Innholdsfortegnelse for December/January 2020 i Farm and Ranch Living

Snow fell as I ran toward the red barn on our Ohio farm, telling the terriers, “Santa’s coming!” Our two dogs sensed my excitement and circled around me. I was 7 years old that Christmas Eve in 1952, and as I did my chores I wondered if Santa would fix my sister Betty’s old doll crib and buggy for me. Dad had sent them to Santa at the beginning of Advent. I hope...I thought to myself as I rushed to the barn and plowed into Betty, who was carrying a straw bale. “Watch where you’re going!” she protested. “Why the hurry?” Then she smiled knowingly. “You know we can’t go into the house till Santa turns on the tree lights, and all the milking and feeding are done.” After I…

Could we build a processing facility on our own? Dave has a degree in mechanical engineering, so he can build, weld, repair and design almost anything. He drew up the blueprints for our facility and began its construction. We contacted our state regulators for current dairy processing rules and regulations, and we followed those rules closely. Could we get by while we were building? This may have been the biggest challenge. We worked out a budget, but the project took longer than we anticipated. I worked part time off the farm to supplement our income, but without milk to sell, things were tight. Fortunately we have family who believed in what we were doing and who were able to offer financial help. We also ran a crowdfunding campaign, and it…

My husband, Steven, and I both come from farming and ranching families. I grew up playing in the fields, sitting on tractors, and riding in the truck while Mom drove and Dad picked up bales of hay. I climbed up haystacks that transformed into castles in my imagination, nurtured baby bunnies, captured mice from the corncrib to show Grandma (who wasn’t nearly as excited as I was), ventured with cousins to pick asparagus along the fence lines, looked for crawdads and frogs in the irrigation ditches... And our family gatherings were the glue that held it all together. Adults shared stories, kids played outside until way past sunset, and all enjoyed the abundance of food that graced the table. More recently, finding ourselves caught up in the suburban day to…

HIDE AND SEEK While doing morning feeding, I had to locate a few strays, and most were huddled in this barn. Chores can be tough during the winter, but scenes like this make them so worthwhile. SHAYE COBB BLAIRSVILLE, GEORGIA IS IT SPRING YET? An ice storm precipitated seven long days without power, but I think our Longhorn Haddie had the worst time of all. She was happy to see spring roll in not long after this was taken. CANDICE ESTEP LIPAN, TEXAS The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes from the summer cottons into its winter wools. HENRY BESTON BROTHERLY BONDING My husband, Adam, and his brother, Bryon, don’t get to see each other often. So the cold didn’t faze them as they caught…

My father had a dairy farm, and I drove his 1967 Farmall 706 every day to do chores and field work. I was upset when he decided to trade it in for a 1086. I pleaded with him to trade the 460 instead, but he didn’t think we needed that big tractor anymore. Well, six or seven years ago, I purchased a 1966 Farmall 706. It was a lot like Dad’s, but instead of the original 6-cylinder engine, this one came equipped with a 175-horsepower Caterpillar 3208. Though I still own the farm, these days I rent it out. I am a truck and tractor mechanic now—I have a shop as well as a service truck to do mobile repair—and I’ve really enjoyed working on and driving this machine. When…

Sunny, our yellow Labrador retriever, is a goofy dog who always makes me laugh. He has a younger sister, a black Lab named Moxie, and an older sister, Molly, a chocolate Lab. He watches over them both. We sometimes call him Sunny Shotgun, because he always wants to sit right next to my husband, Clem, when he’s driving the ATV. And Sunny will practically lie on Clem when he’s on a creeper working under a car. Sunny hasn’t figured out how to ride on our tractors or four-wheeler, so he runs alongside when we’re making hay or heading out to the woods to split firewood. He enjoys helping me plant spring flowers. This generally means chewing up the little plastic containers or stepping on seeds. Once everything is planted, he’ll…

Though the holiday season is our busiest time of year, my family sees value in preserving the tradition of a big gathering. Situated on 100-year-old farmland in Lumberton, Mississippi, our place to gather—the barn—is a newer building that stands where my great-grandparents’ barn once did. With ample lighting and long farm tables, it provides an ideal setting for sharing meals and making lasting memories. Hunting season is in full swing come December, so the men in our family can often be found in the woods around the barn. To get everyone to the table, we like to prepare a big brunch. The challenge each year is to create an exciting new meal; this time we made wild hog tacos. Although our family has a rich heritage of women coming together…

HILLSBORO, OREGON EST. 1966 PRODUCT Milk LAND 80 acres TRACTOR John Deere Hello and Merry Christmas from Schoch Dairy and Creamery in Hillsboro, Oregon. My name is Casey Schoch (pronounced shock), and I live and work on our 80-acre dairy farm with my family in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. My husband, Dave, grew up on this farm, which his parents purchased in 1966. Our four sons (Jake, 25; Nate, 22; Sam, 19, and Ben, 14) are the third generation of Schochs to live and work here. Originally our farm operated as a conventional dairy. We milked 200 cows twice a day and all the milk was shipped to Darigold, our local dairy cooperative. But as milk prices fluctuated over the years, my husband and I searched for ways to make…

The farmer and his hogs...of all the things Brittany Hamlin saw in Iowa and Nebraska this past spring, that is the memory that stands out. Brittany is a co-founder of the Ohio Relief Haulers, a charitable organization that provided assistance to farmers during the 2019 floods. This particular farmer’s land was still underwater when she arrived with her group. On his fields she saw cattle standing belly-deep in mud and water. She asked him how many he had lost, and he said just a few. “We’re doing pretty good on the cattle end,” he told Brittany as she and their crew unloaded hay and other supplies. “But we’re going to have to start over on our hog end.” Of more than 900 hogs, he and his family had been able…

My wife, Mona, wanted a horse, so we started looking for a place in the country. I knew I would need a tractor, and I had always been impressed with John Deere two-cylinders. A friend of mine found one in Phoenix, so we hooked up the trailer and headed downhill. The tractor was a 1945 Model B with Power-Trol, electric start and lights. It was in horrible shape and I really wanted flywheel start, but I purchased it anyway. After unloading it in my side yard, I took a closer look. I could not believe I’d brought it home. I worked on it outside in my yard for about a year. An equipment shop in town was a big help in chasing down replacements for missing or damaged parts. I…

It’s a dirty little secret that many homesteaders avoid talking about, yet for the fresh-faced farmer, it is a rite of passage. I’m talking about those long days of emotional turmoil that come before you harvest your first animal. In December, I bought two geese—one to guard my chickens, and one for Christmas dinner. I’d built them an enclosure, yet on Day One, with the evening temperature dropping into the 20s, the birds just stood in the middle of the yard. Sure, I was wrestling my conscience over our plans for these creatures, but I certainly didn’t want them to freeze to death. Figuring the geese were simply unfamiliar with their new home, my wife suggested we force them into the enclosure for the night. So I walked them calmly…

• Corn tortillas, warmed • Cooked venison sausage, cut into ½-inch slices • Kalua pulled wild hog or other pulled pork • Freshly scrambled eggs • Fine sea salt and cracked black pepper • Sweet Corn Grit Tamales* • Guacamole • Pico de gallo • Charred Christmas Salsa** • Fresh cilantro for garnish *see recipe in Whitney Miller’s New Southern Table: My Favorite Family Recipes with a Modern Twist, available at thomasnelson.com **see recipe opposite page…

I learned about ranches opening up their property to photographers about eight years ago. Really, the only prerequisite for running a nature photography business like ours is having land and wildlife. Being in a migration zone is especially helpful to draw a variety of birds to the blinds. Keep in mind, though, that most birders aren’t interested in photographing birds in this region during the autumn migration. I’m told this is because birds lay their eggs and raise their young up north during the summer, and are tired and worn out when they migrate back south. On the other hand, after taking a “vacation” and growing fresh plumage in Central or South America, they return looking much more photogenic. Providing the photographers with camouflage (in the form of blinds) is…

Let’s hope this spring will be free of flooding for farmers across the Midwest, but disaster can strike at any time in the form of fires, tornadoes, drought and more. Here are some groups that pull together to provide relief to farmers in need. OHIO RELIEF HAULERS This grassroots organization is the brainchild of Brittany and Travis Hamlin. The Hamlins have organized numerous convoys of trucks carrying essential supplies to farmers recovering from floods, fires and other disasters. They accept donations through Ag Community Relief—to help, email agcommunityrelief@gmail.com and specify that you’d like to make a donation to Ohio Relief Haulers. Visit facebook.com/OhioReliefHaulers for more information. FARM RESCUE When farmers face crisis in the form of illness, injury or natural disaster, Farm Rescue helps out by providing planting, haying, harvesting and feeding…

When I was 18, I often walked along the ditch to and from my South Valley home near Albuquerque, New Mexico. On my walks, I would admire a 1940 International truck (also known as the International binder) in a neighbor’s field. I eventually talked to the owner about buying the truck, and he said he’d be willing to part with it when he got his other vehicle, a ’55 Chevy Suburban, running. A year later, he was ready to sell. We agreed on a price—a whopping $125. That was nearly 50 years ago, and I’ve been the proud owner ever since. To my knowledge, I am the third owner of this truck. The first used it in his automotive machine shop and rebuilt the motor in 1954. The second used…