2017 Top Five

2017 Top Five Most Viewed Blog Posts

My Barnyard View

Click on the blog post titles and you can read what you missed.

5. Harvest17 Is In The Books Like every job, there are good days and bad days. I love driving the combine, but some days can be a bit trying. Read about our successful harvest and the bumps along the way.

4. Flavor Of The Fair Each year you get to help decide what the new malt flavor is at the Minnesota State Fair. In this blog post, I got to be one of the first to taste and see the unveiling of the top three flavors. Dill pickles in a malt?

3. I Won! Even though my parents, all of my grandparents, and all of my aunts and uncles were dairy farmers (yes, everyone of them were farmers) we also have a commitment to being involved in our communities. Read about my latest involvement off the farm.

2. Super Bowl and Super School Breakfast Dairy farming, sharing my dairy story, and my love for football are all combined in this blog post as I had the opportunity to visit a local school. See what dairy farming and the Super Bowl have to do with each other. And yes, with the Big Game only a few weeks away, I am still praying the Minnesota Vikings will be playing that day!

1. Santa On Bremer Farms Our first attempt at a Christmas event at Bremer Farms was a huge success. This blog post recaps our first Santa on the Farm in 2016. It went well, but 2017 Santa on the Farm grew by leaps and bounds! With 2017's Santa On The Farm already in the books, we have been discussing what new things 2018's event will bring. Watching cows being milked from the warmth of your car... a new light show synced to music...

Thank you for joining my family and I as we continue our journey as proud and passionate dairy farmers. Let me know if you have questions or a topic you want to know about.

AND

Have you "liked" My Barnyard View on Facebook? I'm always sharing something, including photos from the farm, when my latest blog post is up, and even giveaways!

Harvest17 Is In The Books

There were days when I didn't think we would ever be able to say it, but Harvest17 is finished!

As farmers we quickly realize that not everything is in our control. 

Take the weather for instance. This Fall brought many rainy, wet days which screamed, "We can't combine corn today!" 

Then there was the tractor that needed to be fixed which meant taking off a few days of combining since we needed the tractor to bring the wagons in from the corn field. Thanks to our local implement dealer, it was fixed quickly though! 

And then there was the day that fuel was delivered to the farm and the gasoline was accidentally pumped into the diesel fuel tank. In case you don't know- gas and diesel don't like each other! So the next step was to drain the fuel from everything we had filled...tractors, combine, two skid steer loaders... and more trips to our local implement dealer for new filters and repairs because of the delivery boo-boo.

When our two corn storage bins on our farm were filled, it was off to the grain elevator in a neighboring town.  At this point of harvest, we opted to take a few days off to avoid the long lines at the elevator since many farmers were now delivering their bounty to the elevator to be either stored or sold. The whole time we prayed the good weather would hold out.

But hey, we got it done. No one got hurt, we have two bins filled to the brim with corn, and we had a large enough yield that we were able to sell a bunch too. I do know that in our area, and across the state of Minnesota there is a lot of corn (and soybeans) still standing in the field. I pray that all farmers can soon say, "We got 'er done." 

See you next year combine. Until then, my work here is done!

Two Little Steps and What They Taught Me

August 22, 2017 - Two days before the beginning of the Minnesota State Fair. Two days before I begin my 12 days of chaperoning Princess Kay of the Milky Way and her court. This is what happens when you don't see two little steps in a dimly lit room. 

Thanks to my daughter Sara and the great staff of Midwest Dairy I was able to rest up at home the first four days and then return via a motorized scooter for the remainder of the fair. But I'm getting ahead of the story...

August 24- Two days after falling- can't get a shoe on my swollen foot- trip to ER- Dr. says "two broken bones- here's some crutches- can put some weight on it- don't think you will need surgery but call surgeon after the Fair."

September 8- I'm in surgery- staple permanently implanted in my foot- no weight on foot for 2 weeks- can't walk up steps- bedroom on second floor- sleeping in a recliner is not ideal- eating in a recliner is awkward.

September 21- Transitioned from surgery wrap to a cast- red is my favorite color- no weight for 2 more weeks- getting tired of sitting- nothing good on TV- my family is amazing help- thinking of my Mom and Dad a lot as they were not mobile for the last several years of their lives- reality check- stop complaining and be thankful.

October 5- Transitioned from cast to walking boot- no weight for 1 week- progress?- still sitting- sorted magazines- read two books- made two Christmas stockings- isn't being waited on supposed to be a luxury?- feeling helpless but thankful.

October 12- I can stand- walking boot for two more weeks- can walk to the bathroom alone (that's a big deal!- excited to do laundry and dishes- never thought I would say that.

October 26- Can start transitioning from walking boot to shoe with an ankle brace- what shoe is going to fit this swollen foot and brace?- swelling could last 4 months or longer- sigh... slow and steady wins the race.

Thank goodness for stretchy tennis shoes! They fit over a brace and a swollen foot. I can even climb steps, all the way to the seat in the combine so I can combine corn! Ahh...life is good!