Josie and her husband Ken have three sons
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Leading up to Mother’s Day this Sunday (at least get a card!), Farms.com is connecting with as many ag moms as possible for a Q&A about topics like the challenging parts about parenthood and the feeling of first holding a newborn.
Josie Pashulka (JP), and her husband Ken, along with their three sons, Taylor (22), Riley (23) and Tyson (25), run Rusylvia Cattle Co., a cattle and grain operation in Derwent, Alta.
“Tyson is a welder and has his own company,” she told Farms.com. “He’s got a tough exterior but is very charming and has the biggest heart once you get to know him. Riley is very quiet and loves everything about the cattle industry. From the animals to the people to the business side of things. He can see a cow a mile away and tell you what kind of cow it is and its pedigree. And Taylor is a carpenter with his own business. He loves to please everybody and is super helpful.”
Farms.com: Where were you when you found out you were pregnant for the first time? How did it make you feel?
JP: We were excited and definitely a little bit scared. But that fear makes you feel like you can conquer anything.
Farms.com: Describe the feeling of holding a newborn for the first time.
JP: There’s nothing like holding your new baby. It’s a rush of love that you never knew you could have. The intensity and power of it makes you feel like you can take on the world.
Farms.com: What’s the best part about being a farm mom?
JP: Being able to show them everything we do and this kind of lifestyle. When you’re at home farming, they’re with you and they get to see all of it. By the time they were three or four they could tell you how to start a tractor. Not many people can have their kids at work with them every day.
Farms.com: What’s the hardest part about motherhood?
JP: Giving advice in today’s world. What used to make sense maybe doesn’t make sense sometimes.
Farms.com: What’s a misconception people have about motherhood?
JP: That it’s all joyful and easygoing. In my opinion that part is at the beginning, but as kids get bigger, so do their issues.
The Pashulka family (From left: Taylor, Riley, Tyson, Josie and Ken).
Farms.com: What’s your mom’s name? What are some special memories you have with her?
JP: She went by Willie. We just lost her about a year-and-a-half ago after a short battle with cancer. She lived in Manitoba and even though we were two provinces apart, she’d call every day to talk about the farm and the kids and to find out where they were showing cattle and how they did at the shows. I’ll miss those chats with her.
Farms.com: What’s one lesson you learned from your mom that you try to teach your kids?
JP: If you work hard, you will reap the benefits.
Farms.com: How has parenthood changed you?
JP: I’ve become more of a worrier than I ever was before.
Farms.com: What’s one thing all parents have in common no matter where they are in the world?
JP: The love of their kids and doing everything in your ability to set them up for a great life.
Farms.com: What’s one piece of advice you have for new moms?
JP: Trust your gut. You’ll get lots of outside advice, but you know what’s best for your children.
Visit Farms.com throughout the week for more Q&As with moms from the ag community.
Sheila Hillmer, a beef producer from Del Bonita, Alta., is one of the moms Farms.com has already spoken with.
She says all parents are writing the rules as they go.
Angela Cammaert, a cattle and grain producer from Elgin County, Ont., says the hardest part about motherhood is not being a helicopter parent.
And Trish Cook, a hog farmer from near Winthrop, Iowa, says holding a newborn felt like a miracle and natural at the same time.