February Notes

Seth spent FFA Week in Delaware giving workshops and speeches. We saw him wading in the Atlantic Ocean on Facebook. Delaware has 8,000 FFA members. Seth feels overwhelmed trying to make an impact on kids he sees only briefly. He’s had conversations with rural poor white students in Tennessee and black inner city youth in Delaware. He said in an email, “The needs are great.” 

We had a terrible wind a couple of days this week. It was a mess feeding the herd - straw chaff and hay leaves drilled into every pore. It takes a full day and night to clear your eyes. Where did I lay those goggles?

Mark and I got some wood split before calving started. I ran the splitter, a hydraulic wonder that bites through huge blocks with ease. I kept thinking how Dad would have loved one of these babies. Mark said, “You’ll have to tell your Dad you’re not so sure if you like it. It makes splitting wood women’s work!”

On the first real calving day we had two sets of twins. One set was fine, the other set was born dead. It was an eventful day as well when Mark got chased across the pasture by a heifer. That’s unusual. We select for a calm temperament, but sometimes the motherly instinct kicks in with a vengeance during calving. Her calf was born dead as well. Seems we always start off with a few problems since those kind come early. 

And so February fades into March. We got five calves last night so we’re off and running.

                                                                                               Thanks Delaware FFA for the photos!