Rocco Wachman

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Does it surprise you to know that Rocco has a book out on how to be a cowboy? Well, it shouldn’t. As Rocco himself says in Cowboy, cowboys are savy businessmen. “Ranching is all about raising cattle—from insemination to birth to the time they’re sold at market. In theory it’s simple. But when it comes to running a ranching operation, the strategy and management necessary to turn a profit are anything but elementary, and they certainly aren’t for the faint of heart. There are horses and cattle, branding and calving, the commodities market, conservation, and stewardship. The smallest details can mean the difference between life and death and riches and poverty.”

Some other Roccoisms:

A Western offense: “Never ask a rancher how many head of cattle he owns. That’s like asking a person how much money he has in the bank.”

Don’t look back: “In the Old West, when strangers passed each other on the trail, they never turned around to look at one another after passing. To do so was considered cowardly and an insult if either stranger turned out to be a good man. The same rule applies today.”

Cowboy trivia: “Those who headed west to work cattle were male, typically thirteen to eighteen years old, of European descent, and, on many ranches, required to be single.”

Cowboy chow: “When dining on steak, cowboys go for bone-in rib eyes and New York strips, always prime or choice grades, that are fried in a cast-iron skillet. The bone imparts added flavor to the end product, and the skillet allows the beef to bathe in its delicious juices while cooking—both adding tremendously to the cowboy’s eating experience.”

The hat: “Black hats are not reserved for the bad guys, and lighter-colored hats not for the good. The truth is that many cowboys wear black hats in the colder months because the color more easily absorbs heat from the sun. And in the hotter months, many cowboys don a lighter silverbelly-colored hat because it more readily reflects the heat from the sun.”

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