Phew... What a Week!

Its over. All in all, Summer Synergy was a great success for me, and for many of my fellow livestock exhibitors. While not everyone is able to take a prize or a ribbon home (it isn't peewee hockey, you know), everyone can take away a new skill, a new friend, and even new confidence. For myself and many of my friends, we were fortunate enough to take away scholarships, some got $1000, some $2000, and some, like myself, upwards of $3000. The Calgary Stampede, and all of the associated sponsors, made this great event possible. Without sufficient sponsorship, livestock shows like this would come crashing to the ground, or never occur in the first place. A huge shout out to the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede, The Olds Agricultural Society, Alberta 4-H, Olds College, Bella Spur Innovative Media Inc., Alberta Lotteries, The RBC Foundation, AFSC, Meyers Norris Penny, and so many more like Ted Jenkins and Family, thank you so much. Thanks for supporting youth in agriculture, thanks for supporting the future of agriculture, thanks for supporting the future of food in a growing world.

Since I have been away from you all so long, I figured that I would let you know just what is happening here on the farm. Last Friday, Dad knocked about 20 acres of hay down, all of which we plan to make into small square bales. All was well, for a couple of days, but the humidity slowed the drying process and led to a very bad event for hay-making: Rain. Two thunderstorms rolled through on Tuesday night, depositing 3/4 of an inch of wet water on our lovely hay. Things that make you say S%!t . So now, here I sit, waiting for the hay to finish airing out, and writing to you all. Maybe I will manage some pictures this afternoon. I'll post them if I do.

Until Later.

Moving Out

I discovered that I am a terrible picture taker. Not so much in the skills I have with a camera (which suck, by the way), but more with my apparent lack of forethought as to what I am doing and whether there may be any mediocre pictures to be taken. As the title suggests, something moved out yesterday and today. Alas, it isn't me (I get to leave in August), but most of our cattle have moved on to greener pastures.

Even with all the rain we have received this year, a 20 acre pasture is not enough for 23 or 24 hungry momma cows and their calves. Almost all of the main herd went to Turner Valley in two separate convoy trips, last night and early this morning. This is to give our pasture a rest, allow it to recuperate and grow back some before the fall and the return of the cows. While our pasture is by no means spent this year, this annual activity started back in 2007, when we had a long, dry, and very cold spring. We had no pasture, but a friend, Muriel Dais, did. So we loaded up everyone who wasn't a show cow and shipped them off to Turner Valley Alberta. Their pastureland is located on a quarter section of land all in pasture, with the house and the yard located on top of a south and west running hill. Needless to say, our cattle easily have a 2 or 2.5 million dollar view, as their western slope looks right trough a valley to the not-so-distant mountains. The landscape is absolutely stunning. With all this natural beauty and wonder around them, the cows are constantly milling around, looking for the best place to...eat more grass. Heads down, mouth going, paying no heed to the majesty of the Canadian Rockies.

Linking back to the opening sentences, it is difficult to take a bad picture at Mountain Park Ranch. Unless, of course, if you haven't got a camera. However, Bernie Brown, western pencil artist, once did a drawing of some of Muriel's cows out to pasture, which captures their view equally as well.

"At Home on the Range" by Bernie Brown. You can view more of his pencil art at www.berniebrown.com