Best Substitute

Since moving to the farm, I have been able to witness some of the most amazing sunsets. This particular one caught me completely off guard. I was outside cleaning up windfall apples , turned to walk to the shed to get a shovel and was greeted by this stunning sight. My mouth  dropped open and stayed that way for longer than I care to admit. The first thought that came to mind was, 'get the camera'. Photos never measure up to what the naked eye can see, but they are the best substitute available. Take a few moments to enjoy every detail of this photo.

That time of year again

Hard to believe its that time of year again. Over the last few weeks the soybeans have turned from green to yellow to brown. Combines should be rolling, weather permitting, within the next  two weeks. (My prediction). Talking with a local farmer recently, while he was combining wheat, I asked him if he felt a sense of accomplishment when he finished combining. He said yes and he was even happier when the price was good!!!! Hats off to all my farming friends who will be harvesting beans. Prayers for ideal weather, better than average yields and large cheques in the mail. More important than all these, practice farm safety first.

Farm Facts

This past Saturday, I was blessed to enjoy the company of my daughter and son in law on a slow moving rig. Not this particular outfit but one that runs on water. Last fall I won a cruise on the Grand River which runs out of the Caledonia area.
During the cruise, the captain commented on the history of the area. Believe it or not, one farm that runs along the banks of  the river housed a 15 foot rooster. This is no Chicken Little joke!  One of the owners of the property  recently celebrated his 50th birthday. The family presented him with the statue of the enormous fowl. He liked it so much, he bought it.
This family is the largest poultry producer in Canada. They have 136,000 layer hens, sell 1.5 Million turkeys to Zehrs over the Christmas/New Years time period and have a 3 year contract with McDonalds in Southern Ontario to supply meat for Chicken McNuggets. If my memory is correct the family houses 5 Million broilers. They have farms all over Ontario and are rumoured to be building a 7 storey barn in the Paris area.
Hard to get your head around these facts? They are really impressive!

Defining Labour Day

Labour Day is not a holiday for most farmers. Tractors towing balers have been travelling up and down my road throughout the day today. Perfect weather for baling but it sure is hot. Call me weird, as most do, but I love watching the large round bales coming out of the back of the baler. It must be the sense of accomplishment I feel. No matter what you are doing on this Labour Day, please remember to thank farmers for their labour of love-farming!!!!