Equal Opportunity Employer

I have been out on the Prairie Preserve checking steers with my horse Beau.
There’s a lot of ground to cover in 1700+ acres. It’s beautiful country that goes from open prairie to rocks and cactus to wooded ravines and one of only two free flowing rivers in Oklahoma.

We lease this land in the summer for our steers to graze. They simulate the roaming buffalo on this beautiful, natural prairie landscape. Occasionally I will see a group of researchers from universities.

I remember one of the first times I was out riding the land and checking the steers. A truck carrying prairie researchers pulled up. The woman in the passenger seat was from a northeastern state. I leaned down from my horse to shake her hand and introduce myself. I don’t recall her being particularly friendly.

She asked me, “How many of you are out here? I was surprised at her question but she was even more shocked by my answer. “Just me,” I said. The look on her face still makes me laugh.

“Welcome to ranching,” I thought, “An equal-opportunity employer!”