The Leftovers…

Most of the cow breeding herd and young calves in Nebraska garnish the bulk of their winter nourishment grazing the leftovers of crop fields.  The roughage and corn that remain in the field after harvest (the leftovers) provide an important source of winter feed for cattle.

A group of 8 month old calves grazing the corn and alfalfa field north of the feed yard last fall…

During corn, soybean, and wheat harvest, some of the forage of the plants along with a small amount of grain is left in the field.  This feed can either be baled for future feed use, or can be grazed by cattle.  On our farm, most is baled for future feed use at the feed yard, but we do use about 100 acres for fall cattle grazing and winter horse grazing.

Wheat straw that is baled and waiting to be transported from the field to the feed yard…

When the tulips bravely show their heads and the alfalfa begins to green, it is time to take down the portable winter fences that were needed to keep the cattle and horses in the correct fields while grazing.  These fences must be taken down before my favorite farmer and his crew can begin spring farm work.

The temporary winter fence on the field by my house…

One of the fields that is used for grazing is just west of our house.  Archie helps me to fence the field so that my horses can get their winter feed from the leftovers.  My horses love to have a large space to graze all winter and it saves me feed resources to have them spend November to April grazing the stubble that is left in the field.

Out grazing on a beautiful winter morning…

Ensuring that the leftover feed is used by our livestock plays an important role in the sustainability of our farm.  The goal is to minimize waste, and the cattle are very helpful at accomplishing this.

The majority of what I feed my cattle is not the primary harvest crop.  Corn stalks and wheat stubble are baled after harvest and provide the main source of forage or roughage in the feed yard casserole.  Additionally, a significantly large part of that casserole is Wet Distillers Grains which is what is left of the corn after ethanol has been extracted.

The great recyclers!

Cattle are great recyclers—whether they are grazing a corn stalk field after harvest or eating those leftovers once they have been transported to the feed yard.

The beauty of spring…

When the tulips begin to bloom in my front yard, my horses lose their winter grazing pasture.  As Dandy whinnies from the gate, my favorite teenager and I take out the fence posts so that Archie can roll up the wire and Matt can begin to farm.

Taking out the fence posts last weekend…

Helping me to take down fence is one of Ashley Grace’s favorite chores because I let her practice her driving skills on the alfalfa field while I take out the fence.  Together we make a great team!

Making memories while doing chores…

As spring descends on Nebraska, I am thankful for both the resilience of our land and the winter feed that it has provided for our animals.  Our cattle and horses are big fans of leftovers!

National Ag Day…

If you had asked me 20 years ago what the letters Ag stood for, I would not have been able to tell you.  Those initials represented a community of people that I seldom ran across in the swimming pools of South Florida.

This week our country celebrated National Ag Day and many social media posts thanking farmers permeated the cyber sphere.  I have no memory as a child of being any more aware of National Ag Day than the term Ag.  Today, I wonder how many people outside of farmers celebrated this special day?

Sometimes you just have to take the plunge…

As I think about our farm and what Matt and I have worked for over the past 16 years, I feel a myriad of emotions.  Most of all, I marvel at the maturity and the insight that I have gained.  I find myself struggling to remember the 22 year old young woman that moved to Nebraska and set out to learn how to be the Boss Lady at the cattle feed yard.

He teaches me compassion and compels me to understand his needs…

While I am sure that parts of me (namely the stubbornness and determination) are still relatively prominent, I look at the world very differently today than I did when I moved to Nebraska in 1997.  As I remember the girl with unusual dreams and stars in her eyes, I marvel at her confidence.

I have loved him more than half my life…

Youthful optimism is a powerful mental tool—Just as I never doubted that Matt and I were meant to build a life together, I also never doubted that I could learn to be a good cattle caregiver.  As I became successful at the feed yard, I began to broaden my spectrum and to work in a volunteer status to improve cattle care practices through the Beef Quality Assurance program.

My belief was so strong that I never looked back…

Quite honestly, it never occurred to me that I would fail.  That is the beauty of youthful passion and faith.   Through the years, it seems as though maturity has replaced that youthful confidence. Today, as I look at agriculture from the eyes of a 38 year old mother of three, there are days that I can no longer find the stars that used to inhabit my eyes.  A myriad of challenges threaten to replace those stars with doubts.

• Mother Nature
• Volatile commodity markets
• Pressures from both increased government regulations and activist groups
• Lack of unity within the agricultural community
• Lack of trust between farmers and urbanites

In particular, the last three weigh heavily on my “not so youthful” optimism. Quite frankly, I worry about this at night when I should be sleeping.  I find myself imploring both farmers and non-farmers to open up the needed conversation regarding food animal production practices.

Caring for our animals is much easier for us than sharing how we care with you–it is the nature of the cowboy to be introverted…

I feel the tremendous need for this conversation at the same time that my heart is concerned that it may be too late, or that we will not be able to see through the emotion clearly enough to respect each other and have a meaningful conversation.

When I look at her, I see the optimism and confidence of youth…

As I celebrate National Ag Day in 2013, I look to my faith and to my children to give me the needed strength to keep moving forward.  I look into my girls’ eyes and draw on that optimism that so closely resembles what I used to see when I looked in the mirror.  I recharge my soul with the knowledge that this challenge is too important for us to not be successful.  I pray that we can come together as a country to find a sustainable and appropriate blend of food production systems in order to ensure the security of our future.

We must always look for the beauty in one another…

Today, in honor of National Ag Day, don’t just thank the farmer—ask questions and help start the conversation.

Empowering Myself as a Woman Entrepreneur…

I remember vividly as a child listening to my grandfather say, “Anne, strive to be unemployable!”  My grandfather’s definition of a successful entrepreneur was someone who owns and operates a personal business.  He wanted me to be my own Boss Lady.

December 2012 at age 91 with my girls…

Last week when I was speaking to a group of young women involved in the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Nebraska, I was asked to define a successful entrepreneur.  While my grandfather’s words circled around in my head, they were not the ones that came out of my mouth when I answered the question.

Answering questions at the panel discussion…

While I have most definitely followed my grandfather’s advice by running my own business, that is not what drives me as a woman.  Consequently, I found myself giving the group of young women entrepreneurs different words of wisdom.  I told them:

Figure out what your talents and strengths are, then, go out and find the best way to share them in order to be a positive contributor to your community and your country.

I continued with:

When my life is over and I leave this world, I do not want to have any part of myself left.  I want to have used all of my gifts and talents in order to have made a positive difference.

This is my goal in life and my definition of success.  It explains why I spend so much of my time working on volunteer projects while also owning and managing a small business.  As one of only a small number of women who owns and manages a cattle feed yard, it is likely that others would define me as a unique entrepreneur, but that’s not all that makes me tick…

I often speak my mind but it is only because I want to invoke positive change…

I am indeed proud that I am the boss lady at the feed yard; however, I am most proud of the work that I do to both advance cattle welfare and make improvements in the beef community at large.  I do this while simultaneously being an active member in my community and raising my children with the core values that they will need in order to be positive contributors.

That’s what really makes me tick…

 In my heart, I am a determined woman who believes in making my life journey be one of hard work and outreach.   That’s what makes me get out of bed in the morning.

Factory Farmer or Faithful Farmer?

I asked around a bit in social media circles last week looking for a definition of Factory Farm as it pertains to cattle.  I was curious given that I had just read Fast Food Nation and had Mr. Schlosser’s description pretty clearly imprinted on my mind.

An aerial view of my feed yard…

Here is a list that I gathered of the general specifications of a cattle factory farm:

• The cattle live in dirt pens.
• The cattle are fed by a tractor or some other type of machinery with the feed placed in feedbunks.
• The cattle are fed corn or some derivative of corn in addition to forages.
• There are more cattle per acre than in a pasture grazing situation.
• The higher concentration of cattle produces an odor or smell.
• The farm is classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation).

My feed yard fits each one of those specifications.

I am concerned that an ever growing number of people believe that any animal that lives on a Factory Farm is abused and has a terrible life.  Additionally, many also believe that a Factory Farmer (someone who works on a factory farm) either has no integrity or is being unhappily forced into working there.

Dartmouth College graduation with my husband and my brother: just a week before becoming a “factory farmer”…

I certainly hope that I have not spent the last 16 years of my life sacrificing my integrity, abusing my animals, and teaching my children to hate our farm…

I feel a God-given need to offer good care to my animals.

I feel a relentless drive to raise safe and healthy beef which I feed to my family as well as to yours…

I feel a responsibility to care for the natural resources that make up our farm: to use them wisely so that our land can be both productive and beautiful…

I feel a passion to work for constant improvement so that my animals prosper and do their job of growing beef…

I feel a desire to share my hard work and values with my daughters so that they learn to appreciate their food and what it takes to grow it…

I believe that my life is one of beauty and devotion.  Perhaps if those that coined the term Factory Farming really understood me, my family, and my farm I would instead be called a Faithful Farmer…

What do you think?

Growing Food: The Truth, The Way, The Life…

Over the past couple of weeks, I have had the opportunity to expand my perspective by interacting with some new and wonderful people.  It is experiences like these that allow me to broaden my spectrum and think critically about my farm.

Understanding them is critical to providing quality and appropriate welfare…Being about to articulate all of the things that go into that understanding and care is even more challenging.

Have you ever tried to explain your life’s passion to someone that you have never met?  Can you greet strangers who share different food philosophies and find common ground and respect?  If you can, what results is a beautiful sharing of ideas and a cascade of personal growth.

Today, I would like to introduce all of you to John Suscovich of Connecticut.  In 2011, John and his wife Kate left their jobs in New York City and journeyed 5500 miles across the United States from NY to Seattle to San Diego on their bicycles in order to learn about family farms.

John and Kate on their trek…

John followed his passion as he ventured across the United States gaining knowledge about farming, so that he could return to Connecticut and live out his dream.  John and Kate personify the American Way and I have so much respect for what they have done.

John, at work on a CSA…

• Many of you Feed Yard Foodie followers have a slow foods philosophy:  You grow some of your own food, try to locally source the food that you do not grow, and have reservations about modern food production systems.
• Many of you are also curious about how a feed yard operates even though it is a modern food production system.
• Each one of you gives of your precious time to try to understand the perspective of this cattle feed yard boss lady.
  

  You all motivate to always do my best…

I want all of you to know how much that truly touches my heart.  I understand the leap of faith that each one of you has taken and I am humbly grateful.  Your quiet respect and interest gives me hope, and compels me to achieve excellence with every passing day.

I have to admit that John is ahead of me on this one–I prefer my quarter horse!

John is currently building his own pasture-raised chicken and herb CSA farm.  At the same time, he is recording weekly podcasts about farming to help others to gain the needed knowledge to be able to begin a life in agriculture.  A couple of weeks ago, John asked me to participate in a podcast.

The slow foods CSA farmer meets the cattle feed yard boss lady…

It proved to be a meeting of minds, and an incredibly rewarding experience.  I hope that each of you will take an hour out of your busy lives to listen to John and I as we search for common ground and talk about what it takes to grow food. Click on the link below to go directly to the podcast.

http://www.farmmarketingsolutions.com/?powerpress_embed=552-podcast&powerpress_player=default

Or click on this link to see both the written introduction and the podcast.

http://www.farmmarketingsolutions.com/gfp-007-anne-burkholder-of-will-feed-traveling-outside-your-comfort-zone-to-gain-perspective-and-reduce-stress/

CNN Eatocracy…

Calling all Feed Yard Foodie followers!  Head over to CNN’s Eatocracy site to see a neat article on Winter Chores…

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2013/02/11/when-the-fields-are-frozen-over-theres-still-plenty-of-work-to-be-done/

Writer, Ryan Goodman, includes links to many farmer blog posts to explain what happens during the winter months to help grow food.  I am very excited to be included in the post!

Winter chores are one of the wonderful things that we share…

What is your favorite winter chore?

Winter Chores…

“Mama always prays for a nice, pretty, brown Christmas”.  These were the words of my middle daughter when she was about 4 years old.  She was solemnly telling a friend that her Mama did not like it to snow on Christmas.

It is hard to believe that she used to be this little!

In Nebraska during the winter, there is a choice of two colors outdoors: brown and white.  While the white can be very aesthetically pleasing, snow brings extra work.  While the brown color is not as pretty, it makes chores a lot easier to do!

Six years later, she spends many sunrises with me helping to exercise calves at the feed yard…

During my years in New Hampshire at Dartmouth College, I loved the snow.  As a native Floridian, it fascinated me.  When I moved to Nebraska, my perception changed. Snow no longer represented simple beauty, it’s presence brought added work!

My winter “outfit”…

Being the boss lady, it is my responsibility to ensure that our cattle receive good care every single day.  In particular, the feed yard is busy during the fall and winter months when animals are moved off of grass pastures as the natural growing season comes to an end.  As the days get shorter and the temperatures get colder, good animal care takes more work.  Providing fresh feed and water, along with good living conditions for the cattle, is a priority for me.

Our goal is exceptional care—every single day…

Last week I was asked by a reader to talk about “winter chores”.  Here is a quick run-down on what my crew and I do each day during the winter as we don our coveralls and layers of clothes in order to care for our cattle.

Cattle huddled up and waiting for the feed truck on a cold winter morning…

Reading bunks and feeding cattle:  My foreman (Doug) and I both read bunks about 6:00am every morning in order to determine how many pounds of feed each animal will receive on our farm that day.  Feed trucks are running by 6:30 and breakfast is delivered by 9:00am.  My daughters call our afternoon feeding linner (a cross between lunch and dinner), and it is delivered between 2:00pm and 4:00pm.

The Breakfast Wagon!

Exercising calves:  I exercise and acclimate newly arrived cattle at the feed yard for the first 4-7 days in order to help them become accustomed to living in a new setting.  I do this in the morning before the cattle receive breakfast—during the winter it is usually dark outside! The following video shows the beginning of an exercising session where I ask the cattle to leave the home pen and enter the alleyway.

Processing/vaccinating newly arrived cattle:  Newly arrived cattle are vaccinated, ear tagged, and sometimes given a growth promoting implant within the first few days of arrival at the feed yard.  My crew and I do this in the middle of the day to try and take advantage of the “warmest hours”.

Jared, cleaning a pen using the tractor and box scraper…

Scraping pens: At our feed yard, Jared is in charge of cleaning or scraping pens in order to keep the home pens clean and provide good living conditions for the cattle.  The manure that is scraped off of the surfaced is used for fertilizer on our farm ground.  During the winter months, each pen is scraped 1X per month or more frequently depending on weather conditions.  With 24 pens, that means that he is scraping a pen almost every day.

When it’s reasonably warm outside we use the horse to “ride pens”–when it is cold many times we walk through the cattle checking health instead…

Riding pens or checking cattle: My cowboy or I check the health of all of our animals every day.  Depending on how cold it is, we either ride a horse or walk through the cattle on foot to check individual cattle health.  If an animal is sick, it will be pulled out of the home pen for further evaluation and most likely treated with an antibiotic.  Somewhere between 2- 5% of our cattle require antibiotic treatment for an illness.  We have a consulting veterinarian who helps us to ensure good cattle health and responsible antibiotic use.

These red angus steers are a few days from shipping to the packing plant. I look pretty small next to them!

Shipping cattle: We ship cattle to the packing plant approximately once every two weeks.  My crew and I load the cattle onto semi-trucks to travel to the packing plant.

A semi-truck used to transport cattle…

Receiving cattle: We get new cattle into the feed yard periodically as other cattle are shipped to the packing plant.  The new cattle come from neighboring ranches in Nebraska where they were born and spent the first 8-18 months of their lives.  I am my own cattle buyer so I travel to the home ranch to help load the cattle onto stock trailers or semi-trucks to bring them to the feed yard.

Newly arrived cattle on “stock trailers”…

My crew and I (there are four of us total) each spend an average of 50-60 hours a week during the winter providing care to our animals.  We all love what we do and strive for excellence every day.

Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.

Karen Ravn

Proving That We Care…

Just a couple of weeks ago, a social media friend forwarded me an email that she had received from a reader.  The email was a cry for help from a fellow mom.  It seems that her daughter, after repeatedly watching horrific videos of animal abuse on the internet, had refused to eat any animal products.

I do not have that added parenting challenge with my daughters because they help to raise the beef that we eat.

Concerned about both her daughter’s nutritional needs and the abusive videos, the mom was reaching out to online farmer bloggers in an attempt to find out the truth.  When I sent a link to several videos of my farm to the mom, she responded “Why can’t I find these when I search on YouTube?  These are the types of videos that we need to see!”

The short answer to that question is that search results on YouTube are ranked according to number of views.  This means that the more views a video has, the more likely that it will show up when you search a topic.  I have uploaded four “home-made” videos to YouTube over the last year—they have a total of only 1500 views.

This one is my favorite–it is my 10 year old cowgirl/chef exercising cattle at the feed yard to the tune of her favorite song “Fly Over States”.

• I love this video because I am proud of my daughter and what a great cattle caregiver she is becoming.
• I love this video because it shows the simplicity of good cattle handling.
• I love this video because of the calf with the white spot on his head that kept asking Megan “do I have to” when she asked him to move.  Megan frequently looks at me asking the same question…
  

  Where did the trust go?

Twenty years ago, trust existed throughout the food production system.  Farmers were viewed positively, and those outside of the farm believed that farmers had integrity.  Today, that trust is gone.  I believe that this loss of trust is one of the biggest travesties currently affecting our great country.  Quite simply, it hurts my heart to know that many people do not trust that I care.

My brain recognizes that it is my duty to not only care, but also to document that care in an attempt to rebuild that trust.  The daily care that I offer to my animals is now accompanied by record keeping and documentation that will verify that I not only care, but that I am competent in that care.

My other job—paper work!

Animal Care is the second pillar of the Progressive Beef program.  It is one that I believe in with every fiber of my being.  Outstanding animal care is a trademark of my feed yard.  Progressive Beef has provided me with both a documentation trail, and also a third party independent audit to bring additional integrity to my promise of high quality animal care.

Rest assured that you can feel good about feeding my beef to your family—it came from healthy and humanely raised animals.  You don’t have to just take my word for it!

I feel the capacity to care is the thing which gives life its deepest significance.

Pablo Casals