Roundup time on a cattle ranch

Most cattle ranches in America are small to medium in size, but a few, mostly those west of the Mississippi, are sprawling operations incorporating thousands of head and tens of thousands of acres.

Since the 7S is a cow-calf operation, preparing the calves for their ultimate destination of the slaughter house is the purpose of the branding. Beside marking the 90-day-old critters, they're vaccinated and the bull calves are castrated. A year to 14 months later, they'll be ready for the feed lots and then off to the slaughter house.

In this slide show installment, images of the 7S roundup give an idea of the process, from rounding up the herd to working the individual stock. This is a ranching exercise that has largely remained upchanged since the beginning of the American cowboy 130 years ago.

Go to the slide show!