The fall sun warms the backs of a group of Angus cows in Homedale Idaho, as rancher Doug Burgess, checks on his purebred herd.
“Usually, we don’t start feeding hay until around the 1st of December on these cows,” he quips as he drives his UTV through the pasture.
This operation is split in two pieces with a commercial herd located in the mountains near Jordan Valley, Ore., and the purebred bunch along with some farmland located in the valley outside of Homedale.
“I do enjoy fall because I quit haying yesterday,” laughs Burgess.
Today, Doug and his wife, Janice, run this operation, but he discovered his passion for the cattle business while growing up in northern California.
Some of that northern California is rough and cows could get wild,” Burgess says. “I had some really good dogs, so I would gather those wild cattle and then buy them for $0.10 on the dollar.”
That’s how he started in the cattle industry. However, his education began when they relocated to Idaho.
“We’ve learned a lot about ranching here,” Burgess adds. “I would imagine there’s still a lot we can learn.”
One of the biggest hurdles has been learning to manage a herd at different altitudes.
“We started our registered herd because we couldn’t find bulls that were acclimatized to where we run cows,” Burgess explains.
He’s also learned that in this arid part of the country, there’s another danger – wildfire.
“Fire is an ever-present danger,” he says. “In 22 years, there have been three fires that you could see from the house.”
The 2015 Soda Fire burned nearly 280,000 acres in southwest Idaho and southeast Oregon.
“As big as this country is, there’s going to be drought and fires,” Burgess admits. “Somebody is going to get hammered one way or another, but you just bow your neck and live through it.”
Those lived experiences are abundant on this operation where fall includes driving the commercial herd home 35 miles over 3 days across the BLM.
“I guess I’m different because I like to follow a cow,” Burgess says. “It’s the most peaceful time for me to trail them home. The cows don’t have calves on them and you can walk along and visit with your friends. In fact, my brother and his buddies from California used to come up and help every year until they got too old to ride.”
His love of the country, the cattle and the lifestyle doesn’t overshadow the responsibility Burgess shares for the future of this ranch.
“It just takes more money today to operate a ranch and if you don’t operate it like a business, you won’t have it very long,” he says. “In 2014 or 2015 there was probably more net money than there is now at $3 calves because expenses have gone up so much.”
These are just some of the lessons he’s teaching to the next generation as he and his wife make plans for the future.
“I hope my youngest granddaughter gets out of high school and college and wants to come back and help me all the time,” says Burgess.
Until then, he’ll enjoy the end of haying and irrigation season while making plans to get the herd back down the mountain.
“I’m not going to quit. I’m going to keep trying to do what I’m doing and it doesn’t bother me how ineffective I get. I’m going to do the same things and expect different results,” Burgess says with a smile and a twinkle in his eye.
His dry wit and endless drive are pushing this operation forward, one fall day at a time.
“In the fall, we just get ready for the next year and hope it’s better than the last one,” he laughs.
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