Grand Entry at the State 4H Show

Here is a portion of the grand entry that my son was part of at the state show last weekend. I was impressed with how well the kids did with the maneuvers with how little of practice they had. Each county in Minnesota was featured on the individual flags the kids were carrying.

They did a tribute to the men and women that serve our country and to Jacob Wetterling. It was very touching and well versed. I have uploaded two videos that show part of the performance but not the entire thing; it is very long!

Minnesota State 4H Show

This weekend my kids and I will be attending the Minnesota state 4H show with our great horse, Sonny. He qualified for a state trip at the Freeborn County Fair and this will be our second year to compete at the state fairgrounds for this. 

I want to give you all a little background on our horse, Sonny. I purchased Sonny as a four year old out of the Jackson sale barn. A friend of mine called me about this nice looking gelding that was there but said he was a tad sway backed. I told them that I wasn't interested in a sway back horse but I would come down to the sale anyway. When I arrived to the sale, my friend brought me back to Sonny's pen and I liked the way he looked; minus that darn sway back. The owners of the sale barn and I have a good relationship so they told me to take him and try him at the arena down the road. I figured that I had nothing to lose so I took him on over to the arena to take him for a spin. Sonny did everything that I asked of him without a hitch! He was great to be around, quiet, nicely broke and was cute to boot; even with the sway back. So we brought him home.

Once I got him home, I started him on the barrel pattern and started hauling him to the races. He learned quickly and was an outstanding barrel horse. I also started him on all of the play day events to keep his mind fresh and learning. I ran him for two years before my son, Carter, took over the reins. Carter was seven years old at that time and he did all of the events with him with ease. Sonny was the most fantastic mentor to my son and has taught him more lessons than I can explain. 

Carter, now 15, has since moved onto new horses that he has trained himself and has done very well for himself. Sonny, now 15, has graduated to mentoring my five year old daughter, Eva. She is doing the barrels by herself with Sonny's guidance and I couldn't be a more proud mom. 

Carter's horse that he usually competes on came up with an abscess right before the county 4H show and he had Sonny down as his backup if something were to happen to his main mount. So Sonny filled the spot and won Carter another trip to state. This will be the last show that Carter and Sonny get to be a team as he has now become Eva's pride and joy. This will be a memorable and terrific weekend, regardless if they win or not. In my mind, we have already won because of the wonderful family member, Sonny, that resides in our pasture. 

A Little Manure Application Education...

Manure Hauling and Application

One portion of my day-to-day life is manure application. I know that poop hauling doesn't sound glorious but maybe if I call it custom applicating it sounds slightly more appealing. That is how I introduce it to people because it rolls off the tongue a little sweeter.

My other half does this in the spring and fall as part of our farming operation. His family owns a 7,500 sow unit at the home farm and has multiple nursery and finishing barns as well so we have a lot of manure to dispose of. But we also produce A LOT of bacon on the plus side! :)

There are multiple benefits to applying manure to the fields. Here is a little information on what manure does for the soil and crop production;

• Applications of liquid manures have the potential to provide nitrogen (N) that can be counted toward meeting the needs of the corn crop and substituting for 28% or other fertilizer N sources. 
• The application of hog manure to farmland is an economical and environmentally sustainable mechanism for increasing crop production while providing a waste management service for the hog industry.
• Hog manure is an excellent soil amendment capable of increasing soil quality.
• Manure can increase crop yields by providing large inputs of nutrients and organic material.
• Getting the maximum value out of liquid hog manure requires applying the manure at proper rates and using good application methods. 
• Injecting the manure into the soil is an important step to reducing gaseous losses of ammonia.
• Injected manure provides greater crop response and nutrient recovery compared to surface applied manure. 
• The manure should be applied in spring prior to seeding, but late fall applications when the soil is cooled are also effective.

Here is a video of what it looks like to apply manure to the field with a drag line system like we use:
Manure Application Video

What is Alzheimer's and What Can We Do To Help?

Alzheimer's is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. 

• Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging, although the greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimer's are 65 and older. But Alzheimer's is not just a disease of old age. 
• Alzheimer's worsens over time. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years. In its early stages, memory loss is mild, but with late-stage Alzheimer's, individuals lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to their environment. Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.
• Alzheimer's has no current cure, but treatments for symptoms are available and research continues. Although current Alzheimer's treatments cannot stop Alzheimer's from progressing, they can temporarily slow the worsening of dementia symptoms and improve quality of life for those with Alzheimer's and their caregivers. Today, there is a worldwide effort under way to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset, and prevent it from developing.  

Source: http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp

This year my friend and I took over a great cause; the Race to Remember. It is a barrel race that we produce to raise funds for Alzheimer's research at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. The event is held in Albert Lea, MN in June, Alzheimer's month. This year we raised $6,000 between the racing entries, pledges and silent auction. We are hoping to make it even bigger and better next year!

Here is our Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/Race2Remember/