Category Archives: Farm Life 101

On farms gates are pretty important things.  You know, since it keeps the animals where you want them. A few weeks ago, my mother-in-law, in her desire to be helpful, went out in the snow and fed all the animals … Continue reading →

To me “a buffalo fence” is a very funny farm term.  The first time I heard it, I thought it meant building an extraordinarily strong fence to contain the cows.  My father-in-law chuckled.  He seems to do that a lot … Continue reading →

Farms are full of hazards that could maim or kill you.  Don’t play on or around haystacks, they can tip over without notice.  Stay clear of resting farm equipment, they have sharp features that can impale you.  The animals are … Continue reading →

After only a few short months of marriage, I went on a trip with my husband (rancher’s son) and his family to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  A consummate workout-a-holic, with no children yet, I was in the best physical shape of … Continue reading →

With vice grips for hands and sheer strength of will, I’ve seen my husband and his family subdue many wiggly farm critters.  One might think they are a cruel bunch—especially while watching them forcibly squash a calf into the ground.  Nothing … Continue reading →

Across the street where I grew up was a softball field complex.  One of my father’s many side jobs was to care for these fields.  This of course translated into our entire family spending many hours working on these fields … Continue reading →

Every day I spend on the farm, I’m amazed at how versatile my Father-in-law must be.  More than a farmer, he’s the mechanic when a tractor or one of the many machines he uses for agricultural development breaks down.  He’s … Continue reading →

Far from urban civilization, I walk the main gravel lane on the farm, by the light of endless stars in the sky.  The rumbling tractors, the crying peacocks, the giggling children, all have finally stopped for the night.  With the … Continue reading →

From tiny nubs to great big honkers, these features can hang down, curve up, or even stick straight out, but if you’re “polled” beef you don’t have any.  And I don’t mean the shredded kind—though yummy—that’s “pulled” beef.  What in … Continue reading →

Heifer, calf, yearling, ox and more.  Cows, just like people, have specific names for their place in society.  Why you ask?  Heaven’s I don’t know, maybe the cute young heifers, just like teenagers, don’t like being lumped in with the … Continue reading →