When we were getting started here at KC Cattle Company we talked about all of the things we were excited for, but also the things we knew would be hard. One of them being winter on the ranch. Our ranch is quite hilly and windy. We laugh because the back side of our property backs up to a Missouri ski resort, while beautiful, running cattle on the hills in ice, snow, and frigid temperatures can be challenging.
During severe cold streaks like the one we’re experiencing here in the Kansas City area we have to do a lot of different things we don’t have to mess with in the warmer months. The biggest and most important thing we have to regularly check on is the watering stations for the cattle. In these temperatures they are susceptible to freezing which means that the cattle can't get a drink. When this occurs, we have to go out and break the ice up throughout the day and night until Mother Nature decides to cooperate again. This is probably owner Patrick's least favorite chore. While he may be a KC native, after moving to Savannah, GA while serving as an Army Ranger, he returned with a strong dislike for cold weather. Aside from the time consuming task of breaking up waters in freezing temps, we also make sure that our Wagyu cattle have plenty of hay to eat and bedding to lay on to ensure they have all the comforts they need in extreme conditions like these. Rest assured, it’ll take far more than cold temperatures to keep the Wagyu Warriors down!
When we see a challenge, we're not ones to sit back and take it. We put our heads together and come up with a solution. A big thank you to team member, Kale Swing, for taking the bull by the horns and coming up with this genius way to help keep our waters thawed. This new process is now allowing the Wagyu Warriors to spend more time packing up delicious Wagyu beef to mail to our awesome customers, and catching at least a little shut eye on these frigid nights. We're pretty sure we heard the bull bellow thank you too!
