December has been CRAZY!

Wow, I can't believe its almost Christmas. This month has flown by. We have had a rough month. We have not had a bed time before midnight all month, and its not looking better till the new year comes. But we have gotten a lot done. Here are some pictures of what we have been up to.


Went to our Longhorn Associations winter meeting




Got alot of snow on the 10th. (most of it is gone now)



Not the best picture but, I got a new hat, that keeps me warm and makes me laugh.



Pounded posts for what seemed like 3 weeks




With the help of my dad and our farm helper, we pounded 33 of these 10ft tall posts





Put in enough feed bunk so ALL of our cows can eat at the same time




With more help from my dad and farm helper, we put up a winter wind block for the Longhorns and Heifers




The black thing on the left is our 12ft high wind block; on the right, 2 years worth of bed pack from our milk cows!




Got someone to haul out the bed pack (aka.. poop)




Every month we test our cows output and cell count. This is how we get the sample for those numbers.




Some of our Longhorns coming up to the barn for food and water.





This girl has grown alot of horn from when we got her!

 With all this extra stuff getting done, we are very tired but glad it all got done. Every year things seem to get a little better, but we are never ready for winter and frozen ground. We have been very lucky this year with the average temp in December being about 30 degrees and the ground not freezing. The regular chores have been averaging 4 hours a day to milk, 4 hours to run feed out of the silo we bought from another farmer, an hour to run that feed home and unload it, 2 hours a day to feed the cows, 15 min per bale to bed the cows (on average we have been doing 4 bails a day because the ground is soft), we have had some of our young stock get sick so we spend about 2 hours a day helping them, and we have young stock at another farmers place that we have to drive over to them to take care of, that takes about another hour. Wow, even just reading this makes me tired.

I didn't take pictures, but I also went up into the silo to help Noel chisel away frozen feed from the inside wall. That was a lot of work and realized that I love buying feed from a bag better. I can't believe that that is how ALL farmers stored their feed back in the day. Now farmers have seemed to get away from silos and put their feed in bags or in a concrete bunker, although some still use silos.

Even with all this I still found time to join the church choir and have been going to practices once a week. I also have been still working 40 hours a week at the group home. I can't wait till my next weekend off. I think we will be finding someone to milk the cows and we will be sleeping.

Now you may be asking, "Why would someone want to put themselves through that?" The awnser is simple and the main one for why we started farming...money. There is alot of money that flows though dairy farms and there is a lot of potential to make more. The big farms, that have been handed down through generations of family, will think nothing of spending $100,000 on one piece of machinery, and pay cash for it. They make enough to pull that kind of money out of their milk checks! They have a lot of costs too though. I am always amazed at the money that flows though our 52 milking farm. We spend more to feed our cows then we do to feed us. In 2012 we will finally be making money. In fact, we will be making more in one month on the farm then I will in an entire year at the group home! This is the main reason why we do what we do. Yes it is a lot of work, but no one ever got anywhere if they didn't work for it.

It has become about more than just money though. We both love taking care of things. We, most of the time, love working together. I have grown so much as a person and have learned to do things I never thought I would. I have seen and done things I never thought I would. We have actually been fortunate enough in 2011 to find some great helpers and been able to travel away from the farm without having to worry too much. We also have made enough money to allow us to pay for traveling. Most of our "vacations" have been going to Longhorn events, but we love doing that and mingling with those people. We have gone to Indiana, Virgina, Texas, and Oregon all in one year. There are many other reasons but this post is already pretty long.

With it being this close to Christmas I would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas. I hope you are able to spend it with the people you care about the most and take a little time to remember the true reason for the season. Not the stress of a big meal, what to get everyone on your list, lights and other decorations being up or not, or cards getting out in time. It is about Jesus being born to save us. Let that resonate in your heart. Let it really sink in. Then you will know that we all really are truly blessed. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Perspective

Life seems to be all about our perspective on things. One of my clients at the group home was being particularly rambunctious today. I thought maybe he wanted to get out of the house. So we went to the grocery store. They have tables set up there and we just sat and watched the people. Turns out that was just what he wanted. He was so good. Till we got home, of course. Then he was right back at it. I would have sat there all day except my coworker needed me to help with the other clients in the home.

While I was at the grocery store, I saw a mom with her child. They caught my attention because she was quietly scolding him for wandering off. He kept saying he was sorry and explaining to his mom why he had wandered. I'm guessing she thought that it was going to be a quick trip to the store. In and out, just for a few things. But her son kept wandering away. I could tell she was frustrated. I wanted to go up to her and tell her that I thought she was doing a great job, even though she was frustrated at that moment. (She didn't come close enough to us, so I didn't say anything) I felt for her because the boy had Downs syndrome. I'm sure that he was always this way and she was trying to teach him how scary it is when she doesn't know were he is. Like any other parent. But he was different and special. He just couldn't help himself. I'm sure she knows that too. I just wanted to give her a hug. She really was doing a great job.

Every time I'm out with one of my clients I get looks. From children, mainly out of curiosity, because the look different. From adults who understand, they always try to help or make comments about what a great job I am doing. From adults who don't understand, they seem annoyed that the client is out in public. I just go on doing what I am doing.

I got home from the store and looked at the clients like I haven't looked at them in awhile. Like they are human and have feelings too. I know this, but get lost in the moments of frustration like I had in the morning. I am always tring to be a better person and I think my goal, no matter how frustrated I am, will be to make people around me smile more. Everyone deserves to smile and it make me feel good knowing that I was the one that put it on their face. Great things happen all around us, everyday. We just have to pay attention. Change our perspective on EVERYTHING that we feel bad about. Have no money.. realize that we have more than most. Have a aching body... realize that Christ died on the cross, a very painful way to die. Have to stay up and work long days... realize that they are for a limited time and won't last forever. Feeling alone...we all have at least one person that cares and that's enough.

Do I like farming?

I'm not sure why, but I was asked this question the other day and it threw me for a loop. Do I like farming? I guess I have never really thought about it. I think this person asked because it seems like that is all I talk about. So I did think about it, and I thought I should make a list...

Things I like...Babies. I love them. Working with Noel. Challenging myself. Figuring out how animals work. Finding out that THEY ALL have personalities. Strange, I never thought a cow could have one. I knew my cat growing up did, and all the dogs I have had did, but a cow. I ever would have guessed. The farming community (has so many good people with our same values). Seeing a sick animal get better because we helped it. Working with my husband toward a common, long term goal. I think we have grown closer because of it.

Things I don't like... Late nights. Physical labor. Sore body. Helping cows give birth is gross. Dust in my face. Hay down my shirt. Weather is too hot. Weather is too cold. Not enough time in the day to cook or clean.Working with Noel (it can be hard to like each other all the time). Dealing with the circle of life. Picking apart bails to bed the cows in the winter. Walking 5 (seems like 500) miles a day in the summer while running lines for a new piece a grass for the cows. The fact that my life revolves around cows. Not seeing the people I care about the most as often as I would like.

Things I haven't decided on... Milking (I'm good at it but don't REALLY like it). Just this last weekend I found out I was good at pounding posts but I don't really like that either. Training calves to drink from a bucket makes life easier in a group but goes against their natural instinct to suck.

Humm... This was all I could think of right now. This doesn't seem to have helped. As someone else said, it's a "mixed blessing". Good in some ways, bad in others. For now, it's just what I do. We are too far in to turn back and give up so we keep moving forward. Keep making plans for the future. Keep praying that we make enough to pay bills and put food on the table. Keep trying our hardest. Keep trying to be nice to each other, even when things are not going well. I know things will not be so hard someday because they are not as hard as they were when we started. I take pride in what I do on the farm and love it when it all works out the way I want it too. Farming is something that gives you a chance to improve on everything in your life. And you can see your progress or failures. If your are taking good care of your cows they milk more. If you can start it from nothing and keep it going you know it must be right. If you still like your spouse at the end of they day then you must be in it for the long haul. This, like everything in life, is a test. If we can make it out to the other side during these hard YEARS then we can make it out of anything. Yea, I guess, I like farming.

Who needs sleep?

Who needs sleep? We do. On Saturday we got up at 5:00am and went to bed at 1am Sunday morning. Even though we didn't get a lot of sleep I can hardly complain. We got a lot done. Of course it is my weekend off from the group home. And we have our helper.

We pounded in some posts and got some more things ready for winter. We started putting our cows on the bed pack. We did take some time to go to our Longhorn Association's winter meeting. The GNTLA are a great group of people that all love the longhorn breed. I was secretary and was up for re-election. I am now in charge of the web site and another member took over the job of secretary. We'll see how this goes. I have never designed a web site before but I think I can do a good job. If anyone out there has any advice, please share.

This weekend I have stood in awe of my husband and our helper. Our helper is 15 years old and never complains about anything. He was such a trooper on Saturday. It was snowing, things were not going well with the pounder (Noel smashed his hand), and he was soaking wet and hungry. We would never had even known if we wouldn't have asked. Wow, even I had a hard time not complaining about my frozen toes! I told him how I was not looking forward to using our elevator for feed because they get frozen. Then chains break and we don't like it when things break. He said, "Well look at the bright side, at least you don't have to use the pitch fork to unload all the feed." Aaggh, I know he is right. Makes me think I complain to much. I have to work on that.

Then, even after our late night on Saturday, Noel got up on his own and headed out to the barn without us on Sunday morning! Any one who knows us, knows that I am usually the one out of bed first and I have to help Noel get out. I heard him get up and go outside but I heard him restart the drier. My barn clothes that were washed were still a little wet yet, I had thought. I waited till I heard the clothes drier go off and got up for the day. When I got out to the barn I asked Noel if the clothes were indeed wet. he said "no I just thought I would warm them up for you." Aaww, it's the little things that make my heart melt.

With all the snow, I woke up on Sunday and took some pictures. Feeling very grateful, and in awe this morning on my way to church, I took A LOT of pictures. Then we got home from church and took a nap, watched to Packers play,and win, went over to my parents for supper, then I went to choir practise for our church's Christmas eve mass. When I got home from practice Noel was still milking, and our helper had left. I knew we were in for another long night. I was right. 1am bed time again.

Who needs sleep? It is times like this were it is hard to stay positive. Sunday night we didn't even do anything extra, like pound posts. This not getting enough sleep is starting to wear on us both. I can tell we are both moving slower and are a little crabby.

 We have a lot to do today. I think the only thing keeping us going now is the fact that our cows are going up in milk, which means a bigger pay check for us! All this work will pay off.

As I sit here and write this post I got and email from our adoption social worker. She was supposed to be sending us dates that would work for her to come out and do her second visit. Turns out, her supervisor said she didn't have to come out and we could just send her pictures!!!!!! Then our book will be started to be shown to Birth moms!!!!! I am so excited!!!! Finally moving forward again!!!

This is how our life is right now. Hard in some ways, but still good. We really do have so much to be grateful for and just have to keep that in mind when times are tough. FYI Noel's hand is sore but doing OK. I don't think the Dr. would do anything for it anyway, so no trip into the ER.
Here are some pictures from the weekend...


The GNTLA winter meeting and fundraiser



Put up this wall in our feed area so Noel can push the feed against it and not have it push off the concrete.



Our post pounding efforts. 12 in on Saturday night!




Trying to pound the first post on Saturday.




Buddy watches the cows while we bed them with hay.



Everyday on the farm

Every day we have to scrape the lane where the cows eat. Every day we have to feed our Longhorns. Today we also put in some more feed bunk. Now our cows all have enough space to eat. This should help us increase our milk production. Cows need lots of food, water, and time to rest. That is how they make milk. Here are some pictures. Sorry, it gets dark pretty early now so all of these were taken in the dark.

Today, we have a helper. We met him by chance and has turned out to be a big help. A friend was going to round up some of her friends to help us cut wood one day. She called a woman and her son to come and help. We had never met him before but we learned that he had worked on his uncles farm and would like to help on ours when he is not in school. It is so nice when he comes over. He spends the night and works when we work. I think Noel likes having someone around to help. He actually has to rest the day before and after because he knows that he will be working hard while our helper is here.

Every day we also have to deal with the circle of life. Sometimes its good. Sometimes its not. Noel doesn't seem to be effected either way. That's just the way it is for him. For me, I have a hard time with death. I have gotten better. I don't cry every time it happens. But today is especially hard for me. 6 months ago I had to make the hardest decision of my life so far. I decided to have Polar put down. It was hot 6 months ago and the vet figures that he had a heat stroke. He was old and seemed to be in pain for awhile before this day, so I knew it was coming. It was so hard. I had Polar for almost 13 years. I got him when he was 3 months old from the humane society. He was one of my best friends. We had been through a lot together. I miss him so much. RIP Polar. We miss you.

My "Day Off" from the group home

I had off from the group home today! Yea! Problem is that I don't really get a day off. Here is a run down of my day today.

First, the day started with milking. The thing that was different was today was testing day. Once a month we have a woman come out to our farm. She milks with us and collects samples. She takes them back to a lab were they test the white blood cells and other things. This also tells us how much each cow is giving for milk.

Next, while we were still milking, the plumber showed up to fix our waterer for the cows. He got everything working properly again!

Then we had this guy show up. He finished off our cow lane. Now the cows should come into the barn cleaner! And he cleared of our bed pack so we have a fresh start for the winter! Another yea :)

Then, our last two calfs of the year got shipped off to market. Its bitter sweet. On one hand, it's sad to see them go because I like watching them grow. On the other hand, now I don't have to feed any till sometime at the end of February. That will be a nice break.

Finally we get to eat...and take a 15 min. nap.

After we woke up, we drove about 45 min. to the woods where Noel goes hunting. An FYI, he didn't get anything this year :( We spent about 2 hours out there, taking down 5 hunting stands. Noels dad came with. We went back to his dad's house and helped him throw some wood down into his basement.

We got a pizza to go and ate it on the drive back to our house. We got back, unloaded the chopper box full of feed, got our feed mix going in the mixer, and fed the cows. We got cows milking by 7pm. Not too bad for all the stuff we did. We were almost done and Noel left me to finish up while he mixed another load of feed. He fed that out and I cleaned up the barn. We got in the house a little after 9pm! Wow, that has to be some kind of record for us. What a productive day. It felt really good to go out to the hunting land, get the cow lane done, and the bed pack cleared away. I wish every day could be like this.

This is how a typical "day off" is for me. And some people wonder why my house is not always clean, I have dirty dishes in my sink, and my yard doesn't look like it belongs in a post card. Tomorrow I head back to work at the group home.

This week

We have big plans for this week, before the frost sets in too deep. Stay tuned for all the details!

A Rough Night

Last night was one of those nights that was not fun. We had all intentions of pounding posts to fix our wind block for the cows. Noel spent all morning getting the pounder hooked up to the tractor. When I got home we loaded up some posts on the front of the tractor and headed out to the field. All was going fine, but then...the pounder fell off the tractor! We spent two hours messing with that. We only got one post partially in. I twisted my ankle while getting out of the tractor. The cows got milked late. And now we have to deal with the post pounder.
Even with all of that happening, I was still in an ok mood. I have been thinking about our adoption and having a fund raiser for it. I posted my thoughts on facebook and got a good response from people. Now I just need to decide which one and when. All has not been lost, and I look forward to the future!

Every cloud has a silver lining, just like the background picture of this blog, that I took one day after a rain storm!

52 and 11-0

These two calves, that were born on Sunday, are why I am tthankful for the number 52. We are now milking 52 cows! These two babies came out of the last two heifers that we were expecting to calf before the end of the year. We try to have all of our calves in the spring, so they are big and strong before going into the harsh Wisconsin winter. These two will actually not stay on our farm. They will be going to market where someone else with a calf barn will buy them and raise them for the winter. It has been so exciting to see the calves, that we have raised from babies, have their own babies. We are starting to grow our herd from within it's self!

11-0 is the other number I am thankful for. The Packers, my favorite team, won today! This is their wins vs losses for the season!

On Thanksgiving I would also like to say that I am thankful for my husband, friends, my family and co-workers (that all can drive me crazy at times, but teach me so much). The fact that I am working, and able to work. All of my animals that make me smile. All of the ffamily and friends that have gone before me to meet our Lord. I'm thankful for all of the good food that he has provided for me. Oh yea, and to the first person to follow and comment on my blog! All of these things make me who I am and I wouldn't change a thing. Thank you

Buddy

This Buddy. He is our Australian Shepherd. He is our herding dog. It's all he has ever really been interested in. With all of this time off lately Buddy has not had a chance to case (herd) the cows. Tonight was the first time. He was so excited. The second picture is him running back to me after I had to yell at him for making the cows run to fast. Buddy loves to run. Every time I let him out to go to the bathroom he looked at me as if to say "Mom, are we going to chase cows? When are we going to chase cows? Not now. Ok. How about now?" Poor Buddy, I think he is glad to be getting back to normal. To tell the truth, so am I.

The Past

I have heard stories of farmers past. How they milked each cow by hand, carried the milk buckets and poured them into a bigger bucket, how they raised animals for the meat and used every part of that animal, and all the work it took just to be a farmer.

Some people say that farmers now have it made. They have pipe that carries the milk to the bulk tank. They take animals in some where to get butchered, and they have REALLY big tractors to do the field work. I would have to agree that farming has changed, A LOT. But still is the same in some ways.

For Noel and I, we still seem to work hard. We still worry about the weather. We are always watching the milk and grain prices. We still milk our cows every 12 hours. We still feed calves. We have one tractor and lots of pitch forks. We do a lot of manual labor, compared to the bigger farms around us.

Our dream is to get bigger and bring me home, out of the group home. If all goes well, I will be home by 2013. For now, we talk to people and find out how to improve, we share stories, and keep praying.

Today I am thankful for...

Noel, my husband of 8+ years. I knew this day would come. I woke up this morning, to my alarm clock (boo), and realized that I had to let the dog out and load the wood furnace before going to work at the group home. Because Noel doesn't have to leave the yard, this is usually his job. It wasn't sooo bad, it just took time out of my usual me time in the morning. Noel tells me all the time that I am like a florescent light bulb in the cold. Sometimes I flicker a little until I warm up. Now this does not mean I was cold, it just takes awhile for my brain to warm up in the morning.

On my way home this afternoon it also hit me that this is my last night off. Tomorrow is when Noel will be returning from hunting and we only have our helpers in the morning. This means full steam ahead tomorrow night. My vacation is over. Life will return to it's normal amount of crazy. Wish me luck.

I can't seem to say it enough... I have loved this little vacation from the farm and the group home. I also can't wait to see Noel again (after he showers of course). :)

Time off during hunting season

I am so grateful for this time off. I have gotten to hang out with some girl friends, clean my house (in preparation for the social worker coming over soon), watch movies I want to watch, and just relax. Noel came home for a shower on SSunday. It was nice to see him. They said that they haven't seen any deer but they did see 4 bear!!! I'm guessing that's why they haven't seen any deer.

On a side note, it has been really strange. Being at home, seeing the help come and go, and knowing that the cows are getting milked while I am inside. I almost feel guilty. I do find it interesting that it takes 3-4 people to do the same work that just Noel and I do. Yes it would be nice to have another person to help Noel while I am working at the group home but, our farm is not cash flowing that well yet. Hopefully within the year it will be though. I guess for now, I will put aside my guilt and watch a movie with one of my best friends. I can't wait. I am truly blessed to have this time off.

Kindness

As a farmer, I pray a lot to our God. Today I was so inspired at church that I almost got tears in my eyes.

This was taken from our book and pretty much sums up the entire mass:

[Sometimes we loose our way and become stressed, injured, or afraid. However we can release all our worries because we have a mighty shepherd. Our Lord assures this in the first reading (Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17), "The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal." Do you want God to seek, find, and heal you today? If so, proclaim the words of today's psalm (Psalm 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6): "The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want." When I allow God to guide me, I will find green pastures and safe waters, and "only the goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life." In the second reading (Corinthians 15:20-26, 28), Paul assures us that our Good Shepherd guides us fearlessly, even through death: "In Christ shall all be brought to life." In the Gospel, Jesus calls himself a shepherd, promising to save everyone who helped him when he was hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, ill, or in prison. he explains, "Whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me." So we are all shepherds of each other.
Because the Good Shepherd seeks, finds, and heals you, how can you in turn help another person today?]

Wow, this makes me think. We all need to be kind to one another and help each other whenever possible!
We have been blessed with so many great and helping people. Father also added that it is easy to go to a shelter and feed the poor. The hard part is loving, caring and helping those who annoy, anger, or frustrate you. It is in that moment when we need to show more kindness. I also, besides being a farmer, work at a group home for mentally challenged adults. This makes me feel better about what I do, but also makes me realize that I need to do better, and be kinder to the other people in my life. My co-workers, my husband, my parents and family, and to my friends. I don't always have as much time to show them kindness by helping them with a project around the house or cooking a meal for them, but I do have the time to listen and be understanding when I am with them. Sometimes that may be more important anyway.

Hunting Season

Noel has been an avid gun deer season hunter for as long as I can remember. His Grandpa owns some land about 45 min. away from us. He loves going out there. It is so peaceful. It has no electricity or running water, but you don't really mind it. When you are surrounded by so much peace and beauty it is hard to care about inconveniences.

Every year that we just had beef it was not a problem to go. Beef are easy to take care of. He made sure that they all had hay and I filled their water tanks. Our first year as dairy farmers he only did the bare necessities. He went out in between chores. The second year, he really wanted to go and stay over night there. We couldn't really afford to pay someone to milk the cows for us. That's when I decided, against my better judgment, to learn how to milk. Even now that is hard for me to say, because I really, really, really did not want to milk cows. They are big and can kick you. Not my idea of a good time. I had several farm girls tell that once I start it will forever be my job.

That first milking I was so nervous. It seemed to take me 2 times longer to milk then it took Noel. Well I started to get a rhythm, started to learn the cows, started to learn what a full vs empty utter felt like, and started to do it by myself. It was a hard pill to swallow. When things went wrong i got mad. I yelled. I have learned that the cows don't like it when you yell. It scares them. One of the hardest things, for me, to learn is how to stay calm when things aren't working out. I have gotten better but I am still working on it. Now my main job, one year later, is milking the cows. I can't say I didn't see that coming.

This year is the 3rd year we have been milking cows during hunting season. I have been milking for just over a year! Crazy to think of the things in my life that I never thought I would do. Turns out I'm good at it too. The cows have white blood cells, like us, and when they are fighting of sickness their white blood cells increase. this is called their somatic cell count, and we get paid more if it is low. This means we have healthy cows. The cell count is the lowest its been sence I took over milking! I am very proud of myself for being able to do this.

In this 3rd year, we have worked really hard to get the farm breaking even and cash flowing. This year we could afford to pay someone to milk for us! I am loving the time off. I hardly know what to do with myself and our dog, buddy, seems really confused too. he keeps looking at me like he wants to go out it the field to get the cows. When I don't go he just sits next to me, looking at me. cute really.

I have been able to go our with friends, sit for hours on the couch, and get some cleaning done too. What a blessing!

Children

As I mentioned in an earlier post, there has been a lot of beginnings for me. When we got married I knew that I wanted children but I wanted to wait about one year. After that we started trying to have kids. After 6 years of things not working as we planned, we decided to adopt. This is that journey.

We had really wanted to have our own children so we went through fertility treatments. After months of pills, one month of shots, a lot of tests, a lot of money for the shots, and only a 3% success rate...all of that failed. We still didn't have a child. The nurse to me, when it was all said and done, "next month we'll do something different." I said "Next month!? There will not be a next month! Not unless you make it cheaper or can increase the odds." And that was that. We knew we wanted children and that more treatments were not the way we were going to get the family we have always wanted. So we looked into adoption.

We had A LOT to think about. International or domestic, white or a different race, what agency, who can we trust to not just take our money and run, how do we find someone who is pregnant that wants to let us parent their child? So many questions. It was VERY overwhelming. We put it off and put it off. Just didn't know were to start.

We knew one couple that had adopted. We met with them one day at their home and asked them all kinds of questions. They said they had gone through Lutheran Social Services. That was it, we were going to go through them too. Turns out LSS had a office about 30 min. from our house.

We met with the social worker, went to a seminar, and decided that this was definitely who were going to deal with. They help with all kinds of adoptions. They said that if we wanted to adopt within the USA, we would have to put in our application and could go into the program to adopt a different race right away. If we wanted a Caucasian baby we would be entered into a lottery, where we might be picked. They turn all the applications for that program upside down and pick some. WE GOT PICKED! What a blessing! We were now in the running for a Caucasian baby!

We went though parenting classes. Those were hard. There was a lot of reading, a lot of homework, we had to drive to their office and sit there for 8 hours a day. Noel never liked school and had a hard time just sitting there. We trudged through. After the classes were done we both thought that all high school kids should go through them and carry one of those electronic babies around for a week. High schoolers would probably never have kids. The classes really make you think about how good of a parent you would be. Noel and I, even after 7 years of a pretty strong and loving marriage,were questioning if we would be good parents!
We had our home study done. this is were the social worker comes into your home and makes sure that it suitable for a child. We passed that but had to make some improvements, then she would be back.
That is were we sit. I will be talking to our social worker on Monday to set a date for her to come back.

Some of our Texas Longhorns

 We have fallen in love with this breed. They are so calm. All of these cattle are girls. We love everything about them. The meat is leaner than anything else you can buy. They can live off of any kind off feed. They seem to wait till we are gone to have their babies, and they never need help. I love the spring time when all the babies are arrriving. They are so fun to watch. Our herd is small, compaired to some, but we don't have them to make alot of money off of them. We do sell them to other people that are interested in breeding. We also sell quarters to people that like the meat. It has taken a few years but,we finally gota web site up and going. Check it out at http://www.apllonghorns.com/ or follow us on Facebook at American Pride Livestock.

The Beginning...

Well it seems like there have been so many beginnings for me. Noel and I got married when we were 23 and 24 years old. He trimmed horses and worked other jobs to help pay the bills. I was in school for business and was starting a new job at a group home for mentally handicapped adults. We thought we could breed, raise, and train horses for an income. We had no idea that everyone else in our area was doing the same thing. So, we thought we could raise beef. We bought some Angus calf's. we quickly learned that we didn't have enough land, and sold all of the beef. Noel has always liked the look of the Texas Longhorn. We got in contact with the Wisconsin Longhorn Association (GNTLA), and bought a few cows and one bull from one of the members. In the winters, horse trimming would slow way down and Noel would go and work for a local dairy farmer for $8/hour. One day he asked me what i thought about joining the crowd, and becoming a dairy farmer. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." After all we do live in the dairy state. He said, to the city girl that has never been on a farm, "it's going to be a lot of work." I simply said "OK". I had no idea what he was REALLY talking about.

We planned for about two years. Talking to all the government Ag people we could. FSA, USDA, UW extension and research, other farmers, and many other people. Neither one of us grew up on a farm. We had no one "giving" us a farm. We knew we wanted to get most of the cows feed from grass by rotationally grazing them. We needed LOTS of help. We went to other farms pasture walks, to learn how they did things.

Finally we started construction on the existing poll shed we had bought with the house. We poured concrete, we took apart 2 other barns milking systems to make our one, we bought a tractor and some cows. On November 3, 2008 we started milking our cows.

(I noticed that the date on the pictures has the wrong year. Opps)



Construction



Construction

 



Noel milking our first cow

                       

Our first milk going into the bulk tank