Weekend Getaway!

Last weekend we decided we needed a weekend away.  We had tickets to go to the farm show in Kansas City, Mo (KC).  We left early Saturday morning and hit the road.

We finally made it to KC.  I have never been to a farm show so I wasn't sure what to expect.  I was excited to see what this show was all about.  I have to say I was pretty amazed.  I have never seen so much equipment under one roof.  There were two stories. Every piece was all shiny and new.  The kids wanted to climb up in every piece of equipment they could find.  They just about succeeded!

Swather...mommy like.  I want one if I am going to help swath straw this year!

Gleaner Combine.  Jeff ran one like this last year as a test for Gleaner.

Sprayer

After we spent several hours at the show we then drove to our buddies house which is between Topeka, KS and Manhattan, KS.  Him, his dad and grandpa ranch.  They have 700 head of angus cattle.  They have about 650 momma cows.  They ride horses to check cows and these horses are amazing.  Anyone can ride them.  I love going there to ride and see the cows.  The kids also got to help feed a couple of orphaned calves.  I loved that they got to experience this.

He had so much fun.  Little sister wasn't strong enough to hold the bottle so mommy had to help.  Mommy can multitask but not good enough to feed a hungry calf and take a picture!

My favorite horse on the ranch is Blaze.  This is also Heath's Grandpa's horse.

We also had to have a least one unexpected adventure and that was the car decided it wanted to lock itself with the keys still inside.  We are still trying to figure that mystery out!

The boys trying to get the car to unlock.

After spending some good quality time at Heath's ranch we then headed into Manhattan where we bedded down for the night. The kids were a little sad that we got there after the hotel pool closed but after the day we had I don't think they would have had the energy to swim (it was really the big kids I was worried about not having any energy!).

The next morning we got up and attended church at St. Isidore's, which is right off the K-State campuse.  I remember it always being packed but the church was completely full with 10 minutes left before mass started.  Father Keith gives everyone a hug as you come in.  The hugs from him is my favorite part besides his sermons.  I miss going to that church.  The atmosphere is wonderful!  After church we decided to walk around campus.  It is more fun to walk around campus now that I don't have to go to class!

The kids running in the center of campus.

We of course did some shopping at Varney's.  That is the only place that I buy my K-State gear.  That way I know that I am just as cool as the college kids (okay that is big maybe on the cool part but I do love the new K-State gear!).  After that we grabbed some pizza and headed to my friend Rachael's house to visit her family and her new addition.  Her little girl is so cute and her little boy is so sweet.  I could have stayed there all day and cuddled with him!

Pretending they are taking naps!

Sweet baby boy!

I finally told my husband that the only way for us to get back on the road to home was to make me give the sweet baby boy back to his momma.  After a lot of convencing to hand him over, we headed home.  We got home about 7 that night and everyone agreed that it was the best mini-vaction we have had in a long time.

And that my friends concludes our weekend getaway!

Swather work

Note: You will have to pause the music in order to hear the commentary on the videos.

I am having a hard time believing that we are still in winter.  We have had some wonderful temperatures that have let us play outside.  On this particular day we went over to the farm and watched as daddy worked on the swather.

I know nothing about working on this piece of equipment (I do know how to drive it though!) but thought it might be interesting to learn a little bit about maintenance.

I learned that if you take the header off the swather, it is much easier to work on.  If you don't, the work space is not very conducive to getting any work done.

Here is my husband replacing some belts.

It is amazing to me to think about how much my husband has to know in order to fix anything on the farm.  There are so many moving parts and nuts and bolts that hold things together, that I have no idea how he keeps it all straight.

I then decided to interview my son.  Now if you know anything about him you know that he hears one story and makes it his own.  This particular day he had his own story on what he was fixing.  His sister steals some of his thunder though.



So then I had to put my baby girl on the spot.  I think she might be a little camera shy. But she sure does have an award winning smile!

Here are the kids helping out in the cab of the swather.

Now that the belts are back in working order it is time to put the header back onto the swather.  It looks easier than it really is.  Everything has to line up just perfect.  Someone has to drive the swather and then the other one has to help the header line up.

Success!

We ended our day at the farm with a "three wheeler" ride around the yard.

Hope we have more of these warm days so I can continue to go to the farm and learn more about fixing and working on the equipment that helps make our lively hood possible!

Photos from around the farm

Just wanted to share some of my favorite photos from around our farm.  Hope you enjoy them.

Love the moon over the house.

Pretty wheat.

More wheat and some pretty sheds.

Worked ground.

An old barn with a tree that has made a home right next to it.

Love this bridge.

The moon is pretty.  I love the triangle of light coming off of it.

Three generations of family checking to see if the wheat seed is planted deep enough and if it has enough moisture.

Wild turkeys.

Pretty snow.

Love the rain.

The start of the snow.

Gorgeous sunset.

Another great sunset.

Dealing with different ViEwS!

I was drawn into a conversation the other day on Facebook.  It was on the subject of the Child Labor laws being imposed on farm and ranch families.  People were responding to the post of Chris Chinn talking to  House Small Business’ Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade in Washington DC.  She was defending her right as a parent to keep her kids working on their family farm and the farm of the grandparents.  She was standing up for Agriculture as a whole.

As I was reading there were lots of great comments about wanting kids to be able to work on the farms.  There were also people talking about how growing up on a farm was great for them.  It was really uplifting...then I saw a negative comment from one individual.  I started reading and the more that I read the more frusterated and angry I became.  This person had no idea what they were talking about.  I felt like they had a lot to say but nothing was worth while.  I caught myself no longer reading the good posts but drawn to this nonsense and noise of a negative person.

As I read to the bottom I saw where Chris responded and had just placed factual information into her comments.  I then began to think about this.  I wrote a message to Chris to ask how she dealt with negative comments.  As we talked she made me realize that this person who decided to complain about what we are trying to do for our farms and ranches is just a bunch of noise!  They are only one negative comment among all the good comments.  I learned a very important lesson that day.  I learned that the people who don't want to learn or who don't want to hear what you have to say is to just give them facts.  Nothing less and nothing more.  Don't debate them, don't engage them and don't stoop to their level.  When one person continues to comment and you realize they aren't saying anything to better the conversation or say that you have given them something to think about, then you should cut your losses and walk away.

I almost let this one person, completely consume my happy moments of hearing about how people love the farm and how children should continue to be a part of it and throw it out the window.  From now on, I won't let that happen.  I will state facts and facts only to them and if they continue I will leave the conversation.

I hope you all will follow suit in learning that the you can't change one person if they don't want to learn or hear what you have to say.  But what does matter is all the other people that have supported you and your cause.  Thanks to all those who believe in Agriculture!

Favorite Farm Blogs

I wanted to take a few minutes to highlight some of my favorite farm blogs.  These are special to me because the people that put these together are also from the farm/ranch.  I think the neatest thing about these farm blogs is I get to learn what farming/ranching is like for others.  Just because you were raised on a farm/ranch doesn't mean you know what your neighbor down the way is doing.  Hope you enjoy these blogs as much as I do!

Kim's County Line (to read more of this post click the link)

Solitude: A Photo Challenge

"The day is ending,

The night descending;
The marsh is frozen,
The river dead.

Through clouds like ashes
The red sun flashes
On village windows
That glimmer red."
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Afternoon in February

New To The Farm (to read more of this post click the link)

Share Your Thoughts

February 9, 2012 by Katie Stockstill-Sawyer

My husband and I briefly stepped off our farm and into the political world earlier this week to take part in our state’s legislative process.

On Wednesday, Derek and I traveled to our state capital in Topeka to testify before the House Committee on Agriculture.

In the wake of a record-breaking drought that destroyed crops, depleted ponds and dried up pastures, the state administration allowed the state water office the ability to allow ground water right holders to exceed their 2011 water allotment and borrow into their 2012 account. That program helped us and about 2,200 other farmers – mainly in the west and south-central part of the state- realize a fall harvest. Without the ability to borrow into this year’s allotment, we would have had partial if not complete crop failure on three of our fields.



Ranching From Scratch

Blizzard on the Plains 

The National Weather Service warned us that we would be receiving up to a foot of snow with extremely high winds. Now, extremely high winds certainly aren't anything new to this neck of the woods, but its been a long while since we had any decent moisture, so the very real possibility for a foot of snow was  welcome news! If the meteorologist predicted correctly, it could mean that a day or two would pass by before we could get to our cattle, which are in a rented pasture fourteen miles from the house. With this in mind, we drove up on the Thursday evening before the storm in order to put out extra feed and make sure the stock tank water heater was working properly.





cowgirlbootsinahighheelworld 

(to read more of this post click the link)

Hello!

February 1, 2012

This was me a year ago in one of our bean fields

Being this my first time to ever blog, I thought I would have all these things to write about but I guess I am at a loss for words!  I guess I will start out with the fact that I have grown up in the farming world and as far back as I can remember I have had a love for the outdoors and farming!  I still enjoy at the age of 25 to ride along in the tractor or combine and love checking on the cattle!  I am going to try and keep this short, but at the same time informational.

My family’s farm is Branch Creek Farms and we grow grain sorghum, corn and soybeans.  We also cut brome and prairie hay for our cattle and to sell.  My dad and brother also have started a small cow/calf pair herd, which I was a part of but sold out BUT would love to buy back in!  My siblings and I also raised hogs and lambs for 4-H projects for about five months out of the year!  My parents also have a chocolate lab, a sheltie (my sisters dog) and when I am out there a boxer and a boston terrier!  We have a crazy group of dogs and cattle!


chrischinn (to read more of this post click the link)

Crazy Farm Life

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Chris Chinn

Life on the farm has been crazy the last few months.  It’s been a while since I have found time to blog so I am making myself sit down and blog this morning.  We have been blessed with pleasant weather the last few months which is awesome considering its winter time.  Kevin has been able to catch up on a lot of odds and ends outside thanks to the nice weather.  We even were able to do field work in January which is very rare for our area.

Our kids have been keeping us super busy.  We have been going to lots of basketball games, which I love.  Conner still proclaims he will be a farmer like his dad when he grows up.  Conner can’t wait to get off the school bus at night to help his dad with the evening chores.  The older the kids get the bigger help they are to Kevin and I on the farm.  Kevin is really looking forward to haying this year because the kids will be such a huge help to us. 


Alive & Well in Kansas (to read more of this post click the link)

Flying Low

January 27, 2012

January is just about over, and I’m still waiting for winter to show up.  It’s been a very calm, mild winter and although we’ve had our brief moments of snow, I have yet to have a snow day this year.

Because this winter has been so mild, a lot of farmers have been working in their fields during times of the year I’m sure they haven’t been in in the recent past.

With near 60 degree days, Adam has been spraying the fields and doing other activities that he would normally be doing later in the spring.

It’s a little odd to see tractors running in fields that should be covered in snow.  Odd sights are becoming less, and less odd this winter.

On one recent afternoon, I experienced something that scared me to near death.  It was one of those things that makes your heart skip a few beats and then speed up because you aren’t expecting to see it.

I hope you enjoy reading these blogs as much as I do.  You can learn so much about farming/ranching, people's passions, and other fun facts by reading these blogs. 

Agriculture is awesome! 

Department of Labor - Child Labor Laws

This particular topic is something near and dear to my heart.  Not because it has affected me this very moment but it will in the future if it gets passed.

One of the reasons I quit my job almost 10 months ago was because of a conversation I had with my son coming home from daycare one night.  I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up.  He stated that he wanted to be a farmer.  That one comment (and a few other desires) was what finally made me see that farming is what I truly love.  And if being a farmer is what my son wanted to do then I was going to do everything in my power to make sure that happens for him.  My parents did the same thing for me when I told them I wanted to be a vet.  They helped me find an internship at a clinic and then they forked over the money for me to go to Kansas State University.  Am I vet now...well no but it is still important for me to pass down the love to my children that my parents gave to me.  Give them every opportunity you can so they can follow their dreams.

The department of labor wants to say children under the age of 16 can't work on a farm.  And if they do work on a farm they can only work on a farm operated by their parents.  They want to regulate the equipment they can use and not use for that matter.  Horses, tractors and pitch forks are a few pieces of equipment I have heard thus far that will be banned.  Now I don't know about you but growing up on a farm I had a healthy respect for equipment of all kinds.  I knew that when my dad started the tractor I better be headed for the house garage.  I knew you didn't swing a pitch fork over your head ever because someone might get hurt.  I learned how to do all these things because my parents were good examples and taught us well.  I can't understand why the department of labor would want to change something that has been working for hundreds of years.

I know that I am only one voice in this big world but I took it upon my self to write to Congressmen and Senators and even the Governor of Kansas.  I want to let them know how badly this could damage farming and ranching.  And who really asked for the department of labors help in this situation?  I sure didn't.  Below are two versions of letters I used to email our government leaders.  Please feel free to use them to help you write your own letters.

Senator Moran~

I would like to thank you for speaking for Kansans when it comes to the child labor laws that the legislation wants to push on to farmers and ranchers. I grew up on a farm and am now married to a farmer. I know just how important of a lesson being on the farm and working with my dad and now husband truly was and is for me. It taught me that you have to work for what you want, but that you may not get what you worked so hard for. It taught me patience and understanding whether I was willing to learn those skills at the time. It taught me to keep trying no matter what happened...never give up. I quit my job in May of last year so that I could help out around the farm and be a stay at home mom. What drove me to do this was a conversation I had with my son one day coming home from daycare that he wanted to be a farmer when he grew up. I quit work so that I could do everything in my power to make sure that happens for him. So if the legislation pushes this law it is going to make it very hard for me and my husband to help my son make his dream come true. I don't know how they can pose such a law without even asking us what we want. I know it was probably brought forth by good intentions but don't they realize that as farmers and ranchers we have good intentions to teach our children and make sure that they don't get hurt? They will drive some of us out of business if we can't continue to let families work on farms or ranches together like we have been doing for hundreds of years. Again thank you for your support. I hope you continue this journey and help us stamp out this law quickly so it won't affect farmers and ranchers any more.

Best Regards,

Jeff and Vickie Winter

Proud to be Kansas Farmers

Senator Roberts

I would like to talk to you a minute about the child labor laws that the legislation wants to push on to farmers and ranchers. I grew up on a farm and am now married to a farmer. I know just how important of a lesson being on the farm and working with my dad and now husband truly was and is for me. It taught me that you have to work for what you want, but that you may not get what you worked so hard for. It taught me patience and understanding whether I was willing to learn those skills at the time. It taught me to keep trying no matter what happened...never give up. I quit my job in May of last year so that I could help out around the farm and be a stay at home mom. What drove me to do this was a conversation I had with my son one day coming home from daycare that he wanted to be a farmer when he grew up. I quit work so that I could do everything in my power to make sure that happens for him. So if the legislation pushes this law it is going to make it very hard for me and my husband to help my son make his dream come true. I don't know how they can pose such a law without even asking us what we want. I know it was probably brought forth by good intentions but don't they realize that as farmers and ranchers we have good intentions to teach our children and make sure that they don't get hurt? They will drive some of us out of business if we can't continue to let families work on farms or ranches together like we have been doing for hundreds of years. Again please help us get the message out that we don't want this law to go forth. I hope you will help farmers and ranchers continue this journey and help us stamp out this law quickly so it won't affect us anymore

Best Regards,

Jeff and Vickie Winter

Proud to be Kansas Farmers

And to end my soap box speech about this awful law I would like you to watch these video links of Senators, Congressman, and Farmers and Ranchers stating their piece of just let us be.

This is a Congressman from Montans - Rehberg

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DKvVYZffAY7Q&h=pAQHnptVJAQHQMyP4nuyAJx28Kla0NYEsPzCkTgzlbXPk1w

This Senator Moran fighting for our cause.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4peCvnAML8&feature=related

And our Keynote speaker from this year's Young Farmers and Ranchers Conference - Chris Chinn

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Flink.brightcove.com%2Fservices%2Fplayer%2Fbcpid78974425001%3Fbckey%3DAQ%257E%257E%252CAAAAAFSNYN8%257E%252Cpo2BnGhdismrtOMnpzTWS-i0olzJ0nh3%26bctid%3D1430020544001&h=FAQF5N4D3AQEycWNzL4lbybzVoLKMOjQLRg9tSIhukgwMUQ

Please let your voice be heard and fight for agriculture and all it stands for!

Be Inspired!

It has been quite a while since I have written and the excuses aren't that good so I won't bore you with them.

But I have been inspired by several great people who spoke this weekend at the Kansas Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers conference to continue this blogging journey.

My husband and I serve on the Kansas State committee for Young Farmers and Ranchers.  This weekend was our annual conference in Wichita, KS.  Young Farmers and Ranchers from all over the state of Kansas attend this event.  It is a weekend of Quiz Bowls, Discussion Meets, Key Note Speakers, Break-out Sessions, District Huddles, Vendors, Eating, Drinking and Being Merry!

The group we serve is anyone from the ages of 18-35. We try to make sure that the entire weekend will be interesting to anyone from collegiate age and up.  And let me tell you it is not always easy to make that happen but we sure do try.

The keynote speakers are the ones who really inspired me this weekend.  Our first speaker was Chris Chinn.  She is from Missouri and a hog farmer.  She told us the story of her farm and some of the hardships they have had to over come.  The most important message that hit my ears was when she told us that it is important for us to stand up for what we do.  It is our job to educate the consumers and our neighbors.  We can't assume that every one knows we are working hard to create safe food for everyone.  They also may not know that we won't do things that are unsafe for the environment.  We are stewards of the land and are working hard to make sure that we take care of it, and those around us.

Glen Cope was another speaker that we had.  He also was from Missouri.  He is the Young Farmers and Ranchers Chair for the American Farm Bureau Association.  He talked about how we are in farming and it is not for the money.  He talked about how we don't need government to tell us how to run our farms but we need to tell the government what we need from them.  It is our job once again to educate people but this time it is the ones in politics that need to hear us.

A topic of discussion this weekend was how government wants to regulate how old you can be to work on a farm.  Now I don't know about you but if government decides to do this, the farming and ranching community is in big trouble.  Who is the government to say that we can't teach our children about farming at an early age.  Growing up on a farm I know that, that is where I learned my work ethic.  The government also states that it is dangerous for kids to be helping out on the farm.  Do you really think that the farmers and ranchers who are taking their kids to work with them are really going to put them in harms way?  I don't believe that for one second.  Those parents are watching out for their kids every minute just like they do for their crops and animals.  If you feel as strongly about this topic as I do, I suggest you write your senators and tell them how you feel about this.  The more the merrier I say!

And last but not least we had the 2011 Miss America Teresa Scanlan.  I can be honest and say that I was skeptical of what she might bring to the table but after listening to her speak, I know that we have a good advocate for agriculture.  She talked about the importance of us guiding legislation in the right direction, and telling our story.  We need to help take silly rules or laws (which might have really been intended to help) and change them to rules or laws that will really help us.

So now I begin again on my own journey to reach out to others and let them know what I am doing on the farm.  I hope people find it interesting, or informative.  I hope people know that I and my husband are passionate about the work we do.  I want consumers to know that I am a consumer to and I would never make anything for them or myself unsafe to consume.

And now folks I hope you can be inspired!