725 Days Without Fair

It’s been a long two years since the great Iowa State Fair has happened. A long two years of waiting to go through exhibits, to watch fun shows, see all types of animals, and of course eat all the fair food you could possibly imagine. Well, the wait is finally over! The Iowa State Fair is happening and it begins this week on August 12th and continues through the 22nd of August. The Iowa State Fair is one of my favorite parts of summer and there are a lot of things I’m looking forward to doing at the fair. However, after not being there for two years my list of stuff I need to see has doubled! If you’re looking to go to the fair here is my list of things you must do!

The first thing on the list is getting a bucket of cookies. These fresh, still hot while melting in your mouth, delicious chocolate chip cookies are the best thing to eat while walking around the fair looking at everything it has to offer. After two years of waiting vendors have had tons of time to cook up new ideas for new fair food. This year at the fair there are 63 new foods on the state fair menu! After looking through the list of new foods I am excited to try them especially the Chicken Bacon Ranch Ball On A Stick. I’m also looking forward to the Peanut Butter and Fluff Cookie Dough. It was actually selected as one of the top three new fair foods. It is a peanut butter cookie dough mixed with marshmallow fluff and cocoa crispies frozen in a ball and then dipped in chocolate and of course, it’s on a stick.

As you're wobbling around the fairgrounds because you ate too much fair food there are certain places that you should most definitely see. In the agricultural building, you will find the famous butter cow along with this year’s giant slide made out of butter as well. Also on the second level of the building, you will find the Iowa FFA booth. Be sure to stop and say “hi” as I will be working there throughout the fair. You cannot forget to walk through all the barns filled with 4-H and FFA kids' animals. They put in a ton of work to get their animals ready for the Iowa State Fair and are so excited to show off their pride and joy.

I’m looking forward to spending the entire next two weeks at the Iowa State Fair and seeing tons of shows, checking out the butter cow, riding the sky gliders, and eating more than my share of fair food. It’s been a long 725 days waiting for the Iowa State Fair and I hope to see you there!

~ Kesley Holdgrafer

Atlas

Graduation keeps getting closer and closer every day. One question a person always gets asked as a senior is, “What are your future plans?” or “What does your 5-year path look like?” I know what I am doing next year, but in five years I do not know where I will be for certain. I have some pretty big dreams and I have an idea where I want to be; however, I do not know for sure which direction my path will take me. I also have never been good at directions. I am still working on the North-South thing instead of left and right. Too bad a future does not come equipped with an atlas. An atlas is a farmer’s best friend. They all have one. It may be 20 years old, faded, a little torn, and have a couple of food and drink stains on it from the kitchen table. However, it still gets used and works just like a brand new one. Well kind of, it may be missing a couple of new roads, but other than that it will always lead you to your ending destination.

A farmer, even if they have a vehicle equipped with a GPS system, they will still bring their old atlas along with them because they just don’t trust that new fancy stuff. They have to see it for themselves. Since they do not trust the vehicle navigation route, of course they are not trusting a phone’s GPS either, that is if they have a smartphone. How could that small little thing that fits in a pocket know where you are all the time? To them, phones are only meant for calling, not for directions. That job belongs only to an atlas. The atlas does not just come out during the road trip. It first makes an appearance days before or even the night before the actual road trip. A farmer will sit at the kitchen table studying the best route and calculating which one would be faster. You might think this would only take a couple of minutes, my phone can do it in 0.3 seconds. However, a farmer looking at an atlas can take quite some time. While they are looking and spot an old forgotten town they are familiar with, they will go straight into a detailed story about it. Informing you of a time they were there, even if it was 20 or 30 years ago. They will tell you a story about someone they know who lives there. Sometimes they get totally sidetracked which snowballs into another story of when they were on that road, but it took them to another destination instead. Then before you know it, you’re on a whole different page in a completely different state, hundreds of miles away from the actual destination you are trying to reach. It is also amusing to watch the person who is using the atlas because they do not keep the atlas stationary on the table the whole time. They turn it with them as the route turns. If the route heads South, the atlas also gets turned that way.

No matter where your destination is, with the help of an atlas, you will eventually get where you are going. I may not know exactly which direction my future will take me, but I know my dad, or any farmer for that matter, is only ever minutes away from an atlas ready to give me assistance on how to get to my final destination. This assistance might come with a few stories, but who doesn’t love a good farmer story? My biggest adventure yet will begin this fall at Iowa State. I just hope with a class schedule I will also get an atlas. The possibilities are endless.

~ Kesley Holdgrafer

Class Use

Sometimes when sitting in a classroom and being stuck at school for hours, I often wonder when will I ever use this in real life in the future? I am usually thinking this halfway through a super hard math class or a confusing chemistry lesson.

Recently in my senior physics class, we were assigned a project to design and build a bridge out of a handful of pieces of various sizes of Balsa wood. Everyone in the class was given the same amount. It is part of a contest to see who can design and build the best bridge that can hold the most weight based on the weight of each individual bridge.

For the past couple of weeks I have put my woodworking hat on and started to design my bridge, along with the help of my dad and brothers of course. Everyone has their own idea, which they think is going to be great. My oldest brother especially thinks his ideas are amazing because he did one similar to it back when he was in high school. I do not know how much to trust his judgment however, because his bridge broke and did not hold a lot of weight. My grandpa has even offered his advice informing me that it would be extremely strong if I were to sneak a piece of metal between the wood. That however, would be frowned upon and be considered cheating on the assignment, but I know he’s right!

We are trying to design a bridge like a piece of strong farm equipment. Specifically like the beam of a head trailer that must support it for long transports or the beam of a planter to hold dry fertilizer, insecticide, and seed. From operating the grain cart last fall, a few of our fields have a bridge that I often say a quick prayer before crossing with a heavy load. I realize how important a good heavy bridge really is.

After countless designs were sketched, the perfect one was finally drawn. I did not realize how many other class subjects were used to create this one bridge. I had to use a lot of math. I had to measure angles, ensure my bridge will meet the height and width requirements, and calculate the perfect length to connect the pieces of wood. I used woodworking when cutting the pieces and countless other skills. It also made me realize how many skills farmers use daily while on the farm. They use a lot of math to calculate the perfect feed ration recipe. They also use math to calculate yields and see if they made a profit and they use mechanical and engineering skills when fixing machinery, especially now as they are gearing up for spring. Much to my surprise, farmers even use physics.

Farmers use a lot of different skills and do so many things involving math and chemistry. They do in fact use what I am learning in school each day. Now, whenever I ask myself when I am ever going to use this in my future? I know that there is a huge chance I will probably use it down the road. This is a good reminder to stop staring at the clock and waiting for the bell to ring. While I am anxiously counting down the days until graduation, I still need to focus on what is happening in front of me, even if that means waiting for the glue to dry on my cool new bridge. ~ Kesley Holdgrafer

Off Season

It is technically the off-season for farmers right now. They are not in the fields at the moment to plant or to harvest. They spend most of the winter in the shop working on various things around the farm and getting things ready for springtime. I have always wondered when do farmers go to the doctor? If you do tell them they should go see a doctor they always quickly reply with the famous saying their pain is a long way from the heart or I’ll just rub some dirt on it. Farmers are always waiting until the last possible minute to head to the doctor or they just avoid it all entirely. However, when it comes to their machinery they will never miss a check-up on that. Even with a little minor hiccup or error code they immediately send it to the “doctors” to get checked out. That office appointment is made in their own shop or at the dealers.

They pull it straight into the shop and put it on the operating table. Meaning the hood is popped up and the toolbox is right at the farmer’s side, ready to be used at any moment. Farmers also make sure their machinery attends every regular check up. Meaning always checking or changing the oil or having a tire appointment to change the tires. Right now spring machinery is in the shop getting checked up on making sure everything is ready come go time.

Next time you have a farmer that doesn’t want to go to the doctor or uses the line it’s a long way from the heart. Remind them of their machinery check-up. Ask them if their tractor had a low back tire would they still just say well it’s a long way from the engine so don’t worry about it? Or would they take it to the doctor’s office, the farm shop, to get fixed?

Good luck, getting your farmer to the doctor for a tune-up, but maybe after reading this it will be easier. However, I hope all of our farmers stay happy and healthy because spring is almost knocking on our door and we must be ready to go.




- Kesley Holdgrafer

Naps

These last couple of weeks have been extremely busy for most people. For seniors the beginning of March means deadlines for many scholarship opportunities. For most farmers it means it’s time to sign and file the dreadful but necessary paperwork for taxes. After a long day of work a quick power nap always seems to be the best kind of medicine. However, sometimes it’s hard to find the time to take a nap when you are extremely busy. Well I have the perfect solution.

Monday, March 15th is National Napping Day. This day is the perfect excuse to curl up in a recliner or couch with your favorite blanket, hopefully with the warm sun shining through the window and take a nice long nap. Who doesn’t love a good nap? This day was created on the day after the return of Daylight Savings Time and it is supposed to give people an opportunity to catch up on that hour of sleep they lost. I honestly wish this day was everyday because I love a good refreshing nap.

My brother Luke also loves a good nap. He is the only one I know who can fall asleep in the most uncomfortable positions such as in the buddy seat of a tractor while planting and not wake up when the tractor hits a big bump. I don’t know how his neck can take all that head bobbing! Most farmers are up bright and early working and often up late at night still doing chores, so they love to get in a good nap whenever they can, especially now before crazy spring hours begin. Sometimes farmers get in a quick nap after their morning chores. They come in to get warmed up saying they will go back out in five minutes, but soon they are passed out on the couch snoring away. Before they know it they have been asleep for over an hour past the time they wanted to go back out. They can even catch a quick nap while sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper. We think he is reading until his snore gives him away. I am more of a recliner or couch napper, preferably with a cozy blanket to snuggle with. My Dad designed our house specifically for warm winter naps as the sun shines brightly in our large living room windows to the South and West. That warm winter sunshine is perfect for napping. It’s officially calving season and you know who also loves naps, newborn calves. Nothing beats watching a newborn calf taking a nap . They look so peaceful all wrapped up in the deep cornstalk bedding.



As we all spring forward soon, I hope you also get a chance to celebrate National Napping Day on March 15th. Just remember to brush your bedhead and wipe the slobber from your chin before heading back out to work!




~ Kesley Holdgrafer

Generations

A couple weeks ago I was filling out a questionnaire sheet for senior year. Most of the questions were pretty simple such as your favorite color, food, and so on. However one specific question stopped me in my tracks. It really made me think. The question was if I could have dinner with any three people past or present who would they be? I spent hours just looking at this question and thinking. The possibilities were endless. Then I thought what if I were to do a farm version of this question. I know right away the three people I would want to have dinner with.

I would sit down with three different generations of farmers. I think it would be amazing to talk to them and hear all their stories. We all know farmers can tell great stories! I would also love to get the chance to tell them about how much the industry has changed. Especially how much technology has impacted the everyday decisions we make. I would show them pictures taken with drones from the sky giving them an overview of their farms and the high tech yield graphs that clearly show wet spots in the field. Then I would love to see their jaw drop when I tell them how much machinery costs and watch it drop even further when I tell them how much good land sells for.

Each generation is so completely different. The ag industry and the world keep evolving with every year. My dad recently experienced just how different generations are last week when he went to get a new cell phone. The lady at the store asked him a simple question. What do you use your phone for? My dad was baffled at the question and answered pretty snarly, to make phone calls. What else could you possibly use a phone for? My dad only uses his phone to call people. However, the new younger generations use their phone for everything and rarely make a phone call at all. They may use their phone to take pictures, get on social media, promote a business, read books, watch movies, and so much more. Every generation is different and continues to change the way we view the world, especially in the ag industry. That is why if given the chance, I would sit down with three farmers, from different generations.

That leaves me with one question. Who would you pick? If you could have dinner with any three people, past or present who would they be? It’s a thought provoking question to answer!

~ Kesley Holdgrafer

Hearts

It’s my favorite week of the whole year! I am super excited for my birthday on Valentine’s Day and with it being such a short month, I think it is appropriate to celebrate pretty much every day! The month of February is always decorated with hearts and I always think it’s just for me! I will turn eighteen on February 14th and will finally be considered an adult. This is fitting because I have been really busy doing adult things lately, like finishing up farm records, getting ready to file my first taxes, and filling out college scholarship applications. Also while thinking about hearts for Valentines Day, it got me thinking about just how important a heart actually is.

Growing up, I watched my dad give his whole heart to agriculture. It takes a true love for agriculture to feed cattle in brutally cold temperatures. It takes heart to believe the grain markets will turn around or the rain will come to make a crop. It takes heart to be a farmer. It takes heart to feed the world.

When I was in Clover Kids I got the opportunity to raise my first bottle calf. I gave my whole heart to my first calf. Since then I have raised multiple calves each year and have loved every one immensely. I have realized I love agriculture. It is in my blood, pumping from my heart.

I am also no stranger to heart problems. My little brother was born with a heart condition and has had numerous procedures and medications over the years to control his extremely high heart rates. It took great faith in new advanced medical practices to believe in the high tech cath lab ablation procedure to fix his heart when he was only 4 years old. I’m happy to say he has been heart-healthy ever since.

It was also a heart attack that took the life of two of my uncles, both at the age of 50, one of which was my godfather. Watching my family go through the shock of losing them so suddenly at such young ages taught me to live everyday to the fullest and to always follow my heart.

Our hearts are extremely important. They are what show our passion. They allow us to follow our dreams. Most importantly it takes a healthy heart in order to accomplish all of that. I hope you all have a Happy Valentine’s Day and that you spend my favorite day doing what you love! 

 ~ Kesley Holdgrafer