Tales from down on the Farm

Here we go again...

2013-03-12T15:09:00.001-07:00

Time to dust the cobwebs off the old blog. Things are busy, busy on the farm. It's calving season again!

Al turns the bulls out at a specific time so that the calves are due in February. The idea is the snow will keep the calves out of the mud (full of bacteria) and they will be healthier and also larger this fall. We had a few first-time heifers so this spring's deliveries have been interesting so far.

Right off the bat we had a cow, Leah drop a still-born calf. Unfortunately the calves's legs were folded backward and she was unable to deliver on her own. The waterbag did not show until it was too late and we didn't know she was in active labor that long. A day later, a first-time heifer needed help delivering a breech calf. Al basically had to pull. It was a huge bull calf! Thankfully, he made it!

Due to the circumstance of Leah not having a calf to raise, rather than sell her, Al opted to buy 2 Holstein calves for her to adopt and feed (rather than not having a job for the summer). She adopted the black and white, while the red and white calf with a perfect heart on his forehead was left for us to bottle feed. The kids named him "Fiery Flynn" after a character on Thomas the Tank Engine.

So far we're about 1/2 done with the calving. All the babies are doing fine, still more to arrive.

Also this winter, Al sold some young heifers he raised last year and bought back some bred cows. They will bring in money right away this year while a heifer needs to be fed for 1-2 years before producing a calf.

When you buy cattle at the sales barn, you never know what you might get, but we got Lucky! First a set of 3 red Angus types from a lady in WI. She even called our house to see how they were getting along in their new home. One of the three who our kids named "Rainbow" is so tame that she loves to be scratched on the neck. She will actually push other cows out of the way for attention.

Another cow purchased on a separate sale is Harriet the Hereford. Hereford cattle are my favorite, I love their markings. Harriet's old owner also got our number and told us basically her entire life story from her being a sick calf to favorite family cow. She is also fond of attention but not quite as much as Rainbow.

So here's to spring and some more baby calves!

Summer craziness...

2012-08-02T17:32:00.000-07:00

It's been a bit since I've updated. Things have been pretty busy here. Al and his dad finished haying early this year. That's a good thing. Many of the extra fields have played out and weren't putting up much grass. Rather than re-seeding someone's land who may not guarantee you cut again the following season, Al simply told them he had all he could handle. Our own fields put up good, thick hay thanks to some fertilizer that was put on earlier in the spring. It's all about maintenance.

The baby pigs are here! A good litter too. Mama sow proved ornery by escaping her farrowing crate several times. The crate is necessary to prevent her from flopping down and squishing her little ones. The bottom is open allowing them to come and go as needed to eat. Al moved her crate to the barn and secured the floor with ratchet straps to prevent her from sliding out. While that seems to be holding her, her little oinkers crawl under the partition between the stall and tackroom. More than once I've caught little piggies in my tack room and that doesn't make me happy. It's a tack room not a pig room! While they are cute, they don't like me picking them up, especially the black/white male I held. Wow are they loud! Little pigs do not like cuddles I've decided.

I feel bad for mama pig. With 8 babies to feed and all of them fighting and squealing all day... makes me glad I only have 3 kids! haha. I swear I heard one piglet squealing... "Maaaa MAAAA!" while he was trying to get a spot. Good luck to her.

The guinea keets are now big enough and have been released into the chicken yard with the 2 adults and other birds. Hopefully they will learn where to roost to not be attacked by any predators.

In horse news, kids are riding and enjoying Dora especially. She's a bit green but she's gaining experience each ride and seems to generally enjoy attention. Blue is more standoffish and headshy. With more exposure and practice Dora will hopefully attend her first show with the kids next summer.

My riding has tapered off. Skyler needs his teeth floated and can't be ridden until they're done. Al has picked up extra hours at work and the funshow Aug. 11th will be out for us (no babysitter). Next show season should prove more fun with a pony in the mix and kids riding. Even though I haven't ridden much I enjoy leading the kids around and how they are bonding with Dora.

C even likes my old mare, Abby. She calls her "Mare". "I like Mare, she don't bite me" She said. "I wanna ride Mare all by myself!". Someday maybe she will.

Abby's colt Pilot says "Hi."

Even pigs don't like it this hot!

2012-07-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

Just the other day, the Midwest was under a heat advisory. We'd hit 92 during the day and 80s at night which any way you look at it... is just plain HOT. Especially if you don't have AC. Especially if you're a farm critter.

On hot days I pry myself away from the fan and go to make my rounds. Have to make sure every yard has water filled and spray any horses with flyspray who'd like it. I made sure to fill 2 extra water pails for the dogs and chickens to drink from and on my way over to the pig (who is about to have a litter of piglets) I remembered something. How miserable I was last summer being pregnant.

The sow came over and grunted her usual greeting and I sprayed her trough full of water. She sometimes likes to drink right out of the hose but this day she attempted to lay down in the trough. When she realized she wouldn't fit, she settled for a shower instead. The sow actually sat right down on her haunches and let me wash her. If pigs could smile, I'd imagine she was. Sure looked like it to me anyway.

Also, I couldn't help but notice the mares were standing behind the barn in the direct sun. They had access to a shaded pasture or even the woods which contains a lot of shade but they chose to stand and be hot in the sun. I looked to my right and sure enough the cows were bedded down under a large shade tree. Makes me wonder sometimes if cows really are so dumb.

In other miscellaneous updates: we hatched 6 guinea keets from the incubator and they've grown in feathers already. All 6 are going to make it. The first few days are the most risky for chicks. Yay guinea keets!

Horse rescue!

2012-06-21T21:15:00.000-07:00

It was last Thursday afternoon when I was out doing chores. Watering horses, making my rounds as usual. I went into the run-in shed and paddock where the colts and stud were kept to find our stallion Ace laying on his side, moaning.

Horse people will know, this is never a good thing. My mind raced thinking it could be colic and this was probably going to end badly. I let myself into the shed to urge Ace onto his feet and get him walking. The ground was packed and it looked like he'd been down for quite some time. Not good.

Ace moaned and groaned and lifted his head and put it back down in defeat. I saw his problem. It wasn't colic at all... he was cast! The old shed had slatted wooden partitions in it used for tie stalls at one time. He had laid down in one of the double wide tie stalls only to get his hindquarters and back legs underneath the boards. That was what kept him down.

Al was late getting home from work so I was on my own. I tried pulling, but of course I could not pull a full sized adult horse. Rolling him was not an option as his legs were stuck. I came up with either a) remove the boards or b) get a tractor and pull him out. I tried A first. I found a big sledge hammer and got the board holding the partition loose only to find it firmly anchored into the hay manger at the front of the stall. Looked like only a chain saw could get him out this way and since it was close to his hindquarters, that did not seem a good option.

That left B... tractor. I looked around for a long tow strap but couldn't find one so I patched together a lead rope and a ratchet strap. Not ideal but I was running out of time. Ace had been down a long time and I worried about damage to his organs from being cast. I started up the old Oliver 1655 and pulled slowly forward. The rope broke in minutes. Ace was now on his belly with head up rather than laying flat.

I went to find a longer rope and tied an old lasso to his halter and to the ratchet strap and lead rope. Again, not ideal for heavy pulling but I had to get him up! I inched the tractor ahead once more, watched the rope go tight and then... SNAP! Rope broke! Bad thing was it came flying in my direction right at my head. There was a lot of pressure, luckily I was watching behind me to see into the shed. I ducked in time.

I put the tractor in neutral and go to check on Ace. Miraculously he was on his feet! He appeared to be very stiff and sore but resumed eating and moving about the same evening. He was ok! I was so glad to see him up I gave him a big hug. I was starting to run out of rope and ideas.

When you have more that one horse, every once in a while one will get itself into some trouble. Luckily in this case everything turned out alright.

Updates & things

2012-06-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

Hello again, sharing what's new on the farm:

First horse updates: 2 year old colt, Steel is still training well. He's very polite ground driving and doesn't scoff or refuse to cross ditches or under the clothesline (oooh scary! -least to a horse). He is ready to be driven in a bridle soon and after that, our first shot at riding...

2yo Steel is very agreeable. Tall and lanky like his sire.

Dora- I've been driving her too. It's a great way to get her used to cues needed for riding. She is a smart little thing and has a very soft mouth. She's a little more spooky than Steel about new things but is learning each time. C even sits on her back for a little while. It's a nice start. I'm fairly certain C has the horsebug just like her mama.

Blue- R's pony turned out to be rather headshy. He doesn't like bridles, flyspray or baths. While this is disappointing, he does lead very nicely in a halter.. I don't know if somebody was just mean to him or if he's trying to be a little jackass about it. However his polite leading doesn't add up. He might just be an alright pony with a few kinks. He might work out as strictly a leadline pony we will see.

Also, just to let you know while the blog has been horse-central for awhile we also have baby piglets due to arrive in several weeks. Hopefully our batch of guinea fowl eggs will hatch that our in the incubator and there's a mama hen with 5 chicks. See, I can talk about more than just horses...

Identity Confusion...

2012-06-06T14:57:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was another "funshow" for our saddle club. They're called fun shows because they do not count for year end points, you don't have to wear fancy show clothing and are typically smaller and more laid back in atmosphere. That's the beauty of a fun show, being relaxed enough to try a new event.

I woke up that morning about 7 a.m headed straight tot he barn and re-bathed Skyler. He not only had manure stains on his hindquarters but also managed to demolish the bottle of Cowboy Magic Green Spot remover I'd hung on the gate to his pen. Brilliant. No choice, bath it was.

Then it was time to get dressed and ready to go. I was riding in 2 English classes: equitation and pleasure and then gaming in the afternoon. Most of the other riders wore jeans for those classes so, rather than changing outfits I just opted to go western.

I put my green/tan plaid shirt by Panhandle Slim, Wrangler jeans, Ariat belt and Laredo boots. Wow, that was a change! Typically for any horseshow I'd be going in breeches, tall boots and a hunt coat. I felt kind of strange at first.

As the day went on I got more used to my new "look". By the end of it I decided I liked "western" and that it could work for me. Some of the outfits are pretty fun!

From the horse aspect of things: We placed 3rd in English pleasure and 1st in equitation. We had a bit of a larger turnout at this show and were a couple more people in English this time. Skyler did really well and was trying to listen very hard. They even asked us to do a little pattern for the eq. class.

Then we did gaming: egg & spoon, pole weaving, key race and barrels. I even got signed up for the surprise class which was called "The lemon pucker". We had to run down and around a barrel then bite a lemon off a string hanging from a pole and ride back. Got 4th in that.

I did discover that Skyler's teeth were bothering him however. He reared at the gate. I checked him when I returned home and sure enough, sharp edges along his gums. A trip to the vet is in order to have his teeth floated.

All-in-all it was a nice day out. Got to visit with horsepeople and ride. At first when I moved to this area I was kind of bummed at the lack of English and huntseat shows around, but now just maybe I'm learning to adapt...

Breaking Steel

2012-05-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

First off to clarify, Steel is a horse. A two year old Appaloosa colt to be exact. This post is not about welding, iron works or anything like that. However I did like the play-on words.

Al recommend we break and sell Steel soon so I figured I'd better get to work. At two, it's legal to train horses to ride, especially if you're a light weight rider and don't do anything to over-stress the joints. Steel seems pretty agreeable so I didn't think I'd have much trouble.

After two times lounging him he already learned to walk-trot and stop when I ask. He doesn't get spooked easily and when I lounged him with a saddle he did not react to it, which is awesome. Sometimes you'll get a nice set of crowhops out of a greenie with a first saddle!

After our most recent lesson yesterday of lounging I took Steel back to the barn, tied him in the tie stall and proceeded to put weight on his back. He didn't mind when I bellied him so next I swung my leg over. I sat on him for about 5-10 minutes just petting and talking to him. His biggest aggravation was stomping at flies. Didn't mind me one bit.

I really enjoy working with young stock because you never know what they'll do. It's also rewarding to ride that horse or watch someone else ride and know that he learned all that because of you. Breaking a horse not only makes them employable and easier to find homes but, I also think they like having a job to do.

More updates and Steel photos to follow as his training progresses. Next is ground driving.

Steel is a 2010 homebred colt out of Doka Doll Fleet by Plaudits Black Ace

http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/steelntheshow

Pony Hunting (not with weapons)

2012-05-23T15:27:00.003-07:00

My last entry spoke of a desire to get the kids a pony. You know, something smaller to the ground, hundreds of pounds lighter and something less intimidating for them to learn to ride on? Well last week turned into an all out, full-scale pony hunt!

It started when Al decided to sell his mare Lady. We hadn't time to ride her and she would be of better use to someone else. That left room offically for a pony! So I started searching online for the perfect one. In my Googles I came across several prospects. A pair of mini geldings Smoky and Goliath, a pair of young Shetland mares, a pinto Welsh pony mare, and a paint Shetland gelding. But which one to get?

Al suprised me most of all when he suggested getting not one but TWO ponies. "Are you nuts?" I thought. I didn't think he'd want two of the buggars around since he'd like fewer horses around. His reasoning was simple: The kids would fight over one. True I thought. Two it was.

I had emailed and called a few people. Mainly on the two mini geldings but we concluded they'd be awful small. Golaith was 9 hands. The Shetland mares were unbroke. Breaking two would take quite a lot of time and I've already got Deuce & Steel (our appaloosa colts) to work with as priority. The Welsh mare sounded good. Has done leadline was 4, not a bad price but things turned out different.

We went to the horsesale on Saturday to sell Lady and scope out pony prospects. Al rode her in the ring and she went to an older fellow who is fans of her sire, Royal Contender. He wanted her for a broodmare. As for ponies there were about 10-12 there. Six minis, two shetlands, and one larger Morgan type.

The bidding started... We passed up one pony for $400. He was the first to come in the ring. Later on this lovely mini came in, a 4 year old grey/white paint. Said she was "broke to ride and drive" but was led in a halter... hmm.... Well I started bidding and got her for $240. Not bad!

C named her pony Dora :) 40" tall

I told Al all about my bargin and he said "Well there's a differnt story on her. I just talked to her owner and she came straight out of pasture and just had her first bath." That's pretty drastic from "Broke to ride and drive"!!! Luckily, I'm in no hurry and can do plenty of groundwork with her. Never believe the auctioneer!

Sunday we set up an appointment to look at "Blue" a 4 year old paint Shetland who does leadline. We were to meet his owner in Crosby which was 1/2 way from her house and ours. I sent Al (to suprise the kids) and he brought him home.

Blue and R seemed to get along great! R led him in the barn up and down the aisle. At one point he tripped and dropped the lead. Blue stopped in his tracks, and dropped his head. That's a good pony right there. Turns out he's not 4 either, his teeth show 14. Guess I should remind Al to look in their mouth next time. We are still happy with what we paid for both ponies. The kids like brushing them everyday and with a lot of supervision they can become great little riders.

R's pony 42" tall

I want a pony...

2012-05-16T14:55:00.002-07:00

No seriously I do, well not really for me, for the kids. Now I'm not about to trash talk our horses (Skyler or Trigger) but to be honest, they're well... Too big! Try boosting a 4 year old up onto a nearly 15 hand high horse. Doesn't go well if you haven't got manly upper body strength let me tell ya.

Skyler is doing great leadline with R & C but I think it would be less intimidating for them to start riding on a pony. It's closer to the ground, makes sense to me. I learned to ride on a few great ponies at the lesson stable myself. I later worked my way up to horses. I think my kids should have the same experience.

Only problem: Al. Doesn't want a pony. Granted he wants to raise cattle, not horses anymore. Another mouth to feed wouldn't be good in his eyes. However: Ponies are smaller and eat less. Most are easy keepers and very hardy. I even asked R if he'd be more comfortable on a pony closer to the ground and he said "Yes". What more proof do we need? To a kid a horse must seem giant, even Skyler at 14.3.

I'm currently trying to get a lead on a good pony. We'll have to see what we can come up with here.

This guy would be perfect! 18 year old gelding broke to drive only 10hh.

Skyler at the funshow

2012-05-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was our saddle club's funshow and I decided to pull ol Skyler out of the pasture and give it a try. I hadn't had many chances to ride this spring yet and wasn't quite sure how he'd do. Getting time off when your husband farms and works when you've got 3 small kids is somewhat difficult.

So the weather was in the 50's and there was a chance of rain but mostly it was a nice day. It was great not to have to worry about the kids. My 4 legged kid stayed tied to the trailer and caused me no trouble. As for the show part: He got 2nd in English equitation and pleasure and in the gaming we won $9 in the jackpot classes for barrels, poles and jumping figure 8. Keep in mind there was a small turnout and it was only a funshow. Even so, it was a nice time off. I bet Skyler wouldn't agree, he had to work!

An extra feather in my cap: I drove the truck & trailer myself. Loaded and unloaded my horse. Skyler was a bit stubborn about loading but I got him. I had everything packed up and was rolling out just when the rain started.

Project for next funshow: our mare Doka Doll Fleet. She's got more of the pleasure horse type build and Al and I think she'd be worth a try in the show pen. If she does well we'd try a WSCA show later in the month of June. -Skyler will be doing leadline with the kids

Next project

I appologize but there are no pictures, my cameraman was babysitting 3 kids and had his hands full. Maybe next time.

Gardening continued...

2012-05-01T10:00:00.002-07:00

So Al has been busy preparing the garden for planting. He's been tilling and spreading it with black dirt. Just a few days ago I caught him plowing it under again with the tractor, adding grass for mulch and tilling it again. I must admit I don't have much of a green thumb but, if I were a plant, I'd suppose the ground looks nice.

We have sandy soil and plenty of rock so it seems to take a lot of conditioning. Al had modified an old tiller of his dad's with a new larger engine and is having luck with that. However, it's really large and heavy for me to use, I can't even pull start it.

So, wanting my help in such a large garden, we decided to order a Mantis tiller. We got the 2-cycle with kickstand and fired it up a couple times. The thing has plenty of power. It can really did deep and it's light enough that I can handle it (I'm very petite).

Actually, thanks to the arrival of the Mantis, I dug up a new flower bed in front of the house to try my hand with a few new flowers. The fact that it's a fast and light tiller means I am able to weed the beds and help Al keep up in our expanded garden. Sounds like a good deal to me.

Off to a good start so far.

The plants were started from seed we ordered at Farmers Seed and Nursery. Our last shipment of potatoes and flower bulbs is on the way and we're pleased that we got just about everything we needed for 1/2 the price we'd have to pay at our local greenhouses. *Note about farmers seed- the seeds were ok, but the potatoes we ordered were ROTTEN. Not happy!

New arrival

2012-04-29T21:34:00.000-07:00

This week was a very good one. My mare Dust of Honey, Abby had a foal! A little colt, I'm very thrilled. This isn't just any old colt, he's something special alright.

The mare (Abby) is the one I wrote about earlier (the backwards horse). She's been with me since 1998 and is my first horse. I'd ridden and shown her for years and in her retirement she gave me a second generation to carry on her legacy: Flying Ace or Pilot for short.

I've got high hopes for the little fella. With his dam's athleticism and the sire's levelheadedness, I believe he will go far. He's also got some decent bloodlines: Two Eyed Jack, Three Bars and Prince Plaudit in his background. Not too shabby for a backyard-bred horse.

Welcome to the herd little Pilot! Can't wait to ride you in a good three years, you're a stunner just like your mama.

Skyler, from the Beginning

2012-04-19T13:22:00.000-07:00

Last post I mentioned training ideas for my gelding Skyler. It occurred to me I never explained how he came to be here with us or why he's significant. Here goes:

Upon moving to MN Al and I frequented horse sales and auctions. A few years back we found an Appaloosa herd dispersal sale and hurried on down to see what they had. There were 5 stallions, a pen of weanlings and yearlings, some broodmares. Most looked really nice with a lot of color. Some were that stocky western build while a few were more refined, modern breeding like a Thoroughbred.

Al and I liked the red near leopard colt and filly weanling. We set a maximum bid and sat back to watch the sale. The filly came in first. She was adorable! I started bidding... $125 do I hear a 150? -Yep. $150 do I hear a 75? HO! (someone else bid) Two, do I hear a two? - YEP! (me) "A two twenty five?-" The auctioneer mistakenly thinks I bid again! I said NOPE. - YEP! (guy) Me- "NO, NO! ($200 was our max.) Al yells to me "Sit still! Don't say ANYTHING"

After getting out of that deal, the colt comes in. He was red roan on the neck with leopard spots over his body. Bidding started, I got him for $200. At the booth I felt excited I had bought my second horse ever! He had nice conformation and was easy to lead into the trailer. We debated what to name him and came up with "Blues Skyhawk" Skyler for short.

Years went by and Skyler grew. I did groundwork as a 3 year old and broke him the spring he turned 4. I wanted to make sure his knees were closed in and he was a faster learner than at 3. He broke out with not even a buck or hop. He became a steady mount and I soon took him on the trails.

Skyler competed in his first horse show a local WSCA event in English equitation and pleasure. He pinned and I was thrilled for a first timer. We also did fun shows at our saddle club where he ran barrels, did pole weaving and the surprise class. Through it all he was steady and willing if not a bit poky. -Don't get me wrong I'd take poky over a hot-head any day!

Currently Skyler is a 6 year old getting ready for another show season. Nothing too exciting, just local shows, but it's a fun day out. He also has a new important role: Kid's horse. My 4 year old son, R and 2 year old daughter C are learning to ride. This is where his pokyness and steady attitude really shine! With some more practice, R will be ready for his first leadline class aboard a horse we raised and trained. That would be pretty rewarding to see.

Skyler at his first show

Experiments in horse training

2012-04-12T21:00:00.003-07:00

As "backyarders" it's a rather do-it-yourself operation in terms of horse training around here. Alan is completely self-taught and has had success breaking horses to ride and drive even training and selling for some other folks (before we had kids and got too busy). I had a more traditional background in horses coming from the riding stables back East where I took lessons frequently and rode huntseat. Between the two of us we've come up with a training philosophy that works for us and our horses. "Firm but Fair" basically.

My current mount Skyler is a 5 year old Appaloosa/Curly Horse gelding. I've had him since a weanling and broke him myself. Took him to his first local shows in 2010 where he proved he had the basics down. I'm now working on "finishing". My goal is to have a more supple horse who is rounded and on the bit and in the back as well. I'd also like to develop some western handling like spins, sidepass, and turn on the haunches.

While we don't have much time (with a farm and 3 small kids) to attend clinics or to send the horse out to be trained, there is one ace in the hole: YouTube! Ah, some great videos on there. I'm going to share them below.

This made a lot of sense to me. I love the idea of getting a horse to come into frame willingly rather than being forced. My goal is to have the horse moving stretching down while rounding his back as in Stage 1.

Sylvia Loch explains a bit more about a round back.

Demonstrating how groundwork is used to teach a horse suppleness and turns on the hind or forehand

This guy does an even better job showing how groundwork prepares a horse.

How to begin teaching a spin after you've done groundwork.

I'll be starting some groundwork techniques with Skyler and getting him to extend and stretch downward more during riding. Lots to work on.

Sorting & mud = Fun

2012-04-10T20:29:00.001-07:00

A few days ago, Al decided the cattle needed to be given their pour-on ivermectin and that the cows and calves should be turned out to pasture and released from the smaller calving yard where they were kept for observation in case one needed help delivering.

Trying to get the cows into the barn isn't such a big deal. Most of them are pretty tame and would go right in to be put into pens and then run through the chute for medicines. The trouble was mostly the calves. I don't know if any of you have ever tried to herd calves, but it's like herding a bunch of deer. They take off and scatter, crashing through fence wire ducking wildly. Once the calves run, the cows usually follow their babies.

It was attempt no. 3 when I joined in. Al and his dad were not having luck. They'd get the cows about half way up the lane that led to the barn when they'd stop and push back out. I came up with another idea. Trot them in. With the two guys working either side, I hooped, hollered, growled and made all sorts of racket. The cows broke into a trot. I kept right after them and behind the barn they slowed to a quick walk. Cows went right in, calves split and went everyplace.Well, that was part of a victory. Only problem was, my boot had gotten stuck in about 2' of mud. Even pulling by hand I couldn't get it loose and- I was directly behind the barn door. If the cows came charging back out, I could be in real trouble.

I raised my purple sparkly dressage whip (which I use to herd cattle) in preparation to chase them around me should they come out of the barn. I thought to myself, I bet not many guys at the sales barns use sparkly dressage whips and then also that few dressage riders would use their whips on cattle. The thought made me chuckle. Meanwhile Al's dad came over and pulled my boot out. It was time to deal with the calves.

We tried to herd them back up same as cows, hoping they'd want to join their mamas in the barn. No luck. We tried cutting loose a cow and sending her back out to gather the calves so they'd follow her into the barn. Nope. Finally, Al had an idea. Go SLOW. Calves can't be worked like cattle they get scared too easy and run without thinking. We literally creeped up on them by inches waiting until each one was looking the correct direction, creeping more. Eventually we got them into the pens with their mama cows and everyone got their medicine and was turned onto pasture.

Cows are always an adventure. Never quite know what they're going to do. I'm still a greenhorn, but I'm learning. I at least have a concept of how to work them as before I'd just end up sending them the wrong way. Could've done without that mud though.

These lil buggars are fast!

(photo by dan routh photography)

Garden

2012-04-01T09:22:00.001-07:00

With a growing family and growing grocery bill, Alan and I decided to start a garden a few years ago. It seemed to make the most sense and would even provide the kids with some useful chores to do as well as a freezer full of veggies to last the winter.

Our first garden didn't turn out so well. Al plowed a patch out of our hayfield next to our house and we fought grass which continued to encroach. That and some husband accidentally drove his seed-drill through the end and planted it in oats. Have you ever tried to weed out oats? They're pretty stubborn and super-hardy. Between the oats and potato bugs we had a small crop that year.

The following year, Al got smart. He tilled frequently (just about every other day or more) and we moved out potato patch near where we keep our extra round bales. The idea of moving the potato patch was to cut down on potato bugs that hatch from the soil in spring. Moving each year prevents the bugs from hatching and immediately ruining your crop. Besides that, we also had to pick the bugs off by hand and apply a dust to the plant as protection.

Last year also brought us a ton of squash. We had one zucchini but accidentally planted what we thought were melons, but turned out as a pile of summer squash (got our packets mixed). We had an entire row of zucchini and yellow squash that just went crazy with production. I baked and cooked what I could but were were still left with massive squash that even our neighbors couldn't eat. I recently found out you can freeze squash so that's the plan for this year. It will also make some nice baby food.

Last year's garden was put in with help from our Belgian/Percheron mare Missy

Cut to this year: our garden is expanded to 3x the size of the old one. Al must mean business! We ordered seeds from Farmers Seed & Nursery http://www.farmerseed.com/ for 1/2 price what we'd pay at the local greenhouse and have started the seedlings indoors for earlier crop. Minnesota has a very short growing season, if you plant too early, frost will kill everything; too late and the stuff never gets ripe. *Note- Got the farmers seed order... Potatoes were rotten! I would be careful about ordering from them!

We're putting in sweet and ornamental popping corn, radish, carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, spinach, onion, potato, garlic, kohlrabi, lettuce, melon and squash. I think Al must get a little garden-happy or perhaps is in a competition with the neighbor for best garden/ earliest harvest. Either way we should save some money and eat well this year.

Tiller? Nah, we just use a plow! You can see our little assistant on board as well.

Tag'n Calves

2012-03-25T16:03:00.003-07:00

When you think of dangerous animals and farming, you probably think: bull. But, what on a farm can as dangerous as a bull and just as ornery? A cow with a baby.

Each spring with the arrival of baby calves, Al sticks his neck out to go into the yard and tag the newborn calves and spray their navel with iodine to prevent infection. While this is a necessary part of raising cattle, we seem to have trouble convincing some of the mama cows it's a good idea.

To the cows anything that touches their baby is a threat. A dog, a wolf, a human. Now most cows will simply circle nearby and wait until you finish with their calf- others have no intention of letting you anywhere near their baby.

The farmer must know his herd. He needs to know which cows are aggressive, which are calm and plan accordingly. Sure there can be an issue with a first calf heifer (don't know how she'll react) or a newly purchased cow. It's great to see a cow be protective to fend off wolves, but not so great for us when they want to bulldoze you into the mud.

Over the years Al and his dad have had some notoriously protective cows. Up until recently it was Ol Google Eyes. She was black with a white face and two black eye patches and was the most ornery cow in the herd. No dog, or wolf would dare come near her- she'd come charging. In order to get Google Eye's calf, Al would have someone drive a pickup into the field, would bail out, nab the calf and climb into the truckbed and tag it there so she couldn't get him.

This year the trouble came from a solid red cow. Odd thing was, she hadn't even calved yet. I went with Al into the cow yard to help with tagging (my job was to spray iodine) and the first calf went great. On to no. 2. The mama cow backed off, but this other one came right up bellering and pawing. Not good.

We tried yelling, making a bluff charge (to back her off) and she luckily retreated then circled right back. The calf we were after ducked under the fence and Al crawled under and pursued it. He was yelling that I should crawl under too. Meanwhile, I kept an eye on the ornery cow who was occupied watching the other calves (and satisfied no one was near). I had made a run to a nearby bale-ring (empty hay feeder) and was prepared to jump in for some protection while I debated.

I ended up heading out the gate keeping an eye behind me for an angry cow. Luckily this cow decided to back off -but a truly ornery cow would keep charging. Lesson for me: Learn to duck a 5 strand electric fence. Remember to be more worried about the cow than possibly getting zapped by the fencer.

The herd

Babies taking a rest

Renegade

2012-03-22T17:16:00.002-07:00

It's another spring which gets me remembering a particular spring a few years ago when we sold a horse. Well, he wasn't just any old horse- he was Renegade.

My first spring in MN in 2005 took Al and I to a lot of horse sales. We loved looking and shopping for horses. At the time we had no kids and could train/sell some locally. Make a few bucks, give a horse a future: win/win.

We came upon Renegade as an unbroke 4 year old stallion running in a pasture. He belonged to a friend of Alan's and we met the horse when we trailered another of the guy's horses as a favor. He was blue roan and stood roughly 15 hands and for a stallion he was gentle enough. Good breaking prospect.

So Al and I got to talking, that led to talking with the owner, which led to a few hours later: Us buying, loading the stud and bringing him home. (If you know us, that's no big surprise)

I began working with the roan shortly after he arrived and he clearly lacked manners. In the roundpen he would rear and try to climb out. After a few lessons with Al he got the right idea and I was able to work with him. He was bright, learned quick. Before long he was stopping easily on the lounge line and then progressed to ground driving.

After a few more ground lessons we were ready to try riding! I hadn't started many horses before this and getting on stallion to boot was a little unnerving. It's really the ultimate test of "Did you do your homework right?".

After a few hesitant trips around the roundpen at a walk, Renegade had proven he would accept me as his rider. Soon we were trotting and a while later were out of the ring entirely.

We also decided to have him gelded. He would sell better that way and could find a better home. We kept him the entire winter and early spring advertised him on DreamHorse.com. After a few false leads a family with a teenage girl came to look at him.

They liked him, paid us and started to load up Reny. He hesitated a minute before loading into the trailer and looked right at me. I told him, "It's ok Ren, you can go. This is your new family." With that, he stepped right in. I know they say horses can't understand, but I swear he knew exactly what was going on.

I still think about Renegade from time to time and I hope he is happy and doing well. We took him from unbroke stallion and made him into a trailbroke gelding (gave him employable job skills). If you think about it, it's kind of like putting him through horse college. I know we can't keep them all, but they still leave a special place in my heart.

Renegade @ 4yo shortly before being sold.

Hauling hay

2012-03-08T16:05:00.004-08:00

Last summer's hay crop left us with over 100 extra round bales so we decided to give selling some a shot. Each week area sales barns sell cows, pig, sheep and hay on certain days. That's all well and good until you figure out what is involved in actually getting a collection of 4'x5' round bales loaded, hauled and unloaded at the sale.

Like many small time farmers, my husband drives a well-worn pickup. It's a Dodge Ram 2500 (3/4 ton 4x4) with some dents and dings in it. None of that mattered to us of course long as it could haul hay and cattle. Now generally, you aren't supposed to pull more than the max. capacity for the vehicle, but leave it to Al to test the limits.

We should've known something was about to give when a lady commented at the gas station where Al was fueling up with his rig. "Wow, can you get any more on there?" she asked with a chuckle. "If I were you I'd kiss that truck!"

It must've looked like an impressive load with square bales piled in the bed and a flatbed trailer full of rounds to boot. The Dodge completed it's trip and then... my husband used the truck as an ATV and romped on it while chasing some cows that had gotten through the fence (electric fence shorted out with snow). *Ping! There went the reverse band. Cost: a new transmission. Not good.

So in a desperate attempt to continue hauling hay before spring comes (and grass arrives dropping prices at market) we decide to hunt for a replacement pickup which turned into an adventure all on its own.

Found a great deal about an hour away and we eagerly drove up for a test drive. Sadly the truck (a Chevy Silverado) had engine problems which we could clearly hear upon start-up. We wasted that trip and drove home. On the plus side we did get a great view of the frozen Mille Lacs Lake which looked like an Arctic tundra.

That night after scanning online we found another Dodge Ram 2500 with plow and new tires and it was in our budget! Problem: it was 2.5 hours away, the other side of the twin cities. We'd been calling different dealers all week and were finding reasonable priced trucks were sold fast so we jumped at it.

Next day kids, Al and I headed all the way to Northfield, a five hour round trip. Upon seeing the truck it passed our inspection and within an hour or so were back in-route to the good old country. Only problem was it was near rush hour in Minneapolis and I HATE city driving!

Thankfully we squeaked through before it turned into a parking lot out there. The kids were also great with no fussing or crying through the tie-up and my oldest even made it to the suburbs before needing a potty break (which was a relief).

So here it is, another week hauling hay. A different pickup to do the job. Hopefully this time Al won't overload it or use it as a snowmobile or 4-wheeler... we can hope.

On the road again

Snow

2012-02-29T09:31:00.000-08:00

Snow can really be a pain in the backside especially on a farm when it makes feeding and watering livestock more difficult. One such occasion stands out in my mind and I figured it would be mildly amusing to share. Here goes:

A few years ago we had ourselves a good old fashioned blizzard. We're talking a few feet of snow. It was almost up to the horses' chest. The weather had stayed cold for weeks and none of it melted. This made feeding hay with the tractor quite difficult you see.

We use big roundbales to feed our herd and that required firing up the old Oliver and driving to the other side of the 40 where Alan kept our supply of bales. Sure it was a great idea when it came time to feed in the back pasture, but not so handy when you had to drive the tractor from the barnyard ALL the way down there in 3' of snow or more.

It was my first MN blizzard and frankly I didn't think it would be a big deal. Tractors can get through anything, right? Wrong. Our old Olivers do not have front-wheel assist (4 wheel drive for tractors) and the front end had basically no steering. That's ok because you can steer with your brakes (tractors have left & right brakes) except for the fact that going forwards was near impossible.

After a few cuss words Alan managed to get the tractor down the cowlane which was roughly half way there when he got good and stuck. So then his dad fires up another tractor and goes down to help. After he hooks on there is much smoke coming from the tractors' exhaust and more yelling. It was about then when I heard Alan's tractor go: Puhpuhpuhpuhhhh..... Out of gas. That was followed by a few more cuss words which I could clearly hear half a 40 away.

I decided to try and help so I saddled up Trigger our trusty Appaloosa gelding and headed down there. I also thought to tie an old 2x4 plank to the saddle horn to use as a shim for the tractor tire in hope of getting it unstuck. The next matter was getting there. The chest-deep snow was panked down in the tractor track so I rode him in that. It was quite narrow but he handled it like a pro toting the board behind like a trooper.

Al was glad I came down and though the board was of little use, he hopped on Trigger and rode back to pick up a spare can of gas. Horses, the original ATV.

There's one in every bunch...

2012-02-10T10:12:00.000-08:00

That time of the year is almost upon us, calving season! The culmination of choosing the right bull for the right cow/heifer and finally seeing your hard work in the flesh. There's something very satisfying about it. You can breed for specific traits and improve conformation or, if you're not careful you can end up with a great big batch of crazy.

Over the years we've gone through many bulls of various breeds. When I arrived in MN Alan & his dad were running Simmental/Simangus bulls. They looked big and impressive with nice white markings that I was fond of but, we had no luck with the particular lines we had.

First thing we noticed was the calves were nuts. Not just a little nervous around people, I mean, clear the fence, smash the gates down loco! Try to herd them into a pen? Forget it. They ran like deer and dove through a five wire barbed fence like it was nothing. Me being a newby to cattle at the time wondered if they were all this way. Certainly not.

Due to the temperament issues we were not able to keep many replacement heifers. I'll never forget one in particular. She taught me a whole nother level of respect for cattle. She was black and white with a big black spot on her nose. We'd penned her for vaccinations and she just snapped. She pawed the ground, bellered. She wanted to mow us into the dirt.

Al & his dad wisely decided to sell her and they barricaded up the pen overnight to haul her the next morning to the sales barn. Only problem, she had escaped. She smashed the upper gate (chained upon the regular gate to prevent jumping) and had gotten into the pasture. Al and I decided to round her up with the 4-wheeler and a cattle prod. Probably not the best idea.

As testimony to how nuts this heifer was she took after us in the open field. More commonly cattle only get pushy when confined. It certainly wasn't normal. Finally we chased her into the swamp and Alan decides to go in after her. "Can't loose her" he says. I was less than supportive of this idea, but there was no stopping him.

Pretty soon I hear frantic yelling, she was after him! Al had climbed a partially fallen tree to escape and the psycho heifer was thrashing it with her head in hopes of getting him. It was the most scared I'd ever been. I wondered if the only way to get Al out safely would be to shoot her.

Fortunately she became distracted by Al's dad walking forward to get a closer look. She turned and went down in the mud in the swamp allowing Al a few minutes to make a run for it. I picked him up at the edge of the swamp with the 4-wheeler and rode to safety.

Needless to say, we no longer run Simmental cattle. Some people had good luck with them, but for me, all I think of is that crazy heifer who tried to kill us. The guys at the sales barn weren't too happy with her either. She busted two gates on them and they cleared out the bottom row of the seats when she came into the sales arena.

Fast forward to this years calving: Some nice Gelbvieh/Angus and Hereford mixes are about to hit the ground. We've had good luck with these crosses and are hopeful for another nice batch.

While we never took a picture of the actual crazy heifer, she looked roughly like this.

Restoring the "Pony"

2012-01-18T21:49:00.000-08:00

Around here, tractor repairs are frequent. It's not uncommon to have one of the farms' antique Oliver tractors torn half apart and sitting upon blocks in our garage. Knowing how to repair your own tractor is not only handy, but also necessary for the small-time farmer where every dollar counts. Currently our smallest one an Oliver 66 Row Crop is in to be torn down and refurbished.

The 66, or "Pony" as we call it has been in Alan's family for years. His dad bought it new around the 60's and it was the first one he learned to drive on and spent many hours in the field on. When I moved to MN, it was also the first tractor I learned to drive. It wasn't as large or intimidating as the 1650 or 1850.

When we brought the rusty relic into the garage, Al noticed the crank case was frozen in a block of ice. Currently he's going through the engine, putting in new gauges and is sanding and re-painting it. Rather time-consuming but a worth-while cause.

The Pony is the smallest and also the "cutest" tractor we have. It could be put back to work raking hay in the summer instead of using a larger tractor which burns more fuel. Not to mention Russell has taken a shine to it. He says it's his tractor and is already being selective on who could drive it. He spends time out in the garage with his dad helping here and there.

Our ultimate goal would be to take it to the annual White Pine Threshing and Logging Show where they have an antique tractor parade. I could only imagine how fun it would be for Russell to ride around waving at people sitting next to Alan or myself.

Here is where we are at right now. You can see our little supervisor in the seat. Still much work to do.

Here's our goal. I will post a picture of the final product once it's finished.

Alan says he enjoys working on the 66 because there's no hurry to quick get it done so he can go haul hay. It's something he can do in his spare time and I think it means a lot to Russell as well. I help out here and there when I get a chance. It's nice to have a family project and heirloom.

Ooogly Tack

2012-01-14T12:57:00.000-08:00

If you've ever visited eBay and looked through the saddles, you're likely to see a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Some are of the highest quality, others are not fit for a Cabbage Patch Kid to ride around on. I was inspired by Tacky Tack of the Day's blog and thought I'd take a crack at an ugly tack entry myself. Turns out there is no shortage of material.

How about this little number? Green with yellow diamonds? niiice

This one is a dandy! I love how sturdy and comfortable it looks, not to mention it looks like it was made from scrap.

Now for you hunters, here's the thing! No one will see you coming in this rig (nor would they want to for that matter)

And there's nothing like a good ol fake floral motif

Well, maybe you prefer leather? Here's a gem for your western pleasure classes

I've named this "Racing towards Disaster"- the ugliest barrel saddle I've ever seen...

Unless you've seen this one. I love the bumpy ostrich pink seat!

Can't decide to ride English or western? Why not ride both at the same time with this super deluxe model.

and last but not least, "Animal Print Horror" This one made me almost spit out my drink from laughing when I saw it.

Sure there is a preference issue in tack but some of these are not only eye-sores, but poorly functional as well. I'm a fan of a good old leather saddle any day. If I had to watch my dollars, I'd purchase a used brand-name saddle before I'd ever consider something like well ^^^ that stuff.

A Cow of a Different color

2012-01-13T11:08:00.000-08:00

It all started out in a pasture on some distant Minnesota farm where Alan and I were looking for a new bull. We'd recently had to sell ours (a big, red Simmental) because he was getting mean and aggressive. It was starting to get late for breeding season and we needed a replacement ASAP.

The seller had a range of bulls, some Hereford, some solid in color. One immediately caught my eye. He was a nicely built Hereford looking bull, mostly white with big red splotches on him. Out of all the bulls there color aside, I firmly felt he also had the best conformation- deep barrel and straight topline.

Alan argued against him because at the salesbarn white cattle bring less per pound. The trend now is solid colored (black or reds). He didn't want to bring that bull home for fear of a herd of goofy mixed up red and white cattle.

Well, we ended up bringing him home. I named him Target due to the big red splotch on his side. He was a nice, quiet bull and threw calves that were decently built and easy to handle (which counts for a lot). We've gotten: red's with white heads, whites with red dots and splotches and even reds with white bands (they looked like a Dutch Belted).

Eventually the time came to get rid of Target. He'd been here for several years and we needed fresh blood into our breeding program. I was unhappy to say the least. There was something to soften the blow however, Spots and Dots, two of his white and red-splotched daughters. Alan decided to give Spots to our son Russell and Dots to Carleigh. Each year when they have calves, the money from selling them will go towards the kids for savings/allowance ect.

Last spring one of Target's daughters (Spots) had a heifer calf. I was so excited! Since it was Russell's cow who was the mother he got to name her. Being the avid tractor fanatic he chose "Allis", as in Allis-Chalmers' tractors. She's got the goofy dutch belted marking, looks like someone took a paintbrush to her.

Alan decided to give Allis to me in exchange for me trading my cow Hallie (who was getting old and will need to be sold pretty soon). At least this way he can blame the goofy colored cattle on his wife and kids. Farmers have a funny sort of pride when it comes to things like that.

Spots the cow and her baby "Allis"

Pig Tales

2012-01-12T11:30:00.000-08:00

Having an assortment of animals on the place means we've had just about every common farm critter at one time or another. Pigs being no exception. Thing about pigs is- they're escape artists, better than Houdini himself.

Al had pigs before I ever moved here and went a couple years without any, when he decided to get a few and raise butcher pigs. The idea of homegrown meat appealed to me in terms of cutting grocery costs and also knowing what the animals were fed and that they had nothing artificial in them.

We had a nice old shed with a "dog door" on a concrete slab. The fence was hog panels with an electric wire near the ground on the inside, "Pig proof!" Al said.

He was wrong. Around January (back a few years) they made a break for it. The pigs were half-grown and pretty agile. If you've never chased a pig before, let me tell you they're quick! They can change direction in an instant and outrun you like nothing. Chasing pigs out in the cold was no fun either.

We managed to get that lot in, but unfortunately they were not our only bunch of escapees. The following spring a new bunch broke out and tore up our garden. Al was not home and I went running across the barn yard trying to shoo them back into a shed or barn- any place contained. Finally out of desperation, I grabbed a loaf of bread and baited the sow toward the barn with bread crumbs. It worked until she grew bored and wandered off again.

We have not had any pigs for a few years now, but Alan talks about wanting to raise a few more. He will build a new fence, this time they can't get out- yeah, right.

Our last litter of piglets. They were Hampshire/Duroc cross. They sure were cute, but made an awful noise when you tried to pick them up and hold 'em.