Branding: Part work, part play, all chaos

With the sun struggling to break through the thick overcast hovering above the Salsipuedes Ranch near Jalama Beach on a recent morning, cowhands readied horses and equipment as hundreds of nervous calves and their mothers mooed and moaned in a nearby paddock. The Buellton-based Williams family, a long-time mainstay in the Central Coast’s ranching community, met with friends and relatives for a day of cattle branding — a ranching tradition that is part work, part social gathering and 100 percent controlled chaos. “We want experienced people out here working with us, because this can be dangerous work,” said Jerry Williams. “Our biggest thing is safety, especially for the people working on the ground with the calves.” Armed with large needles, cowgirls injected each secured calf with vaccines and wormer. The team quickly castrated each bull calf, then applied an ear tag and the Williams’ brand with lightning fast speed before the slackening the ropes and allowing the calf to spring back up in search of its mother. The entire process lasted a minute and a half or less for each animal...more