04 Apr 2026 Faith, family and hard work

Posted at 6:54 PMh in Features by

By Phyllis Ormsby

While some capture the spirit of the West through a lens, others live it every day. Megan and Seth Caldwell of Union Rock Cattle Co. in Rose Bud find blessings in their work, and there might be a little mud and manure mixed in, too. These young ranchers are quick to tell you, though, that when the work is hard, the blessings are big.

Megan and Seth Caldwell of Rose Bud are raising their sons on land his family has owned for nearly 100 years. Their young sons (Brecken, Byson and Monte Blu) are growing up on a 3,000-acre working ranch. In May, the Caldwells will host their second annual calf branding event for friends and neighbors. Last year, it took two days of hard work, fellowship and laughter to brand 200 calves with the Union Rock Cattle Co. brand. They want to create an experience where ranchers help one another and make memories that last a lifetime.

Seth is a fifth-generation rancher operating on land his family has had for about 100 years. “This all got started back in the ’30s,” he said. The family raised cotton and other crops, transitioned into dairy cows, then into beef cows, and along the way started producing eggs. In the early 1970s, Seth’s great-grandfather Bill was into Black Baldies and Brangus cattle. Today, they focus on purebred Brangus and breeding for carcass merit.

He grew up spending a lot of time at his great-grandfather’s house in Rose Bud, sleeping overnight on a pallet and going to eat breakfast at what used to be the Conoco with all the older men from the community. Today, he and Megan live in that same house where they are raising their three sons, twins Brecken and Byson, 6, and Monte Blu, 3. “There were a lot of memories in that house and we were blessed to be able to buy it,” Seth said.

The biggest blessing of all, they said, is getting to raise their boys on the ranch. “I couldn’t have asked for any better way to raise boys,” Megan said. “They never sit still so we’re always out doing and going. From farming to raising animals, raising my boys in this way of life is something I could have never dreamed of. Ranch life is a great way to raise good people.”

“Kids get so much more exposure to things, real-life problems, birth and death,” Seth said. “You learn about love and beauty and peace. I think it’s the way God intended it. We’re just being a part of nature, and I think raising kids in that, well, there’s no better way to do it. You won’t find harder-working or better kids than kids raised in that atmosphere. I think that’s something to be really thankful for, when your kids know how to work and act and how to live and know God and family are the most important things.” 

“This lifestyle isn’t just about animals,” Megan said “It’s about beliefs and values passed down through generations. Ensuring things are left better for those yet to come. It’s all about the legacy.”

Ranching may look glamorous in TV shows and movies, but the reality is that the work never stops and it often involves blood and sweat, mud and manure. There’s a total of about 3,000 cows, calves and bulls on about 3,000 acres that the ranch owns, plus another 3,000 acres that are leased. The cattle are usually worked off horseback and every single cow is dewormed and vaccinated twice a year. Then there’s calving season and breeding season, not to mention tending to pastures, growing and cutting hay and all the fences that require constant monitoring and repair.

All of this has always been normal life for Seth, but Megan had never been around livestock until she was a junior at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. She came there on a track scholarship after growing up outside of Chicago. “There was no land or livestock around,” she said. “My first rural experience was coming to Fayetteville. I grew up doing sports and that’s all I knew.” 

After two years of not having a declared major, she signed up for an animal science class, met Seth and then fell in love with horses. She had 16 years of gymnastics under her belt and was drawn to trick riding and later to Roman riding. In 2014, Megan sent in a video application to be a flag girl, one of an elite team of 21 skilled horsewomen who perform during the 10-day Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. At the time, she said, she had no idea what the NFR was, but she fell in love with rodeo and to date has performed there five times – once while pregnant. “I love all the aspects of behind the scenes, getting to be part of the biggest rodeo there is. I just got the right opportunities. The connections and the friendships I’ve made have been incredible,” Megan said.

Last May, the Caldwells decided to host a calf branding at their ranch. Friends and neighbors came over for two days of hard work, fellowship and lots of laughter. At the end of it all, 200 calves wore the Union Rock brand, but that’s not the only reason for the gathering. “It’s important to have your brand on them but that’s not what I was trying to accomplish. It was more about the family side of things, the legacy,” Seth said. “The calves having a brand on them and having smoke in your face was just extra. We just wanted to create an opportunity for our family and friends to get together and spend time together. To come to a place and learn and have fun and make memories to last a lifetime.”

“I’ve only seen these branding events on TV shows,” said Megan. “Our vision, our goal, was to put together something people could look forward to every year, make a memory.” The event must have been a hit, because their second annual branding is set for this May, one more opportunity to make lifetime memories for their boys, the Caldwells said.

“What we do is not just a weekend hobby, it’s a way of life,” Seth said. “It’s the stuff that people don’t see at 2 or 3 in the morning when we’re pulling a backwards calf out of a first-time heifer. Once you’ve been a part of it, it’s just what you want to do. There’s nothing in this world I’d rather do than what I’m doing now.”