Ag Day 2017

Oh good grief - really a year since I have managed a post!!

Anyway, with that acknowledgement we really do chase plenty of different things around here.  However, being a tremendous writer is a hat I don't wear. I often ponder a blog post but (obviously) never get around to actually typing.

In honor of National Ag(riculture) Day - here goes!

Yes, I spend too much time on Facebook and Pinterest.  Yes, most of my "friends" on Facebook are farmers or certainly tend to have closer ties to farmers than the average American.  I scroll through my feed and see fire, flooding, and mud other farmers are dealing with daily.  Seeing the pictures and video of 4H'ers feeding orphan calves and load after load of donated hay rolling through towns headed to burned out ranchers choke me up every time. 

Farmers - here in the United States - there just aren't that many of us anymore.  Bad stuff happens and we rally to each other.  And guess what those folks get up in the morning and keep going - why?

We love what we do!


We love working with crops & animals, with our families, with mother nature (even though she does mean stuff to us sometimes) and feeding the world! 

What grows on our farm is not only sold but also helps feed our family.  No, we don't feed our kids hay; but we do feed it to our cows and we enjoy home grown beef.  And some of that same hay has made it as far as UAE (the camels were hungry too!)

We've just survived a crazy, long, cold, snowy, icy winter here in the Northwest. Don't worry I whined plenty. I seriously think I've worn my insulated bibbers and muck boots more in the last 4 months than I might have in the last four years (& it's not because I was outside more this winter!). 

Spring is FINALLY here and that means new growth.  Litters of pigs destined to be cared for by local 4H & FFA'ers and shown at the local county fairs, calves, and new green plant growth.

 

 

Some weaned pigs chew on my boot.

Jeff & Spot check spring calving cows on pasture waiting for warm soil and sun.

 

Cows look on as irrigation pipes remain stacked.  With all our winter snow the ground is well saturated so we probably aren't in a huge hurry to start irrigating, but last year at this time we were.  Water should be available in ditches shortly.

 

Longer days also find the whole crew out in the dirt.  Yes, kids would rather be outside than do homework this time of year (for some reason).

We plant a relatively extensive garden.  Why? Do I not trust the produce at the grocery store - absolutely NOT the reason! Fresher is better, rather grown as part of backyard garden or a multi-acre field.  Kids eat their fruits and veggies better when they help grow them.  For some reason a kid that won't touch tomatoes that magically appear on the dinner table can be caught eating them by the handful off the vine.  And bonus - don't tell the kids - a garden is a tremendous teacher; responsibility, science, math, with the added bonus of fresh air and fingernails that always need to be cleaned!

Two girls plant a row of cold season crops.

So on this National Ag Day take a moment to appreciate how the food you ate today got to you.  The farmers, the workers, the truckers, the grocers, etc., etc.,. 

If you have a question about agriculture or how something is grown ask a FARMER - and maybe more than one (because what we do on our farm is not exactly the same as someone else).

Subscribe to an ag blog & ask questions! There are so many great ones (that post more often than I do).  Yes, we spend hours in our barns, pastures, fields and tractors but thanks to social media and smart phones we can communicate with consumers and still get our work done.