#watchthemgrow Week 7

How bout them beans!  Finally starting to see the beans take off. These beans are growing from a Liberty Link 394 soybean seed. This seed comes from Becks who is a seed company, they grow soybeans harvest the seed and market the seed. The dealer (family that actually sells the seed that the farmer plants). Becks is a family business and it may sound familiar because they are behind the "Why I Farm" campaign. If you have not watched any of these videos you should check them out, great chance to meet and get to know some farmers.  This seed type was selected due to the soil conditions and maturity. 

It's a Derby Darling

Parker watching the heats.

Leave your fancy hat and mint julep at home and trade them in for some cowboy boots and a tall tea. Darling it’s that time of year!
The combine derby is an Ohio favorite on the county fair circuit.  There is just something about people sitting in the back of their pickup trucks and filling the grandstand to watch retired combines smash into each other watching smoke and sparks fly.

While there are rules it is a pretty rough sport. It is on my bucket list to drive a combine in a derby someday, kind of ridiculous I know but isn't that what bucket lists are for?

This was a great hit! No worries the drivers
are harnessed in there and wearing helmets.

While I have not driven a derby combine I can only imagine there is an art to maneuvering these large machines in between the concrete guards and around the course and strategizing where you will strike your competitors. It's a lot about the combine holding together but the driver really makes the difference.  They divide the entries into heats (3-4 combines per heat) and the last combine running in a designated time frame is the heat winner. Then anyone who can get their combine up and running again can come out for the final drive for the overall winner. The entries come with a pit crew of people, parts and tires some even have farm service trucks which are capable for most any fix including welding parts back on.

You may be thinking this is a little red neck but I like to call it good old fashioned county fair fun....then again maybe it is a little red neck but I love it and so do my children. Just in case you have never witnessed such an event here is a little taste of the Pickaway County Fair Derby.

Just How are GMO's Made?

 

 

 

 

 

Project #watchthemgrow Week 6

Behind us you can see the soybean field you have been
watching grow over the last 6 weeks.

My sister had her horses over in our pasture this week so Parker and I decided to Saddle up ole Chester and ride him over to our soybean spot.

Beans are  looking good, healthy with minimal insect bites on the leaves and spotting (spots where the beans did not germinate or died off).

This variety of soybeans that was planted tends to get off to a slower start than some others. New leaves are still opening up and they are getting taller too.




 Next week I will share the variety of bean planted and why. Farming is a science it is all about selecting the correct type of seed and variety that will perform best in the soils and conditions of the land. Farmers may plant several different varieties based on the soils they farm.





You can see the stalks from the corn
that was harvest in this filed last year
Crop rotation is a very important of
being a good steward of the land.



Great Lakes Regional Dorset Show is in Ohio! Taking Entries Now

June 2014

Dear Junior Dorset Members:

 

This year the Great Lakes Regional Jr. Dorset Show will be held on Wednesday,

July 30, 2014, in conjunction with the Ohio State Fair.  The show will begin at 6:00 p.m. 

Single day passes will be provided for out-of-state exhibitors and for Ohio exhibitors who do not enter sheep at the Ohio State Fair Jr. or Open Show. 

All entered sheep are required to be on the fairgrounds and entries checked in by 12:00 noon on that day.  All entries will be breed standard inspected between 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.  with the show beginning then at 6:00 p.m.

Entry fees will be $8.00 per head.  The entry deadline is July 15, 2014.  We encourage all participants to enter their sheep in the Ohio State Fair OPEN show as well that deadline is June 20^th.  PLEASE NOTE:  Entries need to be made with us for the Regional Show.  Separate entries need to be made for the State Fair.  You cannot make entries with one place for both shows.  Entry forms for the Ohio State Fair are available on the internet at www.ohiostatefair.com.  Entry forms for the Regional Jr. Show are enclosed with this mailing.  Please return entries to:

Kristin Root Reese

7640 Havensport Road

Baltimore, Ohio 43105

 

There will be classes for both Polled and Horned sheep.  The polled sheep entry form is yellow and the horned sheep entry form is blue.  Also on your entry form, there is a space to enter showmanship.  There is no cost to enter showmanship, but it needs to be marked to be entered.  We will split the classes as evenly as possible according to age.

 

Classes for the show will be as follows:

Note:  Classes may be split as necessary at the discretion of the show committee.

 

Class            1        Senior Ram Lamb - fitted (born September 1 - November 30)

Class            2        Winter Ram Lamb - fitted (born December 1 – January 15)

Class            3        Slick shorn Ram Lamb - any age

Class            4        Jr. Ram Lamb (born January 16 and after)

Champion Ram

Reserve Champion Ram

Class            5        Yearling Ewe - fitted

Class            6        Slick shorn Yearling Ewe

Class            7        Senior Ewe Lamb - fitted (born September 1 - November 30)

Class            8        Winter Ewe Lamb - fitted (born December 1 – January 15)

Class            9        Slick shorn Ewe Lamb

Class 10        Jr. Ewe Lamb (born January 16 and after)

Champion Ewe

Reserve Champion Ewe

Class 11        Market Lamb

Rules for the show:

1.  Deadline for ownership of animals in the Junior Show will be June 1, 2014 with the exception of a purchase of a sheep at Sedalia. Ownership must be in the young person(s’) name.  Youth partnerships are okay as long as everyone listed is a youth and no adult names are mixed in.  The partnership is considered one exhibitor when it comes to group classes and number of entries in single classes though everyone in the partnership can participate in showmanship classes.  If animals are in a partnership, you must designate on the entry form who is actually showing each animal. 

2.  Age limit for young people entering the Junior Show will be 21 years old or younger as of January 1.  The same age limit applies to show ring helpers as well.  Junior exhibitors must be present to show their own Junior entries unless physically impaired.  If two or more are entered in the same class, another junior must show one of them.  Junior owners must be in control of the head of at least one of their animals in the class.  Any exceptions must be in writing and approved by the Show Committee by 8:00 a.m. the day of the show. 

3.  Short fleece is recommended in the fitted class.

4.  The judge has the responsibility of determining over aged-lambs.

          5.  All animals will be shown in their respective age class according to their date of birth as recorded on their registration papers.

 

6.  Sheep entering the show ring on show day will have their flock identification checked by show officials to correspond with official show records.

 

For those of you showing futurity ewes, please make sure you bring your point record form with you for us to sign.  Those ewes must be registered in the individual name only of the person showing them.  Futurity entrant may earn premiums on no more than two ewe lambs.  Total points earned by two ewe lambs cannot be combined.  Each ewe must bear the proper identification which corresponds to the registration certificate.  A junior exhibitor can participate with one entry in the yearling ewe division.

 

No refunds will be made once entries are received. 

 

It is our goal to have an outstanding show for all exhibitors.  We hope to be able to pay premiums deep in each class.  If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact either of us.  We look forward to receiving your entries and seeing you at the show!

 

Sincerely,

                                               

Kristin Root Reese

 

Committee:       Kristin Root Reese          614-582-3208 kristin@kristinreese.com

            Kim Root                       614-843-8453

2014 Polled entry form.pdf

2014 Horned entry form.pdf

 

Project #WatchThemGrow Week 5

I am not sure where the last 5 weeks have gone but it has flown by. The beans here in Ohio seem to be getting off to a slow start but looking good. Got a little rain shower and we escaped the storms that some out west and even in western Ohio got. We are supposed to get rain later this week which we could use to get some moisture back in the ground as these hot humid dog days of Ohio Summer hit us.

This year we have soybeans all around our house so we could easily walk outside the front door for our weekly "bean scouting" trip. Why make it that simple when we can make it more complicated and fun....right? What started out as a "hurry up get on the four wheeler Parker so we can drive out to the pretty field near the woods" has turned into a weekly summer fun trip with my 4 year old son. He got to plant the beans in this field and he loves to "scout" them. I asked him what he is looking for and he tells me "bugs, disease and just to see if they are growing mom." While it only takes a few minutes to get to the beans we photograph each week, this has quickly become one of my favorite weekly activities with my son.  Project #watchthemgrow has turned into Project #makingmemories for this mom.

 

Want to see what soybeans and corn look like in other parts of the country? Check out some of my farm mom friends blogs!

Sara's House HD

 

LaVell Winsor Growing for Tomorrow

 

My Cow Girl

Project #Watchthemgrow Week 4

We got some much needed rain this week, about an inch over a few short hours.  Beans really grew and the field is starting to look green instead of just dirt with a few little sprouts.

I have a farm mom friend LaVell Winsor who I met through volunteering with CommonGround. We decided to do a multi state #watchthemgrow. Here is a link to her blog Growing for Tomorrow. You can watch Corn grow in Kansas and Soybeans grow in Ohio.
http://growingfortomorrow.wordpress.com/

It is amazing how a little but of rain and lots of sunshine and warm weather makes these little beans pop right up.