This is Larry, who is one half of our new Hereford bull duo (the other is Moe) that are going to make us some black baldy calves : ) He has been hard at work.
Showing posts with label freelance writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label freelance writing. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
The Summer in photos
In no particular order, here are a few photos of what we've been up to this summer. I hinted at several of these items a week ago, but now you can see what has been happening around here the last couple months.
The weather has been crazy. We are way above normal on average temperature, and number of days over 100 degrees here this summer. Plus, several nasty storms full of lightning, wind and black clouds have rolled over pretty regularly. But, one things these clouds don't have is much rain. For the month of June, average rainfall for Wyoming was .45 inches.
Our house water pump quit working. Then the line airlocked. So, my dad rigged this system up to pump water back up the more than 2 miles of line to our storage tanks from our house.
This photo was taken while getting the right shot to accompany one of several writing projects I had going on this summer. From new magazines to my regular work to multiple online projects, it's been fun and busy on the writing front lately!
A wind storm blew the tin off one side of our "new" trailer house. So, instead of finishing prjoects inside so my brother and I can move in, we had to concentrate on this. While move-in won't be for a while now, I am getting my office stuff moved in, which will be a huge help on my work end.
Lots of time has been spent determining how to best manage our cattle on this very dry year. We've also been diligent in checking their water, grass and how they're holding their condition. We're very thankful that the grazing association where most of our mother cows are located is having a much better year than we are at home.
We've fought fire, but not nearly as much as the folks east of us.
I watched my first litter of pigs be born, and are they CUTE or what?!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
The Last Little While
Over the last little while a lot has happened around here. We are down to four heifers to calve! Our cows are pretty much done too. It is very dry here, to the point of being concerning about our entire year. But, we are supposed to get some rain later this week, and are all holding our breathe that it actually comes through. We also got scours in our calves last weekend, which is practically unheard of here. After catching us very off guard, we got on the ball and I have been doctoring and monitoring this week.
My parents, brother and I have purchased a swanky trailer house for my brother and I to live in. I didn't know I could be so excited about a single wide trailer, but I am! The idea of my own bathroom and dedicated office space is something I am very grateful to have in my near future (we all really wish we could just move my Casper home out here). My brother and dad are staying plenty busy getting the water and sewer put in, before the gravel arrives that will elevate the trailer a few inches. We get serious flash floods around here (it's pretty much feast or famine in the rain department), and plan to attempt to divert water around our new home. We aren't looking to be floating down Dogie Creek the next time it does actually rain around here. New house, yes! New house boat, no!
I've been doing some traveling, and the sage grouse, turkeys and various other birds are in full strutting swing! It's like rush hour traffic on some gravel roads around here, and I've been at a complete stop more than once. I'll take this type of early morning traffic any day.
One trip was to pick up two new Hereford bulls! We will be having a few more cute baldy calves next spring, and are very happy with how the bulls look in general too.
Not so happy about the "genetic drift" seen in our calf crop this year. We should only have black calves, but have a few red ones that have been showing up. They may be the result of a neighbors bull, or one of our new "Registered Black Angus" bulls not quite being what he seems. I am investigating. Red I can deal with, but that grey one causes my blood pressure to rise. He just came to the feed ground for the first time yesterday, and I was less than impressed to see that one of our cows had managed to find a Charolais bull. Reds will fit on, but that guy is going to stick out that bad his entire life, and will most likely be unwanted by the buyer when we sell these guys in a year and a half.
On a happier note, here is a photo I found of my dad and I in my earlier days. I am using it in an upcoming Farm Bureau presentation, which is another project that has been coming together the last few days. It's always fun to look through old pictures and reminisce (not that I have a great memory of this time in my life).
Other than those few things, in the last month I've sent articles and photos to two new publications, and am working on multiple potential weddings to photograph this summer. Looking forward to meeting with some of the couples during a trip to Laramie for meetings later this week!
Hope all is well in all of your lives!
My parents, brother and I have purchased a swanky trailer house for my brother and I to live in. I didn't know I could be so excited about a single wide trailer, but I am! The idea of my own bathroom and dedicated office space is something I am very grateful to have in my near future (we all really wish we could just move my Casper home out here). My brother and dad are staying plenty busy getting the water and sewer put in, before the gravel arrives that will elevate the trailer a few inches. We get serious flash floods around here (it's pretty much feast or famine in the rain department), and plan to attempt to divert water around our new home. We aren't looking to be floating down Dogie Creek the next time it does actually rain around here. New house, yes! New house boat, no!
Other than those few things, in the last month I've sent articles and photos to two new publications, and am working on multiple potential weddings to photograph this summer. Looking forward to meeting with some of the couples during a trip to Laramie for meetings later this week!
Hope all is well in all of your lives!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Buried
Between my trip to Michigan, a few trips around Wyoming for my writing/photography and the constant feeding and water checking tasks at the ranch, it has been a hectic month. I am hoping to be back on track, and giving this blog more attention, in upcoming weeks.
On the ranch we are still spening the majority of our time feeding and checking water every day. In the next few weeks we will be altering some of our feeding in preparation for calving. Bangs vaccinating our heifers, getting set up for calving and weighing our steers.
Since feeding is such a big part of our operation in the winter, and the number one cost on some ranches, it gets a lot of attention. I haven't covered it as much this winter, but last year I explained feeding cake to our calves and hay to our cows, more than once. I did highlight our latest piece of feeding equipment a couple weeks ago, which we are using daily right now.
This year we are feeding what are called tubs, instead of cake, to the calves. I am planning to explain that in the next few days. In the mean time, you can swing over and check out the cake and hay feeding options.
Hope everyone else is having a productive 2012 thus far! I will also be answering emails in the next few days (I hope). I really appreciate people taking the time to comment on my blog or send me emails, and have not forgotten you, I promise!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Freelance Writer
I have had several questions in recent weeks about my job as freelance writer via email, in person, and even during interviews : ) People ask how it works, what I do, how it pays, etc... I thought I would give a little information here, in case anyone else is curious.
I write and take pictures for multiple, primarily agriculture affiliated, newspapers and magazines. I contribute regularly to BEEF Magazine, Hereford America and Tri-State Livestock News. I've also had either my writing and/or photography work published in The Fence Post, Limousin World Magazine, Wyoming Livestock Roundup, Beef Producer Magazine, and in Wyoming Stock Growers flyers and promotional materials,
To explain how I got started as a freelancer, we need to go back to how I got started in writing. I have my degree in animal science, and had never written anything beyond an opinion column at the University of Wyoming school paper prior to being hired as the assistant editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. They hired me because of my practical background in agriculture, and obviously not my writing experience.
After a year and a half in that position, I left the Roundup and decided to attempt freelancing because I thoroughly enjoyed the interviewing and writing aspect of my job. I contacted some of the people I had met during my time as an editor, and/or who had published my photos, re-published articles I wrote during my time at the Roundup, or who were publications I thought would be interested in my work.
I had a few people willing to give me a chance, and several others who weren't interested. I sent out a lot of examples of my work, came up with a lot of ideas, and built up gradually to the amount of work I do now. Roughly 10 months after I started, I have a wonderful form of self-employment that compliments my photography business and ranch related responsibilities nicely.
Yes, I have three jobs total.
Everyone is always very curious about the pay. Well, it varies greatly, to the extent you can add and subtract the number of zeros paid per article at different publications. I know some people who make a very good living exclusively as a freelance writer. However, I don't think this is overly common, and certainly not how you start out.
As with most self-employed positions, it takes a lot of hard work, responsibility and long hours, and you have to be dedicated and willing to put in the amount of time and effort necessary to produce a quality product every time. But, if you can handle that, the rewards are also great in that you set your own schedule, the amount of work you want to within a given time period, and the location from which you work.
I am also frequently asked what advice I have for someone wanting to enter this field. What I say is that you need to work at a publication, as in within the office, for a period of time. As with most professions, being involved in the day-to-day tasks is when you really learn about what it takes to work within the industry, who the people you need to know are, and various other nuts and bolts bits of pertinent information. There's no way I would have a clue how to even do this job without that time spent as an editor.
That's not to say that there aren't any successful writers out there who have never worked in an office, it's just that for me that was a critical contributor to my current success.
I would also encourage a person to work on a paper in high school or college if you're in that age group, and give writing or photography a try. While at the University of Wyoming, I worked with an extremely talented editor. He continually asked me to try writing editorial for the paper, but at that time I was the paper's photography editor, and in no way every saw myself writing much beyond addressing envelopes in the future. Honestly.
I cannot imagine how far ahead I would have been when the opportunity to work at the Roundup presented itself if I had taken him up on writing, even if it was just once or twice. You never know where God is going to direct your life, so if you have the chance to try something, for peets sake try it. It may just be useful in the future!
As usual, if anyone has any more questions about my writing work, anything ranch related, or other topics covered on this blog, please feel free to ask. I enjoy covering topics you want to read about!
I write and take pictures for multiple, primarily agriculture affiliated, newspapers and magazines. I contribute regularly to BEEF Magazine, Hereford America and Tri-State Livestock News. I've also had either my writing and/or photography work published in The Fence Post, Limousin World Magazine, Wyoming Livestock Roundup, Beef Producer Magazine, and in Wyoming Stock Growers flyers and promotional materials,
To explain how I got started as a freelancer, we need to go back to how I got started in writing. I have my degree in animal science, and had never written anything beyond an opinion column at the University of Wyoming school paper prior to being hired as the assistant editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. They hired me because of my practical background in agriculture, and obviously not my writing experience.
After a year and a half in that position, I left the Roundup and decided to attempt freelancing because I thoroughly enjoyed the interviewing and writing aspect of my job. I contacted some of the people I had met during my time as an editor, and/or who had published my photos, re-published articles I wrote during my time at the Roundup, or who were publications I thought would be interested in my work.
I had a few people willing to give me a chance, and several others who weren't interested. I sent out a lot of examples of my work, came up with a lot of ideas, and built up gradually to the amount of work I do now. Roughly 10 months after I started, I have a wonderful form of self-employment that compliments my photography business and ranch related responsibilities nicely.
Yes, I have three jobs total.
Everyone is always very curious about the pay. Well, it varies greatly, to the extent you can add and subtract the number of zeros paid per article at different publications. I know some people who make a very good living exclusively as a freelance writer. However, I don't think this is overly common, and certainly not how you start out.
As with most self-employed positions, it takes a lot of hard work, responsibility and long hours, and you have to be dedicated and willing to put in the amount of time and effort necessary to produce a quality product every time. But, if you can handle that, the rewards are also great in that you set your own schedule, the amount of work you want to within a given time period, and the location from which you work.
I am also frequently asked what advice I have for someone wanting to enter this field. What I say is that you need to work at a publication, as in within the office, for a period of time. As with most professions, being involved in the day-to-day tasks is when you really learn about what it takes to work within the industry, who the people you need to know are, and various other nuts and bolts bits of pertinent information. There's no way I would have a clue how to even do this job without that time spent as an editor.
That's not to say that there aren't any successful writers out there who have never worked in an office, it's just that for me that was a critical contributor to my current success.
I would also encourage a person to work on a paper in high school or college if you're in that age group, and give writing or photography a try. While at the University of Wyoming, I worked with an extremely talented editor. He continually asked me to try writing editorial for the paper, but at that time I was the paper's photography editor, and in no way every saw myself writing much beyond addressing envelopes in the future. Honestly.
I cannot imagine how far ahead I would have been when the opportunity to work at the Roundup presented itself if I had taken him up on writing, even if it was just once or twice. You never know where God is going to direct your life, so if you have the chance to try something, for peets sake try it. It may just be useful in the future!
As usual, if anyone has any more questions about my writing work, anything ranch related, or other topics covered on this blog, please feel free to ask. I enjoy covering topics you want to read about!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Organization
In moving home, I transitioned from having my own 980 square foot, 3 bedroom, 1 bath house with a garage, plus working in an office where all my work related "stuff" was comfortably housed, to my childhood bedroom, which is a fraction of the space.
It's been tight, cramped, flat out messy at times - okay, a lot of the time, and it drives me nuts.
Add to that my helpful mom and sister fold my clothes part of the time, then stack them on my desk, along with my mail, usually some of their mail, and about anything else of mine, and theirs on some days, that has traveled beyond my personal domain, and the situation is compounded, fast.
Did I mention that the "desk" I'm referring to is a plastic, fold-up table. One of the smaller ones that is a rectangle in shape. I didn't want to purchase a desk when I moved home, because I didn't know if it was a permanent or temporary situation, and I already owned a lot of furniture that has been moved about once a year for the last six years. I wasn't really wanting to add to the mess, so to speak.
I do have a "real" desk too, which is also in my room. This desk was built by my great-great grandfather, or uncle...I think. It was built by someone in my family several generations ago, I know that. It is very cool, solid wood, small, with very little storage. Not a huge help.
I've been in dire search of a solution, some improvement, just about anything. I started looking for a desk to purchase, since this whole freelancing thing is working out better than I ever imagined, and is definitely not "temporary."
Then, my wonderful boyfriend built me this desk for Christmas:
I picked out a stain, and we stained it together. Then I freaked out because it was BLACK with blonde highlights, and I was convinced I had ruined this beautiful piece of furniture. Now it has settled into a medium brown color that is much better. Big sigh of relief. I also asked that he trim down the antlers, as I will undoubtedly skewer myself on them if they're that long. He does good work!
This will definitely be a better, and much more beautiful, workspace for me than a plastic table. He has also told me he will build another piece of office furniture of my choosing to go along with this, so I have a set. I'm haggling for two pieces : )
Then, this week I bought bed risers. One half of my problem is I need file folder/paper storage, and that has previously been under my old desk. I looked like a hoarder.
With the bed risers my bed is waaay up there, but, there is room underneath it for the file folder storage boxes I use. Yesterday I moved them all from under the desk/on the floor in the open, to under the bed. I even had room for a lot of my photography stuff that isn't used every day, and various other things that have been adding to the messiness. I kept the files I use most and put them in a smaller organizer and left them under the desk, along with my huge photo printer.
So much better already, and I don't even have the desk at my house yet. That's part of what I've been dedicating my time to this week.
It's been tight, cramped, flat out messy at times - okay, a lot of the time, and it drives me nuts.
Add to that my helpful mom and sister fold my clothes part of the time, then stack them on my desk, along with my mail, usually some of their mail, and about anything else of mine, and theirs on some days, that has traveled beyond my personal domain, and the situation is compounded, fast.
Did I mention that the "desk" I'm referring to is a plastic, fold-up table. One of the smaller ones that is a rectangle in shape. I didn't want to purchase a desk when I moved home, because I didn't know if it was a permanent or temporary situation, and I already owned a lot of furniture that has been moved about once a year for the last six years. I wasn't really wanting to add to the mess, so to speak.
I do have a "real" desk too, which is also in my room. This desk was built by my great-great grandfather, or uncle...I think. It was built by someone in my family several generations ago, I know that. It is very cool, solid wood, small, with very little storage. Not a huge help.
I've been in dire search of a solution, some improvement, just about anything. I started looking for a desk to purchase, since this whole freelancing thing is working out better than I ever imagined, and is definitely not "temporary."
Then, my wonderful boyfriend built me this desk for Christmas:
I picked out a stain, and we stained it together. Then I freaked out because it was BLACK with blonde highlights, and I was convinced I had ruined this beautiful piece of furniture. Now it has settled into a medium brown color that is much better. Big sigh of relief. I also asked that he trim down the antlers, as I will undoubtedly skewer myself on them if they're that long. He does good work!
This will definitely be a better, and much more beautiful, workspace for me than a plastic table. He has also told me he will build another piece of office furniture of my choosing to go along with this, so I have a set. I'm haggling for two pieces : )
Then, this week I bought bed risers. One half of my problem is I need file folder/paper storage, and that has previously been under my old desk. I looked like a hoarder.
With the bed risers my bed is waaay up there, but, there is room underneath it for the file folder storage boxes I use. Yesterday I moved them all from under the desk/on the floor in the open, to under the bed. I even had room for a lot of my photography stuff that isn't used every day, and various other things that have been adding to the messiness. I kept the files I use most and put them in a smaller organizer and left them under the desk, along with my huge photo printer.
So much better already, and I don't even have the desk at my house yet. That's part of what I've been dedicating my time to this week.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Happy New Year
Where have I been? Well I got snowed in at my boyfriends, who doesn't have Internet. Then we went to the very disapointing Denver Broncos game for his birthday and New Years (my surprise gift to him). I had a post scheduled for about four days ago, but apparently my limited technology abilities prohibited that from happening, somehow.
Anyway, Happy New Year!
The above photo is some of my photography and writing from the last year. A big THANK YOU to everyone for all the support, business, compliments and suggestions. 2011 was a great year for me, and all of you had a big part of making it that way. I really appreciate it!
Very excited to dive into 2012 full tilt, and make it an even better year!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Hello Blog
Hello! I have not fallen off the edge of the earth. I have just been busy! Here's what's been going on in my world in my absence:
-trip to Denver for Thanksgiving
-Ordering calendars, losing saved calendars on ordering website, getting ready to re-design and order them again
-Weaning a second round of calves my dad bought
-Attending the Range Beef Cow Symposium for a day
-Trip to Adam's house
-Figuring out and dedicating some time to Adam's Christmas, and birthday (December 27) presents
-Writing, a lot
-Sending out a lot more pictures to various places, with some exciting success. More on that soon!
-Helping with a skit for Farm Bureau meeting (see below)
-Designing and ordering various photo products for a local Christmas Bazaar
-As a landlord, there seems to always be a few things to do in the house area
-A presentation through Farm Bureau that is no light task
Man, that doesn't seem like a long enough list : )
I will be back in the swing of things.....soon. This Friday I am heading to Casper for the Wyoming Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Annual Convetion (they expect you to do show up when you're on the committee), a trip to Adam's after that (where there is no Internet service) then back home to continue writing like crazy, which it's such a blessing to be so busy in that area!
In the mean time, I will make more of an effort to at least put some new pictures up here, and stay caught up in that area.
Speaking of pictures, I would appreciate it if you swung over to the American Angus Association's Facebook page, and voted for my picture by liking it. The photo with the most likes wins. Mine is the one used in my blog header.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
The Rest of the Story
September will mark six months of working for myself, and it's been a fun, challenging few months work-wise. Finding the balance between all the different things I have to fit into a given day has been stressful at times and very rewarding at others. I currently primarily write for one regional, weekly ag newspaper and two nationwide ag magazines, and also maintain my photography business. I do help as much as possible on the ranch, and have also added landlord to my list of jobs since renting out my house.
One question that still lingers, and I am still asked with surprising frequency, is why I left my job as Assistant Editor of the Roundup. That question then leads to others surrounding my experience at the paper, and a lot of people have heard some humorous, but incorrect answers. Well, lets set the record straight, and get this off my chest.
First, I quit. I wasn't fired.
Second, I quit because of a co-workers attitude, and the impact her attitude had on my ability to do my job.
Third, her attitude's impact on my position lead to the job being very different than it was outlined to me during the interview process in a some key areas, and I couldn't make it work in the way she demanded, either financially or emotionally.
The story I've heard over and over through the grapevine is that I just couldn't take being away from the ranch any more, and longed to return to the ranch and that lifestyle. People ask people I know if I'm doing okay in concerned tones, as if I was near the brink of something awful as a result of being off the ranch. It's an entertaining story that makes me sound like an idiot, but it's not the truth.
Did I miss the ranch, yes very much so - what ranch-raised kid doesn't? As a 25-year-old with my own house and job I thought was perfect for me, was I longing to move back in with my parents and leave that job and house I had bought and loved - heck no!
Furthermore, as the job was described when I was hired, I was to have adequate time to help out on the ranch so long as it didn't interfere with my ability to complete my Roundup job in a quality and timely manner. That was the most important part of "being on the ranch" (aka, helping out during busy times of the year as my schedule allowed) to me while I had a full time career. I was satisfied with the arrangment, and not so "homesick" I left a job that was supposed to allow me (it depended on if you asked her or the owner) to go home and help, and which was located a mere 2.5 hours from the ranch.
Prior to leaving I did call several meetings in an attempt to figure out what exactly her problem with me/my work was, and in an attempt to reach a mutually beneficial solution. The result was her telling me my work was great and always on time, and asking me to be more compassionate toward her. This was followed by her choosing to only speak to me when it was absolutely necessary from the time I gave my notice until I left, which was longer than the standard two-weeks because I opted to stick around and help write and put out a special edition (aka, I stayed to help her).
I should also note that attitudes like that just piss me off, and are one of my big pet peeves. I was not impressed with her refusal to act like an adult and try to work, and talk, in an effort to improve the situation for both of us. Today I get a chuckle out of her silent treatment, and try to take what I learned from it and leave the rest.
I loved a lot of things about the job, and really didn't want to leave. It took God sending some pretty strong signals, primarily through her I suppose, for me to realize I could no longer handle working that job with her. Needless to say, she and I didn't leave on good terms. But, in answer to another question - I really like the people I worked with, including her on a personal level if not a professional one. It was a good office to be a part of, and I really liked my co-workers.
Today I am considerably happier and more relaxed, and still able to do the aspects of the job I enjoyed most through freelance writing. I learned a lot during my time at the Roundup, and have a lot of fine memories, but am also very glad I'm no longer there. I am not a destitute, unemployed wreck on the verge of collapse, but rather someone who mindfully chose self-employment over a less than desirable job going broke and crazy working for someone else, and who has made the choice not to work for someone else since - and I'm loving it!
One question that still lingers, and I am still asked with surprising frequency, is why I left my job as Assistant Editor of the Roundup. That question then leads to others surrounding my experience at the paper, and a lot of people have heard some humorous, but incorrect answers. Well, lets set the record straight, and get this off my chest.
First, I quit. I wasn't fired.
Second, I quit because of a co-workers attitude, and the impact her attitude had on my ability to do my job.
Third, her attitude's impact on my position lead to the job being very different than it was outlined to me during the interview process in a some key areas, and I couldn't make it work in the way she demanded, either financially or emotionally.
The story I've heard over and over through the grapevine is that I just couldn't take being away from the ranch any more, and longed to return to the ranch and that lifestyle. People ask people I know if I'm doing okay in concerned tones, as if I was near the brink of something awful as a result of being off the ranch. It's an entertaining story that makes me sound like an idiot, but it's not the truth.
Did I miss the ranch, yes very much so - what ranch-raised kid doesn't? As a 25-year-old with my own house and job I thought was perfect for me, was I longing to move back in with my parents and leave that job and house I had bought and loved - heck no!
Furthermore, as the job was described when I was hired, I was to have adequate time to help out on the ranch so long as it didn't interfere with my ability to complete my Roundup job in a quality and timely manner. That was the most important part of "being on the ranch" (aka, helping out during busy times of the year as my schedule allowed) to me while I had a full time career. I was satisfied with the arrangment, and not so "homesick" I left a job that was supposed to allow me (it depended on if you asked her or the owner) to go home and help, and which was located a mere 2.5 hours from the ranch.
Prior to leaving I did call several meetings in an attempt to figure out what exactly her problem with me/my work was, and in an attempt to reach a mutually beneficial solution. The result was her telling me my work was great and always on time, and asking me to be more compassionate toward her. This was followed by her choosing to only speak to me when it was absolutely necessary from the time I gave my notice until I left, which was longer than the standard two-weeks because I opted to stick around and help write and put out a special edition (aka, I stayed to help her).
I should also note that attitudes like that just piss me off, and are one of my big pet peeves. I was not impressed with her refusal to act like an adult and try to work, and talk, in an effort to improve the situation for both of us. Today I get a chuckle out of her silent treatment, and try to take what I learned from it and leave the rest.
I loved a lot of things about the job, and really didn't want to leave. It took God sending some pretty strong signals, primarily through her I suppose, for me to realize I could no longer handle working that job with her. Needless to say, she and I didn't leave on good terms. But, in answer to another question - I really like the people I worked with, including her on a personal level if not a professional one. It was a good office to be a part of, and I really liked my co-workers.
Today I am considerably happier and more relaxed, and still able to do the aspects of the job I enjoyed most through freelance writing. I learned a lot during my time at the Roundup, and have a lot of fine memories, but am also very glad I'm no longer there. I am not a destitute, unemployed wreck on the verge of collapse, but rather someone who mindfully chose self-employment over a less than desirable job going broke and crazy working for someone else, and who has made the choice not to work for someone else since - and I'm loving it!
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