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2 On the Farm Wednesday, April 25, 2012 The cowboy way A modern day family proves up a western lifestyle on By Sydney Caraballo The black Angus cattle jostle together and collectively eyeball the young men on horseback. Two riders apply steady pressure to the herd’s edge while a third gently steers several cows from the northeast corner of the corral. One frisky critter crow-hops, kicking up dust as it cuts past. “Ease back, boys,” says the man giving direction behind the fence. “We want the cattle to go nice and easy.” The holding team backs up the horse and mule a few steps while the third cowboy – lasso at his hip – methodically edges another Angus out of the holding pen. Windy Prairie Ranch Don Anderson photos Such moments may seem an era apart: a Western ideal that few Americans live out any more. But for the cowboys and cowgirls of Windy Prairie Ranch it’s a typical workday, as familiar as their dusty jeans and broke-in boots. And it’s a family affair. Aaron and Shelby Jacobson, along with the help of their four children, own and operate the cattle ranch with landholdings near Crosby and Battleview. The three sons – Chase, 15; Rider, 12; and Race, 11 – ride like they were born to be in the saddle. They are already able and experienced ranch hands who rope and wrestle calves and assist with tagging, branding and vaccinating. Their sister, Windy, 8, is close behind in her cowgirl training. “As soon as the kids could sit, they were on horses,” says Shelby, who is in charge of repairing and building fences in their pastures There’s always plenty going on at Windy Prairie Ranch, where children Rider, Chace, Windy and Race (on horseback) help parents Shelby and Aaron Jacobson.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 On the Farm 3 “Ranching has shown our kids financial responsibility and pride in a job well-done. If you finish the job and do it well, you’re rewarded.” -- Aaron Jacobson every summer and has done it with kids in tow, baby on hip, since she married Aaron. Shelby’s formula for fencing made fun includes tick-counting contests, cattle roping competitions, swims and splash fights through the sloughs they fence and the occasional gopher shoot. She has helped her children see the blessings of spending days on the windblown prairie where they hike through gramma, western wheat grass and wildflowers and where they see deer, moose, coyote and thunderstorm rainbows. Shelby, calm and warm and sunkissed in appearance, is a steadying presence to her family and the ranch. Her extended family farms and ranches in southwestern North Dakota. She was pursuing a degree in agricultural education when she and Aaron were set up on a blind golf date. Aaron wasn’t necessarily impressed with her golf game (it was the first time Shelby ever played). But she was clearly his match in every other way. And he was hers. “He knew what he wanted, and he was forward thinking,” says Shelby, who has also worked off the ranch to benefit the family. “That impressed me.” Aaron, whose cattle brand is 4J, is a fourth generation Jacobson to run cattle. Aaron’s parents gave him a cow when he was a kid. That cow made him a cowboy for life. Aaron raised cattle throughout high school, was a Future Farmers of America member, graduated from Bismarck State College with an agricultural degree and promptly established a business trimming bulls. He clipped and groomed bulls for cattle shows and bull sales from Denver to Regina. Each paycheck brought him a dollar closer to Windy Prairie Ranch. The Jacobsons became full-time, full-throttle ranchers in 1997 when they purchased the Goodman Ranch near Battleview. And they have ensured their children experience what is becoming a rare, yet blessed way of life. “Few parents get to go with their kids to work each day,” says Aaron, who considers the family operation both an obligation and a privilege. The Jacobson kids, who are well mannered and gracious as they talk about the ranch, quickly list enjoyable chores such as branding, grooming horses, and checking cattle in the pasture. Cutting, raking and bunching bales also made the list until last summer. Aaron typically bales round bales, which can weigh up to 1,500 pounds and are hauled and stacked with equipment. But Aaron decided his children should experience hauling and stacking hay the old-fashioned way. He baled 1,500 square bales – weighing approximately 60 pounds each – that the boys hiked and stacked by hand. “Dad stuffed those bales to the gills,” Rider says, “just for us.” “You were building muscles for football and hockey,” teases Shelby, but reiterates that such moments are instrumental in teaching responsibility and a good work ethic. Aaron adds that the kids get paid and buy their own shoes and lunch tickets, among other things. When it’s noted that the boys wear baseball caps with their chaps, Aaron’s response speaks to their practicality. “It doesn’t make sense to buy custom hats when their heads grow out of them each year,” says Aaron, who looks every inch a cowboy with his tall, rangy build, western mustache and the rain-and-sweat-stained cowboy hat and Wranglers he wears for function. “Ranching has shown our kids financial responsibility and pride in a job well-done,” Aaron says. “If you finish the job and do it well, you’re rewarded. If the chores don’t get done, the animals suffer. The kids are very conscious that we need to practice good animal husbandry and properly care for the cattle’s welfare.” Aaron and Shelby practice what they preach. They and Chase have attended the Bud Williams Stockmanship School, which teaches lowstress, gentle handling methods for moving cattle. They also partner with the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service. The Jacobsons use a planned grazing system in which they constantly sort cattle and rotate pastures to ensure optimal grass recovery and balanced organic manure fertilization of the native grasses. “We shouldn’t need to be financially encouraged to be environmentally responsible,” Aaron says, “but the benefits work both ways. If you have a healthy range, you have healthy cattle.” Chase, who cares for 25 cows and shares the 5J brand with his siblings, has been impacted by those practices and is considering a career as a veterinarian. The young man – active in FFA, FBLA, 4-H, hockey, football, golf and church – doesn’t mind hard work. “It’s a habit to get up and work day in and day out,” says Chase, whose summer work day begins at 3 a.m. He works on horseback for a bird dog trainer each “morning.” After that, he works on the family ranch until supper is served at 9 p.m. The family’s work is also their play. They belong to a local roping club and participate in ranch rodeos with competitions that include pinning ribbons on the tails of calves, wild cow milking and team branding. The Jacobsons encourage pursuits beyond their own fences. Rider and Race play hockey and participate in scouting, 4-H and church. Rider imagines being a professional hockey player some day, and Race says, “I’d like to run around everywhere as an athletic trainer for hockey players.” But Aaron and Shelby admit they wouldn’t mind if at least one child wanted to ride off into the sunset at Windy Prairie Ranch. “We’d love it if one or more of the kids wanted to take over,” Aaron says. “Retirement for us would mean just being around to help with the fun stuff.” Chase grins and says, “Aren’t you already retired?” The family ranch has instilled an abiding trust, faith and love of family while offering daily lessons about contributing to and caring about the world, whether it’s in the Jacobson backyard or well beyond. Windy, although she’s the youngest, has already learned such lessons. From the dogs to the horses, all the animals are sweet on the ranch’s namesake, and she on them. Wearing a sliver-sequined beanie and hot pink, hooded sweatshirt, Windy holds a cat in her arms while standing between her brothers. When asked about her favorite thing to do on and off the ranch, Windy gives a toothy grin and simply says, “I go with my brothers.” See Us For All Your Ag Lending Services... • Line of Credit Operating Loans • Equipment Loans • Livestock Loans • Ag Real Estate Loans • And much more! Williston: 1300 Bison Drive 215 Washington Ave. 572-4000 • 1-800-584-9228 Ray: 10 Main St • 568-3663 www.wccu.org
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