Life Changes

No. I’m not writing about Thomas Rhett’s song (although it is pretty catchy don’t you think?). I’m talking about the changes that have all of a sudden seemed to have happened in my life. But first, let’s set the stage...

Back in April when I came back from my internship, I knew I just wanted to farm and keep doing the hard physical labor I was doing in Montana. I wanted some “Jennifer” time doing what I love (farming). I also knew it would be a good time for me to look into job opportunities. I applied for a few jobs and nothing seemed to come through. 

In the beginning of July I started to get more serious about doing something about my job situation. I also decided to apply to grad school so that I could maybe do something short term while working on my degree. All while that was going on, my beloved el’ Jeepo decided to really show how cranky it could be and it was evident I was going to put a lot into a car I was hoping to be rid of or get a new to me car. 

Everything seemed to get set into motion when I went to judge a county fair. The Nicholas County fair. After I was finished judging the show, the Extension agent asked if I had a job yet (a seemingly common question I was getting asked). I of course said “No, not other than farming.” Then, he said, “did you know about the teaching position here?” 

I went on to basically say that I did but didn’t see any point in applying since I wasn’t certified. Long story short, I got talked into applying. 

Skip forward a few weeks and I had to drive home from the county fair. I looked at the caller ID on the home phone (out of habit) and saw that there was a phone call from the Nicholas County BOE. I called them back and they basically said that they wanted me to be the Ag teacher at the Nicholas County Career and Technical Center! 

Skip forward one more week. With this new job (basically) secured, I know I’ve got the funds for a new vehicle. (No more rattle and banging around or low tires!) 

That same day, I received the email to register for classes for my online grad school. 

I know all of this was very long winded, but there is a point to this. To me, it is amazing to think how much all the praying I was doing throughout all of this ended up paying off. If you’re close to me, you know my original plan in college was to get my teaching certification, but it didn’t pan out. You also know that I have always wanted to go West. 

God took me the scenic route. The VERY scenic route. He used several experiences and downfalls to put me right where he feels I need to be. 

• After last fall, I didn’t think I would ever be a teacher. 
• I always wanted to go west, but after the winter in Montana, I sure love my windbreaks in West Virginia
• The jobs I applied for weren’t right for me

God knew I needed to try all my options before I would get to the right one. If you’re being put through the wringer and aren’t getting to where you think you should be, just wait. He has a plan for you. It will work out in the end. He promises us that. One of my favorite verses says: “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

Galatians 6:9 KJV 

This means that if we wait on the Lord, he will make it all work out “in due time.” 

Life changes happen. It matters what we do about them and if we keep the faith. 

Support Your Youth In Ag

Fair season is in full swing and with that comes junior livestock sales. As a product of youth livestock programs, I can proudly say that funds from those junior livestock sales are a big part of what put me through college. Below I have a few reasons why you or your business should consider purchasing animals from 4-H and FFA youth. 

These youth have put countless hours into their project. The sale at the end of the fair is a culmination of all that hard work. From early mornings feeding and exercising animals to late nights practicing their showmanship skills, these kids are dedicated. Why wouldn’t you want to reward their hard work by buying their animal? 

You can put a face with the dinner on your plate. The big push seems to be to buy local. Buy purchasing an animal from 4-H or FFA members; you’ll be able to know who raised the animal, and if you buy from someone like I was when I was younger, you’ll know the animals life story as well. 

Even if you don’t want an animal to fill your freezer, there are other options. 

Many fairs will offer you the opportunity to resale the animal at a local auction. If your really in the giving mood, some fairs have options to donate and resale the animal through multiple funds such as a scholarship or barn fund. 

You can help youth with multiple endeavors. As I said earlier, selling market animal projects at the fair helped me get through college. Other youth might use the money to help buy a car or their next livestock project. Some might use it to build their herd or flock. 

The most important reason is that you’re supporting our agriculture future. You’re supporting the youth that will go out and help feed the world. So I encourage you to venture out to the county or state fair and talk with these youth. Get to know them and their livestock. You’ll be glad that you did. 

Going Western: Part 5

HOLY COW. This coming week will be week 11, then I’m headed home! I am still in disbelief of how fast this has gone by. It seems like it wasn’t so long ago that I got into this frozen, cold place without my luggage.

This experience has helped me grow SO MUCH. I have gone three months without seeing any of my family, well anything that is familiar. I missed out on lambing season at home for the first time, and I haven’t seen the Mountaineers play a basketball game since they beat Oklahoma in the beginning of January (one of the most memorable games I’ve EVER been to). I must also say that it has made me lose some things as well, such as a pant size. Lifting these bales and walking an average of 2 miles per day has definitely helped! However, I think that one of the most impactful things that have come out of this is that I have grown so much closer to God.

I am very much a routine oriented person. When I got here and I had no semblance of a routine, it stressed me out! I finally got into a routine where I would do some Bible study and say a little prayer before heading out of a morning. When I started working with the sheep, it felt like I was constantly praying and asking God to help me get the lambs out of the ewe, or to help me get a lamb to live. I am so thankful that this experience has taught me and helped me grow closer to God, because I feel more at ease because of it. I sure miss my Sunday’s at church, but I still think spending time with God every day has helped me so much.

This is going to be a shorter post, and I promise to do a full recap of this whole ordeal the week I get back. I do ask that since I seem to have the worst luck flying (going in circles around Pittsburgh, and losing my bags) that you keep me in your prayers on the 27^th so that everything goes as well as possible. Hopefully the 3^rd time is the charm! 

Also:  LET'S GO MOUNTAINEERS!

Going Western Part 4

FINALLY. A break in the weather...at least for the good part of a week anyway! Lambing is starting to slow and quiet down here a little bit. At last count, only 23 ewes left to lamb and the last day they should be able to lamb is the 15th. Am I excited? YES. I've also been able to go two weeks without having to sleep in the barn, which is very, very nice. 

I've still had my share of weird stuff happen. Last Monday I had a ewe bloat then die. I also had to help pull a very, very dead, stinky lamb this past Monday. Both of which are things that I never want to deal with again. 

As many of you have seen from Facebook, the 28th was my "birthday" and I had the day off. I went to Great Falls so that I could both see some different parts of Montana as well as have a little retail therapy. It was a gorgeous day! This also gave me an excuse to dress in something other than a long-sleeve t-shirt and jeans as well as wear makeup for the first time in two months. I never thought I'd miss something like that, but apparently I did. 

My plane ticket is booked for the last week of March and then this will be over! I am excited and sad all at the same time. I am excited to go home and see everyone that I've missed for the past (what will be) three months as well as see all of the calves and lambs that Mom and Dad have done a pretty good job of keeping me updated with. I am sad that I will miss out on seeing Montana when it is green rather than blindingly white. I am going to miss these people (the frigid cold, not so much) and I wish I would have had more time to do some sight seeing, but you know what? I can always come back, and I plan on it (but I'm doing that in the summer)!

Going Western: Part 3

 

Initially when I started this third post, it was pretty dark. I had just started doing night lambing duties instead of night calving and it was (still is) pretty darn stressful. The evening prior I had to spend the night in the barn because the roads were so bad. I was tired, and stretched pretty thin. I have cried more this past week than I have in a very, very long time (okay, probably since I started college). I have cried because I am stressed beyond belief, ridiculously tired, and I am homesick. I need a break. I am hoping that since this week is the last of the synchronized ewes, that I’ll be able to take that break next week and since the forecast is looking like it should be much better weather than the past few weeks.

            Now, to move on to some of the new things I have been able to experience. Since I have been basically taking over lambing duties, I’ve had to experience both the good and the bad. In the past two days, I’ve had three lambs that were coming wrong. The first just had a leg back (which was a simple fix). The second was the one that I hope to never experience again. The ewe had her first lamb fine so I decided that I would go back in and check for a second one. There was a second lamb but all that I felt was ribs. Apparently, the lamb was coming sideways instead of front feet and head first. I eventually got everything shifted around to where I could pull the front feet and the head up into the birth canal and got the lamb out! Thankfully and a little bit to my surprise, the lamb was alive! The third dystocia was a ewe that had a lamb with its head back. It wasn’t exactly the easiest to solve, but eventually the lamb made its grand entrance and is also alive!

            These past couple weeks have been difficult and trying no doubt, but I keep reminding myself that God won’t give me anything I can’t handle and that there is always a way. I just have to remember that.

Until next time!

Going Western Part 2

Ya’ll, calving more than 25 head of cows is chaotic. We had a day that it seemed all we were doing was pulling calves in the barn or separating cows that calved at the same time and were trying to claim another’s calf. Even though it is rather chaotic, seeing God’s constant gift of life and all of its amazement is rather constant. To think that everything went so right to get all of these babies is pretty awesome to think about. I did get to do something I haven’t done before as well as hope I don’t have to do often this past week, I helped pull a calf during my night calving duties. It was a rather difficult pull because the heifer wasn’t helping us at all, then when she went down, she didn’t go down “right” and that made things even harder. Thankfully, we got the calf out healthy and then the heifer went right to licking it and all was well.

            Last week, I got to change things up a bit and help shear sheep before they lamb. I wasn’t the one with the shears, but I did help get the sheep up on the shearing trailer so that the three people that were shearing could get it done. I’ve never seen shearing happen (like it’s actually supposed to get done) except at the shearing contest at the state fair. It was amazing to see how they maneuvered the ewes and just kept going! My back would hurt so bad! It was also interesting to see how much of a true difference there is between black-faced sheep wool and high-quality fine wool.

            These past couple days have been COLD, thankfully, the wind wasn’t too terrible last night, but the snow sure was coming down! I think the main thing I’m wanting to say is, always, always thank a farmer or rancher. They are always going out and checking on their animals or crops so that you, the consumer stay fed and clothed. I will forever be thankful for the “milder” winters that we get in West Virginia, I understand that we usually have wetter snow and the air is more humid (making it sometimes more miserable) but I think I will always remember the ranchers of the northern part of the US during the winter because this weather is something I’ve never seen.

Appalachian Girl goes Western

This spring semester, I am interning at a ranch in Central Montana to fulfill a requirement for a couple classes in order to graduate in May. I’ve decided that I’ll make an attempt at doing weekly or bi-weekly installments of my experience. I’ll be here until the first part of April, so we’ll see how this goes!

            Last Tuesday, the 9^th, I endured what seemed to be the longest travel day of my life. My flight out of West Virginia was delayed two hours because of fog at Dulles Airport. I had to change all of my flights around so instead of landing in Great Falls at around 2:30, I landed at around 10 that night. To top it off, my luggage didn’t make it on the plane in DC (after a 7-hour layover, which was tons of fun I might add) so when I landed at 10 o’clock, I had very, very little luggage. Thankfully, it made it on Wednesday.

           

            The next few days I was without a vehicle so I just accompanied hands and the rancher’s family to move cows or feed cows. I also helped with pre-calving vaccinations. Now that I look back, I was and still am almost always thinking “we couldn’t do it that way in West Virginia” or that “this just doesn’t happen that way in West Virginia.” For example, to move cows, they use their trucks. On our farm anyway, that is near impossible. Sometimes we will use our RTV to toll cows with feed, but the rest is done by walking. Sure, many producers use 4-wheeler’s and RTV’s to move cows in the state, but the luxury of a heated or air-conditioned truck is nearly unheard of.

            Another difference here is the wind. IT CONSTANTLY BLOWS. A couple days ago, it snowed, was close to 0 degrees, and the wind howled all day long. It was absolutely miserable for bovines and any humans involved. That was the moment, as much as I have completely wondered why we do what we do in West Virginia with such hilly ground, that I realized I miss the mountains.

            I still think though that the biggest thing other than the time change and getting used to the different climate, is the fact that there are SO many cows. I don’t think I’ve seen so many bovines in my life except maybe (which is a big maybe) since we visited a feed yard while I was on the livestock judging team.

The small-town feel is something that is still around a little bit at home, but it’s like reliving my youth being in this town. Everyone has been so nice and welcoming and even though I don’t know anyone when I’m driving, they still will wave.

            There is certainly a lot for me to get used to on this little adventure. I’m still getting used to the idea that I won’t be home until early April and will be completely missing out on my own calving and lambing, but I’m really trying to stay positive. I miss the mountains, and I will most likely go.