My name is Don Ashford and my wife is Betty and we live in Ethel, LA.
It would be impossible for me to write a bio about myself without including Betty in it. We have been together since high school. I was in the senior class of 1955 and she was in the class of 1957. Do the math. We have raised cattle since 1959 except for a little time that I spent with Uncle Sam.
We have grazed stockers, owned several cow- calf herds and custom grazed cattle for other folks. I worked as a pipefitter for more than 25 years. Until we went into the dairy business in 1977 we were as most people down here part-timers or week-end ranchers. Later after we had learned enough about MIG to talk about it so that it would be understood by others we put together a pasture-walk group to introduce it to our friends and neighbors. We belong to more farm groups then we probably should but we get great joy working with other people. What makes us most proud are our son and daughter, our 5 grandkids and our 7 great-grand kids. It has been a hell of a trip so far, but we are not done yet.
Don, great article. You hit the nail on the head. We as humans embrace tools that are supposed to make our lives easier. It also makes our pocketbooks lighter! Our livestock don’t need all these things to make a living for us.
Don, great article. You hit the nail on the head. We as humans embrace tools that are supposed to make our lives easier. It also makes our pocketbooks lighter! Our livestock don’t need all these things to make a living for us.