While I am not a certified therapist in any discipline, I do have 30+ years hiring, utilizing, planning and coordinating with therapists including: music, massage, speech, rec, PT/OT, hippo, mental health, physician consultation, neurology consultation and educational ARDs/IEPs. My active involvement with theses professional combined with the practical experience gained as a primary care giver […]
The herd stands at 31 cattle including 3 bulls, 18 cows and 10 calves. We are currently in our active breeding season where we expect our cows and heifers of age are exposed to the bulls. We know one of our Wagyu heifers is pregnant and due in November 2024 and one of the HICO […]
From Jefferson We got a call from the Texarkana sale barn that some registered longhorns were arriving. Mike asked if I wanted to buy them. My answer was obviously yes; but, I was in Dallas at the time of the sale. Mike accommodated me as a proxy bidder while I was on the telephone listening […]
Making hay is the foundation for breeding cattle. Grass fed beef requires good grass year round. While we are still in the planning and design phase for our pasture conservation and rotation management plan, we hope to work collaboratively with NRCS EQUIP to cross fence the pastures, develop controlled access points to the ponds, and […]
At the end of most days we sit down, light a camp fire and wait for the painted sky to appear. Never are two evenings the same and throughout the year we can see the angle of the view change as the sunset moves from the left to the right from winter into summer and […]
Our Registered Texas Longhorn breeding program has 3 objectives: Chronological calf production: March 4, 2023 – Linebacker is “springing” but having great difficulty delivering the calf. Eventually, we had to hire some cowboys with horses to rope her to allow me to pull the calf. Unfortunately, this being the first cow to deliver a calf […]
Weather has to be one of the most fascinating observations we can experience as humans situated on this rock hurling through space. Unless you are looking at the sky when the event occurs it is easy to miss some of the most spectacular displays of color, power and glory. Many times the right moment to […]
On the farm we call it the Taj Mahal chicken coop. This coop started from a welded pipe structure we found deep in the trees that lined the seasonal creek crossing the farm. This 10’x10′ structure just seemed right to serve as the base for what is now home to our flock of chickens. Once […]
Member, Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America TLBAA # 88189 Our registered Texas longhorn herd began on January 13, 2023 with the rescue of 5 emaciated cows. Honestly, we were unsure if any of these animals would survive the trip to the farm. After months of feed, care and prayer, all 5 cows gained weight […]
The two of the first three high tunnels have been constructed using a wonderful all metal solution manufactured by Zimmerman’s Welding in Missouri. https://zimmermanshightunnels.com/ This project was partially funded through the NRCS. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-initiatives/eqip-environmental-quality-incentives https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/EQIP-fact-sheet.pdf Each high-top tunnel is 24’x68′ with 8′ drop-down sidewalls providing 1620 sq. ft. of interior planting space. At times I have […]
Black Forest Reserve Cattle Company, AWA Member I.D. NO. 5891, Henry A. Thomas, Breeder/Farmer Our Wagyu beef program began May 31, 2024 with the purchase of 1 bull, 1 cow/calf pair, and 1 bred heifer. We greatly w-appreciate Simon and Yancey of the renowned V&H Ranch near Jacksboro, Texas in making it possible to add […]
From the beginning our plan was to build infrastructure to support all aspects of the farming and ranching aspects of the operations. Buying a 85 year old farm house meant that much work would be required to rewire and upgrade and convert the electrical systems to solar capabilities. Obviously, integrating new technology into original electrical […]
Our equine members of the farm began when Johnny the donkey came to us from Stephanie. Next came Jack, a wonderful former rodeo horse, which was a gift to the farm from national rodeo champion Tuffy Williams. Later, we acquired a pretty paint horse we named Trigger. Having these animals on the farm meant we […]
Everything at the farm needs a cover from the elements. We started with the original 30 acres, an 85 year old farm house, a pavilion and a barn. We needed a cover for both tractors and trailers when storing materials for the various projects under construction. Locals suggested that we check out the farm auction […]
In Texas, water is arguably the most important resource to have and manage. The farm had one 1/2 acre pond situated near the original farm house. Knowing that more water would be needed to develop other parts of our vision for the farm, we started to walk the pastures to understand how water drained after […]
When Taylor was young and still not able to walk, recommendations poured in from many suggesting we enroll her in hippotherapy (horse therapy) which we did. For serval years she regularly rode at Equest, then Spirit Horse and then Mane Gait. Until the pandemic shut down all services, horse back riding and music therapy were […]
As an engineer, and a beginning farmer, I often times find myself pondering one of these questions: When we first arrived we did not have many tools that would handle the tasks around the farm. Yes, we brought all the tools in the garage in the city; but, we quickly learned that home improvement tools […]