We'll take what we can get!

Its been a dry year... to say the least.  With over 75% of the country in drought conditions, its hard to complain about a little snow, or even a lot of snow!

So when it started coming down a couple weeks ago we bundled up, went outside and did a little dance.  Afterall, snow is moisture and the earth rejoiced.  But then it kept coming, and coming, and coming! With a day in between the two biggest storms, the guys had just enough time to push their way through the drifts to get big ol Bertha down the road.

As with every time we have severe weather, our cattle are on the forefront of our minds. But when we have little babies hitting the ground every day, 12 inches of snow makes matters even worse.  Luckily, cows are notorious for hiding their babies out of sight and out of the wind so 9 times out of 10 the little babies wake up after the storm dry and warm and ready to go sledding!

And, with the passing of every storm, there is always the promise of yet another day. Another sunrise, another sunset, another day to give Thanks.

Who are you calling a Heifer!?

Keeping with the theme of playing, "What went on on the ranch"....

Running a registered herd is quite a bit different then running a commercial herd.  With our Black Hereford herd, we are quite anal about keeping meticulous records.  From very specific birth weights, weaning weights, calving ease even down to specific dates of vaccinations.  This helps us build up data on our herds so we have everything we need to present to our buyers and prove what an amazing group of cattle they are!

So, just like the bulls, we have to get yearling weights on our little heifers.  It's a pretty quick but necessary step  of their lives but, like most women, the heifers would rather look away from the scale then have their weight shouted throughout the barn. We use this data to calculate their average daily gain, something we are very proud of with our Black Herefords.

Nonetheless, its always pretty incredible to see how quickly our little girls have grown from 70-90 lb little newbies to 900 lb teenagers.  It brings a tear to my eye... they're all grown up!

Neighbor to Neighbor

You know those people who stand outside the grocery stores? The ones who are ringing bells, handing out fliers, trying to give or get something from you?  Are you the type of person who stops and listens to what they have to say or one that skirts on by "promising" you'll stop on the way out only to take the back exit and walk a 1/4 mile just to avoid the conversation?

If you're the latter, stop and listen just for a moment.  Ms. Katie and I will be posted up outside of Dillons on Saturday morning promoting the Neighbor to Neighbor food drive.  We will be collecting food and money for our local families of Leavenworth County who dont have enough to  eat.

Being a farmer and a rancher, we already are providing food for the nation but as Kansas' largest industry, employer and economic driver; there is always more we can do.

“The Neighbor to Neighbor food drive can help us reduce hunger in Kansas but it also gives us a chance to say thank you to our state’s farmers and ranchers,” Secretary of Agriculture Dale Rodman said. “Today’s farmers and ranchers work 365 days a year to raise food to feed your family and mine. They work to continuously improve their practices to raise safe, wholesome food. About 30 years ago, one farmer fed approximately 56 people on average. Today, one farmer feeds 155 people. I hope all Kansans will join us in this important effort to help our neighbors and will also take a minute to say thank you to the men and women who raised that food.” 

So, come by and see us.  We'll be at the Dillons in Leavenworth from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm  She is quite possibly the cutest pregnant lady you'll ever meet and I just want to shake your hand for helping us help those in need.  After all, it's going to be a beautiful day!!

In other news...

Other reasons why I've turned into a bad blogger?   Too many commitments! One little job after another means I need a big marker board to keep things straight... ( Need, dont have, that's why I'm always feeling crazy!!!)

So,  here's my little two cents that goes in the Kansas Stockman each month.  Basically I just write a few words about what's going on with the Black Hereford Association so people are always thinking about us!

April's Issue:

The sales are wrapping up, the snow is melting and the baby calves are quickly making their debuts! If you’re a spring calving operation that uses live cover for breeding you should be seeing at least 65% of your babies by the end of your first 21 day breeding cycle.  That makes for a very busy first couple of weeks.  If your numbers are much less than that, you may want to consider looking into your cow nutrition or your herd bull battery.  Your heifers should be 65% of their full adult weight upon breeding and 85% of their adult weight at delivery of their first calf. 

Although the snow is less than desirable during the thick of calving season, we hope it will provide some much needed relief from the drought we’ve all be suffering through.  The uncertainty of Mother Nature has made for smaller herds for this upcoming year but if you find yourself needing a bull as the rain (hopefully) continues to fall, please contact me at(913) 727-1266.

we got oursleves a 'twofer'!

You know that perfect pair of boots? The ones that go with every outfit; that were broke in just right; that you just couldn't imagine living without? Well that's the way we viewed cowboy John.  Dependable, hard working, versatile.

So you could imagine our heartbreak when he got an offer he couldn't refuse.  He decided to move out west ( central KS, dont get carried away) to become a partner in another cattle operation.  We were heartbroken but really excited for his opportunity. Afterall, we couldn't expect him to stay with us forever, right?

So just when we felt like all was lost and we'd never find another cowboy quite like him, we found Brandon ... and his brother in law, Brandon.  Yep, you read that right.  Two Brandons, One Family. It's the things dreams are made of.  For the sake of confusion from this point on, we'll call them North and South. ( dont tell them this, they're from Texas and I'm sure North would not appreciate nickname)

 South ( always in a baseball cap) started with us while John was still here, learning the ropes, getting in the groove, and that poor guy got thrown in right before sale time hit.  Talk about a crash course during one of the hardest times of the year.   The only thing worse than starting right before sale time? Starting right at the beginning of calving... poor poor North.

So here we are, North ( the cowboy hat type)  has a wonderful little family with two boys a little older than lil Hoagie so he has someone to get in trouble with. And our young pup, South, who seems to be cowboy John 10 years ago, Mr. "fix it and if I dont know how I'll learn". Always good to have on the ranch.

They're a little camera shy in their new habitat but I'm sure I'll break em in soon!

I think I can

It's been a while. Ok, it's been forever. And I wish I had a better excuse. One better than my world got rocked by some 8 lb 9 oz lil cowboy who, with every day, changes the very world I've come to know and love. And of course, for the better. But have you ever been blindfolded, spun around and then put on a runaway pony?? Because that's my world now.




But, after 8 months, I feel like I have control. No, scratch that. I've succumb, submitted, surrendered to the idea that I have NO control and I'm learning every day to be ok with that. I'm ok. I'm ok. .... Ok...

A lot has changed since the last time I left you and I'm going to do my best to catch you up on it. Over the past few months I've found myself missing this blog. Missing being able to put out into the universe what goes on here. Believable or not, it is our life.



Confession time: I think what had me stuck last time I left was I was trying to make this blog too educational. Seriously, who wants that. So I'm going back to my roots. Writing about the everyday here at the ranch which inevitable is funny, challenging, covered in poop, and ever changing....just like lil Hoagie!!



I won't promise you I'll be here every week. I will promise you I'll do my best to keep you on the forefront of my mind the next time I'm shin deep in a pile of muck laughing to myself that nobody would believe this!!



Until then !!

Always yours , The Hoags

S&P easy as 1,2,3!

So my theme for meals these days has been ' the easier the better' and sausage and pepper is as easy as it gets. No dishes, no heating up the house and all fresh ingredients!

You can eat this deliciousness as a sandwich or freestyle or even over some penne with a little evoo... The sky is the limit!!

Start by slicing up a variety of bell peppers, whatever mix you like but definitely a mix. I use 5 peppers. Then slice one medium onion ( I like to do red and yellow to keep the flavors interesting) a couple cloves of minced garlic and you're set!




Into the grill basket! Now, I generally sprinkle this with some red pepper flakes because I use sweet Italian sausage. If you choose spicy, I'd skip that step. The goal is to have a sweet and spicy combo.

A little drizzle of evoo, salt and pepper and a good shake! Throw your grill basket and one packet of sweet Italian sausage on the grill. Veggies over med-high. Sausage over medium.




Meanwhile, throw a loaf of bread in the oven if you'd like.

Once cooked; layer sausage, peppers, a slice of mozzarella on the split loaf and broil till cheese is melty

Bon appetite!!

Because Maui wants you to !

And honestly, who could resist that face!  This year, Hoag and I are running in the 5K to support our local no kill shelter, Wayside Waifs.  We're not much for running but for a cause as good as this one, we're willing to suck it up! 

I dont normally do this, but we'd love your support so we can support them.  



On behalf of all the animals who find love, care and a temporary place of respite at Wayside Waifs, I am excited to represent this incredible organization by participating in the 22 Annual Strutt With Your Mutt on Sept. 22.  I am proud to run/strutt in support of Wayside Waifs, Kansas City's largest no kill pet adoption center.  I hope you will consider making a gift on my behalf.  

Did you know:

·  Wayside Waifs is responsible for placing 1/3 of all animals adopted from Kansas City area shelters

·  Wayside Waifs offers 10 Humane Education programs to children in schools from all over the metropolitan area, including No More Bullies, an anti-violence program

·  25% of the animals at Wayside Waifs are purebred

·  Wayside Waifs has a FEMA certified Animal Rescue and Response Team, trained to respond to natural disasters, hording situations, and puppy mill rescues on a regional level.

We will all be running the 5K September 22 in brookside and we'd love your support! Please visit our donation page to help us reach our goal! No gift is too small ( or too big for that matter!)  

Thank you for your help in supporting those who take on the task of housing KC's homeless pets. And be sure to check your local shelters before visiting the breeders !

Lil Hoagie

Well, he's finally here.  Actually its been 7 weeks... but for those of you who have kids, you understand how those first weeks are a total blur.  Hoagie arrived on July 11, 2012 leisurely in the afternoon.  Hoag and I have been totally enamored with this little guy every second while still trying to maintain some sort of work ethic.

I realized, a few days ago, that the whole concept of this blog is going to change.  Seeing how I've barely been involved in the ranch since he's been here ( more involved with avoiding the pee sniper, blowouts and mastering the art of doing everything with one hand) I feel like I've almost lost touch with the outside world.  I know, with time, things will kick back up again and I'll be involved.  With a little more head control, a lot of confidence from me and the understanding of our cows returning from the hills... things will be at a different pace.

I want to share with you the experiences of a ranch mom and how I'll be coping with it.  I fully intend to still educate and inform, hopefully humor and wet your taste buds a bit; but I'll be finally adding to the sad and empty tab on the blog known as Hoag's Kids.

I'm sure that you understand, whoever you are out there, that there will not be many pictures of our precious baby's face.  I can assure you he is every bit as cute as your imagination is leading you to believe he is.  But, the sad truth is there are some people out there that don't read blogs to learn, laugh or dream and they are why I have to take this route.

I can't wait to get back to photographing our daily lives, exploring from a child's eye, and teaching our little Hoagie how to be a wonderful keeper of the earth and her animals.  And even more importantly, I can't wait to share those stories with you.

In the meantime, please let me know if there is anything this year that I can teach, clarify, or defend for you.  And if you must see our little man and you are not a facebook friend, please feel free to email me!

All the best,
The proudest and happiest mama in the world.

It's blue green water and it ain't the sea

It's no new info that we are in a serious drought and with the lack of rain and excessive heat, we are all facing a multitude of new challenges.  We all know it takes rain to grow crops, crops to feed cattle and cattle to feed the consumer. But the challenges our consumer doesn't think about is how hard no rain can be on the cattle from the get go.

The natural cycle for the 94% family owned and operated ranches is generally the same.  Cattle go out to pasture in the spring where they are fed by grass all summer long and then sold to the feedlot somewhere after labor day.  For our operation, we send both our beef cattle and our registered cattle out to the flint hills in the spring where they feed on the wonderful natural grasses and are watered by the natural springs and ponds that are in each pasture.  Problem is... you need rain to keep those ponds full and the springs running.

Without the rain to fill our ponds, the water level is low, warm and stagnant creating the perfect environment for Blue Green Algae.  This algae is the latest threat to the nations cattle herd and is prominent in the areas most affected by the drought.  

The blue green algae occurs naturally in most ponds but when the conditions are right, it can multiply and take over small bodies of water. The rain is what normally breaks up the scum and continues the natural cycle but without our rain, this algae is growing in abnormally high concentrations.   Not only does this kill the plants and organisms living in the water by sucking out all the oxygen but it also is highly toxic to all animals.  "Livestock affected with the nervous system toxins may
show signs including muscle tremors, decreased movement, and difficult breathing.  They will collapse and go into convulsions.  In the field, many cases show no signs except sudden collapse and death." according to South Dakota State University

So, as you can imagine, everyone is on high alert.  As if the lack of water and grass wasn't hard enough on us all, now we have to take special care to keep an eye on the water we do have.

Bottom line? Start doing the rain dances because our consumers may not think this affects them but it will take a toll on the supermarket prices!

Remembering what's important this 4th of July

Now I love America more than the next guy! And being a red blooded American, what better way to show our appreciation than to blow a bunch of stuff up.. am I right? Right? Wrong.

This year, we need to take care of our current America... and she is thirsty, dry and ready to light up with the smallest match.  According to National Drought Mitigation, 72% of American is categorized as "Abnormally dry" or worse.  This is compared to last year, with what we felt was a terrible year, where 32% of the country was in this category.  The fear is this drought is going to rival or surpass the drought of 1988 which put the agriculture business back $78 million.

Now were all painfully aware of what the residents of Colorado are currently facing.

There is no doubt that these fires are uncontrollable and fueled by dry lands, high winds and excessive periods of  no rain.  How is that any different than any of the midwest?

Besides the obvious effects of the land burning under our feet, this drought has the possibility of affecting each and every one of us where it hurts even more... our wallets.  With the lack of rain our corn and soybean crops are deteriorating rapidly. With higher corn prices comes higher feed costs, lower margin for error resulting in higher beef costs.

I know this is not my normal cheery blog but I want us all to be painfully aware of the situation were in.  It's not to be taken lightly.  Some big cities have banned fireworks which is great for this year but for those of us that live outside the city limits, rules seldom reach us or are enforced.

So please, use your heads, play with snakes and smoke bombs.  Keep a hose close by in case something does spark and be mindful of your neighbors.  Some of us are trying to grow food for the nation and we need every blade of grass we can get!

Happy Birthday America.  We'll do our best to take better care of you from now on.