54 NEBRASKAland • APRIL 2017
year, the Mundorfs have made it a
custom to thank family and neighbors
by hosting a large feast in their barn.
It was complete with all the smoked
meats, pies and sweet tea a person
could eat and drink.
"We've all been real busy calving
over these last few months, but we do
like to put together these social events.
It's good food. It's good people – even
strangers who wander in from the
Cowboy Trail," Mundorf said in jest.
But the work doesn't stop there.
While idyllic, ranching is no
distraction. Country life is no utopia.
Life and death, profit and loss,
consumption and provision – ranching
is instead a reminder of older realities
deeply rooted in human experience.
Animal husbandry is a job that
calls 24/7. Nursing, land management,
plumbing, fixing machinery, carpentry,
business management and knowledge
of farming are just some general skills
that a rancher must know. All the
while, disease, bad weather and the
daily events of living on the prairie are
as fickle today as they have ever been.
Yet despite the early mornings,
the long days, the wear and tear on
bodies that don't get any younger,
and at times, heartache, there is joy in
the devotion to raising and nurturing
animals. There is pride in producing
the best product possible.
In Nebraska's 150th year, the
cowboy is still very much alive. ■
The author thanks Mark and
Dedra Stoner of Wood Lake for their
direction. Thank you to Joe Mundorf,
his family and neighbors for their
hospitality, awesome smoked brisket
and peach pie.
