Spring!

When I was younger, summer was my favorite season of the year. Obliviously, the lack of school played a significant role in that conclusion.  I’m sure I wasn’t the only kid who dreamed of an endless summer vacation.  However, the wisdom I’ve collected in my advancing years have allowed me to appreciate more than just being able to sleep in on a week day.  My revelation is that I love spring and at the risk of sounding sappy, I love it because it’s all about new beginnings.  Think about it, we end the year with cold and snow and we begin the New Year with more snow and even lower temps.  When the sun starts shining a little warmer and the days get longer, it is the first time you get the sense that there is actually something new about the year.  Plus, it usually takes me a few months before I stop writing the wrong date. 

Spring on the farm is probably the reason I love the season the most.  After being buried under snow and stuck doing the same old chores day after day, sometimes the only thing that keeps us from going crazy is the prospect of warmer weather and new projects.  As most know, spring this year has been a bit unusual.  A few years ago, it hit 80 degrees on April 1^st and we all thought that was crazy.  Around St. Patrick’s, I wore shorts and t-shirts during evening chores.  As nice as the June-like temperatures were, it is also a bit disconcerting.  All the plants went and shot up nearly a month ahead of schedule and now threats of frost and lost crops are causing a lot of sleepless nights for crop growers in the Midwest. 

Nonetheless, the mild winter and early spring have certainly been good for the cows.  I can’t remember the last time our cattle have looked so good this early in the year.  Usually, it takes a good three months of pasture and green grass for them to shed out and replace lost winter weight.  I am most excited about our young stock.  They truly are some of the best looking heifer we’ve ever raised and the source of that success is easily identifiable: my mother. 

My mom truly is quintessential farm wife.  Beyond being an excellent cook and wonderfully supportive mother who somehow raised five children who are well-adjusted, well-behaved, good-looking (okay, I’ll stop now), my mom can really do it all on the farm.  She can run everything from the combine to the weed whacker and is also our resident plumber, electrician, and mechanic.  Mom grew up on a large vegetable farm in central Wisconsin.  Being the oldest of three kids, Mom was helping my grandpa fix irrigation systems and driving tractors as soon as her feet could reach the pedals.  It’s fun to go to the implement dealership with her because more often than not, she knows more about the parts we need than the guy behind the counter. 

About two years ago, Mom made the decision to give up her job and return to being a full time farmer.  It seemed a silly thing to do with the economy being as it is, but she’s never looked back.  With the last kid leaving for college this fall, my dad needed the extra help and things have really turned around.  One of the biggest downfalls of our dairy operation has been the management of our young stock.  The first six months of life is the most critical growing period for cattle.  Not only will it determine the height and weight of the animal, but proper development of the rumen will determine how efficiently a cow will process its feed not only making the cow more productive, but healthier in general.  After returning to the farm, Mom caught up all our registrations, got us back on monthly DHIA testing, and put our cows on a mating program that matches them to the best sires according to their genetics and traits.  She also keeps my dad on schedule, despite his whining he knows he couldn’t do it without her.  Let’s just say the results have certainly been worth the investments.  For as long as I can remember, ‘if only she were taller’ was the line that ended nearly every conversation about the quality of our animals.  We’ve always had the genetics to back up a good herd, but since we’ve revamped our feeding program, our animals actually look the part.

With the showing season soon approaching, trying to narrow down our show string is a welcome problem.  On the left is Nels-Vale Fulton Besty.  She was born December 5th and goes back to an a September Storm and one of our foundation dams.  Her great-granddam, Beebee, was a bit of a pet to us kids.  I won both my heifer and showmanship class with her.  My brother showed her granddam as a spring calf his first year in 4-H.  One of the benefits of having a smaller herd is the fact that we can remember all this about every animal.  I swear, my dad can look at a cow and tell what the weather was like and what he ate for lunch the day he bought her great-great-grandma twenty years ago, but he can’t keep his own kids names and birthdays strait.