Fun at Church

Last week we had a Pine Wood Derby race for the children in the Awana program at my church.  Here are some pictures from the evening.

The kids buy the kits and (with some help), design and build their own cars.  It was fun to see them get all excited as they watched their cars go down the track.  I helped by setting up the cars for each race with one of the other leaders.

I worked with the Kindergarten age boys this year and have really enjoyed being able to serve with Awanas.  I've learned a lot, to say the least.  This week is the closing awards night and then we'll be done for the summer.  I pray that I was able to impact these boys to follow the Lord at a young age.

Another Big Step

Just over a week ago I took another big step in my farming passion and purchased a full-size diesel pickup truck. The Lord led me to find an awesome small business that specializes in quality used diesel trucks -- Handpicked Western Trucks LLC.  I actually had been driving past the place each time I did a delivery run for the farm, but I did not find it until I looked online! God directs our steps and His timing is always right.

The truck is in really good condition and, most importantly, it has the 7.3 diesel power stroke engine. Yes, I like my Fords. I am planning to have a hitch put in the bed of the truck so I can pull a goose neck trailer for some of our farm work. Lord willing it will give me many years of good hard service.

I guess that's about it. Spring keeps getting busier and we are really looking forward to our interns coming in just a few weeks

My new workhorse

Hope you all are doing well.

Little Brother Comes to Town

     This past week I had the privilege of having my younger brother Daniel come for a visit. We had a lot of fun together, enjoying everything from bottle feeding a calf and truck shopping to hunting ground hogs! Daniel was also here to see the Passion play at my church, in which I had a small part.

     Daniel jumped right in on a load of farm work last week. We even gave Daniel & Sheri's yard a Barth Brothers Landscape Maintenance mow and trim job -- just like we used to do back home. Friday evening Daniel and I got out my 12 gauge and shot clay pigeons. It was a first for him but as with any challenge Daniel caught on right away.
 
     The days went by too fast for both of us. The time for Daniel to fly back home came too quickly and it was a little hard to say goodbye.  I am thankful for the memorable time we had working and playing together and look forward to more visits in the future.

      Daniel, thanks for coming to see me.

 dressed up for the play

Cooking hot dogs and marshmallows on the top of the mountain with the farm crew.

The first batch of broilers went out into their field pens.

bringing pigs out to the woods

We did a BIG fencing project on one of the rental properties last week.

Pull!

No ground hogs, but we still had fun!

  It looks like Loren found her marshmallow stick.

A view of Polyface from the top of the mountain.

Spring has sprung! ...... I think.

Well, it certainly feels like spring has finally arrived on the farm.  I am told, however, that the valley isn't clear from winter "come-backs" till after Easter.

Second only to fall, spring is my favorite time of the year. Daffodils are in bloom, the grass is starting to grow (yep, the mower will be coming out soon!) and everything just has a sense of life and vigor about it.

We have had a full week of getting animals out onto pastures and emptying chickens from the hoop houses. I have taken three groups of pigs to one of our rental properties and put another group of pigs on pasture here at Polyface. It has been a very busy time starting up our water systems for the season and making sure the cattle fences are in good repair.  We are keeping a close eye on the cows and should be having our first calves any day now.

The first batch of broiler chicks arrived Thursday evening, which in a way is a little scary to think about. The year is moving along quickly.  In only three weeks the chicks will be going out onto pasture in portable shelters.

The Buying Clubs have started up again and that means more time in the freezers to fill orders for our customers.  It's so gratifying to be able to offer healthy food to people.  It's so rewarding to get to be a part of the process.

I think that is about all the exciting new stuff for now.  I'll close with a verse that comes to mind as I witness the many changes of the season happening all around me.  2 Cor. 5:17 says: "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."  It is so cool to see the parallel of nature to my spiritual life, with all of the "old" things of winter behind us and the "new" things of spring popping out before our eyes.  I praise God for the change He has made in my life through His Son, the Lord Jesus!

I hope everyone's spring is full of exciting new growth.
 

This was our first Buying Club load-up. All of the product is on the tables
and will be loaded into the coolers on the right.

It was neat to see this rainbow a couple weeks ago while we were feeding hay.

Until we sent the chickens to other rental farms, we were getting around 180 dozen eggs a day!

The pigs are coming out of the trailer into their new home at the Brown's property.

They sure are happy out there. It looks like the pig on the left is smiling. All that keeps them contained are two strands of electrified wire set about eight and sixteen inches off the ground.

These are some of our spring baby rabbits.

The freshly tilled garden beds are waiting for plants.

We did a cow move the other day that a whole bus load of kids got to watch.
You can be sure that all the moms and dads heard about it when they arrived home.

The grass is so green that some fields look like a golf course.

Feeding Hay

Daniel loading the trailer. We can fit fifteen bales on one load.

A lot of what fills our time in mid-winter is feeding out hay. We have most of the cattle in a big group, about 750 head, on one of the rental farms.
The hay comes from big stacks that we made last July. The bales are loaded onto a flat bed trailer and then hauled out to the herd. One person works on the trailer cutting  strings off the bales and pushing the flakes, or patties as we call them, off the trailer while the other person drives up and down the field.  Right now we are feeding about thirty-two bales a day with each bale weighing 600lbs. On Monday and Wednesday we put out enough feed for two days and on Friday we put out enough for three days so that we don't have to feed on Sunday.

The big stack of hay.

 Sorry some of these pics. are blurry, I took them with my phone. Also, these shots were taken on one of the two days we had snow this winter. We have had some pretty mild weather this season.

We "had" snow.....

This past weekend on Sunday evening we had snow come into the valley. It was so beautiful because it stuck to everything. By Monday morning there was about six inches on the ground.  The weather warmed up fast though and most of the snow was gone by Wednesday afternoon. 

We all enjoyed the refreshing "white stuff" though it was short lived.

Coral and loading shoot

Eggmobiles taking their winter nap, but not for long!

The snow was pretty with the clear blue sky

Logs waiting to be cut into lumber by the sawmill in the background

We had some fun pulling people around on a sled with the ATV.

Daniel's kids loved the snow time

All the Piglets

Well, three sows have had their babies, the last one coming up to bat with fifteen!! Unfortunately, not all of the babies made it.  I'm told that is normal, but it is still a hard thing to get accustomed to.

Anyway, it was pretty cool to see some of the piglets be born! Daniel, Leanna and I watched the birthing of some of the last piglets from the litter of fifteen. I was amazed just watching the whole process. One minute the babies are getting all that they need for life exclusively from their mother before birth.  The next minute they are using lungs that have never known air before. It's just a miracle!

It has been fun to see them grow and it happens fast! You watch them bite and tumble around with each other and then if mama lays down......"drop everything and run, because it is meal time!"

too cute!!!