It's a wrap for Au Pair, Kansas

The "Au Pair, Kansas" movie film crew finished their scenes with the actors here last Friday before the snow hit. (And the cows were happy to wrap it up too.)

One young actor in this movie, Spencer Daniels, (who also plays the young Brad Pitt character in the movie "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" which opens Christmas Day) wasn't so sure he wanted to get close to the fence when he was supposed to open their gate (but it was just a pretend motion of opening it).

Cow Colorado did a stomp and snort, which sent everybody back away from the fence line in a hurry. I told the crew to wrap it up quick because the buffalo were done with their scenes...

Touch of Winter Weather

Tuesday morning arrived with snow creating a ground blizzard, and giving the new calves their first coating of snow. It made me wish I could brush off their snowy faces and backs and give them a warm hug, but you can't do that with buffalo.

Long johns were our topic of discussion inside the Visitors Center because the packing room didn't feel much warmer than the walk-in freezer with the north wind hitting our hilltop location.

Seems like we were just wearing short-sleeved shirts a short time ago, and now into many layers to keep warm. Winter has arrived and the buffalo's fur coat looks a lot warmer than my long johns...

Full Freezer

Our last weekend was spent packing coolers for a special order that went out on Monday. It was a big company project we've been working and it was so satisfying to know we did a good job for the customer. I'm sure their clients will be impressed with our Kansas bison steaks!

Now we're getting ready for next Monday's shipping. I hope you'll place your order today so it's on the truck next week!

Weather wise we're cold and windy here in Kansas- perfect weather for shipping meat coolers!

Lights-Camera-Action-Esther!

A movie is being filmed in the area, and one of the settings is at our bison farm. The film crew was here at 7:15 am last Friday (when it was a very cold 15 degrees) to shoot footage of the bison, both in the pasture and moving from one paddock to another. It took a while for the herd to be comfortable with the camera and strange people, but they just ignored them both after a while.

For one scene the herd needed to move and the producer said "Action" and Esther (leading the herd) practically pranced down the alley into a another paddock, just like she understood what she was supposed to do.

Over the next few weeks the cast will be coming in and shooting more scenes too, but Friday was just scenes of the buffalo roaming and doing what buffalo do...

My New Camera

I've dropped my camera - by accident- so many times (pasture and elsewhere) that the battery latch wouldn't hold anymore and I had to hold the camera "just so" to make it work.

With over 8,000 photos taken with my little Olympus, it was time to retire it. I ordered a bright fuchsia colored Olympus camera (better to find in the tall grass) and got it yesterday by UPS.

Now I can really zoom in on things! The first picture is taken just stepping out onto the porch, and the second is zooming in on the buffalo herd. I'm going to have lots of fun with this new camera. Look for better videos in the future too.

A Sad Decision

One of the "lows" of working with livestock is that some decisions must be made that are tough to make and follow through on. Yesterday afternoon I heard the rumble of Dyllan's car and wondered why he was coming in after school. Then I got a lump in my throat. Not only was Verne and Dyllan loading meat bulls to go to processing, but Little Danny was going with them.

To fill in my newer readers to my weekly diary, Little Danny was a blind calf born in June of 2007. He never left his mother's side to run and play with the other calves. Then we watched him run into fence lines, posts, and anything else that was in his way. Danny couldn't see.

For almost a week during one of the hottest days of that summer, the herd, including his mother, shunned him and wouldn't answer his frantic call of "Where are you?". They knew he was a liability to the herd. But by a miracle he survived, mostly because one of the other bull calves started answering back to Danny and become his "guide". He followed the herd by sound from then on.

During the winter he seemed to learn how many steps it took to come down the alley and make the turn to get to the water tank. You could almost watch him count them off.

When the vet came to do the ear tags for the calves last March, Danny followed the group into the pen and the vet got a good look at his eyes. They were brown and looked okay, but had severe cataracts in them.

Verne didn't have the heart to have the vet put him down, so Danny went to the summer pasture with the other bulls calves. One of his eyes turned white and went totally blind since June, but he got along okay since it's a big open pasture with no posts to run into.

But the bulls were moved back to our main pasture this last Saturday. What to do with Danny now? He was a little stunted dwarf compared to his brothers, and would never grow due to his lack of nuturtion his first year. And Danny was a danger to us, others, the herd (and fences) due to the fact he couldn't see what or where he was going while running.

So, while Danny was in the pen with the bulls, he was loaded up with the meat bulls and took his final ride in the trailer yesterday.

That was a "low" for me, but we gave him the best year we could, and a decision had to be made and followed though...

Turning the field over to the Buffalo

We start taking down signs, etc tomorrow, but visitors are still welcome to walk though the maze at half price this weekend. Just no more rides on the zip line, nor into the pasture to see the buffalo...

They've closed their pasture gate for the season!

After a bumper crop of pumpkins and vines- the pumpkin field is almost empty except for a few rejected leftovers. Of course that's the goal of this farm operation, which is to sell the whole crop. But it looks so bare now...

Frost hit here the other night so the Sudan Grass (which the maze field was planted in) has "freeze dried", or lost it's moisture.

As soon as we can clean out all the signs in the maze, and the activities in the field, it's ready for the buffalo to move in and take over the field.

They are eyeing those few remaining pumpkins.... (Watch the video link of the buffalo eating the pumpkins!)

Last Weekend Harrah

The weather looks great for our last maze weekend. The cool weather makes people think of fall and the last of the pumpkins will be picked for porch displays. We haven't had a freeze yet, so the maze is still green and pumpkins are still firm.

I'm guessing that 70 percent of our pumpkins have been sold out of the field, which is what we want to see by the end of the season. We'll sell another10-15 percent this final weekend. After all, the farmer's goal is to sell his/her crop. The buffalo are hoping there are a few pumpkins left for them though!

Thousands of people have taken the Prairie Tram ride out into the pasture to see the buffalo. I usually give the weekday tours for school field trips, and Dyllan and Verne do the weekend tours.

I'm amazed at how big the calves have gotten, and that's a main topic on the tram when people see the calves butt the mom's udder for milk. I'm sure the buffalo moms are about ready to say "That's enough, you're weaned from me!"

Calm, Cool and Sunny

After a busy weekend, Patty and I actually enjoyed two days of rain and solitude in our "pasture office". Of course that meant rescheduling school field trips, but better to postpone a week than cancel, or fight the mud.

Today the sun was out and we hosted two groups on opposite ends of life- a preschool, and an senior day care group- many that were in wheel chairs. We enjoyed both groups, and hope their time on the farm brought them all moments of fun, and lasting memories.

The weather turned absolutely gorgeous today, and the forecast is that this great weather will stay with us through Sunday.

If you don't have your home or business decorated with pumpkins yet, this is the weekend to get them. Whether it's at our farm, or in your own state. Get out and enjoy a local farmer's pumpkin patch and bring home some color!

Pumpkins-in-Wating

The light was just right this morning to take photos of the pumpkin field with the Visitors Center behind it.

As the weather gets cooler, more people head out to the farm to pick pumpkins. We're always amazed at how many pumpkins are hauled out of the field on the little wagons. It might be just two to five pumpkins per family, but at the end of the day, it does leave bare spots in the field.

The colors of fall is spectacular with the fruits of the field, the vines, and the various grasses and weeds in the pastures and fields as they mature and turn brown.

Fall is my favorite "season" color!

The school kids have been having a blast on their field trips to the Bison Farm.

They start with the Prairie Tram ride to see the buffalo, then the indoor "show and tell" program on how the Native Americans used the bison for their food, shelter, and clothing.

Next the kids shoot the pumpkin slingshot, have a sack lunch in our picnic area, and then the real fun begins! They explores all the different types of mazes, pump the water pumps for the duck race, and pick out their perfect pumpkin to take home,- all while running full blast in fresh country air!

Buffalo Pedicure

Cow Esther was ankle deep in mud this morning when I checked the water tank this morning. Freda had just gotten a drink and was rubbing and sloshing the water out of the tank, and I guess Esther thought it was time for a pedicure.

The calves are growing. Camille’s calf San Diego has finally turned brown now, so she blends in with the rest of the calves. Because they are used to me, they will sometimes wander closer to the fence, always sniffing the air, and me!

Putting On Coats

Our weather changed drastically Tuesday with the dropping temperatures and rain. The high yesterday was 61 degrees, with a stiff north wind. I reached into the closet for a jacket to wear anytime I was going outside. We'd welcome 61 degrees in the spring, but after our 90 plus degree heat we had last week, it feels cold.
So, maybe the buffalo are smart by starting their winter coat early.
We're also seeing other signs of winter approaching; the deer are more visible in the evening, the Snow-on-the-mountain milkweed is blooming, and we're seeing geese flying in formations in the sky.
And Takoda is just about done with his breeding season. Here's a cute photo of Takoda courting Freda. Her look just says "Whatever..."

Turning Towards the Sun

The local fields of sunflowers are starting to bloom. They turn their yellow heads with the sun until the seed sets. There are more sunflowers grown in Western Kansas and in drier climates, but we have a few farmers that grow it locally to rotate with their wheat ground.

Because sunflowers have a large tap root, it breaks through the hard pan that can form with grain crops. In other words it "fluffs up" the soil.

These seeds will be harvested when the stalks dry down this fall and they will be crushed for sunflower oil. The kind of sunflower seeds we eat, are called a confectionary variety and are different than the oil variety.

Buffalo Bull with an Attitude

August is breeding season for bison, and this is Takoda's first year as herd bull.

He's had a bit of a attitude (more than usual), and has been "courting the ladies".

Last Saturday there were four carloads of families that happened to come in at about the same time, and they naturally walked up to the fence because the herd was close to the Visitors Center.

I walked out to the group because I could hear Takoda growling from inside the Visitors Center. He didn't like people near his herd right now, and didn't quiet down until everyone moved back 20 feet from the fence.

When a bull talks, everybody better listen!!

Buffalo Herd on Indonesian TV

Today's surprise was being filmed for a Voice of America TV program to be shown in Indonesia!

Two people spend over two hours filming the buffalo, interviewing me, and some tourists from Sweden that had stopped by too.

Cow Kajsa wasn't too sure about the one camera person getting down to her level by the fence, and she kept a close eye on her. It will be playing in two weeks, and they promised to send me a DVD of it.

Growing Bison

When I walked down to check the water tank, I stopped to really look at how much the bison calves are changing now. They are getting browner, besides developing their hump and horns. They are blending in beside their moms compared to when they were first born with their cinnamon wool coat.

Takoda, our three-year-old bull is also changing and bulking up in size. He's now taller than the cows, I'm guessing he's tipping the scale at 1400 lbs. Takoda's head and shoulders are taking on the look of a gigantic bodybuilder. He'll pack on another 800-1000 lbs in the next three years.

Goodbye to July

Wow- where has the month gone? August is going to roll in tomorrow and I feel like I've barely started summer. Of course we've had a cool and wet July (compared to some years) so thankfully it hasn't been our typical hot and dry summer.

August starts the school season (kids start Aug. 14th here), and it's the month to get all fall merchandise and supplies ordered, AND get ready for the fall maze season.

Today reminded me of fall because of an unusual foggy morning, so I took some photos at the farm gate to show you how thick the fog was. The Visitors Center barely showed up being a light gray color, but the yellow orange pumpkin blossoms glowed like little lights through the fog.

I was out early to get ready for the filming of a TV commercial, plus a motor coach bus tour of grandparents and grandkids was heading our way.

The fog lifted in time for the video shooting, and the bus passengers were thrilled to be filmed "getting off the bus" as part of the commercial. Of course just a few shots of everything will be used, but they thought it was fun to be included.

Remembering my Blessings

"I'm too blessed to be stressed."
That's my new motto after hearing it from motivational speaker Jon Gordon. He was a speaker at our Maize family conference last February that we weren't able to attend- and I'm just now watching the DVD of the conference...
This last week was a whirlwind of activity with groups here, orders to fill, and the phone to answer, all while Patty was on vacation and out of the office. So of course I lost my voice, and came down with a summer cold...
But hey, Patty and my voice are back... Plus I have family, food, and freedom, so I'm blessed.
I thought this photo summed up my thoughts- the flag flying freely and the buffalo resting by the Visitors Center. All is calm and well on the farm.
Actually, it has been very hot and dry this week. The pasture is getting dry when you look at the contrast of the dark buffalo against the golden grass. We could use some rain.
With this hot weather, haying season is in full swing in the neighborhood. Here's a photo of my Dad cutting through our farm with two wagons of hay bales to stack in my brother's pasture next to us. These bales will be used for winter cattle feed in six months.
I'll try to remember that cold winter chill the next time I step outside into the current hot wind...

Thinking about Agriculture

The Bison Farm Visitors Center was used on Monday for a "think tank" meeting of Farm Bureau people, trying to figure out ways to best promote agriculture and the crops we grow for consumers.

So since I'm thinking about agriculture products this week, here's a photo of another crop grown in our area. This farmer was baling alfalfa this morning.

The 1 to 2 foot alfalfa is cut above the plant's crown when the crop is blooming with its purple flowers. It is raked into windrows and sometimes raked again to allow air to dry the plants out. The baler drives over the windrow, picking it up and rolling the dry plants into a tight round bale, and automatically tying baling twine around the whole bale to keep it together.

When the bale is finished, the back end of the baler hydraulically opens up and kicks the bale out. Alfalfa bales usually weigh around 1500 lbs. This dried alfalfa is a perennial plant that can be cut three to five times during the growing season, depending on the rain fall, and it will be used as winter protein feed for livestock.

Our bison like to eat these bales too because they eat the fresh version in their pasture.

Here's a snapshot of our growing calves coming up to the water tank. Except for the two younger calves, they look like 8-10 year old kids- and act like it too. They now eat grass and drink water from the tank, and play as a group- but run to mom when she calls, and to raid her for a satisfying chug of milk.

It's been a while since I mentioned the pumpkin patch, so here's a snapshot of the first blossom I noticed this morning when I turned on the drip tape system on zone 1. The plants are growing vines and slowly taking over the alleys between the rows. We'll be into fall harvest before we know it.

Oh yeah, its Farm Diary Day...

As I drove down the Visitors Center driveway this morning, I noticed that the cows had pushed the portable water tank up against the fence, bowing out the wire.

That caused a big gap, just enough for a calf to walk through, especially if it gets trapped between a couple of cows and the water tank.

I took some photos of the pretty front flowers around the Visitors Center when I got out of the car, thinking I could talk about them for my farm diary today.

Dyllan came in early this morning to do some wall painting in the gift shop, so we chatted a minute after I walked in the door. I asked him to turn off the electric fence and move the water tank back into the pasture.

As I said that I looked out the window and there stood SanDiego, the youngest calf, in the middle of the driveway with a look of surprise in her face. She got pushed out and didn't know what to do next.

"Let's go get her in," I said as I reached for the camera that I had just placed on my desk.

"Oh yeah, it's Farm Diary Day..." was Dyllan's reply. So here's the "story of the day"...

Finishing Kansas Wheat Harvest 2008

Loren and Dad finished wheat harvest Tuesday. Mom usually rides along in the grain truck to the elevator at least once during the season, so here's a photo documenting their 62nd wheat harvest together.

And here's a photo of a neighbors field that says it all- a full bin of wheat in the combine, a full truckload and a harvested field of bright yellow straw.

Kansas farmers have had some bad weather and luck with the past few wheat harvests, so wonderful to get a good crop off the field this year.

Harvesting Kansas Wheat

Wheat harvest is the main activity in Kansas right now.

It's a hot dry 97 degrees today and the harvest combines are going full blast, trying to get the wheat out of the fields before the weather turns to storms again.

Overall the fields have been averaging 50-65 bushels to the acre, which is a good yield. Last year we had a late freeze and the average yield was between 7-20 bushels to the acre.

The wheat price is currently up- which is good to offset the cost of fuel. (The combine will hold 85-100 gallons of diesel.)

Here are photos of my brother combining across the road from the Bison Farm, and my 85 year old Dad waiting for a full truck load of wheat to haul to the elevator.

It's hot but very satisfying work to get the crop in!

Itty Bitty Buffalo Baby

Baby Alert! The highlight of this week was that Camille had her very first calf yesterday. It is so tiny, especially when compared to the calves born two months ago. I'm guessing it only weighs 40 lbs instead of the usual 50-60 lbs, but that can be typical for a first pregnancy.

Otherwise it's been a quiet week at the Bison Farm...which is fine by me. No tornados, floods, hail, buffalo breakout...Oh, except that the tractor has a flat tire, but Dyllan is taking it off now to get fixed...

The long season pumpkin varieties are planted, three new grazing paddocks are seeded, and now we have a little lull before we start getting ready for the fall season.

So now's the time for me to work on the website, get new products up, tweak here and there to improve traffic and sales.

Where the Buffalo Play

First thing at 9 am Patty was walking by the office window and said "Why are the buffalo running down the alley?"
"WHAT!?!" was my reaction as I whirled my chair around to the see the last of them galloping by. They just blasted through a five-wire gate!
Running out to the porch I see Dyllan scrambling to close a back gate he had just opened to drive down to check water tanks.
Takoda and the cows stopped just past Dyllan, in the alley across the fence from four "next for the freezer" bulls and jumped, snorted and carried on, having a blast at their antics.
Buffalo!! We had all these orders to pack and the calves and yearling heifers were playing Tic Tac Toe between paddocks! (This was the first sign that there was no voltage in their electric fence.)
I drove the pickup into the pasture yelling "Come Esther!!" out the window, with Dyllan sitting in the back shaking the "treats" bucket. Esther (and the reluctant herd) was obediently following behind me until a group of visitors stepped out on the porch to watch their move. That set the herd off and back down the alley they ran. I tried one more time, but they knew they were supposed to go back and just didn't want to.
I decided, heck, they would come back when they were thirsty and we went back inside to get the Father's Day orders ready to ship.
About 2 pm, they came moseying back, and as I shut the gate, here was a broken wire on it that was too tempting for a calf or heifer and that, with no voltage, started the whole scenario.
Dyllan fixed the gate, got the voltage back up, and we got the orders done before UPS and FedEx picked up at the end of the day.
It's never a dull moment when you live with buffalo!

Watching the Weather

I didn't get my email out yesterday due to the storm preparation, and having the computers off.

Wednesday the National Weather Service issued a "very significant weather alert", saying conditions Thursday would closely resemble those of June 8, 1974 when 36 tornados touched down on the Plains, costing lots of damage and lives. They were also predicting large hail to the mix too.

Yesterday morning was super windy and hot, with clouds tumbling constantly in the sky. We prepared for the storm that could cause damage to our farm on top of the hill.

Porch tables, chairs and anything that could fly in high winds was moved into the shop out of the weather. The car and pickup were parked on the Visitors Center porch to be protected from the hail.

We cut the ropes that held on the tram tarp and took it off so it wouldn't be torn by hail, and cause the tram to be picked up and slammed against the building. (We've had that happen in the last little tornado we had...)

I had emergency things in the center bathroom and we were ready. The tornado sirens were activated in local towns when the temperature plummeted and the storm hit late afternoon.

Of course my big worry was what would happen to the buffalo herd (and the babies). There was nothing we could do but watch. When the storm hit, they laid down (which is their typical response to lightning), then got back up when the rain slowed down.

The photos (taken from the porch) show the herd in the distance- one when the storm was moving in, and the second when it was just steadily raining. During the worst we couldn't see the herd at all, let alone the van on the far end of the porch.

Locally we got two heavy downpours and little hail. There were a few reports of tornados before the storm left the state and still some flooding of creeks and rivers yet today, but overall we were lucky this time.

Today it's a calm beautiful 78 degree day. What a wonderful contrast from yesterday!

Moving at a Fast Pace

The calves learn to move fast...for two reasons. 1. When they hear "Come Esther!", that means the gate is open for the herd to move to fresh grass, and 2. they need to run fast to get out of the cows way...

When we moved the herd the other evening, Verne opened the paddock gate where they had been grazing, and I was at the top of the pasture opening the gate to a fresh paddock. I gave the call, head cow Esther heard and saw me, and they were in the mood to race up the hill. I caught photos of them coming up the hill, and then as they passed me. (I was on the other side of the fence of course.)

It's so cool to watch them move. Sometimes the herd just walks up the lane, munching grass along the way, and then other times they run full blast. It depends on the weather and their attitude.

Scratching off Winter

I couldn't resist taking a snapshot of our young herd bull, Takoda while he was scratching at his old winter coat.

I've seen him use the brush a little on his head, but not like our last bull Tonka used too. Tonka would rub on that brush until his entire winter coat was gone. He was bare skin within the first two days of when we put the brush out for them.

The second photo is of Esther, our head cow giving her body a good workout on the brush. She's almost done rubbing off her old hair. With temperatures warming up to the 80s this week, the animals are ready to get down to their summer hide.

Cow Dallas had her calf this last Saturday. It seems so small compared to the older calves born a month ago. The older calves are growing their "buttons", the start of their horns that will become massive like Takoda's in just a few years.

Finally Cruising into May

The wind has died down and the temperatures have finally warmed up into the low 70s. With recent rains and warm sunshine, the grass is getting tall and it's hard to see the calves if they are lying down.

The herd, both old cows and new calves, are enjoying the settled weather and growing pasture.

The cows with the oldest calves are relaxing a bit when I walk out to check the water tanks, although I still stay a good 15 feet from the fence dividing us.

It was ChaWakan and Lottie that had calves last Thursday. Since then Ida, Colorado, and Dakota have added calves to the herd too.

We'll still have more calves, but it could be into June before they are all born.

I’ll keep you updated on the pasture births as I see them.

More Buffalo Babies!

Just watched the newest baby stand up! That's the second today! Both mothers are smaller in stature, so I'm guessing they are ChaWakan and Camille. Since these were three-year-old "heifers", they now are "cows" because they have given birth to a calf. I'll let you know in my next email who the new cows were.

I'm checking the pasture by binoculars these days, for both babies and water tanks. On Tuesday I was on the porch watching and waiting for Freda to give birth. She had a tough time with a three-hour breech birth last year, so I was worried about her this year. It took a while, but she had her baby at 7 minutes before 11 am, and it stood up at 7 minutes after 11 am. Fourteen minutes from birth to standing- be it a little wobbly...

About 2 pm that day I needed to check the water tank as it had a problem and was overflowing when I first checked it that morning. I turned off the electricity to the fence and started walking across the first paddock to where the tank was between two paddocks.

As I got half way across the pasture, I heard a deep rumble from Freda's throat. Bison make very distinct sounds, and this threatening call only comes when you get too close to a mother's newborn.

There were two more fences and 300 feet between me, the water tank, and Freda near by, but I turned around without taking another step. Bison have very good memories, and you never want to make a new "bad impression" with a cow.

When I made my turn, I saw the flash of another newborn starting to stand further up the pasture. Kajsa got through her delivery without me as her audience.

May Day at the Bison Farm

Happy May Day!

Mom was picking wild violets from her yard when I stopped by with the newspaper this morning. That's her favorite flower from her childhood home, and she's happy that they thrive in this yard too.

My favorite flower to pick this time of year is the lilac. The original bush planted by Kajsa, who homesteaded our family farm, still blooms each year. It was featured on the front cover of Looking Back, the fourth book in my Butter in the Well book series.

As children, we'd take a May Basket of lilacs and tulips to Kajsa's daughter, Julia, who lived on the farm north of us.

Since we've had a late spring this year, the lilac bush is just starting to bloom and in perfect timing for our spring tradition of picking flowers for May Day.

The lilac scent is very powerful in my office today from the big bouquet on my desk. Spring is now officially here for me!

Update on buffalo babies! Cows Clara and Lillie added calves to the herd this week. Freda, Kajsa, and Ida look like they are next to add to the nursery.

Buffalo Babies!

They're here! The first calves of the year have arrived!

Cow Hilda had her calf on Monday, Esther on Tuesday, Las Vegas on Wednesday, so the "meet and greet" herd is growing!

So tiny, yet the babies are figuring out how their legs work and are running in little circles- at only a day old.

I've been watching this action by binoculars as the herd is clear down in the southeast corner of the pasture, as far away from the Visitors Center as the cows can get. That's where they feel safest as they start having their calves.

And the calves were introduced to their first full blown prairie thunderstorm Wednesday morning, complete with heavy thunder, lightning, and rain. I noticed when the worst of the storm hit, the herd all laid down- trying to stay safe when the lightning was the worst?

But other times they grazed like there was no storm going on even though it was pouring rain. Interesting to see their reaction to the weather, and when it's at its worst, they know it.

I'm going out to the porch several times a day now to see what's going on in the far end of the pasture. Please check back next week to see how many more new calves there are!