Head Cowboss & Beef Industry Enthusiast
“If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life” This quote rings true for Sam Swanson and her career in the beef industry. Sam has a big heart for the beef industry and she started chasing those dreams early in her career. I follow Sam on social media and was intrigued by her story and the beautiful images she shares of the western lifestyle, so I asked her a few questions about what she does and why she does it.
How would describe your role in the beef industry?
My role in the beef industry is a mixture of a little bit of everything! I feed cattle at the feedlot every day and when I’m not doing that, I’m helping with calving, treating sick/lame calves, processing and working cattle, branding calves, reading cattle and everything in between! I help on the farming side a little as well and that includes baling, driving grain cart, and grinding corn!
What different roles have you held in the beef industry?
Some different roles I’ve held in the beef industry are that I used to work at the vet clinic for a few years mainly with the large animal side of things so I’ve been involved with everything from C-Sections to semen testing to simple things like broken bones, and preg checking! I also helped at the sale barn where we did a lot of ultra-sounding and sorting! I grew up with this background and helped my brother-in-law and his family along with local ranchers doing work with livestock, too!
What draws you to the work that you do?
What draws me to the work that I do is that there’s always something to be done and every day is something different. It’s also very rewarding when you see good results! Seeing progress and gains in cattle also makes you want to keep going, keep doing better, and keep getting better. Taking pictures was just fun for me because I love what I do and just thought it was cool to be able to look back and be able to see the pretty scenery or the cattle and horses because they are a big part of my life! When I realized other people liked them too and loved to see what we do every day, I decided to make a page for fun so everyone could enjoy my pictures as much as I do!
What's your favorite part about what you do?
My favorite part about my job is that it doesn’t really feel like a job. When you do what you love every day, it isn’t really work. Another thing I enjoy is being able to physically see the progress and gain in the cattle and to see what you have done, as a cattle feeder, to get them where they’re at and realizing that YOU are the reason they are healthy and on the right track! Also, being able to read cattle is an amazing skill to have and I love being able to tell when something isn’t quite right. You really have to use your head and make the right decisions to do what’s best for the cattle and the operation which can be a challenge but keeps things exciting. I like knowing that I’m part of an operation that trusts me and relies on me to make these important decisions! Being able to go from feeding to calving to farming is also one my favorite things because I get to learn more and expand my knowledge in different settings.
Who in the industry do you look up to as a mentor?
I look up to all of my bosses because they have taught me SO much about so many different things in the cattle industry. They can answer about any question I have whether its farming, feeding, working cattle, or riding horse and they make sure I understand whats going on and allow me to make decisions as well. They are very successful people and have worked very hard to get where they are at. My brother-in-law is also a big one because he has been there since I was young teaching me things from roping and riding to running a chute and tagging calves! They all encourage me and test my patience but I’m very thankful for them because I wouldn’t be where I am today without them! I have so many great mentors and people that I can rely on!
What’s your wish for the future of the beef industry?
My future wish is that people will learn how important this industry is to the world. I hope that we can inform people and the youth on how the beef industry needs support and how fortunate people really are to have us, hard-working people, putting food on their table. I really hope my pictures show the beauty and happiness in the people and livestock and gets positivity out there because I know some people look at it in a negative way. I also hope prices go back to normal for everyone’s sake.
It is evident that Sam is going to be a key player in making the future of our industry bright. Follow along with Sam on her Instagram page @headcowboss.
