Stop blaming me

Stop blaming me for people not knowing where food comes from

You see it flare it up on social media from time to time – the rhetoric within the ag advocacy groups that if producers had and would do a better job telling their story, sharing with the consumer their every move, explaining their practices, decisions, goals and dreams. If they would only write eloquent statements detailing every twinge of arthritic discomfort and the cause of that limp, there wouldn’t be the current disconnect between consumers and the land and people who raise and grow the food that fuels them.

And, as one of those people on the growing, raising and getting-my-hands-dirty-every-day end of food production, and also one of the many who try to share my agriculture story with the masses through a variety of opportunities, such a mindset bothers me. It bothers me because my experience from a very young age has been that agriculture – its people, practices, farms and ranches, have all stood with an open door to whomever had the genuine interest to learn about them. I don’t know that I’ve ever witnessed a farmer or rancher tell someone to fly a kite when they asked a sincere question. In actuality, I have seen the people within agriculture embrace every opportunity to share their lifestyle, to hire and willingly pay someone as they teach them their craft, to step outside their comfort zone to speak with groups of strangers, or to invite those strangers into their field, corral or home.

Long before social media, laser fast technology and a worldwide readership could be obtained from any living room, these people were working not only at their lifelong occupation of raising food, but on sharing their knowledge. The issue is not a lack of information provided by the farmer and rancher, the issue is a lack of interest by the general public.

Yes, there is a huge and important brouhaha over everything from GMO’s and pesticide use to mom bloggers being our new bosses and organic versus conventional practices. Everyone has an opinion on these and countless other food related topics, which ultimately impact those who raise food. It’s critically important stuff. But, everyone forms their opinions with their stomachs full, thanks to American farmers and ranchers. Hunger hasn’t been an issue in our nation on a large scale since my grandmother’s generation. And, before reminding me of the many hungry people in our country – when government agents came through the west and killed all the cattle in an effort to improve the beef market, my great grandmother convinced them to leave one of her cows alive. She and her children then butchered it, harvested their home raised garden, and made canned stew that they then lived almost exclusively on for a year or more. Many others were less fortunate. That is facing hunger to a degree I, and I daresay most people in this day and age, struggle to even imagine in America.

Until that happens, bickering over a myriad of shallow food related topics is likely to continue. If and when true hunger faces our nation again, I’ll bet my last cow people will eat whatever they can to survive, without concern or griping. They will thank their lucky stars for GMO’s and drought tolerant seeds, and for the knowledge and skills found in the few who still farm and ranch.

In the meantime, the perception of food has been altered to the point it no longer mirrors the reality those in production agriculture know to be true. Add in the twisted few on the opposite end of the spectrum, who have a delusional view of agriculture as a house of monstrosities, who rain misinformation in a slew of sophisticated, attention grabbing outlets, and it gets messy fast.

Wasting your breathe discrediting the valid efforts of producers you then attempt to back and tout as being all that we really are does nothing for your, or our, creditability. No one blames Apple when they don’t immediately know how to navigate the latest Iphone. Rather, people generally expect to wade through some research followed by a period of trial and error, and perhaps call customer service or visit a store and talk with a human. They take the initiative to educate themselves in order to effectively use their device. Food should not be the exception to this mindset.

Rather than point a finger in the producer’s direction for not doing enough to educate the public, consider to what extent the public wants to be educated. Most want to be able to do the equivalent of the basic phone functions, a few want to know a few extra things, and minute handful want to know how their phone was built in addition to how to access and effectively utilize every function of it. Those people are taking the time to find those of us on the building side of food production; all we have to do is continue sharing our legacy of feeding them the best food anywhere on earth any way we can, just as we have been doing for generations.

So, share on in whatever way or ways you can. If you’re not farming or ranching yourself, or even if you are, give one of the people who made you love agriculture a call or stop by and see them. When you’re done visiting, take a moment to relish in the rejuvenated inspiration you feel, and share it. The feeling that person just instilled you, that is the purest and most effective form of advocating and sharing of a story and lifestyle you’ll ever find. No blame or Internet connection required.

Branding Day Photos, 2016

On April 24 we raced the rain clock and branded, only to have the impending showers hold off a day. Then the clouds cut loose and blessed us with over an inch of moisture. In between cutting calves, I managed to snap a few pictures, mostly of gathering and sorting. Hope you are able to kick up your muddy feet and enjoy them.

Gathering the heifer pairs.

Is it a branding without a calf getting while gathering or sorting?

Out the gate she goes.

Some of these girls are suddenly showing more interest in their calf than they have over the course of its entire life.

 Away we go on the first bunch. Always fun to watch the ropers.

 On to the old cows, and more sorting.

 They are much more familiar with the drill.

 Just in case another calf should escape with the cows, these two are ready.

 My dad was one of the branders.

 My husband and his topnotch supervisor.

Nothing like branding with friends and family, then watching it rain for a week!

Christmas in the Country 2015 Reveal

I must confess I almost passed on participating in Christmas in the Country 2015. One frustrating aspect of motherhood for me has been an inability to get anything done before the very last minute (I'm trying to work on this), and I could see participating resulting in one more thing I would struggle to complete during the holiday season. While, yes, here I am writing this post on the last possible day, I am beyond grateful I did decide to participate for a third time! This was the best year yet in my opinion, and I have always found this gift exchange to be among my favorite aspects of the holidays.
Why was this year so great? I think it was largely due to who I was paired with, both on the receiving and giving end. Since this is a reveal, lets start with who sent me a gift. Her name is Terryn, and she blogs at Faith Family and Beef. She takes beautiful photos, is mom to three cute little kids that are always rocking adorable Stormy Kromers, and this lady has a way with words!  Above is a photo of most of what she sent me, and I am happily enjoying my third, ok fourth, cup of coffee in that super cute mug right now, doing my best to take its advice and sip versus chug :)  She also included a "poor girls latte" recipe that I put in a safe place, so safe I couldn't find it when I was ready to snap a picture. More coffee and hopefully my memory will return regarding its whereabouts!
The book has already been a big hit as my little boy loves anything that involves making noises, especially animal noises! I'm a big book nut, and am always thrilled to add a volume to my collection.
What you can't read here is her sweet note, which included a handful of her favorite Bible versus and what makes them stand out to her or how she has applied them in her own life. These really hit home with me! As a new mom there are incredible joys and some struggles. I gained so much peace reading her versus and accompanying tidbits on why they were so meaningful to her. I've kept these two sheets of paper near the surface, and they have found their way into my hands several, much needed times.
The last part of my gift was a gift certificate to the Faith Family and Beef Etsy page, where I am leaning strongly toward this photo/quote combination. Be sure to check it out, as she has some beautiful images of her Nebraska Sandhills home!
I already followed Faith Family and Beef on Instagram, but since receiving Terryn's gift I've started following her blog as well. Hearing her faith-based, ranch mom perspective has been such a blessing to me. I have definitely been needing hear much of what she has been writing about. Thank you so much for both the awesome gift and your blog, Terryn. Both have already served me well!
I also had the opportunity to send a gift to a wonderful Idaho ranch woman, blogger and photographer, Maggie Malson. How we didn't already know each other is beyond me, as Idaho and Wyoming (where I grew up) aren't that far apart in the ag journalism world. We have emailed a couple times already, and I am very excited to get to know Maggie better. Her photos are phenomenal, as is her writing! Plus, I can already tell she is a very genuine, kind gal.
In closing, I would like to thank all the wonderful ladies who came together to make Christmas in the Country 2015 such a success - Jamie from This Uncharted Rhoade, Laurie from Country Linked, Lara from My Other More Exciting Self, and Kirby from 15009 Farmhouse. You make this such a fun, enjoyable gift exchange. Plus, I am very grateful you put me in touch with two genuine, kind ranch moms that I can learn so much from! Thank you all again.

Parenting lessons from the first month

Our first little is one month old. To say we've learned a few things over the last 30 days is an understatement. While I by no means have it figured out, there have been some fun, funny and truly insightful lessons and experiences.

1. Delivery room terminology is both oddly similar and vastly different between livestock and humans. It's called Picotin instead of oxytocin, placenta instead of after birth, and the list goes on. Some nurses will track what you're saying, some will look at you as if you're insane when you ask certain questions or respond with ranch terminology versus human.

2. "No baby has ever slept itself to starvation." This tidbit of advice is perhaps the most useful I've received since giving birth. Due to starting out a little slow on latching, our doctor said we needed to wake our little one every two hours round the clock to feed him. I tried this for about two days, and two hours turned into one, then turned into 45 minutes between eating, and an increasingly fussy, tired, dissatisfied baby. I finally stopped and the let the poor kid and myself sleep. He ended up gaining double the newborn average in his first week of life, so I'm assuming it worked. A couple weeks later a neighbor voiced the above statement, and I couldn't agree more.

3. Resuming work/activity. Doctors tell you take it easy and rest after having a baby. Family members tend to say the same thing. People will offer their assistance with almost anything in the house out of both kindness and the belief you should take it easy. But, if a tractor needs moved, pigs need watered, the cows get out, etc . . .  Everyone is just fine with the new mom participating in those activities. I have found a lot of amusement in the thought process that vacuuming or reaching for something on a top shelf in an air conditioned house may do me in, but driving machinery or packing feed is just fine, even if I have to lug the baby along with me and it's 90 degrees outside.

4. The livestock comparisons that occur throughout pregnancy don't stop at birth. Nursing, diapers and a plethora of other things open the door for a whole new wave of similarities that folks, especially dads it seems, will use to better understand their newborn. For example, if you nurse, "scoury" colored and consistency diapers are alright.

5. I struggled with not helping with the outdoor farm and ranch work in the latter months of my pregnancy. But, those months were only a precursor to the first month with a baby, during which I have been almost exclusively stuck in the house. I know I have been blessed with the best job in the world, but it is still extremely difficult to be unable to assist with activities I'm used to being right in the middle of. I sometimes feel as thought I am not contributing to our livelihood, and it is hard to see my husband come in every evening exhausted (even if I'm just as exhausted from being up with the baby all night), and hearing him talk about tasks I historically helped him with and thoroughly enjoyed. It's more than worth it, but the adjustment period combined with exhaustion is more challenging at times than I was prepared for.

6. If you nurse, you may the urge to share your lanolin cream, ice packs, etc . . . with any lactating female of any species on the place. At least I did a few days into the feeding regime. I also have a whole new level of respect for sows, who not only nurse over a dozen young most of the time, but little ones with TEETH. I cannot imagine.

7. Speaking of nursing, another thing that will become quite clear is why certain cows kick off their calves. No, this won't become an accepted behavior in our herd by any means, but understanding will dawn, bright as the rising sun when your little bundle of joy gum bites a part of your anatomy that has previously spent its life at least two layers below the surface of daily activities. You will also be able to relate to those cows who run over the human who tags their calf, the one who comes off a trailer with milk shooting from her bag, and the list goes on.

8. Feeding insights. My husband has expressed great curiosity on what our conversion rate is, and even mentioned creating a spread sheet of my weight loss to our son's weight gain. Fortunately he has been too busy enough with actual work to follow through with this idea, but wive's of feeders beware - that desire to calculate rate of gain, pounds consumed, and so on, runs deep.

9. Parental imprinting. Most parent's get their licks on where their kid will go to college, the type of care he or she will drive, or a brand of clothes they will never wear. Our "imprinting" has been much more focused on acceptable tractor colors (green) and breed of cattle (I say Angus, husband say's Simmental). Although I have made sure to mention to our little guy more than once that while South Dakota is great, Wyoming is better, and being a UW Cowboy trumps being a SDSU Jackrabbit ; )

10. 90's country lullabies. Maybe everyone does this, I don't know, but it has been a while since I've had cause to memorize a lullaby. With the exception of Twinkle Twinkle Litter Star, I cannot remember more than a line a here and there. Enter a healthy dose of 90's Trisha Yearwood and Reba McEntire, with the occasional Aaron Watson or Chancey Williams tune mixed in, and I have successfully navigated lulling my baby to sleep via music and mediocre singing more than once.

What experiences have you had in parenting that should be added to my list?

Warm temps, baby calves

 It's a beautiful afternoon in western South Dakota. Temperatures are in the 60's and we have a slight breeze at best. Following a frigid start to calving season, humans and livestock alike are enjoying the warming trend!

We are down to the last few first-calf heifers to calve, and the cows are in the thick of it. The pinky's (cows who came with me from Wyoming and bear a pink ear tag) are faring well thus far.

Perhaps the biggest highlight of the calving season so far is this guy, who arrived on March 4. He is out of a heifer we received as a gift following the Atlas blizzard. She came all the way from Virginia to South Dakota, and we are her proud new owners.

Here he is on March 5, our first warm day in over a week! We use calf coats regularly in cold weather to help prevent calves from getting chilled. It was around -30F the night before I took this, and he was happy to wear it, leopard print and all. He was not as impressed when I showed up to remove it and tag him.

 Other calves have made their appearance since the warmer temps, making our jobs much easier.

The first few showed up prior to the sub-zero weather, and managed to keep their ears.

 But, there are a few like this girl, who will have shorter ears as a result of the cold.

 Everyone spent the majority of the first warm day soaking up the sunshine. This little guy is a twin, who arrived on Valentines Day.

There's one of those pink tags, gracing the prettiest ears in the heifer pasture in my opinion : )

Hope everyone's spring work is going well, whether it be in an office, on a tractor, or in a calving lot!

The first pregnant human on our ranch

I excitedly told my husband last night that as of next week, we are halfway through my first pregnancy. He paused, then reminded me that doctors all go on a 40-week pregnancy, so technically I was wrong. Big sigh.
We deal with pregnancy non-stop around here: there hundreds of pregnant cows in the area, we farrow sows year-round, my dachshund has gone through two false pregnancies in the past year that were quite dramatic. But, we will be welcoming our first baby in June, and experiencing pregnancy for the first time personally has been eye-opening, for both myself and my husband.
Here's what we've learned so far:

1. My productivity is directly linked to coffee! Ok, maybe not, I'm sure a big part of this is the tiredness that comes with pregnancy, both from hormones, the extra work of growing a baby, and packing all that extra weight around. But, not being able to caffeinate has not been that enjoyable. During our first doctor's visit, the kindly gal explaining things to us said I could slowly back off coffee to the point of one cup (read, actual cup, not one of the biggest cups in my cupboard), or so per day. She went on to say that this really wasn't an issue for most, unless they were the sort that drank coffee all day until they were caffeinated to the max (that would be me). My husband snickered as he looked at my dazed self, who had gone from being that overly caffeinated person to a one-cup momma to be instantly when we found out we were pregnant. The effects were not that pleasant, and to this day, four months in, I miss my coffee far more than I miss alcoholic beverages.

2. Doing chores is a chore. Doctors will also tell you remain active while pregnancy. Not that difficult on our place. We adjusted a few thing to the point I have my little batch of chores to complete each morning. I enjoy it, although everyone else gets really concerned if they get near me because I am constantly gasping for breathe, even when I'm just walking around. Apparently a baby the size of an orange has the ability to shove your lungs into your esophagus. Plus, there are a lot of bathroom breaks, pauses to readjust clothing that doesn't fit right, and struggles to get my foot high enough to reach the bottom tractor step. Also, I have learned that if I do chores, there is a good chance I will do nothing else the remainder of the day. Chores wipe me out in a way I have never experienced. People with kids just nod, and say that's completely normal. As someone who filled every day to the max, this has been a humbling learning curve for me. The fact is that some stuff does not get done, when I'm tired now my brain does not function, and that sitting down "for a few minutes" often turns into a 2-hour nap.

3. Sympathy eating occurs. No, I'm not talking about my husband, but rather the cows and sows. I have had a voracious appetite from about day 3 of being pregnant. This has resulted in extreme sympathy for all the other pregnant females I'm surrounded by. I may have, on occasion, packed a few extra buckets of grain to some sows, or dolled out a little extra hay to the first calf heifers. My reasoning was that if I have doubled my food intake, we cannot possible be feeding them enough, science, known livestock feed requirements, etc... be darned. My husband, who has watched our fridge go from stocked to constantly empty, has been quite understanding for the most part, and taken back some of the feeding chores. Probably to save our feed budget for the year.

4. I explained ultra-sounding cattle during my entire first ultrasound, and even invited the tech out next fall. We compared what they look at on human baby's to determine age to what we look at in cattle. There have been multiple other incidents where our livestock pregnancy experience have carried over into interesting questions and conversations with healthcare people regarding our own pregnancy.

5. Human doctors are lackadaisical compared to ranchers. Perhaps that's a bit harsh, and I do like our doctor, but this has become a common topic around our house in the past few months. For what I consider an astronomical fee (the joys of self-employment and insurance), I have had the pleasure of stepping on scale, having my blood pressure taken, hearing the baby's heartbeat (which is amazing, but totals 5 minutes or less of the visit) then visiting about the weather, the family, pregnancy symptoms, the ranch, etc... with staff at my doctor's office the past two months. None of these conversations have included pertinent pregnancy topics that couldn't have been discussed over the phone in under 10 minutes. Plus, nine out of ten of them I have had to ask, instead of the healthcare person filling me in. Perhaps this is a first-time pregnant, not into the third trimester yet, overly concerned future mother talking, but in visiting to friends who also farm or ranch, we have agreed that human doctors take a pretty laid back approach to this whole pregnancy thing compared to the care we provide our animals. I've been told to eat healthy but not the recommended type of snaking that would help me pass my glucose test. That information came from a friend who failed hers, then had her doctor pipe up with an, "oh, well..." Another friend is who told me to make sure I schedule that appointment early, because there are eating restrictions ahead of time. As someone who leaves the doctor's office and goes home to personally feed each pregnant cow and sow a balanced, exact diet, then spend as much time as necessary looking them over, checking their water, discussing their health with other experts (the husband, neighbors, parents), and adjusting care as needed, my care seems expensive and sub-par in comparison. But, on the other hand, it also gives me a new sense of pride in the work we do.

Cornstalks, feedlots and fog

We headed to southeastern South Dakota/northwestern Iowa a couple weeks ago to check out a newer sprayer, and to see our good friends who just happened to buy our steer calves and my in-laws open yearling heifers. They also just welcomed their first baby into the world, and as expectant parents ourselves, it was nice to spend some time around a newborn, and new parents.

While everyone was tired of the cold, foggy weather conditions, it did make for some wonderful photos!

 

We found our calves, looking good.

 

 

 

It is so fun to see our cattle doing well for their new owner, and to see all the performance we work hard to breed into them coming to fruition.

 

 

 

We also went along to check and water cows, who were on corn stalks. I was amazed to learn that the vast majority of stalks in this area go ungrazed each year. Either because farmers don't want cattle in their fields or don't have cattle and don't care to lease out the stalks for grazing.

 My in-laws open heifers, which were weighing right at 1,400 pounds when we were visiting. I love looking at fat cattle, and these big girls did not disappoint!



Christmas in the Country gift reveal

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful, blessed Christmas. This year my gift in the Christmas in the Country Gift Exchange came from Erin from Diaries from the Dirt Road. When her package arrived I was so excited I just grabbed my phone to snap pictures and dug in : )

 

 

Erin truly went above and beyond. She included a nice letter about herself, and another explaining each individually wrapped gift. The entire box was topped with some super fun holiday confetti.

 

 

 How amazing is this lady?

Upon opening everything, this is what I found. A beautiful mix of homemade, carefully purchased, and thoughtfully put together items. She covered my coffee and dachshund habits, sweet tooth and even my dog : )

 

 I'm guessing I was among the last to sign up this year because we were in the process of telling our families we are expecting our first baby! Erin nailed my newfound love of farm-themed baby items, and noted that she treasured books as a child. So did I, and starting a book collection for our little one was very kind of her.

 A pancake breakfast in a mason jar, some honey from Erin's farm, as well as her own homemade lip balm were included, as was a locally made bar of soap.

 

 I love coffee mugs, especially nice, big ones, and this one is awesome! With the dish towel, Erin included the most interesting message about a towel. I am tucking it away to include whenever I give gift towels in the future.

 Who does not need another spatula, particularly when it's this cool? There were also some cool Missouri (where Erin is from) tidbits scattered throughout the box, including some great cherry candies (I ate them all and cannot remember what they're called).

On the flip side, my person to shop for was Jan from The Tip Garden. I had a lot of fun finding items for her, and have also really enjoyed browsing through her blog. She has a ton of handy information on all sorts of things, recipes and some fun sounding holiday crafts. Check her out, and take a pen, you'll want to write down some things to try!

 

Thank you so much to Erin for not only sending me an amazing gift, but for taking time out of her schedule to be one of the hosts that make this entire exchange possible. She and the other hosts do a great job, and I loved being part of such a fun celebration of Christmas again this year!



Lets go shopping: the 2014 holiday gift guide

Where has November gone?! With Thanksgiving mere days away, the holiday season is upon us, which means holiday shopping has also arrive with a bang.
I love the idea of shopping locally as much as possible for holiday gifts, and the concept of Small Business Saturday. Helping hardworking people who work full or part time to support their primary occupation, which is often farming or ranching with the folks I know, makes me happy. Plus, I love the unique, high quality items I'm able to round up. I am also thrilled that the Internet now allows me to shop "locally" with small business owners from all over the country and world.
In celebration of Small Business Saturday, I've compiled some of my favorite people and places to buy gifts, or that I have recently found and plan to shop at in the near future.

1. The local Christmas Bazaar. Do you have one of these in your or a nearby community? If you do, go! My hometown has an annual Christmas Bazaar that features everything from homemade soaps and jewelry, fashion and food to local reps for companies like Pampered Chef and Norwex. I have done some serious shopping there in the past, and always try to make the now three hour drive back whenever possible.

2. Everything By Erin. This gal is from my hometown, population 1,000-1,500 people. She can sew pretty much anything, with her specialty being the cutest custom stick horses! What kid doesn't want a horse in their favorite color, or that looks just like dads? Whatever their wish, she can make it happen. Erin also makes a variety of other sewn items, many with a western touch, and can outfit your entire household with custom items.

3. Millar Soap Company, LLC. Ok, this may get confusing, but when I said hometown, with Erin I meant where I went to school. With Millar Soap, I mean the town that is closest to the ranch I was raised on. Located in Lance Creek, WY, population about 30, Millar Soap makes everything from bar soap to foaming hand soap to shaving soap, all available in a variety of great scents! She has a variety of other bath and body products to choose from as well. Even men like her soap products - my husband and brother are both fans.

4. Cowgirl Crush and The Spicy Cowgirl. While I must admit I have never made a purchase at either of these places, it is only because I am not a big online clothes shopper for fear something will arrive and not fit. But, if you have no such qualms both of these ladies carry some seriously awesome items, and both run specials from time to time that will make splurging all the easier : )

5. Children's books by ranch ladies. I don't think it gets any better - you can buy the little people in your life an agriculture themed book written by someone that actually lives in agriculture. Two of my favorites are "Levi's Lost Calf" By Amanda Radke and Michelle Weber and "Charlie the Ranch Dog" By Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman).

6. Just Plain Punchy. This is a very recent discovery of mine, but with numerous friends expecting, I am looking forward to ordering some of the super cute onsies and other baby items in the near future. Very cute baby clothes that to me (not a mom) appear to be practical items that would work great for daily wear and tear.

7. The South Dakota Cowgirl's horse themed items. From calendars to prints to Christmas cards, you can cover the horse lover on your list with ease by heading over to fellow South Dakotan Jen's website. She does an awesome job photographing horses and providing high quality gift options made from her images.

8. A newspaper or magazine subscription. Here comes my pitch for the papers I work for - many weekly agriculture newspapers run awesome holiday specials, often it's the cheapest time of year to buy or renew subscriptions. Plus, everyone from grandpa to family across the country likes to read and keep up on the latest news, market reports and bull sale results. Also, while some publications are not owned locally, the newspaper staff are likely members of your community, and subscriptions and advertising are what write their paychecks.

9. Old West Cedarmill. Touching quotes, poems and images burned on cowhides or leather, and ready to be hung in your home. One of their "Tradition" pieces hangs in my living room. My husband and I bought it before our wedding, showcased it at our reception, and still love it today. If you happen to attend the National Western Stockshow, you can also find this great company there.

10. Last Loop Rope Art and Wyo. Skies Wild Rags. This lady and her daughter are both incredibly talented at all sorts of things, but I particularly like her colored rope décor. Plus, where I'm from everyone wears wild rags in the winter, and having someone to purchase them from is a necessity.

11.The Peterson Farm Brothers merchandise. Surely you have heard of these guys and their ag parody's? Well, if you haven't, go to YouTube and search for them. If you have, I'm sure one of their t-shirts, posters or other items is on your Christmas list as it is on mine. They do a wonderful job promoting the agriculture way of life, and the items they sell would make great gifts for just about anyone.

12. Your local photographer. No matter who they are, they will appreciate the business and pictures make great gifts. Schedule a family photo session and give them to parents and grandparents framed, purchase prints, ask about having landscapes of your operation done, or inquire about other photo ideas you've been wanting to complete for years. The sky is the limit. Many also do calendars, myself included, and I would love to sell you one as much as your local photographer would like to : )

Where do you like to shop locally? Who did I miss? Comment and let me know your favorite place to shop for gifts, or what you make that people should know about while doing their holiday shopping.

The calves of fall

Last week I grabbed my camera and headed out to check the cow's water, with the goal of getting some nice photos of our whopping steer calves. It proved as easy as getting a photo of a group of elementary school-aged human males where they're all looking at you and smiling, but the beautiful day did lend itself nicely to capturing other members of the bunch.

 

I just love this old, falling down windmill!

 

 

 

One of the "pinkies," whose mother came with me from Wyoming.

There they are - the best I could do of multiple steer calves.

The heifer calves were much happier to pose.

These calves are out of our first-calf heifers, three-year olds, and a handful of my older cows. Some are AI bred (the lower numbers), and some are bull bred. We are very excited and nervous to sell the big end of the steers in the next couple weeks in what has been a record breaking calf market all year. The money they make us will have to last us an entire year, until we sell next year's calf crop.
Part of the reason for taking their picture is to remember the (hopefully) highest priced calves we've ever sold. We have been blessed with an awesome year in western South Dakota, and that in combination with the high cattle prices has us and our cattle in excellent spirits going into fall.

The haters

Last year this week I was busy. Very busy. We were in the middle of facing the exhausting aftermath of winter storm Atlas, and in addition to my responsibilities as a rancher, I was also faced with multiple media outlets wanting articles, interviews, statements and photos from the blizzard. I responded to as many inquiries as fast as I could, and those photos, statements, interviews and firsthand accounts made their way into the public's eye.
It's a known fact that there are people who dislike agriculture, ranching, farming, and ultimately me. While I find that to be a shortsighted opinion on their part, considering any such people that I have communicated with have never been on a farm or ranch, met a farmer or rancher, or had an firsthand interaction with agriculture at all, it is nevertheless their right to dislike me. While I do take an interest in providing truthful information about myself, my occupation and my lifestyle to any and everyone, I am also typically okay with those people who feel the need to respond in an accusatory, hateful manner. I've done my best, and if they are so hate filled that they cannot, at the very least, take into consideration what I say, then I don't need to waste my time worrying about their thought processes.
But, things are different sometimes. Like when my favorite old baldy cow - the one whose mom was first 4-H heifer lay dead because she would not crawl through a fence to save her life, and I was holding myself together by a thread in between phone calls, Skype interviews and article submissions. Reminding myself that we did everything we could do, despite feeling completely responsible for the loss of life experienced in our herd. When immediately after hitting send on the latest email, I was out the door to help in clean up efforts, caring for the living, hauling the deceased away, and ensuring all the other daily tasks that are involved in our life were completed.
And when, in the midst of that, comments came back to me calling me a sickening disgrace to humanity, and especially women. Others called me a murderer, someone only saddened by my economic loss, a liar, incapable of real emotion. The list goes, and was often posted by "anonymous" sources.
Normally these comments roll of my back easily - I would so much rather discuss farming and ranching topics in a respectful manner with folks who don't always agree with my lifestyle or choices, and I am not usually bothered by those who simply attack instead of seek to know. But, this time the comments struck a chord, and they still do.
Not one person outside the immediate ranching community, their immediate friends and family showed up to help with immediate recovery efforts. No animal rights activists were found out in the cold, then the mud, then the flood waters, and it infuriates me that a human could be so dense that they truly believe themselves to know and actually be carrying out actions from behind a computer screen that are better for animals than someone who is out braving the elements to physically, financially and emotionally do everything they possibly can for them. There is no comparison, and no question in my mind who the true environmentalists were in this instance.
I am also frustrated that in any other occupation, people with firsthand experience are considered experts in their field. Most of the people facing this blizzard had 100-plus years of family experience backing the decisions they made prior, during and after the storm. Multiple generations of families have risked everything they had to make a go at this job out of love for it, and most have thrived, yet we are still classified as idiots by many who have zero experience in this occupation.
You do not make it in farming or ranching without putting your land and livestock first, every single day. Each person who faced that storm took the available weather information, and compared it against generations of raising cattle in those same pastures and centuries of surviving storms without loss, and they put all that together into the most likely management strategy to result in every animal coming through alive and with as little stress as possible.
Every single one of those strategies was wrong - we were all wrong. Not because there was a right answer that every person missed, but because there was no way to prevent the deaths. Cattle died in pastures and locations where livestock have never before been lost in a storm. Cattle in barns and sheds died - this was often the worst place to have them because the weight of the snow caused roofs to collapse and kill entire herds. Cattle behind windbreaks, in corrals and tucked into other forms of manmade protection died. Cattle put in garages died. Cattle died in every single scenario in the areas hit hardest by the storm died. There was no right answer that could have saved them.
To blame the rancher for this, to blame me for this, is the equivalent of blaming your neighbor for the house or business you lost in Hurricane Sandy, or stating a parent was responsible for the death of their child at Plaza Tower or Briarwood Elementary school in Oklahoma following the twister that destroyed much of town of Moore. Just as those people did all they could, but were incapable of saving anything more in the face of such catastrophic weather events, so did we. Those people did what was right when a tornado siren went off, or a Hurricane was predicted, and so did we. We had no more control of the weather last October than they did in Oklahoma or New Orleans those fateful days, and we wish as hard as they do that we did.
Imagine how they would feel if their actions were questioned, if people left them random comments taunting them over the death of a loved one or the loss of their entire life's work. That is what we faced in the days and weeks following winter storm Atlas, and it was crippling at times. It also did absolutely no good in any way - it did not help a cause, a human or an animal impacted by the storm.
If you disagree with our methods, or our lifestyle at times, that is alright. But to attack us based on a lack of understanding and conscience, no matter if it's done in person or the anonymity of the Internet, is wrong. I would happily meet you in person, take you out to where our cattle were, and explain what happened. You can look me in the eye and decide for yourself if I cared, if I tried, and if I was emotionally attached to those animals. We can talk about any other cattle, ranching, farming or agriculture topic you would like. On the other hand, all your degrading, cruel comments will do is infuriate me and build my resolve to continue sharing the truth about my life - the good, bad and unimaginable, so that every single person has the opportunity to hear my perspective of what being a rancher is all about.

One year ago: Winter Storm Atlas

One year ago the Atlas blizzard hit. I was fortunate to be a part of extensive coverage of the devastating weather event in between helping gather and care for the living and laying the dead to rest. I am incredibly grateful for the coverage the storm got on agriculture news outlets, and for the opportunity to be a voice for myself, my friends and neighbors. I still find it hard to believe that one of my biggest successes as a journalist was the result of a blizzard, but I am thankful as well. God works in mysterious, wonderful ways. However, he also doesn't stop time, and we have had to stay on our toes to keep ahead the past year.
With that same mindset, I am also grateful for the surge of attention the storm is receiving on its one-year anniversary, but hope it is somewhat laid to rest after this anniversary. It's one of those things where you wish you didn't have to read anything else about it, but that you're simultaneously grateful for the support and desire and explain what has happened to those impacted by the storm.
With that said, here is an article I wrote in the days following the blizzard.
Here is a second link to a special edition I was honored to be a part of that details the storm, those affected and those who helped. It just came out this week in the tri-sate area (SD, WY, NE).
And, here is a thank-you piece circulating the web that states how those impacted by the storm feel a year later which does a wonderful job explaining everyone's mindset one year later.
I hope you take the time to read at least the first and last links, and they clearly show the changes that have occurred in our mentality over a year's time, as well as the impact everyone who helped us has had.
Below are photos from the days after the storm, many never before seen, of what we found, how we lived without electricity for nearly a week, and of the storm itself. While initially among the most heartbreaking and difficult experiences I have ever been through, over the past year the good Lord has turned this event into a truly amazing showcase of this love, grace and kindness poured out through those who believe in Him. Thank you to any and everyone who helped those impacted by Winter Storm Atlas in any way. It was so humbling and incredible to be on the receiving end, and the gifts people sent made all the difference in the world as we faced the storm's impacts over the long, bitterly cold winter that followed. We are forever changed for the better by your generosity and selflessness, and we are going to make it just fine. May God Bless you and American agriculture!

Gathering the living, and the electric pole that let them out of their pasture during the storm.

Trying to save a yearling heifer.

Our yearling heifers. The hardest site we came upon in our search.

How we kept our food cold without electricity for days following the storm.

How we cooked.

 How we ate while searching.

 

 

 

How we ate at night. Lasagna heated on a wood fire. I made a huge lasagna by chance (at God's silent urging) two days before the blizzard hit. It became our staple meal for nearly a week.

Trying to save a heifer buried alive in the snow. She was sitting on her rump, and was still a foot below the top of the drift when we found her.

 Taking pictures while searching.

 

 

 

 What the storm did to all our trees.