Dirt, Denim and Diamonds conference

Dirt, Denim and Diamonds conference

Women in agriculture should check out the Dirt, Denim and Diamonds conference scheduled for August 10-11 at Living Water Ranch north of Manhattan, KS. The event promises to be a lot of fun with many opportunities for women interested in agriculture to network.  This conference is also the capstone of the organizer Lori Bammerlin's master's degree. Let's hope she makes this the first of an annual event!

To get more information and register, go to http://www.dirtdenimdiamonds.blogspot.com/ or check the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/events/115479711929610.

See you there!

The Fine Art of Stall Bedding

Several goat kids have been born on our farm recently, and now we are awaiting the birth of a foal to my Paint mare, Kid Bo Gandi. For the new moms, I spread bedding in their maternity stalls, from some good wheat straw stored in our granary. Every time I make fresh bedding for an animal, I think of my dad and his dad and the horse stalls on my home farm. Dad and Grandpa were insistent that my sister and I spread the bedding just right - no clumps of straw - take the flake of straw and shake it out to make a soft, not lumpy, bed of straw.

Dad called today to go over the preparation list and be sure I'm ready - keep the mare in at night; check her for signs that foaling time is near; then check her every 2 hours; make sure she has a fresh bed of straw; iodine to spray the naval of the foal; once it's born, make sure the foal stands and nurses. My dad is 88 and has been farming and raising and caring for animals throughout his life. His list reminds me of all the nights through calving season when he would go to the barn every 2 hours through the night to check the cows and be there to help them if needed.

Retired from the farm and the cattle business for only 3 years, Dad follows the news about agriculture and the markets every day, keeps me up on relevant issues, and makes sure I'm on top of my farming responsibilities. As I work to carry on our family farming traditions, I'm grateful for my training in the fine art of stall bedding.

Life Changes

On January 10, I started a new job - at the Kansas Department of Agriculture. It was an opportunity I'd not thought about - until I had a call asking if I'd be interested in working at the Ag Department. Long ago and far away (Illinois and DC) I worked for the IL Department of Agriculture and then USDA. Those were great experiences and times in my life - but 4 children, a husband, a mother-in-law living with us, the farm and ranches, American Agri-Women and an agritourism business later - I wasn't sure if this was really something I could do. But my family thought we could handle it. So on a cold and snowy day - I set off to the Agriculture Department wondering what I'd been thinking. This is the 7th week - wow, it's flown by. That's part of the problem - time goes so quickly in these jobs and making a difference takes a lot of focus.

We have a great new Secretary of Agriculture - Dale Rodman - who has had tremendous experience in agribusiness, with an abundance of contacts and knowledge that will help grow agribusiness in Kansas and help the Department of Agriculture do its job as efficiently as possible. In these times of budget reductions, we are searching for every way possible to do more with less funding. Our new Governor, Sam Brownback, has many ideas for attracting people and businesses to Kansas. A former Secretary of Agriculture, Governor Brownback has proposed strengthening the Department of Agriculture by bringing the Ag Marketing program, Animal Health Department and State Conservation Commission into the Department. This should create opportunities and great working relationships for all involved.