50 NEBRASKAland • APRIL 2017
Left: Born in late February,
the calves are about two
months old at the branding.
Top: A small group of
riders is always a step
ahead to separate the
calves from their mothers
before the second group,
responsible for roping,
branding, castrating and
vaccinating, arrive.
At the Mundorf branding in April
last year, one spectator commented that
it was the most amazing branding he's
ever seen. What seemed like a flurry
of horses and bodies turned into an
astounding effort by over 150 family
members, friends and neighbors who
came together to process 850 young
Angus cattle within just four hours.
Seasoned old timers, wiry high
school students, young riders learning
the ropes alongside their mothers and
fathers, and parents with wide-eyed
toddlers were all there to round up,
wrestle, rope, brand, castrate and
vaccinate calves. It was as though the
whole of Cherry County was out to
kick off the season. Many of these
families go to as many as 15 brandings
per year, and the Mundorf branding is
one of the first.
"There are about 30 people here that
I don't even know," said Joe Mundorf
with a gentle laugh. "I couldn't tell
