Preparing for a Potential Storm

Let me start by taking a moment to say that our thoughts and prayers are with those in Newtown, CT.  I cannot imagine what those families are feeling.  I have h\hugged my children a little tighter, yes, even the grown ones this week.

Our area is forcasted to get our first snow of the year.  What do you do to prepare?  Do you make sure you have ice melt, milk, bread and a snow shovel?  What else do you need?

On the farm, we must do all of these to prepare us and much more to ensure the health and safety (as much is under our control) of the animals.  Hay must be put out so that they have something to eat.  If we have some that appear to be close to having a calf, they are brought closer to or put in the barn.  If the ponds could freeze, the cows need to be shut away from them as much as possible.  This helps to ensure none fall through the ice and freeze.  The equine need to have shelter, hay and water ready.  The dogs need extra straw in their dog houses and a wind break in place so that they are not as cold/wet.  Tractors need to be plugged in and have winterized fuel in them.  This will help ensure that they will start when we need them.  The electric waterers must have the heaters on so they do not freeze.  All of these chores, the ones that I am sure I missed and our daily chores must be done.

While completing all of these chores, we are anxiously awaiting our first calf of the season.  Our first due dates are for tomorrow!

May God keep you and your loved ones safe.

Until next time,  remember.......Beef, It's What's for Dinner!

"Agriculture is Important to Me"

Tonight a new video was released that reminded me why we do what we do.  The video is from the Peterson Farm Brothers, http://www.youtube.com/user/ThePetersonFarmBros?feature=watch .  It can be found on their You Tube page, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LX153eYcVrY .  While watching this video as a family we were laughing agreeing with the lyrics and saying whom in the family certain sections of the video seemed to represent.  We watched it several times to hear all of the lyrics and enjoy how this parody represented exactly how we felt.  I am so thankful that these young men are representing agriculture so well.  More of us need to find our own way to get our story out there to the general public.  Maybe we can't all reach as many people, but every person we educate is one more that may have a slight understanding of what we do every day and every year.

Lately, we have been busy preparing for calving season, making sure we have enough hay, moving Ashley and Jeff, working our jobs and trying to make sure we have enough hay for the winter.  If this was all that we did, life would be much easier.  Like everyone else, we have other things that seem to distract us from what we know we need to do.  It is the time of year where we have to change our focus.

Our main focus on Windy Hill Farm has not got to be calving season and caring for moms and newborns.  We are a couple of weeks away from our first calf, but time to plan on moving the cows that are close to calving closer to home and make sure the pens and barn are ready and the bulls are where they can not get in with the cows after the calve.  We keep the bulls away so that we can control when we have calves.

Remember that we may not all do things the same way, but as Farmers and Ranchers, we are feeding ourselves, our families and the world.  We need more people to understand why and how we do this.  The best way for this understanding to occur is for EACH of us to find a way to tell our story that is comfortable for us.  I choose to blog, share with friends and have preschools tour the farm and be around the animals.  This is not the only way or the best way, but it is my way.  Find your own way and know that you DO make a difference!

Until next time,  remember.......Beef, It's What's for Dinner!

WOW! What a summer

We had a really busy summer on the farm.  Jarren, our youngest Grandson, shot his first squirrel and buck! It was a real joy to see him so proud of himself and knowing that we were teaching him how to hunt responsibly.

The drought really kept us hopping with trying to make sure all the animals had water and grass.  We are VERY thankful that just about the time we were running out of grass, the rains came.  This brought the grass back to life and we are still using these pastures.  We still have one field to turn the cattle into before we have to start feeding hay.

My parents celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary this August!  What an inspiration to all of us.  We had a reception for them in their retirement community.  We had many of their friends come up to us and tell us how special it was to see them walking in the halls holding hands.  This made us proud that they are working on staying happy.  That also gives a great model for the rest of us to try and form our relationships in a similar matter.  We are so Blessed and thankful that we still have both of them in our lives.

We are also preparing for calving season.  Getting the barn stalls ready and double and triple checking equipment and supplies that we might possibly need at a moment's notice.  Last year for calving season, I bought baby monitors with a long range.  I would place one outside of the stall where I had a cow that I thought was going to calve and keep the receiver with me in the house.  This saved me countless trips to the barn that were unnecessary!  You would be surprised how much you can tell just by the noises that you hear.  It was an excellent use of $60.  At least I really thought so on those cold nights that I did not have to bundle up and head to the barn as many times!

Next year's show heifers have been ties up for one weekend to start halter breaking them.  Steers have been selected for show season.

We kept two bulls this year and they have both been halter broke.  Another bull was purchased and he will be halter broke in the near future.

Alan, our youngest, has began his senior year of high school and all of the fun things that go along with that excciting and frightening year.  He has made us very proud and I am sure this year will be no exception.

I have been reading many other blogs and trying to get ideas.  I have gotten a few, but the ones that I enjoy the most are the ones that talk about the family and how they are doing things on the farm.  I feel that this is a way to get the story out there and help the public feel connected to the family and their activities.  So.  I will continue to share stories about what is occurring on the farm and in the family.

Until next time,  remember.......Beef, It's What's for Dinner!

Beginnings and Endings.....

This is the cow that Ashley showed as a heifer her first year.  This year, her last year, she showed her as a cow/calf pair with her brother.  Yes, She looks a little rough, but she is Fourteen and had only been out of the pasture for one week.  Ashley's children started showing this year so while this was her last county fair to exhibit in, it was their first.  They all did an excellent job and won the Beef Herdsmanship Award, along with Alan.

The Beef Herdsmanship Award is given to the exhibitor or family of exhibitors that keep their stall area the neatest throughout the entire day.  We were so proud of them because they did all on their own.  As livestock committee chair, I was busy running the show and was unable to help them.  Mike is still recovering from shoulder surgery and was unable to help them.

Their ability to do this on their own without constant supervision is only a small example of how blue ribbon children are the best their are!  These five young people managed a show string of 11 from loading at home to unloading back at home by themselves.  This included set-up, showing, and take-down along with all of the other tasks that one must do in one day.  Days like this day make me very proud to be a mother and grandmother!

Blue Ribbon Animals or Blue Ribbon Children?????

It's county fair time!  Our children and grandchildren will participate by exhibiting a total of 11 head of Polled Hereford cattle.  We have all spent lots of time and effort getting these animals ready for show day.  Would we LOVE to see them win? ABSOLUTELY!  We have always told them that the placings of the show are that judge's opinion on that day.  Same calves different day could very well yield different results.  We have tried our hardest to teach them to be gracious to the other exhibitors, parents and the judge whether they win or lose.  We feel that it is more important that they learn the responsibility and dependability it takes to prepare these animals for show than to win.  Most of the animals we are showing this year were born and raised on our farm.  This means they are also exhibiting all of the hard work that it takes to get the calves on the ground and raise them.

We believe that the hard word and dedication they learn is much more important than winning with any animal..  Work ethic is also something they learn because the animals need cared for twice a day  no matter the weather or how you feel.  Don't get me wrong, we like to win, but will not do unethical things to our animals to accomplish this goal.. If the animal is to win, they will do it on what they naturally have in them.

When your child does not win a class, ask yourself, "Would I rather than win in class or in life because they can handle tough, uncomfortable situations?"

Until next time,  remember.......Beef, It's What's for Dinner!

Enjoying Nature on the Farm

This is a picture that I took in our barn where we store hay.  She let me crawl up on the bales and take multiple pictures of her without even moving. It was an incredible experience that I will never forget and was Blessed to experience.  It was so quiet outside that day and Dad and I walked to the barn to take the pictures so that the truck didn't pack down the hay.  We were doing this to get pictures for Mom because she couldn't come to the farm that day.  There were a couple of times that I thought she was going to come out of the nest for sure, but she didn't move.  We plan to return in a few days to see if there are any babies that we can see and/or hear.  We will keep you updated.

While I was walking in the field Saturday night to check cows, I saw Clara Bell again.  She is not growing much, but she is still moving around and staying with the herd and that is more than I ever thought possible when I found her the morning she was born.  Thank you, God for allowing me to save and raise this precious animal.  I know that may seem odd to some of you, but I feel that God entrusts me to care for and protect as many of his creatures as I can on the farm.  While this means saving some, it also means selling or slaughtering some so that the ground is not over-grazed.  This is necessary for the quality of life for the ones that we keep.

Not sure you understand?  Ask a farmer if you can work side by side with them for the day or visit their farm to see what they do on a daily basis.  It may open your eyes to why we do things the way that we do them.  For me, it has been learning from a lifetime of living and/or working on our family farm.  I had to learn the positive lessons along with the not so positive ones.  I will never be able to repay my parents, Kermit and Ruth Shroyer,  for all of the lessons I have learned.  Learning to take care of the land and the animals was taught (not always so patiently) while we worked along side them.  These lessons still continue today as my family is slowing taking over the farm operations so that they can relax and enjoy the retirement that they so richly deserve.  Thank Mom and Dad for all of the lessons, both on and off of the farm.

Learning from my parents, I have taught my children as they have worked along side my husband and I on the farm since they were old enough to safely participate the task that we were doing that day.  Yes, we have all had injuries that have occurred in the farm, but you can get injured walking down the sidewalk or playing on a playground.  We do everything to keep everyone safe, but accidents do happen and we are working with animals that have a mind of their own.  The other factor to consider is that even if the animals do not mean to hurt us, as big as they are, stepping on your foot with their hoof hurts!

Remember to enjoy nature and your family whenever you get the opportunity!


Until next time,  remember.......Beef, It's What's for Dinner!

Country Life is Not Always Easy

The fun part of country life includes things like the quiet, listening to nature, seeing stars and being with the family.  There are parts that are not as enjoyable.  One of these is putting up small square bales of hay.  We put these up once a year for the show season and for calving season when cows are shut in the barn as they are close to calving.  This requires us to put these bales on the truck and/or trailer before they get wet from rain or dew and then unload and stack them at the barn.  This is normally not too difficult for our family, but there are circumstances this year that will make this more challenging.  We will pull together and get it done.  We just will not get done as quickly.  It is perseverance that will get us through and leaning on each other so that no one over does it.  There are defiantly times when it pays to slow down.

Until next time,  remember.......Beef, It's What's for Dinner!