Yesterday I spent the day down in Big Piney and Pinedale taking pictures of cattle branding at Miller’s Land & Livestock. Here are a few of my early favorites – I haven’t had time to go through them all yet but I wanted to share these. Warning – the last shot shows a hot brand on a calf – there’s no blood or anything but a lot of smoke from the hair burning off.
And this shoot made me think a LOT about beef and the different ways cattle can be raised and while I haven’t formed my thoughts well enough to put them down just yet, I will say that although the branding process seems pretty brutal it’s a) very quick and b) once it’s done the calves just get up and trot away and don’t seem bothered in the least.
I love the shot on the right here. This guy was awesome.
The cowboy on the left here is castrating the bull calves. I never worked up the courage to actually watch him do it, but he was SO FAST, it was amazing. No blood or testicles in the photo, never fear, mostly just a cowboy portrait.
The brand in action.
Please feel free to share on FB, digg, stumbleupon, etc. I love comments, but I know there are probably some strong opinions on this sort of thing so let’s try to keep it civil, eh?
by katy
6 comments
Kris - Real cowboys doing real stuff. Really good. Looking forward to seeing the rest.
Dick - I know it seems brutal but if I was a cow I’d rather get branded once and then live free range than live in a building with the lights on 24/7 being force fed whatever will make me gain weight the fastest. Branding aside these cows are in a good place.
katy - I agree, Dad – these cows have it WAY better than most of the cattle in the world.
em - ok, the vegetarian in me didn’t really know if i wanted to see these pics, but i totally agree with your dad: better to have a sore butt for awhile and have a free life than factory farmed. and those photos are amazing. real-life cowboys at work.
katy - Thanks so much Em! It was really a great experience and I’m excited to do a full post – I got lots of great stuff!
Brandon- Anchorage, Alaska - That looks like a hard life for the cows and the cowboys. Great job documenting it!