Spann Ranches, Inc.

05/17/2026

First Bull Day Done! Fairly successful, corral intact, no one got flattened. Most of the traffic was super patient (as they tend to be with bulls), and we're all breathing a big sigh of relief. In fact, I'm kind of missing my usual action shots. Maybe next time!

05/13/2026

Good Evening Highway 50 Travelers. This Saturday, May 16, 2026 is our first Bull Day! Look for us and our big boys on the highway around 9 am, starting west of Gunnison at the IVX barn and heading east to the frontage road. Later in the day, no...I don't have a time for this one, we'll be heading back to the IVX barn, an exact reverse trip. Hopefully they will behave themselves, but no promises. These are bulls, after all. As always, slow down, be safe, and enjoy the ride!

05/08/2026

In a moment of insanity this week, our resident photographer, irrigator, hay baler, calver, bookkeeper, crew feeder and mom submitted some photos to this contest. She is beyond surprised to see one show up here!

🌾 Rooted in the West

📸: Janet Washburn
"Taking our Hereford herd to summer range is always a beautiful cattle drive up into the high country." ✨

This is what life on the land looks like.

👉 Submit your photo + story: https://www.cobeef.com/photo-contest-landing-page-2026

04/26/2026

Week 7 Done! We're still calving, but it's slowed down a bunch. We're gearing up for a mass exodus to some higher ground with all our soon-to- be mommas next week. Our crew is getting spread thin as there's a lot more than just calving to do right now...so this will be my last calving post of this year. I'll be back to inform y'all about cattle drives, but thanks so much for following along on our annual baby adventures.

04/19/2026

Week 6 Done! Snow, sun, 2 brandings, and more twins (we have now had 11 sets for the year!). Birthing has slowed down, all night check is done, and while we're still super busy, it's not quite as intense as it was.

04/12/2026

Week 5 Done! Whew.

04/05/2026

Week 4 Done! Lots of babies, lots of cutting pairs, one full day of glorious rain, and one April Fool's joke. The cows and calves feel better now that it's cooled off a bit...and we do too. Snow returned to the high country, and while it's still not enough, we'll take it! More of the same expected next week...cows, cutting, weather...we might have to do something onery just to keep everyone on their toes. But for now, we'll just keep on keepin' on.

03/29/2026

Week 3 done! We have enough calves on the ground, and they're getting strong, so it's time to start moving pairs into a different pasture. Most of the time it's done slowly, but as the cows and calves get bigger, it sometimes speeds up. Births have not slowed down, but the warm weather makes this part of our life easier. There's supposed to be storms next week, and it will be a shock to all of us (cows included), but we need the moisture so much it will be a blessing for sure!

03/22/2026

Week 2 done! It's been quite a week!! With the mild winter, we were expecting to assist lots of births. What has totally caught us off guard is twins. So far, we've had 5 sets of twins, which is very unusual for us. Normally, if we have a lot of twins, it's usually one specific sire. These are coming from all different genetics...so we're blaming the weather...of course!! Our big cows have picked up some speed the last couple of days, so we're expecting a baby explosion next week. For now, we'll just keep on, keepin' on.

03/15/2026

Ready or not, here it comes! Week 1 came early this year, and we're already off and running. While the high country is melting out and fixing to be a scary summer, you just can't beat calving on dry warm ground. Most of the cows have come home, and after an initial scramble, we're ready to rock and roll. We'll get the rest of the cows next week and by the looks of things, we're gonna have lots and lots of calves coming.

11/13/2025

Good Morning Highway 135 Travelers!! This Saturday, November 15, 2025 we will be going down the road with our last big bunch of cows. Look for us from 10:30 am - 1 pm heading south from mile marker 22 (above Slate river crossing) to mile marker 17 (Danni Ranch). This is gonna be a big one, but it’s only cows, so they should scoot. Thanks for all your patience and love throughout this past year. As always, slow down, be safe, and enjoy the ride!