Blue Mountain Eagle
AG DAY
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
A7
Contributed photo
Black Angus cattle dot spacious pastures as they graze on the Mullin’s ranch below the Strawberry
Mountain Wilderness.
RANCHING
often rely on 4-wheelers to
save time while covering the
acres, to get more done faster.
Continued from Page A6
The new law raising the
“When you’ve got live- minimum wage in Oregon
stock to take care of, you hits the ranching industry,
can’t just decide not to do it,” too.
VKH VDLG ³7KH\ FRPH ¿UVW
“We can’t afford to hire as
and are even cared for before many people,” Carolyn said,
anything else.”
adding, “You can’t hire a kid
The Mullins used to have until they’re 16.”
about 300 head of their pure-
She said, however, they
bred cattle and are now down are luckier than many others
to about 60.
because they are able to use
Unlike many other ranch- mostly family members.
ers who are busy calving in
According to Carolyn,
the spring, the Mullins do other changes over time in-
theirs in the fall. But animals volve the push for organic
at any number and any time and natural meat, and no an-
of year still have endless tibiotics.
needs, and something as sim-
“We have so many rules
ple as a recent weekend trip and laws by people who
to a bull sale in Klamath Falls don’t know what they’re do-
involved arranging for peo- ing,” she said. “I don’t know
ple to help with feeding and what we’re going to eat.”
other chores in the Mullins’
However, the biggest ob-
absence.
stacle today, Carolyn said, is
While they enjoy their increasing government inter-
ranching way of life, Carolyn YHQWLRQ²VSHFL¿FDOO\IRUHVW
said, “It’s not as fun as it used management.
to be.”
That’s where the future of
Just getting everything ranching lies, she said, both
done that needs to be done here in Grant County and
is harder nowadays, she said. other rural areas throughout
They used to be able to ride the West.
horses to and from chores
The Mullins lost 800
across the ranch, but now acres of timber and 1,000 of
pasture last August from the
ravages of the Canyon Creek
&RPSOH[¿UH
“I look at that hillside, and
it’s all burnt — it’s like go-
ing through a war zone now,”
Carolyn said. The Mullins
were using the timber they
lost as a kind of bank ac-
count, but now, Carolyn said,
“There’s nothing.” Still, Car-
olyn said, it is a wonderful
place to raise a family.
Being outside is what she
enjoys most. In addition to
the cattle, they raise chick-
ens, and she tends a summer
garden and does all the irri-
gating at the main ranch.
“I thoroughly enjoy hear-
ing the birds sing and let-
ting the dogs run,” she said,
though she admitted the
view was better before “they
burned our mountain.”
The Mullins have con-
templated retirement, but
the prospect of empty, ranch
duty-free days seems a bit
daunting after all these
years.
“What am I going to do if
I don’t have cows to take care
of?” Carolyn asked.
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