Somethin' Bout a Truck....

Since being down here, I have gotten to drive pickups, a tractor, the kubota, and cattle (of course). Last Friday, Mike trusted his life in my hands as I operated the post driver, which he taught me to drive just minutes earlier. He first explained the #1 rule --- don't run him over. Though I did kill the tractor within the first few seconds of running it, I didn't kill Mike. Needless to say, I chalked that up as a win.

Massey-Ferguson Post Driver....and Mike

I also got to work on Sunday because my steer calves needed to be rotated in their pastures again and the forage heights needed to be collected. It was only Greg (the foreman), Marc, and I working that day. It was great to get to work along side them and get to know them better. I really enjoy working with the whole crew of guys here. They are all so nice, helpful, and humorous. Sorry if I'm being a little redundant, but they are just a great group of guys and I'm thankful that I get to know and work with them this summer.

Peaches the cow has been sick for a week and wasn't eating. I looked deep into her eyes on Sunday, hoping and begging her to eat something, telling her that she would get better if she did. As I did this, she stood eerily still and bowed her head as if she was going to eat something. This morning we saw that she did!!! That's my girl!

Anyways, so on Sunday I got to help the boys hang tarps on the shades for the steer calves. My job was to drive the old, beat up, blue truck as close to the posts as I could so Marc could stand on the cab and nail down the tarp. I admit it wasn't the safest method, but we got the job done. Plus I got to earn the title of "Earnhart Junior Junior" because I'm not the best at navigating, that truck has stiff gas pedal, and I almost lost Marc. He says he will have me ready for NASCAR by the end of the summer.......we'll see about that.

the frog I found on our porch

Today, I rode in the kubota with Roger checking fences and, moving and checking on cattle. Throughout the day, I got to meet some animals I don't normally run into back home. In addition the frog I meet on the porch tonight, I came across 2 turtles, a coyote, a dead snake, a ground hog, and a white skunk. I'm definitely not in the suburbs anymore.

the rabbit that must live under our garage

Roger, Eileen, and I also got drenched in the rain storm. But Eileen and I took it as an opportunity to test out our dance moves. I felt like Chris Farley in Tommy Boy when he is being squirted with the water hose at the gas station.
Tommy Boy Dance Scene
Eileen and I also managed to get stuck in a muddy ditch. Once she got stuck, I jumped out of the kubota to help her but my feet slipped right out from under me and landing on my butt. After I finally was able to get up, I tried to pull her out but she ended up pulling me in...Long story short, we were covered in wet clay by the end of the day. We definitely make a great team!
Well that's all for now! I'm sure I'll have more adventures to tell you about tomorrow!

Taking the Bull by the Balls...I Mean Horns

So today was pretty interesting....but I'll recap yesterday for you real quick first. First, Eileen, Mike, and I weighed the heifers again. This round went a lot smoother than the morning before. Then Eileen and I got to take down "Safe Fence" for the rest of the day which involved rolling up all the ropes on the fences and taking off all the insulators. Who knew insulators make a great home for spiders? On the plus side, I got to use my pocket knife for the first time to cut down some of the ropes that had a dead, felled tree lying on them. By the end of the day, I was exhausted and my arms were covered in scratches. But I have to foolishly admit that the worst of my pains have come from hitting my head on the corner of the bathroom cabinet and the roof of the pickup....twice. My dad is right, I do need a helmet.

Anyways, so going along with the title of this post, today we helped collect semen samples and check the reproductive organs of 28 bulls for one of the research projects. I know what you are probably thinking....and no, I was not arm's deep in a bull's behind. However, I did get to watch, prepare vaccinations, pour-on, ear tags, and shuttle semen samples to the lab. I also got to help prod the massive bulls into the chute so they could be probed, collected, and poked. These guys were sooo stubborn. It took 5 hours to work the first 18 bulls and 2.5 hours to do the last ten bulls.
Some of these bulls were so big that they looked more like hungry, hungry hippos. They sounded like it too! As they were waiting in their pens and entering the chute, they would bellow and make such deep, guttural noises. You would have thought we were working elephants from the sounds that came from these 2,000+ pound beasts.

At the end of the day, I was ready for a shower and a chance to finally sit down. Today was a great learning experience. My Grandpa Tom always used to say, "Work hard, have fun, and learn a lot." Well today, I believe I made him proud and I'm sure I'll have a lot more days like this......especially when we are scheduled to take semen samples once every week. Can you say "whooo hooo" ? I'll be sure to take more pictures, but for now check these out!

Ready to Work

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

 ~Thomas Edison

After putting on my bibs and heading out to the animal science lab at 7:00, we met up with the crew and loaded the trucks for the long day ahead of us. Eileen, Mike, and I rotated my steer calves this morning and walked in the IN and OUT pastures taking grass heights. We then worked and weighed Eileen's heifers in the chute. This went pretty smooth, except for the few calves that would decide to turn around in the chute and hold up traffic, and Eileen almost getting trampled by one.

Later this afternoon, us girls got to do A LOT of cleaning. Here on the farm, that involves brooms, shovels, and manure. First we cleaned the old barn and chute, then we were lucky enough to be selected to clean the manure off another chute. This one added another ingredient to the mix....burrs. By the time 3:30 rolled around, the work for the day was done and we were ready for well-needed showers. 

While it may be hard work, we couldn't ask for a more beautiful day. It feels great to look back on everything we accomplished and knowing how proud Grandpa Tom would be. Being here brings me back to my days on the apple orchard and that is a gift that I will always remember. Thank you Grandpa for giving me those memories, setting such a fine example of what it means to be an honest, good-hearted, hard working farmer, father, grandfather, and being my hero. I love and miss you!

Twas the Night Before....

Recently, while driving in my little bug back home, this song came over the radio. I now consider it the soundtrack to my summer. While I know I'll be back home soon, I realize I will have changed, grown, and found a better understanding of who I really am.
So here are the lyrics and a youtube link to "the soundtrack of my summer." I hope you enjoy......

"Wide Open Spaces" by The Dixie Chicks

 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dom7VlltBUc)

Who doesn't know what I'm talking about
Who's never left home, who's never struck out
To find a dream and a life of their own
A place in the clouds, a foundation of stone

Many precede and many will follow
A young girl's dream no longer hollow
It takes the shape of a place out west      (or in my case, down south)
But what it holds for her, she hasn't yet guessed

[Chorus:]
She needs wide open spaces
Room to make her big mistakes
She needs new faces
She knows the high stakes

She traveled this road as a child
Wide eyed and grinning, she never tired
But now she won't be coming back with the rest
If these are life's lessons, she'll take this test

[Repeat Chorus]
She knows the high stakes

As her folks drive away, her dad yells, "Check the oil!"    (already did before I left...and replaced 2 tires)
Mom stares out the window and says, "I'm leaving my girl"
She said, "It didn't seem like that long ago"
When she stood there and let her own folks know

[Repeat Chorus]
She knows the highest stakes
She knows the highest stakes
She knows the highest stakes
She knows the highest stakes

A Taste of Things to Come

April 30th-May 2nd, 2012

A couple of weeks ago, the graduate student whose research project I'm working on invited me to join him at the Center to kick off our research trial and collect the initial data. I jumped at the chance. I couldn't wait to see where I'd be spending my summer and what I'd be doing. We left that Monday night and got in late. The ride was full of hills which are an uncommon site for me. Once we got there, we settled in and watched the ultimate cowboy in El Dorado which must have been left in our dorm by a previous guest. The next day, we booted up and emerged from our dorm into the fresh country are and sunshine. Within my first few steps, a beautiful red cardinal swooped across our path. Suddenly, a calm swept over me and I was left with a sense of certainty that today is going to be a good day.

We met Frank, my adviser and head of the animal science program at the center, at the Animal Science building at 7 am. It would be a long day, but I was excited and determined to show them that I could work hard. First, we met Frank's guys to move our cattle to the shoot so we could collect our weigh our steer calves, assign them body conditioning scores, deworm them, ear tag them, and collect blood samples. We blocked the gravel road as the calves moved out of the pasture and walked them up the long, tree-lined road to another pen. One by one each calve walked through the chute and was "processed." We were surprised by how scrawny they were with the runt of the herd weighing in at 230 lbs. I got a lot of practice that morning collecting blood samples and operating the levers of the mechanical chute. Only sticking myself once with the needle, I considered it a success.

After processing all 70 or so calves, we brought the blood samples back to the lab and started to prepare them in the centrifuge. Once that was done, Bain, Lindsey, and I used pipettes to remove plasma from the large test tubes and deposit it small sample containers. With each tube I opened, I would triple-check that the ID numbers on the test tube and small container matched. That was the first time I had ever done lab work for actual research and did not want to make them regret entrusting me with the task.

If you think we called it a day after that, you have never worked on a farm. Covered in sweat, mud, and what definitely didn't smell like mud, we headed out to the test pastures to collect forage samples and forage heights using a rising plate meter. As the other two collected samples, I walked up and down each pasture, dodging hot wires and recording my measurements. By the time we finished collecting our data and samples, it was about 5:00 and we were all looking forward to a well-needed shower.To end the day, we went to Kentucky for dinner (just saying that amuses me) and capped off our night with "The Duke."

Our second and last morning of the trip, we met with Frank at 7:30 and prepared to sort our steers that we processed the morning before into their treatment groups. Again, they were sent through the chute. Once their ID number was read, they were allowed to go into a specific pen which corresponded to one of the treatments. After having a day under my belt, I got a lot more hands on when getting each steer through the alleyway and into the chute. I definitely got my hands (......shirt, arms, jeans, and face) dirty. Though at one point, I somehow got my thumb stuck between a rail and gate of the chute and one of the guys had to pry the gap open wider, I was proud....covered in manure...but proud. After all had been sorted, we each walked a group to their treatment pasture. It felt amazing spurring on this group of calves on my own.

the view from the chute....reminds me of Ireland

Once they were all relocated to their pastures, Lindsey and I headed back to the dorm to take quick showers, pack, and drive back to Champaign. On the ride home, I explained to her how important it was to me to pull my weight and for the guys to know that I'm not afraid to get dirty and work hard. She assured me that I did a job well done. Needless to say, I was relieved. Once we got back to campus and said our goodbyes, I walked into dorm room. Though I only stayed on the farm for two days, it felt weird to be back. I missed it the farm, the country, the fresh air, the gorgeous views, the cute yet manure-covered calves, and even not having my computer and cell phone service. The work is hard, the days are long, but the life is simple. I can't wait to spend the summer living the life, watching my steers grow, and experiencing personal growth myself. See you soon, Dixon Springs!

My home for the summer

the view from our house