauley, the writer behind these updates, and if you didn’t know, I’m a bit of an outsider who married into this ranching family. So most of what you read here comes from my perspective — five years of learning the ins and outs of ranch life the hard way.
Before we dive in, I want to mention that there’s a YouTube video that goes hand-in-hand with this newsletter. It shows everything we’ve been through over the last few weeks, and if you enjoy following along, click that video, hit the thumbs up, and subscribe. It helps our family ranch more than you can imagine — and in return, you’re helping keep 100% American beef on American tables. No imported nonsense here — just the real deal, raised right here at home.
Three Weeks of Breakdowns
It’s been a rough stretch — no other way to put it. We’ve spent the last three weeks fighting through one problem after another trying to get our winter wheat planted.
The tractors, planters, and everything in between decided to take turns giving us trouble. I won’t list every single repair (the video shows the full rundown if you want to see what we were up against), but here’s the gist: every time we’d fix one issue, something else would break.
You’d get the plow fixed, drop it in the soil, go 50 yards — then a hydraulic hose would pop loose. Fix that, lose a day running to town for parts. Get back, drop the plow again — and another tire rolls off the rim. That pretty much sums up a lot of our days lately.
The Grain Cart Fiasco
One of the biggest headaches was our grain cart. We went to start it one morning — everything seemed fine — until the motor on top of the chute started turning the auger and the belt began slipping.
That motor drives the auger that pulls grain up and into the planter, so without it, you’re dead in the water.
We ended up grabbing the tractor with the forks, pulling the auger out of the grain cart, running it to clear the grain, then reinstalling it just so we could keep going. A lot of sweat, a few choice words, and several hours later, we were finally back in business.
One Thing After Another
After days of repairs and a surprise stomach bug that knocked us out for a day, we finally got everything running smooth — tractors, plows, and planters all working like they should.
On our last field, we ran into another mess: old hay stubble and tumbleweeds. Sam thought he could plow through the hay, but it tangled up in the implement. So we switched to no-till planting, trying to make progress while the tumbleweeds rolled in like an army.
At one point, I was practically snowplowing tumbleweeds with the drill. I had to keep lifting it up to clear them out. I couldn’t help but laugh — it’s going to be funny when the combines come through and see those patchy rows where I had to lift the drill.
Carrying On
That’s life on the ranch — fixing, fighting, laughing, and pushing through.
It’s frustrating in the moment, but it’s all part of the job, and it’s all worth it when you see the wheat finally in the ground.
As always, we’re incredibly grateful for your support — your orders, your messages, and your encouragement mean more than we can say. This isn’t just our business; it’s our family legacy — now six generations strong with a new baby in the family (my sister-in-law’s, not ours).
Family is at the heart of everything we do. We believe legacies are built around the dinner table — and you don’t build a legacy on poor food. That’s why we’re here — to bring you high-quality American beef you can be proud to serve.
A Quick Note Before Thanksgiving
We’ll be taking a short Thanksgiving hiatus soon, so if you’re planning to stock up on beef before the holidays, now’s the time. You’ve got about a week to get your order in before shipping pauses.
I’ll try to get one more newsletter out before the break — but if not, we’ll see you in about a month.
Until then —
Thanks for being part of our story, for supporting real ranching, and for helping us feed your legacy.
– Connor
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