The Farmer’s Work

cows in the field at sunset with a sun-bow in the sky after being fed by the farmer
The sun is quickly setting, 
Most of the work is done.
The day is finally ending,
And the night is almost come.

The cattle enjoy the last few rays,
The grass is green and good.
They've barely seen the sun in days,
It has rained more than it should.

The farmer filled the rings with hay,
The feed has all been eaten.
He has worked so hard today,
But his list is almost beaten.

Tomorrow will start with its own new list,
New days bring their own circumstances.
Taking the day with each new twist,
Living like there are no second chances.

Getting all in, getting both feet wet;
Not just in farm and work, but with God.
Each day is on your mark, get set;
Remember the way is narrow, not broad.

A farmer always has work at hand,
But you and I, as Christians, do as well.
Each of us have to follow the command,
Our job is to go to all and tell.

Matthew 28:19-20 ESV 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

cows in the field at sunset after the farmer has fed them
  1. Great story showing us where there’s a will, there’s a way! We have to trust that God’s will for us…

  2. I loved this analogy! And what a smart steer to learn to undo gates. Thank you for sharing this story.…

Making Babies

Cattle laying in a field near a pond with the blue sky in the background.

Breeding season is underway! Decisions, decisions, decisions! It is time to make babies! Lots of things go into breeding cattle around here. We don’t use a lot of natural service bull breeding on our farm. We attempt to design our babies by artificial insemination (AI). We take a lot of time choosing genetics, from a variety of bulls, and match them up to our cows to determine which characteristics we are trying to bring out, diminish, or get rid of in our calves.

Needles, medications and heat patches.
Heat patches are applied after shots are given to bring the cattle into “heat” in preparation for AI breeding.

Breeding by artificial insemination gives us a greater variety of bulls to choose from rather than keeping one bull for breeding. The hopes are also that this translates into better profits. If you make good decisions, and the breeding matches have the expected outcomes, that should bring us better calves.

Cow in the head gate ready to get her shots. Time to make babies!
Its time for breeding!

Great cattle do not normally just happen. Great cattle are made.

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Hay, Fertilizer and Rye Grass

DI- photo from the farm

Winter in the south is upon us and you know what that means? 30 degrees today and 80 degrees tomorrow! For us on the farm, it means hay, fertilizer and rye grass! With the cooler days, the grass has stopped growing. Unfortunately for cattle farmers, cows eat grass! So, what do you do? You feed hay, plant rye grass, (which grows in the cold, or occasionally cold days; which in the south they call winter!) and you make sure it gets fertilized.

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