Our neighbor, Bob, has been keeping a bull on the farm for several months now. He came by last Wednesday to ask if we would be up for a slaughtering this weekend. So Bob and his wife, six men, one woman and three children show up for the event. The bull is cornered, shot behind the ear, and the throat is cut. It was a crazy few minutes! One man stands on the stomach to help the blood move out. The bull is then hooked to the tracter and pulled a few feet to lay out under a tree. The lower half is skinned and a very large stick is placed between the back two legs. A rope is then tied on each leg, thrown over a sturdy branch and hooked to the back of the tractor. The tracter pulls forward and the bull moves up, up, up then CRASH! the rope snaps and it comes thudding down on its head. Woops!

A new, stronger rope is found and attempt number two is a success. With the bull hanging it is easy to get the rest of him skinned and gutted. You have never seen such a huge gut! It must have weighed a couple hundred pounds. Next a skill saw was used to cut through the bones, leaving two halves hanging. A tarp was spread in the back of a pickup, and the halves lowered down, quarted and divied among the helpers. Everyone washed their hands and headed out with a big bag of fresh grass-fed beef! Yum Yum!