Pedro Altube – “God took away for us, but God will give it back to us. We will do better the second time and in a few years, we will be worth a million pesos.”
As I sit down to write my monthly article it seems that winter is losing its grip. Days are getting longer and warmer. Spring is on the horizon. Traveling around the state and talking to other ranchers I think that this has been so far a perfect “tailor made” winter for Nevada. Plenty of snow up high, plenty of mud down low, not too warm, not too cold and the cattle market is strong. There are a lot of ranchers, me included, that will never forget the winter we put in last year.
It amazes me how Nevada and the Great Basin can be so harsh but then be so perfect within the span of two years. This brings me to Pedro Altube!
If you don’t know who Pedro is, shame on you. He was full Basque, born in Spain in 1831, then migrated to the United States as a young man. Look up his history, it’s worth the read. He is one of my personal heroes. His positive attitude, sense of resiliency, and thirst for adventure truly defines and embodies our culture and spirit in the Great Basin.
Pedro made the quote above after the devastating winter of 1889 -1890 (much like last year’s winter in my mind). After that winter he was all but wiped out, but he borrowed money, bought cattle in Idaho to stock the ranch and kept building his operation into what is known as the massive Spanish Ranch today. The pure grit and heart that it took to build what Pedro achieved is still alive 140 years later in our industry. As we build back after three years of terrible drought, bad cattle markets, and one incredibly harsh winter the future looks bright to me! At times in life I think it is necessary to have our faith, grit, and resolve tested to build our character, but as Pedro said, “God will give back.” So enjoy the now because I feel that this is one of those times of “God giving back to us”.
This brings me to my second favorite Pedro quote: “Hey my friend, have a drink with me”. I think that’s enough typing for me, I’m off to mix up a Picon! Salut’e – to my resilient friends!
Hanes Holman | President, NCA