"So God Made a Farmer"

On Sunday across our nation farmers took notice of a commercial by Chrysler.  A simple ad with beautiful photographs across this nation and the voice of Paul Harvey about farm life.  Even I have recently posted about one of the sentences in Paul Harvey's 1978 Speech to the FFA National Convention.  The web has been alive with the buzz of the Number 1 ranked Super Bowl Ad.

My favorite Agriculture blogs are from my daughter's age group.  The young to middle age 20 something.  Their enthusiasm for farming is just amazing to me.  I know without a doubt that this age a group is ready for the task ahead, to take over the family farm.  They will ensure continued supply of food into the future, just as Paul Harvey spoke to my generation in 1978.  That year I headed off to college with the excitement of studying what I love Agriculture Economics.  Now to share two of my favorite bloggers.

Ryan Goodman is working on his Masters at Univ. of  Tennessee.  He's the founder of the blog AgricultureProud.com.  He is also regularly featured on CNN.com.  I started following Ryan when there were few if any Agriculture bloggers.  His blog Sitting in the Pasture inspired me to blog.  Although he blogs less often on this Sitting in the Pasture it's a treat when he does.

Brandy Buzzard is another I follow with her blog tittle Buzzard's Beat.  Bright and intelligent she sometimes brings an amusing perspective to her life as it relates to agriculture.

Crystal Cattle is yet another!  I've followed her blog for at least three years.  She offers so much to information to first time agriculture bloggers via her pages.

Just one more wonderful blogger, Kelly Rivard working as a agriculture digital communicator.  Another bright witty blogger I have been following since she was in college.

I hope you'll visit some of these and other individuals who blog about agriculture and life on the farm.  Farmers bring food to your table each day and many are sharing via twitter, facebook and blogs.  Thank you again Chrysler for making 2013 The Year of the Farmer!

SWARM!!!!

I just couldn't resist two posts for today!  I must be thinking spring!  This photo was taken an hour or so before one of those amazing Texas Severe Thunderstorms, and it didn't blow away this swarm!

I love the unique things I get to see living on a farm.  I've seen two swarms in my lifetime, the first back in the late 90's on a farm along the Brazos River in Brazoria County.  The second was out my bedroom window.  I just had to have a photo and headed outside to capture the image of the swarm.  From ten feet away I took a few photos. They stayed three days as the scouts looked for a suitable home!

When I received Little Yellow Bicycle's Garden Party I new exactly how to scrap the photo!  And I loved the result!  The difference in the real photo and taking a photo of a is amazing.

There is just one last tidbit of info.....I love being witness to Mother Nature in action!

Abcar Ibn Tammen

This is the second 8x10 sketch Shawn used on her blog!  I had this photo of AC, his barn name, ready to scrap for four months.  I was ecstatic when I received the February sketches to see this awesome sketch!  I had no papers pulled to use and thought I'd use fall colors since the leaves were turning in the photo.  November in Texas Upper Gulf Coast.  I chose to use Lilly Bee Design and Jillibean Grandma's Lima Bean Soup with a little Bazzill cardstock thrown in from my scraps.  I chose to use a few embellishments and alphas from my Paper Bakery October Kit along with some Prima from my stash.

All I can say is I'm so excited about this layout!  The photo just pops and I cannot wait to show my Mom as it comes from her album of our horses.  I know she will be pleased.

Abcar Ibn Tammen (Tammen x Zubaydahh) is pictured as a long two year old.  His show record includes numerous Top Ten Yearling Straight Egyptian Futurity Colt at the Egyptian Event in 1987, Blue Bonnet Arabian Horse Club Futurity Champion and several Amateur Championships and Reserves.

Now everyone has to give a great big wave to Dept. of Homeland Security.  AC's dam was bred & named by Tom McNair long time trainer of Glennloch Farms, Tomball, Texas.  Glennloch has since been sold and is now a subdivision of houses.  This was long before our government was able to kill the terrorist of the same name we purchased.  The first layout I posted of "Zu" as AC's dam was called, I finally decided to not worry about it because it's not my fault she had the name or Tom's.  By the way her name means 'by the book'.  Tom felt her conformation so close to what Arabian Horse Type was suppose to be that he gave her the name.  I accidently found out a week later as I went through the origins of visitors to our website I found DHS had visited!  So I want everyone to wave hello and realize they are doing their job to keep our country safe!!!  My hats off to DHS and a huge thank you!  And whichever employee is looking into it this time, I hope you enjoyed a layout of a very special horse in our family!  And laugh when you realize I'm just a person who loves my ranching lifestyle and I help feed our great country!

Thank you for taking a look at my layout and come join us at Nuts About Sketches!

International Lowline Angus Show at HLSR - Embryo Package

The first three months of the year is all about the four majors!  Other then the cattle themselves at the National Show in Denver the hottest topic was the International Show.  We move in on the 28th with six head.  In my heart Houston Livestock Show is home and my favorite.  I started showing at the age of 14 at HLSR.  For Lowline Breeders it has been 'the' show to find out more information about.  It's all about good cattle, hospitality, and great social events for the breeders of Lowlines!

There was great interest in Denver of the embryos we are selling in the International Lowline Sale.  This is an amazing lot of four Grade 1 Embryos sired by Elandra Park Zoom x Sunset Vicky 913W (shown below).

Vicky shown here winning her division at the 2011 HLSR.  Vicky has an amazing show record beyond just her Houston win.  Shown by Andrew Teague in 2010-2011 Vicky is the most winning Lowline Angus in the breed via her 48 Championships and Reserve Championships in Texas Junior Livestock Assoc shows.  She help propel Andrew to a Top Ten Overall Win in Points!  We can go even further into Vicky's pedigree to see her dam, SC Victoria S11 12J, has truly become a Distinguished Dam in her own right!  In the last twelve months alone Victoria is the dam to MRG Rusty (Canadian National Champion Bull and Senior Division winner at the US National Show), National Grand Champion Percentage Bull MRG Mojo, and National   Division Chmapion Senior Summer Heifer MRG Patty (a full sister to Mojo).   Wow!!!  Vicky is sired by by Bar J Tequila 6S39 a son of the great Brambletye Tequila who has sired more champions then any other bull in the breed.  On top of this Vicky is an incredible cow in her performance in the pasture.

Elandra Park Zoom's (Athanlee Herman x Trangie K0004) semen was imported this past summer by Rocking B Farms and Flying J&L Ranch.  The semen is not on the market.   He's is 52 inches tall and weighs 1800 lbs.  Zoom is a great bull for improving carcass scores in beef production and has an equally impressive show record.  He scored an 8 for feed efficiency and an 8 for tenderness on GeneStar in Australia.  He is in the top 1% of all bulls tested in the US.  Zoom offspring are proving themselves in shows and carcass competitions across two continents.  His size and fleshing ability will improve beef quality and efficiency in any herd.  This is the first lot of embryos from this bull to be sold in US!  To make this lot  even more tempting, the embryos are Export Quality and will be able to be shipped to Central, South America, and South Africa.  These are the only embryos that will ever be offered of this mating thus keeping the resulting offspring's value at a higher level.  Don't miss out as there was considerable interest at the National Western Livestock Show in these embryos.  And don't forget to contact us on how to acquire Zoom's genetics.  We pride ourselves in helping our customers to succeed!   I truly wish we had a better photo of Zoom.

Stay tuned for more as we lead up to our February 28th move in date at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo!

Pure Excitement!

Yesterday I became so excited when I took a peek at the Imaginisce Blog!  I'm surprised I didn't wake James up with all the noise I was making.  My entry, Friend, was chosen as the winner of the Imaginisce Blog Monthly Challenge.  I truly was outside my box, loved every minute of scrapping my layout and now am a committed Imaginisce Gal!  

I'm so excited to receive the Love You More Collection Pack!  

Thank you so much to Imaginisce and the Design Team for their continuing inspiration!

Bo Bunny's Prairie Chic - A Review

From the moment I saw this line on Bo Bunny's Blog I was completely and hopelessly smitten by what I was seeing before my eyes!  This was the had to have line of everything that came out during Winter CHA for me!  And when I click post, I'll hit click and the whole line will arrive shortly in my home!

 

Now on to admonishing the company's who see the west as bucking broncos, rattle snakes, cactus and then have the gaul to put a Jersey Cow in the mix.  A Jersey Cow is a dairy cow not a beef cow.  Don't get me wrong Jersey's are my favorite breed of milk cows.  And don't get me wrong, I think those who own a dairy are amazing individuals.  Their work load in taking care of their herd of cows is incredible to bring you the perfect food, Milk!  I wouldn't know how to run a dairy if you paid me.  Bucking Broncos really irritate me!!! That's rodeo, that's not the ranch lifestyle or any way to train a horse.  If you are a trainer worth your salt then any horse you train never in his or her life offered to even pitch just one time.  The John Wayne movies, Lonesome Dove, etc just ain't (yep used the word for effect) what it's like on a beef cattle ranch of today.  At the same time I understand marketing and common misunderstood perceptions being an agriculture economist.  But I sure won't use those items.  Off my soap box.

  

Back to Prairie Chic!

BO BUNNY GOT IT RIGHT!  WHOOP!

The colors, the designs, the use of boots and flowers so reminds me of the country girl I am.  I love more then anything else being dirty from head to tail at the end of a day at the ranch.  Mind you it's a seven day a week job and sometimes a 24 hour day if you have an animal to care for or a cow your worried about her having her calf safely.  And at times not a pretty job when you fight tooth and nail to save a calf's life only to loose the calf.  It tugs at this ranch gal's heart strings in a way that tears are ok to let flow.  At the end of the day a good shower and fresh crisp clean clothes to have that very special husband say, 'We're going on a date tonight.' makes me realize Prairie Chic is that ranch gal's dream of the pretty that exists in everyone of us.

  

So thank you so much Bo Bunny for bringing the pretty of being a country girl, cowgirl and plan ole ranch hand into my heart!  I truly think this is the very BEST LINE you have created!  Now to line up all those boots of my country girl ranch hand daughter in a row and get that special photo to scrap with this line.  I guess it is my age, I just prefer my solid lacers that became so popular when I was my daughters age!  Oh, and those squared of toes!  Yuck!  Or pointed toes! Yuck!  Give me that softly rounded boot!  

  

Sure hope the other company's stand up and listen....there's the country gal and country boy who deserves the true west of today!  Including beef cattle instead of dairy!  Why not try a Red Angus or American Angus for a start!  And I own only two American Angus!  The rest are Lowline Angus and Santa Gertrudis with a few Longhorns for Yard Art!

Oh and just the time in this post to invite you to visit our website Flying J&L Ranch.

I HEART PRAIRIE CHIC!

EZ Undercover Agent

I have been following Unscripted Sketches for the last four months!  We are so busy at the ranch this time of year I have yet to get a card posted on the blog in time.  I peeked on Monday to see the sketch for this week and oh what an awesome sketch!

Circles have been in my head all week.  I finished my Design Team work and took a look at the Challenges at ACOT!  Between the January Lift Yourself Challenge and this wonderful sketch I was off to the races and two hours later I was done!  I love this creation of EZ Undercover Agent!

When Larry purchased Agent I had a wonderful advertising logo for this bull which I never got to use or even get done before Larry sold him.  If I remember right he sired 3 or 4 calves for us.  But as my husband has a habit of doing he will sell all but a handful of the cattle on the farm if he has a chance to sell one at a profit.  Agent now resides on another Texas ranch as a senior herd sire.  As for the photos, I have no earthly idea why he didn't call me to blow him dry for him.  LOL....we don't blow dry cattle we use the term "blow" cattle.  Don't ask me why we use the terminology we do in the cattle world....LOL!  Thus agent is in the wash rack sopping wet wet when Larry asks me to bring the camera from the house.  On top of that when I arrive he has a show halter on.  Really.....Larry can be really good at adding to the work load on a rare occasion.  Now I have a wet show halter!  So the halter got oiled that evening.  It's one of those times where you just kind of laugh at yourself for getting aggrevated over something that becomes a funny memory a couple of years later when you print the photos.  It's exactly why I scrap!  It's about the memories!

Thank you so much Laurie who hosted the challenge at ACOT and Unscripted Sketches for the sketch!