Thanksgiving Thoughts

This week is Thanksgiving. On the surface Thanksgiving is when, we Americans, gather together on a Thursday in November, eat turkey, watch football and start the Christmas season. Somehow this time to stop and give thanks for all we have been given has devolved into gluttony, commercialism and a day off. At least most of us have not given up on it being a day spent with our families, but I do fear we have gotten away from the true meaning of the day.

It is meant as a symbol and a day to be thankful for being a citizen of the greatest nation on earth, a place where most of us have more than the average citizen of almost every other nation could dream of. It is a day when we should be remembering that the Pilgrims who started this whole ball rolling by simply celebrating their very survival.

Think about what most of us have in a global context. I would guess that everyone reading this has a roof over their head and shelter. Many do not have that very common necessity. They might not have shelter because of a natural disaster or simply because they are too poor to have even the most basic of things we all require. Factor in that most of us live in houses that are luxurious based on the standards of the rest of the world and we have a great deal to be thankful about.

While you are being thankful, walk over to the sink and pour a glass of water. The faucet came on when you wanted it too and clean, safe water came out. That is a blessing that many in this world can only dream about. Imagine depending on a poor well, or worse yet, a dirty, polluted river for all your drinking water. Imagine carrying that water a great distance back to your house. To have clean, safe water at any moment, without thought is something we should be thankful for.

Walk to your refrigerator and look in, check out your pantry and open your freezer. I bet they are all full of food, even if this is grocery shopping day. Each day, one of our biggest dilemmas is what to have for supper. We have choices and more astonishingly leftovers. I would guess each of us waste more food than many in this world consume. Without a doubt we take food for granted. I am proud to be one who produces the safest, most abundant food supplies in the world and I take this for granted. Who wants to eat leftovers when we can get in our car drive a short distance and have someone else prepare our meal or even have them deliver that meal to us. We take our food supply, safety and choices for granted. Most in this world are simply happy to have a meal let alone three and they would never even dream of choices. We are without a doubt blessed to be well nourished,

Did you wake up feeling safe this morning? Are you worried about your family’s safety? Most of us don’t even give it a second thought. We know our homes and persons are protected by the local law enforcement and our freedom is guarded by our armed forces. That is a privilege, a basic necessity that we take for granted that many are not afforded around the globe. Did you voice your opinion today, go to church this week or vote earlier this month? These things we assume as part of our birthright and never take a moment to be thankful for.

Did you drive your car today? How many do you have? Watch television, play on the computer? Is there boat in your shed? We Americans have so much stuff because the necessities of life, shelter, food, water and safety are so easily and cheaply taken care of. We spend very little of our incomes on things we must have and a great deal on things we want. We should be thankful that we have so much and live in a land of great abundance.

Do I mean to make you feel guilty for all you have? No, not really, although maybe we should feel a twinge of something. Rather I want you to take stock in all that you have and all the blessings in your life. I don’t want any of us to sleep walk through this day. It is easy to do with all the distractions. I simply want each of us to take a moment and reflect on all we have been given and how fortunate each of us are, no matter our situation or station in life. If you are a citizen of the United States, reading this column, you probably have a great amount to be thankful for. I know I certainly do.

Not On My Schedule

We are moved into the new place and well settled in. OK, the humans, dogs and horses are moved in and settled but the sheep are still spread out among our other three sets of pens and that is where the cows ultimately must go. That means I must get busy constructing sheep pens at the new place and it must happen rapidly. If you have followed me for very long you know that construction and rapid are not two words you would use to describe me.

I am, however, good at contemplation (or maybe that is procrastination), I think I work rather well with a looming deadline. In any case, I need to build enough pens to house all the ewes. We won’t worry about the lambing facilities, after all I have until late December to take care of that part. No reason to get in a rush.

Construction is not my thing, I just do not have the eye for laying things out and making them work right. I do have a definite idea of how I want them, more importantly I have a definite idea of how I don’t want the pens to look and that is like they did at the old place. The sheep just happened at our old place, I have always said they are an overgrown 4-H project and because of that the pens sprung up haphazardly and with no real plan. The new place gives me a chance to start with a clean slate but with an idea of how I want things to work.

I have spent the last three months since the move contemplating and thinking about how the pens should be built (again, I have heard the word procrastinate thrown out too) and it is now time for action. I may not like building pens but when I am ready to do it, I want to get started and keep at it until the job is done. That is why the past couple of days have been so agonizing.

It all started with moving some of the ewes around, so I could bring the cows home off the rented pasture. Loading the ewes is not usually a problem, a bucket of feed strategically placed on the front of the trailer and stand back. However, Twinkle Toes, Isaac’s prized Suffolk ewe, had been through this all before and would have none of it. We played a game of cat and mouse for what seemed like an hour before she finally gave in and loaded up. No real big deal but it put me behind and I didn’t get panels moved and set up to catch the cows.

The next morning, I needed to take a couple of rams to the sheep sale. I got around as early as I could, in fact, I got around earlier than I had planned because Jennifer had both rams caught by the time I got done with chores. When I asked why she had not waited for me, she said something about being married 22 years and knowing how long things took. I am not sure what happened on the drive to Clay Center, everything seemed to go fine but instead of a couple of hours the trip ate up the whole morning. After a quick lunch we moved the panels and set up the catch pen that had been planned for the day before.

The next day was Sunday and of course we started the morning by going to church. That afternoon it was decided to try to catch the last pasture of cows and bring them home. All went smoothly until the last three pairs. They decided that they did not want to be caught and would prefer to stay through the winter. After much cussing, discussing and out right hatred I was inclined to let them have their way. Jennifer was not so understanding and soon the cows came to see things her way. In the end the cows came home but another full day was lost.

Monday dawned and with it the need to get the combine to the dealership for its winter check-up and the grain trucks needed to be put away too. Again, for reasons I don’t fully understand this all took far more time and, yet another day was lost. Yesterday was a day of more progress, the skid loader was roaded home, posts were bought, and the posthole digger was borrowed. Everything was laid out and the project would start today. Today dawned cold and clear. Why the weather report? The water hydrant was frozen, the cows needed fed and the tractor would not start. All of this translated into another half day lost.

This all gave me time to again contemplate and rethink my plans. Maybe I did not need such good pens. Maybe I didn’t need pens after all. Suddenly free range, pasture sheep seemed like a good idea. Then common sense and reality took over, the pens must be built. Wish me luck and stay tuned, this could get good.

Bob Evans, My John Wayne

I really like watching John Wayne movies. In fact, there are only a handful of movies I will watch over and over and most of them are movies the Duke stars in. However, there are two of his most classic movies I simply cannot watch. “The Cowboys” and “The Shootist” are two of his best, but I have a hard time watching them and the reason is simple. He dies in both movies and John Wayne is not supposed to die. He is supposed to beat the bad guy and ride off into the sunset. In my world good guys are not supposed to die.

That is what made this week so hard. I was sitting in line at the elevator, reading Facebook when one of my best friend’s daughter posted that her grandfather had passed away suddenly. The news stunned me, and I think I was numb for about a half an hour. The reality didn’t hit me until the drive home and I felt the full weight of the loss. Remember what I said about good guys do not die in my world, Bob Evans was one of those good guys.

In a lot of ways Bob kind of reminded me of John Wayne. He was gruff and tough and didn’t take guff off anyone. He truly was a man’s man and didn’t seem afraid of anything. Bob told it like he saw it, no sugar coating, just the unvarnished truth. I like people like that. I am not ashamed to admit that Bob intimidated me when I first met him. He was this big bear of a man and we were teenagers who need a little fear in our lives to keep us from doing stupid things.

As I got older and I got to know Bob better that fear melted away and I came to know him as one of the nicest, most genuine people I have ever met. I also came to understand that if Bob liked you and considered you a friend, you were family. I never had to, but I am certain that if I had ever really needed help, anywhere, anytime and for anything, I could have called Bob and help would have been on the way, no questions asked.

I believe that our lives and who we are is shaped by all the people we meet. Most of that shaping is done by our parents but there is also a good portion of that molding that comes from other adults we encounter during our growing up. Without a doubt Bob Evans was one of those people in my life.

During high school I spent a good deal of time at Bob and Sandy’s, I am not sure I fully appreciated my circle of friends and their parents. I can truly say that when we were at the Evan’s house we were treated like family. To this day I still remember Bob holding court for us boys with a lot of the advice, wisdom and philosophy. Things that I am just starting to understand and appreciate.

Then came life, jobs and kids and we all drifted apart. It is funny how life does that to you and how you don’t even notice the drift. In any case I went on about my life and every once in a while, I would run into Bob. I could always count on a “Hi Bud, how are you doing?” That greeting was genuine and he truly cared about what I was doing and more importantly how I was doing. The last time I saw Bob was just a few weeks ago. He was walking down main street and gave me a big wave and smile as I passed by.

That night, shortly after I learned of his passing I drove down main street and as I passed by the place I had last saw Bob I wondered why I had not taken the time to pull over and talk to him. Oh, I am sure I was in a hurry to get somewhere for something I thought was very important at the time, if I had only known then what I knew at that moment. I am sure Bob would not have wanted me to stew about that and I am equally sure he would have given me a good ribbing for the lump in my throat and the tears in my eye.

Life is too short and we all should live each day remembering what is important. We need to let people know how they have helped us and how much we appreciate it. I guess real life is kind of like a John Wayne movie. One way or another the good guy does ride off into the sunset. If anyone ever deserved to ride off into the sunset it is Bob Evans. Thanks for everything, I am a better person for knowing you.

 

Halloween, Harvest Style

This is the harvest from, well I am not sure I am supposed to say where it is from, I don’t want to get censored. But let’s just say that as the weather gets colder and colder the place I am thinking of is warm. In fact, people talk about the fires of, yeah right, I can’t use the word. Let’s just say this is the harvest that seems to have no end in sight and I am relatively sure we will be still going during Halloween and that gave me some ideas of fun things I can do to lighten up the mood.

First, I am going to go in costume. I thought about dressing up as a farmer. After all it is the same costume I have used for a lot of years now. But that is too boring. A scarecrow might be fun. I could stand by the edge of the field and look mad. While that might be kind of fun, it is the best costume idea I had. I decided to dress up like a skeleton. Just imagine the look on the faces of the people passing the slow-moving grain truck and they see a skeleton driving it. My second choice was the Grim Reaper, I thought that would be fitting and maybe effective for all the people who pass me in no passing zones and going over the top of the hills to see. Imagine passing a slow-moving grain truck on the top of a hill and as you draw even with it you see the Grim Reaper smiling and waving. It might work.

I am going to give haunted truck rides too. My trucks are old and kind of creepy looking. One of them used to be a truck for the rendering works. I bet there are a few ghosts of past passengers. The trucks make weird unexplained noises, they creak and groan and make you wonder if they will make it up the hill. Then on the way down you are never quite sure if the brakes will work and that makes for a scary ride. If you are lucky one of the mice that make the truck their home will run out and make an appearance. No haunted house can hold a candle to a mouse running up your leg as you free wheel down a hill in a truck making odd sounds.

I can even decorate the old trucks up with cobwebs and dust. Come to think of it, they are decorated for Halloween year-round. To top it all off, we have plenty of corn stalks still around to add to the ambiance. Between loads I could make hot apple cider on the engine block, if you don’t mind the hot oil smell and we could roast marshmallows on the fire under the dash (that is another good story for later).

Then I think I will take my little pumpkin shaped pail and trick or treat the usual stops. You know the elevator, parts store and implement dealership. I can’t wait to see the faces of everyone when I burst through the door in my skeleton or Grim Reaper costume and yell “trick or treat”. I probably ought to skip going to the bank though, they seem to be a little jumpy when grown men dress up and wear masks.

All of this should lighten up the mood and make the long drudgery of harvest a little more fun. Although that fun will be tempered just a little bit since most of the fun of Halloween is the unknown of the night and the old grain trucks just can’t be out at night. I am pretty sure, even on Halloween, local law enforcement will insist that I have lights even though at this point in harvest I am sure I can navigate the roads in the dark.

Maybe this harvesting during the holidays isn’t so bad after all, this all sounds kind of fun. Though with the markets I am pretty sure we are getting the trick instead of the treat. But life is what you make it and why not make it a little more fun. In a year when I pick which truck to drive by which one has the best heater, sometimes you just must laugh. My only fear is that I will have to start planning for other holidays and they are a little trickier. I am afraid of falling asleep after eating Thanksgiving dinner and I can’t watch football in the truck. However, Christmas might work, the Santa suit is warm, and we can put reindeer antlers on the hood. All of this is well and good, and I am sure harvest will wrap up soon. Let’s just hope and pray we are wrapped up before February, the cupid outfit might be a little chilly.

Rights Vs, Right

I am going to do something I said I would not do, but it is something I cannot get out of my head. You would have to live under a rock not to have heard about the controversy with NFL athletes and their actions when the National Anthem is played. I have chosen not to get involved publicly because the one thing that is being sought is attention. If you do not agree with what they are doing, not acknowledging it is probably the worst thing you can do to them.

Why are the players kneeling during the Anthem? I am not sure I understand and I am not entirely sure most of them really understand why. Until I understand their cause I am not going to comment about my feelings and what they are doing. I only hope that they truly know and understand what it is that they are making a statement for and not blindly following.

No, I do not know their motivation for kneeling during the National Anthem. However, I completely know and understand why I stand for the Anthem and cover my heart. First, I stand because I do think this nation is the best place on this planet and I am proud to be a citizen of the United States of America. I know that the rights and privileges afforded me by simply being a citizen are fragile and can disappear in a very short amount of time.

I stand because I hold this country very near and dear to my heart. I stand because I value the freedom to practice my religion and to honor my God. I stand because I have the right to speak whatever is on my mind. I stand because we have the fairest judicial system in the world and I challenge you to provide proof otherwise. Is it perfect? No, but it is the best in the world. Can it be made better? Absolutely, and that is another reason I stand. We have the power to make a difference in our government and make changes.

Any of the reasons I have mentioned are more than enough reasons to stand and pay tribute to this great nation. We are blessed to live here and that is something most of us take for granted. We have no idea how good we have it. Yes, those are all good reasons to stand and reasons that play into my choice, but they are not the main reason I stand for the National Anthem.

I was reminded of the reason I stand for the National Anthem just today. Dad and I were talking to a friend about the situation surrounding the NFL. My friend’s father served in World War II, fought on the front lines and made it home. I remember him marching in parades with the color guard and flying the flag out in front of his house. He was proud of his flag and of his nation, so proud that he did his duty and put his life on the line for each of us. He saw things so horrible that he never wanted to speak about them again, things that we could not imagine.

My wife’s grandfather had a similar experience and was wounded so badly he spent months in the hospital and carried the scars his entire life. They didn’t do this for the glory but rather because it was their duty and it was something that had to be done. They were brave beyond my comprehension. Then they came home, built lives, families and farms and they held the flag and the Anthem in the highest place of reverence and I promise you they stood each time the flag passed and the anthem was played. I stand in their honor.

Finally, I stand for the Anthem because I knew SFC Forrest Robertson. Sargent Robertson was a hero we should all honor, one who paid the highest price for our freedom. His family, wife and daughters live in my community and I witness their sacrifice and it is for him and them that I stand with my hand over my heart. I have seen their pain and witnessed their pride. What we owe them is a debt none of us can ever pay and but one I acknowledge through my rising for the National Anthem and for our flag.

The beauty of this great nation is that you can chose to do what you think is right. I cannot attest to know what is in the heart and the minds of those who do not stand for the National Anthem. It is their choice I would not make and certainly don’t agree with. I can only speak to my intentions and my actions. I am proud citizen of the United States of America, but just as importantly I am humbled by and understand the sacrifices of men like Lyle Carr, Allen Drake and Forrest Robertson. Those reasons and those heroes are why I will always stand for the Anthem and the Flag with my hand over my heart and that will never change.

First World Food Problems

We Americans are a funny bunch. The things we worry about and the decisions we make can only be explained by saying, that they are first world problems that most of the rest of the world can only dream about. This is especially true when it comes to our food.

We live in a land of so much that we waste a tremendous amount of food we buy. I feel ashamed each time I clean out the refrigerator and throw away even the smallest amount of produce. We try hard to plan, use what we have on hand and not let anything go to waste. Inevitably plans change and we eat fewer meals at home and the great meal ideas we had become mush at the bottom of the crisper drawer.

I know it is a sign of our busy lifestyles and that, itself, is a first world problem. We are so busy that preparing what we eat has become a hassle and we no longer have time for it. It is so much easier to run through the drive through at some fast food joint than it is to come home and chop, dice and prepare the food already in our fridge. There are few other people in this world that don’t have time to cook their own meals and even more importantly, even fewer people in this world with the means to pay someone else to cook their meals.

Because we don’t have time, we trade meals we would have cooked at home for highly processed foods. I am not a nutritionist but I do know enough to know that foods prepared from fresh fruits, vegetables and meats are better for you than processed food we get from those quick, easy drive through meals. For that matter, nutritionists telling us not to eat so many processed meals is a first world problem. In many countries the problem is not too many calories but rather too few.

Then when we do take time to prepare our food, we often over do it. Only in a first world nation would you have not one but several tv channels devoted to food. I would guess many of us subscribe to magazines about food and spend time on our electronic devices looking at web sights and blogs also dedicated to what we eat. We can’t prepare a simple meal anymore, we must create a masterpiece and those recipes are never small.

That means in the end we have something everyone dreads, left overs. You know the dishes that linger on the shelves above the mushy produce. No one wants to eat left overs, we make jokes about them and teenagers would rather starve than eat left overs. That brings up another point. We often talk about starving or that we would rather starve. Very few, if any of us really know what that means and I assure you it would take most of us a long, long time to starve.

In any case, those left overs languish on our shelves for a long time until we can’t remember how long they have been there and who wants to take a chance on them going bad so we throw them out. Dare I say that in most places food going bad is not a function of how long it has been around because no one wanted to eat it. Turning our noses up at perfectly good food because we do not want to heat it up again is a first world problem. Like much of the things in our refrigerator we have become spoiled.

In the middle of all this food waste and poor choices about what we eat, we have the nerve to worry about how the food is raised. Only in America would we demand that our food be grown in the least efficient, least productive method. Nearly everywhere else in the world they are worried about how much food is grown, not how the food is grown. We chose to ignore sound science and breakthroughs in technology so food can be grown in a less efficient system that does not make good use of limited resources. Then we take the food grown in less efficient systems and we prepare it in a way that is not healthy and after a day or two we throw much of it away. That is the definition of a first world problem.

OK, enough of my rant because I don’t know how we can fix this. Other than we wake up and use common sense and we all know there is nothing more uncommon than common sense. I guess the silver lining in all of this is that maybe if we would focus on three things we could make a difference. First to try to use all the food we buy, second to choose our calories more wisely and third to trust the hands that raise our food. Seems like a simple fix to me, but then again, maybe that is a first world view too.

4-H Week and College

Well, once again my unerring sense of timing and attention to the calendar rose up to bite me in the posterior. I blew it because I missed National 4-H Week. How could I miss writing a column about something that has impacted my life and more importantly, the life of my kids? I would like to blame it on a busy schedule or maybe harvest, but in the end, I just blew it.

These thoughts came to mind this past week as my daughter and I made a college visit and on the way home I started thinking about how we got to this point. Much of that pointed right back to her involvement in 4-H and FFA. She is considering going to college on a livestock judging scholarship and that is a direct connection to her involvement in 4-H and FFA.

Sometimes life is just funny. I spent a lifetime of coaching 4-H livestock judging teams and trying to convince my 4-Hers that livestock judging was a better and more sure way to earn a scholarship than athletics. I told them that every member of my judging teams came out with a scholarship offer and asked them to quiz their coaches about how that compared to sports. However, when it came to my own daughter I was blinded by the lure of sports too.

Don’t get me wrong, she was and still is a pretty good softball player. I love to watch her play and for a long time we thought she would play college softball. Then life happened. Between disappointing seasons and mounting injuries softball lost some of its glitz. More importantly, during this time period she was on some pretty good judging teams and had more success than either one of us could have imagined including a state championship.

However, I kept pushing softball going against everything I had done as a coach. I ignored the benefits I had gotten from judging in college and those benefits went well beyond the scholarships that paid for my college. Finally, it was my daughter who, admittedly, is much smarter than me and suggested that judging should probably be her path. As we talked I could not have been happier or prouder of her for being more astute and pursuing this path.

All of this was made possible by her involvement in 4-H. Again, in reflection, we spent many hours over many summers at softball fields and I must wonder just how many of those girls were going to college on a softball scholarship. I would not have traded those summers for anything and that time was valuable but it pales in comparison to her 4-H experience.

The skills she gained as a 4-Her go well beyond livestock judging also. I am quite confident that she will earn a number of other scholarships that will help greatly in paying for college. The skills and the experience that will help her in those applications are a direct result of her involvement and leadership in 4-H.

We have already seen the benefits of 4-H involvement with our son. He is currently in college pursuing a degree in veterinary medicine. This academic pursuit is a direct result of his involvement in the veterinary science project in 4-H and the guidance of some awesome volunteers who helped him along the way.

I know all of this sounds like bragging from a proud parent and I will not make any apologies for that but that is not my point. We are now a year away from ending our run as 4-H parents and the view in retrospect is awesome. I guess I always knew that 4-H had played a huge role in my life and that the experiences and skills I gained were invaluable, but I am not sure I valued it as much as I do now.

We live in such a sports crazed society that often we miss the most obvious, important things right in front of us. I am speaking for myself, I really like sports and I know I placed far too much importance on them but maybe others can learn from my experience. Fortunately, my kids are a lot smarter than I am.

Unlike sports, 4-H offers something for every kid, something in which they can find their passion, hone their skills and gain valuable experience. 4-H opens doors that might otherwise might be hidden and paves the way for one’s life work. There are many youth organizations that are equally as great but 4-H is the one I know and the one I have seen make huge impacts on the life of those involved.

I must admit that there is a great deal of satisfaction that my daughter is following the same path I did, despite my shortsightedness. A path made possible by the opportunities provided through 4-H. I guess in the end maybe I didn’t miss 4-H Week. Because, every week is 4-H Week for us because of the impact it has had on our lives and for that I am grateful.

First World Food

We Americans are a funny bunch. The things we worry about and the decisions we make can only be explained by saying, that they are first world problems that most of the rest of the world can only dream about. This is especially true when it comes to our food.

We live in a land of so much that we waste a tremendous amount of food we buy. I feel ashamed each time I clean out the refrigerator and throw away even the smallest amount of produce. We try hard to plan, use what we have on hand and not let anything go to waste. Inevitably plans change and we eat fewer meals at home and the great meal ideas we had become mush at the bottom of the crisper drawer.

I know it is a sign of our busy lifestyles and that, itself, is a first world problem. We are so busy that preparing what we eat has become a hassle and we no longer have time for it. It is so much easier to run through the drive through at some fast food joint than it is to come home and chop, dice and prepare the food already in our fridge. There are few other people in this world that don’t have time to cook their own meals and even more importantly, even fewer people in this world with the means to pay someone else to cook their meals.

Because we don’t have time, we trade meals we would have cooked at home for highly processed foods. I am not a nutritionist but I do know enough to know that foods prepared from fresh fruits, vegetables and meats are better for you than processed food we get from those quick, easy drive through meals. For that matter, nutritionists telling us not to eat so many processed meals is a first world problem. In many countries the problem is not too many calories but rather too few.

Then when we do take time to prepare our food, we often over do it. Only in a first world nation would you have not one but several tv channels devoted to food. I would guess many of us subscribe to magazines about food and spend time on our electronic devices looking at web sights and blogs also dedicated to what we eat. We can’t prepare a simple meal anymore, we must create a masterpiece and those recipes are never small.

That means in the end we have something everyone dreads, left overs. You know the dishes that linger on the shelves above the mushy produce. No one wants to eat left overs, we make jokes about them and teenagers would rather starve than eat left overs. That brings up another point. We often talk about starving or that we would rather starve. Very few, if any of us really know what that means and I assure you it would take most of us a long, long time to starve.

In any case, those left overs languish on our shelves for a long time until we can’t remember how long they have been there and who wants to take a chance on them going bad so we throw them out. Dare I say that in most places food going bad is not a function of how long it has been around because no one wanted to eat it. Turning our noses up at perfectly good food because we do not want to heat it up again is a first world problem. Like much of the things in our refrigerator we have become spoiled.

In the middle of all this food waste and poor choices about what we eat, we have the nerve to worry about how the food is raised. Only in America would we demand that our food be grown in the least efficient, least productive method. Nearly everywhere else in the world they are worried about how much food is grown, not how the food is grown. We chose to ignore sound science and breakthroughs in technology so food can be grown in a less efficient system that does not make good use of limited resources. Then we take the food grown in less efficient systems and we prepare it in a way that is not healthy and after a day or two we throw much of it away. That is the definition of a first world problem.

OK, enough of my rant because I don’t know how we can fix this. Other than we wake up and use common sense and we all know there is nothing more uncommon than common sense. I guess the silver lining in all of this is that maybe if we would focus on three things we could make a difference. First to try to use all the food we buy, second to choose our calories more wisely and third to trust the hands that raise our food. Seems like a simple fix to me, but then again, maybe that is a first world view too.

Harvest Rush

We are now fully into the crazy time of the year for those of us in agriculture. Fall harvest is in high gear, it is time to bring the cows home, wean calves and plant wheat. There is so much to do and so little time to do it in that we often meet ourselves coming and going. It is a time of long hours, very little rest and most of us wouldn’t have it any other way.

This is also a time of the year when accidents happen on the farm and the ranch. We are so focused on the work that needs to be done that we cut corners, go too fast and have momentary lapses in judgement. Believe me it only takes a second. I am sure every year each of us has one of those moments when we pause and think, “that could have turned out badly”. I am here to tell you that is all it takes is one little moment, one little lapse and you could be another statistic.

Those of us here in Pottawatomie County got a painful reminder of that just a couple of weeks ago when we lost a friend, neighbor, devoted father and one of the best guys you will ever meet. I didn’t know Loren well enough but I knew him well enough to know that I enjoyed talking to him, respected him greatly and admired his dedication. He was one of those people that brightened my day each time our paths crossed.

We lived in sort of the same neighborhood although we never really crossed paths. I did drive past his farmstead on a regular basis and by all appearances he looked to be one of those ag producers who had it all together and did things the right way. I really don’t know what happened with the tractor accident that took his life. I don’t know anything other than he was hauling hay and something awful happened.

I suspect Loren was doing something that was routine, hauling hay down the road when in the blink of an eye the accident happened. I do know that he was about as seasoned as you can get when it comes to operating machinery and all the experiences and knowledge did not help. All I really know is that his accident left a huge hole in our community’s heart and an even bigger one in his family.

It is a fact that agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations. We work long hours, usually in remote locations, often alone and with large equipment. When we are not working with dangerous, often older machinery in rough, unpredictable terrain, we are herding large, unpredictable animals through dangerous facilities. Everything we do in agriculture is risky and dangerous.

Then add this chaotic time of the year with it’s many demands to the list and it is a dangerous combination. Farming and ranching are dangerous, that will never change and no matter what we do accidents will happen. What we do need to do is to try to lower the danger levels and eliminate any unnecessary risks.

The most important thing we can do is to slow down and take our time. I am the biggest offender when it comes to rushing. Often, I know better but I just don’t want to take that few extra moments. I have never seen a time when a few minutes made much of a difference in the long-term success. Rather, those few seconds or minutes that can be shaved off often lead to much more time lost when they go wrong.

Another important safety measure to keep in mind is to stay rested. We work long hours without breaks. It is Ok to take a break, a quick nap or even a stroll around the combine or tractor, no one will think less of you and you will be amazed at how refreshed you feel. Fatigue is one of the leading causes of accidents and one of the easiest to eliminate. If you are an employer make sure to stress this to your workers also. If the boss says it is OK to rest, then it is a lot easier to take the needed time.

We also need to be reminded that riders are not OK and to limit the number of people riding with us to the number of seatbelts available. Oh, and make sure you wear that seatbelt too. I know you are going to have to dig it out and dust it off. That will be time well spent too. While you are at it, make sure you know where everyone is before moving or even starting any piece of equipment.

I say all of this with a heavy heart and I will think of Loren often during this harvest season. I am sure he was looking forward to it. It is a reminder of just how dangerous our chosen occupation is. While it might take just a few extra seconds or even minutes to be safe, that moment will be the best time spent all day.

 

Birthday Expectations

Yesterday was my birthday. It is funny how our birthdays change as we go through life. As a child, your birthday was probably one of the two or three most anticipated days of the year. It ranked right up there with Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter. Birthdays meant a party, friends, cake, ice cream and most importantly, presents. You got to take treats to school (back in the good old days it meant no restrictions on candy or what could be in birthday treats too, funny how we all survived that). A carefully planned birthday meal and you were king or queen for the day. Funny how things peak for us at an early age.

Then came the teenage years and birthdays were much more complicated. You wanted it to be a big deal but only in the most non-embarrassing way. You wanted all the perks of a birthday, presents and good food, without all the humiliation of being recognized. Everything was OK if your parents didn’t tell the whole world it was your birthday. Of course, if your parents did not make a big deal, then it was grounds for a full government inquiry on just how such an atrocity could happen.

Then came the late teen, early twenties when you kind of missed your parents making a big deal over your birthday. Secretly, your parent’s kind of missed it too and that is why they probably showed up with presents and took you out to eat. I think if we were all honest, those were the birthdays both parents and children find most fulfilling. Some of the most important birthdays are during this time. The eighteenth, when in “theory” we become adults or the twenty-first and we won’t talk about that one.

After our twenty-first birthday, they become much less important. Sure, thirty is important from an insurance standpoint but really at that point birthdays are just another day with maybe a reason for a special meal mixed in. Secretly you hope someone remembers but you play it cool. There are those “special” birthdays that seem to come around every five years and in those years the idea is to lay low and hope a vengeful spouse or sibling doesn’t remember and broadcast the day publicly (in my case it may be a case of what goes around comes around).

Some people may even come to dread birthdays at this point in our lives but my theory is a simple one. There is only one way you don’t get a year older and having a birthday sure beats the alternative. In fact, I have come to embrace my birthdays, who doesn’t like and excuse for steak, cake and ice cream. So, what if it comes with a little discomfort about how big that number is getting.

Call it being an adult but I have also come to the point where I don’t expect much for my birthday and then I am not disappointed either. I guess that comes from growing up on a farm and having a September birthday. We are always planting wheat or combining fall crops on my birthday and any of those activities take precedence over everything, including birthdays. In the spirit of complete honesty, I prefer a good day of harvest on my birthday (or really any day for that matter).

I suppose in a few years I will get into the place where birthdays are a big thing again as I hit the bigger milestones (or at least I hope I do, see my early comment on my philosophy about turning a year older). Even then I am reminded of an ad that runs on tv. An older gentleman proclaims that he is ninety years old although he does not see it as an accomplishment since others have done it before him. I still suspect he is proud of it and anticipated some sort of celebration.

I am writing this column before the event happens but I would anticipate at least my immediate family remembering. The day will probably include a good meal and a cake (if I am lucky). I might say I don’t expect anything but let’s be completely honest. If my family listened to me and did nothing on my birthday I would turn into that pouty teenager or (as I am often accused of) a grumpy old man. I wonder what age that status kicks in at?

 It would seem to me that birthday excitement is kind of a reverse bell-shaped curve with the peaks being at both ends of the spectrum and a precipitous dip in the middle. Even at the low point in the curve I still imagine it is a big day for any of us. It is always good to get a little attention, a good meal and maybe even a few gifts. We all want to know someone has remembered and appreciates the day we were born, even moody teenagers and grumpy old men.

 

 

Chicken Problem

I want to put my two cents worth in on a subject that I might well regret. A week ago, I attended Tyson’s announcement that they were going to build a new poultry processing plant and feed mill in Tonganoxie. To be quite honest I attended the event thinking that it was a great thing for Kansas and a real opportunity for agriculture. I was really surprised by the reaction some people had to the proposal and I have spent most of the following week trying to understand both sides of the issue. There are people I know and respect on both sides and that makes it difficult.

Sure, I expected some protests. Let’s be honest, Douglas and Johnson Counties have groups who would be there protesting anything modern agriculture might roll out. I did not expect the backlash from local ag producers and residents, although I probably should have. I can understand why they feel the way they do and I would be concerned if I were them too. This project is going to bring big changes to their community, some good and probably some not so welcome.

I must also admit that I was at the time and still am, in favor of the project. I hope that does not lose me friends and believe me it is not an easy decision. I have empathy and sympathy for those closest to the situation. I can see both sides and I will continue to educate myself about both sides of the project and I encourage everyone else too also.

One of the concerns I heard was the secrecy that surrounded the proposal and the announcement. I must admit that I was not all that comfortable with it but when you look at things objectively it is easier to understand. There were several other sites under consideration and Tyson was trying to get a good idea if the project was a viable option or a good fit for the area. Again, in the sense of honesty, we all know what would have happened to land values if the process was more public.

The biggest concern I have heard is over Tyson itself. I get that concern. Yes, Tyson is a huge corporation and because of that many people are cautious and with good reason. They are out to make a profit. I am not sure why many of the public think big corporations or other businesses should not make profits. That is why we all are in business and large or small. Are they squeaky clean? Probably not, I am sure we can find examples to prove that. Are they a horrible entity that should be feared, loathed and not trusted? The answer is no. The answer to both questions is probably somewhere in the middle. Tyson is a successful, large corporation that knows how to make money and will take care of themselves. Everyone involved needs to understand that going in.

However, they are also not some evil entity that will win at all costs, that is simply not good business. Would I build barns and sign a contract with them? Maybe, but I would do my homework first and seek some legal counsel. I will say that given the economic challenges ahead of agriculture in the next few years I would look at anything that might provide added income.

I have also heard concerns about the labor force and environmental impacts. Both very valid concerns and things that must be addressed. The labor issue is a real sticky one and something we must have a candid discussion about. All of agriculture needs the current labor force but there are issues that need to be dealt with and this is no different. As for the environmental aspect, the same KDHE and EPA we all worry about are watching this project also and Tyson must jump through the same hoops anyone else would. These problems can be managed but are very real and need to be watched.

What are the benefits? First, it is another market for our grain. The estimates are that they will use somewhere around 8 to 9 million bushels of corn and several million bushels of soybeans. More competition for the grain will mean more opportunities for us as producers. The producers who choose to build barns will have the chance to add income and that potentially could be the difference between staying in business and changing occupations. There will also be the chance for jobs associated with Tyson and side businesses, all of which will add to the economy.

This is an opportunity for the ag economy and the economy in general to grow and that is a good thing. Along with growth comes growing pains and a new Tyson plant also brings challenges that need to be discussed and concerns that need to be addressed. All that I am asking is for each of us to do our homework, attend the informational meetings and form an educated opinion not based on emotion. We need to see and understand both sides and do so in a civil manner, protecting our own best interests while looking out for the greater good. That is my two cents worth and probably worth exactly that much.

My Stuff

We are finally moved into our new house. I must admit that I would rather go through a root canal without pain killer than to ever move again. One friend suggested that we should have had an auction, sold everything and started over new. I am really thinking that friend was right but the biggest problem is I am not sure anyone else would want my “stuff”.

We started out with the best of intentions and really put thought into what we were moving. We started out by throwing away about as much as we moved and I must admit it was a little bit liberating. I even threatened to rent a dumpster so we could throw even more stuff away. I made this threat until I could see that Jennifer was beginning to think it was a good idea and I realized that it was my “treasurers” that would fill the dumpster. We never rented that dumpster and maybe that was our downfall.

I knew we had acquired quite a bit of “stuff” in the eighteen plus years we had lived there but I am not sure I fully understood the real level of “stuff” we had. Sadly, most of that” stuff” got moved. Sure, we started out good but it was all the corners of the barns, the attic and the closets that lead to our downfall. We would get close to a trailer load (I wonder just how the rest of the world without stock trailers move) and start filling in the cracks with “stuff”.

In other cases, we would get close to cleaning out a room, the garage or one of the barns and have a pile of” stuff” that we didn’t know what to do with. Things like scrap lumber, pipe ends, feed pans, and the hardware left over from various home improvement projects. All because someday you might need a small board or a scrap of pipe. It hadn’t happened in eighteen years but I am sure that the minute I throw something away that moment it is needed will be here.

Often these moments of indecision or rather indiscretion happened when I was packing and moving things on my own. Jennifer is much more mercenary than I am. She would throw away things without ever thinking about that moment in time, probably in 2035 when you might need that hinge or pipe fitting.

Our status now is moved but not unboxed. The shop is the central receiving center for “stuff” and boxes. In fact, there is a great pile of boxes. Yes, the boxes are labeled not because I thought of it but because Jennifer and Tatum started packing things up in an orderly manner long before I thought it was necessary and they took the time to label them. Ok, those are the organized boxes, sealed with tape. The boxes that are sprawling open stuffed to the gills with “stuff” are my doing. They do not need labeled because you can see in them and because they defy labels.

This past weekend we have started working on the mountain of boxes. Oddly the boxes neatly labeled and nicely packed seem to have a home in one of the rooms at the new house. My boxes of “stuff”, on the other hand, take a great deal of time to sort through, figure out and, ultimately, throw away. Maybe we still need that dumpster although I have learned my lesson and I will not be suggesting that.

The funny thing is that we hardly miss most of that “stuff”. The one exception so far being this morning when I went to look for my sweatshirt. I was told we had not unpacked the chore clothes and they were still in the shop. Sure, enough I went to the shop, found the box neatly marked chore clothes, cut open the tape holding the box together and there were my sweatshirts. Funny how that worked and how easy it was to find. Maybe I ought to give this organization thing a try but what kind of challenge would that be?

I have come to this realization at this time next year we should probably get rid of any box that we have not opened yet. If we have not used it in a year, we will probably never use it again and never miss it. However, the dumpster suggestion has taught me a lesson about who accumulates more “stuff” and I do not want to lose all my valuable “stuff”

There is a valuable lesson in all of this for each of us. I think it is probably an American thing and certainly a first world problem but I wonder just how much money we waste on the “stuff” that we just must have but never ever use. Maybe our lives would be just as fulfilling or maybe even happier without so many possessions. Just a thought from a guy who just moved eighteen years’ worth of living and a whole lot of “stuff”.

The Hunger Space

I must confess I had never really thought about hunger or food insecurity before. I have led a blessed and sheltered life and the thought very rarely ever crossed my mind. Sure, every once in a while, an ad featuring starving children is some far away third world nation made me feel uneasy and most of the time I simply turned the channel and never entertained the idea of sending money to the address on the screen. Hunger was something in a far away land that did not touch me directly.

I managed to stay in my comfortable little world for forty plus years, never really giving hunger much thought and certainly not entertaining the idea that it might be here close to home. That was until this past year and really the past few months. My daughter is a senior this year and her high school requires each student to complete an exit project to graduate. Projects vary greatly but are required to be something outside that student’s comfort zone. For a great deal of Tat’s junior year our dinner table discussions centered on what she would do. One theme kept coming back to us. Tatum would say I don’t know what I want to do with this project but I want to do something good that will make a difference.

About this same time, I had the opportunity to meet an incredible man named Rick McNary. Rick is one of the leading experts on food insecurity and a guru in the world of food packaging. In a few short months, I went from never having met Rick to crossing paths with him at about every function I attended. Through these interactions I learned about all the great things he was doing in the hunger space and I put Tatum in contact with him.

That was when Tatum decided she would do an event with area youth and package meals for those who are food insecure. Packaging food is the process where a group of people come together and measure out, seal and send ready to prepare meals to go to food banks or ship overseas. Often these events feature assembly line type organization and many meals are packaged in a short amount of time. I had heard about these events but had never been a part of one, until last week.

Probably the most important part of Tatum’s event (outside of the meals they prepared) was the opportunity for the kids to hear Rick talk about hunger and what can and needs to be done about it. I don’t know how to describe Rick’s presentation but I have heard it several times and it still fires me up and makes me want to do something about food insecurity. Especially the food insecurity right here in rural America.

Nearly one in five people are food insecure in our hometowns. It is kind of hard to believe and even harder to wrap your mind around but think about it. We know many single parents working low paying jobs just to get by. I am sure we all know many elderlies who are trying to get by on meager savings, retirements and or social security. These people are not far off refugees in a foreign land, they are our neighbors, family and friends and they need our help now more than ever.

That was why I was so proud of Tatum and her friends. They sacrificed a Saturday night (not something teens normally do) and spent time learning about hunger and then did something about it. By the end of the night they had packaged over 2,200 meals to go to our local food bank at Community Health Ministries in Wamego. Just by reading this you might think that they spent an entire evening working non-stop to accomplish this. Nope, in less than an hour they had the meals measured, sealed and boxed. Did I mention there was a lot of laughing, cheering and loud music involved also? It was over in a flash and they all wanted to keep going. Who knew that doing good work could be both fun and rewarding.

Did the hunger issue, even in our little town get solved? Not even close, food insecurity is an issue that seems to be growing. However, I think that I am safe in saying that solving the problem took a step forward that night because of a group of youth who became more aware of the issue and in a small way did something about it.

I am sorry but I must be a proud parent for a moment. Not only did Tatum fulfill the requirement to earn her high school diploma but she also made good on her vow to do something good and meaningful along the way. That is how hunger issues will be solved, by everyone getting involved and chipping away at the problem one small chunk at a time.

The Importance of Food

I am absolutely convinced that we don’t know how good we have it right here in the good old United States of America. Sure, we have our problems and they seem to be getting louder and more visible all the time but the fact of the matter is that we are living in the greatest nation with the highest standard of living in the world. Often, we forget this and act like spoiled children who only want things our way.

OK, I know that highest standard of living does not apply to everyone. In fact, as I look at food insecurity I am amazed at how many people, even in our small rural communities, are wondering where their next meal will come from. That is why the debate about how our food is grown and how we utilize technology in agriculture drives me crazy. When was the last time you saw a person who is food insecure complain about how their food was produced? I will give you the answer, never.

The debate about the use of technology in the production of food or even how we raise our livestock is a first world problem. Dr. Dan Thomson, Kansas State, said it best when he stated that only two types of people worry about food. The rich who worry about how it was produced and the poor who wonder where their next meal is coming from. Sadly, enough the rich get too much of the attention and the poor too little.

Here is the truth and what should be the final statement about how food is produced in the United States. Farmers and ranchers care about consumers, their livestock and the world around them. We utilize the best in new technology to produce the safest, most nutritious and, most importantly, the most abundant food supply in the world. We produce more food while utilizing fewer inputs on less farm land. Still we are criticized for utilizing modern improvements by uninformed, misguided so-called experts.

Am I being a little harsh in my judgment of people who are critical of my use of things like gmo crops and livestock antibiotics. I don’t think so. These self-centered people would have us reverting to producing food the same way we did in the fifties or earlier. This would dramatically raise the price of food and lower the supply. Probably not a big deal if you are in a higher tax bracket and can afford to pay more. So, what about the single mother with two kids and two jobs? Apparently, she does not factor into their equation.

I will consider taking my profession back fifty or one hundred years when they do the same with their chosen occupation. When they start driving Studebaker cars and living without air conditioning, internet and cable television, we can start talking about raising livestock without modern veterinary medicine and crops without technology. I certainly do not want to go to a doctor who practices medicine from the first half of the last century so why do we want to grow our food that way too?

The simple answer is that the so-called activist and the misguide members of the public who fall prey to their propaganda are only thinking of themselves. They have no idea what it is like to worry about where your next meal is coming from or how you are going to pay all your bills on a limited income. They only care about themselves and their perception of the world, which often does not include the less fortunate. If it did, they would be all for our use of the best production methods and the newest technology.

Am I saying they are bad people? No, misguided and selfish but not bad. Am I condemning alternate food production methods? Absolutely not, I will not tell another farmer or rancher how to conduct their business or a consumer what they can or cannot buy. However, I expect the same courtesy from fellow farmers and ranchers and a level of common sense from the consumer. We need modern technology in agriculture just like we need modern technology in all other businesses, without it, we will fail.

Those of us in agriculture have the daunting task of producing more food than we have ever produced with fewer acres and a call for using less inputs. Simply put, we cannot meet this challenge without the best and newest tools in our tool box. That also means those who are fortunate enough to have enough need to spend their time doing some research, checking out credible sources and understanding where their food comes from.

Food insecurity is a very real problem both close to home and in other corners of the world. It is a problem that will never go away but one that we can work to make better. I have faith that the farmers and ranchers of the United States can and will increase production, if we are allowed too and there in lies the challenge.

Compromise Compromised

Lately I have been avoiding the news. I know for some of you this is not hard to do but for me it is a monumental shift. I admit it, I am a political junkie and the strategy behind politics usually fascinates me. However, lately I find it hard to watch and even harder to swallow and it makes it all hard to watch and follow.

I am not picking on any one side because it seems like lately we are ruled by the extreme. All the press coverage goes to the extreme right or the extreme left and all of us who call ourselves moderates are lost in the crossfire. If it is true that the squeaky wheel gets the grease then both wheels need greased and the axles holding everything have been forgotten in all the noise.

I don’t have anything to prove it but I truly believe that the extreme ends of the political spectrum do not represent the majority. However, they tend to be more vocal and not afraid to speak up (or shout out in many cases) and therefore garner all the attention. We see it every night on the news, politics have become an ugly battleground with each side trying to shout the other down. Those caught in the middle are often beaten up by both sides. It kind of makes you wonder why anyone would ever want to get involved.

However, getting involved is exactly what we need to do. I know it will be ugly and painful but the results of not doing anything will be even worse. We cannot allow this tug of war by both ends of the spectrum in which neither will give an inch. Without compromising nothing will ever be agreed to and we will forever be stuck in our current gridlock.

Am I saying that we need to give up our morals and principles? Absolutely not, we must all believe in core values and ideals that we hold close. We must also try to understand the thoughts and beliefs of those who are very different from us and ask ourselves why they believe what they do. I am not asking you to agree with them but rather to try to understand where they are coming from and see things from their perspective.

Hopefully this current round of bitter arguing, fighting and violence will make most us in the middle act. That is the only thing that will make it better. We must stand up and tell both sides to go stand in the corner and not come out until they can behave, enough is enough and we need to start acting like the civilized nation we are. After all the United States is a melting pot of cultures and ideas and in the past, that is what has made us strong.

We must get back to the place where every day, ordinary people will participate in the governance of this nation at a local, state and especially national level, there are too many good people for us to settle for the choices where are currently given. I am not picking sides because I don’t really care for either side. I want to support someone who believes what I do and represents my best interests not the special interests of someone pulling the strings behind the scenes.

So how do we get back to that place? That is the ultimate question and one we had better answer pretty darn fast. We need to take our political parties back and ultimately our government and one of us alone cannot do it. It will take all of us stuck in the middle to rise up and tell those on the extreme ends that enough is enough. We must get involved, there is no other way and it will not be easy or painless. Those in power have gotten there because they are good at getting their way and making it difficult for those who challenge them.

Am I saying that all public servants and elected officials are bad or bullies? No, I know many who are there for the right reason and are good people who represent our best interests. Increasingly it appears those types of people are harder and harder to find and that is why we must take control back before we lose more.

I do believe that we live in the greatest nation in the world and that we can not only retain that title but improve upon it, but we must get back to what made us great in the first place. We must return to a nation that allows new ideas but holds on to the values we were built on. I hope that we will get back to a place where we value all opinions and enjoy a civil debate. I know this is a simple view but I hope it is one that most of you agree with and you will join me in bringing back.

Bert and Ernie

Bert and Ernie were just steers. They were big, old, lazy, pampered show steers, but dang it they made me cry. No, I did not become a blubbering mess and I don’t think many if anybody saw me, but I must admit that I got choked up and my eyes got teary on the last day of the fair, over two stupid steers. I am the Dad and I am supposed to be tougher than that.

Bert and Ernie had been fixtures in our daily routines for the past eight months. Bert was the show steer that we bought and Ernie was his lovable, ornery, bumbling sidekick. Tatum had made a vow to be competitive the year before and hence the purchase of Bert, while Ernie, the humble calf out of one of our cows, was there because you can’t feed just one steer.

We had them halter broke by the end of Christmas Break, a first for us. This milestone was followed by months and months of special attention. Each morning we would catch them, put out feed and then tie them in their own little pen complete with cedar fiber and fans. Tatum spend more time with them and worked harder with them than any beef project she had ever taken.

They made the trip to two spring shows, I know that is not a lot for some of you but it was two more spring shows than we had ever shown beef in before. While our placings were mixed our results were exactly what we had hoped for. Tatum had two seasoned steers who would not be spooked or surprised by anything at the county fair.

This summer, Tatum was up early almost every morning feeding, leading and rinsing steers before tying them out in their special pen. On the days, she was busy Jennifer and I took over with their daily spa treatment, the only thing that changed for the steer was a lack of detail and the music station on the radio. The steers responded by growing into the two best steers our family had ever raised and our expectations for the county fair grew and exceed those of the past thirteen fairs. Not only would Tatum be competitive, she might have a good chance at leading the champion steer.

While our anticipation grew so did our anxiety about the ultimate end of the fair. It might surprise you that a family as experienced as ours would be feeling that kind of dread about the last day of the fair. Sure, there had been other market animals along the way. Isaac’s first Southdown, Rambo, had been extremely hard to turn loose in the pen to be shipped. Tatum’s whethers Fuzzy and Wuzzy from last year had put a lump in my throat, but I knew deep down that Bert and Ernie would be even tougher to say goodbye to.

Don’t get me wrong, Tatum knew the end and understood what raising and showing a market animal meant. That did not make it any easier and tears started down her cheeks when the truck started to back into the loading dock. I am not sure what upset me more, Tatum sad or the idea of putting animals who had been such a part of our lives on a truck to the packing plant. In any case, it was extremely tough.

Tatum was not the only one with tears rolling down her cheeks. I saw Dad’s with dark glasses but one sight really got me. I did pretty well holding it all in until I saw the exhibitor of the Champion steer, a 4-Her exhibiting in her last fair but more importantly one of Tatum’s oldest and closest 4-H friends. She and Tatum were sitting in her empty stall with their arms around each other, trying to console each other. I am not going to lie or sugar coat it, I could not hold my emotions back. I tried to hide it by pulling my hat down and working harder at tearing down the stall but most importantly not making eye contact with anyone. I know that this is hard for those who are not involved in animal agriculture to understand, but at that very difficult moment I do not think I have ever been prouder of Tatum or her friend Shay.

The way our world is it is not easy to raise caring, compassionate adults but that moment was the very proof that we had done just that. Those two young ladies had poured their hearts and souls into their projects, spending countless hours with them and taking care of their steers every need. It is only natural to get attached and most definitely a healthy emotion. In the end, it was worth it and we will do it again but right now I guess it is OK to hide shed a tear over a couple of steers.

The Circle of Animal Projects

A few days ago, a picture of a 4-Her with his steer popped up on my Facebook feed. The young man has his arms around his steer and is obviously upset at the idea of selling him. I thought it was a great picture capturing the emotion behind 4-H market livestock projects. It brought up a lot of memories. Selling an animal that you have put so much work into is not easy and I am sure it will not be easy for us to put Tatum’s steers on the truck at the fair.

Tatum’s steers this year are named Bert and Ernie and they have been pretty good steers throughout the last nine months. When you care for animals it is easy to get attached to them, especially when their personalities have been as good as Bert and Ernie’s have been. For the most part, they have been easy to take care of, even if they were a little lazy and ornery at times. The last day of the fair will not be easy for us even though we have been through it many times. I fear that I might have to find a pair of dark glasses to wear as I hand the steers over. It doesn’t get any easier whether it is your first time or your……. well let’s just say I have done it several times.

The fact that it does not get easier is a good thing but it is the hardest thing for our non-farm friends to understand. I saw a piece on the local news and the family said that they had gotten many responses back from the picture, some good, some not so good. I went back and read some of the posts and it was as I expected. Many posts were sympathetic, they had been there, felt the pain and understood. Others, ranged from disbelief to outright anger.

The anger is hard for us to understand as farmers and ranchers, this is all part of the circle of life that we have been raised in and is part of our inner being as a livestock producer. We raise our animals understanding that it is our duty to provide them the best care and attention we can. However, we know the end point and understand why we raise livestock. They are here to provide us with food. It is the hardest part of this cycle to understand, I admit that I feel a little sad each time I drop a load of lambs off at the locker plant. That is good, empathy is normal and it means that we care deeply about our animals

I also understand why it is so hard for our non-farming and ranching cousins to grasp how we can do this. Their only point of reference probably is a pet. They did not grow up with the deep understanding of the cycle of life that we have and we must understand this, appreciate it and help them to see things from our perspective.

I am worried about some of the stronger responses. The idea to threaten, belittle and criticize something you don’t understand is concerning to say the least. I know it is a bad by-product of social media, it is easier to be mean and nasty when you are somewhat anonymous and that is a sad statement about our society. It is also troubling when it comes to our profession and way of life. We need to make sure our consumer and the public in general understand how we raise our livestock and that we genuinely care about the well-being of our animals. We also need to make sure they understand the difference between pets and livestock meant for food and more importantly the line between animals and people.

It is a line that is becoming blurrier and less defined over time. This is because of the disconnect from farm and ranch to the urban dinner plate. With fewer direct connections between country and city cousins we need to make sure we reach out and tell our stories and welcome people onto our farms and ranches. Either physically or, as this picture did, virtually. I am so glad this picture was shared and that is reached so many people. While it may have brought out the worst in some, it also opened an opportunity to have a candid discussion and allows us to share something so basic and valuable that all of us involved in youth livestock projects understand.

I was encouraged to see the response of so many to try to help explain why this was important and, in the end, necessary.  The overwhelming majority I saw were positive, understanding and patient with their responses and that is what we need. This picture will be played out many times in the next few weeks and I hope that we can use this as an important teaching moment to share just how deeply we care for our animals and how we pass that compassion on to the next generation of farmers and ranchers.

Two Fairs to Go

This is fair week. Just in case any of you who have seen me want an explanation of why I look and act like I do when you see me. I will probably be wild eyed and may even have a nervous twitch, fair week will do that to you. In the end, it will all be worth the pain, suffering and sleep deprivation but looking at it right now is kind of intimidating.

In any case, we only have two more county fairs left as a 4-H family. You might have heard me say that with a certain amount of glee. Yes, I admit it, at times the thought of being empty nesters and not having to worry about things like fair sound appealing,. Then it hit me, after this year’s fair we start in on what another friend of mine referred to as the first of the lasts or the senior year.

It was a little melancholy with Isaac and sad at times. We watched our last football game as parents but for the most part we knew that many of the activities we would still be attending with Tatum so it did not seem so final. Now, suddenly, we are standing on the edge of the senior year with Tatum and the final lasts.

The last county fair is probably the hardest one for me to wrap my head around. County fairs have been a huge part of my life every year for the past 38 years as a 4-Her, Intern, Extension Agent and the last few years as 4-H Dad. The county fair has been the apex of my summer and the big event on my calendar for much of my life.

The same could be said for our family too. If I am to be perfectly honest the county fair has functioned as our family vacation for most of my kid’s lives. The memories gathered and the lessons learned are too many to recall and too important to forget. The best and most important treasurers gleaned from the fair have nothing to do with champion trophies or ribbons. Honestly, I cannot remember what year we have had our biggest successes in.

Last year I was talking to someone with young kids. They made the statement that they would be involved with the fair forever and it was hard to comprehend just how many years that involvement would entail. I had to laugh because just about fifteen years earlier I was in the same exact position and made the same statement. Then I blinked and all the sudden we are looking at just two more fairs. I guess it is something that must be experienced because there is no way to explain just how fast it will go.

It seems like just last year we were taking care of Jethro, the bucket calf and our first livestock project. The competition for that champion bucket calf was just as fierce as the competition for champion steer but the friends we made and the lessons we learned were even more valuable and longer-lasting. I am not sure but I think the pinnacle of our livestock showing career may have been with bucket calves.

The years in between are blurs. Steers named T-Bone and Chuck, lambs named Toots or Rambo and a heifer we called Vicious. Then there were the rockets, woodworking projects, notebooks, foods, clothes and displays that numbered in the thousands (or at least that is what it seemed like). Each project taught us a different lesson and each animal had a different story. I would not have traded any of the experiences for all the money in the world (which I am quite sure we spent on them).

So, pardon me if I seem a little melancholy this fair week. I am sure the next two fairs will go by in a split second just like the 38 before them. I am equally sure that these last two will have their share of successes and challenges. I admit that it does make me a little sad that this chapter of my life is ending, for the most part I have enjoyed it more than any other. I will try my hardest to savor every moment and enjoy each memory but I am sure it will pass much too quickly.

Tonight, as I sit here writing this column in a quiet house on the eve of the fair week I know it is the calm before the storm. I know I should enjoy this moment of quiet reflection and I know I will miss it when it is gone. 4-H and the fair have been such an important part of my life and the lives of my kids that words do not do it justice. However, melancholy or not it will be crazy and I am up for the wild ride if only two more times.

Why I Judge

This week I start my annual county fair livestock judging odyssey. I think my journey will take me to eight county fairs this year and I am excited to see each one. Sure, I may not be all that excited when the alarm goes off at four in the morning or when I get back home late at night but I assure you that judging county fairs is one of my favorite activities. Many people I talk to think I am crazy for even wanting to judge but it is one of the most rewarding things I do each year.

I suspect I share my feelings with those who chose to umpire sports also. Judging county fairs and especially judging livestock shows is high pressure and you can end up the target of some unhappy parents or other adults. It can be a thankless, unpleasant job if you go about it with the wrong idea. However, I have found it to be just the exact opposite and each time I judge a show I am reminded of why I chose to spend my time in dusty show rings in the heat of the summer.

Do I have the occasional upset parent or breeder who doesn’t like the way I have placed a class or the champion I have picked?  Yes, occasionally I do have someone who takes issue with my placings and I will have a discussion with them and explain my position and even tell them that it is just my judgement on that day. Usually that is enough and they go away understanding my point of view even if they don’t agree.

Most of the time the people and the exhibitors I encounter are exactly the opposite. Often, I end up hanging around about as long as it took me to judge the show and talk with parents and kids. Nothing makes my day more than an exhibitor who wants to come up afterward and discuss their project or tell me more about their animal. These stories and those moments are exactly why I chose to judge shows.

Sure, I enjoy looking at the animals in the show, evaluating them and eventually choosing the champion but the most meaningful moments happen during the show. It might be a first-time showman who is so nervous that they look like they might drop the lead and bolt out of the showring at any time. I try to spend a moment with them, draw smile out and try to get them to loosen up a little. I remind them that while this is a competition it is also supposed to be fun. Often it is those kids who come back after the show to talk to me.

It also makes my day to watch a showman hang in and tough it out with an animal that does not want to cooperate. Maybe it is just the day or the weather conditions but the animal is just not going to do what that young person wants them to do. As a judge, you can tell who spent time with their projects and is simply having a bad day. I have a great deal of admiration for the competitor who hangs in there and continues to work hard, even when things are not going well. Sometimes just a word of encouragement and an acknowledgement that they are working hard is enough to smooth out a rough day.

What I really enjoy and the thing that keeps me coming back and judging county fair livestock shows are the young people who want to tell me about their projects. Most often these are the kids who maybe did not place very high in class but that does not keep them from being proud of their project. They are the ones who can tell me about where their animal came from, what they feed it and how they take care of them. Listening to the stories about work they did to complete their project is what it is all about.

What is even better is when I have kids (or now even adults) come up to me and tell me that I was their fair judge several years ago. Usually they proceed to tell me about what they are doing and talk to me about where their livestock projects have taken them. While naming a champion may seem to be the most important part of my job on that day at that fair, it is nowhere near as important as the lessons learned from the hard work leading up to that day. That hard work and the skills learned are why I am proud to be a small part of what happens when youth show livestock. Each year I am reminded that the most important thing I do has nothing to do with the champion I select and everything to do with the kids.