Women in Agriculture | Women in Farming Magazine

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<umbBlogPost id="75560" key="55f217ab-2c76-47fa-bc7e-b844a20c046b" parentID="75559" level="5" creatorID="8" sortOrder="0" createDate="2019-03-18T15:10:29" updateDate="2019-03-22T16:28:00" nodeName="Greetings and Spring Fever" urlName="greetings-and-spring-fever" path="-1,1069,1057,75516,75559,75560" isDoc="" nodeType="1053" creatorName="NS" writerName="NS" writerID="8" template="1046" nodeTypeAlias="umbBlogPost" isPublished="true"><PostDate>2019-03-18T00:00:00</PostDate><blogHeadline>Greetings and Spring Fever </blogHeadline><bodyText>Hello! 
Greetings from rural Missouri and my farm kitchen. 
Although I have had the honor of being a contributor in the past, I wanted to reintroduce myself and express how excited I am to be a part of the Pink Tractor family and connect with fellow women in agriculture. I have a passion for all things farming, food, farmhouse decor and design. I prefer to channel my creative side and embody an entrepreneurial spirit. I enjoy sharing words that hopefully bring others positivity and inspiration. As well all travel our individual journeys, we can find comfort and support in the things that bring us together. 
For me, that has always been food and conversation. Growing up on a farm, I found a passion for agriculture early on. I loved the colorful ways agriculture allows us to connect to consumers and to one another, whether it was sitting down to a meal or sharing recipes and telling stories of how ingredients came to be. I also love connecting through words. As a little girl in a third-grade classroom, I was called "weird" because I enjoyed writing assignments and looked forward to book reports. As I got older, I began combining my passion for writing, agriculture and cooking in hopes to create a special experience. 
Creating experiences extends over to my day job where I lead a hands-on elementary agriculture education program where youth plant seeds, make bread and more while learning about food's journey. My husband, small son and I raise cattle, crops and hay in Northeast Missouri. My son is the sixth generation to farm on Missouri soil and farm life is very much a part of who we are and what we do each day. I believe that by helping light another's candle, yours only shines brighter. 
As we look ahead, I know many of us are longing for spring after a challenging winter. It is a time of rebirth and new life. For many of us, we are also hoping for sunshine and warmer weather. One of the things I look most forward to is the 100-year old lilac bush that blooms across from my parent's house and near our old farmhouse, a memory I share with my grandfather who passed in 2012. When they bloomed, my Mom would always take fresh-cut lilacs to him to enjoy. He was my time machine to simpler times, and he shared so many wonderful stories over the course of his life. The scent reminds me of those memories I cherish and hold near. It's those little things we cannot buy that take root in our hearts and the foundation of who we are. In our neck of the woods, spring also means green grass, tractors working the fields and my favorite tulip bed coming to life. 
The sights and sounds of spring extend to my kitchen and happy place, where I love to create seasonal dishes, open the windows and welcome in sunlight and fresh air. If we are blessed with mild days, we enjoy a picnic outdoors. 
 
Luella is also author of a cookbook, "Luella's Farm Kitchen" and children's book series Honest Emmett, highlighting modern agriculture and character traits. </bodyText><tags>featured</tags><closeComments>0</closeComments><introduction>For Luella, there has always been food and conversation. Growing up on a farm, she found a passion for agriculture early on.</introduction><articleImage>75561</articleImage></umbBlogPost><umbBlogPost id="75563" key="316d0e50-5787-4825-b68a-6f16a91083c1" parentID="75559" level="5" creatorID="8" sortOrder="1" createDate="2019-03-22T12:38:30" updateDate="2019-03-22T16:28:09" nodeName="Foaling Season... "It's a Filly!"" urlName="foaling-season-its-a-filly" path="-1,1069,1057,75516,75559,75563" isDoc="" nodeType="1053" creatorName="NS" writerName="NS" writerID="8" template="1046" nodeTypeAlias="umbBlogPost" isPublished="true"><PostDate>2019-03-22T00:00:00</PostDate><blogHeadline>Foaling Season... "It's a Filly!" </blogHeadline><bodyText>Just before dawn, on this cold crisp January morning. The farm is peaceful, with heavy frost on the ground. As we enter the barn, the horses tart nickering for breakfast. We throw down the hay and fill the wheel barrow with grain. After feeding and mucking stalls, we fill the water buckets. As we stroll down the aisle, we come to the large double empty foaling stall. We bed the stall heavy with sweet smelling straw and hang water buckets, in anticipation of our long-awaited foal. 
Our mare, Carol Ann, was bred March 13, 2018 to a fine stallion and the expected due date is February 7, 2019 (gestation can run 331 to 346 days on average). We walk to the field to check the mares. Upon inspection of Carol Ann, it is decided to bring her to the barn as her milk bag is starting to form. She strolls along the frozen fields and walks with us to the big foaling stall. After shutting the stall door, the mare frets as she now misses her pasture girlfriends. When we return, several hours later, she has destroyed our hard work by moving the straw to one side of the stall. She has settled down and not as anxious as when we first brought her up. We clean her stall and place more straw to cushion her big bulging belly. After feeding it's time to wait and watch for more signs of imminent foaling as each day passes. 
February 7 comes and goes and no foal yet. Her milk bag is much larger by the 12th and it's now time for serious foal watching 24/7. By the third day, we are tired and grouchy from lack of sleep and shaky from an abundance of coffee. Donuts, cookies, and candy bars are our main nourishment. All supplies ready sitting next to the stall. Towels, fleet enemas, betadine, knife, scissors, and frozen colostrum in the nearby freezer in the event it is needed. Each morning and evening we clean her stall and place fresh straw. Her consumption of hay is enormous, and she appears bigger each passing hour. 
My mind wanders to all the unforeseen issues that can happen when a mare foals. A hard delivery requiring pulling the foal, a red bag requiring fast action and possibly dummy foal, an artery rupture in the mare, requiring a nurse mare for foal, as the foal's mother passes on. I shudder to think of the scenarios that have happened to all of us horse people at one time or another. The scenarios are endless, and I now pray for a normal delivery and healthy foal. 
It's now the 13th and our mare is waxing, and her teats are buttoned, resembling a baby bottle. We settle down on a bale of straw in the dimly lit stall next to the foaling stall and wait. At 3 am, in that quiet cover of darkness we heard Carol Ann slump to the straw laden floor. Then a rush of what sounded like a waterfall came suddenly and I knew it was time. I quietly entered her stall and saw the telltale white bubble signifying impending birth. First the two feet emerged and then the head appeared during a strong contraction. I removed the slippery bag from the foals face and nose and with just a couple more contractions a beautiful wet and slippery bay foal emerged unto the thick straw bed. We quietly and quickly rubbed the foal with towels and placed betadine in a cup and cleansed the navel. The mare lay still and was resting and then suddenly raised her head and licked her foal and nickered. The mare then sat upright, and we placed hay in front of her. She ate hay and licked her new foal, and then stood. The placenta was hanging, and I now tied it up to avoid her stepping on it. Within minutes the placenta dropped to the floor and we placed it outside the stall and examined it for any irregularities. None were found and it was now that the foal tried standing on its wobbly legs. It's a filly, we observed with great delight. She struggles and falls several times before finally making it up on all fours. Unsteady, she tries taking those first few steps to find and suckle her dam. She nudges the dam's sides, legs, tail, and then finally finding the milk. We watch carefully to make absolutely sure she is getting colostrum. We see her swallow, and when she's finished, we see the telltale white milk on her mouth. We now administer the fleet enema so the foal will pass meconium. We watch for another three hours to assure the foal is getting up and nursing approximately every 20 to 30 minutes. 
It's now nearly 7 am as we leave the barn, into the morning light, tired, and content with the miracle of this birth. Pleased that it was a normal delivery and mare and foal are doing well. The vet will arrive after the foal is over 12 hours old to check on the foal. But for now, we want real food, maybe bacon and eggs, and a good hot shower. Of course, we check on both mare and foal throughout the day and are pleased with our adorable little filly. 
Tonight, we sleep in our own bed (which are dearly missed), and dream of the next foal! </bodyText><tags>field</tags><closeComments>0</closeComments><introduction>"It's now the 13th and our mare is waxing, and her teats are buttoned, resembling a baby bottle." Follow the article on the beautiful birth of life! </introduction><articleImage>75566</articleImage></umbBlogPost><umbBlogPost id="76568" key="94356dc0-69de-43b4-9d3f-27c4e5eb6cfc" parentID="75559" level="5" creatorID="8" sortOrder="2" createDate="2019-04-09T14:46:26" updateDate="2019-04-09T14:46:58" nodeName="What You Do Today..." urlName="what-you-do-today" path="-1,1069,1057,75516,75559,76568" isDoc="" nodeType="1053" creatorName="NS" writerName="NS" writerID="8" template="1046" nodeTypeAlias="umbBlogPost" isPublished="true"><PostDate>2019-04-09T00:00:00</PostDate><blogHeadline>What You Do Today...</blogHeadline><bodyText>I have a quote on my website that I’m known for by my team and by people around me. “What you do today determines all of your tomorrows.” As you read that what comes to mind? I’ll tell you what I think about that quote and what I mean by it whenever I say it.
            I spent a lot of my younger years being a procrastinator. My folks tell stories of me doing things I shouldn’t have as a toddler and when I was told not to do those things, I would look at them and say, “Later I can”. I smile as I’m typing this because now that I’m a parent I can imagine the frustration they felt as I said this. “Later I can” became “I’ll do it later” as I grew older. I’d say this followed me along until right before I turned 40. This was about the time that my dear grandmother left this world. We were really close and losing her created a big hole in my heart. I watched her health decline and saw her go from a vibrant lady to someone I hardly recognized. What happened to her really struck me to the core. I felt lost for a while due to this, but eventually something became crystal clear to me. Time keeps on clicking by. In fact, the older I get the faster it seems to go. I know it’s not to just me who feels this way because I’ve had lots of folks agree with me on this subject. Do you?
            The realization of time slipping by hit me hard. One day I just woke up to the fact that “later” had to become “now”! As a parent and business owner, I understand the importance of “now”. Children grow up quickly. That time can’t be gotten back once it’s gone. Businesses are either successful or unsuccessful based on what you put into them. I realize businesses have a lot of other factors that go into them to be successful, but I’m not going into that here. In my experience, I was faced with a big decision when I began my business. Seize the moment or let it pass me by. I had to make some tough decisions. I had to choose laser-focus on my business over a lot of the fun things I used to enjoy. After my team won the 2015 Year End WRRA Championship at the World Finals I stepped down. I didn’t ranch rodeo for two years. I spent those two years building my business and helping my team. Looking back, it was the best thing I ever did. I’ll admit It wasn’t the easiest. Seeing my friends and former teammates having fun at ranch rodeos was tough, but I did what I had to do, and I don’t regret it.
            Essentially, I learned how to make the best decision for myself and my family in most everything based on how it would impact my goals. Doing what’s easiest isn’t always the best course of action. This is especially true for me. I find the more I challenge myself the better off I am. Some of my goals have been laughed at by others over the years, but it never really mattered to me. Truth be told that laughter drove me harder towards accomplishing all of the things I set out to do in the beginning. Through the years and experience I’ve also learned that you don’t get to Point A from Point B without a map of some kind. You have to have goals and you have to break those goals down into achievable mini-goals. You have to be willing to do whatever it takes to achieve these goals…NO MATTER WHAT! And perhaps the biggest piece of advice that I can give to anyone is this:  What You Do Today…Determines All Of Your Tomorrows! So…get going…you only have one life to life. I hope you make it the best one for yourself that you can! ~Cheyenne</bodyText><tags>featured</tags><closeComments>0</closeComments><introduction>“What you do today determines all of your tomorrows.” As you read that what comes to mind?</introduction><articleImage>76567</articleImage></umbBlogPost><umbBlogPost id="77567" key="1e19b9be-b25a-495e-a797-6383757d874c" parentID="75559" level="5" creatorID="8" sortOrder="3" createDate="2019-04-15T11:26:14" updateDate="2019-04-15T14:05:03" nodeName="Women who farm..." urlName="women-who-farm" path="-1,1069,1057,75516,75559,77567" isDoc="" nodeType="1053" creatorName="NS" writerName="NS" writerID="8" template="1046" nodeTypeAlias="umbBlogPost" isPublished="true"><PostDate>2019-04-15T00:00:00</PostDate><blogHeadline>Women who farm...</blogHeadline><bodyText>...and are Widowed. 
Over the last couple of weeks I have had the opportunity to connect with a couple of women about their experiences running a farm. These aren't just any female farmers, these are women who share one thing in common: they are widowed. 
It has been a journey looking back into their lives, the way it was before, and the way it is today. 
Much to be learned, much to be taught. Are you ever prepared? 
Farming takes teamwork, and as these two women reminded me, what made their farms work before their husbands passed away was the teamwork of the marriage. One was good at the books, one was good at the tractor maintenance. While the other tended the daily care of the animals, the other was plotting out the acreage that needed to be tilled. 
When you take one of those pieces of the equation away, things are unbalanced and lopsided. And as we all know, farming never stops...there is rarely a chance to catch your breath, and there comes the challenge. 
Karen Larson and her husband Glenn farmed 160 acres of soy and corn in Balaton, Minnesota. In 2016, Glenn passed away. 
Before Glenn's passing it was Karen who handled the administrative work for the farm, tax paperwork and bookkeeping. Glenn did most of the decision-making in regards to mechanics, ordering the seed and fertilizer and fixing things. 
Karen said that she didn't realize just how much he fixed and tinkered with things until she had to deal with it herself. 
At first she tried to do things on her own and learn for herself. But what she found was that it was too much. She felt overwhelmed. With the help of her three children who have encouraged her, Karen now calls for help and pays for the projects and incidental things that come up to get done. The kids have lovingly coined the phrase, "Call the man, Mom, just call the man." That is their way of reminding her to not get frustrated and try to do it herself, rather call someone for help. 
After three years Karen is slowly getting to a place where things are manageable. The first task that she had to accomplish was the cleaning out of all the barns and outbuildings. "Glenn had a lot of stuff everywhere, like many rural farmers, he had his hands in a lot of things." This was a task that she had not anticipated. 
Luckily the Larsons had done a lot of financial planning before Glenn's death, so the means were there for Karen to get help and to "Call the Man." This has been a hard thing to learn, for a team that has always so self-sufficient at caring for the property and tending the home and farm.
In addition to calling "the man," Karen has decided this year to lease out land to a neighboring farmer. After Glenn's death she had a neighboring farmer do the custom harvesting, but she has realized that for now, she doesn't want to worry about the harvest. 
The marketing of the grain was always something that she and Glenn did together - now that he is gone she has found that it doesn't bring her joy anymore. Karen is trying to find those things that now bring her joy - it's difficult, their lives were one. 
Karen said that each one of her children has a piece of Glenn in them. She relies on each child differently for those reasons and it makes her feel like through them, she finds her husband. 
Karen's daughter, Jessica, who lives on the east coast, stated how important the communication has been between the siblings and her mother. Despite the great distance that two of the children have from the farm in Minnesota, they are all still very involved in caring for their mother and helping her navigate things during this difficult time.
Karen's words of wisdom to other women revolve around estate planning. "Use a good lawyer to help you plan before there is a problem. The life insurance policy was critical." 
Beth Steeley, 58, lost her husband Lee in 2004, when she was just 43 years old. They farmed in the Chesapeake Bay area on a small scale. They raised harness horses. Her husband was the maintenance person and groundskeeper while she was the daily caregiver to the horses. 
Beth always leaned towards animal care, and worked at a non-profit animal shelter before she met her husband. Her roots were from much larger agriculture in Texas. 
The Steeleys had a lead time before Beth's husband Lee passed. They were able to talk through a lot of things. Lee's biggest concern for Beth was that she wouldn't be able to keep up the golf course-look that he maintained. 
Beth was upfront with her husband and told him that she would be taking the farm in a different direction, utilizing the farm to help her church's "Worship Without Walls" program. Today, while Beth works toward the formation of a non-profit organization, she is teaching young people that they can farm on a much smaller scale through vertical and urban farming programs. 
After all these years she is just now breaking even. Things are taking a turn for the better, and Beth believes she is in her season. 
At times after Lee's death, Beth felt that she had to go against what those around her told her she should do. Even though she knew they had her best interest at heart, she felt it was her responsibility to keep the farm for the next generation, her daughter. She just had to figure out what her calling was to do with it. 
Beth said, "I believe that all these things happen for a reason, to get us to the place (calling) where we need to be to teach the mission we were meant to teach." Through her vision for the non-profit's approach to farming education, she feels she has found it. 
Today, Beth has chickens, honey bees, and horses for logging. She has greenhouses and uses hydroponics for seed starts. She sells locally, right on the farm. 
And one thing that Beth is very proud of is that she now has a pink John Deere tractor. Once Lee passed away she had different equipment needs to run her farm for small scale production. She needed to trade in their large equipment for smaller models. She saw an article that John Deere had different color options for tractors. One was pink, for breast cancer awareness. Beth decided that pink was the color for her new tractor and went on a mission to get it. 
After many phone calls, and requests, conferences, and persistence, 2.5 years later she now has her pink tractor, made possible by Atlantic Tractor in Queen Anne, Maryland. 
Beth's words of wisdom are, "If you want to keep the farm, let your faith show you the way. It will happen, go by your heart rather than your head." 
Each of the women that I spoke with, in her own way, wanted to make sure for me to share how important it is to get the finances figured out before the throes of grief come at you. 
Prepare and plan with a team how you want things to proceed in the event of a death or disability. 
For the sake of your children, your parents, nephews, nieces, in-lawes, friends, and MOST importantly for the sake of YOU. You owe it to yourself. 
If this article can be the impetus for just one you to go get the plan done, or to start this difficult conversation, then I will have accomplished the mission and the reason for giving you a glimpse inside these two women's lives. 
Never take for granted the special partnership that a husband and wife farming team have. It truly is magical and challenging all at the same time. There are good days and bad days...and it takes two for balance, through all of it. 
Appreciate each other and all that you do for your marriage and your business. You never know when the partnership might be taken away. 
Take care, and stay will...and plan. 
With love and thought, 
Kate. </bodyText><closeComments>0</closeComments><introduction>These aren't just any female farmers, these are women who share one thing in common: they are widowed. </introduction><articleImage>77568</articleImage></umbBlogPost><umbBlogPost id="75562" key="13b4ba6b-516b-42c9-859c-bf75f119d85d" parentID="75516" level="4" creatorID="8" sortOrder="4" createDate="2019-03-20T15:39:06" updateDate="2019-03-22T15:24:23" nodeName="Spring 2019 Updates" urlName="spring-2019-updates" path="-1,1069,1057,75516,75562" isDoc="" nodeType="1053" creatorName="NS" writerName="NS" writerID="8" template="1046" nodeTypeAlias="umbBlogPost" isPublished="true"><PostDate>2019-03-22T00:00:00</PostDate><blogHeadline>Spring 2019 Updates</blogHeadline><bodyText>Spring 2019
Dear Pink Tractor Fans:
 
We have some exciting news! We have been working on some updates for 2019 and want you to stay up-to-date on the big changes being made – Pink Tractor is now going digital!
We’re no longer offering a hard copy of our magazine. For 2019, we will be moving into a digital edition for at least the next few issues. You can now take Pink Tractor with you ANYWHERE you go…on your cell phone, tablet, iPad, desktop and more!
Please continue to stay informed of new article releases and blog posts on our website, PinkTractor.com.
Once we determine our new setup and look of Pink Tractor, our plans are to seek advertisers and return to print. Please fill out our “<a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PTractorweb">Rejuvenate Survey</a>” to let us know what you would like to see in the next issues of Pink Tractor.
If you have any questions, you can contact our Co-editors: Jill Howard, 502.222.0146 extension 8698 or Carol Hughey, 502.222.0146 extension 8699 for specific information.
 
Thank you for your ongoing support!
Be safe, be healthy, be happy, SHINE ON!
 
<img style="width: 274px; height: 233px; float: left;" src="/media/316199/logo.jpg?width=274&amp;height=233" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/1a6dbf875d3345668fadc8b401ae6665" />
<img style="width: 0px; height:0px;" src="/media/316199/logo.jpg?width=0&amp;height=0" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/1a6dbf875d3345668fadc8b401ae6665" /><img style="width: 0px; height:0px;" src="/media/316199/logo.jpg?width=0&amp;height=0" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/1a6dbf875d3345668fadc8b401ae6665" /></bodyText><tags>fun</tags><closeComments>0</closeComments><introduction>We are working on some updates for 2019 and want you to stay up-to-date on some big changes being made.</introduction><articleImage>75565</articleImage></umbBlogPost>

Women who farm...

These aren't just any female farmers, these are women who share one thing in common: they are widowed.

What You Do Today...

“What you do today determines all of your tomorrows.” As you read that what comes to mind?

Foaling Season... "It's a Filly!"

"It's now the 13th and our mare is waxing, and her teats are buttoned, resembling a baby bottle." Follow the article on the beautiful birth of life!

Spring 2019 Updates

We are working on some updates for 2019 and want you to stay up-to-date on some big changes being made.

Greetings and Spring Fever

For Luella, there has always been food and conversation. Growing up on a farm, she found a passion for agriculture early on.

Featured Articles

What You Do Today...

“What you do today determines all of your tomorrows.” As you read that what comes to mind?

Greetings and Spring Fever

For Luella, there has always been food and conversation. Growing up on a farm, she found a passion for agriculture early on.

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