Tag Archives: farm life

Preparing for fall

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It’s raining…again. And although we have a few acres planted, my husband isn’t in the best of moods. He would like to have had more in the ground, but guess what? That’s the nature of the business. So while we’re down, this is what I’ll be doing:

https://secure.apps.state.nd.us/gnf/onlineservices/lic/public/online/lot/lotterypurchase.htm

That’s the link to applying for your deer license, if you’re going to hunt in North Dakota. And I would like everyone to click on it and apply.

Game and Fish has REDUCED the number of licenses this year by almost 7,000 across the state. That’s right, I said reduced. As in subtracted. As in they believe the numbers are getting too low. As in give-me-a-break.

In my perfect world scenario, every single license would be purchased, and every single one would be filled. (They usually expect about half of them to be filled.) If Game and Fish are technically going to “contract” out this many deer, than let’s take them out. And remember, even if you don’t care much for venison, you can always DONATE the meat! (Or donate money so that meat can be donated!)

Game and Fish claim that the last three winters were rough, causing great losses. I agree that the winters were rough, but the management of resources and habitat was severely lacking. And their solutions to the problem were to basically do nothing for the animal, just try to avert the problem from the land owner. Apparently doing nothing is easiery than even attempting anything else suggested.

And this is what you end up with:

The deer died in and on our feed supply for our cattle.

 
And if you know of some young hunters, who are looking for a successful first hunt, send them our way. My husband would LOVE to see some young hunters come and hunt on our land. He’s even talking about setting up soem deer stands, just for the “apprentice” hunters to get a chance at having a successful season.
I’m filling out my application on the wet, rainy day…and I hope you are too. I hope to see you this fall, with my blaze orange on!

Wordless Wednesday – Outside!

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 We finally have the cows out to pasture yesterday. It was so nice out, that I had the boys do their homework outside! Here’s a few snapshots I took:
 

George loves his "lawn mower."

 
 

This is one of EJ's favorites!

 

It's time for the cows to head to pasture!

 

EJ knows that anytime you deal with cows, you need to have your "rubby" boots on.

 

Junior may be our "foster" dog, but he's the best!

 
 

And he's terribly patient as well.

 

Big Bro is working hard on his homework!

 

Figuring, figuring, figuring...

 

Good thing he has all 10!

 
 
 

Excuse me, but do you have a license for this thing?

  

Notice the red tab in the window? Dad made sure they were driving legally! Ha!

 

A Shovel, a Gap and Mike Rowe

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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.

The only planting around here…

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Just like most of the state, our area has been too wet to plant. And although this week has seen more and more fields getting going, our planter is still parked in the shop, getting ready to go. So this is the planting that I did this weekend:

Part of our new garden project will include Spaghetti Squash for George to eat through the winter.

 

Our garden is taking on a new role this year. You see, with George not being able to consume much for protein, that really, really, really limits his diet. So I decided that instead of spending a ton of money on frozen and canned fruits and veggies, that I would try to supplement his diet with our own home-grown veggies.

Spaghetti squash will replace his noodles, I’ve started some sugar snap peas, some watermelon and I will get a few packs of other veggies and fun stuff at the greenhouse this week. I can’t wait!

I started these seeds inside a few weeks ago, but they’re outgrowing my containers and the garden isn’t ready yet for them to go outside. So I transplanted them this weekend.

I'm new to all this, so these are my chosen tools for the year.

 

I, of course, needed some extra soil.

 

The bottom is what I started with, and the finished product transplanted at top!

 

I even planted a few flowers in a hanging basket. I know, it's scary for me too!

 
OK, so in the last week or so, I’ve baked, I’ve crafted and now I’m gardening. I think Mark’s going to be glad I started this whole blogging thing!
 
Now, to only figure out how to organize…

Deer, oh dear

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I’m not sure if you heard, but we had a slight deer problem this winter. Well, slight is an understatement…it was a MAJOR deer problem. If you look back through my posts, you will find pictures, videos, eloquently-written, almost poetic-like blogs, etc. (well, I’m pouring it on a bit thick about that one, sorry 😉 )

I figured I would wrap up the winter deer posts with this update:

This is a pile of deer carcasses that were collected from our hay yard. Approximately 60-80 deer in this group.

Yeah, we had a problem. And some deer died. I’ve been asked many times, “Why?” The answer isn’t so simple. Game and Fish statistics say that most of the dead should be does and fawns that couldn’t handle the winter conditions. But from personally witnessing and inspecting many of the dead animals, (well, from a distance anyway) I can tell you that there were a LOT of nice-sized bucks in that pile.

So, again, why did they die? They had protection. They had plenty of protection. They had feed. Very nice, dairy-quality alfalfa. Which would have been worth between $10,000-$20,000 in the hay market. Ouch. That hurts. My guess is that the deer couldn’t handle the feed. It was truly too rich, and they basically died from really bad stomach aches. Kinda like dying from too much caviar. (Can that happen???) You see, deer are built to browse, they eat things like leaves and berries and your brand new trees that you plant! 😉

But the fact of the matter is, they died. And beside this pile of deer, remember that Game and Fish had already come and picked up a pick-up load of carcasses? So that’s more than 100 deer that died on our farm.

A closer shot of the pile that Mark buried.

What frustrates me almost more than the lack of action by Game and Fish is the waste of meat. Can you imagine the food pantries that could be stocked with this much meat? But I have an idea for this year…and it’s a way that we can curb our deer problem, encourage hunting, AND stock the food pantries!

Stay tuned for an announcement tomorrow! I can’t wait!!!

A Birthday Tradition

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It’s raining. I should be a tad surprised, since the weatherman said that the chances were slim, but I’m not. You see, today is my birthday. And it rains on my birthday.

When I was younger, we always watched the forecast, because I always wanted to have a party at the park. I LOVED playing outside. But year after year, our plans were changes, because it would rain. And then, one year it looked like it was going to work out. I was able to plan an outside party at the park in town! I was so excited! And, although it wasn’t a perfect day (the wind was so strong that my cake blew across the picnic table!), it was one of the best birthdays that I can remember.

Last year we were at Mayo with George. George’s birthday is tomorrow. I spent my birthday preparing him for the colonoscopy that he had for his birthday. Not such a great day for either of us! But we made up for it this year. And I’ll show you the picture proof tomorrow. Can’t wait!

By the way, Easter break is over for school, so here’s the last week of Ag Book of the Day (today is day 15):

“A Cow’s Alfalfa-Bet” by Woody Jackson. Not your typical alphabet book, but some really great artwork and a very farm-y way to learn your ABC’s!

Click to enlarge

Good Friday trumps Earth Day

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I was all prepared to write a post today about all the things we do on the farm that celebrates the Earth, such as using our manure, using no-till whenever possible, using the water from our well to heat our home…then heat our shop…then to water our cows, etc. (That’s right, all the same water, I’ll explain it sometime.)

But as I was sitting down to type last night, I decided to check out George’s lab work that was done at Mayo. (They have a really cool set-up, where you can register to log-in and receive the lab results yourself. No more waiting for that stinkin’ doctor’s call!) Anyway, I logged-in and for the first time ever, and I truly mean EVER, all of George’s lab work came back within normal ranges! (Well, minus the Vit. D and iron levels, but those are diet/sunshine related, not illness/disorder, so they don’t really count.)

I’ll admit it, I cried a bit. For the last just-about 2 years, I’ve dealt with continuously feeling like something wasn’t right, that we weren’t on the right track, bloodwork continuously showed something off here or there, nothing fit together, etc. It was a whirlpool of nightmares. Since George was born, he has seen: three pediatricians, two pediatric geneticists, two pediatric gastroenterologists, pediatric cardiologist, two pediatric endocrinologists, two pediatric neurologists, two dieticians, pediatric oncologist, pediatric neurosurgeon and several other various ER docs, nurses and staff. He has had: two colonoscopies, an upper GI series, multiple x-rays and ultrasounds, a liver biopsy, three MRI’s, an echocardiogram and two CT scans. He has given more blood for bloodwork that some people donate to the blood bank. He’ll be 2, and he’s been through so much, but is still such a wonderful little boy.

One of the things that I hear the most, when people hear about George, is that he doesn’t LOOK like anything is wrong with him. That’s always the problem. I wonder how many of those doctors blew us off because they felt he didn’t “look” sick enough. I know for sure one did, I overheard him tell the students that were following him those exact words. It went something like this, “And in this room is a 6-month-old male patient, case seems somewhat unremarkable. Mother has sought care at Mayo. Came in with fever, slight dehydration, etc. There’s no clear diagnosis, and I’m not real sure why they’re here. Their local hospital probably overreacted. We’ll keep him through tomorrow to satisfy the Mother.” (Needless to say, I requested a discharge immediately and we never returned to that set of physicians.)

We have so much to be thankful for.

This morning, Big Bro told me that they didn’t have school today because it was Earth Day. That sealed the deal for me. I’m not writing about our farm today. I’m not writing about how to recycle, or how to reduce your carbon footprint, or how to reuse your milk carton to make a mailbox. We should all know these things, and we should all be doing them. Every day. Period.

But today is Good Friday first. It’s a day that we celebrate all that has been given for us. The Blessing that was bestowed upon us so many years ago. And for me, today is a day of thankfulness.

Yes, I won’t be brushing my teeth with the water on, I’ll turn off lights where I don’t need them, our bulbs are already energy efficient. Those are things we do everyday. But today, I’ll spend extra time thanking God for those gifts that He has given. Including the ultimate sacrifice of His only Son.

Today is definitely a Good Friday.

Safe at home

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We made it home last night. It was a relief to finally pull in, see the lights of home, hear the cows mooing to their calves, see our lab sitting at the front gate and to hear George raising a ruckus, because he knew where we were…home.

Our last appointment went about as well as our first. She did order another test to check his ferritin level, since I told her that he was waking up during the night a lot. (Apparently it’s a measure of iron, and a lack of it can cause your legs to feel restless.) Normal levels are between 25 and 336. George’s were 11. So we start a multivitamin to combat the low Vit. D and the low iron.

I asked about getting a prescription for a trip to Florida for a week or two. Dr. L said that the sun would work, but Boss Man piped up that the vitamins were cheaper. He’s no fun.

When I sat at my desk last night, I was going to write up a new blog post, but then I read a few of my friends’ posts and decided to wait until today.

Apparently a group, called Mercy for Animals, released hidden video footage of animals being abused on a dairy farm in Texas. Again, this group is attempting to undermine all of animal agriculture, because of one sick, twisted situation.

Here’s my take on the situation: If you are on a farm, and someone is abusing an animal, they should be IMMEDIATELY reported to the proper authorities. If they are a hired hand, they should be fired and turned in. If they are the owner, they should be turned in. Simple as that. The animal deserves better. Yes, I raise animals that I know are being consumed by someone. I know that our cows will someday be processed into something that will feed others. But we treat our cattle with respect.

There is no excuse for the action taken by the perpetrators in the video. That’s not what raising cattle is about. I don’t know of one single cattle producer that would condone such behavior…and it’s definitely the exception, not the norm.

We just spent three days away from our farm. We were on a medical trip with our youngest child. Although our focus was definitely on George’s appointments, part of Mark’s mind was back here. He was constantly on the phone, making sure that there weren’t any problems, the cattle were being fed, none had become ill, the mud wasn’t becoming unmanageable, planning for what to do when we got home, etc. It was non-stop. He spent hours upon hours before our trip, preparing the lots, so that things were easier when we were gone. Making sure that there was enough feed ready to go. Moving panels so that the mud was a little easier to manage, for both the tractor AND the cattle. That’s just what ranchers do. That’s what ANY animal caregiver would do.

I didn’t watch the latest abuse video. I don’t need to. Hearing about it is enough. It disgusts me. It angers me. And it frustrates me when groups try to tell the rest of the world that those types of actions are normal in our industry. It’s not. No way. No how. And if you don’t believe me, come to my farm and I’ll show you.

And I know of many others who would do the same.

Roadtrip

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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

Reflecting (Ag Book of the Day 10)

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I’ve been reading more and more situations lately, where churches and others are making broad statements regarding farming, and the decisions that farmers should make.

I have a real hard time with that. I do not know of one farmer that would ever make a decision, based solely on financial gain, without thinking to the future or what will happen to their land if they abuse or misuse it. Yet, those are the implications that are made everyday by some that are not actually physically involved in production agriculture. Now, I’m not so naive as to think that those types of farmers/ranchers don’t exist, but we can’t cast down all of agriculture for them, can we?

Well, I don’t want to delve too deeply into it today, because it’s Friday, and it’s snowing, and I’m already in a bad mood. But I want to bring your attention to a blog I wrote about it a little while back…and I still stand behind it today. What if these tools have been given to us to use? What if technology isn’t an “accident” at all? Hmmm…

Anyway…on to Ag Book of the Day 10:

Today, I went with an old stand-by…not because I don’t have any others to choose from, but because I have it on my Kindle. How’s that for combining traditional ag-themed children’s books and modern technology??? Without further ado, welcome to

“Old McDonald Had a Farm” and it’s now available wirelessly! 🙂
not only does it have great illustrations (if you have the original version, the illustrations are definitely funnier, and not so politically correct!), but it also teaches young children about the sounds of the farm, and how busy it can be! And who can forget one of the greatest nursery rhymes of all time???
I just had to throw this one in the mix, since it is on my Kindle. Next week I’ll be back to more obscure and lesser-known books, but for now…ENJOY!