https://ranchwell.org/ Practical ranch safety, health, and operational intelligence built from real livestock work and current field guidance. https://ranchwell.org/articles/flywheel-2026-05-06-7061-the-key-in-the-pocket-and-the-sweep-outside/https://ranchwell.org/articles/flywheel-2026-05-06-7061-the-key-in-the-pocket-and-the-sweep-outside/Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTWe were leaning against the counter at the feed store off the highway last Tuesday, watching the dust settle on the parking lot while we waited for the truck to finish loading. The coffee was hot, and the... https://ranchwell.org/articles/flywheel-2026-05-05-6798-the-tuesday-to-friday-drift/https://ranchwell.org/articles/flywheel-2026-05-05-6798-the-tuesday-to-friday-drift/Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTWe were standing by the coffee pot at the sale barn in Garfield County, thawing out our fingers against the ceramic mugs while waiting for the auction ring to start. It was a cold Thursday morning, the kind... https://ranchwell.org/articles/flywheel-2026-05-04-6538-the-quarter-in-the-pocket-and-the-saw-in-the-hand/https://ranchwell.org/articles/flywheel-2026-05-04-6538-the-quarter-in-the-pocket-and-the-saw-in-the-hand/Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTWe were standing by the coffee pot at the feed store in Montague County, thawing out our fingers against the ceramic mugs, when one of our ranching friends leaned against the counter and started talking about his winter... https://ranchwell.org/articles/flywheel-2026-05-03-6425-the-empty-bucket-trap-why-gentle-ground-can-fool-you/https://ranchwell.org/articles/flywheel-2026-05-03-6425-the-empty-bucket-trap-why-gentle-ground-can-fool-you/Sun, 03 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTWhere We Were Standing We were leaning against the front fender of a pickup outside the feed store in Stephens County, watching the dust settle after a morning rush. It wasn't a serious conversation, just the kind you... https://ranchwell.org/articles/flywheel-2026-05-02-5914-the-5-am-slick-why-dawn-loading-injuries-spike/https://ranchwell.org/articles/flywheel-2026-05-02-5914-the-5-am-slick-why-dawn-loading-injuries-spike/Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe Coffee Pot Report We heard this one over the coffee pot at the feed store in Coleman, just as the sun was thinking about coming up. The air inside smelled like diesel and molasses feed, the kind... https://ranchwell.org/articles/flywheel-2026-05-01-5812-when-the-routine-gets-too-smooth-a-lesson-from-the-chute/https://ranchwell.org/articles/flywheel-2026-05-01-5812-when-the-routine-gets-too-smooth-a-lesson-from-the-chute/Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTThe coffee pot at the feed store was nearly empty, just enough left to wet the bottom of a mug, when one of our ranching friends in Cottle County leaned in over the counter. It was that time... https://ranchwell.org/articles/flywheel-2026-04-30-5534-the-ghost-miles-what-we-re-really-paying-for-on-the-morning-check/https://ranchwell.org/articles/flywheel-2026-04-30-5534-the-ghost-miles-what-we-re-really-paying-for-on-the-morning-check/Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTCoffee at the Feed Store: A Friend's Hard-Won Math We were gathered around the coffee pot at the feed store in Karnes County last week, the kind of morning where the steam rises off the cups faster than... https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-29-the-old-anthrax-map-is-not-the-anthrax-plan/https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-29-the-old-anthrax-map-is-not-the-anthrax-plan/Wed, 29 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne of our ranching friends in the Panhandle said the dangerous sentence on a ranch is sometimes: "That is not really anthrax country." Not because the old Texas anthrax map is fake. It is not. Because a map... https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-28-the-wound-shelf-needs-a-permission-line/https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-28-the-wound-shelf-needs-a-permission-line/Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne of our ranching friends in South Texas said something this week that felt more useful than fancy. He said the most dangerous sentence in the medicine room right now might be: "We've got something for that." Because... https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-28-the-rodent-line-is-part-of-the-water-plan-now/https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-28-the-rodent-line-is-part-of-the-water-plan-now/Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne of our ranching friends in Jackson County said the part people miss after a wet spell is usually not the puddle they can see. It is the traffic they cannot. The rat under the pallet. The mouse... https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-28-the-poor-doing-calf-needs-a-bvd-question/https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-28-the-poor-doing-calf-needs-a-bvd-question/Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne of our ranching friends in Lavaca County said the calf that scares him most is not always the one that goes down hard. It is the one that just never quite gets right. The calf that hangs... https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-28-the-night-low-belongs-on-the-cattle-board/https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-28-the-night-low-belongs-on-the-cattle-board/Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne of our ranching friends in Lavaca County said the weather number he trusts most in a hot spell is not the daytime high. It is the low. Not because the high does not matter. It does. But... https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-28-the-herd-is-part-of-the-fire-plan-before-the-smoke/https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-28-the-herd-is-part-of-the-fire-plan-before-the-smoke/Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne of our ranching friends in Brown County said the part that changed for him was not the fire truck. It was the grass. He quit looking at a rank, cured pasture as only next month's feed. He... https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-28-the-first-screwworm-signal-might-not-come-through-the-chute/https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-28-the-first-screwworm-signal-might-not-come-through-the-chute/Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne of our ranching friends in Hidalgo County said it plain: "The deer do not read the fence." That sounds obvious. But it is one of the sharper livestock-safety thoughts in Texas right now. Because one of the... https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-28-the-destination-call-belongs-before-the-gather/https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-28-the-destination-call-belongs-before-the-gather/Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne of our ranching friends in Webb County said the worst part was not the loading. It was finding out too late that the destination had changed the rules. The cattle were already gathered. The trailer was already... https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-28-the-dead-animal-is-not-a-cleanup-chore-anymore/https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-28-the-dead-animal-is-not-a-cleanup-chore-anymore/Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne of our ranching friends in Sutton County said the old ranch reflex still shows up fast when something is found dead. Get the loader. Get it moved. Get the mess handled before the rest of the day... https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-28-the-calving-kit-needs-a-lab-side/https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-28-the-calving-kit-needs-a-lab-side/Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne of our ranching friends in Gonzales County said something this spring that felt worth keeping. He said a lot of abortion and stillbirth scenes on real ranches still get treated like one job: clean it up. Get... https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-28-the-calf-day-now-has-two-wound-lists/https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-28-the-calf-day-now-has-two-wound-lists/Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne of our ranching friends in South Texas said the part that changed for him this spring was not the branding iron. It was the bandaids. Not because anybody had a wreck. Because he caught himself looking at... https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-27-the-weather-window-is-part-of-the-anthrax-plan/https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-27-the-weather-window-is-part-of-the-anthrax-plan/Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne of our ranching friends in Val Verde County said the hard part about anthrax country is that the ranch can feel normal right up until it does not. That felt worth keeping. Because one of the more... https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-27-the-unknown-cow-does-not-start-at-the-home-trough/https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-27-the-unknown-cow-does-not-start-at-the-home-trough/Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne of our ranching friends in Lavaca County said the easiest mistake after catching a loose cow is the kind that feels polite. Get her stopped. Get her shut in. Give her some water. Let everybody calm down... https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-27-the-trailer-is-not-ready-just-because-it-is-empty/https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-27-the-trailer-is-not-ready-just-because-it-is-empty/Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne of our ranching friends in Lavaca County said the easy mistake is thinking the trailer job ends when the back gate shuts. Cattle unloaded. Chain hooked. Lights checked. Head home. That used to sound like the end... https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-27-the-tiny-leak-is-not-a-small-job/https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-27-the-tiny-leak-is-not-a-small-job/Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne of our ranching friends in Lavaca County said the sentence he trusts least this time of year is: "It is just a little hydraulic leak." That felt worth passing around. Because on a lot of places, that... https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-27-the-sore-mouth-is-a-movement-question-first/https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-27-the-sore-mouth-is-a-movement-question-first/Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne of our ranching friends in South Texas said the dangerous part of a sore mouth is not always the sore. It is what everybody wants to do next. Catch her. Doctor her. Load around her. Move the... https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-27-the-second-touch-is-costing-too-much/https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-27-the-second-touch-is-costing-too-much/Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne of our ranching friends in DeWitt County said the first pass is not always the one that gets people in trouble anymore. It is the second touch. The re-sort because the gate setup was wrong. The re-load... https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-27-the-ranch-cannot-be-learning-procedures-in-the-alley/https://ranchwell.org/articles/codex1hr-2026-04-27-the-ranch-cannot-be-learning-procedures-in-the-alley/Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTOne of our ranching friends out toward the South Texas brush said something this month that stuck. He said the dangerous part was no longer only the emergency. He said the dangerous part was when the ranch started...