WildRoseBeef
Range nerd & bovine enthusiast
1. What state/province/country are you in and what is your climate like?
I live in the "Texas state" of Canada, which is Alberta, also known as the Sunshine Province, or Wild Rose Country as is put on the license plates. The province well-known for being home to cowboys, cowgirls and oil. I prefer to be known as the province from the former than the latter.
Our climate is definitely not mild, nor is it extreme like that in Nevada or the Mojave desert. Summers are warm, sometimes hot and quite often with some nasty thunderstorms rolling through, but not so much that grass cannot grow enough to raise cattle on or barley, canola, oats, wheat and triticale cannot be planted and grown. Winters, on the other hand, are often frigid with it not being uncommon to seeing cold snaps going lower than -20 C. Lately though, thanks to global warming, we've been seeing warmer winters than normal. Oh, and can't forget the snow, because we get that too. Last winter we got over 4 feet of snow. This year it's only been a foot or two. And it's only the end of January...
2. How many people are in your family? Marital status?
I'm single, no boyfriend or anything, and quite happy that way. No, I'm not queer or lesbian or any of those terms, still like boys, I just choose to be a spinster just because I can.
My family comprises of my mom, my brother, his wife and three daughters. My brother lives around 400 miles south of where me and mom live, but always a phone-call away.
3. How would you define your farm?
That's a hard question. At the moment it's rented to a neighbor who plants silage corn, wheat or canola, and runs a few dairy cattle of variable types (cows and bull calves, heifers) from spring to autumn to keep the grass down. Not something that I like to see, but something I have to live with until I can take over and put some beef cattle on and convert the cropland back to pasture/hayland. We've had no choice to rent it out because my dad passed away so suddenly like he did, and Mom wasn't exactly farming-inclined enough to keep it going, and since I was still in school it made it impossible for me to suddenly up and quit and take over. So difficult choices had to be made, and so far it's been for the better. Not for me though, but that's another story.
Before the land was rented out though, we had what was called a mixed farm: we raise our own hay and silage, plant barley and canola for cash crops, and buy, feed/raise and sell commercial stocker steers (some of you call them "feeders.") Loved the farm life around then, but wanted more, and was trying to convince Dad little by little to try to go low-cost cow-calf before he passed on. I haven't given up on the goal though even after he died and much has changed. I've been told by many that there's not very many people like me left around. And I take that as a compliment, especially at my age (I'm around 25 years old).
4. What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed?
Spare time? What's that? Kidding. I'd be on the computer, either in BYH forums or CattleToday forums or WikiAnswers or on a blog that I've been leaving lately talking about my latest improvements around the farm (someone called it a ranch one time LOL) and rants and all that. I'm already on the computer too much already, been like that since I haven't had a job for a while, but hopefully that will change soon once I get a driver's license.
5. Have you ever built a house, barn , or other types of building? Do you want to?
Nope, nope and nope. Do I want to? Well it depends if I need it or not.
6. Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick, Oxy-Acet?
God, oh how I wish!! I would love to learn how to, I've known and seen Dad do it, read about it and learned about it, but never tried it. I'd be doing steel welding probably stick-welding, as that's the only welding technique that I'm familiar with that I've seen Dad use. He also has an Oxy-Acet type torch for cutting steel, and I've helped him plenty with that when working on getting the grain bins on the hopper bottoms. As a matter of fact we still have the old welder in the quonset, and the Oxy-Acet torch it's a piece of machinery that I'd probably love to practice on. Not sure about the Oxy-Acet tanks though, I'd have to ask about that.
7. Who or what inspired you to be a farmer/rancher, hobby farmer?
That's a hard question. There were a lot of things that inspired me to want to become a farmer/rancher (not that I'm one right now, but I'm getting there). I think I inspired myself, and my dad just helped fuel that fire by encouraging me to help him with the various chores and jobs that needed to be done on the family farm. He wouldn't hesitate to ask me to help him with some mechanical stuff and teach me a few tips and tricks, and he certainly didn't prevent me from hanging out with the steers we had. Nor did he stop me from learning about everything to do with livestock and agriculture, and seemed to encourage me to help him with the feeding and processing (vaccinating and the like) the steers either.
But I think one of the biggest inspirations for me was my introduction into animal agriculture through the Animal Science program at university that I attended. One course I had to attend to as a part of my program had various field trips we went on to various farms and ranches. I think the one trip that inspired me to realize that dream of getting back into farming was when we went to a farm were a woman was the I realized that I can actually BE a farmer, that it wasn't something just for the menfolks to get into. Maybe the biggest thing was meeting a woman who had graduated with an Animal Science major and went into raising bison. BISON I tell you! I admired her and commended her for being one to go back to her roots and become an actual producer, not a veterinarian or scientist or any of those types of careers that don't involve raising your own livestock. From then on, on the bus home, I realized that I CAN become a producer, that there's nothing wrong with a woman being responsible for all farm practices including actively raising livestock instead of just being responsible for the paperwork. I had also read some forum posts from other producers who were women and responsible for all the operations of the farm, some with their hubbies doing only a little, others just doing the work themselves no hubbies involved. I thought jeeze, if they can do that so can I!!
8 Is it a hobby or an occupation?
This question doesn't really apply since I don't actively farm, but when I do get into it, it will be a bit of both. A hobby because it's something I enjoy doing, and an occupation because I'm raising animals in order to get them to work for me and make money for me, not something to put a lot of money into and get little out of it except emotional satisfaction.
9. In what areas are you knowledgeable and in what areas would you like to learn more?
In all honesty, I am knowledgeable in nothing and am learning everything. I'm still learning as I read more experiences and such from other producers and talk with other people. But I am quite knowledgeable in pasture and range production, reproduction, genetics, nutrition and behaviour, and am still learning lots more in animal health, weaning, calving, breeding, pasture and range management, nutrition, genetics, behaviour and everything else that has everything to do with raising cattle.
(I'd love to learn about raising goats too. )
10. In what types of farming will you never choose to do?
Cropping. There's just too much money being spent on repairing and maintaining machinery, fertilizers, fuel and time spent to prep the fields every year for the next crop. I've seen it, been through it and just don't want to get in it at all. I mean it's fine if I have a few pieces of machinery for putting up my own hay, but I'm not going to get back in to what my Dad left behind.
I also refuse to raise cattle in a feedlot-type environment. It's just not healthy for them, for the environment, or anything else for that matter. I certainly cannot raise cattle in a corral that is 50% swamp. It should be in natural wetland riparian habitat, not a bloody mud-hole.
11. Are you interested in providing more of your own food supply?
If I can, absolutely. Actually that's part of my plans, to try to direct-sale a few home-grown and -raised steers for profit and just to see what people think of them. If I can and am willing to raise cattle in such a way that is natural, good for the environment but also makes great-quality beef, then I'll definitely find some way to get it done!
12. Where do you end up when you sink into yourself, away from the outside world?
In the days of the open range and where wild mustangs and other wildlife were free to roam with no fences to stop them. In that world, I'm a cowgirl who loves raising and training horses and who's not afraid of anything except losing those family and friends she loves and has grown to love the most.
13. Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi?
I know can drive a tractor, no doubt, but would love to learn to drive a semi. Actually the first vehicle that I ever started learning to drive on was the old grain truck which had a manual-shift on it. Right now as I write this I just have my Learner's Permit, and have to get my GDL Class 5 license before I get my Class 5 and/or a Class 1 trucker's license like my dad had.
14. Do you make crafts or useful items? Would you want to teach others how to do these?
I do, I cross-stitch, but I don't make "useful" items like wood working and such. I don't know if I'd want to teach them, that's something that would have to be decided if someone wants to learn how to do what I do.
15. Can you legally have all forms of livestock where you are at? Do you have any? What kinds?
Yes I can. No I don't have any....yet lol.
16. Can you operate a lathe? Metal, wood?
Nope, heck I don't even know what a lathe is!
17. Do you like to garden? If so, what do you enjoy growing?
I do, yes. I (or rather Mom and me) like to grow tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, corn, peas, beans, beets, pumpkins, zucchini, cucumber, lettuce, spinach, onions, etc. Last year we had a VERY successful tomato crop due to some pruning practices that I read about and tried on our tomato plants. We got twice as much tomatoes that year than we've gotten any other year!!
18. Do you fish? Bait or explosives?
No I don't fish. Love canoe trips though!
19. How much space/land do you have or rent? City farm? Country?
Oh we're country all right. We, or rather my Mom, owns 360 acres (two quarter sections) of farm land.
20. Are you a Novice, Technician, degreed?
None of the above lol. I have four years of Bachelor of Agriculture in Animal Science under my belt, but no official degree. I'm no novice either, but I wouldn't consider myself a veteran. Technician? Mmm, nope.
21. What is your farm specialty? Or what one would you like to learn?
I am planning on the "farm specialty" being a low-cost cow-calf or cow-yearling producer with no inputs of grain and implementing rotational grazing and winter grazing into the operation.
22. If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take?
I really don't know, I've been in a degree program that I've been happy to take where I've been free to pick whatever courses I like as long as they stay in the curriculum. I haven't been able to finish my degree and still have a handful of courses I really want to take but haven't been able to due to gallstone surgery and a dip in finances from paying off student loans and the like.
23. Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet?
No.
24. Are you interested in herbal animal medicine?
I've heard of it, but not enough to be interested in it.
25. If you could live any place you chose, where would it be?
Near or in the Rocky Mountains. If I could I'd probably buy a ranch somewhere in the foothills where I can look out the window every morning and see the Rocky Mountains in the distance. And that would still be here in Alberta.
26. Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking?
Nope, we rely on natural gas and conventional electricity for heating and cooking.
27. What would your ideal super hero/villain be?
Someone who can gentle and tame a wild or abused horse and loves to make others laugh, but not one to take crap from anyone and be capable of kick someone's arse in a fight, be it a gun-fight, sword-fight, martial-arts fight or outright brawl. She'd also be a darn good hunter (and a great shot), cowgirl, and horsewoman, capable of doing the same jobs (on a ranch of course) that any man or good cowboy can do.
28. Are your family or friends also interested in animals?
Yes. But I guess you can say that I'm the one that's more interested in it than they are.
29. Do you like to cook? Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs?
I do like to cook, but let Mom do most of the cooking. I am interested in wholesome and natural foods. I've never tasted raw milk, but love home-grown beef and farm-fresh eggs, AND home-grown fruits and vegetables! There's no doubt in my mind that food that comes off the farm is soooooo much better than the stuff that we get from the grocery store.
30. What was your best animal experience? Worst?
I have a few best animal experiences. One was when I had gone to an auction with mom and dad a few years ago and there were a few horses in the back pens that I noticed some people were watching. I went up to the gate of the corral just to relax, get away from the stress of the auction and watch the horses. There were a couple black horses that I think were Morgans and one or two Quarter horses, one which came up to the fence to get a little bite of grass and the other (a mare or 2-year old filly) that was a bit head-shy who also ate some grass out of my hand but wouldn't let me pet her head. She let me stroke her neck though, and didn't object to it. But there was an old Arab mare that I really liked and actually made friends with. She had come up to me and sniffed my hand, then let me stroke her cheek, forehead, ears, muzzle and neck up to the withers. She must've really liked my touch because she moved a little closer when I stopped petting her and had that look that she wanted me to continue. I don't know how long I stood there with her (must've been over 10 minutes or so), but she certainly loved me being there giving her a bit of attention. Even when I didn't pet her and walked away a little ways to see where mom and dad were, she stood still at the gate watching me, and, though she didn't make a sound, seemed to look forward to me coming back to her company. God I could just stand there for hours I was so relaxed (so was she!!) and completely sent to a different world. I impressed Dad by pointing out that that "wart" on the inside of her leg was simply a type of gland (called a chestnut) that all horses have naturally.
The two next best ones was when I had gone on a field trip to the Lakeland College farm in Vermillion, Alberta with a bunch of students from my An Sci 200 class. And this was before the auction trip above. First time I ever helped calve out a cow (let alone witness a cow giving birth!!) was probably the highlight of the trip for me. I was actually in there helping pull the calf out, cleaning out its ears (to get it shaking its head and moving) and getting it started breathing for the first time. Cow was a Simmental (probably a first-calver), and the calf likely a Simmi-RA cross. Second time I helped with calving was my first-day-on-the-job working for the vet, took me out with another employee to do a C-section on a heifer. It was really neat to watch, and like the time at Lakeland, I wasn't afraid to get my hands dirty and clean off the calf (taking off the birth membranes, getting it breathing, etc.) I surprised myself both times: heck I'd probably make a good mid-wife LOL!!
The next highlight of the trip was when we were practicing bandaging up horse's hooves and legs. We were split up into groups of two and I was the odd one out, but I didn't care. I got to wrap the legs of a black horse (probably mare, not sure though as it was over 5 years ago when I went on the trip) who probably stood around 13 hh at the shoulder (well, enough that a short woman like me [I'm a little over 5 feet tall] could see over). Horse was calm as ever, and I was really quick to learn how to position the front and back legs of the horse just by watching one of the instructors once. Once we were done I had enough time to stand with her and just simply BE there with her: stroking her sides, patting her neck, not saying a word, just enjoying her presence. After listening to her cecum with the stethoscope the college tech that was one of the instructors there asked me if I was done and that. I found myself asking if I could lead the horse out to the paddock where she had come from, and the tech said of course, handed me the lead and I lead out that little mare as easy as you please. She ( the tech) asked me if I have any horses at all and I said no. Of course she had to ask if I was from the farm or city and I said farm, but no horses, just cattle. She was pretty surprised at that (me having no horses), since she seen that I was a natural and completely relaxed handling that black horse like that. You could probably agree that most people who've never been around such animals wouldn't be so calm and relaxed as I was at that time.
I really don't know what it is about me being like that around animals that are twice or ten times as big and strong as you and yet still can maintain such peace and calm that you are not nervous around them at all. Maybe it's all to do with how I was raised, me being raised around animals that weighed more and were much stronger than me, but I never was around horses during that time either. It's a complete mystery to me, now that I think of it, how I'm able to just be like that around large animals that behave and act a bit different than the bovids I've been so used to.
I've had bad experiences with horses too, but not that I'd call being the worst. I call them learning experiences, ones which I will keep in my memory bank and learn from the next time I encounter a similar problem.
Well my worst experiences were two fold: Once, when I was around 2 or 3 years old I got charged at by a Charolais bull that broke out of his little corral and scared the living daylights out of me. He turned me into a blood-curdling screaming banshee that dashed to the house when he literally broke out of his enclosure. I've never liked bulls since.
Second worst experience was when my uncle's dog bit me in the face. I was just going to be starting Grade 1 (was around 4 or 5 or 6 at the time) in a couple months and had to get 30 stitches put in my mouth, corner of my mouth, along the side of my face and in my hair. Dog was a bit of a mean SOB to begin with, he bit my youngest cousin in the back and broke the skin, but not enough to cause bleeding. I suppose the dog didn't like kids, and was aggressive around them, but enough that he struck without warning, damn thing.
It hasn't stopped me from loving dogs though. I love the medium to large-type dogs, like German Shepherds, labradors, st. bernards, cattle dogs, and the like. (Uncle's dog that bit me was actually a GSD cross). Heck I made best friends with my brother and his then-girlfriend (not wife)'s yellow lab Maggie, so much so that she let me do things with her that my brother had warned me she'd growl about, like cleaning her feet. She'd growl at him when he'd try cleaning her feet, but not me. First time I met her she was real shy about my presence, but I spent a lot of time with her and gained her trust and respect. Enough so that the next time she seen or caught wind of me she came RUNNING for me! Loved that dog, but she's gone now. I also made friends with the two dogs at the vet clinic I worked at, and other dogs of some other families that mom and dad and I went to visit. I even pretty well made pals with a Rottweiler (female) that was in a homeopathic clinic for some therapy after an accident of some sort. She was calm as ever, and when I first came in contact with her (via touch of course) she stayed beside me throughout the rest of the clinic's tour. Ah, I love dogs. Someday I'll get me a dog of my own.
31. Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs?
No. I can't say that I can't shoot though, and am knowledgeable enough to understand about hunting and shooting animals for food.
32. What skills do you have that help you be more a self sufficient farm?
Learning skills, an ability to keep an open mind and embrace different possibilities, and not being afraid to experiment.
33. Do you process your own meat? Can or preserve?
No, because we don't have any animals that we can process into meat. We do preserve though, I love home-made pickles, jam and jelly.
34. Do you use alternative energy sources on your farm? Would you like to?
No. Yes. Solar energy is something that would be neat to try, though I've heard the start-up costs are a bit expensive. Probably the same with wind-energy. But besides the expenses, it's probably worth it over the long-haul.
35 What is on your to do list?
Are you talking short-term or long-term? Long term is to get a driver's license, a good job, and enough money in the bank to be able to start running cattle.
Short-term: right now is to finish this questionnaire then go to bed. It's 11:47 pm MST as I write this.
36. Have you ever lived completely off what you produce? Would you like to?
Not entirely, no. I would be neat to try, to go completely self-sufficient.
37. In what do you trust?
My common sense and logic, and ability to figure things out myself. Yes, I am independent, and would rather be my own boss than someone else's employee. Sometimes there's not much choice in that, especially when it comes to trying to make some money without having to worry about all the extra responsibilities that comes with being an employer. But then again...
38. Do you make and fix things yourself to save money?
Oh yeah, I try and make an effort of it if I know I can fix it myself or if I'm confident enough to learn how to fix it. Sometimes though, you have to hand it to the professionals to get it done right.
39. Has the experience with animals changed your attitude or habits?
That's kind of a hard question to answer, since I've been around animals all my life and have learned and am constantly learning about them and about me. I don't know how this question applies to me because I've never not been away from animals, I've always had to do certain things a certain time of day or something and have always had this attitude that life's nothing without animals. I don't know of a "better" life without them, to be honest. I mean I have been away from them for extended periods of time before, but during those times I always miss them when I'm not busy with other things and have time to think.
I live in the "Texas state" of Canada, which is Alberta, also known as the Sunshine Province, or Wild Rose Country as is put on the license plates. The province well-known for being home to cowboys, cowgirls and oil. I prefer to be known as the province from the former than the latter.
Our climate is definitely not mild, nor is it extreme like that in Nevada or the Mojave desert. Summers are warm, sometimes hot and quite often with some nasty thunderstorms rolling through, but not so much that grass cannot grow enough to raise cattle on or barley, canola, oats, wheat and triticale cannot be planted and grown. Winters, on the other hand, are often frigid with it not being uncommon to seeing cold snaps going lower than -20 C. Lately though, thanks to global warming, we've been seeing warmer winters than normal. Oh, and can't forget the snow, because we get that too. Last winter we got over 4 feet of snow. This year it's only been a foot or two. And it's only the end of January...
2. How many people are in your family? Marital status?
I'm single, no boyfriend or anything, and quite happy that way. No, I'm not queer or lesbian or any of those terms, still like boys, I just choose to be a spinster just because I can.
My family comprises of my mom, my brother, his wife and three daughters. My brother lives around 400 miles south of where me and mom live, but always a phone-call away.
3. How would you define your farm?
That's a hard question. At the moment it's rented to a neighbor who plants silage corn, wheat or canola, and runs a few dairy cattle of variable types (cows and bull calves, heifers) from spring to autumn to keep the grass down. Not something that I like to see, but something I have to live with until I can take over and put some beef cattle on and convert the cropland back to pasture/hayland. We've had no choice to rent it out because my dad passed away so suddenly like he did, and Mom wasn't exactly farming-inclined enough to keep it going, and since I was still in school it made it impossible for me to suddenly up and quit and take over. So difficult choices had to be made, and so far it's been for the better. Not for me though, but that's another story.
Before the land was rented out though, we had what was called a mixed farm: we raise our own hay and silage, plant barley and canola for cash crops, and buy, feed/raise and sell commercial stocker steers (some of you call them "feeders.") Loved the farm life around then, but wanted more, and was trying to convince Dad little by little to try to go low-cost cow-calf before he passed on. I haven't given up on the goal though even after he died and much has changed. I've been told by many that there's not very many people like me left around. And I take that as a compliment, especially at my age (I'm around 25 years old).
4. What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed?
Spare time? What's that?
Kidding. I'd be on the computer, either in BYH forums or CattleToday forums or WikiAnswers or on a blog that I've been leaving lately talking about my latest improvements around the farm (someone called it a ranch one time LOL) and rants and all that. I'm already on the computer too much already, been like that since I haven't had a job for a while, but hopefully that will change soon once I get a driver's license.5. Have you ever built a house, barn , or other types of building? Do you want to?
Nope, nope and nope. Do I want to? Well it depends if I need it or not.
6. Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick, Oxy-Acet?
God, oh how I wish!! I would love to learn how to, I've known and seen Dad do it, read about it and learned about it, but never tried it. I'd be doing steel welding probably stick-welding, as that's the only welding technique that I'm familiar with that I've seen Dad use. He also has an Oxy-Acet type torch for cutting steel, and I've helped him plenty with that when working on getting the grain bins on the hopper bottoms. As a matter of fact we still have the old welder in the quonset, and the Oxy-Acet torch it's a piece of machinery that I'd probably love to practice on. Not sure about the Oxy-Acet tanks though, I'd have to ask about that.
7. Who or what inspired you to be a farmer/rancher, hobby farmer?
That's a hard question. There were a lot of things that inspired me to want to become a farmer/rancher (not that I'm one right now, but I'm getting there). I think I inspired myself, and my dad just helped fuel that fire by encouraging me to help him with the various chores and jobs that needed to be done on the family farm. He wouldn't hesitate to ask me to help him with some mechanical stuff and teach me a few tips and tricks, and he certainly didn't prevent me from hanging out with the steers we had. Nor did he stop me from learning about everything to do with livestock and agriculture, and seemed to encourage me to help him with the feeding and processing (vaccinating and the like) the steers either.
But I think one of the biggest inspirations for me was my introduction into animal agriculture through the Animal Science program at university that I attended. One course I had to attend to as a part of my program had various field trips we went on to various farms and ranches. I think the one trip that inspired me to realize that dream of getting back into farming was when we went to a farm were a woman was the I realized that I can actually BE a farmer, that it wasn't something just for the menfolks to get into. Maybe the biggest thing was meeting a woman who had graduated with an Animal Science major and went into raising bison. BISON I tell you! I admired her and commended her for being one to go back to her roots and become an actual producer, not a veterinarian or scientist or any of those types of careers that don't involve raising your own livestock. From then on, on the bus home, I realized that I CAN become a producer, that there's nothing wrong with a woman being responsible for all farm practices including actively raising livestock instead of just being responsible for the paperwork. I had also read some forum posts from other producers who were women and responsible for all the operations of the farm, some with their hubbies doing only a little, others just doing the work themselves no hubbies involved. I thought jeeze, if they can do that so can I!!
8 Is it a hobby or an occupation?
This question doesn't really apply since I don't actively farm, but when I do get into it, it will be a bit of both. A hobby because it's something I enjoy doing, and an occupation because I'm raising animals in order to get them to work for me and make money for me, not something to put a lot of money into and get little out of it except emotional satisfaction.
9. In what areas are you knowledgeable and in what areas would you like to learn more?
In all honesty, I am knowledgeable in nothing and am learning everything. I'm still learning as I read more experiences and such from other producers and talk with other people. But I am quite knowledgeable in pasture and range production, reproduction, genetics, nutrition and behaviour, and am still learning lots more in animal health, weaning, calving, breeding, pasture and range management, nutrition, genetics, behaviour and everything else that has everything to do with raising cattle.
(I'd love to learn about raising goats too.
)10. In what types of farming will you never choose to do?
Cropping. There's just too much money being spent on repairing and maintaining machinery, fertilizers, fuel and time spent to prep the fields every year for the next crop. I've seen it, been through it and just don't want to get in it at all. I mean it's fine if I have a few pieces of machinery for putting up my own hay, but I'm not going to get back in to what my Dad left behind.
I also refuse to raise cattle in a feedlot-type environment. It's just not healthy for them, for the environment, or anything else for that matter. I certainly cannot raise cattle in a corral that is 50% swamp. It should be in natural wetland riparian habitat, not a bloody mud-hole.
11. Are you interested in providing more of your own food supply?
If I can, absolutely. Actually that's part of my plans, to try to direct-sale a few home-grown and -raised steers for profit and just to see what people think of them. If I can and am willing to raise cattle in such a way that is natural, good for the environment but also makes great-quality beef, then I'll definitely find some way to get it done!
12. Where do you end up when you sink into yourself, away from the outside world?
In the days of the open range and where wild mustangs and other wildlife were free to roam with no fences to stop them. In that world, I'm a cowgirl who loves raising and training horses and who's not afraid of anything except losing those family and friends she loves and has grown to love the most.
13. Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi?
I know can drive a tractor, no doubt, but would love to learn to drive a semi. Actually the first vehicle that I ever started learning to drive on was the old grain truck which had a manual-shift on it. Right now as I write this I just have my Learner's Permit, and have to get my GDL Class 5 license before I get my Class 5 and/or a Class 1 trucker's license like my dad had.
14. Do you make crafts or useful items? Would you want to teach others how to do these?
I do, I cross-stitch, but I don't make "useful" items like wood working and such. I don't know if I'd want to teach them, that's something that would have to be decided if someone wants to learn how to do what I do.
15. Can you legally have all forms of livestock where you are at? Do you have any? What kinds?
Yes I can. No I don't have any....yet lol.
16. Can you operate a lathe? Metal, wood?
Nope, heck I don't even know what a lathe is!
17. Do you like to garden? If so, what do you enjoy growing?
I do, yes. I (or rather Mom and me) like to grow tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, corn, peas, beans, beets, pumpkins, zucchini, cucumber, lettuce, spinach, onions, etc. Last year we had a VERY successful tomato crop due to some pruning practices that I read about and tried on our tomato plants. We got twice as much tomatoes that year than we've gotten any other year!!
18. Do you fish? Bait or explosives?
No I don't fish. Love canoe trips though!
19. How much space/land do you have or rent? City farm? Country?
Oh we're country all right. We, or rather my Mom, owns 360 acres (two quarter sections) of farm land.
20. Are you a Novice, Technician, degreed?
None of the above lol. I have four years of Bachelor of Agriculture in Animal Science under my belt, but no official degree. I'm no novice either, but I wouldn't consider myself a veteran. Technician? Mmm, nope.
21. What is your farm specialty? Or what one would you like to learn?
I am planning on the "farm specialty" being a low-cost cow-calf or cow-yearling producer with no inputs of grain and implementing rotational grazing and winter grazing into the operation.
22. If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take?
I really don't know, I've been in a degree program that I've been happy to take where I've been free to pick whatever courses I like as long as they stay in the curriculum. I haven't been able to finish my degree and still have a handful of courses I really want to take but haven't been able to due to gallstone surgery and a dip in finances from paying off student loans and the like.
23. Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet?
No.
24. Are you interested in herbal animal medicine?
I've heard of it, but not enough to be interested in it.
25. If you could live any place you chose, where would it be?
Near or in the Rocky Mountains. If I could I'd probably buy a ranch somewhere in the foothills where I can look out the window every morning and see the Rocky Mountains in the distance. And that would still be here in Alberta.
26. Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking?
Nope, we rely on natural gas and conventional electricity for heating and cooking.
27. What would your ideal super hero/villain be?
Someone who can gentle and tame a wild or abused horse and loves to make others laugh, but not one to take crap from anyone and be capable of kick someone's arse in a fight, be it a gun-fight, sword-fight, martial-arts fight or outright brawl. She'd also be a darn good hunter (and a great shot), cowgirl, and horsewoman, capable of doing the same jobs (on a ranch of course) that any man or good cowboy can do.
28. Are your family or friends also interested in animals?
Yes. But I guess you can say that I'm the one that's more interested in it than they are.
29. Do you like to cook? Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs?
I do like to cook, but let Mom do most of the cooking.
I am interested in wholesome and natural foods. I've never tasted raw milk, but love home-grown beef and farm-fresh eggs, AND home-grown fruits and vegetables! There's no doubt in my mind that food that comes off the farm is soooooo much better than the stuff that we get from the grocery store. 30. What was your best animal experience? Worst?
I have a few best animal experiences. One was when I had gone to an auction with mom and dad a few years ago and there were a few horses in the back pens that I noticed some people were watching. I went up to the gate of the corral just to relax, get away from the stress of the auction and watch the horses. There were a couple black horses that I think were Morgans and one or two Quarter horses, one which came up to the fence to get a little bite of grass and the other (a mare or 2-year old filly) that was a bit head-shy who also ate some grass out of my hand but wouldn't let me pet her head. She let me stroke her neck though, and didn't object to it. But there was an old Arab mare that I really liked and actually made friends with. She had come up to me and sniffed my hand, then let me stroke her cheek, forehead, ears, muzzle and neck up to the withers. She must've really liked my touch because she moved a little closer when I stopped petting her and had that look that she wanted me to continue. I don't know how long I stood there with her (must've been over 10 minutes or so), but she certainly loved me being there giving her a bit of attention. Even when I didn't pet her and walked away a little ways to see where mom and dad were, she stood still at the gate watching me, and, though she didn't make a sound, seemed to look forward to me coming back to her company. God I could just stand there for hours I was so relaxed (so was she!!) and completely sent to a different world. I impressed Dad by pointing out that that "wart" on the inside of her leg was simply a type of gland (called a chestnut) that all horses have naturally.
The two next best ones was when I had gone on a field trip to the Lakeland College farm in Vermillion, Alberta with a bunch of students from my An Sci 200 class. And this was before the auction trip above. First time I ever helped calve out a cow (let alone witness a cow giving birth!!) was probably the highlight of the trip for me. I was actually in there helping pull the calf out, cleaning out its ears (to get it shaking its head and moving) and getting it started breathing for the first time. Cow was a Simmental (probably a first-calver), and the calf likely a Simmi-RA cross. Second time I helped with calving was my first-day-on-the-job working for the vet, took me out with another employee to do a C-section on a heifer. It was really neat to watch, and like the time at Lakeland, I wasn't afraid to get my hands dirty and clean off the calf (taking off the birth membranes, getting it breathing, etc.) I surprised myself both times: heck I'd probably make a good mid-wife LOL!!
The next highlight of the trip was when we were practicing bandaging up horse's hooves and legs. We were split up into groups of two and I was the odd one out, but I didn't care. I got to wrap the legs of a black horse (probably mare, not sure though as it was over 5 years ago when I went on the trip) who probably stood around 13 hh at the shoulder (well, enough that a short woman like me [I'm a little over 5 feet tall] could see over). Horse was calm as ever, and I was really quick to learn how to position the front and back legs of the horse just by watching one of the instructors once. Once we were done I had enough time to stand with her and just simply BE there with her: stroking her sides, patting her neck, not saying a word, just enjoying her presence. After listening to her cecum with the stethoscope the college tech that was one of the instructors there asked me if I was done and that. I found myself asking if I could lead the horse out to the paddock where she had come from, and the tech said of course, handed me the lead and I lead out that little mare as easy as you please. She ( the tech) asked me if I have any horses at all and I said no. Of course she had to ask if I was from the farm or city and I said farm, but no horses, just cattle. She was pretty surprised at that (me having no horses), since she seen that I was a natural and completely relaxed handling that black horse like that. You could probably agree that most people who've never been around such animals wouldn't be so calm and relaxed as I was at that time.
I really don't know what it is about me being like that around animals that are twice or ten times as big and strong as you and yet still can maintain such peace and calm that you are not nervous around them at all. Maybe it's all to do with how I was raised, me being raised around animals that weighed more and were much stronger than me, but I never was around horses during that time either. It's a complete mystery to me, now that I think of it, how I'm able to just be like that around large animals that behave and act a bit different than the bovids I've been so used to.
I've had bad experiences with horses too, but not that I'd call being the worst. I call them learning experiences, ones which I will keep in my memory bank and learn from the next time I encounter a similar problem.
Well my worst experiences were two fold: Once, when I was around 2 or 3 years old I got charged at by a Charolais bull that broke out of his little corral and scared the living daylights out of me. He turned me into a blood-curdling screaming banshee that dashed to the house when he literally broke out of his enclosure. I've never liked bulls since.
Second worst experience was when my uncle's dog bit me in the face. I was just going to be starting Grade 1 (was around 4 or 5 or 6 at the time) in a couple months and had to get 30 stitches put in my mouth, corner of my mouth, along the side of my face and in my hair. Dog was a bit of a mean SOB to begin with, he bit my youngest cousin in the back and broke the skin, but not enough to cause bleeding. I suppose the dog didn't like kids, and was aggressive around them, but enough that he struck without warning, damn thing.
It hasn't stopped me from loving dogs though. I love the medium to large-type dogs, like German Shepherds, labradors, st. bernards, cattle dogs, and the like. (Uncle's dog that bit me was actually a GSD cross). Heck I made best friends with my brother and his then-girlfriend (not wife)'s yellow lab Maggie, so much so that she let me do things with her that my brother had warned me she'd growl about, like cleaning her feet. She'd growl at him when he'd try cleaning her feet, but not me. First time I met her she was real shy about my presence, but I spent a lot of time with her and gained her trust and respect. Enough so that the next time she seen or caught wind of me she came RUNNING for me!
Loved that dog, but she's gone now. I also made friends with the two dogs at the vet clinic I worked at, and other dogs of some other families that mom and dad and I went to visit. I even pretty well made pals with a Rottweiler (female) that was in a homeopathic clinic for some therapy after an accident of some sort. She was calm as ever, and when I first came in contact with her (via touch of course) she stayed beside me throughout the rest of the clinic's tour. Ah, I love dogs. Someday I'll get me a dog of my own. 31. Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs?
No. I can't say that I can't shoot though, and am knowledgeable enough to understand about hunting and shooting animals for food.
32. What skills do you have that help you be more a self sufficient farm?
Learning skills, an ability to keep an open mind and embrace different possibilities, and not being afraid to experiment.
33. Do you process your own meat? Can or preserve?
No, because we don't have any animals that we can process into meat. We do preserve though, I love home-made pickles, jam and jelly.
34. Do you use alternative energy sources on your farm? Would you like to?
No. Yes. Solar energy is something that would be neat to try, though I've heard the start-up costs are a bit expensive. Probably the same with wind-energy. But besides the expenses, it's probably worth it over the long-haul.
35 What is on your to do list?
Are you talking short-term or long-term? Long term is to get a driver's license, a good job, and enough money in the bank to be able to start running cattle.
Short-term: right now is to finish this questionnaire then go to bed. It's 11:47 pm MST as I write this.
36. Have you ever lived completely off what you produce? Would you like to?
Not entirely, no. I would be neat to try, to go completely self-sufficient.
37. In what do you trust?
My common sense and logic, and ability to figure things out myself. Yes, I am independent, and would rather be my own boss than someone else's employee. Sometimes there's not much choice in that, especially when it comes to trying to make some money without having to worry about all the extra responsibilities that comes with being an employer. But then again...
38. Do you make and fix things yourself to save money?
Oh yeah, I try and make an effort of it if I know I can fix it myself or if I'm confident enough to learn how to fix it. Sometimes though, you have to hand it to the professionals to get it done right.
39. Has the experience with animals changed your attitude or habits?
That's kind of a hard question to answer, since I've been around animals all my life and have learned and am constantly learning about them and about me. I don't know how this question applies to me because I've never not been away from animals, I've always had to do certain things a certain time of day or something and have always had this attitude that life's nothing without animals. I don't know of a "better" life without them, to be honest. I mean I have been away from them for extended periods of time before, but during those times I always miss them when I'm not busy with other things and have time to think.
