Wet Distillers Grains…
What my cows are eating this spring since the grass is late and hay is scarce.
From RealFarmer Monte Lerwick – Albin, Wyo.
Real Farming
Archived Posts from this Category
May 13, 2013
Feeding Cattle in the Spring
Posted by RealRanchers under Real Farming | Tags: feeding cattle, feeding hay, spring snow, wet distillers grains |1 Comment
March 18, 2013
Food Ethics
Posted by RealRanchers under Culture, Environmental Stewardship, Farm & Ranch Business Management, Real Farming, Real Ranching[8] Comments
Happy National Ag Week! With less than 2% of the American population involved in production agriculture, the industry gets lost on a lost of folks minds. However, agriculture is incredibly vital! Without it, you’d be hungry and naked…not a pretty picture.
I recently watched a great YouTube video by the Center for Food Integrity called “What Is The Ethical Choice?” and I thought I’d share some of the statistics they presented. It seemed fitting for National Ag Week. The video is 15 minutes (an eternity in YouTube time), but is worth watching! Unless otherwise stated, all statistics presented were taken from this video.
In 1950 there were 154 million people in the United States. At that time there were 5.6 million farms and one farmer fed about 30 people. In 2010 there were 310 million people in the U.S. We had 2 million farms and one farmer fed about 155 people.
If the number of farms and the level of production remained constant from 1950 until today, there would be no food for about 151 million people. That’s approximately half the U.S. population! So, the population of California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Georgia (the nine most populous states) would have no food.
Due to the innovations in American agriculture, we are using less land, less water and creating a smaller environmental footprint. Here are some stats to back that up:
- Farmers used 10 million more acres in 1960.Compared to 1950, U.S. milk producers provide 63% more milk with 58% fewer cows
- Compared to 1944, each gallon of milk produces a 63% smaller carbon footprint, generates 76% less manure, uses 65% less water and uses 90% less land.
- Compared to 1950, pork producers provide 176% more pork per sow with 44% fewer sows.
Here are some other amazing production increase vs. land increase numbers. Since 1950:
- Lettuce growers produce 12 times more lettuce on only 2.5 times more land
- Tomato growers produce 8 times more tomatoes on only 3 times more land
- There are 53% more eggs produced with 3% less land
- Farmers raise 11 times more soybeans on only 5 times more land
- Wheat growers produce 69% more wheat on 6% fewer acres
But American agriculture’s job isn’t done. As U.S. and world populations grow, food insecurity continues to rise. We have less and less land to produce more and more food.
Even though Americans spend the least amount of their incomes on food, the rate of food insecurity in our country is higher than ever. In 2009, nearly 15% of U.S. households were food insecure at some time during the year. This attests to the need for more innovation in the industry so we can have affordable, abundant food sources for everyone.
Each day there are 206,600 more people in the world. If production doesn’t increase, prices will increase and those who can least afford it will be impacted the greatest. If we can’t close the gap, by 2050 there won’t be any food for 300 million people (almost the entire U.S. population). According to the United Nations, 25,000 people (half of which are children), die every day from hunger and malnutrition. The Center for Food Integrity video posed the question “How can we close this gap?”
“More food will need to be produced before the end of this century than that combined over the last 10,000 years.” – 2007 International Forum on Soils, Society and Global Change. To close the gap, the rate of production needs to increase from 1.4% each year to 1.75% each year.
- 80% of future production growth must come from increased yields with responsible use of innovation and technology
- 10-15% needs to come from increased cropping density
- 5-10% needs to come from expansion of land use
Increased production isn’t the only solution. There is a need for improved access, education, transportation and more. It will take a collaborative effort between producers, researchers, innovators, policy makers and consumers. It’s a big challenge, but I think American farmers and ranchers are up to the task!
Again, here’s the link to the Center for Food Integrity’s video. What do you think will be the key to feeding the growing world population?
From RealPartner Liz Lauck – Wyoming Stock Growers Association
February 22, 2013
National FFA Week: A time for reflection
Posted by RealRanchers under Culture, Real Farming, Real Ranching | Tags: FFA State Officer, Future Farmers of America, National FFA Organization, Wyoming FFA |1 Comment
Friends for Life: The 2005-2006 Wyoming State FFA Officer Team. Back Row: Eli Lilley, Lander Nicodemus, Laura Nelson and Kassi Bauman. Front Row: Liz LeSatz (Lauck), Jessie Berry (Dafoe), Kalee Craig (Goolsbey), Amy Tullis (Houser) and Kindra Rader.
The nation has been celebrating National FFA Week this week and it has brought back a flood of memories of the people, places, experiences and blue corduroy that FFA exposed me to!
National FFA Emblem
Most of you are probably familiar with FFA, but just in case, here’s an explanation of the organization taken from http://www.FFA.org:
“‘Future Farmers of America’ was founded by a group of young farmers back in 1928. Their mission was to prepare future generations for the challenges of feeding a growing population. They taught us that agriculture is more than planting and harvesting– it’s a science, it’s a business and it’s an art.
FFA continues to help the next generation rise up to meet those challenges by helping its members to develop their own unique talents and explore their interests in a broad range of career pathways. So today, we are still the Future Farmers of America. But, we are the Future Biologists, Future Chemists, Future Veterinarians, Future Engineers and Future Entrepreneurs of America, too.”
There are 557,318 FFA members, aged 12‒21, in 7,498 chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
My high school FFA Chapter hosted workshops and a petting zoo for the local elementary school students during National FFA Week. Here I am talking about where food comes from. (hint: it’s not just the grocery store)
I am a former member of the Wheatland (Wyoming) FFA Chapter and a proud former Wyoming State FFA Officer (05-06). I have lots of friends who are also proud FFA members and alumni and they’ve been posting lots of fun photos of their time in FFA on Facebook this week. There may, or may not, be a picture of me in the trunk of a car. Don’t ask me why.
My State Officer Team and I had so much fun together (still do, actually!)
The point is, National FFA Week is a great time for members and alumni to reflect on the lessons, experiences and fun FFA provides. I was a shy kid and FFA helped me break out of my shell. I wanted to make a positive impact on the ag industry and FFA helped me start. I wanted to make great connections and FFA provided me with lifelong friends.
A visit to the Buffalo FFA Chapter during my State Officer year.
A fun time at the annual FIRE Conference (a Wyoming FFA leadership conference).
So share the love! Tell us your FFA memories, stories and share your photos here in our comments section or on the RealRanchers.com Facebook Page. We’d love to hear how being a Future Farmer of America changed and shaped your lives.
Giving my Retiring Address at the 2006 Wyoming FFA Convention
And remember, just because you’re a “has-been” doesn’t mean you can’t be a part of FFA. Mentor a local FFA member, help with a local FFA Career Development Event team (judging, marketing, speaking, etc.), help with fundraisers for local chapters, join an alumni association or give to your state FFA Foundation.
Here are links to Wyoming FFA groups:
Wyoming FFA Association – http://www.wyomingffa.org/
Wyoming FFA Foundation – http://www.wyoffafoundation.com/
Wyoming FFA Alumni – http://www.wyoffafoundation.com/alumni.asp
Wyoming FFA Chapter List – http://www.wyomingffa.org/chapters.asp
From RealFarmer Liz Lauck – Wheatland, Wyo.
While we celebrate National FFA Week, we also mourn the loss of Wyoming State FFA Officer Teddy Weekly. Teddy was killed in a car accident on Feb. 18. In true FFA Family fashion, there has been an outpouring of prayers, love and support for Teddy’s friends, family and teammates. If you’d like to share your thoughts and memories about Teddy or learn more about the memorial service, go to the Wyoming FFA Association Facebook Page.
February 4, 2013
Farmer Vacation to the Ag Connect Expo
Posted by RealRanchers under Culture, Farm & Ranch Business Management, Real Farming | Tags: Ag Connect Expo, Black Gold Farms, Case IH, farm show, grain elevators, John Deere, John Phipps, Kansas City Convention Center, Kansas City Missouri, Liz Lauck, RFD-TV, Successful Farming, Tom Farms, Tribine, US Farm Report, Wheatland Wyoming |[6] Comments
My farmer husband and I took a drive to a little farm show in Kansas City last week.
The Kansas City skyline as we drove in on I-70. This was one of the few times we were actually on an Interstate.
Okay, so the trip was actually 2,000 miles and the little farm show was the Ag Connect Expo which drew a crowd of 11,000. But, who’s keeping track?
We heard about Ag Connect through a direct mailing, RFD-TV and a few of the farming magazines we receive. It looked like a really interesting convention that featured a huge trade show, many education sessions and panel discussions from some of today’s greatest innovators in farming. My husband has really grown his farm operation over the last few years and we’re interested in continuing that growth. We thought Ag Connect would be a good way to get ideas and information.
One of the many grain elevators we passed as we traveled through Kansas on our way to the Ag Connect Expo in Kansas City, Mo.
So, we both took a week off of work, packed our bags and trekked from Wheatland, Wyo. to Kansas City, Mo. We made a real road trip out of it and took two-lane highways as much as possible. We drove through many small towns and saw miles and miles of farm land. We even stopped at a tourist trap or two. We thought it was great fun!
The “World’s Largest Ball of Twine” in Cawker City, Kansas. A tourist trap, but fun nonetheless!
Immediately after arriving at Ag Connect we were really glad we’d decided to come. The Kansas City Convention Center boasted more than 220,000 net square feet of exhibit space and more than 400 exhibitors filled it all up. It featured everything from huge John Deere and Case IH displays to smaller booths brimming with the latest industry tools and technology. It took us three days to get through the whole thing!
The Ag Connect Expo boasted more than 400 exhibitors featuring the latest innovations, technology and tools for modern agriculture.
We were able to get some really great one-on-one time with the real decision makers in the company’s we work with (and also some new companies we plan to work with). There were engineers, vice presidents and heads of departments on hand who were able to answer questions and receive feedback. We even saw some folks from back home! My friend Emily Priebe from Riverton, Wyo., who is a product specialist with John Deere, was there to talk about the latest innovations in John Deere combines. She impressed us with her knowledge of their products and advice for how they could fit our operation.
My husband, Tyler, and I had a blast at Ag Connect! Here we are on the last day at the John Deere booth. My friend Emily (who is also “the combine gal” for John Deere) took our picture in front of the corn chopper on display.
I was also impressed by the international representation at the show. About 11 percent of the attendees came from outside the US, with more than 50 countries represented. I personally saw or met folks from the Democratic Republic of Congo, India, China, Germany and Italy.
Many countries were represented at Ag Connect. Germany and Italy both had sections in the exhibit hall featuring technology from their countries.
There were also several panel discussions hosted by Successful Farming that took place throughout the expo. We heard from some real “masters and mavericks” including Gregg Halverson of Black Gold Farms whose operation is located in 10 states and Kip Tom of Tom Farms who farms in the US (Indiana) and Argentina. We also had a blast sitting in the audience of a live taping of US Farm Report at the Case IH booth. If you ever have the opportunity to hear US Farm Report’s John Phipps speak, I strongly recommend it.
We sat in the audience of a live taping of the US Farm Report (an ag news TV show) during the Ag Connect Expo. The stage was set up in the middle of Case IH’s huge display.
John Phipps of US Farm Report spoke during the live taping.
My husband and I also attended several of the education sessions that took place throughout the expo. We enjoyed presentations on managing for profit, precision agriculture, a “Mavericks of Agriculture” panel, social media, business management and farm policy. These were just a few of the sessions offered.
The “Tribine” was one of the biggest hits at Ag Connect this year. This new innovation is a combine that also holds 1,000 bushels of grain (enough to fill a semi trailer).
We came back with our brains loaded and lots of reference materials to drive us in the coming years of farming. We’re also marking our calendars for the 2015 show in Indianapolis! If you’re interested in learning more about Ag Connect, visit www.agconnect.com.
From RealFarmWife Liz Lauck – Wheatland, Wyo.
December 26, 2012
Clean Beans Make A Happy Meal
Posted by RealRanchers under Culture, Real Farming | Tags: Chugwater Chili, dry bean production, harvesting pinto beans, homemade Christmas gift, how to clean pinto beans, how to cook pinto beans, Liz Lauck, pinto beans, Wheatland Wyoming |[2] Comments
Last year for Christmas gifts I gave away little bags of pinto beans that we raised on our farm. I included a packet of Chugwater Chili seasoning and sewed cloth bags to put them in. I felt very crafty and accomplished. This did not happen this year. I was way behind. But that’s another story.
However, my farmer husband and I did give away buckets full of dry pinto beans to family and friends this year. One co-worker nearly demanded it…she’s a big fan! We literally drove out to the trucks that were parked on the end of the bean field and loaded up 5-gallon buckets full of them. Then I divided them up into coffee cans (are they still called cans if they’re plastic?) and sent them on their merry way.
When you receive a bucket full of beans straight out of the field, there is some work to be done before you dig in. Boy, I really hope I adequately stressed this point to the folks I handed beans too…
When you get beans straight out of the field, it’s not just beans you’ve received. There’s a mish-mash of dirt, little rocks, twigs, leaves and a grasshopper or two. So don’t just soak them and cook them…please clean them first…unless you like eating grasshoppers…then dig in. But, if you’re like me and you just want the beans, you’ll need to sort through them.
I’m certain this is not the only way or even the best way to clean dry beans, but it worked for me. First I dumped some of the beans on my kitchen counter.
Then I used my fingers to flick/push them into a “clean pile”, while pushing the rocks, dirt clods, leaves and shriveled beans off to the side. 
Then I poured batches of the “clean pile” into a colander and rinsed off the dust. Since I wasn’t going to cook the beans, I then laid them out on paper towels patted them dry and let them air dry before packaging them into plastic storage bags.
If you clean your beans and then want to cook them right away, you can follow these directions:
- Rinse in a colander under running water for a minute or so.
- Beans expand at least double when cooked with liquid so place in a pan that will fit the expansion. Cover with at least 3 inches of water above the beans.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover with lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 1 hour with the lid on. The beans will be plump and ready to cook. OR you can soak overnight and then cook the next morning.
- Pour out the water and fill with clean tap water, covering at least 1 inch above the beans. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer with lid on for about 4 hours. Check every hour to make sure beans have plenty of water. You can also cook in a slow cooker for 8 hours or so. Beans are done when tender.
- NOTE: Season after they are done cooking. Adding salt before cooking will make the beans less tender.
It’s fun to share part of the product of your toil. The corn is feed for cattle, the barley goes to Coors for beer, the sugar beets go to the plant for, well, sugar; but the beans are a product that can be consumed almost exactly the way it comes out of the field. It gives a farmer and his wife a clearer perspective of how agriculture really does feed the world.
Happy eating!
From RealFarmWife Liz Lauck – Wheatland, Wyo.
October 24, 2012
The Art of Irrigating
Posted by RealRanchers under Real Farming, Real Ranching | Tags: Albert Sommers, feeding cattle, flood irrigation, Green River Valley, hay meadows, head gate, irrigating, irrigation ditches, Jonita Sommers, mosquitoes, native grass hay, Pinedale Wyoming, water rights, Wyoming history, Wyoming State Engineer |Leave a Comment
Mosquitoes buzzing, sweat dripping from the brow under the rim of a cowboy hat, shovel over the shoulder and black rubber irrigating boots almost to the knees is the description of a rancher while irrigating. The rancher can be seen swatting at the mosquitoes so there is a path through the mosquitoes to breathe and see. The old ranchers had a saying which was “you have to have mosquitoes to grow hay.” This referenced the fact both hay and mosquitoes require water and heat.
Rancher Albert Sommers heads out to flood irrigate his native grass pastures to grow hay. He will use the hay to feed his cattle through the winter when the rangeland is covered with snow.
Some time in May, the head gates are opened on the creeks and rivers in the Green River Valley so the water can run down the irrigation ditches to flood irrigate the meadows on the ranches. The next hay crop needs to be grown so the cattle can be fed in the winter.
Head gates control when and how much water is used for irrigation.
Water rights were filed on by the early homesteaders. The territorial officials, if the water was filed before statehood in 1890, and the Wyoming State Engineer, if after statehood in 1890, were the officials issuing the amount of water to irrigate the number of acres a homesteader had indicated. One cubic feet per second (CFS) of water was allotted per 70 acres with the initial water right, then the state eventually allowed another CFS per 70 acres if there was enough water in the river or creek. Water is allotted from the stream according to the oldest water right having the first right to use the water.
The head gates are manually opened and closed. Legal water rights determine how much water the user is allocated.
The ditches had to be surveyed and then built. The homesteaders used teams and fresnos to dig the ditches. Later, draglines were used to work on the ditches. Today, trackhoes are used to clean and repair the ditches.
Albert Sommers “changes” his irrigation water by moving man-made dams to provide moisture throughout his hay fields.
Once the water is let down the main irrigation ditches from the head gates on the rivers and creeks, it has to be let out into the scatter ditches. From the scatter ditches, the water is spread over the meadow. Little dams and dikes are built to send the water everywhere. This is an art, knowing how to get the water to flow over the land. A good irrigator knows every inch of his land and how the water moves on it. This type of irrigation is called flood irrigation.
Albert uses “flood irrigation”. It is called flood irrigation because the water is dispersed without using pivots, side rolls or other mechanized means. Flood irrigators may also use metal tubes and plastic pipe.
The native-grass hay can be flood irrigated all the time. Planted crops, such as alfalfa, require the water put on and then turned off for a few days and then turned back on. Not a lot of alfalfa is grown in the Green River Valley because of the short growing season. It is very hard to get two crops, or “cuttings”, of hay in the Green River Valley because the growing season is just not long enough.
The Sommers irrigate native-grass hay in their fields. The native-grass hay grows better than planted crops, like alfalfa, in the high elevation with such a short growing season.
When the grass top is waist high and the under growth is to the knee, the irrigator has had a very successful season. There has been plenty of water and hot weather. A rain storm now and then really helps the grass to grow even though the grass has irrigation water on it. This is due to the nitrogen that is delivered in a rainstorm to the ground below, and nitrogen aids the growth of grass.
When Albert finishes irrigating his meadows, he will cut and bale the grass for use as hay feed for his cattle through the winter months.
From RealRancher Jonita Sommers, Sommers Ranch - Pinedale, Wyo.
August 17, 2011
On A Roll
Posted by RealRanchers under Real Farming | Tags: corn, farming, irrigation, Liz LeSatz Lauck, Wheatland Wyoming |[2] Comments
My farmer husband and I have been irrigating all summer. And when I say “my husband and I,” I mean, mostly him, and rarely me. I have a cushy office job and he does the real work.
However, I was along on one trip to help roll out plastic ditch in early July. I am fascinated by the stuff. Whoever came up with it gets a checkmark in the “win” category. Plastic ditch is used in flood irrigation situations and the concept is similar to using gated pipe. On our farm, we have a mixture of flood and pivot irrigation.
This is how we put up plastic ditch. First my farmer husband pulled a shallow ditch through the end of the field. This ditcher is nothing fancy, but it works. The dirt ditch helps keep the plastic ditch in place while we roll it out.
My farmer husband rigged the plastic ditch up to the pipe that brings the water to the field. Then we stuck a shovel handle through the center of the plastic ditch roll and decided to go for a stroll. We’re romantic like that.
We walked the roll out until we ran out of length. All the while we were adjusting to make sure the plastic ditch stayed in the dirt ditch. I told those ditches to play nicely together, and they listened for the most part. I’m well respected like that.
We were using only part of a roll and it wouldn’t reach to the end of the field so, we had to combine two lengths of plastic ditch using this coupler. We used wire to unite the two pieces in holy irrigationhood.
Then the fun part started when we turned on the water and watched it run through the pipe. Look at all the little bubbles fly by! This is how I entertain myself on the farm. Don’t judge.
We tied off the end of the plastic ditch and got down to business punching holes for the gates. As you can guess, I’m incredibly skilled at this, but I let my farmer husband do it for the practice.
I followed closely behind with my big blue bucket of black gates (man I love alliteration!). I placed them in the punched holes and then my farmer husband tightened them with the same punch tool.
And that’s how you do it!
The corn was about knee high in early July and now it’s way over my 5’11” head. We’ll start to chop silage and combine corn in September and October. The corn is used to feed cattle (Beef! It’s What’s For Dinner) and the cattle across the land will rejoice when the feed trucks dump their ration into the bunks. And all will be right with the world. The end.
From RealFarmWife Liz Lauck – Wheatland, Wyo.
June 13, 2011
Does everyone know what time it is?
Posted by RealRanchers under Real Farming | Tags: corn, farming, Home Improvement, irrigation, irrigation boots, Liz LeSatz Lauck, malt barley, pinto beans, sugarbeets, Tim Allen, Wheatland Wyoming |Leave a Comment
TOOL TIME! Ok, not quite, but I had to give a shout-out to that lovable and mishap-plagued Tim Allen.
It’s irrigation time in Wyoming. We don’t usually get enough precipiation to irrigate row crops, so we use flood and pivot irrigation to bring on the green. My husband raises malt barley, corn, sugarbeets and pinto beans – just for you (and the other 155+ people the average farmer feeds each year!).
From RealFarmWife Liz Lauck – Wheatland, Wyo.
March 15, 2011
Celebrate! We’re Not Hungry & Naked
Posted by RealRanchers under Real Farming, Real Partners, Real Ranching | Tags: agriculture and the economy, agvocacy, American agriculture, increasing world population, Liz LeSatz Lauck, local foods, National Ag Day, world hunger, Wyoming agriculture, wyoming stock growers association |1 Comment
Today is National Ag Day and we’re celebrating the industry that is responsible for providing the necessities of everyday life … food, fiber, clothing, fuel and countless other necessities. In other words ag makes sure we’re not hungry and naked!
A ranching family in Northern, Wyo. moves cattle from pasture to pasture to properly manage the health of their rangelands. Cattle production makes up 61% of Wyoming's ag economy. Photo by Crystal Lawrence
The National Ag Day program is committed to increasing public awareness about American agriculture. As the world population soars, there is even greater demand for the food, fiber and renewable resources that the United States produces. National Ag Day focuses on educating Americans about the industry so they will understand how food, fiber and renewable resource products are produced and value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy.
Sugarbeets are cultivated near Wheatland, Wyo. Wyoming produces more than 600,000 TONS of sugarbeets each year. Photo by Liz Lauck
Wyoming does our part to contribute high quality, American grown and raised ag products. Did you know…
- Wyoming agriculturists contribute a whopping $1 billion to the state’s economy and the U.S. ag industry plops down 20% of the U.S. GDP.
- Wyoming has about 11,000 farms and ranches and is #1 in the nation for average size of farms and ranches
- Wyoming farmers and ranchers care for 30.1 million acres, which produce food and fiber, wildlife habitat & keep lands free from development
- Bringing in 61% of all Wyoming ag sales, ranchers raise and care for 1.3 million cattle. This is enough beef to produce ½ billion quarter pounder hamburgers per year!
- Wyoming is the nation’s #3 sheep and wool producer. Wyoming sheep produce about 3 million pounds of wool!
- The main crops that give Wyoming farmers and ranchers a purpose in life are hay, barley, wheat, corn, sugarbeets and dry beans.
- Wyoming farmers and ranchers produce about 2.2 million tons of the hay each year!
- If you end your day with a nice, cold beer, chances are it came from Wyoming. Farmers grew 6.9 million bushels of barley in 2008!
- Wyoming raises enough wheat to produce 283 million loaves of bread each year.
- Wyoming farmers also find time to raise about 700,000 tons of corn and 664,000 tons of sugarbeets.
- Wyoming also makes the grade in dry bean production and is the 3rd largest producer of pinto beans in the whole, wide, nation.
Behind all these amazing statistics are the hard-working agricultural producers who work 24/7/365 raising high-quality, safe and nutritious products, all while properly caring for their livestock, the environment and contributing to their communities. Photo by Stephanie Russell - http://www.cowgirlgraphics.net
Join this effort to promote American agriculture to everyone during National Ag Week, March 13-19, 2011. For more information visit www.agday.com.
From RealPartner Liz Lauck – Wyoming Stock Growers Association
August 16, 2010
Bleeping Pivot
Posted by RealRanchers under Real Farming, Real Ranching | Tags: Animal Planet, irrigation pivot, Jim Hellyer, Lander Wyoming, Last American Cowboy, wind storm |Leave a Comment
I have been enjoying The Last American Cowboy on Animal Planet. I especially like all of the bleeps used to cover up the “color” during the everyday ranch problems that seem to afflict us all.
I am certainly not the last rancher around here and thankfully there is not a camera crew following me around. There would have been nothing but bleeps if a TV crew was present when one of my pivots was a mangled mess thanks to a severe wind storm. Even more editing would’ve been necessary if they’d caught footage of me discovering the water supply line feeding the newly seeded field was bubbling up in the field, instead of flowing out to the sprinklers. The culprit? A leaky pipe joint buried DEEP underground. The American public should be grateful I was not being filmed for their viewing pleasure. I, however, could have used some help.
I suppose I am more of a hybrid type of rancher. I don’t have a helicopter and I am not especially fond of horses. Motorcycles and 4-wheelers work for me. My favorite characters on the show are the ones who remind me of myself or my family or a neighbor in certain situations. There is the real possibility that at least once per episode each main character could well be a part of my family or a neighbor. Perhaps reality TV has a limited place…
From RealRancher Jim Hellyer – Lander, Wyo.
