Fall in Love with Fall

I have no favorite season, as I am fond of them all. In fact with each change of season, I find different aspects to love and appreciate. There are so many reasons to adore fall. On weekends, I love waking up to brisk, sunny fall mornings. Crisp mornings transform into beautiful, warm afternoons. Fall colors are absolutely magnificent with hues ranging in read, orange, yellow and purple. These colors are an amazing contrast to the bright blue sky. It is incredible the colors that nature creates. The sound of the breeze blowing through the trees and leaves gently floating to the ground is peaceful. The fuzzy caterpillars are a funny sight as they inch their way along. As a young girl, I loved finding different colors of caterpillars. Fall has a simple beauty in its sights and sounds. Take time to appreciate the beauty of fall.

Lightning Bugs

Once I figured out that lightning bugs wouldn't 'zap' me, I fell in love with them as a young girl. During summer nights in the country, I loved running around in the yard barefoot chasing and catching lightning bugs. That is one of my favorite memories I have growing up on the farm. Hopefully it will be a memory and pastime that I will share with my three nieces each summer.

To this day, I am still fond of them lighting up the summer sky. In the evening, I enjoy sitting outside on my porch relaxing and taking in their beauty. The glow from the lighting bugs in contrast to the darkening sky truly is a beautiful sight in the country. Lightning bugs look so peaceful as they float through the air twinkling as the sun is setting. The almost look like stars...only a little closer to us. Summer seems to be the perfect time to sit back and enjoy the simple things in life.

Tools of the Trade

When you think of tools of the trade for a cattleman, you typically think of a four-wheel drive truck, livestock trailer, four-wheeler, or a cattle dog. Do you think of Facebook, Twitter or YouTube? Today, the use of social media is becoming increasingly important to agriculture. We need to educate our non-farm friends about our industry and what we do as farmers and ranchers. On Facebook, I write posts about my daily chores on our cattle farm. Sometimes my Dad wonders if I get anything else accomplished. But, he now understands how crucial it is for us livestock producers to get our message out to our friends and consumers. To reach a broader audience, I started blogging to talk about my daily life on a cattle farm. We are the experts in our industry. We need to tell our story. And, we have a great story to tell! We as cattlemen are stewards of the land, we care for our livestock at all times of the day and in all types of weather, and we work hard to provide safe and nutritious beef for our consumers. Cattlemen are proud people. As a 3rd generation cattleman, from a family that has been raising purebred cattle for close to 70 years, I take great care and pride in what I do. It is a job I take very seriously. And, I think this can be said for most farmers and ranchers in the United States.

For those who know me, know the beef industry is a great passion of mine. I have dedicated my life to promote and protect an industry I love and shaped me into the person I am. We need to be advocates of agriculture. I am very passionate about telling the story of a cattleman and of the beef industry. Whether it is blogging about the days on our cattle farm, representing beef producers on the Illinois Beef Association and Knox County Cattlemen's Association, teaching 4th grade students about beef cattle at Knox County Ag Day for Kids, or explaining to my nieces what my Dad and I do and giving them first-hand experiences on the farm, I am an advocate and challenge you to do the same.

Halter Breaking Heifers

Anyone that knows me knows that I love cattle and every aspect that involves raising and managing them. On December 18th, Dad and I picked out six of our top replacement heifers to halter. Every year, we halter break half of our replacement heifers. I truly look forward to this annual task! Morning feedings, evening feedings, and leading heifers bring back a lot of good memories from my childhood and days in 4-H. Standing in the barn, I can imagine my Grandpa Stevens saying, "Nice heifers!", as he said every year. Tears of joy come to my eyes thinking about it.

Dad and I halter break our heifers in case we need to assist them in calving. This way they will be use to us and a halter. Our work with the heifers establishes trust that is so very important. It may seem like a lot of work, but it has paid off for us immensely over the years. It is priceless insurance. And, it is a lot safer for everyone when the heifers are halter broken.

Over the years, I have learned there is a system to halter breaking. We do so in a calm, quiet manner that they remain relatively calm too. Within a few minutes of being haltered, our heifers were relaxed and eating the hay and corn in front of them. On the fifth day of being on halter, I started leading the heifers in the barn. They did such an amazing job! It was like they had already been halter broken. And of course, we have those times when the heifers feel frisky and like to bounce a foot or two off the ground :) After ten days, I slipped off their halters and turned them back into the feedlot with the rest of the calves. It was fun watching them run and kick once they were off halter. Now walking through the lot to check calves, those who were haltered seek me out for attention.  

Through the Camera Lens

Quite often, my thoughts and feelings are conveyed through the photos I capture. Photographs are truly worth more than words. They have deeper meaning. To me, a photograph is not just the sun setting on a corn field, not just a tractor stirring up dust in the field, not just cows grazing. I see more. When I snap a picture, I see through the camera lens: faith, family, tradition, strength, hard work, pride, love, and even hope.

Often times, you may find me with my camera, as I never know when I will be inspired by what I see or spot a great idea for a photo. Even on my jogs in the country, I search for inspiration for my next photo. In the spring, I cannot help but notice the warm, yellow-orange sun beaming down on the shiny, green rows of corn or my dad in the tractor making his way across the field. Harvest is another time of inspiration. One fall while waiting on my dad to fill the grain wagon for me to haul into the bin site to unload, I took time to discover the environment around me. Lying on my stomach in the middle of a grassed waterway, I patiently waited to take that perfect picture of a Monarch butterfly on top of a red clover blossom. I am sure it was a crazy site to see from the cab of the combine! My dad was probably wondering what his daughter was up to again! The outcome of the photos was exactly what I had hoped. Several Monarchs fluttering, almost melodically, throughout the waterway inspired me to take pictures of the free spirited and wonderfully beautiful insects. These sites start a thought process...thoughts that I want to capture in photographs to share with others.

Agriculture is what I know, love and appreciate, and I want to share my love of agriculture through my photographs.

For the Love of Agriculture

What an exciting opportunity! I am looking forward to sharing my daily life on a cattle farm, my love of agriculture, and stories behind my photos on my blog! 

It has become increasingly important to educate our friends, neighbors and consumers about agriculture. As many know, agriculture is a passion of mine. It is a significant part of my life. For the love of agriculture, I decided to create a blog to share my story. My posts will be from the heart about an industry that I care deeply about.

Enjoy :)