Missouri Farm Boy in the City

Today we have a bit of a different post.  Meet Colby of My Ag Life.  He is a farm kid living and working in the city.  He writes about his passion for agriculture and what he misses most about the rural life.

You Can Take the Boy Out of the Country: What My 5 Senses Miss Most

 

 

It’s often been said, “you can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy.” I am walking, talking, breathing, blogging proof that your roots always stick with you. I was told to go where the wing would blow, but it blows away.

I grew up in the northwest corner of Missouri, near a little town called Helena. The town itself has two hundred or less people. I had nine kids in my elementary school class and lived about two miles down a gravel road from the old school house. That sweet, simple, small town way of life has stuck with me to this day.

I went to college at the University of Missouri, and I thought that was plenty big enough. After graduating I landed a job in Saint Louis, working in agri-advertising for Dekalb, Asgrow, Channel, and other brands. Staying connected to rural folks and that way of life has become more and more difficult, which is why I started MyAgLife blog and reaching out to those who come from backgrounds like mine. I don’t want to be one who carries on about their self, so I am gonna to get to it.

 

 

I miss big skies, starry nights, coyotes yipping, frogs croaking and crickets chirping. I miss dropping a line, gravel roads and grain dust. I could go on forever, but I am going to keep this list in relation to the five senses.

Without any ado, here is what I am missing most about home and country living:

-           The smell of Grandma’s fresh vegetables, with the earthy aroma staining my hands. If I close my eyes I can still feel the grittiness of the cucumbers piled in my shirt, used as a basket. The rough, prickly feel of the vines and leaves, and the sun baked garden soil digging into my knees.

-           Mom’s flowerbeds, and the perfume that drifted in through open windows when the wind blew on summer afternoons. Vibrant oranges, purples, reds, pinks yellows and whites decorated the front porch and areas around the house.

-           Silage. For some reason, I love the smell of silage. Being at my dairying families’ houses and smelling the thick, damp, heavy, pungent scent of warm silage. Winter winds would swirl and bite at the fingers, but tarped over silage would steam up and warm the hands.

-           The smell of burning leaves in the fall that would cling to jeans and sweatshirts. A smoky aroma of its own, burning leaves in crisp fall air that nips at the skin and raises hairs when the wind blows.

-           The smell of line-dried laundry. A scent so refreshing that I would actually be excited to go to bed, dive nose first into the pillowcase and press my skin against the cool sheets.

-           The sight of a harvest moon coming up over the east pasture and fields. The only sounds coming from nature, and that bright, rustic orange ball climbing higher into the darkening sky

-           The gilded autumn afternoons during the reaping season. I loved watching grain dust drifting through an ember evening air during harvest.

-           Stars. In town, there are no stars. I miss the nights of gazing deep into clusters of star soaked emptiness, and feeling wonderfully small.

 

There are limitless things to list that can only be found in pastoral lifestyle. I could have listed the cordial nature and togetherness of close-knit communities, or family, or anything else (of course those are very important), but it is the subtleties and things often overlooked that really make a place unique and even more worthy of homesickness. It feel it is important to remember the details of home and a good way of life.

 

You can follow Colby on his blog My Ag Life.  And follow him on Facebook!

 

Tell us about your Ag Life!!! We need your story! E-mail Elizabeth and Jamie at [email protected]

 

Beckstead Family - Custom Harvesters & Ranch Operators

For our next feature, please welcome Tana Beckstead and her family as they share with us their unique agricultural story! 

Our agriculture story is made up of Beckstead Harvesting LLC, Mount Oxford Ranch and Oxford Mtn. Ranch LLC. We are Doug and Tana Beckstead and our three children are, Wiley age 17, Savannah age 14 and Hazen age 8. 

We live in southeast Idaho in a small town called Swan Lake (about 45 miles south of Pocatello, Idaho and 45 miles north of Logan, Utah) along Oxford Mountain.

As a family we operate and manage two separate farm and ranch operations owned by different corporations and businessmen. Mount Oxford Ranch in Downey and Preston, Idaho is a cow/calf operation with 350 Black Angus beef cows and calves as well as alfalfa and irrigated grain crops. Oxford Mountain Ranch, LLC in Swan Lake, Idaho is a cow/calf operation with 100 head of Black Angus cows and calves as well as the alfalfa, irrigated grain crops and dry land grain and safflower. Our oldest son Wiley pretty much runs the Swan Lake place by himself - he does all the pipe moving, field work and runs the cattle on his own - with a little help from Grandpa Beckstead occasionally in the summer. All together we farm close to 4500 acres.

In addition to operating the two ranches we also started our own custom harvesting business as a family. Two years ago we purchased a John Deere 9560 combine and we custom cut grain crops for farmers in the local area. Our little business is growing and last year we were able to buy a semi and a grain trailer to haul grain. We also own about 10 good ranch horses and the kids like to participate in local rodeos and jackpots in the summer time. Our older children, Wiley and Savannah both got youth loans through our local FSA office and purchased their own Angus cows and heifers and raise them along with the bigger herds. The kids plan on attending college with the money they make from selling the calves.

Doug and I (Tana) have been married for 18 years and have been involved in agriculture our entire lives. I was born and raised on a small dairy and beef cattle operation in Downey, Idaho and was active in 4-H and FFA while growing up. I was the Marsh Valley High School Chapter FFA president in 1994 and the District FFA President in 1995. Doug started working for a dry farm in the Preston, Idaho area when he was in his early teens and grew to love every aspect of farming. He worked the dry land hills and fields with old D-4 caterpillar machines and John Deere hill side combines. His blood runs green and nothing compares to John Deere when it comes to farm equipment! 

A typical day for our family is long and busy! Right now it is summer time so there is a LOT of pipe moving going on and we are just finishing up 1st crop hay. Wiley takes care of the pipe at the Swan Lake place and Doug, Tana and Savannah move the pipe at Mount Oxford Ranch. (Our little Hazen likes to play in the water and get the end plugs for us-pretty soon he’ll be big enough to lift the pipe!) We work together every day as a family. YES, we all have to work on the ranch! Whether we are calving cows or doctoring or branding calves or cutting or baling hay or disking or drilling a field, we all have important jobs to do! Doug hires a part-time hand to help out in the summer at Mount Oxford Ranch and also hires on temporary help from January to April for calving and branding season, but for the most part we do it all as a family.

My favorite part of working and living on a ranch is getting to raise my kids here. There is no better way in my opinion than growing up and working on a farm or ranch! Our kids have learned the value of a hard day’s work and they are responsible, knowledgeable kids for that very reason. We get up early and go to bed exhausted, but I know my kids aren’t out making trouble or doing drugs or worse. 

We do like to have fun too! Our favorite time of year on the ranch is branding season. We make a big day out of the brandings and I cook a big meal and we make a party out of it. We have great friends that love to help us brand and we never have to pay them to help.

When our youngest son Hazen started Kindergarten they had to give him a test to see what level he was at and the teacher asked him a series of questions and one of the questions was “What are the four seasons of the year?”. Hazen answered just as cool as could be, “Well there is calvin’ season, brandin’ season, farmin’ season and huntin’ season!” The teacher thought that was the cleverest thing she had ever heard. In his world these are the seasons on the ranch. Our local FSA agent heard the story and has a poster hanging in her office with the Four Seasons by Hazen Beckstead.

The one thing I wish people could understand about our particular ranching and farming story is that just because we work for a corporation doesn’t mean the money for the ranch is just flowing free at our disposal. Many times we hear people say “You have it so easy because the owners just buy everything you need or you don’t have the stress because you don’t have to worry about the bottom line.”. This is so not the case! If anything we worry more about making things work and being in the “black” at the end of the year. Doug and I have to put together a yearly budget and operating expense account and we have to pencil out how things will work and run smoothly. If we are short or don’t pay off these expenses we have to answer for it at the end of the year. We run these ranches just like we would our own if we had our own ranch.

Thanks for the great feature Tana! Agriculturalist come in all shapes and sizes - just like you! If you or someone you know should be featured on Faces of Agriculture please contact us today! 

Anne of Feedyard Foodie

Today we welcome Anne from Feedyard Foodie! Anne runs a cattle feed yard operation while her husband farms, and together they raise three daughters in Nebraska. Welcome Anne! 

My life changed the night of October 31, 1993. I was a city girl athlete and freshman at Dartmouth College. My girlfriends and I were bending college rules and attending a fraternity party on campus. Amidst games of ping pong, laughter, and loud music I looked across the room and my world jolted just a little bit. He smiled at me and his beautiful blue eyes drew me in.

Just six weeks earlier, my mom’s parting words as I boarded a plane for college were “Anne, stay away from those senior boys”. Somehow, during the ensuing weeks, those words were lost in the love that bloomed between the football player farm boy from Nebraska and the swimmer girl from South Florida. 

We married in June of 1996 and moved back to the farm in Nebraska a year later: Matt with his masters degree in Engineering and Business, and I with a BA in psychology. We passed on higher paying city jobs, choosing instead a rural lifestyle working in agriculture. Sixteen years later, we have added three daughters to the mix of cattle and crops, but we continue to make our lives in partnership with the land in Dawson County Nebraska.

The first thing that I learned when I moved to Nebraska was to buy a hooded sweatshirt to combat the wind, the second was how to “run” a scoop shovel at the cattle feed yard. A farmer and an engineer, Matt went to work on the crop side of the farm growing alfalfa, corn, wheat and soybeans; and dehydrating the majority of the alfalfa into animal feed called dehy pellets. Today, he farms approximately 5000 acres in the Platte River Valley and is a partner in a nationwide alfalfa distribution company, http://alfagreensupreme.com. 

 
Matt had no interest in the family’s cattle feed yard, and I had always loved animals so I asked my father-in-law if I could go to work at the feed yard. When he finished laughing in surprise at my request, he gave me an hourly wage job and I put on my blue jeans and went to work. 

· I learned to read bunks and run the feed truck.
· I learned to ride pens and check cattle health.
· I learned to administer animal health products and be a member of the processing team.
· I learned the book work and the business side of running a feed yard. 

Most importantly, I learned that working with your hands to care for animals was incredibly rewarding. In the years that followed, I added cattle buyer to the mix and today I procure 90% of the cattle that are fed at Will Feed, Inc. In the early 2000’s, I became involved in U.S. Premium Beef’s Age and Source Verified pilot PVP program and began tracing cattle from the ranch all of the way to the packing plant.

In my years spent as cattle buyer, I have met some of the finest people that I have ever known. I established relationships with ranchers who were interested in tracing their cattle and tracking performance. As a result, I transitioned the feed yard philosophy to a concept of vertical collaboration: channeling performance and management information on cattle up and down the production chain. 

A psychologist at heart, I strive each day to gain a better understanding of both the cattle that I raise and the people who benefit from them. I have instilled a philosophy of low stress cattle handling and Beef Quality Assurance at the yard, turning the focus to high quality holistic animal care. In the spring of 2011 I looked outside of my farm and launched a consumer focused blog http://feedyardfoodie.com in order to make my cattle feed yard transparent to all of those great folks who eat beef!

Last year, Feed Yard Foodie reached more than 70,000 people as I answered questions about beef production and talked about our family and our farm. Blogging has not only allowed curious visitors to view life in a feed yard, but it has also made me a better cattle feed yard manager. The virtual perspective of my readers constantly pushes me to offer better care to my animals and raise awareness of food quality and safety. 

I do not know what the next sixteen years has in store for Matt and I and our daughters, but I can attest to the fact that the previous sixteen years has made me a true Nebraskan at heart as well as a passionate advocate for agriculture. I often find myself thinking of this mantra from Winston Churchill: Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts…

Thanks to Anne for giving us the honor to share her story on the Faces of Agriculture blog today! If you have any questions about beef or how your food is raised we encourage you to contact Anne! You can also learn more by visiting her blog, Facebook page, and twitter! 

If you or someone you know is involved in agriculture and would like to share your story, please contact us today! You could be the next Face of Agriculture! 

Standing Oaks Enterprise - Family & Agriculture

Today we welcome Sam Wildman as he tells us about his family farm - Standing Oak Enterprises - and how his family works together and advocates for agriculture and swine production. 

Standing Oaks Enterprises is the name of our family farm. The name comes from an old oak grove that is located on one of our farms. My father always told me he named it that way because it represented a firm, simple & long-lasting entity. Our family & our farm only exist because of the grace of God, our commitment to the Lord and the resounding faith we have all been raised with. 

My name is Sam Wildman, I am 21 years old - studying agribusiness & economics with a minor in agriculture communications at The Ohio State University. I represent over 200 years of agricultural tradition on essentially the same farm as we started on. I am the second of four children (Kim, Mindy, Simon & I) and represent the eighth generation to be involved with our farm which now raises pigs, corn and soybeans. 

Our farm, located in South Charleston, OH, an hour west of Columbus and only an hour and 15 minutes north of Cincinnati puts us near the extreme edge of the corn belt. We are also only one hour north of where the glaciers pass stops and where the rolling hills of southern Ohio begin.

We raise 650 sows (mommy pigs) which produce roughly 18,000 pigs for market every year. The pig business is our livelihood and the grain we raise is specifically to offset some of our feed costs. On 700 acres we are able to raise enough grain to feed our herd for about half a year. 

My dad, Charles Wildman is the owner & primary caretaker of our farm. He oversees daily care of our pigs which includes nutrition, health, breeding, birthing & weaning baby pigs. We have a few employees (including myself and my older sister) who help with daily care whenever he needs us. We then have six finishing barns located in other parts of the state, owned by other farm families who raise our pigs from the time they leave the nursery (45 lbs.) until the time they are harvested (263 lbs.). 

Dad holds a seat on the Ohio Pork Producers board of directors, National Pork Board’s swine welfare committee, and is very involved in other advocacy programs with these two groups. Dad and I have become very involved in promoting agriculture, especially pork through social media outlets such as blogging, twitter & facebook. Transparency is something that we see is very beneficial for the relationship between agriculture and the consumers who buy our products.

We are in the process of becoming a partner in what is probably the most exciting thing to happen in the pork industry. We will be getting out of the sow and birthing business this winter and converting to a wean to finish farm where we will raise around 25,000 pigs a year for market in our nurseries and then in our finishers I spoke of earlier. The exciting part is that as we move towards more transparency in the industry we must do things to show others how we raise pigs on a commercial farm. This will be happening in Indiana at Fair Oaks Farms as well as on our farm. I encourage you to read more about it here.

My whole family has been raised with a strong Christian faith. My mom, Carol plays the piano every Sunday at church and is the praise band coordinator. My father is also involved at church as the finance elder and all of us kids are involved in different activities with the church.

The most important thing I have learned from my parents and my involvement in agriculture as I grow is to simply be yourself, remain true to your beliefs and stand firm for what you are passionate for. In my life, that is God & agriculture. 

If you enjoyed this feature and want to know more about us or have questions about anything please look us up and ask us. You can find more about us here - Sam's blog, Charles' blog, Carol's blog, Sam's twitter, Charles' twitter or on Facebook. 

Thanks Sam for the fantastic feature! Young people like Sam are the future of agriculture and we are thanksful to be able to share their stories. Be sure to check out the Wildman family blogs, twitter accounts, and Facebook page. 

If you or someone you know should be featured on Faces of Agriculture, please contact us - we need your story now! 

Tales from a Kansas Farm Mom

Today we welcome Nicole Small from Kansas! She is passionate about farming and teaching the next generation about where their food comes from!

Hi my name is Nicole Small. My husband, Randy, and I farm together in Southeast Kansas. We are both the 5thgeneration from each of our families to farm in the same county in Kansas as our ancestors. I work full time on the farm with my husband. My father-in-law retired in 2007, but still likes to come see where he can help out. My parents and mother-in-law help on the farm when they are needed. They help the most with the care of our two wonderful boys and are great taxi drivers when we need to move equipment or we need a ride home at night.

Our farm is unique in that both my husband and I have college degrees and we both work on the farm together full time. I tend to take care of the cattle decisions and management and he helps me when things are slower in the crop fields. He makes all of the cropping decisions and puts up with a lot of irritating questions from me about why we do things the way we do. I am a think outside the box kind of girl and sometimes that doesn’t go over so well.

We have a commercial cow/calf operation. Most of the cows calve in February and March, but we do have a small herd that calves in the Fall. In the Summer and Fall when the cattle can find the nutrition they need from their grass, I help with the crop farming. I help haul fertilizer and water to the sprayer, run the combine during harvest, do lots of errands and do most of the paperwork. Randy helps me out during calving and processing time.

Our goal is to care for the land and resources that we have been given and leave them better than when we started. We have been 100% no-till for the last 14 years. We are constantly implementing new farming techniques and using science to make the right decisions. We have over 20 landowners that trust us to make the right decisions for their farms. In addition, we have two young sons that may want to come back to the farm some day and we want it to be in the best conditions possible if they choose to come back. Caring for the resources that have been given to us can be a huge burden, but incredibly rewarding at the same time.

We have 2 boys that like to help us out on the farm. Each year they are in charge of any bottle calves we may have and do a great job with the chores. Next year, they will both be in 4-H and I can’t wait to see them grow and learn about new things each year. Here is our oldest son showing his registered Limousin heifer at the county fair this summer.

I love to volunteer with kids especially in 4-H. Every year it seems that I have earned a new son or daughter from the support and guidance I have given them. These kids are the future of America and I feel a responsibility to help them achieve their goals. There were many people who supported and guided me in my youth and I feel it is my responsibility to help these young people like I once was supported.

I also enjoy going into classrooms to teach kids about agriculture and being a Farm Mom to the Kindergarten and Pre-K kids. We live in a small rural town. It amazes me how few of the kids have any ties to agriculture and how little they know about where their food comes from. I hope that I can teach them at least one thing about agriculture that sticks with them and that they can go home and tell their parents.

We grow corn, wheat, soybeans and grasses for hay on our farm. Here is a picture of Randy planting soybeans this spring after he spent the afternoon helping with the Kindergarten field day for the local school. Growing a variety of crops allows for crop rotations, spreads out the work load throughout the year and allows us to market crops with totally different end uses.

You can read more about our adventures in farming on my blog Tales of A Kansas Farm Mom. I post a new recipe every Wednesday that has been farm mom tested if you are looking for something new to fix for supper. You can also follow me on Facebook at A Kansas Farm Mom.

Thank you Nicole for the great feature!!! Be sure to visit her blog and Facebook page!

Calling all those aggies out there! We want to hear your story about your farm or ranch! Whats your tie to agriculture? Share your story and voice here! Contact us today!

Hog Wild with Jo Windmann the Bacon Blogger

Today we welcome Jo Windmann of the Bacon Blogger who shares about her 26,000 head family swine farm and how she is trying to change the stereotype of her industry by sharing her life through social media. 

Hidden amongst the corn and soybean fields of mid-Missouri you will find a farm family that is simply hog wild about farming—particularly the swine side of farming. My name is Jo Windmann and I created The Bacon Blogger as a way to shed some much needed light on modern pig farming and to share my family’s story to anyone and everyone willing to listen. With the help of my husband, Aaron, we try to keep the posts and videos rolling so that everyone can learn more about farming straight from the hog’s mouth. It is important to us to not only tell people about the who, what, when, where, and why of hog farming but to show them as well through both pictures and videos. Along with our blog we also have a YouTube channel called BaconCam where you can see what we do for yourself.

We are part of Cin-Way, LLC, a family owned and family operated pig farm that has been fortunate to expand enough to support not one, not two, but four separate households. The farm consists of Aaron’s entire family. He works with his parents, brother, sister, and their spouses. I help on the farm when I can but I don’t work on the farm. Turns out I don’t have the muscles for it but if I keep eating my Wheaties maybe someday……no, probably not even then. I’ll stick to playing with the little pigs and writing about the farm.

As a family, we raise around 26,000 pigs over the course of a single year in specially designed, climate controlled barns. That is a lot of snouts; however, despite our numbers we are adamant about individualized care for our pigs. It takes more time and a lot of creativity but we care enough to put in the extra effort. We are in the barns every single day and go through every single pen so we can closely look at all the pigs—even on weekends because the farm never closes or takes off for holidays. These barns also help us take better care of our pigs. The barns have heaters throughout so they are toasty warm in the winter and sprinklers and fans to keep them cool in the summer. Our pigs didn’t even notice the 100 plus degree weather or the drought in Missouri. They had fresh water and a cool breeze all summer long. Not only do they stay comfortable but there is a special monitoring system that ensures the temperature stays within a “comfort zone” and the water and feed are always flowing so they never go without. While we can’t be in the barns 24/7 we are on call 24/7 because something is amiss then we are notified via cell phone so that we can fix the problem as quickly as possible—day or night. We also work closely with animal experts and veterinarians to make sure we are taking the best care of our little piggies and are always on the lookout for ways to improve.

While we sometimes do get little piggies, we do not have any sows or nursing piglets because we only have finisher barns. This means that we only get pigs after they have been weaned off of their mother’s milk and are eating solid food. Depending on availability and which farm they come from, we get pigs as little as 12 pounds or as big as 50 pounds. We then raise them until they are market weight and ready to feed thousands of people. This is a process that is very near and dear to our hearts because the Windmann family has been doing it for generations.

The great thing about farming is how diverse it is and the options that are available to both farmers and consumers. Our family had outside “dirt hogs” for many, many years but in our area and our personal situation it just wasn’t working for us and after generations of having pigs we gave them up. Then, an opportunity came and we were able to keep raising pigs and go from barely supporting one household to supporting four. This was huge for our family’s business and it allowed us to keep the farm not only surviving but thriving. We understand that our way of farming doesn’t work for everyone but that is what’s so great about agriculture—there is no one “right way” to do it. 

There are other perks to our family farm. We get to raise our kids on the farm because we literally farm our backyard. We live where the pigs live…well, not right in the barns but we are in the same general vicinity. Not only that but our kids get to help raise their own food which is unique to farming and is an amazing opportunity to teach respect and responsibility while building an appreciation for just what it takes to put food on the table. Our kids get to experience and be a part of the entire process from start to finish and they are already #agproud for all you tweeps out there.

Along with caring for our kids alongside our pigs we are also caring for our environment. I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed or thought about it before but pigs poop. I don’t mean a little squat here and there but I’m talking some serious dung. But we do something really cool with it (yes, I’m saying crap is cool and no I am not mentally insane…as far as you know). We use the poop as a natural fertilizer that not only rebuilds the top soil but it is also a great example of how old can become new. Farmers for generations used manure as fertilizer and here we are still doing it today but we have slightly different application techniques.

We have an amazingly accurate system that literally knifes the manure directly into the ground so that all the nutrients stay right where we need them. Because we test the soil and test the manure regularly we know exactly how much nutrients we have in the manure and how much of that we need to add to our soil. We are also cutting down significantly on the odor because this system covers the poop after it plops. Our natural fertilizer also reduces our use of chemical-based fertilizers like anhydrous ammonia and it is renewable because pigs aren’t going to stop pooping anytime soon. This really is an amazing system and I encourage you to watch The Scoop on Pig Poop to see for yourself.

While I could talk about farming and pooping (not me, gross! the pigs) all day long I’m sure you are anxious to check out all the fun stuff on The Bacon Blogger and BaconCam. Please feel free to ask any questions or share any concerns you may have about pig farming. You can contact me through my blog, Facebook, or twitter. Be sure the show that you’re Hog Wild by liking The Bacon Blogger on Facebook too. Thank you so much for learning about farming and I look forward to future conversations whether you’re hog wild or just wild about hogs. I even love to hear from you if you just want to tell me I’m crazy. From our farm to your fork keep the pork sizzlin’ and your family salivatin’.

Thanks for the fantastic feature Jo! If you want to learn more about hog farming and Jo's operation visit her blog, her youtube site, or twitter. Remember, to keep this blog going and the stories flowing, we need you to contribute! No need to have a blog or be involved in social media, we just want to share stories of those in agriculture. Contact us today if you or someone you know is interested!

Zeorian Harvesting

Today, we feature Tracy Zeorian of Zeorian Harvesting and trucking.  She and her family has deep roots in agriculture as they continue to carry on a family business - chasing the ripening wheat from Texas to Montana.

Zeorian Harvesting & Trucking of Manley, NE unknowingly began its existence in the early 1950’s. This is when my Grandpa purchased a combine and headed for Oklahoma as a custom harvester. It was the spring of 1974 when my Grandma approached me with the idea of traveling with them that summer to help her. I was 12 and thought going with my Grandpa and Grandma all summer seemed too good to be true. I was going to “get” to help Grandma with the duties involved with having a wheat harvest crew – grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, meals, etc.

The idea of keeping Grandpa and Grandma’s little trailer house clean intrigued me and the fact that I would get to spend the summer – all summer – with them was something I had never done. Grandpa and Grandma had always been gone during the summer months and harvest was something I really knew nothing about except that it meant they were gone. Grandma and I made a perfect team! She and I would head to town to do the laundry at the local laundromat and get groceries. If I was lucky, it would also involve a pizza for lunch at Pizza Hut and a “Black Cow” (rootbeer float). A really good day meant shopping for school clothes!

Then, one day, Grandma left me in the field with Grandpa. Grandpa put me in his 750 Massey combine, showed me how to make it work and I was hooked! It was an unfortunate mistake on Grandma’s part. From then on, whenever I could be in the combine, that’s where you would find me! I still had to be Grandma’s #1 right hand, but the wheat field was (and is) where I really wanted to be.

The combine I learned how to drive when I was only 12 years old. Look closely…that’s me in the header helping Grandpa clean the combine before moving to the next job. 

One piece of advice my Grandma shared with me at an early age was, “WHATEVER you do, don’t marry a harvester”. Jim was a hired man for my Grandpa – hazards of the trade! We were married April 1982. At that time, Jim wasn’t a harvester; he was an electrician. We purchased our first used 760 Massey the fall of 1983. Jim had fallen in love with the industry, too. When my Grandpa and Dad approached him with the idea of joining Hancock Harvesting, we jumped on the proposal. Unfortunately, I was left behind. I had a full time job and we decided we needed the steady income to help pay the household bills while we were trying to make this work. This absolutely KILLED me! I would drive to where the harvesters were once in awhile but it just made matters worse. It was so hard to leave when I had to go back to work.

Jamie was born December 1985 and Jenna followed in April 1988. Jim was still following the harvest route…without us. It never got any easier for me when I’d see those loaded machines heading down the highway without me. By spring of 1990, Dad and Grandpa decided it was time for them to break free from the wheat route. Jim was driving truck for a local company hauling loads to Western Nebraska. It was on one of those trips that he saw loaded combines heading south and the bug bit him again. Could we do this with one combine? It would mean hiring someone to help Jim in the field and the girls and I would “have” to go too. We decided it was worth a try. We traded the Massey for a brand new Case combine, borrowed my grandparent’s trailer house and pickup and we headed for Lodgepole, NE. That summer, we only went to Lodgepole. The next year, we headed back to Lodgepole and then decided to make the long haul to Montana (following the familiar path my grandparents had done so many years). In 1992, we embarked on the full harvest run, beginning in Oklahoma and finishing in Montana. This year marks our 30th year of being involved with the wheat harvest trek.

Zeorian Harvesting in 1990 (Lodgepole, NE)

Today, we are still traveling the Midwest every summer chasing the ripening wheat from Texas to Montana. We added two more daughters to the mix, Taylor in 1994 and Callie in 1997. They still pack their belongings in the trailer house each spring and travel the route with us. Jamie and Jenna wish they were still with us.

In 2001, a change occurred. This was the year we decided Jamie and Jenna were old enough to take over the household duties (my job) and I would go to the field with Jim. I was ecstatic!! I was going to be back in the field again and the money we would have paid a hired hand would go to the girls for their college fund. This worked and continues to work for us. In April, Jim will begin the job of getting the equipment road ready. By the first of May, we are generally packing the trailer house (40 ft. fifth wheel) for the 100+ days we’ll be living in it. By mid May, we are closing down our home, mowing the yard for the last time and contacting utility services in preparation of hitting the road again.

Our summer begins in Texas. It takes us two trips to get the equipment to each stop. When we leave a destination, Jim will drive the Peterbilt truck pulling the combine trailer (combine is on the trailer) and grain trailer combination. I pull the header trailer (and header) with our Freightliner straight truck. Once we reach our new destination, Jim and I will drive the Peterbilt back to the original starting point. The second trip involves the Pete pulling the trailer house, I drive a pickup and Taylor and Callie will drive the car. This happens each time we have to move. We have a stop in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and two in Montana.

Getting the combine road ready.

As I mentioned earlier, Jim and I are in the field. I love being in the combine and could be there every day. The problem is Jim also enjoys being in the combine. Most of the summer, he and I will take turns fillingtrucks and driving the combine. I fill my truck (Freightliner) while Jim’s taking his truck (Peterbilt) to the elevator. When he gets back, I take my truck to the elevator and he jumps in the combine. We both get our combine “fix” this way.

While we’re in the field, Taylor and Callie are back at the home front (trailer house) taking care of the necessary duties…grocery shopping, laundry, post office, meals, etc. Generally, I will make sandwiches for lunch and the girls will fix a nice evening meal. If it works, they’ll haul it to the field and we’ll have the typical harvest end gate meal. This is a nice break for Jim and me and the girls enjoy being able to hang out in the field for the evening. No one job in this family run business is more important than another. It takes all of us working together to produce the high quality outcome that we take pride in providing our farmer. Once the last acre of wheat is cut, we’ll load the equipment, move down the road and start all over again in a new town.

Zeorian Harvesting & Trucking

Left to right – Jim, Tracy, Callie, Jamie & Curt Hermesch

Jenna & Taylor

This lifestyle has been called an "addiction" by a few and loved by many! The custom harvester provides a service to the American farmer by providing the necessary equipment to harvest their crops in a timely and efficient manner – which is of utmost importance. I have a passion for this lifestyle and enjoy sharing our journey through my blog, our Facebook page, and my Twitter.

To learn more about the custom harvesting industry and how important we are in getting food to your table, please follow Zeorian Harvesting’s annual journey. You can also check out what’s going on in the custom harvesting world by visiting the U.S. Custom Harvesters, Inc. website or Facebook page.

Thank you Tracy for opening our eyes to a different and vital part of agriculture!  If you would like to learn more about becoming a Face of Agriculture Feature - like Tracy and her family - please contact us today! 

Liz Lauck

Meet Liz Lauck of Wyoming. Liz works with Wyoming farmers and ranchers on a daily basis. She is one of the faces behind the great website RealRanchers.com! Her husband Tyler is busy on the farm and together they are today's Face of Agriculture Feature!

Growing up on our small horse operations in Wyoming and Colorado, my parents, Steve and Amy LeSatz, modeled a strong work ethic and taught my brother, Ben, and I the cattle and horse industries. My upbringing instilled a passion centered in agriculture and my Christian faith.

I attended the University of Wyoming to earn a B.S. in Agricultural Communications. While in college, I stayed connected to agriculture through my service as Wyoming State FFA Treasurer and my internships with the Platte County Extension Service, the Wyoming State Fair, the Wyoming Livestock Roundup and the National Western Stock Show.

My home is now in Wheatland, Wyo. with my husband, Tyler, who farms wheat, malt barley, pinto beans, sugar beets and corn. He is teaching me the ropes of farm life and I’m learning about the amazing technology and updated practices that are carrying agriculture into the future. Tyler is the true “Face of Agriculture.”

I graduated from UW in 2009 and was recruited as an intern for the Wyoming Stock Growers Association. They were embarking on a new project in partnership with Encana Oil and Gas called Community Dialogues for Rural Wyoming (CDRW). Through CDRW we visited five rural Wyoming communities to conduct “listening sessions” about sustaining agriculture and rural communities. After analyzing the feedback, we discovered one common thread in all the discussions. Every community wanted to share their core values with the public, disseminate truthful and positive agriculture messages to correct misperceptions and educate consumers and policy makers about agriculture and rural issues.

My coworker and mentor, Kosha Olsen, and I looked at each other and said, “We need a blog.” We were inspired by Ree Drummond (a.k.a. The Pioneer Woman) who through creative content, beautiful photography and a unique personality is able to share stories from her rural Oklahoma ranch to literally tens of thousands of people each day, many of which have never so much as stepped foot in a cow pasture. So I went back into the communities and pitched the idea. After my presentation on the power of blogs and social media, they agreed to try it out and www.realranchers.com was born.

We launched RealRanchers.com in June 2010. Folks from each community sent their stories for me to post. We paired the blog with Twitter and Facebook accounts and later added a YouTube channel. We’ve had stories about monitoring rangeland, pulling calves out of snow banks, high altitude gardening, 4-H projects and many, many more. Over the past two years, the blog has had thousands of hits and our Facebook page has grown to more than 1,400 regular followers from 19 countries. We continue a steady growth to achieve our goal of sharing “what really happens in the meadows, mountains and Main Streets of Wyoming.”

Encana has continued to be a supportive partner and with their ongoing funding, we’ve traveled across the state to meet with “RealRanchers” and take photos and videos for blog content. Those posts are still in the works and will be published over the coming months.

During my travels I participated in a tour of the Jonah Field, a very large oil and gas field near Pinedale, Wyo. The resemblances between energy workers and agriculturists were striking. They are all so proud of the work they do to provide vital resources to the world. This inspired me to start a new section of the blog, called RealEnergy. RealEnergy does the same thing as RealRanchers; tells the real stories of Wyoming’s rural citizens. There is so much misinformation about both industries and, in Wyoming, both industries are greatly intertwined. So keep checking back as www.realranchers.com evolves!

I’ve been a WSGA staff member for more than three years now and am now the Communication and Publications Director. In addition to RealRanchers.com, I also publish our quarterly CowCountry magazine and our monthly No Bull Sheet newsletter. I coordinate media relations, help plan events, serve on boards and promote the livestock industry any other way we can. I am proud that all my work is in service to an organization that has represented Wyoming livestock producers since 1872 (we’re 140 years old this year!).

Thanks to Liz for this great feature and sharing the background of the RealRanchers.com website. I encourage everyone to visit this page for stories and info on our great farmers and ranchers in Wyoming! Be sure to like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter!

Are you passionate about agriculture? Do you feel the need to share you story with others? Perfect! We need to hear from you! Contact us today about being a feature FOA! Be sure to visit our Facebook page for updates about FOA and past features!

Gayle Anderson

Welcome Gayle, a farm wife who is determined to help put a face to agriculture and connect consumers with the farmers who produce their food. 

Hi, my name is Gayle Anderson and I am married to a 4th generation farmer in North Idaho.

I began my passion for being an “Agra-diva” back in 2009 when I attended a Women’s Leadership conference in beautiful North Carolina which was sponsored by Syngenta and the National Assoc. of Wheat Growers. From there, one of the most important messages that I took back with me was that women in Ag can reach consumers like no one else. Women tend to have better communication skills and as they put it, “are more believable” when we tell our story. After all, who is going to argue with a farm-mom? 

So I started blogging about our farm to put a face on the family farmer as a way to “tell our story, our way”. I also use my blog as a tool to interact with consumers and at the end of my blog; I always post my email address for questions. 

My husband and I also started our “Dinner on the Farm” where the consumer guest comes out to the farm, we have about an hour farm tour of crop/equipment, then we all head to the farmhouse for a hearty meal and great conversation. This is our fourth year of doing it and this year, Farm Journal magazine is coming to do a story on it. Our dinner is a free event, but it is by application or invite only to keep the numbers small and manageable so people have a small intimate group where they can freely ask questions and almost have a one on one visit with the farmer (we usually have 8 guests and 4 farm hosts).

 A video from one of last year’s dinners is included below. I took this video with me back to Chicago when I presented at the first Agriculture Women’s Executive conference on my role of using outreach efforts to help bridge the gap between consumer and those of us who grow what we all eat. Our Dinner on the Farm is during our garbanzo harvest, which is less hectic than the wheat harvest and the guests love this event. 

Our local state grain associations also have us host “trade teams” that come to Idaho, so they can meet the actual growers. So far we have hosted the Philippine Bakers & Millers trade team as well as the Japan Trade team in our home. The international guests marvel at being invited to a grower’s home, having a dinner and the rapport it builds between growers and buyers.

Thanks so much Gayle for sharing your story and for being such a great voice for agriculture! 

Be sure you watch the video of the Anderson's Dinner on the Farm, visit Gayle at her blog, and follow her on twitter! If you or someone you know should be featured as a Face of Agriculture, please contact us, we need to share your story!

Melinda Bastian

Today we are featuring Melinda Bastian, a Missouri farm wife, who writes about her sons and their involvement in agriculture and showing cattle. 

When I first started writing this, I found myself being a bit scattered. We have three generations in our farming operations here in Central Missouri and each generation has a different story to tell. I thought the best way to present our entire story would be to break it into generational segments. The youngest generation of our operation is made up of our sons, Chris and Jesse Bastian. Chris will soon be 20 and Jesse will turn 18 a week later.

Chris, Jesse, & Cody McCullough in the Chi Fitting Contest at Jr. Nationals. 

Both have always been involved around the farm and started showing bottle calves when they were 3 and 2 respectively. But showing calves is just the tip of the iceberg of what they have learned. We homeschooled both boys through high school. Homeschooling and farming combined to provide more learning opportunities than we could ever have imagined when we began! Not many young people can do their science fair projects on how to AI a cow with an actual reproductive tract or build a hover board with a calf blower and duct tape! Both were also very involved in 4-H and FFA. They earned the opportunities to judge at The American Royal in Kansas City and The National Western Stock Show in Denver in 4-H and made it to the state level in FFA. Between these judging experiences and their time spent on mission trips to North Dakota with our church youth group, they have developed communication skills I never thought I would see in them. Jesse just got back for his last youth mission trip last weekend. They will be telling our church about the trip this week in worship service. Chris bemoaned the fact he won’t get to talk in church this year. We all were a bit shocked at that statement!

Chris is a full time farmer/cattleman now. Unfortunately he’s learning just what a hard life it can be this year with the extreme drought conditions that we’re experiencing. The corn has very few, if any, kernels and the beans could still produce something, but not nearly what we are used to. Hay is done and has been for a few weeks. It is somewhat a bleak situation, but one that is bringing out some creativity in how we do things. He has been blessed with some great fitting jobs this summer that have sure helped pad his bank account.

Chris helping fit a steer for a young man he's teaching to fit.

Jesse is working at a local truck repair shop this summer and will start a diesel mechanics program this fall. We can definitely use another good mechanic around here and he is developing some great skills in this area. He felt this was a way he could earn a good income and yet still be involved in the day to day farming operation.

Chris and Jesse each have their own cow herds and some cows are co-owned between the two of them. We made an agreement with them that they could have the first good heifer out of their show heifers each year. They also run a fitting and clipping business, Bastian Brothers Fitting. They compete at the Chianina and Maine Anjou Junior National Heifer Shows in the fitting contest each year. This year they placed 2nd in the Chi contest and 4th in the Maine contest. Not too bad for a couple of boys who started fitting on their bottle calves. This October, their fitting company is going to host a Sullivan’s Stock Show U here in Mexico, MO. This will be a free event for participants and we hope to draw many youth from the central and eastern portions of the state. Give us a call, drop us an email or send us a Facebook message if you’re interested in getting the details.

Some of the cows the boys care for. Since this picture was taken,
we had the driest June and July in a very long time. 

The guys both went to AI (Artificial Insemination) school when they were 14 and 12. It has been quite nice to have them be able to breed cows and take some of that weight off Mike’s shoulders. We AI around 75 cows each spring/summer. Before the guys learned how to AI, Mike and I would often be out breeding cows in the dark when he got home from his evening shift job in town. The guys also run a hay crew (not been too busy this year though) and help out with silage chopping. Actually there’s not a lot with the cattle we don’t expect them to be able to handle.

Their days vary quite a lot depending on the time of year. Right now, Chris and Jesse are up by 6:30 and out the door to feed and rinse show calves. Jesse heads off to his town job about 7:40 and Chris takes his breakfast break then. After breakfast, Chris will check cows and calves for pink eye and make sure the mineral feeders and creep feeders are full. Right now, Chris and Mike will head over to Grandpa Bastian’s farm to chop corn silage. They’re chopping nearly all the corn this year due to the drought. Normally we wouldn’t chop that much, but we’re trying to make the best of a bad situation. Chopping silage will keep Chris busy though out the day and into the evening. By the time he gets home, it’s time for supper and then he and Jesse will rinse calves again and do the evening feeding and watering. They have to wait until nearly 9 pm to have enough water pressure to water everyone. All the cattle waterers, hydrants and our house run off the deep well. As dry as it’s been, we’re having to baby our water system a bit. Everyone’s usually in bed by 10 pm and will do it all over again the next day.

Cutting silage to preserve the corn crop.

Chris and Jesse will take the day off Saturday to go to a cattle show nearby. They are taking a few heifers and a steer we sold last year. They’ll do all the fitting as Mike will take their place in the silage. We try to make it all work out and especially since they have the job of fitting the steer.

Sundays are as much a day of rest as we can take. Mike gives the guys the morning off and does chores for them. We let them sleep in a bit then head to Sunday school and church at First Baptist Church in Mexico. After church, they rinse the calves while I’m getting lunch ready. After lunch we try to take some down time. Jesse goes to youth group in the evening and often Chris hangs out with friends on Sunday evening. It’s really a time to recharge our batteries for the coming week and to be thankful for the ways God has blessed us.

Chris exercising a show steer.

Both boys have been honored at the local, state and even national levels for their involvement with the beef cattle industry. They have learned how to explain their reasons through livestock judging, how to carve the ideal calf out through fitting and clipping and how to present their animal through showmanship. They have learned how to deeply care for animals through the care of their heifers, cows and especially their baby calves. They have learned to be quite self-sufficient – from treating a cow for prolapse and stitching her up to figuring out what drug will be best for treating a cow for disease or illness. They have suffered losses (of cattle, of freedom, of time and of money) and they have experienced great joy (by winning showmanship contests, fitting contests and shows, by watching the baby calves playing in the pastures and by growing closer to each other). I cannot imagine how dismal the future of America would be without young farmers. Agriculture teaches a work ethic that is unparalleled. Faith in God leads them back to agriculture even after the worst of time. For everything there is a season, a right time to plant and another to reap (Ecclesiastes 3:2). I am thankful for all the opportunities agriculture has afforded Chris and Jesse and look forward to them getting the opportunity to give back to other youth in agriculture.

A major misconception in the show calf world is that all “steer jocks and fitters” are unethical and crooks. I hope that as people get to know Chris and Jesse they see a different side of the industry. I hope they see the love of the cattle and the youth participating in shows. I hope they see two young men doing their best to present their animals in the best light and simply making a living at it. I hope they see two men who are accountable to more than just the owners, the judges and other fitters. I hope they see two men who are striving to make a difference in the world.

That’s what I hope the world sees when they see the youngest generation at Bastian Show Calves.

Thanks Melinda for the great feature! We look forward to hearing about the other generations of your farm. Be sure to check out Bastian Show Calves facebook page, website, or you can email them ([email protected]) for more information. If you or someone you know would like to be featured as a Face of Agriculture, please contact us!