Ag Day

Yesterday was the first day of spring & National Ag Day.

So what were we chasing around here.

Jeff: Was delivering & picking up bulls in Montana. Joined by a college buddy it was sure to be the best trip East in quite awhile. They stopped at Jeff's favorite restaurant (The Land of Magic) in Logan MT. What does it mean when your favorite steakhouse is 7 hours away? Not only do bulls need to go to & come home from studs in Montana but Jeff also takes an opportunity to view bulls. In a registered Angus operation every year Jeff gathers information about who to breed our cows to to create bulls that do what our customers need and improve our cow herd. Analyzing how a bull looks, what kind of daughters he'll leave in a herd as well as what a piece of paper says about him are all considered.

The farm crew: 
Fed Cows; while the grass is trying to grow there just isn't enough growth to turn cows out yet so the bales keep being fed. We monitor grass growth to make sure cows don't eat it too early and damage the grass.
Get ready for water. Irrigation water is coming. Making sure all the circles are ready to apply water to our crops. This year our spring work turned out to be crazy little (as a primarily hay grower most of our fields are in for years) so tractor work consists of harrowing hay fields and chasing down gophers. The shop may also be full of hay equipment that is still being gone through to be ready for haying. They all keep busy and no two days are the same.

The rest of us: Kids came home from school to have mom kick them outside! The weather was pretty nice. Planted our first seeds in the garden. The guys also moved the last of the spring calvers to our house today. Their 4H steers will likely come from this group of mommas so they might as well hang out here, right?

Why do we do all this and more on any given day? Well it is what and who we are. Raising animals and crops is not only what we do but our passion. Kids playing in the dirt and helping feed cows. Absolutely! What better way to let the next generation learn about the world around them?

So on this National Ag Day - thanks to farmers for doing what they do. And consumers for trusting us to put food on their tables. Best way to thank a farmer for the hours and efforts? When you have a question about what is happening on farms around the country ask someone who feeds cows, drives the tractor and keeps rolling when the work needs to be done!