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Walker is going big! The Knox County Fair starts this weekend and Walker is taking a big steer this year. Don't worry...he hasn't abandoned the mini's....he is taking Lucy along as well. 
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Early last Monday morning we returned from the Miniature Hereford Junior Nationals. The theme this year was "Return of the Minis" because we were once again in Duncan, Oklahoma. The Stephens County Expo Center is absolutely perfect for this event and we all fell in love with the town of Duncan last year. It was so nice to return to familiar territory and really get to know the people of Duncan. The town embraced the Miniature Hereford families and rolled out the welcome mat for us.  The calendar does not say that it is officially summer just yet, but we consider the start of summer when the kids are out of school. College life is requiring Isaac to continue school through the summer, but Walker has been out of school for two weeks now. Being done with homework and school projects has been a relief, but it has been replaced with all the necessities of summer on the farm.  photo courtesy of Isaac Wiley Walker started a full-time job with a landscaping company, which also means that he is getting some over time in as well. Four farmers with 4 full-time jobs is certainly changing things around here.
Whether you are strictly a grass-fed operation or you feed grain, part of your animal's diet consists of grass and hay. Pastures provide the supply of grass through the summer months and grass growing season, but fresh grass is not an option throughout the winter months. Hay is used during the winter months to provide full or partial nutrition to your animals. We spend much of our summer managing our rotational grazing system as well as baling hay to store for the winter months.  Each farm and situation is unique, but one important item to consider is whether it makes sense for you to bale your own hay or if is better to buy your hay supply.
There are many factors that go into this decision and what is right for you might not be what is right for the farm down the road. A good mineral program is essential to the health of your cattle. Just like your own body, when your vitamin and mineral intake is out of balance, your overall health can be affected. Many cattle feeds have additional minerals added to provide a more balanced nutritional package. However, with grass and hay fed herds, a good mineral program is essential. Even if you are feeding or supplementing with grain that has added minerals, it is still very important to feed additional minerals. Offering free choice minerals to your herd allows them to intake when and how much their body is craving.  Minerals are found in the ground, which in turn are absorbed in the grass, but if your ground does not contain sufficient amounts of minerals, these will not be available in the foliage to your animals.
Life is full of seasons... Seasons of busy... Seasons of rest... Seasons of waiting.... Seasons of change.... And lots of seasons in between.  The last year has been a season of waiting, planning and hoping. We have had dreams and plans, but there were lots of moving parts that needed to align in order for us to be able to fulfill our wants and dreams.
The biggest moving part was the right timing. The right time for us, the right time for others and the manpower (Isaac and Walker) to do everything we want to do. Last week we attended the Ohio Beef Expo. We are learning how fortunate we are to be a part of one of the best beef expos in the country. This was the Ohio Beef Expo's 34th year and it gets bigger and better with each year. With over 850 youth cattle, to the sale barn packed with cattle waiting to sell, to breeders from Ohio and all over the country, it is an opportunity to network with breeders, shop for all things cattle related and even add cattle to your farm.  The highlight for us is the Miniature Hereford show and sale.
Our favorite show of the year is the Ohio Beef Expo and we get to move in this week! This show has always been our favorite, probably because it is really where we got our start, but it is now our favorite because of all the people. Through all the years of showing with the Miniature Hereford Breeders Association the Ohio Cattlemen's Association B.E.S.T. shows, we have come to know a lot of people.  It is so fun to just walk up and down the aisles, through the trade show, and around the grounds and see so many old friends. It's hard to get very far without stopping and talking or catching up with someone we haven't seen in a while.
I mean...it is fun to show...but the party back in the barn is way more fun! Are you looking to buy some Miniature Herefords? Well, the Ohio Beef Expo is the place you want to be. Saturday, March 19th, there will be a live and online auction with over 20 Miniature Herefords for sale. Make plans to attend the sale on Saturday and get your bidding arm ready. If you are not able to attend in person, you can bid online by clicking here.  Be sure to check out lot 14, our very own 4 Wiley Autumn Angel. Click below to see the complete listing of consigned animals, embryos and semen. 
Also, make plans to be there on Friday, the 18th to see the animals go through the show ring at 2:00 p.m.
Stop by the barns to check out the sale animals and talk with all the breeders. Be sure to stop by our stalls and say hi! Some may say that the agricultural community is the foundation of our country. The unseen heroes that work from sun up to sun down providing for their families and the rest of the world. They are the ones with the true grit and determination when everything is against them. From fires and drought to disease and unpredictable financial markets, they never give up. Farmers have a deep founded love for the land that flows into an unwavering love for our country. If you were to ask most people in agriculture, I bet almost all of them would tell you that they got their start in 4-H.  For our family, 4-H is where it all started. We live in a rural community so it only made sense that our kids would be a part of the program. What we didn't know is how much it would teach us. We had no idea what we were doing and we had a club and club leaders that held our hands through that first year and taught us what we didn't even know we didn't know.
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AuthorHello! I am Heather... the city girl turned mom to manure loving country boys. My husband and I both grew up in the city, but spent weekends visiting grandparents in the country. We are first generation farmers who learn best by almost always doing things the hard way. I hope you enjoy following along with our adventures down on the farm. Archives
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