Innholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2020 i Farm and Ranch Living

One evening, as my older sister rushed to milk the cow before her fiance arrived, I realized I was next in line to be the milker, and Emma would be married in two weeks. Dread took over my 13-year-old life. Milking wasn’t a job you did at your convenience. You did it every morning and evening, seven days a week, before school, church, parties, dates—you name it. No matter how cold it was outside, no matter how hot. Then there was the scent. Emma didn’t always smell good after leaning her head against the cow’s hindquarters, getting switched with a tail that had been who knows where, or even stepping in a fresh cow pie. The barn fragrance was bad enough, but we had no running water for cleanup. In…

PASTORAL PATRIOTISM My beloved granddaughter Kristen took this photo of a patriotic barn just a few miles from my home. There are always lots of American flags flying in this neighborhood, and even more around the Fourth. META STAVRAND HIGHLAND LAKES, NEW JERSEY Agriculture not only gives riches to a nation, but the only riches she can call her own.SAMUEL JOHNSON 1. FOND OF THE FARM I’ve photographed this barn at Sweetwater Farm on Martha’s Vineyard many times over the years; it’s one of my favorites. Of course, it’s even better when the horses are out. PAUL REZENDES PHOTOGRAPHY 2. A LUCKY FIND I’m retired Navy and my wife is still on active duty. We were transferring across the country, and on the way I took the kids to visit…

My dad raised Angora goats and managed 230 acres of Texas timberland. In 1966, he bought a new half-ton GMC pickup in Mexia, Texas, and it spent the first 30 years of its life as his work truck. Mom and Dad also took it to Wyoming every summer for many years, to their cabin near Yellowstone National Park. After Dad retired, they drove it to Alaska and traveled the Alaska Highway. When Dad was in his mid-80s, he had to give up driving the truck. No power steering, no power windows and a heavy-duty clutch simply got to be too much for his arthritis. At that time, my wife, Carol, and I brought the truck to live with us in Cave Creek, Arizona. For nearly 20 years, we used it…

To some, an abundant summer harvest might be just that. To me, one in particular meant a whole lot more: a bountiful crop of fruits and vegetables and the legacy of my dad’s lifelong devotion to a plot of ground. Harvey Glen started his garden in 1973. That year, he and my mom, Carole Jean, bought their dream home. A plain white three-bedroom rambler, it wasn’t much to look at, but the land it sat on was another story. Nestled between pine trees, it hugged the nearby river. It was a quiet little piece of heaven, and the garden became my father’s refuge. Dad grew all sorts of things—tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkins, rhubarb and raspberries. As for trees, he had pear, peach, apricot, plum and three kinds of apple. He wasn’t…

They aren’t the prettiest farm implements you’ll ever see, that’s for sure. Minuscule (certainly when compared to behemoths like the popular John Deere 9620RX), this new breed of tractors is inspired by the iconic Allis-Chalmers Model G, and they more closely resemble souped-up dune buggies than equipment meant to revolutionize small-scale farming. But micro machines from brands like Oggún and Tilmor are no joke, no matter how “goofy looking”—as one grower calls his tractor—they are. For some small farmers, this new generation of old-school ag tools has proven incredibly helpful, enabling folks to affordably mechanize labor previously done by hand. Tilmor Tractors Anew kid on the block, Tilmor Tractors rolled out its take on the Model G in late 2019. The tractor features a mechanical transmission, which project leader and…

After 47 years of ministering at a congregation in Tyro, Kansas, my wife, Kathy, and I were ready to pursue other opportunities. As we completed our service, we asked the Lord to direct our path. A few years before, I had been given a McCormick 200 manure spreader to restore and add to my International Harvester collection. After a total rebuild, I began taking it to parades—but in a weak moment I sold it. I regretted the decision immediately and began to search for the much smaller 100, but I couldn’t get anyone to let go of theirs. I was visiting with some friends after church one night and the subject of my search came up. I reasoned that the 100 would be easier to haul than a 200, and…

Five years ago I was approached by a local animal shelter to see if I’d be interested in fostering a dog. Bullet had a lot of anxiety, and they had not been able to find him a home. I agreed, and three days later I was signing adoption papers. Bullet won my heart from the beginning. I learned he had a sweet tooth and could be very sneaky. He stole baked goods off the counter and got into all sorts of things he shouldn’t. It became clear that I would have to keep him close, which meant he would need to learn the ropes of the farm. The first time Bullet saw a cow, he stopped in his tracks and stared as if thinking, Wow... you’re a big dog. He…

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO EST. 1946 PRODUCT Beef cattle, grass hay, alfalfa FARM ORGS. 4-H, Farmers Union, Colorado Water Trust, CattleWomen and more Welcome to the Rocking C Bar Ranch near Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Heritage and tradition are family themes, starting with my parents, Raymond and Alice Gray. They built this ranch—working side by side, day after day, to pay the bills. I was born and raised here. In 1972, I brought home John “Doc” Daughenbaugh, a Marine veteran who was willing to work with my parents to learn about, improve and sustain the ranch. We married, and Doc and I joined the ranching operation in 1973. From the beginning we worked as a unit with my parents. My mother passed away in 1974, leaving a void for all of us.…

PICTURES WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS AMANDA VOLSEN WELLS, MINNESOTA Some years ago, while I was dating the man who would become my husband, I took note of his relationship with his grandparents, Marvin and Verla Courrier. Eric was 25; they were approaching 80. And he made plenty of room in his life for them. The more I got to know him and his family, the more I understood. You see, my husband is a sixth-generation farmer. We’re raising four young children, and we hope that someday one or more of them will step in as the next generation. It’s a blessing to have married into this farming heritage, knowing that generations of my husband’s family have been stewards of this land. I understand that my husband is able to farm…

The pond on our southern Ohio farm was the perfect place to swim. But there was one problem: Mom and Dad didn’t let us do so unsupervised. Dad was one of our qualified lifeguards, but he worked six days a week, so we could swim under his watchful eye only on Sunday afternoons. We needed an alternative that did not require adult oversight. Thus began the Great Swimmin’ Hole Search of 1971. My brother Jerry and I had heard of a stream that ran through a concrete culvert and into a small natural pool, so we hopped on our Huffys and set off to find it. Pedaling side by side down the road, we took note of some cows grazing in the pasture on our left. It was a beautiful…