Directions

Throughout the years the way directions are given have changed drastically. In today’s world you can just simply type something in your phone and with the touch of a button you have an instant map that can get you to your destination, talking you through which way to go each step of the way. However the key detail you need for this all to work is an address. That is one thing farmers do not usually ever have for other than their home farms. Farmers have different ways of explaining to you where their fields are and how to get there.

If the farmer has a lot of time to explain it to you about where to go they will draw you an awesome very detailed map. Now this type of map is never usually done with pen on paper. If in a field they will use the dusty top of the seeder or whatever equipment they are using. That is great and all, but if you want to double check your directions to see if you are on the right path you soon come to realize that your map is already bouncing across the field that you already left. If at a kitchen table they will use everything on the table as props to make their map. That salt shaker will become a specific bin or silo where you turn at and that napkin will play as someone’s house, and that butter knife is a fence. Another map farmers like to make to show you directions is to draw one in the dirt while standing in the field. This is also a great map used regularly, but you can not take it with you. Another thing farmers will do if they are in a hurry is just tell you the town and the color of the shed it is by. This can lead to many problems. At the time they said that they probably did not think about how many people have red sheds on that gravel road. Last but not the least and sometimes the hardest directions to follow come from the grandparents or the older generation. After talking to them you usually have to call someone else for more specific up to date directions before you end up lost because they like to tell you directions by using old farm names. What they do not realize is that the people that used to live there or own that ground have been gone for a long time. My 17 year old self has no idea who they even are talking about because I have never heard of that last name in a conversation before, let alone in directions. The next thing they like to use and what most farmers use as well, which is north, south, east, and west while giving those directions. Those are the most dreaded words to hear if I need directions. I am more of a turn right and turn left kind of girl.

I am getting better! So far this spring I have not gotten completely lost yet or showed up in a whole different field. I hope you all have a great week and that you all find and reach your destinations perfectly. - Kesley Holdgrafer

     

Snacks in the Field

It is the middle of April and so far the weather has been amazing. Farmers have been in the fields the last week putting on anhydrous gearing up for planting season. The seed bags or boxes are in the shed ready to go. The planter itself has been worked on and greased up and is itching to hit the fields. The farmer probably won’t admit it but they're as giddy as a school girl to finally get out there and plant. Last but not least the farmer's wife is the most excited to get their farmer off the farm and in the tractor.

However, there is one thing that is super important and is a necessity in order to have a joyful planting season that I forgot to mention. That is making sure a lot of snacks and munchies are bought and stored in the shop and the tractor. If there's one thing I have learned while being on the farm my whole life it’s that a hungry farmer is not a happy farmer. During spring there are a lot of things that need to get done making a farmer pretty stressful, but then on top of that they are hungry. That is never a pretty sight and snacks and munchies are the key to help get rid of that. With the situation the world is in right now most people are going to the grocery stores stocking up on food and toilet paper. During planting season though you will need a full cart of just snacks. Every farmer has a favorite whether it’s a candy bar, an apple, or a bag of chips. If the farmer says he doesn’t like what you got him, be sure to throw in a quick line like, “I didn’t have to get you anything”. It usually gets them to eat whatever you packed in the snack bag, even if it is fruit.


On behalf of all farmers, I want to thank everyone who plays an important role in the huge process of planting season because you truly are the strong backbone of the operation. I hope everyone has a safe planting season with great weather and hopefully none or just a few minor breakdowns! 

- Kesley Holdgrafer

April Fools!

April Fool's Day is here! A day fully dedicated to tricks and jokes. Almost everyone has fallen victim to an April Fool's Day joke at one point or another. Some people take this day to the extreme and pull big pranks while others do small ones. No matter the size of the prank, a lot of laughs are shared, maybe not by the person being tricked, but eventually they usually think it is funny as well, even if it takes a while before they laugh. How did this day come about you might ask? Well some historians speculate that April Fool's Day dates all the way back to 1582, but its exact origins remain a mystery.

This year April Fool’s Day tricks might be easier since most people are stuck at home and keeping social distance, it will be easy for some to not even notice what the date is. Throughout my seventeen years of April Fool’s Days, I have realized that fooling a farmer is really fun. Most farmers never know the date and if they do, they usually won’t remember what day April Fool’s Day falls on. That’s the last thing on their mind because when they see that calendar flip to April they only have spring and planting season on their mind.

I’m sending a huge goodluck wishes to all the people who are planning a trick whether it’s big or small. I would also like to take this chance and thank all my readers. It really means the world to me when I go into public and people tell me they read my articles or tell me to keep up the good work. However I have some sad news, this article will be my last one. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me and read Kesley’s Corral and I hope you still keep reading because I’m not nearly done yet, April Fools! Did I get you? 

~ Kesley Holdgrafer

Coronavirus Cancelations

This month has really been crazy. I think I jinxed it when I said I hope since March came in like a lamb it could just as well leave like one too. We all know though that is not how the saying goes. If it comes in like a lamb it will leave like a lion. Well March is really leaving like a lion and it doesn’t have much to do with the weather this year. Churches are closed, schools are closed, all sporting events have been cancelled or postponed, stores are running out of everything, and much more.

As of now I figured I would have piles of homework to do from school as we finish up third quarter and prepare for fourth, but in all reality I just have a list of chores to do on the farm. This no school thing for at least four weeks started off as something really cool. I thought I would be able to sleep in, watch movies, and relax with my friends. However I feel like I am the newest full time helper on the farm feeding calves, sweeping the shop, cleaning the shop and anything else my family can think of. Many hours of family bonding will be done during the next few weeks with all four of us kids home on an unplanned and extended break.

My brothers are also beginning to realize that checking cows was much easier when they were three hours away at college. Their easy days of checking cows on their phone in between classes has now become countless times of driving over to the farm to feed the cows, tag the calves, and make new pens. My brothers are also beginning to realize the cows can’t see their face through the camera and the cows are very confused as to who they are. This past week one of my brothers got chased out of the yard by a high spirited cow. I haven’t seen him run that fast since his 7th grade track season.

Best of luck to you and yours as we all try to stay positive through these trying times. Who knew this Coronavirus could cause such a ruckus? One of my favorite farmer quotes is, “tough times don’t last but tough people do.” 

~ Kesley Holdgrafer

Nicer Weather

I bet you all know the saying in like a lion, so out like a lamb. Well, March came in like a lamb, so does that mean we should brace ourselves for a lion of a storm at the end of the month? Nobody wants that because in April it is springtime meaning it's time to get into the field and plant. The last thing we need is another season full of snow and rain where we can not get into the fields and when we do finally get into the field then we make a huge muddy mess.

The beginning of March this year has brought some awesome weather. The sun is shining and everyone is happy. The nice weather however can either relax the farmer or stress them out even more. It has made for some awesome calving weather. Late-night check-ups on cows calving is not as bad when it is not as cold. I think it even makes the cows happier. Great weather leads to happier farmers and we all know that when the farmer is happy all is well. Nice weather can also stress them out. It reminds them that they have to get in the fields soon. Then they remember all the stuff they still have to do and how they are not ready for planting to begin. Before they know it they are making HUGE lists and stressing about every possible thing you could think of.

I’m just going to keep enjoying this great March weather. I get next week off from calving season as the college boys/cow owners will be home from college for spring break. They can do their own chores for once. It would almost make me giggle if they got a little snow to make their chores longer and more stressful, but I realize a long week with them home means a lot of work can get done in the shop rather quickly. Dad’s big list of jobs will start to dwindle much faster with all the extra hands at home to help.


Bring on that wintery roaring lion if the old folklore is true! But it’d sure be great if it was just a myth. Good luck with your last couple weeks before the crazy spring begins, hope the last half of calving is as great as the first, and I really hope we’ve seen the last of the snow for this season. In like a lamb and out like a lamb would be simply awesome! 

~ Kesley Holdgrafer

Doctors and Farming

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 spring time. I have always wondered when do farmers go to the doctor? They are always so busy. This past February I saw my dad go to the dentist for a filling that was supposed to be done in October.

I also know that farmers will sometimes refuse to ever go to the doctor. During the winter a lot of things can happen. While working something can fall and hit their foot. We all know it’s calving season and sometimes a cow can get angry and the farmer isn’t quite as fast as he once was. However no matter how banged up a farmer may get they still finish the work they have to do that day. Then when they finally do come home they find a frozen bag of peas and slap it on the area that hurts. If they are told, “You should go to the doctor.” They just quickly respond, “It’s a long way from my heart” or “I’ll just throw some dirt on it.” My favorite response is when they say, “Oh it will be fine by tomorrow,” but in reality it is just bigger and more swollen with the deepest dark purple color that I have ever seen.

Why are rough, tough, and gruff farmers so scared of a doctor or a dentist and hate to even go there? Every farmer I know is a superb animal care specialist. They can treat a pig, pull a calf, and duct tape up farm kid’s finger with their eyes closed. They are awesome at all of this doctor stuff yet why are they so scared to be the patient?


Farmers are used to being in control. They hate to give that power to someone else.A doctor might make them run more tests, or worse yet, make them take a few days off! Gasp! How does the farm survive? A farmer on vacation is one thing, but a farmer laid up in the house is quite another. Good luck with getting a farmer to a well check appointment and even more luck is needed to get them there when they are ailing. Maybe reading this article will help them realize they need that extra attention just like they expertly give their pigs, calves, and kids. Let’s keep our farmers healthy and haul them to their appointment tied up in the livestock trailer if we have to! 

~ Kesley Holdgrafer

Calving Season

March is almost here and that means we are one step closer to spring. I do not know about you but I am counting down the days. Farmers with cows know that springtime means calving season! The groundhog did predict an early spring and he was right as we already had our first calf. It was born on February 14th, my birthday. I was super excited to name it Kesley. However, with a little further investigation, we realized the newborn calf was actually a Wesley, not a Kesley. My older brothers who own the cows were gone to Louisville to the National Farm Machinery Show and Tractor Pulls when their calf was born. So, I still think they should gift this stout little steer to me since I was the one actually here to tag, band, and give booster shots on my birthday while they were off having fun celebrating for me!

With calving season near or even underway it’s time to check up on things. It’s always better to be prepared because otherwise when one is calving you are then running around looking for things. First off make sure you know where you put your ear tags or make sure to go out to the store and get some. Also if you have cameras, be sure to check them and you might have to set them back up and clean them off. You don’t want to be looking through a dusty dirty calf cam all season. Make sure to have medicine on hand ready to go. When we had our first calf of the season we didn’t have our calving medicine stocked. I was lucky enough to go on the medicine run on my birthday, which is a fun way to spend it! To avoid your daughters having to do the same, be sure to check your supplies and stock up.


To all the farmers that are in the spring calving season, I wish you the best of luck and that you have a great season. There is nothing cuter than a healthy little Wesley running around the yard greeting me every time I check the cows! 

- Kesley Holdgrafer