Beginning to Grand

As our family has made friends showing sheep, it is interesting to me to watch the interactions between the breeders of the animals and the exhibitors. Hewlett Farms is a local sheep farm.  They have helped us more than we ever could have imagined with sheep we have bought from them and with sheep we have bought from other breeders Ed and Connie (aka the Night Watchman) have been an incredible wealth of knowledge for the boys and the whole family. I asked Ed for a story about their farm and he shared how their youngest son got started in the sheep business himself.  You can find them on Facebook at Hewlett Farms Sheep.

 At the Black and White sheep show and sale 2005 in Oklahoma City. The beginning happened, the idea, thought,and or an inclination at least to be or do something different. Not by me, or the night watchman but rather 11 year old son Curtis. He, while checking out the stock, and wandering through the aisles of lambs, proposed the question. Mom why don't we buy a Dorset Ewe? 

When she presented the same question to me, I still remember the pride of owning my first 4-H project and in no way was I going to deny him of the same. So, the ground rules were laid and he was off to select the ewes he liked. The only real rule was that he had to pay for it with his own savings.

When his first choice hit the auction block and blew by his limit and so did number two, he came to me head down and discouraged. So doing what any good father would, we set out together to find another and as luck would have it choice three was the winner. After the show, enroute home, the night watchman proceeds to tell me her only experience with Dorset sheep is they had one as kids and she never lambed. Oh no! I thought Curtis has just bought one and now she is not going to breed, and that just wont do, so that was the beginng of phase two: Get more Dorset ewes. 

A call to Mr Ross owner of Curtis's new ewe and a road trip later his flock was now two . Feeling good about the project a few months later at the Midwest Stud Ram sale in Sedalia, Missouri, we ask Curtis about the idea of buying a ram and a couple more ewes. We thought he could be starting his own registered flock and not cross breeding them. He thought about it for a short time and then was off to select his new stud Ram and much like earlier at auction time his ram selection went out of sight he thought. He said, "Now what? I don't like any others!" 

By this time the night watchman was in the game and she had a young March ram in mind. With quick discussion and convincing he was to be the one and by the end of the auction Curtis had added a stud ram later named Polar Express and two more ewe lambs. He was set, and phase three was put in place. The plan was nothing short of Genius. Breed the four ewes and take those lambs back to Midwest ram sale the very next year. 

The year seem to fly by and Polar Express, though small, finally got the job done and lambing time was smooth. Praise the Lord! Curtis now had 5 lambs, 3 ewes and 2 rams. He decided that he would take Polar and 2 ram lambs to Sedalia and while there buy a new stud ram. It seems so simple.

During the show luck was with Curtis, and when judge Clay Elliott made the final selections. Curtis's little flock had the Res Grand Dorest ram, a second to him in class and the first place yearling with Polar Express. The phone call back to the Night Watchman was exciting and she couldn't believe it. All that was left to do was buy the new stud ram and wouldn't you know the only one he selected, was the one he couldn't beat. That's right the Grand ram bred by Slack was the one his sights were on. 

With great anticipation we could hardly wait for the auction. It was a tough fight and more than he wanted to invest but the gavel fall proved Curtis meant business. The only fitting name for the new stud was simply Grand. In all endeavors, there is always risk, and with that Curtis had put it all on the line. We encouraged him to buy more ewes to spread the risk, which he did adding three more. The plan had worked so why change it and year two was to be much the same. Save back a few ewe lambs and sell the ram lambs. 

To save you all the drama year two was incredible. Grand's first lamb to be offered won the Black and White Dorest ewe show and sold well. Then on to Sedalia, Curtis was loaded for bear. He took three each rams and ewes all lambs. With the judge favoring our style, the lambs were unbeatable. Curtis carried both the Grand ram and Grand ewe ribbons out of the ring. The sale went just as well and Curtis's second year endeavor was in the black with room to spare. From just a simple idea 24 months before to a winning, profitable, program all thanks to breeders offering good animals and a great ram called GRAND. 

Ed Hewlett 
Hewlett Farms Sheep

Hardwork ALWAYS wins over High Prices

Over the years that my kids have been in 4-H showing livestock, I have met some pretty well spoken young people. Caitlyn Carnahan a student at NEO shared this on her Facebook page the other day. I asked permission to repost for all of you to share.  I would echo many of her thoughts as we enter a new show season and are shopping for this year's new projects.

I recently saw someone say that money will get you success, specifically in the livestock showing industry. This is very false and also true in a way. It is not all about money, and HARDWORK conquers all. In the end hardwork will lead you to success. Hardwork may not necessarily reflect on your winning in the showring on that day but it will prepare you to be the successful adult that you will become. 

 

With being in the livestock industry and the show industry, hardwork has gotten me a lot farther than what money has. Yes money can get you that high dollar, flashy animal but what is that teaching you? 

In the end hardwork is going to get you a lot farther in life and the real world than what money will. Money is temporary and hardwork is infinite and will last you a life time. With going into my last and 11th year showing, the hardwork that it has set within me and the life skills it has taught me is going to allow me to get far in life to help me accomplish my life goals. 

 

I have always had to do my own work with my show animals, from my first year showing a pig to my last showing sheep and cattle. Along this journey there have been people that have accused my family of not doing our own work, especially me myself. At my barn it has always been a group effort, however if my brother or I were not out in the barn my parents were not. Because of them I want to do all of my work with my animals so in the end if I do get the purple ribbon and get to stand in the winners circle I can say that I did my OWN work MYSELF. 

 

To me that is a big deal because my family did not have to pay someone to do the work I am very capable of doing. This following fall I started college at NEO and still had show animals at home. Yes, I was not there every single day to feed them or work with them. However, I made an effort to drive an hour one way every other day throughout the week and every weekend to just be home for 3 or 4 hours so I could get work in with my animals. After I would get finished I would drive back to Miami, Oklahoma to school. While all of this, I was one of the baton twirlers at NEO, having practice daily. And that fall at the Kansas State Fair I achieved one of my goals to get into the top five in showmanship.

 

 I was able to achieve this with my own hardwork, not with money or having the right name or because I knew a certain person. In college everyone pays the same amount, and those who have went above and beyond with their own hardwork were awarded scholarships. But in college if you do not have a drive and do not work hard then you will not be successful. So before you think that money will buy you success, go out and achieve your goals with hardwork so you can say, "THAT WAS ALL ME.

Flat Aggie 4-H Math

In an effort to make math more interesting for kids and to make my kids understand that math really is important, I have started a series of Farmer Math questions to go along with the Flat Aggie reports.  These are patterned after the blog Bedtime Math.  Some of the questions are easy enough for pre-schoolers and sometimes I come up with some to even challenge high school seniors.

These questions follow the report Flat Aggie Travels to Kansas to learn about 4-H.

1.  Flat Aggie saw 4-H Geology display boxes.  The boxes had 30 rocks, fossils and minerals on cards arranged in 6 rows.  How many cards were in each row?

2.  Flat Aggie saw 4-H Entomology (insect) collections.  The display box had 60 insects arranged in 12 different groups (orders).  On average, how many insects were in each group (order)?

3.  Flat Aggie saw a barn quilt in the Arts and Crafts division that measured two feet by two feet.  How many square feet was the barn quilt?

4.  In the clothing project, Flat Aggie learned about pricing an entire outfit.  He saw a nice outfit he wanted to wear to the school program.  The pants cost $22, the shirt was $10, the tie was $15, the socks cost $1, the shoes cost $30, and the belt cost $8.5.  What was the total cost of the outfit? 

5. If he wore it 20 times, what would the cost per wear be?

ANSWERS:
 1.) 5 cards  2.) 5 insects  3.) 4 square feet  4.) $86.50  5.) $4.33 

If you are a teacher or homeschooler that would like more information to go with the Flat Aggie reports, send me a message on my contact form.  Along with the report and the Farmer Math questions, we send each teacher an additional page of activities, crossword puzzles and sometimes a few hands on activities.

-A Kansas Farm Mom

Flat Aggie Learns about 4-H

JaelAnn Hoover and Keatynn Bull, members of the Kansas 4-H Youth Leadership Council, were honored to show Flat Aggie some of the fun things that the Kansas State Fair offers for 4-H’ers. 

  

The girls met Flat Aggie at the 4-H Centennial Hall, a building where some of over 30 4-H projects are displayed. Some of the projects that Flat Aggie saw were geology, where 4-H’ers learn about rocks and minerals; entomology, where 4-H’ers learn about insects; visual arts, where 4-H’ers make arts and crafts; and fiber arts, where 4-H’ers sew, crochet, quilt, and much more. Can you figure out which project is geology, entomology, visual arts, and fiber arts?

  

 As the girls showed Flat Aggie around, he found someone with a rocket and was curious if it could fly and learned that it could! Flat Aggie learned that the 4-H space tech project teaches 4-H’ers about how to build rockets, how to launch them, how to build rockets, and explore space through astronomy. Flat Aggie also learned that a lot of 4-H projects are related to STEM; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

After all this exploring, Flat Aggie needed to find a place to relax. The girls took Flat Aggie to the woodworking projects to see what they could find. The girls told Flat Aggie that the woodworking project allows 4-H’ers to learn how to make things out of wood. Flat Aggie found a house, but he was a bit too tall to fit through the door so he kept looking until he found an outdoor couch. Flat Aggie decided to test it out before continuing to explore.

As Flat Aggie explored, he also learned that many 4-H’ers enjoy the photography project where they can learn how to take quality pictures. Flat Aggie tried to count how many photos where on one side of the display, but he needs a little help; can you help Flat Aggie figure out how many photos there are?  How many photos are on each row? Can you add or multiply this to find the total number of photos?

Flat Aggie learned that some of these photos will be displayed at the Rock Springs 4-H Center in Junction City, Kansas. This is where several different 4-H events are held from camps to state events. Many 4-H’ers meet new friends at these events and can learn new things. The Kansas 4-H Youth Leadership Council hosts two events at Rock Springs; Campference which combines the fun of camping with conference-style classes, and the Kansas 4-H Youth Leadership Forum where 4-H’ers can learn about leadership and much more!

 

While at the 4-H Centennial Hall, Flat Aggie noticed someone with a #4HGROWN t-shirt and wondered where they got it. Flat Aggie asked and learned that they were being sold at the youth council booth. Flat Aggie made a friend, Cory Clover, and together they learned about the buymanship project where one looks for an outfit that will fit their budget and needs, buys the outfit, learns about proper care, and much more. Cory Clover tried something new and ended up buying a suit after being inspired by the garments sewn by 4-H’ers, otherwise known as constructed garments.

Flat Aggie couldn’t resist visiting the livestock barns with Cory Clover to see the different animals that 4-H’ers work with. Can you name these animals that Flat Aggie visited?

While looking at the livestock, Flat Aggie and Cory Clover ran into Wade Weber, Department Head for 4-H Youth Development and State 4-H Program Leader! Mr. Weber shared how excited he was to be the new department head and State 4-H program leader. Mr. Weber showed Flat Aggie and Cory Clover the Kansas State Fair Grand Drive and Supreme Drive past winners and explained that every 4-H’er is a winner because they are part of an organization where they can grow and learn.

Flat Aggie met lots of new friends and learned a lot about 4-H at the Kansas State Fair. Flat Aggie learned that with over 30 projects in Kansas, 4-H has something for everyone, even if you don’t live on a farm! If you think that 4-H is right for you, look around to find a club nearby! One way to learn more about 4-H near you is to look on social media. In Kansas, information can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even Snapchat! Another way to learn more about 4-H is to find an extension office. Join 4-H today and see how 4-H Grows Here!

Action Please Take Two

Those of you who have followed me for a long time know that my blogging has slowly declined over the years.  I mean I went from posting a recipe every single week to not posting anything other than Flat Aggie for the last six months.  Three years ago, two young ladies asked me to take #ActionPlease and coach their 4-H Livestock Skillathon Team.  This sounded like fun, challenging and best of all my oldest son LOVES this contest, so of course I said yes.  Somehow in saying yes, I also agreed to coaching the Livestock Quiz Bowl team for our extension district as well.

The first year I coached them the Skillathon team placed second at state.  And then the first place team decided not to go to the National contest, so the rest of that fall was spent trying to figure out what they had gotten me into and how to prepare them.  This took a serious amount of time for someone who already had a full time job and was only doing this as a volunteer.  They taught me a lot about being a coach, teacher and mentor.

The past fall, a team took me to the National 4-H Livestock Quiz Bowl competition.  We didn't have as much time to prepare, but the month we did, I was consumed with all things quiz bowl to the point I was told my other half didn't want to hear another word about it after the contest.  This group did extremely well as they ended the competition as National Reserve Champions.

So what does this have to do with my previous post?

These kids are much like my kid's 4-H club.  They don't back down from a challenge.

This group is extremely smart.
They are extremely driven.
They are excellent speakers.
They not only want to learn about livestock, but all things agriculture.
Less than 20% of the members involved with livestock skillathon and quiz bowl over the last three years have come from a full time farm and ranch.  They love agriculture, but they don't get to live it.
They are future consumers who know that food doesn't just come from a grocery store.

I have been working with them to become better agvocates along the way...sometimes directly, but more often indirectly.  Half the kids are teens who are already online and active on different social media channels.  From time to time, we have discussions about things they see that they know aren't true.  Sometimes, I send private messages to encourage them to take a second look at their reactions and they are getting much better.

We discuss HSUS.
They can know the difference between animal welfare and animal rights.
We discuss GMO's.
We have even discussed corn pollination. (Thanks to a team member with a 32 oz Coca-Cola habit and an eight ounce bladder and a six hour road trip.)  ;)
They are sometimes amazed and frustrated with how much math farmers do and that I can do it while they struggle.
They love science and try to challenge my knowledge all the time.

I would not be afraid to take any of them with me to speak about livestock production.  They know the ins and outs even though they only get to raise a handful of animals each year themselves.  They inspire me to Take Action more often.  They often push me to look at things they find online and help them to respond in a mature way.

Once again, are we missing the boat with these agvocates?  They are more social media savvy than my farmer for sure.  They care about an industry that they hope to be a part of some day.
Farmers and Ranchers I challenge you to Take Action Please!  If you aren't interested in sharing your farm story with the public, share it with your local 4-H and FFA members.  They can help us in an ever electronically based conversation.  They take the time to be online whether they have the time or not.  They are inspired by the generations that came before them and many want to get back to the farm like their grandparents before them.

Want to know more of why I love these kids?  I had almost forgotten about this letter I wrote to them a few years back and it still rings true with this group.  A Letter to My 4-H Kids

Action Please

I am not super organized most days, it is a product of my profession that is dictated by the crazy Kansas weather, animals, crops and pests, but when I do a presentation everything is planned.

I have taken a step away from actually going to schools over the last few years as my duties on the farm have evolved, my kids have gotten older and as I have grown Flat Aggie into across the nation learning tool with teachers from California, Kansas, North Carolina, Florida, Illinois and more learning from our paper doll friend.

Enter into my life the young 4-H club.  Young in two ways.  Number one, the club started in August as in seven months ago!  Number two, our oldest member is seventeen and our youngest member is seven which isn’t that uncommon, but our second oldest member just turned fourteen!

Enter in a new 4-H family who loves agriculture especially Hereford pigs.  The seven year old stood up at the last meeting and made a motion that the club do an ag day at the local school.  Did I mention there are currently only 12 members?  The local school is in a town of about 9,000 population which equates to about 475 students in Kindergarten through second grade.

Yes, there was a motion and a second and a unanimous yes vote.  My thoughts were Oh my!  Do they truly realize what they have agreed to?  Probably not, but they are learning quickly.  They are lucky to have a leader who has done a Kindergarten Field Day or two, been to Earth Day and has an extensive Barn of Books! 

A motion like that can spur a leader into action faster than anything else.  I want them to be successful.  I want the school to feel like they are getting a quality day of education.  I want Agriculture to look good great!

Can these kids do it? YES!

Will it be like when I present our farm to school kids?  No, but why does it have to be that way?

Will they tell a side of agriculture that I don’t see? Yes!  Did I mention only one-third of the club has a parent who farms full time?

Will the Kindergartner through second graders learn something new about the farm?  Absolutely!

Will they remember farmers and ranchers (aka 4-H members) are nice people who know a lot about their animals and crops?  We sure hope so.

Will these teachers find a new list of human resources in their community that they can call on when they have a question? Yes and I plan to introduce them to Flat Aggie as well.

Are the kids excited? YES!  Even the seven year olds-they may be the most excited to bring their animals to show their friends.  

Have they spurred me to action in a way I haven't been in quite awhile? Absolutely!

Am I worried?  Maybe a little, but as the days go by, we are getting everyone in the club on the same page and I have a few friends volunteering to come help out.

We all get caught up in everything needing to be perfect to tell the ag story.  Farmers have been told time and time again that if we don’t tell the story, someone else will and it could be someone who has never stepped foot in a pig pen or a corn field.  Maybe instead of working hard to turn introvert farmers into agvocates we are missing the boat!  Maybe we need to be working with the kids who love agriculture, but don’t get to live it every day to help tell our agriculture super story.

Maybe we need to remember to take action when some says please come talk to us.

Stay tuned...I have more to say about this subject.

10 Reasons You Know it is Fair Time -Guest Post

A guest post today from seasoned Fair Mom, Peggy Bellar who is watching the last of her kids finish 4-H this year.  

Tonight begins the last 4-H fair my kids will ever be entered in. 5 kids, a million animals, and 16 straight years of 4-H. WOW!  So here's to you and all the fair families. I couldn't sleep tonight and this popped in my head.

10 Reasons You Know it’s Fair Time
10. The woodworking project due tomorrow still has varnish drying tonight.
 9.  Cookies, breads, and cakes line all your counter space.
 8. You are tired of eating the foods project “rejects."
 7. All the kid’s clothes are covered in manure, dirt, sweat and animal drool.
 6. The only clean clothes left in the entire house are the winter coveralls hanging on the back door.
 5. You would die of embarrassment if anyone showed up unannounced at your house this week.
 4. It’s like 120 degrees.
 3. There are enough box fans going in one area to cool a small country.
 2. The animal who left its hoof print deep in your foot yesterday is now the reason you are crying in the sale ring.
 1. You realize the color of ribbon is not near as important as the memories you have collected.

Why do we do it? Guest Post

Mom's, your kids may not show cattle or any animals, but I'm betting you have had a similar discussion with your family.

In the world of 4-H and livestock showing, some families become more like family than friends.   Meet Lisa of Dream on Cattle, Company.  I was a second mom to her middle  daughter for the first part of Maine Anjou Junior Nationals last year and she was a second mom to my boys when she arrived and I had to go home to wheat harvest.  Her husband took my boys and heifer and treated them like one of the family.  We didn't know each other all that well last summer, but this summer I am glad to call them part of our show family.  She and I have come to support each other more than beside the show ring and here is her first attempt at blogging, if you like it leave a comment and share it to let her know.  -A Kansas Farm Mom

May 15, 2016
It had been a rough morning in the barns, if you have kids who show livestock then you understand what I’m talking about.  When you roll outside at 5:30 am to get chores done and animals taken care of, you can’t expect everything to go as planned or everyone to be chipper while doing it.
But on this morning, one of the girls was giving it her all to show us that she didn’t want to be there.  And Daddy took this attitude to task.  Which resulted in this rather loud declaration “I hate showing cattle and I never wanted to do it, why do you make me!”

Ah bless us all, here we go.  You’ve been there or you are raising angels and I’m jealous.  She doesn’t hate it but she doesn’t always love the work involved leading up to “show day.”  She’s a typical child in that she would prefer to do things the easy way and still get the glory somehow in the end.
So lucky for us, this was not a day when they had to be at school.  And lucky for her, about 2 hours later we had a “sit down.”  And during this meeting, which I had all the children attend, we discussed why our children will not be allowed to opt out of showing livestock.

It is what we do together.  Sure we love to watch them play sports or listen to them play piano/trumpet/clarinet but those activities are very kid-centered.  Not family-centered.  We all have a role when we show and we do what is necessary to help each other.  And we are TOGETHER which in this day, is a rare and special treat for us!
Showing livestock is how we have decided to teach our children about work ethic.  Off the farm and apart from being seriously hungry, I’m not sure how you teach today’s kids to work hard.  So on the farm, we get the luxury of being hard workers.  There is always something to do and never enough time/able bodies to do it.

Something else depends on you and your ability to finish the job.  It really isn’t an option to not feed or water.  And I am that mom that says, they eat/drink before you do.  Learn to put something in front of yourself.  Some might call it harsh, I call it leadership training 101.

The bottom line would it be easier on me to let her quit?  Yes perhaps in the short run, no one wants to deal with the whining, sighing and eye rolling (my personal fave).  But in the long run, she knows we are not giving in that easy.  Because I want her to feel success as an adult, I want her to set her sights on an impossible goal and get there, letting her quit is not an option!
I’m pretty clear with my kids that a purple ribbon or a grand champion would be an awesome reward but it doesn’t happen every day.  And furthermore it is one person’s opinion at one moment in time.  It won’t always go our way, actually rarely.

 My reward and theirs will be the lessons learned and the memories of all we did together.

One more show mom that I totally look up to sums up our weekends pretty well below.  Melissa Falkenstien of Falkenstien Family Show Goats is a show mom that I really admire and am proud to call her a friend/family.-KFM

If you liked this post you might like my Tribute to Livestock Show Moms, too.

If You Give a 4-H'er a Calf...

If you let your 4-H'er get a calf, they will fall in love with it.

If your 4-H'er falls in love with it, they'll want to spend lots of time with it.

If they want to spend lots of time with her, they'll get up at 5:55 am to go to feed her.

If they go to feed her, they'll want to brush her.

If they brush her, they'll think she needs a bath.

If she gets a bath once, they'll think she needs a bath every morning.

If they give her a bath, they'll want to blow dry her.

 

If you let them blow dry her, they will want a fan hung in the barn to keep her cool while they are at school.

If they get up to feed her to keep clean they will wear wind pants and a hoodie over school clothes.

If they wear clothes over their school clothes, you will have to pick them up at the barn because they won't come back to the house until they need to go to school.

If you pick them up at the barn, they will strip off the top layer of clothes as you drive them to school.

If they strip off the clothes, your truck will be full of clothes.

 

If  your truck is still full of clothes when he gets in after school, they will want to go back to the barn.

If they want to go back to the barn, you can make them do their homework before they visit the barn.  Homework will be done the fastest ever!

 

If they are more motivated to do their homework, they might reach their reading goal for the month before the last day of the month.

If they get their reading goal done before the last day of the month, you might let them show the calf at some shows.

If they make friends at the shows, they will want to go to more shows.

If they want to go to more shows, they will find there are other things to show other than cattle.

If they find there are other things to show, they will want another animal.

If they keep doing their homework, feeding and grooming the calf, you will let them them have a lamb and then you will find out what happens when you give a 4-H'er a lamb.