Joseph Burdulinski hasn’t been able to use his “Old Glory” Batwing® cutter as much as he’d hoped due to the drought, but it has already been a huge boost to his burgeoning hay operation.
Burdulinski, a native of Chicago, bought a 35-acre ranch outside of Lott, Texas, in 2020 after he retired as a Sergeant 1st Class in the U.S. Army. A Purple Heart recipient, he served in the infantry and was deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait and South Korea during his 15 years in the Army.
His ranch, Cross Rifle Ranch LLC, is named for his military operation skill (MOS) as an 11 Bravo in the Army.
Burdulinski’s last assignment, at Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos) in Texas, placed him in proximity to Lott, where he moved after medically retiring.
Starting with Cattle
He bought Angus beef cattle in December 2019 and the ranch in June 2020.
“I started the beef cattle operation with five head and it has grown substantially through the years,” he said. “I raised 35 head of cattle, sold 14 and butchered five.
“I believe in and will implement regenerative agriculture practices to help with the viability and sustainability of our natural resources. I expanded the business and now produce square and round bales for others. I offer other agricultural services such as shredding, seeding (oats, rye, etc.), and broadcasting granular and more.”
He grows Coastal Bermuda during the summer and rye and oats for the winter on the 35 acres.
“I enjoy spending time watching the cattle and hay grow, producing very nice hay fields,” Burdulinski said.
Growing Up With Ag
“Agriculture is a part of my childhood,” he wrote in his Fellowship Fund application. “My mother taught how to start seeds and transplant them into our garden. My father was a produce manager for 40-plus years. He would bring me to work with him on Saturdays.
“I saw how passionate my father was about his work, which led me to continue and acquire my own passion for agriculture.”
In 2022, he was awarded a $1,000 grant from Battle Ground to Breaking Ground, which helped pay for a cattle scale.
Because of growing hay on this ranch, he applied for FVC’s Fellowship Fund in 2023 and was blown away about receiving the “Old Glory” Batwing® cutter from Woods Equipment. The machine is decked out with the colors of the American flag.
“It was a tremendous opportunity to include the publicity of receiving the Batwing from Woods and the Farmer Veteran Coalition due to the Fellowship Fund,” he said. “I immediately put it to the test within 24 hours.
“The machine was battle-tested and proven to be one beast of a machine. Unfortunately, with the drought this year there was not much work after that. This does help to extend the services provided.”
His ranch is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CROSSRIFLERANCH
