A mom, her boys, too many cows and lots of farming
For our first date, Derek and I met at a sandwich shop in downtown McPherson. I had walked over from work and Derek had just pulled into town after being on the road all morning. When I asked him what he had been doing he responded that he had been delivering bulls to the cows … Continue reading Making Babies (Calves, of course)
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
Calving season at Sawyer Land & Cattle is often a lesson in genetics. While most of our new babies are black or black with white on its face, we occasionally get a surprise, or a calf that makes you question who the dad is. Like humans, cattle have dominate and recessive traits that determine hide … Continue reading Who’s Your Daddy? (Farm Style)
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
It's been an embarrassing long time since I've updated my blog. It's not that we haven't been farming or working or living our best (and most hectic) farm life, it's just that whenever I sit down to write an update or talk about an issue something comes up and I close the computer promising to … Continue reading It’s Been A While . . . We’re Still Here
An inside look at mother cows and their calves - and another reminder that mothers rock!
It's Valentine's Day so while it is not the only day to express my love for my Farmer, it's a good day to remind others why it's great to have a Farmer for a valentine. I'll admit, being married to a farmer is never easy, but there are so many great parts of being a … Continue reading 5 Reasons To Love a Farmer
Conveniences in food purchasing and preparation are leading to continued decline in connection to agriculture We Americans want it all. We want the big paychecks and the 40-hour work week. We want well behaved kids but don’t want to tell them no. We want big houses but little upkeep. And we want the trendiest, healthiest … Continue reading Distance Distorts Understanding
I am on a group messenger feed with about a dozen other mothers that live in the nearby town. A few – like me – work during the day, but most are stay-at-home moms. The messages are usually invites to join someone at the park or reminders of story time or another kid-friendly activity taking … Continue reading The Loneliness of Farm Life
Most wheat harvests take about a week. It's a long, intense week that starts mid-morning and runs well past sundown for five to six days in a row, but it doesn't stop, take breaks or run on for weeks at a time. But #WheatHarvest16 has been a very different type of harvest. This year the combines … Continue reading #WheatHarvest16: What Is a Bushel?
