Life on the farm through the eyes of a first-generation farm wife
Bulls are the backbone of any cow herd and bad genetics or a faulty bull can mean open (non-pregnant) cows. Bulls are on the farm to breed cows and cows are on the farm to have calves. If one of those two things don't happen, you don't have a productive or profitable herd. Bulls are one of the biggest investments for any working ranch so getting the right guy is very important.
The days run into weeks and the weeks into months. This morning I read a meme that reminded us that this was our 10th Monday in quarantine. Where has the time gone? And I don't say it in the dreamy, reminiscent tone. I say it in the 'I can't believe we are still doing this' … Continue reading Week 8 & 9: I’ve lost track
It's #SmallBusinessWeek and while we all stop to lift up the downtown shop or local manufacturing company, farms often are not part of the business landscape we celebrate because those outside of farming don't see what we do as a business. But for many communities and states - like Kansas - farming and agriculture is … Continue reading The Business of Farming
My husband has spent the better part of the last 10 days behind the wheel of his yellow 18-wheeler. We had cows at our farm this winter and now it’s time to send them east to enjoy a summer grazing in the Kansas Flint Hills. The state of Kansas has more cows than people – … Continue reading Using Our Resources
During the winter months we have a lot of mouths to feed on the farm. More than 500 to be exact. That makes dinner a big deal and important part of the farmer hub's day. We put a lot of time and attention into the feed for our cattle because, just as in humans, proper … Continue reading The Dish on Dinner Time
Sometimes talking about farming means talking about the weather. Because at the end of the day, a successful crop is dependent on plenty of sunshine, productive rains and consistent cycles of warm and cool temps. When a local reporter texted earlier this week to see if we want to talk about how happy we … Continue reading Mud, Mud Go Away
Yesterday the farmer hubs and I attended a bull sale in South-Central Nebraska. The hubs lives for these days. The sale catalogs for ranches start arriving around the first of the year and he’s like a kid digging through the Target toy catalogue before Christmas - making lists, comparing animals and deciding exactly what he … Continue reading Sale Day: Buying Bulls and Investing In Our Future
We love our male (bull) calves but too many males can be a problem. Therefore, we limit the number of bulls through castration and create males without the ability to reproduce, aka steers.
Twelve hours after witnessing, first-hand, the devastation wrought by fire and wind, I turned on the television to reports of sleet, snow and blizzard conditions. These were two separate natural disasters, one predicted, reported and planned for, the other unforeseen, nearly unimaginable and deadly. Last week, more than 10 counties in Kansas fell victim to … Continue reading The Tale of Two Disasters
As 2016 came to a close, I found myself at my computer several times, attempting to summarize and reflect on the year that was. It was quite a year for the Sawyer family - kicked off with the birth of our second son, Owen, on Jan. 5 and accentuated with tough times on the farm, … Continue reading 2017: Adventure Awaits
