Getting back to the farm and a very happy dog

Matt and I were able to get away for a few days and find some very much needed sunshine. While this winter hasn’t been cold per se it was still nice to have some summer feeling sun!

The kids did great without us, but I think this guy missed us by far the most. Booker is pretty well attached to us while we are home on the farm.

Going on rides on the ute and napping in the office are by far his favorite (and possibly only) activities. He leads a very good farm dog life.

So while I’m sure the kids missed us I think Booker wins the missing award. He was like a puppy again jumping up and down to get back to his favorite spots.

Also when we got back we were absolutely freezing…but again…still worth it!!

By the time I’m actually posting this spring has hit and the weather is warming right up. Crops are growing and it’s the time of year where everything needs something in our farm. Whether it’s planting, spraying, hoeing, fertilizing, or just making sure you’re looking at it; spring is always busy. And one more reason we are very thankful we go away a few weeks ago to spend a week doing absolutely nothing!

2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer

This year is International Year of the Woman Farmer and Oregon Department of Agriculture is featuring female farmers from across Oregon all year.

This week I was surprised to be the first featured farmer. Honestly I was surprised just to be nominated and to see I made the list of those who they are highlighting was even more exciting! I am looking forward to see more names on the list throughout the year.

Oregon has a strong tradition of female farmers and I am proud to call many my friends. You can follow along as the department adds more names to the list this year by following Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Facebook page. A big thanks to ODA and to who nominated me. I truly appreciate it!

If you give a mouse a cookie or if you buy a new combine

We bought a new combine at the end of harvest last year. So we are “retiring” our 9550 John Deere Sidehill combine. We went around and around on if we should just sell it, or do you keep it just in case, what are the costs, what are the risks, what are the holes that we would have, etc. So it felt like we went around and around so many times on this decision it felt that this post was appropriate to share. Enjoy….

If you buy a new combine, then you’ll have to sell the old one.

If you sell the old one, you will also have to sell the wheat header that goes with it.

If you sell the wheat header that goes with it you realize they don’t make tiny 12 foot wheat headers anymore.

And since they don’t make tiny 12 foot wheat headers anymore you’ll have to buy a 25 foot wheat header.

If you buy a 25 foot header you realize it won’t fit down the road like your 12 foot wheat header.

Since it won’t fit down the road like your twelve foot wheat header you’ll have to also buy a trailer. 

Since you have to buy the header and the trailer you start to do math and realize it will cost you more than you thought. 

Since it will cost you more than you thought you also think about the size again. 

While thinking about the size again you  realize your windrow coming out of the combine will be twice as big as the 12 footer.

If the windrow is twice as big as a 12 footer, you realize it will be too big for the tiny bale baler for the bales your kids sell each fall. 

If it’s too big of a windrow for your tiny bale baler you realize you would have to spread the straw.

If you have to spread the straw, you then realize that you’d have to buy a set of rakes to then make the small windrow again for the tiny bale baler. 

If you have to buy a set of rakes added to the cost of the header added to the cost of the trailer…. You think that maybe this could be too much of a pain

And maybe, just maybe you should just keep the old combine.