Innholdsfortegnelse for October/November 2021 i Farm and Ranch Living

It happens every year. The breeze gets cooler; the air grows crisp. I busy myself harvesting the last of the greens and planting onions and garlic. I take longer walks. And I like to do at least one good drive to look at the changing leaves and to admire forests and farms in the gorgeous light of autumn. Among the most joyful surprises on these drives are the barn quilts—large pieces of plywood hand-painted to resemble quilt blocks and then affixed to barns so that they’re visible from the road. I’m not altogether sure when the practice began, but barn quilts are so ubiquitous in some parts of the country, it feels like they’ve always been around—and you’ll find some nice examples starting on page 50. In this issue we’re…

The word “ingenious” comes from the Latin ingenium, which means mind or intellect. It has also come to mean inventive, clever and original. All of these describe my brother to a T. Throughout the years, Pete has shown a knack for reinventing the things most of us consider junk. For more than two decades, on the third Saturday in October, Pete and his wife of 56 years, Gail, have hosted a chicken stew. Family and friends gather to help prepare for the event, which draws some 300 people. First, Gail buys about 50 large packs of bone-in chicken breasts. These are cooked early on the morning of the stew. After the skin and bones are removed, the meat is chopped into chunks. Finally Gail does her magic with flour, milk…

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to my house, of course! As an 11-year-old, I realize I’m barely out of the hatchling stage, but boy, I can tell you a lot about chickens. They’re kind of my thing! I joined the local 4-H livestock club when I was 8, and my first project was the Chick Chain, which teaches kids how to raise chicks into hens. After a few meetings, I picked up my new chicks. I soon knew this activity was something I would stick with. My chicks quickly grew out of the brooder box, and now they’ve claimed half of our property. As for me, I have fallen in love with raising chickens and everything that comes along with it! This project is tons of…

Volunteer Field Editors provide many of the great ideas, stories and images you see in every issue. Visit farmandranchliving.com/ fieldeditors for more information or to apply. Natalie Bright Canyon, Texas Courtney Buser Stoughton, Wisconsin Rachel Ekberg Loma Rica, California Kerysa Ford Phoenix, Arizona Karen Giebel Republic, Washington Donald Lee Grob Norman, Oklahoma Bethany Heldman Morgantown, Indiana Rob Kennedy Maryville, Tennessee Amber Kersenbrock Colby, Kansas Callie Miller Geneseo, Illinois Carrie Miller Kinsman, Ohio Lisa Minnick Logansport, Indiana Jennifer Myers Gardners, Pennsylvania Barbara Schumacher Mountain View, Missouri Cheryl Stunkel Buckeystown, Maryland Lisa Trice Cambridge, Maryland…

Hey y’all! Welcome to Nottely Oak Farms in the Appalachian Mountains of north Georgia. My husband’s great-great-grandfather John Cobb established the farm in 1832 after buying a small parcel of land and then winning more acreage in the local government’s land lottery. The almost 700-acre farm stretches into North Carolina, with most of the acreage bordering the Nottely River. Once it was a dairy farm, but now my husband, Robert, and I raise feeder calves and row crops. The farm has been passed down through five generations, and we hope to pass this legacy on to our children. Robert and I do most of the farm work, but we include our daughter, Trinity, 9, and son, Tate, 5, in all we do. They’re not afraid to roll up their sleeves…

• My John Deere 8235R. The seat is broken-in just right and I can hide plenty of snacks in there for long workdays! • Any of the free pocket knives the co-op hands out. And my dad always carries box cutters. • Lincoln cordless grease gun. • ThermoWorks Thermapen. I cook and share recipes online, and I use this instant-read thermometer for everything. • I keep Chap-Stik in every vehicle console and purse. My favorite flavor is marshmallow. • If the socks are no good, it doesn’t matter what shoes you have on! I like Nike Dri-FIT. • KURU-brand Atom sneakers are the only shoes that feel good after a full day of work. And their Quest work boot is dandy for hard days. • For gardening, I love Sloggers boots. They have cute patterns and are easy…

In your April/May issue, Heather Quinn’s article (“Making the Connection”) provided a lot of insight, and I think the subject matter applies to people everywhere. In my experience, those who live in or near more densely populated areas tend to assume that everyone has access to the same technology they do, including the internet. Heather’s story helped clear the air, and I’d love to see it reprinted in a mainstream newspaper or general interest magazine. LYNN BOGDANOVICH MODESTO, CALIFORNIA…

1. TEA PARTY FOR TWO (OR THREE) Briley, 6, serves a spot of “tea” to Meghan, 4, who isn’t impressed with the bug she found in her cup. 2. PRIDE AND JOY John Tanner shows off his grandson, Tanner, and his barn quilt. He is very proud of both! He constructed and installed the quilt himself, and he lights it up at night so passersby can get a good view. 3. SUCH A TREAT Lucy is the youngest of our five children. She stood there talking to that horse about trick-or-treating for the longest time—it’s one of our favorite fall pictures. 4. GOURDS ’N’ GRANDKIDS My husband’s brother plants pumpkins at our farm every year, and he always needs help harvesting. Our crew usually consists of the adults and quite…

LIKE MANY FARMERS, we strive to reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible. On the second day of this diary I mentioned that Robert and I reuse old tires to hold down the tarp covering our silage pit. We also use chicken poop for fertilizer on our fields, use old silage tarps as weed control in the garden (they line the walkways), make a habit of composting, and save all 5-gallon buckets that hydraulic fluid and oil come in. We clean and use them for whatever we can. I also like to put shredded paper in our nesting boxes. I put the old paper around my flowers or in the garden. Not only does the paper around the flowers help retain water, but it also breaks down over time…

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