Spring is officially here, with a blizzard warning last week and 80-degree days this week. With this weather warming up the baby calves feeling good and running around, Seeing them playing and growing sure makes this hard winter worth it. But unfortunately, with the heat comes the wind. Even with all the snow this winter, we could still use some rain to get the grass growing faster. We are so thankful that everyone is safe in the various fires I heard about this week. Thank you to the ranchers, volunteers, firefighters, and emergency response team that do everything possible to keep us and our livelihoods safe.
Brandings are also kicking up this month, and it is nice to get out to socialize with neighbors & brand calves. Branding season is personally my favorite time of year. You get to work alongside your neighbors and friends you haven't seen for months and partake in a Sandhills ritual by dragging calves to the fire. We will be branding a few bunches here next weekend, and our kids are excited about branding season and for school to be out for the summer!
Speaking of school, I want to thank Kami and the rest of the Scholarship Committee, that helped us choose our winners for 2023. Ryan Adamson & Valerie Matulka did a great job interviewing our candidates and chose some well-deserving kids to receive scholarships. We are so thankful to be able to have this program & give opportunities to the kids to further their education. This program is only possible with generous donations from various communities to the scholarship auction that we hold every year. This year our benefit auction will take place on June 15 at the Cherry County Fairgrounds in Valentine, so if you have an item you'd like to donate for our auction, please get ahold of the girls in the office!