Innholdsfortegnelse for December/January 2023 i Farm and Ranch Living

My husband, Scott, and I went to see a couple of bulls that a farmer had for sale. The farmer was retiring and planning to turn his farm over to the younger generation. As the three of us walked through the barnyard, past the deteriorating buildings and out to the field where the bulls were kept, the old farmer explained what each building had been used for in its prime and told stories about when he was a young man raising pigs and cattle. We stood in the field looking at the bulls for sale and listening to him describe each one’s characteristics, and I noticed the man’s hands were arthritic from years of hard work. Scott asked the farmer if his cows had ever had any trouble delivering these…

Out in farm country, a different way of life unfolds. Freshwater streams trickle down hillsides; ponds dot the landscape. Along the water’s edges, wildflowers grow abundantly. Their hardy seeds will withstand winter’s chill to bloom again next spring. The faint purr of a tractor is heard before the machine comes into view. Cattle, horses, sheep and goats graze, and chickens and ducks examine and peck at the ground for a snack. Fences trail along hillsides. Barns stand out like beacons. Somewhere on that rich stretch of land, farmers are preparing the fields for planting. Their harvests will sustain their families and may be sold at a local market or shipped across the country, providing nourishment for many throughout the coming year. THE FARMER PAUSES and removes his hat. He takes…

TRACTOR TALK In 1990, I was 8 years old and obsessed with tractors. So it was like Christmas when Dad said we were going to find one that I could call my own. He thought a Massey-Ferguson 35 would be nice, but after attending some auctions, he realized this model was out of our price range. We decided on a Massey-Harris 22. The 22 was smaller and would be easier for me to handle—plus the prices were reasonable and my mom’s dad, Grandpa Harbaugh, had owned one in his younger days. We settled on a 1950 model. The motor was stuck, but it had good sheet metal and a solid frame. Earlier that year my Grandpa Baumgartner had passed away. Looking back, I think my dad needed this project to…

KANEOHE, HAWAII JOB TITLELivestockmanager LAND4,000 acres EST.1850 My name is Genevieve Hao and I’m the livestock manager at Kualoa Ranch on O‘ahu, Hawaii. I was not raised in ranching—but I’m mule-headed and I was determined to work with animals. I started here in 2003 as a horseback tour guide. Over the years I gained enough experience so that in 2019 I began managing cattle, which involves moving them to new pasture when needed, providing vaccinations and wormers, branding, weaning, land maintenance (seeding and weed control), and maintaining crucial infrastructure such as fencing and water supply. Working with me are two full-time ranch hands, a part-time hand and some weekend cowboys. Livestock is one cog in the huge machine that is our ranch. As a popular tourist destination, we host thousands…

From its perch atop one of the many rolling hills of southern Indiana, an old farmhouse overlooks the interstate. My eyes have been peeled ever since we passed the Oakland City sign. I haven’t been to the house in years, but it is clear in my mind. Trees give way to fields. I think we must be getting close, and then I begin to fear we’ve missed it. But, no. There it is. Humble, long-abandoned, this farmhouse wouldn’t draw a second look from most travelers, but my eyes are welling with tears. Long before the highway cut through here, a hardworking farm family made this simple dwelling their home. As I step out of the truck and look up from the base of the hill, I imagine my granddad, Bud,…

Some kids are into sports, video games, the arts or hanging out with friends. My son’s interests have always involved wheels. Whether steering our car while sitting on Daddy’s lap, operating pedal tractors or riding a bicycle, Duelley’s most common question is, “When will I be able to drive a (fill in the blank)?” For a long time, he had his eyes on a lawn tractor in the back of our barn. It was just his size. He loved hopping onto the dusty seat and zooming off on imaginary drives, turning the wheel as far as it would go while the tires remained stationary. I will never forget the smile on his face when he sat in that seat, steering for real, as his dad pulled the machine out of…

HUMOR As kids, we always tried to get our parents to buy the biggest possible Christmas tree. We wanted one that reached the ceiling—even better if it was also very, very fat. One winter, we drove to a farm to buy our tree. There, we found a huge Scotch pine, which we all agreed fit the bill nicely. Eight of us children were still living at home that year, and we shared the three bedrooms while our folks slept on a pull-out sofa in the living room. When we got the tree home, it filled the living room, and forest smells drifted through the house. After much trimming of branches and rearranging of furniture, we managed to situate the pine in a corner of the living room. With all the…

BAKER, NEVADA EST. 1950s SERVICESCattle, feed,horse training LAND 30,000 acres My name is Hannah Baker. My husband, Clay Baker, and I are part of the fourth generation of Bakers to live and work on his family’s ranch in remote Baker, Nevada. The family ranch started in the 1950s with Fred Baker, who herded sheep on foot from here to Delta, Utah (95 miles), to save up enough to buy the ranch. In the ’50s the ranch was known as Fred Baker and Sons (and those sons were named Dean and Carl). Dean Baker’s sons—Dave, Tom and Craig—now own what is known as Baker Ranches Inc. Dave is Clay’s dad. He runs the cattle operation. Tom runs farming; Craig manages the ranch’s cement plant and on-site mechanics. (Craig’s wife, Gretchen, works…

LOOK NORTH The sky over this retired barn in Saskatchewan, Canada, was clear enough to reveal the aurora borealis and countless stars, besides. WORLD KEEPS SPINNING This image represents a composite of 80 individual photographs taken over a two-hour period at my family’s farm in Lafayette County, Wisconsin. The star trails were created by the rotation of the earth, with the North Star at the center. DAVE AUSTIN PHOTOGRAPHY OUT OF THIS WORLD The bright band of the Milky Way lent an ethereal glow to the fresh-fallen snow on this beautiful wooden barn in Ontario, Canada. Alone in the night on a dark hill, with pines around me, spicy and still, and a heaven full of stars over my head ... I am honored to be witness of so much…

A DOG’S LIFE Meet Marty McFurr—a charismatic gentle giant who found his way to our farm one fall day nearly eight years ago. He was a dirty, lice-eaten, skinny, frightened little boy that weighed 7 pounds and could take only two steps before falling down. He was so starved he wouldn’t eat. Our veterinarian thought Marty could probably survive with the right care. We started by giving him a thorough cleaning, antibiotics and five very small meals each day to treat the starvation. We gave him loads of love, too, and he has grown into 126 pounds of amazing Great Pyrenees. Marty loves guarding our property from hawks, buzzards, chipmunks, squirrels, deer, rabbits, cars and anything else that might enter. Potential intruders aside, he gets along with everyone, including our…