It's been a while since I've been here... but in my defense this past semester has been very quiet. There was a lot going on but not too much of it was ag. related. However, a few things have happened:
-I was elected Secretary of Dordt College's Agriculture Club (We're going to make it awesome!)
-I finished another great semester and had lots of fun with my wonderful friends
-I began applying for summer internships
-I found out that I have an internship in California this summer!!!
The coming year holds lots of exciting adventures for me and I'm excited to be able to share it. So be watching in the future for my fun adventures : ) I'm excited for it and I'm thankful that God has given me such a great opportunity to learn about his world in a new way!!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
In the Swing of School Again
Well, with the end of August came school again and over a month had gone by so far. I have to say that I was excited to go back but not excited for my classes. However, I've already learned not to bosh a class before I've actually taken it.
I'm taking two ag. courses right now: Anatomy and Physiology of Animals, and Feeds and Feeding. Each has a lab with it, so I'm spending a pretty good deal of time with my wonderful ag. friends. I was really surprised at how much I enjoy Feeds and Feeding (F&F). It's challenging but SO interesting. Who knew that what animals eat could be so complex! Prior to this class, I knew that it took some work to balance rations, but I now understand why so many farms go to nutritionists for their rations. I also understand why it's important to be able to do it for yourself. It might not be fun to learn, but it is an essential to any farm raising livestock.
Anatomy and Physiology of Animals (A&P) is interesting too, but the location/setting is less than ideal. At 8 o'clock in the morning on Tuesdays and Thursdays, my friends and I have to sit in a freezing classroom for 75 minutes. It's really hard to stay awake for and it's all kinda over my head right now, but it's a good class.
Labs are so much fun! So far we've dissected digestive tracts from hogs and sheep (in both labs, so I've done it twice), sheep and pig heads and everything included with them, and we have lots more on the way. In F&F lab, we went to a local dairy and took feeding samples. The guys were bored out of their minds, but the girls made the most of it and had fun by climbing up into the different feedstuffs and taking samples from all over. The guys just sampled from one spot, and they wonder why most feed test errors come from the sample-takers themselves! Haha, I'm just giving them a hard time :)
Well, back to work for now.
Dordt College has a student count of around 1500 in a town of around 6000, most of whom are Dutch!!!
I'm taking two ag. courses right now: Anatomy and Physiology of Animals, and Feeds and Feeding. Each has a lab with it, so I'm spending a pretty good deal of time with my wonderful ag. friends. I was really surprised at how much I enjoy Feeds and Feeding (F&F). It's challenging but SO interesting. Who knew that what animals eat could be so complex! Prior to this class, I knew that it took some work to balance rations, but I now understand why so many farms go to nutritionists for their rations. I also understand why it's important to be able to do it for yourself. It might not be fun to learn, but it is an essential to any farm raising livestock.
Anatomy and Physiology of Animals (A&P) is interesting too, but the location/setting is less than ideal. At 8 o'clock in the morning on Tuesdays and Thursdays, my friends and I have to sit in a freezing classroom for 75 minutes. It's really hard to stay awake for and it's all kinda over my head right now, but it's a good class.
Labs are so much fun! So far we've dissected digestive tracts from hogs and sheep (in both labs, so I've done it twice), sheep and pig heads and everything included with them, and we have lots more on the way. In F&F lab, we went to a local dairy and took feeding samples. The guys were bored out of their minds, but the girls made the most of it and had fun by climbing up into the different feedstuffs and taking samples from all over. The guys just sampled from one spot, and they wonder why most feed test errors come from the sample-takers themselves! Haha, I'm just giving them a hard time :)
Well, back to work for now.
Dordt College has a student count of around 1500 in a town of around 6000, most of whom are Dutch!!!
Saturday, September 04, 2010
Here Comes the Sun
I'm a week and a half into school. It's crazy and I'm loving it. I'm taking two ag. classes this fall: Feeds and Feeding, and Anatomy and Physiology of Animals. So far I've had a great time in both. The weather has changed drastically in the past two weeks. Hardly any rain and it's cooled off a lot! It feels like we hit September and the weather decided it was time to change from summer to fall, right along with the start of school.
Today, however, I was extremely thankful for the cooler weather. My grandpa called me at 6:00 last night and asked me if I could come out and help cover corn silage piles. I've helped with this in the past, and usually it takes a lot to make sure that the Midwestern wind doesn't steal the giant tarps from us. Well, today there was just a slight breeze and the temperature was around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. A beautiful day if there ever was one.
For four hours we covered one pile. That's right, it took us four hours for ONE pile, and we didn't even get finished. I don't know the exact measurements we were working with, but one of the rolls of tarps we were using had 1000 feet of tarp on it. I'll get the exact measurements tomorrow. So anyway, it was a great day. I was covered in tire oil, grime, and lots of dust, I had silage in my shoes, and I have cuts from the wires in the tires, but I was on the farm again, doing hard work and loving it!!! God is so good!
Today, however, I was extremely thankful for the cooler weather. My grandpa called me at 6:00 last night and asked me if I could come out and help cover corn silage piles. I've helped with this in the past, and usually it takes a lot to make sure that the Midwestern wind doesn't steal the giant tarps from us. Well, today there was just a slight breeze and the temperature was around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. A beautiful day if there ever was one.
For four hours we covered one pile. That's right, it took us four hours for ONE pile, and we didn't even get finished. I don't know the exact measurements we were working with, but one of the rolls of tarps we were using had 1000 feet of tarp on it. I'll get the exact measurements tomorrow. So anyway, it was a great day. I was covered in tire oil, grime, and lots of dust, I had silage in my shoes, and I have cuts from the wires in the tires, but I was on the farm again, doing hard work and loving it!!! God is so good!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
It Was Good to be Back!
So last week Monday I made the trip to my grandpa's dairy to help out with things there. (I also towed one of my two brothers along...he wasn't especially pleased about that.) Well, when we got there, I geared up to help with the vet check. When I worked out at the farm in high school, this was something I did every Monday morning, so I know the routine pretty well. Anyway, I loaded up the GNRH and Lutelyse and tubes and needles and chalks and then my uncle informed me that I would be giving one of the shots. In the past, I never gave the shots because my grandpa was always kinda protective (in my opinion). However, I learned how to give shots while at college and I practiced over my Christmas vacation, so I had a new job. Vet check went relatively smoothly with only one kick. The cow kicked straight back at the vet and managed to bust one of the syringes he had in his tool belt.
After the vet check was done, I got onto the lawn mower. I call it the Monster : ) It has a 72" deck with three blades and 24 horse power. That thing can mow! Mowing was another one of my jobs at the farm, and while my brother had been gradually working up to mowing everything, he was still learning, so I got to clean up after him. I mowed the sides of the lagoons which really needed to be done so that we can watch of leaks. With all the crazy amounts of rain we've been having, the lagoons are filled to the brim. A couple miles south of my grandpa's place, a couple lagoon walls collapsed. It was really bad and we want to prevent that from happening again. So I spent a good two hours mowing, went for lunch, then we moved calves. That morning, we had loaded eight calves into the moving crate (which is just a big cage that attaches to the front of a skidloader). The next task was to set up some polydomes for them and get then move the calves in. I was surprised to find out that my brother John, with all of his 14 years, 6 feet height, and 150 lbs, did not know how to pick a calf up to move it. So I, the big "little" sister, with all my 19 years, 5'6" and 125 lbs, picked up a 50lb (ish) calf and moved him to the polydome while my brother stood there and watched and laughed at how dirty I had gotten moving a different calf. Thanks John...thanks. That night we fed the calves and then headed home, and overall it was a really good day. It was good to be back.
Countdown til school starts: Move in Monday, class on Wednesday!!!! 4 DAYS!!!!
After the vet check was done, I got onto the lawn mower. I call it the Monster : ) It has a 72" deck with three blades and 24 horse power. That thing can mow! Mowing was another one of my jobs at the farm, and while my brother had been gradually working up to mowing everything, he was still learning, so I got to clean up after him. I mowed the sides of the lagoons which really needed to be done so that we can watch of leaks. With all the crazy amounts of rain we've been having, the lagoons are filled to the brim. A couple miles south of my grandpa's place, a couple lagoon walls collapsed. It was really bad and we want to prevent that from happening again. So I spent a good two hours mowing, went for lunch, then we moved calves. That morning, we had loaded eight calves into the moving crate (which is just a big cage that attaches to the front of a skidloader). The next task was to set up some polydomes for them and get then move the calves in. I was surprised to find out that my brother John, with all of his 14 years, 6 feet height, and 150 lbs, did not know how to pick a calf up to move it. So I, the big "little" sister, with all my 19 years, 5'6" and 125 lbs, picked up a 50lb (ish) calf and moved him to the polydome while my brother stood there and watched and laughed at how dirty I had gotten moving a different calf. Thanks John...thanks. That night we fed the calves and then headed home, and overall it was a really good day. It was good to be back.
Countdown til school starts: Move in Monday, class on Wednesday!!!! 4 DAYS!!!!
Sunday, August 08, 2010
The Next Stage
An exciting summer at the daycare came to an end on Friday. It was bittersweet to see the kids leave for the final time: part of me was happy that I didn't have to return to the noise and fighting on Monday while the other part of me will miss the smiles and laughs that those kids gave to me nearly every day.
This summer has taught me a lot, including how incredibly easy it is to focus on the negative and forget about all the positive things that the kids are doing. I have also gained valuable tools that I can use any time I work with kids, but I'm getting a good idea of how I will want to raise my kids someday. (We're talking very someday). My kids will have a loving home, but they will learn to be tough and that every fall doesn't mean that they have to cry their eyes out. This is just one of many things that I've come to decide.
However, it's time for the next stage in my summer. I'm going back to the farm tomorrow!!! With all the rain that has come in June and July (16.38" in Sioux Falls)(<--link) the ground is always soft and rain is probably right around the corner. It's actually getting ready to rain as I write this. It will make for an interesting time if this continues through harvest and into this winter. After a hard harvest last fall due to lots of rain, all the farmers are praying that the rain starts to back off this year.
Either way, I'm looking forward to getting back to the farm and then back to school at the end of this month! It's going to be busy, but I'm so excited and I can hardly wait!
This summer has taught me a lot, including how incredibly easy it is to focus on the negative and forget about all the positive things that the kids are doing. I have also gained valuable tools that I can use any time I work with kids, but I'm getting a good idea of how I will want to raise my kids someday. (We're talking very someday). My kids will have a loving home, but they will learn to be tough and that every fall doesn't mean that they have to cry their eyes out. This is just one of many things that I've come to decide.
However, it's time for the next stage in my summer. I'm going back to the farm tomorrow!!! With all the rain that has come in June and July (16.38" in Sioux Falls)(<--link) the ground is always soft and rain is probably right around the corner. It's actually getting ready to rain as I write this. It will make for an interesting time if this continues through harvest and into this winter. After a hard harvest last fall due to lots of rain, all the farmers are praying that the rain starts to back off this year.
Either way, I'm looking forward to getting back to the farm and then back to school at the end of this month! It's going to be busy, but I'm so excited and I can hardly wait!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
God is Smiling on Rosebud
This past week I was touched by a lot of people and I saw lots of great things happen. The Prairie Light Youth Camp has been going on for the past six years; I have had the privilege of being there for the past three. While it has faced its challenges, PLYC has pushed through only by the grace of God.
Over the past years, PLYC has gone from a two week camp to a one week camp. There are so many people involved and they all want to shine the light of God into the darkness that has a hard hold on the reservation. This year we had groups from Michigan, Iowa, and South Dakota.
The group that went from my church was made up of around nineteen people (give or take a few cause some came late and left early). We stayed in a hunting lodge near the 'town' of Lakeview, SD. Lakeview is made up of a church and a school. That's it. Drivers take 15-passenger vans and mini-buses to different towns around Rosebud and pick the kids up. The kids are separated into grades and do different activities from 10:00a.m. til 3:15 p.m. The day is separated into activities that have to do with school and a time structured kinda like a vacation Bible school.
For my 4th grade kids, we started with Math and Reading Skills, then went to Gym and Rec., then to Art. After Art we went from the school to the church and ate lunch then had VBS time. The kids were led in song and the leaders performed skits for them every day.
The week went really great; it was amazing to be able to see the difference that is happening in these kids that attend. It was crazy to see the difference between the kids out there and the kids that I work with every day. Deep inside, they are all just kids, but the Rosebud kids have learned that life isn't always easy while my daycare kids have really easy lives. (I hope that makes sense).
Along with working with the kids, I made some great new friends. Some of them I just met, others I have known for most of their lives. I learned some really interesting things and came to the conclusion that boys will always confuse me, no matter how much I try to understand.
Now onto the adventures that were had. These are only a few:
1. Fitting 18 people into a GMC Yukon...
2. Playing Ninja, The Human Knot, Mafia, and Buck Buck
3. Going on walks and runs
4. Fitting 24 people into a 15-passenger and driving 30 miles
5. Star gazing til 12:30 at night
6. My sister and I playing the angels in the Christmas story
7. Water fights and bonfires
8. Square dancing (We really had an official square dance with a caller)
9. Major van/vehicle problems (We almost didn't make it home!)
10. The guys chasing turkeys away from the front door of the lodge so that I would go outside.
Yep, a great time was had by all!!
Over the past years, PLYC has gone from a two week camp to a one week camp. There are so many people involved and they all want to shine the light of God into the darkness that has a hard hold on the reservation. This year we had groups from Michigan, Iowa, and South Dakota.
The group that went from my church was made up of around nineteen people (give or take a few cause some came late and left early). We stayed in a hunting lodge near the 'town' of Lakeview, SD. Lakeview is made up of a church and a school. That's it. Drivers take 15-passenger vans and mini-buses to different towns around Rosebud and pick the kids up. The kids are separated into grades and do different activities from 10:00a.m. til 3:15 p.m. The day is separated into activities that have to do with school and a time structured kinda like a vacation Bible school.
For my 4th grade kids, we started with Math and Reading Skills, then went to Gym and Rec., then to Art. After Art we went from the school to the church and ate lunch then had VBS time. The kids were led in song and the leaders performed skits for them every day.
The week went really great; it was amazing to be able to see the difference that is happening in these kids that attend. It was crazy to see the difference between the kids out there and the kids that I work with every day. Deep inside, they are all just kids, but the Rosebud kids have learned that life isn't always easy while my daycare kids have really easy lives. (I hope that makes sense).
Along with working with the kids, I made some great new friends. Some of them I just met, others I have known for most of their lives. I learned some really interesting things and came to the conclusion that boys will always confuse me, no matter how much I try to understand.
Now onto the adventures that were had. These are only a few:
1. Fitting 18 people into a GMC Yukon...
2. Playing Ninja, The Human Knot, Mafia, and Buck Buck
3. Going on walks and runs
4. Fitting 24 people into a 15-passenger and driving 30 miles
5. Star gazing til 12:30 at night
6. My sister and I playing the angels in the Christmas story
7. Water fights and bonfires
8. Square dancing (We really had an official square dance with a caller)
9. Major van/vehicle problems (We almost didn't make it home!)
10. The guys chasing turkeys away from the front door of the lodge so that I would go outside.
Yep, a great time was had by all!!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Dust, Grime, and a Good Time
The last few weeks here in southeast South Dakota have been absolutely beautiful! Most of the storms that have come through at night and most of the days have been sunny with a slight breeze. It's been really nice to have while working in a daycare because the kids will go stir crazy if they are stuck inside for too long. However, good weather brings something to life at my house: the never-ending task of landscaping. Ever since my family moved into our house over eight years ago, the landscaping has been either ignored because of projects to do in the house or it has been done and hasn't satisfied my parents (and so it will be re-landscaped).
Yeah, that's what my family has been doing lately. I'll post pictures of the work in progress because it has been interesting. The wind and dust have a way of making us really tired, really dirty, and ready for a good nights sleep. Hopefully it will get done soon.
Also, this next week I will be traveling to another part of South Dakota: the Rosebud Indian Reservation. There's hardly anything out there, but it is beautiful! The rolling prairie had hardly been touched by time. I will be going there with a group from my church and we will be running a youth camp for the week. This will be my third year going and I'm so excited! Hopefully the weather will be good and a wonderful time will be had by all while we bring God to the young people out there.
Yeah, that's what my family has been doing lately. I'll post pictures of the work in progress because it has been interesting. The wind and dust have a way of making us really tired, really dirty, and ready for a good nights sleep. Hopefully it will get done soon.
Also, this next week I will be traveling to another part of South Dakota: the Rosebud Indian Reservation. There's hardly anything out there, but it is beautiful! The rolling prairie had hardly been touched by time. I will be going there with a group from my church and we will be running a youth camp for the week. This will be my third year going and I'm so excited! Hopefully the weather will be good and a wonderful time will be had by all while we bring God to the young people out there.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Seeing the World Through A Child's Eyes
This past week at the daycare, the kids in my class were introduced to the world of dairy agriculture. While a dairy farm is just a small part of the agriculture world, it was the first time that many of the kids had been on a operating farm. We were able to visit my grandpa's dairy farm. The farm milks around 650 cows three times a day and fills a milk truck every day.
We got there around 1:30 (later than we wanted, but kids will be kids and take their sweet time). My grandpa met us outside our fifteen passenger vans and after a not-so-quick bathroom stop, we were off. The first place we headed was the milking parlor. What we didn't know was that one of our little girls was terrified of cows. We barely got her into the parlor because she was so scared. The next place we went was the bulk tank room. There the kids saw the two bulk tanks, each big enough to fill a semi trailer.
Well, next we headed to see the calves. We went to the maternity barn and found two calves in the holding pen. My grandpa went and brought one out for the kids to pet. When one little girl asked what her name was, my grandpa looked at the ear tag and replied "5196." The little girl got a skeptical look on her face and asked, "What kind of a name is that?!" Grandpa smiled and replied, "You can name her if you want to." The little girl smiled widely and said "Betsy!" Well, then everyone wanted to see more calves, so we went around the outside of the barn and saw one that was laying right by the gate that led to the outside alleyway. This one had been born a few hours before, so there was still afterbirth nearby. Well, the kids were curious and asked about it, to which I replied that that comes when any baby creature is born. Some found more interest in that than they did in the newborn calf.
From there we headed into one of the barns. The kids saw what the cows eat and where they sleep. This was interesting, so we went outside to the open side of the barn where the kids could get really close to the cows and see into the pen without having to look through the head locks. Well, the little girl that I mentioned earlier overcame her fear at this point and didn't want to leave. It was time to go to have a snack and get some coloring books and info. packets and then we returned to the daycare.
While it was a quick trip, it was a good one. I was asked as soon as I walked into work this morning if we could go to the dairy farm again. I have to say that it made me smile to know that these kids had such a good experience and I hope that it paves the way for these kids to have a positive outlook on agriculture. In a country where the contact that kids are having with agriculture is dwindling down to nothing, I'm so glad that I get to experience this introduction firsthand and see the world of agriculture through a child's eyes.
We got there around 1:30 (later than we wanted, but kids will be kids and take their sweet time). My grandpa met us outside our fifteen passenger vans and after a not-so-quick bathroom stop, we were off. The first place we headed was the milking parlor. What we didn't know was that one of our little girls was terrified of cows. We barely got her into the parlor because she was so scared. The next place we went was the bulk tank room. There the kids saw the two bulk tanks, each big enough to fill a semi trailer.
Well, next we headed to see the calves. We went to the maternity barn and found two calves in the holding pen. My grandpa went and brought one out for the kids to pet. When one little girl asked what her name was, my grandpa looked at the ear tag and replied "5196." The little girl got a skeptical look on her face and asked, "What kind of a name is that?!" Grandpa smiled and replied, "You can name her if you want to." The little girl smiled widely and said "Betsy!" Well, then everyone wanted to see more calves, so we went around the outside of the barn and saw one that was laying right by the gate that led to the outside alleyway. This one had been born a few hours before, so there was still afterbirth nearby. Well, the kids were curious and asked about it, to which I replied that that comes when any baby creature is born. Some found more interest in that than they did in the newborn calf.
From there we headed into one of the barns. The kids saw what the cows eat and where they sleep. This was interesting, so we went outside to the open side of the barn where the kids could get really close to the cows and see into the pen without having to look through the head locks. Well, the little girl that I mentioned earlier overcame her fear at this point and didn't want to leave. It was time to go to have a snack and get some coloring books and info. packets and then we returned to the daycare.
While it was a quick trip, it was a good one. I was asked as soon as I walked into work this morning if we could go to the dairy farm again. I have to say that it made me smile to know that these kids had such a good experience and I hope that it paves the way for these kids to have a positive outlook on agriculture. In a country where the contact that kids are having with agriculture is dwindling down to nothing, I'm so glad that I get to experience this introduction firsthand and see the world of agriculture through a child's eyes.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
A Little Life Lesson
I tend to think that my life is always crazy. Well, this past week (and my boss) have kindly given me a lesson and a lot to think about next time I start signing myself up to help with stuff.
As I've said before, I work an 8hr. day in a daycare. That in and of itself usually tires me out. However, for the past five years or so, I've helped with my church's vacation Bible school. That happened last week. After getting off of work at 6:00 (or around that time) I headed twenty minutes across town to the church that was hosting my church's Bible school while my church is under major construction. Once there, I spent two more hours with kids then got home around 9:00, went to sleep and was at work at 9:30 a.m. the next morning. That went on Monday through Thursday. That week was okay, but I was thoroughly ready for a break. I didn't get that.
This past week my church's youth group hosted it's own mission project here in town. My family is very involved in the youth group: my dad is a youth leader and my mom does a lot of the food coordination for big events. Well, my dad was out of town, but my mom was in charge of breakfast and supper for this project (at the same church as VBS). I got to help with that and with worship every night and some of the activities that were planned. Breakfast was served shortly after 7 each morning, so I was leaving home as early as 6:15 with my mom in order to get there in time to make the food. From there I left to go to work. At 6 p.m. I was driving back to the church to eat and run the computer for worship. I usually didn't get home til 10:30.
Everything was going okay until Thursday morning. I finished cleaning up the breakfast stuff with my mom and I swung by a gas station to get some chap stick. (The sun has been out strong and I sunburned my lips the day before; NOT FUN!) Well, I figured it would be a quick stop so I grabbed some cash from my wallet shoved it into my bag, opened my door, locked it, climbed out, shut it, and realized that my keys were in the car on the driver seat...
My keys, my cell phone, all of my stuff were locked in my vehicle, including the code for my keypad. I was around six or seven blocks from work, but I couldn't leave my vehicle parked at a gas station for eight hours. So I went in, found my chap stick, bought in, and in a cracking voice asked if they had a phone that I could use. I called my mom, who called a towing company to come and unlock it for me, then I called work and told my boss (also in a "just finished crying voice") that I would be late. Forty five minutes later I walked into work and my boss met me at the door. We talked for a while. "Things like this happen" "You took care of the over-time you put in" she said. But I went on to explain how busy I had been lately and how I was being stretched thin and how tired I was growing. She looked me in the eye and told me "God does not call us to do everything." The more I think about that statement, the more truth I find in it.
I over-committed myself and in doing so everything I was doing suffered. I need to second think things and start doing a lot more praying before I start committing myself to so many things. While I love to be involved, I need to things God's way, not my way.
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me." ~Erma Bombeck
As I've said before, I work an 8hr. day in a daycare. That in and of itself usually tires me out. However, for the past five years or so, I've helped with my church's vacation Bible school. That happened last week. After getting off of work at 6:00 (or around that time) I headed twenty minutes across town to the church that was hosting my church's Bible school while my church is under major construction. Once there, I spent two more hours with kids then got home around 9:00, went to sleep and was at work at 9:30 a.m. the next morning. That went on Monday through Thursday. That week was okay, but I was thoroughly ready for a break. I didn't get that.
This past week my church's youth group hosted it's own mission project here in town. My family is very involved in the youth group: my dad is a youth leader and my mom does a lot of the food coordination for big events. Well, my dad was out of town, but my mom was in charge of breakfast and supper for this project (at the same church as VBS). I got to help with that and with worship every night and some of the activities that were planned. Breakfast was served shortly after 7 each morning, so I was leaving home as early as 6:15 with my mom in order to get there in time to make the food. From there I left to go to work. At 6 p.m. I was driving back to the church to eat and run the computer for worship. I usually didn't get home til 10:30.
Everything was going okay until Thursday morning. I finished cleaning up the breakfast stuff with my mom and I swung by a gas station to get some chap stick. (The sun has been out strong and I sunburned my lips the day before; NOT FUN!) Well, I figured it would be a quick stop so I grabbed some cash from my wallet shoved it into my bag, opened my door, locked it, climbed out, shut it, and realized that my keys were in the car on the driver seat...
My keys, my cell phone, all of my stuff were locked in my vehicle, including the code for my keypad. I was around six or seven blocks from work, but I couldn't leave my vehicle parked at a gas station for eight hours. So I went in, found my chap stick, bought in, and in a cracking voice asked if they had a phone that I could use. I called my mom, who called a towing company to come and unlock it for me, then I called work and told my boss (also in a "just finished crying voice") that I would be late. Forty five minutes later I walked into work and my boss met me at the door. We talked for a while. "Things like this happen" "You took care of the over-time you put in" she said. But I went on to explain how busy I had been lately and how I was being stretched thin and how tired I was growing. She looked me in the eye and told me "God does not call us to do everything." The more I think about that statement, the more truth I find in it.
I over-committed myself and in doing so everything I was doing suffered. I need to second think things and start doing a lot more praying before I start committing myself to so many things. While I love to be involved, I need to things God's way, not my way.
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me." ~Erma Bombeck
Thursday, June 03, 2010
It's Summertime!!
Today feels like it was mixed up. My brothers got to go out to the farm to work heifers and I was watching 6-7 year olds all day! I have to say that I would have gladly switched places :) Oh well, I do love my current job.
I'm working in a day care this summer. I work with two other "teachers" and we have up to 25 kids in our class any given day. Since we've just started last week, the most we've had is 23, but still, it's a lot! They are crazy but I love all of them. They are all bright spots in my day, so I guess most of my days should be pretty good.
It's really crazy how fast some days go and how slowly others go. Man, I can't even remember what I did this morning because it went to fast! Oh yes, we had a field trip to Falls Park, which is Sioux Fall's Central Park. We had a lot of fun seeing the river and the cool scenery!
So how did a farm girl end up working in a daycare in the city? Well, the summer after my senior year, my grandpa decided that it was time that I worked in the 'real world,' aka working for someone who wasn't family. So, I set out on a job hunt! It wasn't something I enjoyed, but I needed a job. I wanted something that would give me experience in my area of interest: agriculture. Well, I asked around but nothing panned out.
One day I was talking to one of my friend's mom and she mentioned that the place where she taught preschool also had a school-age children's summer care ministry that was looking for one more person for the summer.I wasn't really enthused about 'babysitting' all summer, but I was in for a surprise! I interviewed with them and got the job. I experienced a lot of growth that summer and decided to go back if I was offered the job again. I was, so here I am today
Watching those munchkins may be exhausting, but I'm thankful for the opportunity and everything that I am learning while I am there. Hopefully I'll have a farm story soon!
P.S. My grandpa's horse had a colt last week! Now we just need a name!
I'm working in a day care this summer. I work with two other "teachers" and we have up to 25 kids in our class any given day. Since we've just started last week, the most we've had is 23, but still, it's a lot! They are crazy but I love all of them. They are all bright spots in my day, so I guess most of my days should be pretty good.
It's really crazy how fast some days go and how slowly others go. Man, I can't even remember what I did this morning because it went to fast! Oh yes, we had a field trip to Falls Park, which is Sioux Fall's Central Park. We had a lot of fun seeing the river and the cool scenery!
So how did a farm girl end up working in a daycare in the city? Well, the summer after my senior year, my grandpa decided that it was time that I worked in the 'real world,' aka working for someone who wasn't family. So, I set out on a job hunt! It wasn't something I enjoyed, but I needed a job. I wanted something that would give me experience in my area of interest: agriculture. Well, I asked around but nothing panned out.
One day I was talking to one of my friend's mom and she mentioned that the place where she taught preschool also had a school-age children's summer care ministry that was looking for one more person for the summer.I wasn't really enthused about 'babysitting' all summer, but I was in for a surprise! I interviewed with them and got the job. I experienced a lot of growth that summer and decided to go back if I was offered the job again. I was, so here I am today
Watching those munchkins may be exhausting, but I'm thankful for the opportunity and everything that I am learning while I am there. Hopefully I'll have a farm story soon!
P.S. My grandpa's horse had a colt last week! Now we just need a name!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Something to Think About
My sister surprised me a couple of days ago while I was hanging out with her and a couple of her friends. Somehow the topic of the HSUS came up, and she said "I've told you how she and my dad feel about those types of groups." Looking back on it, it makes me smile to know that my sister knows my views and has her own. (Actually, there are very few things that my Lil' Sis doesn't have opinions about).
So back to the topic of the HSUS. The Humane Society of the United States is a group that is focused on abolishing animal agriculture in the United States by using its huge support base to lobby in Washington D.C. and other major agriculture states.
Let's get two things straight: the HSUS has no affiliation with your local Humane Society animal shelter and the money that is sent to the HSUS helps this multimillion dollar organization with its payroll, advertisements, and lobbying efforts. In fact, less than 1% of every one dollar donated actually goes to animals that are in need of immediate assistance. I'm treading on thin ice even by saying that, because HSUS supporters will say that they are supporting government bills that will help all those animals.
As people begin to take sides, it is highly possible, probable actually, that there will be extremists and fighting will break out. It is inevitable when you have passionate people on both sides of the topic. However, when fighting breaks out, people become unreasonable and blind to the other side of the story.
My challenge to anyone who takes a side (which I believe should happen) is to stay reasonable and keep your head on straight. Take a stand but be quick to listen (and I mean ACTUALLY listen and be willing to think in their frame of mind) and be slow to anger. Remember that God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason.
Random Fact: There are about 3 cows to every person in South Dakota. With 75,884.64 square miles in South Dakota, that makes 9.9 people per square mile with around 29.7 cows per square mile.
**Apology for the strange background color. I don't really know what's going on and how to fix it.
**Apology for the strange background color. I don't really know what's going on and how to fix it.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
A Little Too Quickly
This past week has been great! I finished my first year of college and had an awesome time at my roommate's house. Yes, we accomplished our goal and took two lambs to her house (around 500 miles from school, I think).
Along with trekking halfway across the country with two lambs and a U-Haul trailer, we had a lot of fun doing lots of different activities. I was introduced to the world of the FFA organization and to the college town where my roommate will be living next year. I helped plant corn and I learned how to build a "satisfactory" barbed wire fence. There was also AI breeding going on, which I was able to observe. According to Elisa, I'm an official farm girl now : )
Life in her world is a little different than the life that I've lived. It was truly an eye-opening experience and I'm thankful that we had the time we had. One thing that I believe that everyone should have in life is a friend with different opinions than your own with whom you can agree to disagree but be willing to share your opinions in discussions. That's what Elisa and I shared. We spent a good two and a half hour drive discussing different things, including our opinions on Christianity. We come from two different denominations but our core values are the same: we are saved by Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross for us. By grace alone.
Now that the trip is done, it's time to look ahead. The rest of May will be a busy one, including a family trip to the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota, work at the daycare starting, and my sister's graduation tomorrow. On top of all of this, I hope that I can make trips out to my grandparent's house/dairy farm to ride my horse. I'm also going to be starting the Rosetta Stone program in hopes of honing my Spanish. Four years of Spanish in high school is not going to go to waste. I am planning on raising goats this summer, too, as extra money for college. I'll let you know how that all goes.
I want to draw attention to something that is going on in my gorgeous state right now. There are rumors (and it has been proven that they are only rumors) that a billboard was going to be put up by PETA claiming that beef is just as bad for a person as marijuana is. (SD Corn Blog - PETA Billboard) People in agriculture need to speak up for what they do, because if we don't others will speak for us and not how we want them to. They don't always realize what they are saying because they haven't heard our side. That is happening way too much, but there are people out there who are doing something about it. Check out the links on the side of the page for their take on agriculture.
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
It's Wrapping Up...Let the Adventure Begin!
Some say that college is an adventure, and while I agree with that, I think that this next week will be an adventure like none other. Right now I'm in the middle of packing my dorm room up and attempting to study for my last exam at the same time. It'll be sad to say goodbye to all of my friends here, but at the same time I think I'm ready for some home time.
So tomorrow night I'll be packing my vehicle up and my parents will be down to pick it up. Then I'll be helping my roommate pack her U-Haul trailer up. That's right, she rented a U-Haul. All her stuff is going in it, including a couch, so I guess it's justified. It'll be just the two of us driving nine-ish hours to her house...with two lambs in the back of the Escape. Yes, you just read that correctly, we are traveling with three week old lambs in the back of an Escape. I'll let you know how that goes.
Well, this is just a study break for me, so that's all I had. Everyone should check out the blog "Promoting Animal Agriculture to the Misinformed." There's a link for it on this page. It's pretty great.
So tomorrow night I'll be packing my vehicle up and my parents will be down to pick it up. Then I'll be helping my roommate pack her U-Haul trailer up. That's right, she rented a U-Haul. All her stuff is going in it, including a couch, so I guess it's justified. It'll be just the two of us driving nine-ish hours to her house...with two lambs in the back of the Escape. Yes, you just read that correctly, we are traveling with three week old lambs in the back of an Escape. I'll let you know how that goes.
Well, this is just a study break for me, so that's all I had. Everyone should check out the blog "Promoting Animal Agriculture to the Misinformed." There's a link for it on this page. It's pretty great.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
So right now my life is crazy! Absolutely nuts! Next week is finals and I'm supposed to be studying and packing but guess what...I'm procrastinating. Today I'm going to tell you about how I became involved with agriculture.
I grew up in South Dakota, which as you've probably gotten from the random facts I've posted, isn't very big. There aren't a lot of people but I did grow up in Sioux Falls. I attended a Christian high school and am very thankful to God for that education that I take for granted so easily.
I went through life believing I would be anything from a nurse to a teacher and back into something medical. If you had asked me when I was a freshman in high school what I wanted to do, I would have said I wanted to be a chiropractor. Agriculture had very little relevance in my life. My grandpa owned a dairy that I really liked to go and visit, but I never dreamed that I would end up wanting to be there most of my free time.
Following my freshman year, my parents told me that I needed a part time job. My dad recommended that I work for Grandpa. Well, let's just say that I fought it. I didn't really want to have a job in the first place, but I didn't feel like the farm was the place for me. I lost that battle. (Okay, I'm exaggerating. It wasn't anything near a battle, or even a fight, but there was some resistance.)
I ended up working on the farm that summer on Mondays and Tuesdays. My dad would drive me to my grandparent's house Sunday night and I would stay over until someone came and got me on Tuesday. While I was there I helped with the weekly vet. checks and BST shots that are given every other Tuesday to selected cows. (I may get into the BST/hormone discussion later.) During any free time I had I drove the Monster. The Monster happened to be a 76" riding mower with a 12-horse power engine. That thing could eat grass! Still can, actually. Along with that I helped with random jobs around the farm and became my grandpa's gopher (go fer this, go fer that). I learned so much, and when the next summer neared, I asked if I could come back. This continued through a third summer when I began to drive myself back and forth the thirty miles around four days a week. Along with all the previous duties mentioned, I was now helping work/process the heifers. That was the summer that I fell in love with agriculture. Checking the crops and cows and learning how to do things like check the oil in different machines and run skidloaders became something that I really enjoyed doing. That summer was the first time that I actually was in the pen helping when a calf needed to be pulled.
I love the sunshine and the smells and the people that are involved in agriculture. While I may not have grown up on a farm, it is in my blood. I love being able to do what God has given me the desire and passion to do. I am truly blessed.
Random Fact #3: A weather man in Sioux Falls, SD predicted that the Sioux Falls area would get 57.3" of snow by the end of April. Actual amount: 57.1" of snow!!
http://www.keloland.com/weather/snowfallpredictioncenter/
I grew up in South Dakota, which as you've probably gotten from the random facts I've posted, isn't very big. There aren't a lot of people but I did grow up in Sioux Falls. I attended a Christian high school and am very thankful to God for that education that I take for granted so easily.
I went through life believing I would be anything from a nurse to a teacher and back into something medical. If you had asked me when I was a freshman in high school what I wanted to do, I would have said I wanted to be a chiropractor. Agriculture had very little relevance in my life. My grandpa owned a dairy that I really liked to go and visit, but I never dreamed that I would end up wanting to be there most of my free time.
Following my freshman year, my parents told me that I needed a part time job. My dad recommended that I work for Grandpa. Well, let's just say that I fought it. I didn't really want to have a job in the first place, but I didn't feel like the farm was the place for me. I lost that battle. (Okay, I'm exaggerating. It wasn't anything near a battle, or even a fight, but there was some resistance.)
I ended up working on the farm that summer on Mondays and Tuesdays. My dad would drive me to my grandparent's house Sunday night and I would stay over until someone came and got me on Tuesday. While I was there I helped with the weekly vet. checks and BST shots that are given every other Tuesday to selected cows. (I may get into the BST/hormone discussion later.) During any free time I had I drove the Monster. The Monster happened to be a 76" riding mower with a 12-horse power engine. That thing could eat grass! Still can, actually. Along with that I helped with random jobs around the farm and became my grandpa's gopher (go fer this, go fer that). I learned so much, and when the next summer neared, I asked if I could come back. This continued through a third summer when I began to drive myself back and forth the thirty miles around four days a week. Along with all the previous duties mentioned, I was now helping work/process the heifers. That was the summer that I fell in love with agriculture. Checking the crops and cows and learning how to do things like check the oil in different machines and run skidloaders became something that I really enjoyed doing. That summer was the first time that I actually was in the pen helping when a calf needed to be pulled.
I love the sunshine and the smells and the people that are involved in agriculture. While I may not have grown up on a farm, it is in my blood. I love being able to do what God has given me the desire and passion to do. I am truly blessed.
Random Fact #3: A weather man in Sioux Falls, SD predicted that the Sioux Falls area would get 57.3" of snow by the end of April. Actual amount: 57.1" of snow!!
http://www.keloland.com/weather/snowfallpredictioncenter/
Monday, April 26, 2010
An Ag. Day to Remember
So here I'm continuing my "Spring Has Sprung" story. This one only goes back to Friday, so it's a little fresher in my mind and it makes me smile whenever I think about it.
My college experience as an ag. major has been a great one so far, but I have to say my favorite part of it all is the events that involve the Ag. Club and its activities. This past Friday was the annual Ag. Day. There were numerous committees that were involved with the planning of Ag. Day including an animal committee, a machinery committee, a food and serving committee, and an activities committee, which I was on.
Members of the Ag. Club set up Thursday night and at 6:30 Friday morning. One look outside my dorm window told me it would be an interesting day. Let's just say that the clouds were low and gray and it looked ready to pour down on us at any moment. Luckily for us, it held off just long enough.
Part of Ag. Day is when classes from the local elementary school come in and have guided tours. For some of them this day is their only exposure to agriculture even though agriculture was once the town's livelihood. So our goal is to fit the as many different areas of agriculture into an hour as we can.
Well, being a freshman and this being my first Ag. Day, it was interesting. Abigail, Cora, and I were told that we would be leading 'tours' for groups of ten 3rd graders...as they were lining up after getting off their bus. Talk about short notice. All was going well for the first bit. It was a sprinkling rain as we started the tours. Of course, the first thing all the kids wanted to see was the animals. So Abigail, Cora and I spaced our groups apart and began to talk to the kids about the different animals we had there, where they came from, and what their use was.
My group's first stop was in front of an Angus cow and calf pair. The pen that these two were in was made up of the cattle panels you often see on any farm, but they were hollow and weighed about fifteen to twenty pounds each. I (with all of my 5'6" frame) could easily handle one on my own even though it was as tall as I was and ten(ish) feet wide. These panels were not heavy duty at all! They were just asking for trouble.
Anyway, back to the cow and calf. Rachel stopped by because she knows more about beef cattle than I do and helped me answer the questions that my inquisitive third graders were asking. We made sure that they understood that these animals were not pets and they are not humans and that these cattle are mainly where we get our meat from. These are different from the cows that give us milk, which we would see later.
From there we moved on to goats and then to pigs. Well, let's just say that I have NO experience whatsoever with pigs, so I was hoping we could move onto the dairy heifers as quickly as possible.
My plans, however, were waylaid by a huge crash. As my group and I looked around to find the source of the sound, my eyes found it. It was kinda hard to miss. The Angus cow was knocking her pen over in an attempt to get out.
Now, under normal circumstances this may not have been as big of a deal as it was, but we were not on a farm, we were on the college campus parking lot and there were thirty little 3rd graders screaming, shouting, pointing, and scattering which aggravated the animal all the more. She succeeded in knocking the four panel pen onto one side and simply walked out.
I don't know if I've ever seen the ag. majors that were around move so fast. We did not want her to get away, so we formed a human fence and (with only a few mishaps) moved her and her calf back into the pen once it was righted.
Well, from there we returned to our groups of third graders and explained that that's what happens when animals get frightened and scared. They don't do that just because they are feeling mean (though I've known a few dairy cows that are exceptions to that rule), they do it because they are scared and want to get away from whatever they don't like. It was good for them to see.
What happened next made it all the more important for the kids to understand that this cow was scared out of her mind. Within a few minutes of her failed attempt at escape, the crazy thing tried to tip the pen over again. This time however, we had put someone by the pen to stand on the panels in case she tried that stunt again. Well, Matt was standing on the panel all right, but that wasn't going to stop her. She definitely wanted out. And so she tried to jump it, got stuck with her front legs over the bar, jumped again and this time got stuck with her belly on top of the panel, which made it partially collapse. At this point our biggest concern was getting her out without breaking a leg or hurting any of us.
Before we knew it her calf was running free without the cow, which was not helping the situation. We freed the cow but before we could form the human fence again, she took off running.
Now this was my first time working with a beef cow and calf and I found out that they are rather flighty. So while they slowed down behind a grove of trees, I was running on the other side in an attempt to get in front of them. I wasn't quite fast enough but by then there were some others helping me so we did catch her.The next task was to get her into a pen full of Angus heifers so that she would calm down until we could load her into a trailer and take her back to the farm.
Well, let's not forget the third graders. Now they were really concerned that we had a very angry cow on our hands and they wanted to make sure that that was NOT going to happen again. Well, we assured the kids that since the cow was with more cows, she would be fine until we could take her back to the farm. This seemed to satisfy them and we quickly moved on to see the rest of the animals before it started to rain.
We were able to show them all the animals quickly and do a craft with them before they left, which they really liked, but I think the highlight of their day was the cow getting out.
Our day was far from done, however. With the kids gone, the Ag. Club committees now focused on making the food that was for lunch. The officers had roasted a whole hog and so some people worked on pulling pork while others grilled pork patties and hamburgers. Cora, Abigail, and I were in charge of making sure the meat was ready to go when they needed it.
Then it started to rain. By the end of the serving time our coats were soaked, so we went inside to eat. Then it started to pour, so Ag. Day was done for all the visitors. Not for us, though. We still had to get our animals back to their farms and take all the fencing down and clean up the bedding in the parking lot. Needless to say we got very, very wet, but overall it was a really fun day. There were lots of memories made and some very good stories that will be told.
My college experience as an ag. major has been a great one so far, but I have to say my favorite part of it all is the events that involve the Ag. Club and its activities. This past Friday was the annual Ag. Day. There were numerous committees that were involved with the planning of Ag. Day including an animal committee, a machinery committee, a food and serving committee, and an activities committee, which I was on.
Members of the Ag. Club set up Thursday night and at 6:30 Friday morning. One look outside my dorm window told me it would be an interesting day. Let's just say that the clouds were low and gray and it looked ready to pour down on us at any moment. Luckily for us, it held off just long enough.
Part of Ag. Day is when classes from the local elementary school come in and have guided tours. For some of them this day is their only exposure to agriculture even though agriculture was once the town's livelihood. So our goal is to fit the as many different areas of agriculture into an hour as we can.
Well, being a freshman and this being my first Ag. Day, it was interesting. Abigail, Cora, and I were told that we would be leading 'tours' for groups of ten 3rd graders...as they were lining up after getting off their bus. Talk about short notice. All was going well for the first bit. It was a sprinkling rain as we started the tours. Of course, the first thing all the kids wanted to see was the animals. So Abigail, Cora and I spaced our groups apart and began to talk to the kids about the different animals we had there, where they came from, and what their use was.
My group's first stop was in front of an Angus cow and calf pair. The pen that these two were in was made up of the cattle panels you often see on any farm, but they were hollow and weighed about fifteen to twenty pounds each. I (with all of my 5'6" frame) could easily handle one on my own even though it was as tall as I was and ten(ish) feet wide. These panels were not heavy duty at all! They were just asking for trouble.
Anyway, back to the cow and calf. Rachel stopped by because she knows more about beef cattle than I do and helped me answer the questions that my inquisitive third graders were asking. We made sure that they understood that these animals were not pets and they are not humans and that these cattle are mainly where we get our meat from. These are different from the cows that give us milk, which we would see later.
From there we moved on to goats and then to pigs. Well, let's just say that I have NO experience whatsoever with pigs, so I was hoping we could move onto the dairy heifers as quickly as possible.
My plans, however, were waylaid by a huge crash. As my group and I looked around to find the source of the sound, my eyes found it. It was kinda hard to miss. The Angus cow was knocking her pen over in an attempt to get out.
Now, under normal circumstances this may not have been as big of a deal as it was, but we were not on a farm, we were on the college campus parking lot and there were thirty little 3rd graders screaming, shouting, pointing, and scattering which aggravated the animal all the more. She succeeded in knocking the four panel pen onto one side and simply walked out.
I don't know if I've ever seen the ag. majors that were around move so fast. We did not want her to get away, so we formed a human fence and (with only a few mishaps) moved her and her calf back into the pen once it was righted.
Well, from there we returned to our groups of third graders and explained that that's what happens when animals get frightened and scared. They don't do that just because they are feeling mean (though I've known a few dairy cows that are exceptions to that rule), they do it because they are scared and want to get away from whatever they don't like. It was good for them to see.
What happened next made it all the more important for the kids to understand that this cow was scared out of her mind. Within a few minutes of her failed attempt at escape, the crazy thing tried to tip the pen over again. This time however, we had put someone by the pen to stand on the panels in case she tried that stunt again. Well, Matt was standing on the panel all right, but that wasn't going to stop her. She definitely wanted out. And so she tried to jump it, got stuck with her front legs over the bar, jumped again and this time got stuck with her belly on top of the panel, which made it partially collapse. At this point our biggest concern was getting her out without breaking a leg or hurting any of us.
Before we knew it her calf was running free without the cow, which was not helping the situation. We freed the cow but before we could form the human fence again, she took off running.
Now this was my first time working with a beef cow and calf and I found out that they are rather flighty. So while they slowed down behind a grove of trees, I was running on the other side in an attempt to get in front of them. I wasn't quite fast enough but by then there were some others helping me so we did catch her.The next task was to get her into a pen full of Angus heifers so that she would calm down until we could load her into a trailer and take her back to the farm.
Well, let's not forget the third graders. Now they were really concerned that we had a very angry cow on our hands and they wanted to make sure that that was NOT going to happen again. Well, we assured the kids that since the cow was with more cows, she would be fine until we could take her back to the farm. This seemed to satisfy them and we quickly moved on to see the rest of the animals before it started to rain.
We were able to show them all the animals quickly and do a craft with them before they left, which they really liked, but I think the highlight of their day was the cow getting out.
Our day was far from done, however. With the kids gone, the Ag. Club committees now focused on making the food that was for lunch. The officers had roasted a whole hog and so some people worked on pulling pork while others grilled pork patties and hamburgers. Cora, Abigail, and I were in charge of making sure the meat was ready to go when they needed it.
Then it started to rain. By the end of the serving time our coats were soaked, so we went inside to eat. Then it started to pour, so Ag. Day was done for all the visitors. Not for us, though. We still had to get our animals back to their farms and take all the fencing down and clean up the bedding in the parking lot. Needless to say we got very, very wet, but overall it was a really fun day. There were lots of memories made and some very good stories that will be told.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Spring Has Sprung!
It has been really amazing to see the changes that occur in the springtime in NW Iowa. Sure, it's great in South Dakota too, but right now I'm experiencing it in a whole new way! Let me start earlier in the semester.
A week after spring break, which was in the middle of March, my Animal Science class received an assignment which required us to be in a group that would care for a group of ewes (sheep about to have lambs), a calf, or chicks. I was assigned to a group that would be caring for four ewes. The ewes had been bred prior to the college buying them and they were due to lamb out within the next two or three weeks. We had to feed them every morning and afternoon and keep their pens clean. It was an experience lab, and that's exactly what some of the students got, including myself.
About a two weeks into lambing, my roommate Elisa (also an Ag. Animal Science major) and I went out to the farm to do afternoon chores. We had just walked into the barn when we noticed that one of her ewes was in the process of lambing out, and so we decided to stick around and make sure that everything was going okay. Sometimes ewes need help because the lambs get so big that they can't come out on their own. That's the way life goes sometimes.
Well, that wasn't exactly the case with this ewe. Elisa and I ended up waiting with two more of our fellow ag. girls (Abigail and Rachel) for around a half an hour. Nothing happened. So my roommate put a full-arm sleeve on and went in the ewe's backside to investigate what was going on. The lamb was in the normal presentation (front feet then head coming out first), so we decided to wait for another half hour, more or less. Nothing happened. Half an hour later she went in again and found three legs. Now for those of you not familiar with most farm animals, this is NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN.
Well, at this point, the ewe was not very happy, so I got into the jug (a small pen for an individual ewe) and held her still (with the help of Abigail) so that Elisa could go in again and figure out what the heck was going on. She figured out that the she had two back legs and a front leg, leaving us to assume that there were either two lambs, or the single lamb was sandwiched in half and trying to come out all feet first, which doesn't work and is asking for trouble. Luckily for us, there were two lambs, but they were completely tangled and intertwined together.
Well, at this point we were all feeling a little out of our league because none of us had ever done anything with sheep. So we decided that it was time to call in our supervisor Mike. However, Mike was out to supper with his family and told us to handle it. So, out came the cell phones. At one point, we were using four cell phones to call everyone we could think of who might be able to give us directions on what to do. I'm not kidding when I say everyone. Calls were made to people clear across the country to the West Coast before we got a hold of someone who could tell us what to do.
Following instructions via a phone conversation, Elisa went back in to double check how things were doing and was able to untangle things a bit. Now one lamb was backward and the other was forward but turned on its side. Things had been going on for a while and the ewe was so tired she had stopped contracting. Using her knowledge from Animal Science, Rachel instructed Abigail and I to massage the ewe's udder which would cause her to produce oxytocin, which would cause her to contract. Finally, Elisa was able to turn the lamb with semi-normal presentation enough to pull it out. The lamb was alive but in the way, so we got it breathing, waited for the ewe to claim it, and them promptly moved it out of the way.
The next problem we faced was getting the second lamb out alive. We had been told that if we ever pulled a lamb backwards, it would be dead. We didn't want that, but it was too big to turn around and all our messing around inside the ewe had probably caused the umbilical cord to break, which meant that the lamb might already be breathing and already dead. It had to come out, and it had to come out with or without the ewe's help. So Elisa pulled hard and quick and the lamb slid out.
It was barely alive. In fact, it took both Elisa and I to get it to breath. We were sticking straw up its nose, pulling its navel (gently), rubbing it, and eventually picked it up and shook it gently in order to get the thing to breath. And it did. It was alive! After an hour of working together, our task was done and we had been successful!
And guess what happened right after we finished... 10-15 people (including Mike) walked into the barn as the ewe was claiming the other lamb! It was nice to have visitors, but the four of us were thankful that we had not had an audience to watch us doing something completely new and foreign to us. Sure, we had read about it in a book, but doing it yourself is the point of an experience lab, and that's what we got: an experience. It was great!
Well, I shall have to continue my spring tales in a later blog, but I have another story for you that happened just today! Look forward to it! I know I'm looking forward to telling it. God bless!
Psalm 8
A week after spring break, which was in the middle of March, my Animal Science class received an assignment which required us to be in a group that would care for a group of ewes (sheep about to have lambs), a calf, or chicks. I was assigned to a group that would be caring for four ewes. The ewes had been bred prior to the college buying them and they were due to lamb out within the next two or three weeks. We had to feed them every morning and afternoon and keep their pens clean. It was an experience lab, and that's exactly what some of the students got, including myself.
About a two weeks into lambing, my roommate Elisa (also an Ag. Animal Science major) and I went out to the farm to do afternoon chores. We had just walked into the barn when we noticed that one of her ewes was in the process of lambing out, and so we decided to stick around and make sure that everything was going okay. Sometimes ewes need help because the lambs get so big that they can't come out on their own. That's the way life goes sometimes.
Well, that wasn't exactly the case with this ewe. Elisa and I ended up waiting with two more of our fellow ag. girls (Abigail and Rachel) for around a half an hour. Nothing happened. So my roommate put a full-arm sleeve on and went in the ewe's backside to investigate what was going on. The lamb was in the normal presentation (front feet then head coming out first), so we decided to wait for another half hour, more or less. Nothing happened. Half an hour later she went in again and found three legs. Now for those of you not familiar with most farm animals, this is NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN.
Well, at this point, the ewe was not very happy, so I got into the jug (a small pen for an individual ewe) and held her still (with the help of Abigail) so that Elisa could go in again and figure out what the heck was going on. She figured out that the she had two back legs and a front leg, leaving us to assume that there were either two lambs, or the single lamb was sandwiched in half and trying to come out all feet first, which doesn't work and is asking for trouble. Luckily for us, there were two lambs, but they were completely tangled and intertwined together.
Well, at this point we were all feeling a little out of our league because none of us had ever done anything with sheep. So we decided that it was time to call in our supervisor Mike. However, Mike was out to supper with his family and told us to handle it. So, out came the cell phones. At one point, we were using four cell phones to call everyone we could think of who might be able to give us directions on what to do. I'm not kidding when I say everyone. Calls were made to people clear across the country to the West Coast before we got a hold of someone who could tell us what to do.
Following instructions via a phone conversation, Elisa went back in to double check how things were doing and was able to untangle things a bit. Now one lamb was backward and the other was forward but turned on its side. Things had been going on for a while and the ewe was so tired she had stopped contracting. Using her knowledge from Animal Science, Rachel instructed Abigail and I to massage the ewe's udder which would cause her to produce oxytocin, which would cause her to contract. Finally, Elisa was able to turn the lamb with semi-normal presentation enough to pull it out. The lamb was alive but in the way, so we got it breathing, waited for the ewe to claim it, and them promptly moved it out of the way.
The next problem we faced was getting the second lamb out alive. We had been told that if we ever pulled a lamb backwards, it would be dead. We didn't want that, but it was too big to turn around and all our messing around inside the ewe had probably caused the umbilical cord to break, which meant that the lamb might already be breathing and already dead. It had to come out, and it had to come out with or without the ewe's help. So Elisa pulled hard and quick and the lamb slid out.
It was barely alive. In fact, it took both Elisa and I to get it to breath. We were sticking straw up its nose, pulling its navel (gently), rubbing it, and eventually picked it up and shook it gently in order to get the thing to breath. And it did. It was alive! After an hour of working together, our task was done and we had been successful!
And guess what happened right after we finished... 10-15 people (including Mike) walked into the barn as the ewe was claiming the other lamb! It was nice to have visitors, but the four of us were thankful that we had not had an audience to watch us doing something completely new and foreign to us. Sure, we had read about it in a book, but doing it yourself is the point of an experience lab, and that's what we got: an experience. It was great!
Well, I shall have to continue my spring tales in a later blog, but I have another story for you that happened just today! Look forward to it! I know I'm looking forward to telling it. God bless!
Psalm 8
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Don't Let Your Education Get in the Way of Your Education
I love that saying. It's something I've heard quite frequently since coming to college and after tonight, I have to say that I agree with it wholeheartedly. The freshmen in Animal Science have a test tomorrow and so we got a big group together to "study." Needless to say, we goofed around more than hard-core studying, but we did throw random facts into our conversations. It's a lot of fun to be in a major where people are friendly and really laid back.
On Monday in my Animal Science class, however, we were much more focused. The discussion was over a video the professor showed last week Friday. It discussed how the world views animals and the different 'extremes' found in different cultures. Here in America, for example, we have people who participate in "canned hunting," which consists of "hunting penned animals. On the other end of the spectrum, we have people who bury their pets in cemeteries and keep them well-maintained (we're talking flowers, memorials, elaborate gravestones, the whole shabang).
One thing our professor warned the class against was using the terms "finding the middle-ground," or something like that. By saying that, we are insinuating that we are compromising what we believe in order to make both parties happy.
So what do I believe? I believe that humans and animals are NOT equal, but that humans were given a mandate from God to rule over the animals(1). I also believe that that duty calls for respect to those under us. God gave humans animals as food. This is clearly stated in Genesis 9:3.
We dug deeper into the subject and were in a pretty intense discussion when it was time to end class, so we are going to pick up on it later, but it was one of those times where it wasn't so much about the professor (I really need to come up with an anonymous name for him) teaching us as it was the students figuring things out for themselves and where they stand on some issues that are big in America right now.
There's lot's of stories that could accompany students figuring things out for themselves, but that will have to wait for a different night, as I am running behind in my homework.
Random Fact #2 - The population of Sioux Falls, SD, is 123,975, and it is the largest city in So. Dak.
(1) Genesis 1:28
On Monday in my Animal Science class, however, we were much more focused. The discussion was over a video the professor showed last week Friday. It discussed how the world views animals and the different 'extremes' found in different cultures. Here in America, for example, we have people who participate in "canned hunting," which consists of "hunting penned animals. On the other end of the spectrum, we have people who bury their pets in cemeteries and keep them well-maintained (we're talking flowers, memorials, elaborate gravestones, the whole shabang).
One thing our professor warned the class against was using the terms "finding the middle-ground," or something like that. By saying that, we are insinuating that we are compromising what we believe in order to make both parties happy.
So what do I believe? I believe that humans and animals are NOT equal, but that humans were given a mandate from God to rule over the animals(1). I also believe that that duty calls for respect to those under us. God gave humans animals as food. This is clearly stated in Genesis 9:3.
We dug deeper into the subject and were in a pretty intense discussion when it was time to end class, so we are going to pick up on it later, but it was one of those times where it wasn't so much about the professor (I really need to come up with an anonymous name for him) teaching us as it was the students figuring things out for themselves and where they stand on some issues that are big in America right now.
There's lot's of stories that could accompany students figuring things out for themselves, but that will have to wait for a different night, as I am running behind in my homework.
Random Fact #2 - The population of Sioux Falls, SD, is 123,975, and it is the largest city in So. Dak.
(1) Genesis 1:28
Monday, April 19, 2010
Fighting Procrastination and Losing the Battle
Perhaps its something that all current and former students can identify with: finals are two weeks away, there are tons of tests and papers this week, and I have no motivation to do any of it (though I will). Hence the starting of this blog. It's been something that I've been meaning to do for a while now, but haven't had the time. Now, of course, when I don't have any time to spare, I make time because I don't want to do anything else. I want this blog to focus on what it's like to be a farm girl growing up in a world that is turning anti-animal ag. faster than you can ever imagine! It's really crazy and thanks to my dad, other family members, friends, and professors, I'm beginning to take a stand against the things that are threatening the way of life that I love. Let's get something straight: I fully believe that agriculture is not just a career or profession, it is a way of life! There's something about it that can't be put into words. Maybe through this blog, you, the readers, can catch a slight glimpse of what life in agriculture is all about and why the people involved love it like we do.
Random Fact #1 - South Dakota has a population of 812,383. (July 2009)
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