Rain, Rain, Go Away

When I lived in Minnesota, rain came as regularly as the phases of the moon. I remember it would rain almost every evening in the summertime. Sitting out on the deck and listening to the thunder was something that we loved to do as a family. I never even knew a place existed that it didn't rain at least once a week in the spring, summer, and fall. Then we moved to Montana in the middle of a drought. The dry climate was so hard on me that I had nosebleeds almost every single day at first. It was such a shock to me that people could live in a place with no rain. Thankfully, every year since I've moved to Montana the rain has been increasing gradually as the drought has declined. Last year the spring rain was so dramatic that all across Montana dams were overpowered, roads washed out, and acres and acres of farm land were flooded. This year it has been a bit of a dry spring, with very little rain to speak of in my corner of the state. Then, when it did rain it seemed to stop just 10 or 15 miles south of us. So we've been praying for rain, and asking the rain gods to smile upon us, and, yes, even doing rain dances. My rain dance was answered and it has been raining, and raining, and raining. Since Friday evening, it has literally been nothing but nonstop rain here. I'm not even joking. Sometimes the rain comes down in sheets, but mostly it's been a slow drizzle. Now, here I am, in the first time since I've moved to Montana, wishing the rain would let up. Ya know, just stop for one beautiful summer day. Then it can go again for as long as it wants, within reason. It's a little bit sacrilegious around here to want rain to stop. People just don't do it. And, don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for the rain. I'm thankful that our alfalfa crop already looks like it has grown taller and greener since Friday. I'm thankful that southeastern Montana is not in a drought anymore. But c'mon.

Rain, rain, go away. Come back another day.
How's next week sometime? Kay, thanks.

Bedtime Thoughts

You know when you're laying in bed and your mind is just racing? Good. Me too. Tomorrow I'm headed to town to do an ABCs of Farm Safety demonstration for 2nd and 5th graders. This is a program done through the Farm Bureau Federation. You know how I was saying I was just going to jump in and see how it goes? Well, I wasn't kidding. Now what could possibly cause me to be restless about that, you may ask. Well... a few things. Firstly, I have dreams of one day owning a dairy cow and naming her Pam. Oh never mind. That has to do with my love of dairy products, not the ABCs of Farm Safety. Okay, do over.

Firstly, I dread public speaking. It's making me a little nauseous thinking about it right now. Why is it so hard? I'm a naturally shy person and this is something I've battled my entire life. Oh, how I wish I could be like those outgoing people who can talk to anyone and speak in front of a thousand people and not get nervous!! But, I'm not. In high school I decided that I was no longer going to be shy. I joined Speech and Drama. Yes, I was a Speech and Drama nerd. I say that affectionately. Was I any good? Heck no. Three years I did duo acting, serious and humorous, depending on the year. On year I did expository speech. I was terrible at all of it. But I still did it, to push my boundaries and hopefully cure my stage fright. Then I did this crazy thing and I tried out for the cheerleading squad. Formerly being a basketball and volleyball player, this was no easy step. So, I made the squad and cheered for three years. By the time I was a senior I didn't bat an eye at being out in front of everyone. I guess dancing and cheering were just different than public speaking. Yes, that was all in explanation of the first reason. So, now I think I'm less shy than I used to be. Public speaking doesn't freak me out quite as much as it used to. And, let's face it. They're 2nd and 5th graders! They're going to be happy just to get out of class! Besides, I love kids. I'm really looking forward to it.

The second reason is that the woman I'm doing the presentation with is also helping me coordinate the Young Farmers and Ranchers event that I'm putting on in May. So this means that I'd like to have some information to show her. The only thing is the other young lady we are working with has been very busy with other things. She works in Wyoming and has a 5 year-old son, so it's not really her fault that she doesn't have time. At the same time, if I would have known this was going to be the deal, I could have taken on more responsibility to make it easier for all of us. But, unfortunately, I can't really do what I need to do until she does what she needs to do. I like to be prepared. I like to be in control. So, this is causing me major stress.

Anyway, those are my bedtime thoughts. Now I'm going to actually go to bed. Big day tomorrow. I think I'll have a nice little dream about Pam and all the delicious milk she is going to make for me.

DJ the Ferocious Cattle Dog

I've talked a little about DJ in the past. He's my four month old half Australian Shepherd, quarter Blue Heeler, quarter Hanging Tree cattle dog. I'm proud to say that DJ has officially had his first taste, literally, of being a cattle dog. I have been introducing DJ to working cattle since he was just a little guy. The other day I saw some of it actually pay off.  My two brothers, DJ, and myself were out sorting cows- moving the cows with calves on them to a different pasture and what not. There were two cows towards the back not wanting to get moving. I went behind them to get them going, with DJ at my side. I thought maybe if I showed him I wanted them moved, he'd understand. Well I made the noise we use that tells our cattle dogs to grip and guess what! He grabbed right onto the rear cow at the back of her leg. She wasn't expecting it, so she turned around to go after DJ. He wasn't letting that happen and he actually bit her on the nose! I have never, in my life, seen a dog do that in person. He didn't cause any damage. Just hurt the cow's pride, I think. Later we were moving the bulls from one pen to another. They were taking they're sweet time and I asked DJ to help them get a move on. He actually used his grip on the hock of a bull. I can't explain how excited I was. Seeing him progress so well made me feel a little bit like a proud mama. Sigh. My little man is growing up. I always had this goal in mind, that I wanted him to be a working cattle dog by the time he was 6 months old. He just turned 4 months and I think he's well on his way! He's been getting so much praise and loves lately. What a smart little guy. I say little, but I just know he's going to be huge already! The biggest problem about this is that he's convinced he's a lap dog. I blame that on my brothers since they always let him sit on their lap or on the couch next to him. Now if he sees you sitting on the couch he will come barreling at you and just about take you out to sit on the couch with you.

Well, enough of my gushing. Just thought I'd let you in on how his training is going. Next I'm hoping to get him to bring the cows around, sort, and all that. I know that will take a lot of work for both DJ and me, but I feel confident that we can do it.

DJ at a few weeks old. Look at that face!

The happy family: Wiley, Duke, and DJ.

Farm Bureau Federation

I just recently joined the Montana Farm Bureau Federation. Yesterday I had my first meeting with two other members to begin planning a social for Young Farmers and Ranchers. In order to stir up a good turn out, we are planning on having a dance with a live band and a late dinner with a speaker. I don't know a lot about the Farm Bureau Federation yet, but I think the best way to learn is just jump in. I'm hoping to be very involved in MFBF, especially YF&R on the local, state, and national level. I will keep you updated on my involvement in the Farm Bureau Federation!

Where You Have Livestock...

This weekend wasn't the greatest on the ranch. We lost a calf, had to put a calf down, and had to put a mother cow down as well.

The calf that died was born disfigured. The little thing only had one nostril and it's lip was detached on the right side of it's face. He was born one evening and didn't survive to see morning. I felt so bad for it. Honestly, I couldn't believe it was alive when it was born. Just one of those strange things, ya know?

The calf we had to put down has been something weighing on our minds for a long time. He was the cutest dang Charolais calf you'd ever see in your life. Unfortunately, after he was born he contracted navel ill, which then turned into joint ill. What causes navel and joint ill is bacteria enters the belly button of a newborn calf. Once the bacteria reaches the joints of the calf it causes joint problems, trouble walking, and pain. It will eventually get so bad that the calf's joints will basically wither away until he can't walk at all. We first noticed he probably had joint ill when he was about a week old. Everyone basically knew that if the bacteria was already to his joints, he would probably have to be put out of his misery. We did try to save him though. He was administered a sulfur bulos twice a week and a high-dose shot of LA 200 every 3 days for 2 weeks, as instructed by our veterinarian. We thought we had caught the joint ill in time, because the calf responded well to the treatment at first. But after a while he would be barely walking again. Finally, after weeks of trying to save him, he had to be put down. I think the worst part was that his mother is one of the most attentive cows we have in our herd. She rarely left her calf's side. I know that we had all grown fond of the little guy, so putting him down wasn't easy for anyone. After that we made sure that every single calf born on the place had it's belly button coated with iodine, that being the way to avoid navel and joint ill. We learned a pretty hard lesson with that.

The cow that had to be put down was actually one of the heifers we bought this year. She calved sometime early last week. After a couple days she started to act funny. She was down a lot, so my brothers and I went out to get her up and see if we could do anything. When we walked out to see what was going on, she could barely stand up. We brought her into the barn and put her in the head catch. Sometimes when cows do this they could have a twin inside them or maybe even a blood cloth. My brother stuck his hand inside her to see if that was the problem, but it wasn't. We gave her a dose of LA 200 to see if it would put a little hitch in her giddyup. It didn't. She just kept going down, and we could not get her to stay up. This is one of the worst things to see, especially in a heifer. Basically, if the cow doesn't even have the will to stand up, she is going to be dead within a few days. We humanely ended her life, the third animal to die on the ranch within a few days.

It's weeks like this that I wish I had a normal life where I didn't have to deal with death on a regular basis. But as the saying goes, "Where you have livestock, you have dead stock."

Women in Agriculture

There's a saying I hear a lot around here. It goes, "Behind every successful rancher is a wife who works in town." I think we can all admit that being a rancher's wife has got to be one of the most demanding jobs there is. Not only do they usually work in town, but they come home and do ranch work, feed their family, clean up after their family, and do whatever else needs to be done. I respect these women- my mother is one of these women. However, I do not necessarily want to be one of these women. My parents have always instilled independence in me. From a young age my mom made sure that I knew that in order to be fully independent I would have to get a college degree and have a way to support myself. I'm getting my college degree in Business Administration so that I can make the best business choices possible in agriculture. I'm slowly building my herd, and ultimately, my credibility in what is a male-dominated field. What I'm saying is, I don't want to be a rancher's wife. I want to be a rancher. I want to be able to tell people that I have my own spread and my own herd and I earned it all on my own. And don't get me wrong, my parents raised me right. I know how to cook and clean, but I also know how to run a swather and had my first horse at the age of 3. Of course, one day I would love to settle down and do the family thing. But for now, it's not my main focus. I just don't see myself getting married unless I know I can fully support myself and, if needed, my family. Heck, maybe the new saying will be, "Behind every successful rancher is a husband who works in town." Not likely, but you never know. Anyway, I know more and more women who plan on taking over their family ranch or starting their own. They are getting their degree in business, science, genetics, or anything agriculture-related. I honestly feel proud to be part of this group of women. We know what we want, and we are making it happen.

Blake Shelton and Justin Moore Concert

I'm a huge country music fan. It's pretty much all I listen to. When I found out Blake Shelton and Justin Moore were coming to Billings, MT, I knew I had to go! The concert was originally scheduled for January. Sadly, not long before the concert Blake Shelton's father passed away. The concert was rescheduled for March 23rd, which is right in the thick of calving season. I figured my parents could go at it alone for a day while my younger brothers and I went to the concert.

MetraPark, the location of the concert, was completely packed. I've been to several concerts and sporting events, including PBR, in the Metra and I've never seen so many people in it before. Dia Frampton was the opening act. If you watch the television show The Voice, you'll know who I'm talking about. Dia was a contestant who was coached by Blake. She made it to the final two. Dia is not a country singer, but she has a beautiful voice. Her live performance was very impressive, even though her style of music isn't exactly my favorite. There was a small intermission before Justin Moore came on. This is when I decided it would be smart to stand in the beer line. It wasn't that smart. I barely sat down with my drink when Justin came on stage. I'll tell ya, the guy has stage presence. I don't know what it was, but Billings was really loving him. After he sang Small Town USA, the audience gave Justin a standing ovation. He told us how much it meant to him and his family, which I thought was so touching. Justin Moore was a great entertainer. His live singing was remarkable. I mean, he can really belt! After another intermission, Blake Shelton finally came on stage. Actually, I should say he played a recording of Miranda Lambert's song Baggage Claim. When it came on, the entire crowd was getting very excited to see Blake. Finally, he came on. His show was very impressive. He did a lot of crowd interaction, which was great. He sang some old favorites, like Old Red, and new songs just on the radio, including Drink on It. He had a great live singing voice and seemed very down-to-earth when he was interacting with the audience. He told us a lot of personal stories. Overall it was the best concert I've been to. If either Blake Shelton or Justin Moore is ever in your area, I highly recommend that you go to the concert. You will not regret it!

Group picture! Oh, wait.. 

Ok, let's do that again! Oh, wait..

Third time's a charm! Oh my gosh. Never mind.

People were waving their phones like lighters. 

Justin Moore

Blake Shelton

This picture turned out nice.

He was talking to the audience.

My Least Favorite Things in the World

As of today and yesterday I have compiled a list of my least favorite things in the world. It goes:
Cows.
Fences.
Gates.
Horses.
Calves.
Tractors.
Four Wheelers.
Dogs.
Cows. Oh, did I already say that?

That's all I can think of right now. I guess you could say I've had a couple of bad days. Honestly, there are only so many things that can go wrong on the ranch and I believe I've witnessed all of them in the last two days. Unfortunately, I really can't really complain because I could always be like a normal person my age and get a normal job. Or have no job at all... What am I saying? That's just crazy talk! Well anyway, tomorrow I'm making the trek to town to see my sister, so I can only assume that I will not have to deal with any of those terrible things on my list. Hallelujah! In the words of Abraham Lincoln, "The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time."