Behind my faith, my family is my driving force.

We have been blessed with 3 farm kids who are loving the farm life as much as we do.

I'm sure you will learn lots of farm kid antics over the next few weeks.

Raising our kids on the farm gives us unique opportunities to help them 

grow, learn and explore the world around them.  Nothing happens on the farm that the kids don't either know about in advance or learn about soon after.  They are learning the good parts of farm life and the bad parts.  We want to ensure they see all aspects before they decide what they want to do in life.  We know that farm life isn't for everyone so we want our kids to make an informed decision.

Our farm is far different from what I dreamed about as a young girl.

You see I grew up in a different part of the South...

the part where peanuts, pine trees and cotton are king.

I knew I would marry a farmer but never thought it would be a dairy farmer.

For those of you not involved in agriculture here's what that means in grocery store terms :) 

And yes there are days when I think this is all too much for me to handle...

you can read about that here

So please join me over the next month and learn what I encounter as a farm wife.

Have questions about the farm?  Please feel free to ask them!

Until we meet again may God bless you real good!

Caci 

Welcome to what I hope becomes a weekly series.  Each week I plan to give you a brief glimpse into our life as a farm family through photographs.  I'm sure there will be weeks with interruptions but for the most part I hope to be here.  If you have questions about the photos or what is going on in them please read the caption and ask any questions in the comments section below.

Farmgirl all dressed and ready for church.  I'm not sure about other parts of the country but in the South we love smocked outfits and big bows! 

Farmboy2 helping Nana feed calves at the barn.  Our 2 youngest go to the dairy each morning to help while our oldest goes to school and I head to my town job.  

Farmboy showing one of his heifers (with a little help) at our local livestock show.  Fall is full of shows, shows and more shows.  To help balance everything out we limit the number of shows we attend.  This year we are doing 2 lambs shows and 4 cow shows.  

Farmboy had a great day at our local sheep show bringing home 2 grand champions.  Now if he would just pay attention to the judge we might take showmanship too. 

The Farmer and Farmgirl enjoying themselves at the Cub Scout camp out

Reasons like this are why we decided to limit shows.  This allows the Farmer to get away and relax.

The Farmer and Farmboy2 got to enjoy sunrise on the beach during our camp out,

since "we are not all dairy farmers". 

My morning calf greeting.  Each morning as I'm leaving the barn this calf comes out to greet me.

Farmboy and his registration papers for his "first official" heifer.  Purebred animals are registered with their respective breed associations.  These animals get an official name and number.  Then we use those names and numbers while showing and then again when the cow has a calf.  

The farmboys helping to gather feed from bulk storage for calves.  Farm kids learn early in life how to work and that on our farm every one has to pitch in.  Our boys love to help out.  Sometimes I think it's just to get dirty.  

Farmgirl and I after church waiting on the Farmer to feed cows.

Yes it's September and we are already feeding hay due to the drought.  

Until next time may God bless you real good,

Caci

2005

cows (beef & dairy),

it's hard work, 

This time of year is busy around the farm.

A new crop of calves are arriving from now until Dec...which we call Fall Calving Season

Cows still have to be milked and pastures made ready for winter

And sometime farm babies start practicing driving early.

Not to mention show season kicks into high gear here in the Southeast.  

Some shows like the pullet show at our local livestock show just award participation ribbons, while others place kids and their animals all the way from 1 to 10 (or more).

Showing livestock isn't for everyone.  

It takes lots of work to teach your animal to walk and set up.

Not to mention it takes a good deal of funds to feed your animal properly for show.

Sometimes it even takes a little help from a friend, when you are showing a ewe or a calf bigger than you.

But all that hard work pays off.  

Not only to the kids get ribbons and prize money

They also learn valuable lessons in responsibly, animal husbandry, and sportsmanship.  

Overall our 1st full weekend of showing went well but more than the ribbons and awards, the Farmboy enjoyed hanging out with his friends and eating Nana Peggy's animal themed cupcakes :) 

Until we meet again...

Caci

So this past weekend the #farmer, #farmboys & I took a mini vacation, 

thanks to our milk cooperative.  

We attended our 1st Summer Break...in Amish Country.

Now some of you may think we spent the 4 days eating ourselves silly, 

touring Amish Farms, and visiting the world's largest Coo-Coo Clock.

However that's not exactly how it worked out. 

We did eat.

We did get to explore some very scenic parts of Ohio

Visit a popular town park...which puts our playground to shame

Celebrate National Ice Cream Day

Enjoy some great family time together

Meet lots of new folks (yes, all dairy farmers)

But the purpose wasn't solely for fun, but also education.

You see this is organized by our milk cooperative to allow young farmers (18-40) 

to visit other dairies and learn how they operate.

  What are those dairies doing differently? 

We also were able to spend time with other folks just like us,

who work hard each day to supply others with safe, wholesome milk for their families and ours.

Who value their cattle and their land...

You see on this tour

 there were 120+ people...

I didn't see one factory farmer.

I saw moms, 

dads, 

and kids

 who all make up family farms 

from Georgia to Pennsylvania. 

Each farmer was attending so they could learn more,

get new ideas,

and fellowship with fellow farmers.  

When the Farmer & Farm Boy arrived back from the evening activities

I took the boy back to the pool.

Where many farm families sat around watching the kids play

while they chatted about everything from cow comfort to #momlife.

You see farmers make up a very small portion of the U.S. population (less than 2%),

so when we get a chance to visit with others like us...

we tend to play catch up because 

you most likely won't see them again for another 6 months to a year!

Overall we had a great trip.  

The Farm boys did great on the trip,

but were super excited to be back home 

and out of the car.

The farmer had some much needed time to relax.

He was headed to the farm within 30 minutes of getting home.

As the farm wife & mom,

I still have a mountain of laundry to catch up on,

have to return to our normal routine today. 

But wouldn't trade a minute of it.

Until we meet again...

Caci