Thankful Thursday – North Dakota

Posted on November 3, 2011 by wagfarms

What? I’m thankful for the state I live in? Really? You betcha!

Yesterday North Dakota (and to be fair, South Dakota) celebrated their “birthdays,” or the day that they were signed into the union. And although I complain about the 40 below temps, 100 inches plus of snow and other wonderful issues that come with winter, I truly love my state.

First of all, we have a budget surplus. For those that don’t understand what that means, it means that we take in more money than we spend. Shocking. I know.

Second, we have more jobs than we have people to work. No, this doesn’t mean we have NO unemployed people, but there are definitely employment opportunities that are open, for many, many people. The key would be work ethic, responsibility and eagerness to actually work. It’s part of the reason that while much of the country is slipping backwards, we’re actually looking to the future and planning ahead. Another shocker. I know.

Third, I feel safe where I live. Now, that’s not to say that there aren’t dangerous areas in ND, but right now, we’ve got it pretty good. And if you come in my yard, let me warn you that my two black labs will lick you to death if you’re friendly, but harass us, and they’re on their guard. And I hunt…if you get what I mean.

Our new puppy, Maggie, and our old foster-dog, Junior.

Fourth, I know my neighbors. Sometimes that’s not such a good thing, but for the most part, I feel blessed to know that if my kids are doing something they shouldn’t be, someone will tell me. It used to drive me nuts as a child, now I dig it.

Speaking of digging. Did I mention snow?

Now THAT's a snow bank!

Once upon a time, I tried to escape ND. I thought it was a mind-suck and a place that people came to die. I despised it, and everything it stood for. Thanks be to God that those times came and went quickly! I love my rural life, I love my prairie-dwelling companions and I wouldn’t trade it for the world…well, except for maybe a week or two.

Love sundogs and sunsets on the prairie!

Harvest 2011 in the Books

Posted on October 29, 2011 by wagfarms

Yep, we’re done. What a relief! And can I tell you, this is the earliest we’ve been done with harvest in YEARS! Yay!

Yesterday I shot a few pictures…but I didn’t get there in time to get some of the shots I was dreaming of in my head. But this is my favorite from the day:

Waiting his turn.

I love seeing the excitement and joy in EJ’s eyes as he watches his dad and grandpa work. Out of all the boys, he has the most intense desire and connection to the farm…and he’s 4. He can tell you who owns what equipment, what it is and what his crops are (by the way, the little bales are his, and the big bales are his dad’s, just the same, the calves are all his, and the cows are dad’s). He knows how to get to each field, where he can and cannot go on the farm, and can sit in a tractor for a 12-hour day and not complain. Yet, he has no desire to write his numbers (I know he knows them, because he can read the numbers on a tractor), repeat the alphabet and switches colors at will (but will correct you with tractor colors). Yes, he will truly be a handful.

I’m hoping his stubborn streak changes by this spring…or else his kindergarten teacher will have to be creative in convincing him to share!

Farm Like a Girl

Posted on October 24, 2011 by wagfarms

I have been anxious to share this post with you for quite a few weeks now. And the funny thing is, I can’t wait to show off more once winter is actually here!

What am I talking about?

Well, thanks to my friends at The Real Farmwives of America, I was hooked up with some awesome Carhartt bibs. When I picked out my bibs, I felt like the luckiest woman alive. I’d been contemplating ordering a pair, because last winter I used a pair of my husband’s…and let me tell you what, they are NOT made the same!

My hubby’s coveralls were baggy on the bottom, tight across the top and difficult for me to move in. My new ones fit me like a glove, and the best part yet? They’re PURPLE! No more worrying about grabbing the wrong pair, one of the boys taking off with them, or Boss Man slipping them on because they’re handy! 🙂 Yay!

This winter, I’ll be putting these bibs through their paces, checking cows during snow storms, like I did in this video:

But for now, I used them for a variety of tasks. Like:

1) Driving truck during silage cutting.

EJ was my silage truck partner. He had to wear his bibs too!

My 4-year-old photographer...didn't do too bad!

Dumping the chopped up corn (silage). It'll be packed down in a pile, covered, and used later this winter for feed for our cattle.

Sometimes the waiting during silage season can be a bit boring. Thankfully my phone kept me up-to-date on the progress being made and where I was needed.

2) My hubby’s idea of an early-morning, marital-relationship-building-exercise…AKA covering the silage pile.

My husband's comment when I asked him to take a picture of us working? "If I take the picture of you, won't they wonder why I'm not working too?"

The best part of this yearly routine was the beautiful sunrise I was able to take in:

Another beautiful fall morning.

3) And don’t forget, the ever-wonderful job of spraying out the horsetrailer after hauling the cows and calves home from weaning!

It's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it!

These coveralls, bibs, whatever you want to call them, they will quickly become a staple in my wardrobe. They are warm, comfortable and easy to care for…all things that are a MUST in my house!

To win a pair of Carhartt Bib Overalls of your own please visit The Real Farmwives to sign up for their giveaway. Seriously, do it. They are amazing. I will never buy another pair of men’s bibs again!!! 🙂

Carhartt did provide me with this product to review but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

Ag Book of the YEAR!!!

Posted on August 15, 2011 by wagfarms

Howdy, all! If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll remember that in May I did an Ag Book of the Day theme, where I picked a book a day to feature…it coincided with my sons’ school reading program. It was an amazing month, and there were great books featured.

And now, I’ve found our latest treasure, and I’m sure it’ll soon be yours as well! And if you’re lucky, you’ll win one of the signed copies I’m giving away!!!

Here it is:

A family favorite!

Levi’s Lost Calf, by Amanda Radke, illustrated by Michelle Weber. We received our copies on Saturday, and we’ve already read it 15 times!!! The boys LOVE the colorful artwork and all the animals involved. The story is a simple, yet completely realistic farm story…a little boy is helping on the farm, and realizes one of his favorite calves is missing, so he takes his trusty horse and goes to find it!

Not only does the book have a GREAT story, but it also includes a great cowboy recipe, and vocabulary words to help those that may not be familiar with ranch lingo…how cool is that?

I’ve seen some really good farm books for kids, but this is one of the best! I highly recommend it, and if you leave a comment on this post, you’ll be signed up to win a copy, signed by Amanda Radke herself!!!

This is Amanda’s first book (and I’m hoping for many more to come!), and the artwork by Michelle Weber is breathtaking, as beautiful as it is captivating! So be sure to get your copy soon, you don’t want to miss out!

To enter in the contest, just leave a comment on this post. For extra entries, subsribe to my blog and follow me on twitter (wagfarms or Cows_Life)…let me know if you already do those things, it’ll still count as an entry! I’ll have a random number selected from random.org to pick my winner!

Good luck…I’ll draw TWO lucky winners on Friday, August 19!

*I better add that, although I was given the copies of the book, the opinions expressed are my own, and don’t reflect anyone else, but me, myself and I. Although, I still think it’s a super-cool, absolutely fantastic, out-of-this-world ag book, you can buy a copy yourself and decide on your own. But trust me, it’s great! 😉

Not a Mommy Blogger

Posted on July 19, 2011 by wagfarms

Now, before you go off, accusing me of lying and thinking that I’m discounting a HUGE portion of the blog-o-sphere…let me explain. I’m not sure Mommy Bloggers exist.

What?!?

Yeah, that’s right…there’s no such thing as a Mommy Blogger. That term ranks up there with Big Foot, Toothfairy and Santa (just don’t tell my boys!). Why? Well, it’s simple. When you’re a mom, there’s no way you’re writing just about the cutesy-precious things your children do…and there’s no way you’re just writing about how many diapers you change. Being a Mom is so much more than that.

Last week, I had an online conversation with a friend of mine. She’s actually partially responsible for the creation of this blog in the first place! Let’s just say that she gave me that final push to get this blog started.

Anyway, we were talking blog stuff and the Mommy Blogger title came up. And again, I’m not sure such a thing exists. You see, when you’re a mom and you’re writing about your kids, it’s not just your kids that you’re writing about. Do I have you confused yet?

You write about society, you write about coping skills, you write about recipes. You share cleaning tips, you ask for advice and you share humor and entertainment. You write about education, you write about the future, you write about the past. You explain the simplest of life’s lessons, you share photos of the world and you pass on travel tips. There isn’t a piece of the pie that you don’t touch at some point in time. And all of that information can be translated into different realms.

Read about how a mother convinces a three-year-old that it’s their idea to take a nap. That same reasoning can be used to deal with the most difficult of customers in the retail world. Don’t think so? Trust me, I’ve done it.

Explain to a 7-year-old why our cows don’t make the milk that we drink, but they make the hamburger we eat. Then use that same conversation to base your ag education off of…trust me, a 7-year-old will ask you every hard-nosed question most reporters would think of!

Yes, in every essence of the term, I am a Mommy Blogger. Yet, I’m not. Actually, I’m more of a Farmmy Blogger.

When you come in to my blog, you will read about my children, my farm and my view points. You will learn about cattle, about crops and about life. You will hopefully laugh a lot, cry a little, but come back for more. And I will do the same.

Talk about a complicated answer to a simple question, eh?

Now ask me if I’m Republican or Democrat. 😉

Progression of farm work

Posted on May 28, 2011 by wagfarms

Well, Boss Man hasn’t been very happy lately. We have received enough rain to delay planting yet again. Every shower we get, the chance of being able to get into the fields prior to deadline is getting smaller and smaller, which means changing the game plan.

These were a few of the shots that I took while he was able to plant with his “new” corn planter. We spent many, many hours working on this (yep, even me!) and we just wish we could use it a bit more! 🙂

Enjoy your beautiful weekend!

It takes equipment of ALL sizes to farm!

Corn is being planted...finally.

Thanks to GPS, the marker arms aren't needed. The tractor uses satellite signal to drive a straight line.

A Shovel, a Gap and Mike Rowe

Posted on May 12, 2011 by wagfarms

I’ve always liked Mike Rowe. And earlier this year, (thanks to our time served on the American Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher Committee) I was able to see him up close and personal. It was an amazing time, an amazing speech and he is an amazing man. I feel even more so now.

Mr. Rowe testified in front of the Senate Commerce Committee recently, regarding what he considers a “Skills Gap.” In essence, we push, prod and reward those that strive for excellence in careers such as doctors, lawyers, etc., but consider skilled labor as something fit for those that couldn’t make it in college, or at least not far enough to get a doctorate. It’s an amazing read, go ahead, it’s linked up above. Read it. Now.

He’s right.

And I’m guilty of it, too.

When I think of my boys’ futures, I think about doctors and lawyers and all things that moms dream of…but I’m forgetting about what they’re dreaming of. Why? Every day we rely on those people that are behind the scenes, but how many people look at their child and say, “Someday, I hope you’ll be a mechanic.” Why?

EJ is working on his truck, while Dad is washing the combine.

We use electricity, but forget about the linemen. We get into our vehicles everyday, knowing that if something goes wrong a mechanic is a phone call away. We eat, but the dirt is under someone else’s fingernails. All these things we take for granted everyday. And Mr. Rowe is right…it needs to change.

Technology is changing the world, but our reliance on skilled labor is as great as it has ever been. We need tradesmen as much as we need doctors. And we need to encourage those that have a passion for those careers.

The next time my son picks up a wrench and asks what it’s for, my answer will be different. That tool is just as important as a scalpel. Who am I to try to determine what the tools for his future are? I can provide for him all the options available, but the choice is his to make.

So whether he decides to go into a cutting-edge profession such as social-media marketing, or a centuries-old one such as farming, I know one thing for certain…I’ll be there to hand him the tools he needs.

Roadtrip

Posted on April 18, 2011 by wagfarms

We are on the road again. We will be in Rochester sometime this evening, for doctor appointments the next few days. I know George isn’t a big fan of the trips, so it’ll be interesting.

I’m still going to try to blog every day. Had I been far enough ahead with all of this, I would have had my blogs ready to roll before we left, but that’s never worked out so well for me! If I plan far enough in advance, something always falls through. Oh well, our lives are exciting to say the least!

Spring has decided to play games with us, and winter has once again reared its ugly head. It’s snowing now again, as we speak. Yuck. I’m ready for sunshine and green grass, but maybe that will be here when we get back? One can always hope.

Here’s a few pics of EJ being helpful and shoveling our sidewalk. Love his enthusiasm!

Not what you want to see in April!

EJ love the "shubel" that Grandma B. gave him for Christmas! Maybe next year we will get him a snowblower.

Here it is, Ag Book of the Day 10:

“Little Star…Raising Our First Calf” by Twins Rianna and Sheridan Chaney. It’s a great story about twin girls and their experiences on the farm. I love how they define words in children’s terms at the back of the book. For example, “Manure – A fancy name for cow poop.” The pictures are great, and my kids love to see other kids involved in agriculture. Kindred souls, I guess.

Little Star... Raising Our First Calf
First in a new children's agricultural book series. Rianna and Sheridan Chaney hope their experiences on the farm will help children understand the importance of farm animals and inspire them to appreciate all of God's creatures

Ag Book of the Day 9

Posted on April 14, 2011 by wagfarms

Today’s Ag Book of the Day was brought to my attention by my dear, dear friend Katie at Pinke Post:

“If You’re Not From the Prairie” by David Bouchard and Henry Ripplinger. It’s suggested for children in grades four through seven, but I believe any child of any age can relate to the amazing lines of poetry.

Although I do not own this book yet, I will by the end of the weekend…if the weather allows us to travel. (We’re under a winter storm warning for tomorrow…Yay!)

This book has beautiful poetry and great illustrations of what life is really like on the prairie. It’s a strong reminder of all the things that we take for granted, especially when winter is dragging on a day or three too long!

Do you have any other suggestions of ag-related books that you enjoy? Young or old alike?

Not-so-wordless Wednesday – Ag Book of the Day 3

Posted on April 6, 2011 by wagfarms

Since it’s Reading Month at the school, I figured that it wouldn’t serve my purpose very well to go wordless today. But I am featuring a book that doesn’t have a LOT of words to it. It’s one of George’s favorites, and it is:

“Trucks” by Priddy Books. It’s a board book, with slide and find panels. And it’s GREAT! Most board books/lift-the-flap/slide-panels don’t last in our house. They are usually destroyed very quickly by little hands that aren’t careful, patient, etc. Not this one.

George can look at this book for HOURS and I do mean hours. It covers colors, different types of transportation, different kind of workers (not just farmers, although there are definitely tractors in it!). Again, it’s just another great book.

Today at school it was Bandana Day, “wrap up with a good book.” Big Bro was excited to wear a bandana to school. Scooter decided that he was to old for that stuff (which is totally unlike him). Oh well, to each their own.

There it is…my book of the day. But in keeping with the Wordless Wednesday theme, here’s some of my favorite George shots. Enjoy!