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Agriculture This Week: Farming always evolving

When you have grown up on a farm in the 1960s and ‘70s it is almost beyond belief the changes in farming we see today. 

It was a mixed farm for me, and that meant pigs and grain. 

In my youth I hauled a lot of ground grain to feed the pigs using cleaned five-gallon pails that originally were filled with some weed spray, or another. 

Looking back over some 40-years it seems like it was such a crazy thing, but repurposing the pails was pretty standard. I’m pretty sure potatoes came from the garden to the cellar bin in similar pails. 

Of course I clearly recall Dad taking plugged nozzles off the sprayer, his gloves getting soaked in the process, and then simply blowing out the nozzle with his breath. 

Knowing what we do now it’s a wonder what health problems were caused in a time we didn’t know better, or were reluctant to change. Dad lived to a considerable age, his heart giving out one day, but one wonders. 


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The Hunt for New Life: Fall Calving at Pride Ranch Episode 1

Video: The Hunt for New Life: Fall Calving at Pride Ranch Episode 1

Fall calving season is officially underway here at Pride Ranch. Today I’m walking the pastures, checking udders, watching behavior, and hoping to find the first newborn of the season. Some cows look close… others are still holding out.

That’s ranch life. A lot of patience. A lot of walking. And sometimes, no calves when you expect them.

In this episode:

• Pasture checks and cow behavior

• Signs a calf is getting close

• Where cows like to hide newborns

• The first official hunt of the season