Living the Country Life

Betsy's Backyard Blog

Betsy Freese is the editor-in-chief of Living the Country Life and executive editor of Successful Farming. She grew up on a fruit farm in Maryland (see www.strawberryfarm.com) and moved to the Midwest to get an agricultural journalism degree from Iowa State University. She and her husband, Bob, a veterinarian, have three children and own a farm where they raise sheep, hay, corn, and soybeans. 

September 18, 2012

Loren's new job

When I was a senior in college, I heard that Loren Kruse, managing editor of Successful Farming magazine, was coming to the journalism school to do "mock" interviews, a valuable training experience for students. I thought, "Mock, my foot -- I want to work for this guy." I put on the only suit I owned, grabbed my clip book of stories from an internship at the Delmarva Farmer, and sat down with Loren. He was kind and encouraging, but said he wasn't hiring at that time. However, he would call me if something opened up.

Months later, after I had graduated and taken another job, Loren called. He wondered if I wanted to interview for the job of Assistant Swine Editor. This is possibly the lowliest job in journalism, but I wanted it. The interview with Loren's boss didn't go great -- I lost my voice from nervousness among other things. But I was hired based on my clip book of stories, and Loren's faith in me.

Twenty eight years later, I am still at Meredith Corporation, the home of Successful Farming and Living the Country Life, and this is the first day that Loren is no longer here. He retired yesterday and took a new job as owner of Kruse Christmas Farm, Grundy Center, Iowa. His duties are to prune evergreens and play golf with his wife, Liz.

I owe Loren my job. He took a chance hiring a mouthy girl from Maryland. He supported and encouraged me every step of my career, providing wisdom and counsel. Thank you, my friend.

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September 17, 2012

Muscle cars

First, Bob trades a goat for an old car. (That foreign tin cup went to the scrap yard after many hassles with a junk license and removing the gas tank.) Next, he buys a 1968 Chevy Impala the color of our old refrigerator. This was not a goat trade, but it would have been worth at least eight. It only has a bit of rust here and there. To make it a trifecta of old cars, last night he hauled in a rusty yellow Buick Skylark with four flat tires and parked it by the barn.

The empty nest has become a full garage. Or junkyard.

September 12, 2012

Harvest

Combines are rolling 24 hours a day all across the country. The photo above is from Mike Lee in Mississippi.

Bob found more hay to bale yesterday, one basket of small alfalfa bales at our crop farm. That is it for the year. Now, please rain. We are even hoping for lots of snow this winter. Moisture, we need moisture.

Here is my corn crop -- two corn stalks that came up by the old root cellar. You can tell that I quit weeding months ago.

September 10, 2012

Hickory horned devil

My niece Tika Marie Siburt posted this photo on Facebook and I shared it with Living the Country Life fans. They loved it, although most had no idea what it was.

This is not something right out of a Chinese New Year's parade. It's a hickory horned devil, the larva of the regal or royal walnut moth, Citheronia regalis (Fabricius). When full grown it comes down from the trees to wander in search of a site for pupation. If you see one, move it to an area of soft soil or mulch where it can burrow.The regal moth is found throughout the eastern United States from Missouri to Massachusetts and southward to Texas and Florida. Tika lives in Maryland and her farm is full of walnut trees.

You can read more about the hickory horned devil here: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in209

September 7, 2012

How to prune

...like a redneck.

Oh, the sound of goat hooves on tin. All evening long.

September 6, 2012

Yard projects long overdue

I hired a landscaper to start work on our front yard. We remodeled our porch this summer and ripped out the old concrete sidewalk that went to the road. It looks like a giant mole went through our lawn. It was never level to begin with, and the drought made good grass die and deep-rooted weeds thrive. It's time for a complete make-over.

Mom sent me a packet of old photos recently, including this one from 1966. My sister, Molly, left, and I are washing something in the front yard of our Maryland farm. I think Mom just made up chores to keep us busy.

What struck me about this photo, aside from my crazy short bangs, is the general neglect of the lawn. I guess Mom was too busy with three young kids (my younger brother, Ross, was probably on her hip when she took the photo) to seed, weed, or mow the lawn.

The point is -- you will never have your place in perfect condition, so you tackle projects when you can. Now that Bob and I have an empty nest it's time to do something about our lawn. Most people who have visited our place would say we are 20 years late on the project.

September 5, 2012

5th cutting of alfalfa

Somehow, in the worst drought for our part of Iowa in 50 years, Bob made five cuttings of alfalfa. The last bales went in the barn after dark last night. Each cutting got smaller and smaller as the summer went on, but the quality was top notch. Our ewes will enjoy these nutritious green flakes of forage at lambing next spring.

September 4, 2012

Pond problems

Our pond is suffering from drought. The water level has dropped considerably, leaving some plants high and dry. The ewes graze around the edges in places they couldn't reach before. I haven't seen any dead fish, so the oxygen levels in the pond must be okay. We need lots of moisture this fall and winter to make up for the past year. A long, cold winter could be a disaster for the pond. Fingers crossed. Here are photos of the pond today, followed by a photo in a normal year.

The only green grass in our pasture this year is around the pond, so that is where you will find the ewes. You can see the brown pasture behind them. A spark would set it on fire.

Note the duck nesting box on the far shore, above the water line this year.

The photo below shows the nesting box on a normal year, submerged in water.

Before the drought.

August 30, 2012

Safety first

Two weeks ago a 16-year-old girl from our high school, Rachel Pruett, was killed baling hay on her grandparents' farm in Missouri. She was driving the tractor pulling a hay wagon on a hill when something happened and she ended up being crushed by the wagon. I can't imagine anything worse for a family to go through. My sons and daughter have spent many days on the hay wagon.

Safety should come first on farms. If your spouse or kids think you are doing too much nagging about safety (mine do), keep doing it.

Here is something fun for younger kids that can teach them about safety:

Now through October 1, 2012, visit the Safety tab <http://www.kubota.com/safety/TractorSafety.aspx> on Kubota.com to download Kubota’s “Ten Commandments of Tractor Safety” coloring book.

·       Each child, 12 and under, can select one page to color as his or her contest entry.

·       Next, scan and email the child’s entry, along with the parent’s name, child’s name, address and phone number to KubotaSafety@fleishman.com. Or mail the entry with the same information on a 3x5 card to 500 Capitol Mall, Suite 1850, Sacramento, CA 95814.

·       Entries will be judged on coloring skill in each of three age groups: 5 and under, ages 6 to 8, and ages 9 to 12.

·       In each category, one grand prize winner will be selected to win a $100 gift card and Kubota merchandise gift pack. Additionally, one first prize winner in each category will receive a Kubota merchandise gift pack.
 

August 29, 2012

Trading a goat for a car

I came home Monday night to see a junk car parked by the shop. I figured the owner of the dented Geo Prizm was in the barn choosing a lamb to butcher for a Mexican holiday. Turns out Bob traded a goat for the car. A elderly woman wanted to buy our spotted Nubian doe, Hillary. Bob made her a deal and took her old car instead. It still runs, although barely.

Bob says he's going to keep trading up and eventually end up with a new house. (We have two more goats, by the way, if you have something to trade.)

We get more hillbilly every day.

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