tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36168212945508733382024-03-19T14:33:01.390-07:00Madison's Farm AdventuresFarmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-92145042126622859842020-02-04T11:24:00.000-08:002020-02-04T11:24:08.576-08:00What is Success?I recently graduated from UT with a bachelor in animal science with my goal to come home to the family farm. Now, I thought all was hunky-dory about my chosen career BUT people around me have other ideas. I get the question frequently, what I am doing with my life or my degree and then the downgrading stares happen! Shocker. I knew people looked down on my career choice but I didn't know it was that bad. So it begs the question "what is success?"<br />
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I have been asking myself (a lot) what success is because I have gotten so many degrading stares since December. After thinking about all the professions that I deal with on a daily basis, I have the answer. <span style="color: red;">It is whatever you want it to be.</span> Being successful as a farmer is getting to where you want, for me it is expanding. But for the cashier at the co-op it might be making it to manager or to graduate to college. I have found through my time in school that my peers aim to be wildly happy. They want the dream job, dream house, husband/wife, the ultimate life by their book. That is their recipe for success. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">part of being successful for me is making my mentors proud</td></tr>
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My question for you is: what is your definition for successful? Do you consider yourself successful?Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-63117919967016642142019-11-06T09:38:00.000-08:002019-11-06T09:38:25.058-08:00#BEYONDdoneSo there's this new fad going around with food alternatives: meat and milk. <br />
I am a communication minor at UT-Knoxville where I am taught daily that <i>communication is key.</i> The problem is us as consumers are being manipulated using marketing done by major level marketing with an agenda, their agenda is not wrong. We all deserve to have a choice. But, the way they are going about it....is all wrong. Way back when, we called labeled our food. Now I don't know why we called the color orange, orange but we did. Which leads me to my issue with the labeling of almonds as milk or plants as beef and I'm not going down the cell-cultured "food." <a href="https://www.drovers.com/article/real-meat-act-2019-introduced?fbclid=IwAR3ldc_xDWm4qpi2Fjfq3S7-6VVfBLHeAjSAWc51FAFz3Toy6ABBOqECsCQ" target="_blank">Thankfully members of congress are taking action. </a><br />
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Until bills like this pass, it is up to us, the consumer, to read and stay informed. eat MEAT and drink your MILK. Farmers like me want you to have a choice....and still choose the save wholesome nutritious food we produce for you. Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-64806850557446659972019-06-05T18:23:00.001-07:002019-06-05T18:32:12.130-07:00A Letter to the American Simmental Association <br />
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Full disclaimer: I am just a long time breeder who threw her thoughts onto the internet. I am no writer, but my voice is here and will be used if the time comes. <br />
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As a breeder who was born and raised with Simmentals I need to voice my opinion on the new ruling to allow 3/8 blood cattle to show at national PTP (Progress Through Performance) sanctioned shows. Before this ruling a calf had to be 1/2 blood to show.<br />
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Simmental breeders and others who have Simmi registered calves have tried the angles:<br />
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<li>what about genetic defects</li>
<li>we are downgrading-compromising our breed</li>
<li>hurts our "established" EPDS</li>
<li>taints the simmental characetics (Do I need to add photos of OUR breed from the 70s)</li>
<li>changes how people see our breed</li>
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This new rule would only affect SHOWS. As our herdbook is currently you can paper anything from a 1/4 to PB along with registering super-low percentages as foundation stock. Keeping that the issue is only in ring in mind my intial thought was people just don't want to get beat. We in the show world often say "a good one is a good one." After hearing the side for people against it, I thought about how we could work around these issues.</div>
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<li>we already let THE dirtiest breed (Angus) with the most lethal defects in our shows???? confused about that argument</li>
<li>our breed is already compromised. Being in the show circuit, the simmental breed is the smallest most sawed off midget breed right now. As a whole we have compromised the thing we were built on: DUAL PURPOSE. Cows that can raise a calf and still fill a box of beef. Simmental cattle are on the decline for both of those traditional trademark. </li>
<li>My buyers don't a lick about EPDS, most commercial breeders (who keep a lot of us in business) don't care either.</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">SLIP N FALLS-- </i>that's what we were known as. bad structured, barrel gutted, harder doing cattle but through progressing outbreeding we have changed that perspective. </li>
<li>How do YOU think people see our breed? I am in multiple breeds, we are seen as the breed who wants a big belly and no frame. I don't need to beat a dead horse, but we are in the BEEF business. </li>
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A couple more points I'd like to add to the "for" side of the argument. </div>
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<li>We are an association who highly promotes our junior program...yet we are excluding kids who have these 3/8 blood cattle.</li>
<li>lower percentages eligible for majors=more money for a very money hungry group of people</li>
<li>Bigger shows = more publicity </li>
<li>Increase competition. </li>
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I have heard both sides, our farm is a fourth generation Simmental seedstock operation and we are in full support for this ruling. It only affects the show ring and really does it even???? At many shows they have so many SimAngus cattle they get their own show, ding ding, put the 3/8 blood (maybe one day 1/4 bloods) in a low percentage show. We already allow them into the herdbook, most majors already have a low percentage/SimAngus show what the heck is wrong with a little more competition from a flat good 3/8.</div>
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">RAISE BETTER CATTLE-- </span>a good one is a good one</b><br />
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Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-31143499027920074562019-02-05T09:15:00.002-08:002019-02-05T09:15:36.791-08:00Calving Chaos<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can't keep tags made fast enough <br />for the new babies</td></tr>
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WOW! It has been a hectic month on the farm! After my grandfather passed in 2014 we started trying to move our calving season to Jan/Feb and we almost have it narrowed down! We had some Christmas and Super Bowl Sunday babies and hopefully we can finish up mid February! If you are new to the blog, we raise Simmental/Chi/Maine cross show cattle with the cull progeny going to my feeder operation to be fed out and then onto the food supply. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone chipped in when life hit the fan!</td></tr>
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This story is about the farm, Volunteer Simmental (VS) and it's calves! There has never been any<br />
type of study done to say that simmental's are fertile myrtles BUT THESE DANG COWS ARE FERTILE! Cows typically birth a single calf at a time unless they are VS cows then they like to have twins and sometimes triplets. That being said we have had THREE sets born in the month of January. Now normally farmers dislike twins but we do a lot of advanced reproductive work that (normally) has more success when a cow is fertile. And I may be a young naive farmer but calves = money. Now I still realize the impact twins take on...everything; resources, dam, and the farmer; however I learned many valuable lessons fooling with bottle calves like hard work and determination. I currently have on calf on the bottle right now and it sure is draining my energy and amount of unexcused absences at school. I emailed one of my professors that I was going to miss class because "my cows are a priority" and I wanted to cry when I received her very understanding response back! I am slowly getting all my new calving chaos chores down pat right before we leave for the 2019 Dixie National Livestock Show. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bottle babies- we brought one half of a twin set in to be warmed up</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family makes it all go round! The used-to-be youngest sibling helping me put out mineral </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad checking crops </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twin set 3 was brought to the barn due to the delayed birth of the second calf </td></tr>
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Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-37885277664151668622019-01-29T08:44:00.002-08:002019-01-29T08:44:49.156-08:00A Letter to My Nail/Hair SalonDear Hair Salon, <div>
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I made my appointment over the phone at the last minute because I happened to get done with my farm chores early. Thank you for understanding when I am late or have to cancel because farm life got in the way. Thank you for not judging me when I leave my shoes at the door and walk through your salon barefoot! But, especially thank you for making me look like I am not a rough and tough farm girl. </div>
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What you don't know is that my mom harps on how "manly" I am and I cross mountains to make sure I get to my appointment on time so I can impress her with my red nails...that hide the grease and mud! Or how good you make my hair look for date night when I cannot seem to get there without getting dirty. </div>
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Thank you hair and nail ladies, for making this farm girl look good! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby C made her debut this week!</td></tr>
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Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-79582958209906542922018-10-12T06:27:00.004-07:002018-10-12T06:27:49.716-07:00Modern Inventions Farmers LoveI was feeding this morning, in the dark and had to use my phone which has this nifty little device on the back. It got me to thinking about other modern inventions that farmers/ranchers love but the reason we love them is different! So here it is, a list of inventions and how/why farmers love them!<div>
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1: Popsocket </div>
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This is my favorite! When I was feeding this morning and had my hands full of buckets I just opened the popsocket! It's the greatest invention ever!! </div>
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2. Online Shopping</div>
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One of my friends out in Kansas who breaks colts and breeds registered Brangus. Her immediate response was ONLINE SHOPPING! The reasoning behind "it no time to leave the ranch to shop."</div>
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3.ATV/ Helicopters</div>
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There's no voluntary fun involved in this! Just rounding up cows! In the south we use ATVs and on larger ranches they often use helicopters because "as the crow flies" is much shorter than dodging trees and trailing them around hilly back country.</div>
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4. Yeti Coolers</div>
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This one is my sister's! On a hot day there is nothing worse than hot water when you're dripping sweat which is why God made Yeti coolers!</div>
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5. Cat Litter</div>
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Found in every shop/barn and not actually used for cats! We use it to soak up oil or other spilled liquids </div>
Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-21754334480190220332018-09-14T10:00:00.000-07:002018-09-14T10:00:01.743-07:00Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? Today is the chicken show and I have been put in charge of picking them out. The chickens are Elli's so I am feeling the pressure to pick her winners out to take. Chickens' are used to many things in addition to exhibition (showing.) There are many misconceptions to the chicken industry and I am going to break some down, while I put off selecting Elli's chickens. <br />
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Hormone/Steroid Free: In fact, hormones and steroids are ILLEGAL IN THE US. So, why do 77% of Americans believe we inject our birds with them? The chicken industry is a very innovative and advanced agriculture industry. They strive to help feed the world with a wholesome, nutritious product so they are constantly changing the ratios (food), the genetics, housing types etc., but it all comes with a price of how they are looked at by their consumers. Next time you are looking for chicken remember <a href="https://www.chickencheck.in/faq/chicken-label-added-hormones/" target="_blank">YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY EXTRA FOR "HORMONE OR STEROID FREE"</a><br />
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Brown vs White Eggs: Skin color doesn't define who you are on the inside just as it doesn't define the nutritional value of an egg!!!<br />
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White Striping: fat deposits in the meat, just like marbling in red meat....key thing to remember fat tastes good!Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-15408444758711366402018-09-12T08:47:00.004-07:002018-09-12T08:47:46.944-07:00National Barrow Show 2018As I sit and ponder on the judging teams trip to MN and the infamous "pilgrimage" that starts in IN and goes to Iowa in preparation for the National Barrow Show. We started our journey north on Friday with a late night rolling into a foreign hotel where our #300 hotel room was on the SECOND floor! That next morning was fun! All us girls get antsy in anticipation of the good livestock we are going to see, so we were up and at em early...ok so maybe we want to sit at breakfast and fully wake up! Turns out the breakfast at this casino type hotel didn't start till 7 and we got our happy butts down there at 6:30. I am a big believer in "ask and you shall receive" so of course I asked the kind man behind the desk and he said "I can do five minutes." I don't give up easily, and thoroughly enjoy my breakfast time so I kept persisting and GOT BREAKFAST OPENED 30 MINUTES EARLY!!! Once the whole team had made it down we loaded up and headed out for a long day of working hogs. We began in IL with classes of Keep/Cull at <a href="https://www.rayshowpigs.com/" target="_blank">Ray's Showpigs</a>. A Keep/Cull class is nontraditional for a collegiate judging contest but the most practical thing we do. It is 8 animals, mainly gilts (female pigs who have set to birth a litter), in the class you pick 4 to keep and 4 to cull (not keep.) We evaluate them off phenotype and date we are given such as: litter number, how many days it took to get to 250 lbs, backfat, Loin Eye Area (LEA) etc.. The kicker is the questions after the class!!! We get 2-5 minutes to study our notes we've taken and we turn our backs to the class and close our notes and answer-- or try to answer 10 specific questions that a group of individuals (committee) come up with from the class. The questions range from: of the potential litter mates who was faster growing, color IDs, who has the largest LEA, of the blue rumped gilts who is tighter out of her hock. After we completed a couple keep/cull classes the Ray's let us sort a couple traditional "four animal" classes. FUN FUN! I absolutely love judging high quality pigs and our next stop didn't let me down! <a href="http://www.schminkelivestock.com/pigs.html" target="_blank">Schminke Chesters</a> was jam packed with both keep/cull and a boar (intact male) class! When we were done with the gilts, we got to look at their older boars who have sired champions and been champions. It was a unique experience. Once we were done looking at big, burly boars we had the privilege to visit the Olson's down the road who raise Spot's- which is my second favorite breed. We ended the day on a high note. <br />
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Consequently, every high has a low, the next day was our low. Very low! Coach looked at us after collecting our cards saying "there is no rhyme of reason to how you marked these cards." <a href="http://www.vegasshowpigs.com/" target="_blank">Vegas Show Pigs</a> brought us great classes of Durocs' both keep/cull and four animal but as a team we are not comfortable with the breed therefore, we got the comments from our coach like we did! The day from there didn't go up, it went downhill rather fast! The next stop was to be the last stop of the day, THANK HEAVENS. <a href="http://eggersshowpigs.com/" target="_blank">Eggers Show Pigs </a> provided high quality pigs and a high quality lunch for a HUGE group of collegiate judging teams! And, we closed the night out with pacing the hallways preparing reasons and talking to other teams while waiting to give our sets (reasons.) <br />
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Monday's are never fun but a Monday contest...well I'm not so sure it makes the day better! One thing is for sure I was hype to judge the 7 traditional classes, one keep/cull, and a truckload class. A truckload consists of four groups each with 6 hogs. This is the most real-world application in a judging contest and my favorite! After a long day of judging, we began our four sets of reasons which is unique to NBS because we normally talk 8 classes/sets. All in all, it was a fun day for me! I love hogs, I love looking at them, and I definitely love talking them to an official! Since we were so far away from home, we left MN that night and headed down to the IN/IL state line. Our coach had set up a....cattle workout for us at a prominent breeder<a href="http://www.lowderman.com/c_main.html" target="_blank"> Lowderman Cattle Company</a> in IL. We took to the species change quickly, marked good cards, looked at some sale cattle and headed back to TN! <br />
All in all, the trip to MN was fun and eventful!Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-50670622866549639872018-08-27T06:37:00.000-07:002018-08-27T06:37:03.554-07:00Time Flies ByWOW! It has been a hot minute! My life has been busy with school, livestock judging, a new job, and farming! On the home front, we have seen a lot of change. I convinced my dad to lease more land to winter the herd on! Our "baby watch" is 4 for 4 females, I say females because one of those is a little girl! You read that right, I am going to be a big sister..again! And we are the proud owners of THREE dairy influenced cows, one of which calved a pretty little white heifer!! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three Amigo's soon to be Fabulous Four!</td></tr>
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I am in need of topics y'all would like to hear more about!Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-89755797673287928242018-04-23T07:30:00.001-07:002018-04-25T06:54:51.180-07:00Tragedy Struck<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In a small town, people talk.<br />
I was laying in bed when I received a text with the worst news any farmer can get....a barn burned. A little back story to what the dairy industry is facing in TN, Dean Foods is cutting contracts with many dairies which is forcing farmers to shut down their operations. The worst part of this was, he hadn't received a letter. He should be wrapping up the morning milking right now but instead he is cleaning up the mess and making sure his cows are safe at the neighboring dairy. He is a farmer and he will continue on with the cards he is dealt. I left for class today untouched and as I passed my Dad loaded with dairy cows; it sank in that this mans life had changed. This farmer is resilient, he may be going out of the dairy business but his plans still include doing whats ingrained in him, raising crops.<br />
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<b>Update:</b> I helped haul the following day. Tuesday I decided community was more important than class. There was a farmer in need and I was going to do anything I could to help whether that be milking, loading, or driving. We pulled up to the barns, where the parlor was still smoking, and a family stood with their cows ready to give them away to new homes. It was hard, for me to load the cows onto trailers knowing they wouldn't be back. It was so hard working alongside the farmers load the last load which I got the privilege to haul. Yes, it is a privilege. It is a tragedy what happened but it was so heart warming to see the community surround around this family in their time of need. It was uplifting to drop a load off and the farmer be so welcoming that it will now take him 5/6 hours to milk the herd but he would never think about turning down a friend in need. There is a lot of talk about what to do next. The cull cow market is in the tank and the farmers that opened their barns up can only feed extra cows for so long. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had a army of people and trailers helping get the cows to parlors to be milked</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last load</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farm #3 where we hauled the last load</td></tr>
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<br /><br />Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-63021607299659338502018-04-16T06:51:00.001-07:002018-04-16T06:51:17.623-07:00Feature with the TN Cattlemen's AssociationI was fortunate to be asked to be on the TCA blog in February. Read more about me through the link! <a href="https://tennesseecattle.wordpress.com/2018/02/16/meet-the-future-monday-madison-martin-of-monroe-county-tennessee/" target="_blank">Meet the Future</a>Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-50396891029425529342018-04-05T07:18:00.001-07:002018-04-05T07:18:21.592-07:00To the Pool We bought bred cows some time back and the last one just calved, three weeks this Friday. Well, things didn't go as planned and she hasn't gotten up since. We found her the next morning covered in afterbirth sprawled on her side with a HUGE bull calf behind her. Bull calves are usually a lot larger than their counterparts. We addressed the situation at hand which was to get her back upright. Dad and I figured out real quick that we couldn't get her upright by ourselves luckily, we had friends, neighbors and family to help! Once we got her upright, I went to move the calf. Now, I have already said bulls are larger than heifers but that also relates to me! I couldn't get that calf moved to save my life so I called in the reinforcements, my DAD!! As farmers, we must be resourceful. Our vet is our biggest resource, we have two actually. He called us in an anti-inflammatory steroid to start giving her because she has swelling from being on her side. After giving it to her we looked for the hip lifts. We hate using them because, although a cow has a tough hide it still rubs them raw after awhile. That being said, we started thinking about alternatives. I am a student at the University of TN and we have a float tank at the Vet school, now the tank is a good hour drive. Since the cow couldn't walk but our vet gave us a great prognosis we knew we had to try our hardest. The big question was "how are we getting her there?" My dad suggested we lift her into the cattle trailer, I suggested we lift her into a pickup. Now, my idea was genius but going down a popular highway....that could turn bad. Misinterpretation could hurt the cow and us very badly. Anybody that would pass us would pull out there phones, see her raw hips and bed sores and call animal rights/activist. There would be a lot of ohhhs and ahhhs but nobody would know how hard we worked to get her to this point, how much money and time we put into her well being; by-standers would only see the worst. The bill we will receive will go to us, not the animal rights supporters, I give her two injections each day, I cried over her, I slept next to her. I skipped class to help her. I am a farmer foremost and I will do anything for the well-being of my livestock. Fast-forward to today; I am standing on the bus going to class when my dad calls! He has her standing, supported by the hip-lifts when he goes to lay her back down and she stands ON HER OWN! Just the other day, the vet stopped by to check on her progress and gave us the same verdict...she'll get up eventually. Two days later, she is supporting her weight all on her own! Our gut told us to not give up on her, both our veterinarians agreed and almost three weeks later, she's almost back out to pasture! Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-43972656111849349882018-03-19T10:03:00.000-07:002018-09-12T08:49:44.728-07:00Things Learned Sitting at the Barn--constantly updated <br />
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<ul>
<li>Heifer's come early, bulls come late...and steers come right on time!</li>
<li>She's only bluffing--this is a lie, its always a lie! </li>
<li>She's Broke--to look at!</li>
<li>"We're judging Simmental 'breeding steers.'" this provoked a good laugh in the judging van!</li>
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Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-28434687482004034222018-01-04T21:15:00.000-08:002018-01-04T21:15:13.831-08:00The Next LevelThe next level, the next level could be going to middle school for a elementary school kid or from high school to college or for me from the state show to a national show. Tackling these things have prepared me for today, the big leagues. Collegiate Livestock Judging is the next and coveted level for livestock kids and I am getting the chance to take part in it. This year I am on the 2018 University of Tennessee Livestock Judging Team and will travel across the country doing what I love...judging! I will use this unique opportunity to meet so many people and develop myself into a better lawyer! The skills I will gain judging livestock will make me a more effective communicator, more poised in difficult/stressful situations, more comfortable with making decisions, and many other skills I am so excited to gain!<br />
As I write, I am in a hotel somewhere about 10 hours away from home in bed with my new best friend and teammate! We are Denver bound to the North Western Stock Show and Rodeo to compete in our first contest as a team!<br />
I will be updating on my Facebook page with photos so follow along!<br />
Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-78251705696755588862017-12-27T07:37:00.002-08:002017-12-27T07:37:34.617-08:00A Christmas Time Farmer<h2>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>I compiled a list of things farmers do Christmas Day... </b></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b> <span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">ONE </span></span></b></span></h3>
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<span style="color: red;">life continues on as it does each and everyday, just at a much faster pace!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">You may have thought by reading the first line this was going to go differently. Truth is, when running a farm nothing ever stops. The cow doesn't know its Christmas, just that she is hungry!!! Nor can they control when they get sick, luckily we didn't have to doctor anything this Christmas but we would have if one needed it! As farmers and ranchers our livestock is our livelihood and we dedicate ourselves to being the best caretakers...even on a holiday. </span></div>
Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-43931724709617120352017-10-09T08:27:00.004-07:002017-10-09T08:27:52.791-07:00Failed FarmerThe beginning of October is usually a fun one! Its time to think about winter, prepare for it (or lack of), and some early anticipated babies to arrive. This story is painful because I feel like as a farmer I failed. I failed because we lost a calf...and not just one but two.<br />
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<b><i> Tyra</i></b>, the chi heifer, 312B was due to calve at the end of October but decided she wanted to do it Friday. I usually check the cows before I start my morning errands but for some reason that morning I didn't. I came home to a cow laying on her side, restless, upon closer inspection in labor. I rushed everyone into high gear, we got her up and to the barn. I then realized, once we got her calmed down, a tail was hanging out. BAD NEWS. BAD. BAD. BAD. I have little experience with pulling and re-position calves inside the mother but I knew it had to be done. I checked while she stood in the barn and got Brandon (my boyfriend) to call a vet. I felt the butt of the calf and could tell it was small and it being nearly three weeks early that is expected. Our vet didn't answer, neither did the next one, or the one after that. By that time we were walking her up to the chute where we could work on getting the calf positioned better for the birth. We kept calling and eventually pulled up the TN Department of Agriculture list of veterinarians in the state. I bet we called 15 vets before we got one who said it would be a couple hours. We got her in the chute and I gloved up. My sister came down with the lube and her camera. I went inside of her and felt the rear end and her pushing against me. We finally got a vet on his way, 30 minutes and he'd be there. No lie when I felt how bad the calf was positioned, I cried and yelled because I had failed as a farmer. That 30 minutes was the longest ever. Brandon was holding the calf in the whole time, so the cow wouldn't pinch any nerves and get paralysis or hurt herself and the calf. He had never put a hand inside a cow let alone try to re-position one, but as farmers we do what needs to be done. When the vet got there, my sister ran to get him to the cow quicker. He had the calf positioned in less than 15 minutes. He said it was all about physics....guess what I will be doing, learning cow physics. Dan (the vet) and Brandon got the calf out only to see Dan re-glove and go back in for the SECOND calf. Holy cow! The second calf was belly first, trying to come sideways! Brandon and Dan got the second one out and he went in again...this time not for a calf! Dan needed to make sure she didn't tear anything important and to double check for more anticipated babies. <br />
Both those calves were born dead. My heart aches. Dan said the first one had been dead a while but the second died because the first one wouldn't get his tush out of the way. "Cows that have a calf breached don't show labor signs till it is too late" Dan Cummings<br />
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<b>We as farmers and ranchers want live, healthy babies. We want everything to go as planned. We live on a working operation and unfortunately things happen. We had to dig a grave for two babies, we had to watch a mother lick her twins. It isn't pretty but it's life. Someone once told me to not show what bad happens on our operation, like death or illness.</b> <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting baby #1 the heifer, second one was a bull</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I tried to feed her to keep her mind off of it....we have the calves out now </td></tr>
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<br />Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-84229852636382772332017-09-28T09:54:00.003-07:002017-09-28T09:54:34.044-07:003 Things You Need to Know About Modern Agriculture<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There are many many misconceptions about the agriculture industry. I think a lot about how to "correct" the way the public views farmers and ranchers. Being surrounded all aspects of ag I have come up with 3 misconceptions that consumers have about the agriculture community. If you have any more you would like to know more about leave a comment.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <b><span style="color: red;">ONE</span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> All products (GMO, DAIRY, BEEF, POULTRY etc) are safe, wholesome, and nutritious for you and your family. Farmers and ranchers work day and in a day out to make sure we have a great product. I feel like a crucial thing to remember is we are consumers too. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> <b>TWO</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"> </b>Don't let labels mislead you. It is federal law poultry cannot have added steroids or hormones. GMOs have been around for more than 60 years, and there are no reported cases of them affecting humans. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>THREE</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Farmers and ranchers care and we are capable. We, too, consume our products. The same cow we put in the grocery stores is at our table. Raising crops, livestock, being stewards of the land is our livelihood. 97% of farms are family owned and ran. We want to keep them in our families and to do so we must take care of them the best we know how. </span></span>Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-67185677661778386192017-09-23T17:28:00.000-07:002017-09-23T17:28:23.066-07:00My Future is Our Future<div class="MsoNormal">
If you all don't follow my FaceBook page here is a quick
recap. I am competing in the College
Aggies Online contest for the next (now) 8 weeks. The point of the contest is
to learn more about other aspects of agriculture and to talk about it,
publicly. College Aggies even gives us
mentors each week to mentor and at the end of the week rank our activities
(social media and assignments.) The top
one gets scholarship money. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I am so very
passionate about everything this contest values and strives for. This week, week 8 is all about turkeys which
I know nothing about but through the contest I have learned a lot. Our assignment, are not always related to the
topic of the week, is writing a blog post. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grumpy Grandfather, still won't smile!</td></tr>
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For my long- time followers this will be repetitive but to
my new ones listen up! <o:p></o:p></div>
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I live on my
families farm in East Tennessee where we raise registered Simmental for show
and sale; we have also incorporated other breeds such as ChiAngus and
Maintainers. I love cows, cows are my
passion. As a child, I never understood
why we did the things we did, why we dehorn, vaccinate, artificial inseminate
the cows and many other practices we have.
I always would ask “why” but farming with my grandfather (a grumpy old
man) I got the usual answer “because that is how it is done.” That lead me to 1: learn on my own and 2:
understand the frustrations of the consumer.
I feel my place in the farming community is to tell my story, it sounds
very basic but consumers, much like me for a long time, don't know why we do
the things we do. I finally am learning about why we do the
things we do and I want to tell everyone.
Farming with my grandfather and being surrounded by grumpy old men has
shown me they aren't going to do it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Agricultrue in my opinion is the backbone of the US because in order to survive we need food, food is farming/ranching. But a uninformed public can be bad for the agriculture community which leads me to my career goals: Agriculture
Lawyer. When the ag community, my grumpy
grandfather, is not transparent and forthcoming with our way of life things go
downhill which turns into lawsuits. I
love the AG community and one way I can finally give back is by defending our
way of life and ultimately "telling my story.” Until law school I am telling my story using
my blog, twitter, and Facebook. If you,
like me, want to know why, follow along on my journey and for the duration of
this competition learn something new about different aspects of agriculture
with me. I am excited, I hope you are too. If there is something you want to know more about comment below. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grumpy Granfather--Mean Gene--Pop--Your average farmer</td></tr>
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Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-22908367286643332512017-09-13T11:00:00.000-07:002017-09-13T11:00:19.014-07:00Organic Donuts<h3>
<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: yellow;">A man eats an organic doughnut, does organic mean healthy?</span></h3>
Organic by definition just means certified by the USDA that it meets their standards. Their standards are: no fertilizers with added synthesized ingredients, conventional pesticides, GMOs,<br />
So this begs the question does it really differ in nutritional content, no. The reason farmers and ranchers offer different methods of production because we too are different. We are consumers of our own products and we each want something different. We don't do it because one is better than the other, we do it because we are human. Conventional, certified organic, or natural it is all safe wholesome, and nutritious. <br />
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I have attached a link to the USDA guidelines to certified organic because it has a big misconception around it--I will talk about the others in following posts.<br />
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<a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/about-ams/programs-offices/national-organic-program" target="_blank">National Organic Program</a>Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-29602954478591188032017-09-06T11:00:00.000-07:002017-09-06T11:00:03.254-07:00Dehorning--Please Do ItThis topic is controversial among some.<br />
Athens Stockyard is the local stockyard in our town. We usually have around 1100 head and with that comes a delicate balance of keeping the sale going, keeping the cattle cool and calm, and not getting hurt. When a mean animal comes through we take certain measures like climbing gates, closing cross gates, or putting more stock with the one that is mean to try and calm them down.<br />
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I work where I can see what goes in the chute so I know what is coming. The boys in the back looked at this cow, a dairy cow, and looked at me and told me to watch her. My first thought was she isn't mean, she is a dairy cow. Dairy cows are normally calm and nothing gets them going! This dairy cow had horns and was huge, probably weighing in around 2000lbs. I still thought she couldn't be that bad...until she went in the ring, the lady who calls out pens told us to get up and get out of her way. Oh crap!! She might actually be a bad cat. Then she calls out a pen I She came my way, I threw open the gate and ran away!! I was ran over at that exact gate a month ago and I am still very skittish. We took all the precautions and she still managed to turn around and come at one of the boys but luckily for him he had a cross gate he could close before she got him. The combination of her horns and her size, the only way to get away from her was from a closed gate. We got her penned but every time I would walk by the gate she would charge me. She wouldn't have been as scary if she didn't have horns. Get gauged scares me more than getting ran over and stomped on! If this cow would have been de-horned, we as stockyard workers could have worked her more effectively but instead she tried to kill us all. Even more so, she may not have been at the sale due to her lovely attitude.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the best photo I could get of her because when if I walked by she would charge the gate</td></tr>
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<br />Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-86236914343945061952017-08-31T11:48:00.001-07:002017-08-31T11:49:08.393-07:00Types of BEEF Identification The way I do things down in Tennessee is way different that my friend in WY or CA or even FL. When talking with other producers about the way they ID I realized how little I actually knew about the different methods. I have found FIVE different types of ID for cattle. Branding (hot/freeze), brisket tags, ear tags, EID, and ear notches.<br />
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<ul>
<li> Branding: Branding is used more commonly on larger farms and ranches where the cattle are out on their own on wide open ranges. There are two types of brands: freeze and hot. Freeze branding is basically an iron formed into a specific combination of letters, symbols, and numbers to ID cattle easily. A hot brand is a brand that is gotten hot over a fire but it is the same type of iron used in freeze branding. This type of ID is regulated by the government by having a person at sale barns to inspect brands to decrease the rustling of cattle.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhw0vQ0lFD5j9N28Lox4iHOThZOMbMeUpIyKgqjBTA6WziUAPEWqabO55TQBKskt0pbkDT2ppLbRu9T0JCtjcPjgmG7oCcvwwm9kUDFu5NNxVdVa1wH8whC4dULcStucnUrZYaYGbnCUN/s1600/FREEZE+branding+mfa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhw0vQ0lFD5j9N28Lox4iHOThZOMbMeUpIyKgqjBTA6WziUAPEWqabO55TQBKskt0pbkDT2ppLbRu9T0JCtjcPjgmG7oCcvwwm9kUDFu5NNxVdVa1wH8whC4dULcStucnUrZYaYGbnCUN/s1600/FREEZE+branding+mfa.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">freeze brand (courtesy of GOOGLE)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnH3ujm8WqvoKBbL2KZIRCfAjmRXhZAmBoM8QH8DQN7R1CMdetgBbOTawoYgkJWljmSzPmqEelE1gNKy3dwN2Ljt9sEfSCfNwgx71MDzq1Uj4ggBlq_O1qZK856YjZzeRLYTYTdaHX1Ks/s1600/hot+iron+branding+mfa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="359" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnH3ujm8WqvoKBbL2KZIRCfAjmRXhZAmBoM8QH8DQN7R1CMdetgBbOTawoYgkJWljmSzPmqEelE1gNKy3dwN2Ljt9sEfSCfNwgx71MDzq1Uj4ggBlq_O1qZK856YjZzeRLYTYTdaHX1Ks/s320/hot+iron+branding+mfa.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot Iron brand (courtesy of GOOGLE)</td></tr>
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</li>
<li> Brisket tags: I just heard about these from a friend who ranches in Wyoming. I do not know about them other than what she said. My take away is they aren't as common but the ranchers that do use them, use them because they want a form of tag ID but ear tags get lost and ear notches aren't a viable option when running a large herd.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPBFdTdFHRj5hs1JYL6f5fuki8V6Ned1CKe3A1cJU2n7pSD9TfHD7VAVNOb648X3tQqmHG0p08klJ5GyucmUQ3ZF-70MYj3njPVCtEDvKFAXn7AHb5H7WG8-gIntzW30kyVAkKgeuiB2u/s1600/brisket+tags+MFA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPBFdTdFHRj5hs1JYL6f5fuki8V6Ned1CKe3A1cJU2n7pSD9TfHD7VAVNOb648X3tQqmHG0p08klJ5GyucmUQ3ZF-70MYj3njPVCtEDvKFAXn7AHb5H7WG8-gIntzW30kyVAkKgeuiB2u/s1600/brisket+tags+MFA.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brisket tag (courtesy of GOOGLE)</td></tr>
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</li>
<li> Ear Tags: a simple tag that is personalized with the animals specific information where it be a number or letter with maybe their mom/dad information. These are more common in small herds because you have to get close to the animal to read them.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97Sl6CDRd7RbPZFCmdh-pM_BIporCmrpOE5vCE2nw9w1iRNfD32YulMC0INIGQdqDKhMz3Xx80W0zy9sba4Rxuj3NZs5uesUyBeZYpfdIEqRfg7fOpl472Xg1x1Wp8qULijA2ytjBhmA8/s1600/IMG_7457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97Sl6CDRd7RbPZFCmdh-pM_BIporCmrpOE5vCE2nw9w1iRNfD32YulMC0INIGQdqDKhMz3Xx80W0zy9sba4Rxuj3NZs5uesUyBeZYpfdIEqRfg7fOpl472Xg1x1Wp8qULijA2ytjBhmA8/s320/IMG_7457.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at the heifers right ear</td></tr>
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</li>
<li> EID: Electronic Identification: These are most common in feedlots or the show cattle industry because they have to be scanned which also entails getting very close to the animal. An EID tag is a small white/yellow tag commonly issued by the USDA (united states department of agriculture) placed in the ear. It says on the tag "unlawful to remove." This tag is also very regulated by the government.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFUdDxOXWTHU3Mk3UDmop2uPseVagYMWKLmbLH5guAB2lRVC-RZySFHonArFVSZNXDsxnWNX5PizH_8aC3m95K21LHh5WV2OZoRHpw33i4HlzK2HA1vycW1yNFJgQrzzOMCppqmTK8chnb/s1600/EID+MFA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFUdDxOXWTHU3Mk3UDmop2uPseVagYMWKLmbLH5guAB2lRVC-RZySFHonArFVSZNXDsxnWNX5PizH_8aC3m95K21LHh5WV2OZoRHpw33i4HlzK2HA1vycW1yNFJgQrzzOMCppqmTK8chnb/s1600/EID+MFA.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A farmer using the EID reader to read the tag (courtesy of GOOGLE)</td></tr>
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<li> Ear Notches: Ear notches are used more commonly to determine age for example if you keep replacement heifers and want to be able to distinguish the 2016 group from the 2015 group you ear notch them different. It is limited because the ear is only so big and there are only so many combinations of ear notches.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9C_GV6unRpK0f6FThhsgYNB9PEy0GIowzGH3IMOosBqpLTH0LTpbsrdqhuTQYAY9AFh9zAP1OkH_q3Y2rrte4vk7S9J5D_HZOWJh2YVbrXTqmxCoWn0eUGG7pcTjVbeNCxjKOzNVMLQX5/s1600/EAR+NOTCHES+MFA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9C_GV6unRpK0f6FThhsgYNB9PEy0GIowzGH3IMOosBqpLTH0LTpbsrdqhuTQYAY9AFh9zAP1OkH_q3Y2rrte4vk7S9J5D_HZOWJh2YVbrXTqmxCoWn0eUGG7pcTjVbeNCxjKOzNVMLQX5/s1600/EAR+NOTCHES+MFA.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eat notches (courtesy of GOOGLE)</td></tr>
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There are so many ways to ID calves and each farmer/rancher uses a different method because of where the cattle reside and how many cattle they have. We use ear tags on our farm in South East Tennessee because our cows are close to home.<br />
<br />Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-75437665932386647562017-08-15T10:01:00.000-07:002017-08-15T10:01:03.561-07:00The moment I hated showing cattle <br />
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My first show after Mean Gene died was very hard. I entered the ring and exited only to not have my biggest supporter waiting with the halter. But, one thing that got me through was the people that surrounded me. I felt hands all along my way to the ring. I felt Pop there but I still didn't see him. That was the part that sucked. I have mourned long enough but now I don't want to show. I could care less if I ever saw another show or walked in the ring....that is till I met VS DIVA! She has a stacked pedigree. She is out of the heifer we won Grand Champion % Simmental Heifer at the Dixie Nationals. Her sire is a bull I feel in love with when Pop and I would check the cows. No, I never met this bull, we didn't raise him, but we have a lot of his daughter grazing our pastures and I loved them. (Black Joker is an old purebred Simmental bull) I begged and pleaded to get semen on him for as long as I can remember. I finally got my wish with this cross and then Diva was born. She has been a looker since she hit the ground. I didn't think I could get to mess with her because I am away at school all week and then playing catch-up with the farm work on the weekend. I didn't think this heifer would change so many things with me. She did. <br />
I walked into her pen two/three weeks ago with a show stick and brush. She loved it and I loved doing it. The next weekend I did the same. This weekend I put a halter on her!! I got her out of the stall with a lot of patience, got her blown off and began the trek to the wash rack. She did fine. I was very skeptical on getting close to her because she could have kicked you before you knew her foot left the ground. Once I got her scrubbed and dried. I got her all shiny and became brushing her. I was smiling ear to ear doing this simple task that way back when I loved. This was the exact moment I found my passion again. This little heifer gave me so much as I stood in the barn brushing her. I want to show again, I want to spend my days in the barn again. <br />
<br />Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-63598964167571886372017-08-05T22:46:00.000-07:002017-08-05T22:46:00.771-07:00The Future is ME & YOU<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bGPni98nqy6bcTi_-yEvJkQLXASEp_vAXe-wiTu9drc3VvFnx1o8j5mE2RE9e_SrJZgtULj_fP7qm16YLg5yhl_g6q7N38pmHPQPBKmS8VMXZUPuBjvNBGseCGbtPnQnxRhweoftgfa0/s1600/Phone+Pictures+to+December+18+5266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="530" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bGPni98nqy6bcTi_-yEvJkQLXASEp_vAXe-wiTu9drc3VvFnx1o8j5mE2RE9e_SrJZgtULj_fP7qm16YLg5yhl_g6q7N38pmHPQPBKmS8VMXZUPuBjvNBGseCGbtPnQnxRhweoftgfa0/s320/Phone+Pictures+to+December+18+5266.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We are the future</td></tr>
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Passion is what you work hard for. Its what you put everything into, your blood, sweat, and tears. I get worked up over farm matters easily. My dad and grandparents have always included me in the discussions of the farm matters including: money and management. I used to take it for granted but then it dawned on me that one day it was all going to be mine. I was going to have to run it on my own with knowledge that I gained by being asked for my opinion at such a young age. So I started listening and taking into account how I would run things. When asked what bulls to cut, or recipient cows to purchase I started putting more thought into it. I think they started to notice because they are starting to put my thought into decisions, the final decision.<br />
We, my dad and boyfriend (and me) are getting ready to set on a new adventure that they have always wanted to do, I am just there for manual labor and my connections in the BEEF industry. My dad is going to let us make some very influential decisions because he has always taught us to learn by doing. Our choices may cost or make us thousands. This adventure is going to see how much we have learned by just giving our input to actually making the final decisions. I think this step in going from a voice to the say-so is such a crucial step to take while the wise ones are still around. For instance, there are many times we have to sit and ponder on how my Pop (grandfather) did things because he didn't include us in on everything. It is all going to be mine one day and I want to learn how to make it even more successful by learning through my dad and boyfriends mistakes!!!<br />
My point is this: just because it isn't yours...the reality is that one day it will be. Volunteer Simmental will be mine and I can't wait to make my Dad and Pop proud of<br />
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where I plan to take it (and to where I am taking it now.)Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-31820405280791462632017-05-09T06:31:00.002-07:002017-05-09T06:32:01.066-07:00The Bad Kind of FamilyI have been getting a lot of flack from my non-farming friends about missing out on things, not making it to places on time, always smelling, being on the phone etc etc. I have gotten used to it but lately I have noticed how my family is the bad kind. We are all the things my non-farming friends and family label us as. The bad kind of family:<br />
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<li> <b>Rarely shows up on time</b></li>
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I also have a bad habit of during finals helping a lot on the farm so I am usually late to at least one final because I can't leave in the middle of working. We as a family are late because cows are unpredictable, oh so very unpredictable. Graduation? they just wanna be fed. church? they just want fresh clean water. final? they hay needs to be baled. </div>
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<li><b>Work clothes double as church clothes </b>--or church clothes double as work clothes</li>
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There is nothing a little stain remover and Momma's special concoction can't get rid of. On the other hand cows don't care if you are on your way out the driveway to a special function dressed all nice!</div>
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<li><b>Are closer to God on a tractor than in the pew</b></li>
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I am guilty of sitting in church thinking of all the things I could be doing if I wasn't in church.</div>
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<li><b>Work on Sundays </b></li>
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Just like this <a href="http://madisonsfarmadventures.blogspot.com/2017/04/easter-suprise.html" target="_blank">Easter</a> we barely made it to church because we lost a cow. There aren't enough hours in the day to get a days work done so many time we use our Sundays. But, I don't think God cares because "God made a Farmer" and His animals need to be tended to everyday of the week 24/7</div>
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<li><b>Schedule reflects the amount of chores for the day</b></li>
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Many farming families go till 1 am during harvest or hay season or get up multiple times a night during calving season. We have missed a lot of family functions because 5 pm is a prime time on our family farm. We schedule (if we can even go) our vacations around the farm and most times someone can't go. </div>
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<li><b>Believe in hard work </b>(child labor!!)</li>
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I learned to get up at 5 am at an early age because the cows don't know I stayed up too late they just know they are hungry. I was a really strong kid because picking (or whatever it took to get them moved) up feed sacks was an everyday thing. </div>
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I would not change my bad family for anything. We get bad looks when we haven't been to church in month,Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3616821294550873338.post-72848551635712955782017-05-02T12:57:00.001-07:002017-05-02T12:58:01.721-07:00From Death Comes Life<div style="text-align: left;">
I was in the middle of my normal feeding schedule when I noticed something was not as it was supposed to be. I had actually walked right past it to begin with but something felt off so I turned around and saw a calf sprawled out on its side. I dropped the full feed bucket, which hindsight was not a good idea, and went over to the preemie calf. It was breathing and had a strong heartbeat which was a good thing but it was weak. It was now a 3 day old calf and our black lab was bigger than him. </div>
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I am the last person to ever give up on a living animal, I ran back and forth from the barn to where it was laying to get a hay bale, a bucket, halters, and its mom, Jana. I was very much alone but my dad was on speaker phone sitting in the feed bucket! I was leary the cows would eat my phone and then I would definitely be up a creek but it was all I had in a pinch. I got the calf onto the hay bale but because it was so small dad said it may be putting pressure on its lungs so I sat on the hay bale and held it. I sat there all alone praying and hoping Jana would understand to get her udder close to us so he could nurse and regain strength. I eventually called my mom and grandmother to come help. Like I said, I am the last one to give up on an animal so when my mom got there and saw it her words devastated me but didn't discourage me. I sat there holding this tiny calf trying to tell my mom and grandmother what I needed but also seeking advice from the mothers of Volunteer Simmentals. </div>
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My mom kept telling me there was nothing I could do and my grandmother kept quiet knowing I couldn't handle two people saying it. We tried and tried and prayed and prayed for an everyday miracle for this preemie calf. I made my mom feel its heartbeat trying to convince her it was very much alive but when she went down to feel for it...the heartbeat was gone. I was holding a dead calf. I didn't put it down until I was positive there was no life left in it. I eventually put it down. And like any farmer started thinking of the other animals. I still had to feed the group I was originally headed to, I had to run the cows out of the hay field, fix fence, and now bury a calf. </div>
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But on a farm, life always comes from death. I had an idea!!! We lost a cow Easter morning but she left a calf behind. A calf come to be known as Henry to us who was being mothered by my grandmother. I carried the dead calf away so his mom could worry about our new situation. Operation get Henry onto his new momma!! You read that right. From death comes life. We may have lost a cow and a calf but God has a plan and he planned for these two to be a pair, mom and baby. He did not however give me the talent to dig graves so the calf is buried in a big hole which took my an hour to dig.<br />
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Fast-forward a little bit late: Henry is nursing Jana and all is well!<br />
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<br />Farmer Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027550514149702773noreply@blogger.com1