Summer is for hay. When Dad is out in the field, we try to have some fun when we visit and take a meal. I love that the girls get to experience this life and see that every part of farming and ranching is important.
On this particular day, he just finished up with a job and started stacking the bales in rows for a client to pick up. The girls got to hop on the tractor with him and help him for a bit and LOVED it. They will be out there in no time.
Afterwards we let them run across the rows for awhile and it brought back a lot of memories of my cousins and I doing the same at that age. I mean, are you even a Farm/Ranch kid if you’ve never done that?
I had the opportunity to sit down with Danna Larson of Rural Revival in April and talk about Farm Girl’s new location, rebranding, Hayfield Meals, Home Design, and all of the things and projects going on within my Brand. I’ve loved listening to her show for years and it was an honor to share my story. All of the show note links and some extras can be found on my episode post here.
You can catch me on Episode 117 of Rural Revival on all podcast platforms and there’s also a little extra for RR listeners at the end.
I’m so thankful for this gal, her heart, and all that she does to support rural America and its revival.
Mulberry……as you know, I love my Longhorns. It’s not my family’s first choice of cattle or what the Rafter PS Ranch has the majority of. My herd is small, but growing. I hope one day to have several and need another piece of land to raise them all.
I love what they embody, their hardiness, and let’s face it, they are pretty cool to look at. The inspiration behind my store branding came from my first girl, Rose.
I’ve wanted to share a little education on my blog for some time about the breed, why I like them, and what I hope to gain from starting a registered herd from the ground up. So here’s post one of many and I will tag the source of my info below.
“The Texas Longhorn became the foundation of the American cattle industry by claiming first rights in the untamed, newly discovered Americas more than 500 years ago. In 1690, the first herd of cattle was driven north from Mexico to land that would eventually become Texas. By the Civil War, millions of Longhorns ranged between the mesquite-dotted sandy banks of the Rio Bravo to the sand beds of the Sabine. Most of the Longhorns were unbranded, survivors of Indian raids, scattered by stampedes and weather, escaped from missions or abandoned after ranch failures.
Less than 40 years later, the Longhorn was closer to extinction than the buffalo. In 1927, the Federal government stepped in to help preserve the Texas Longhorn and a great part of our American heritage. Congress assigned forest service rangers, Will C. Barnes and John H. Hatton, to the task and these two men put the first herd together for Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. Gradually, more breeders started raising private stock, recognizing the value of Texas Longhorns.” – Texas Longhorn Breeders Association
We spent the weekend helping my parents fix up the old barn at the cattle lots on the ranch. This beauty is old but I love the character and the stories it could tell. The horse stalls at the other barn just aren’t functional and quite a ways from where the arena will be. This area provides a lot more cover and will be handy to have everything in one spot.
The north side is now opened up and three stalls were built, each with a run for the horses to get some sun and graze.
Does anyone remember my old mason jar lights that hung in my store on main? Each stall will have a fixture. They are all LED and I might have changed two bulbs the entire 6 years they hung in my store. The pitch is super high so we won’t have an issue with a horse touching them and they will give the stalls some fun character. I plan to stain all of the wood to give it a more rustic feel.
We still have to run electric, level the ground, hang fans in the stalls, set up a hitching post + cross tie area, repair some damage and beams, pour concrete in the back space where we will store square hay, and a few other things but I love how it’s coming together. We will probably enclose more of it in the fall and prepare it for winter but for now, it’s perfect.
I’m going to add some fun touches like horse shoe hooks at each door for their halters, our brand on the front of the barn, and maybe some speakers for music. I can’t wait to spend hours down here!
Zack and Scout started disking up the arena – we still have to finish that up but shouldn’t take us too much longer.
Mulberry was eating treats from Paisley’s hand this weekend too. She’s pretty sweet and a great mama.
More barn updates coming soon! I can’t wait to see the lights installed.
I am so honored to have been asked to be a guest on my friend Dakota Johnson’s podcast, Cowgirl Confessions today. I share all about our family, cowgirl roots, and my store-Farm Girl.
Episode 22 is now live on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and there’s also a discount code at the end for listeners.
Paisley showed in her first junior livestock show at county yesterday! I loved getting to watch her and see her take it so serious but also have a great time. She placed 5th in her class with her weather and made 4th alternate for the premium sale! We are so proud of her. Scout also had fun getting to help Miss Becky hand out ribbons and buckles for each class.
I’m excited to see her experience the hard work and time she puts into taking care and working with her animals come to fruition. These life skills can’t be taught in a classroom and it’s so important for us to raise our kids in agriculture-and not just around our cattle and horses. I love that it’s so diverse and the life lessons are endless and end up serving them their whole lives.
