Putting On Coats

Our weather changed drastically Tuesday with the dropping temperatures and rain. The high yesterday was 61 degrees, with a stiff north wind. I reached into the closet for a jacket to wear anytime I was going outside. We'd welcome 61 degrees in the spring, but after our 90 plus degree heat we had last week, it feels cold.
So, maybe the buffalo are smart by starting their winter coat early.
We're also seeing other signs of winter approaching; the deer are more visible in the evening, the Snow-on-the-mountain milkweed is blooming, and we're seeing geese flying in formations in the sky.

And Takoda is just about done with his breeding season. Here's a cute photo of Takoda courting Freda. Her look just says "Whatever..."

Labels: Bison, Bison Farm, buffalo, herd bull, Smoky Hill Bison Visitors Center

Buffalo Herd on Indonesian TV

Today's surprise was being filmed for a Voice of America TV program to be shown in Indonesia!

Two people spend over two hours filming the buffalo, interviewing me, and some tourists from Sweden that had stopped by too.

Cow Kajsa wasn't too sure about the one camera person getting down to her level by the fence, and she kept a close eye on her. It will be playing in two weeks, and they promised to send me a DVD of it.

Labels: Bison, Bison Farm, buffalo, Indonesia, Smoky Hill Bison Visitors Center, TV

Growing Bison

When I walked down to check the water tank, I stopped to really look at how much the bison calves are changing now. They are getting browner, besides developing their hump and horns. They are blending in beside their moms compared to when they were first born with their cinnamon wool coat.

Takoda, our three-year-old bull is also changing and bulking up in size. He's now taller than the cows, I'm guessing he's tipping the scale at 1400 lbs. Takoda's head and shoulders are taking on the look of a gigantic bodybuilder. He'll pack on another 800-1000 lbs in the next three years.

Labels: Bison, Bison Farm, buffalo, calves, Smoky Hill Bison Visitors Center

Goodbye to July

Wow- where has the month gone? August is going to roll in tomorrow and I feel like I've barely started summer. Of course we've had a cool and wet July (compared to some years) so thankfully it hasn't been our typical hot and dry summer.

August starts the school season (kids start Aug. 14th here), and it's the month to get all fall merchandise and supplies ordered, AND get ready for the fall maze season.

Today reminded me of fall because of an unusual foggy morning, so I took some photos at the farm gate to show you how thick the fog was. The Visitors Center barely showed up being a light gray color, but the yellow orange pumpkin blossoms glowed like little lights through the fog.

I was out early to get ready for the filming of a TV commercial, plus a motor coach bus tour of grandparents and grandkids was heading our way.

The fog lifted in time for the video shooting, and the bus passengers were thrilled to be filmed "getting off the bus" as part of the commercial. Of course just a few shots of everything will be used, but they thought it was fun to be included.

Labels: Bison, Bison Farm, buffalo, maze, pumpkin patch, pumpkins, Smoky Hill Bison Visitors Center

Remembering my Blessings

"I'm too blessed to be stressed."
That's my new motto after hearing it from motivational speaker Jon Gordon. He was a speaker at our Maize family conference last February that we weren't able to attend- and I'm just now watching the DVD of the conference...
This last week was a whirlwind of activity with groups here, orders to fill, and the phone to answer, all while Patty was on vacation and out of the office. So of course I lost my voice, and came down with a summer cold...
But hey, Patty and my voice are back... Plus I have family, food, and freedom, so I'm blessed.
I thought this photo summed up my thoughts- the flag flying freely and the buffalo resting by the Visitors Center. All is calm and well on the farm.
Actually, it has been very hot and dry this week. The pasture is getting dry when you look at the contrast of the dark buffalo against the golden grass. We could use some rain.
With this hot weather, haying season is in full swing in the neighborhood.

Here's a photo of my Dad cutting through our farm with two wagons of hay bales to stack in my brother's pasture next to us. These bales will be used for winter cattle feed in six months.
I'll try to remember that cold winter chill the next time I step outside into the current hot wind...

Labels: bales, Bison, Bison Farm, buffalo, Smoky Hill Bison Visitors Center

Oh yeah, its Farm Diary Day...

As I drove down the Visitors Center driveway this morning, I noticed that the cows had pushed the portable water tank up against the fence, bowing out the wire.

That caused a big gap, just enough for a calf to walk through, especially if it gets trapped between a couple of cows and the water tank.

I took some photos of the pretty front flowers around the Visitors Center when I got out of the car, thinking I could talk about them for my farm diary today.

Dyllan came in early this morning to do some wall painting in the gift shop, so we chatted a minute after I walked in the door. I asked him to turn off the electric fence and move the water tank back into the pasture.

As I said that I looked out the window and there stood SanDiego, the youngest calf, in the middle of the driveway with a look of surprise in her face. She got pushed out and didn't know what to do next.

"Let's go get her in," I said as I reached for the camera that I had just placed on my desk.

"Oh yeah, it's Farm Diary Day..." was Dyllan's reply. So here's the "story of the day"...

Labels: Bison, Bison Farm, buffalo, Smoky Hill Bison Visitors Center

Harvesting Kansas Wheat

Wheat harvest is the main activity in Kansas right now.

It's a hot dry 97 degrees today and the harvest combines are going full blast, trying to get the wheat out of the fields before the weather turns to storms again.

Overall the fields have been averaging 50-65 bushels to the acre, which is a good yield. Last year we had a late freeze and the average yield was between 7-20 bushels to the acre.

The wheat price is currently up- which is good to offset the cost of fuel. (The combine will hold 85-100 gallons of diesel.)

Here are photos of my brother combining across the road from the Bison Farm, and my 85 year old Dad waiting for a full truck load of wheat to haul to the elevator.

It's hot but very satisfying work to get the crop in!

Labels: Bison, Bison Farm, buffalo, Kansas prairie, Smoky Hill Bison Visitors Center, wheat harvest

Where the Buffalo Play

First thing at 9 am Patty was walking by the office window and said "Why are the buffalo running down the alley?"
"WHAT!?!" was my reaction as I whirled my chair around to the see the last of them galloping by. They just blasted through a five-wire gate!
Running out to the porch I see Dyllan scrambling to close a back gate he had just opened to drive down to check water tanks.
Takoda and the cows stopped just past Dyllan, in the alley across the fence from four "next for the freezer" bulls and jumped, snorted and carried on, having a blast at their antics.
Buffalo!! We had all these orders to pack and the calves and yearling heifers were playing Tic Tac Toe between paddocks! (This was the first sign that there was no voltage in their electric fence.)
I drove the pickup into the pasture yelling "Come Esther!!" out the window, with Dyllan sitting in the back shaking the "treats" bucket. Esther (and the reluctant herd) was obediently following behind me until a group of visitors stepped out on the porch to watch their move. That set the herd off and back down the alley they ran. I tried one more time, but they knew they were supposed to go back and just didn't want to.
I decided, heck, they would come back when they were thirsty and we went back inside to get the Father's Day orders ready to ship.
About 2 pm, they came moseying back, and as I shut the gate, here was a broken wire on it that was too tempting for a calf or heifer and that, with no voltage, started the whole scenario.
Dyllan fixed the gate, got the voltage back up, and we got the orders done before UPS and FedEx picked up at the end of the day.
It's never a dull moment when you live with buffalo!

Labels: Bison, Bison Farm, buffalo, Smoky Hill Bison Visitors Center

Watching the Weather

I didn't get my email out yesterday due to the storm preparation, and having the computers off.

Wednesday the National Weather Service issued a "very significant weather alert", saying conditions Thursday would closely resemble those of June 8, 1974 when 36 tornados touched down on the Plains, costing lots of damage and lives. They were also predicting large hail to the mix too.

Yesterday morning was super windy and hot, with clouds tumbling constantly in the sky. We prepared for the storm that could cause damage to our farm on top of the hill.

Porch tables, chairs and anything that could fly in high winds was moved into the shop out of the weather. The car and pickup were parked on the Visitors Center porch to be protected from the hail.

We cut the ropes that held on the tram tarp and took it off so it wouldn't be torn by hail, and cause the tram to be picked up and slammed against the building. (We've had that happen in the last little tornado we had...)

I had emergency things in the center bathroom and we were ready. The tornado sirens were activated in local towns when the temperature plummeted and the storm hit late afternoon.

Of course my big worry was what would happen to the buffalo herd (and the babies). There was nothing we could do but watch. When the storm hit, they laid down (which is their typical response to lightning), then got back up when the rain slowed down.

The photos (taken from the porch) show the herd in the distance- one when the storm was moving in, and the second when it was just steadily raining. During the worst we couldn't see the herd at all, let alone the van on the far end of the porch.

Locally we got two heavy downpours and little hail. There were a few reports of tornados before the storm left the state and still some flooding of creeks and rivers yet today, but overall we were lucky this time.

Today it's a calm beautiful 78 degree day. What a wonderful contrast from yesterday!

Labels: babies, Bison Farm, buffalo, Smoky Hill Bison Visitors Center

Moving at a Fast Pace

The calves learn to move fast...for two reasons. 1. When they hear "Come Esther!", that means the gate is open for the herd to move to fresh grass, and 2. they need to run fast to get out of the cows way...

When we moved the herd the other evening, Verne opened the paddock gate where they had been grazing, and I was at the top of the pasture opening the gate to a fresh paddock. I gave the call, head cow Esther heard and saw me, and they were in the mood to race up the hill. I caught photos of them coming up the hill, and then as they passed me. (I was on the other side of the fence of course.)

It's so cool to watch them move. Sometimes the herd just walks up the lane, munching grass along the way, and then other times they run full blast. It depends on the weather and their attitude.

Labels: Bison, Bison Farm, buffalo, calves, Smoky Hill Bison Visitors Center

Scratching off Winter

I couldn't resist taking a snapshot of our young herd bull, Takoda while he was scratching at his old winter coat.

I've seen him use the brush a little on his head, but not like our last bull Tonka used too. Tonka would rub on that brush until his entire winter coat was gone. He was bare skin within the first two days of when we put the brush out for them.

The second photo is of Esther, our head cow giving her body a good workout on

the brush. She's almost done rubbing off her old hair. With temperatures warming up to the 80s this week, the animals are ready to get down to their summer hide.

Cow Dallas had her calf this last Saturday. It seems so small compared to the older calves born a month ago. The older calves are growing their "buttons", the start of their horns that will become massive like Takoda's in just a few years.

Labels: Bison, Bison Farm, buffalo, calves, Smoky Hill Bison Visitors Center

Finally Cruising into May

The wind has died down and the temperatures have finally warmed up into the low 70s. With recent rains and warm sunshine, the grass is getting tall and it's hard to see the calves if they are lying down.

The herd, both old cows and new calves, are enjoying the settled weather and growing pasture.

The cows with the oldest calves are relaxing a bit when I walk out to check the water tanks, although I still stay a good 15 feet from the fence dividing us.

It was ChaWakan and Lottie that had calves last Thursday. Since then Ida, Colorado, and Dakota have added calves to the herd too.

We'll still have more calves, but it could be into June before they are all born.

I’ll keep you updated on the pasture births as I see them.

Labels: Bison, Bison Farm, buffalo, Smoky Hill Bison Visitors Center

More Buffalo Babies!

Just watched the newest baby stand up! That's the second today! Both mothers are smaller in stature, so I'm guessing they are ChaWakan and Camille. Since these were three-year-old "heifers", they now are "cows" because they have given birth to a calf. I'll let you know in my next email who the new cows were.

I'm checking the pasture by binoculars these days, for both babies and water tanks. On Tuesday I was on the porch watching and waiting for Freda to give birth. She had a tough time with a three-hour breech birth last year, so I was worried about her this year. It took a while, but she had her baby at 7 minutes before 11 am, and it stood up at 7 minutes after 11 am. Fourteen minutes from birth to standing- be it a little wobbly...

About 2 pm that day I needed to check the water tank as it had a problem and was overflowing when I first checked it that morning. I turned off the electricity to the fence and started walking across the first paddock to where the tank was between two paddocks.

As I got half way across the pasture, I heard a deep rumble from Freda's throat. Bison make very distinct sounds, and this threatening call only comes when you get too close to a mother's newborn.

There were two more fences and 300 feet between me, the water tank, and Freda near by, but I turned around without taking another step. Bison have very good memories, and you never want to make a new "bad impression" with a cow.

When I made my turn, I saw the flash of another newborn starting to stand further up the pasture. Kajsa got through her delivery without me as her audience.

Labels: babies, Bison, Bison Farm, buffalo, Smoky Hill Bison Visitors Center

May Day at the Bison Farm

Happy May Day!

Mom was picking wild violets from her yard when I stopped by with the newspaper this morning. That's her favorite flower from her childhood home, and she's happy that they thrive in this yard too.

My favorite flower to pick this time of year is the lilac. The original bush planted by Kajsa, who homesteaded our family farm, still blooms each year. It was featured on the front cover of Looking Back, the fourth book in my Butter in the Well book series.

As children, we'd take a May Basket of lilacs and tulips to Kajsa's daughter, Julia, who lived on the farm north of us.

Since we've had a late spring this year, the lilac bush is just starting to bloom and in perfect timing for our spring tradition of picking flowers for May Day.

The lilac scent is very powerful in my office today from the big bouquet on my desk. Spring is now officially here for me!

Update on buffalo babies! Cows Clara and Lillie added calves to the herd this week. Freda, Kajsa, and Ida look like they are next to add to the nursery.

Labels: Bison, buffalo, calves, farm, lilacs, May Day

Buffalo Babies!

They're here! The first calves of the year have arrived!

Cow Hilda had her calf on Monday, Esther on Tuesday, Las Vegas on Wednesday, so the "meet and greet" herd is growing!

So tiny, yet the babies are figuring out how their legs work and are running in little circles- at only a day old.

I've been watching this action by binoculars as the herd is clear down in the southeast corner of the pasture, as far away from the Visitors Center as the cows can get. That's where they feel safest as they start having their calves.

And the calves were introduced to their first full blown prairie thunderstorm Wednesday morning, complete with heavy thunder, lightning, and rain. I noticed when the worst of the storm hit, the herd all laid down- trying to stay safe when the lightning was the worst?

But other times they grazed like there was no storm going on even though it was pouring rain. Interesting to see their reaction to the weather, and when it's at its worst, they know it.

I'm going out to the porch several times a day now to see what's going on in the far end of the pasture. Please check back next week to see how many more new calves there are!

Labels: babies, buffalo, calves, pasture

Glad I'm not in a Tepee

Weather this week has been one extreme to another. Tuesday's high winds blew down the large wooden fence gates around the Visitors Center patio that protects the big BBQ grill- which blew over too.

Yesterday was a calm beautiful day in the 70s. I enjoyed a walk through the pasture to talk to the buffalo and take photos of the herd.

Takoda was playing with the portable water tank. It's not the best thing to toss around and get upside down so that the herd doesn't have water to drink, but he wasn't listening to my telling him to "Quit!"

Eventually he backed off to let some yearling heifers come up for water.

Last night we had wind, drifts of hail stones, and a torrential downpour of rain.

I always worry about the buffalo being out in the open getting pelted by hail, but there is no shelter out in the pasture (nor would they use it anyway.)

Luckily there aren't any new baby calves yet in this bad weather.

Labels: buffalo, storm, teepee, tepee, tipi

Pasture Burning

The wind was going down at 5 pm last night, so Verne and Dyllan started the Eastern Gammagrass on fire to get rid of the old grass clumps. We have a planted pasture of it on the northend of our land.

Eastern Gammagrass is native to Kansas, and the bison have eaten it for centuries. It looks like big clumps of Pampas Grass, and can get three to four foot tall. It has a wide leaf and is sweet to the taste. When Kansas was fenced by the homesteaders, cattle liked it too and ate it down to the ground, which killed it out in most areas.

Because bison eat and roam, and this type of grass needs 6-8 inches of the crown left on the plant to rejeuvenate, it thrived on the prairie with the bison's grazing pattern.

The goal was to burn the old growth off, leaving fresh new grass to come up from the ground. Old dried stems can poke the animal's eye as they try to get the fresh stems, and it just tastes better not to have old grass in a mouthful.

From the picture you can see Verne is equipped with a water tank on his back with a short pump to dose fire, the red fire starter, and the rubber flap to hit out stray fires. (The Visitors Center is in the background.)

I was driving the pickup with the big water tank in the back, and Dyllan was manning the hose from that tank. They burned a strip west along the driveway and north along the fence and road ditch first to form a fire break, then went to the south end of the pasture and started the main fire.

From the second photo taken this morning, only part of the pasture burned as the wind died down and the fire could not jump from clump to clump in some places.

Verne had planned to burn again tonight to get the rest of the clumps, but we're getting a light rain today so the grass will be too damp.

Most people don't realize what we do to maintain pasture... to graze the buffalo... to provide meat for our customers. This is all to mimic what nature did centuries ago when prairie fires cleared the dead winter grass for the bison's spring food.

Labels: Bison, Bison Farm, buffalo, Eastern Gammagrass, pasture burning, Smoky Hill Bison Visitors Center

Quiet Pasture

The cows move silently now past the Visitors Center. There is no grunting because there are no calves in the herd to keep track of at the moment.

Sorting last Friday went safe and smoothly with the new pen gates Verne built. Some of the old cows picked on the younger ones, but that’s their nature when confined, so we sorted and moved the cows back out to the pasture as quickly as possible.

The calves were checked by the vet and tagged; staying in the big pens this week to be sure all are sound and healthy after the sort. The heifer calves will move back to the cow herd this weekend, and the bull calves will move over to the bull herd until they move to their summer pasture in May.

The cows come in to get water and check the calves once a day, but the calves are weaned and the cows are satisfied they are okay by themselves. They prefer to spend their day eating and lounging in the triticale paddock.

Think of the calves as kids going off to college. They are on their own now, but you still check on them now and then…

Labels: buffalo, calves, grass

Sorting Buffalo

Welding, painting, and greasing has been the agenda for Verne and his help this past week to get ready for tomorrow’s calf sorting.

Before the cows start giving birth this next month, we sort off the calves born last spring from the cow herd. We want to do it before any newborns are added to the herd as this could be dangerous for them.

Bison can get aggressive very quickly when they feel cornered, and a little baby could get run over and injured in the mayhem.

Once the calves are sorted from the herd, they run through the work chute to get their ear tag for identification. Bull calves will move over to the “Meat and Eat” bull herd, and the heifer calves will go back to the “Meet and Greet” cow herd (the group our Visitor Center guests see on our tram tour).

So how do the top three mentioned items go with wooly fast-footed animals? We have to be prepared with safe pens, gate latches that move freely, and latch tight when they swung around to close off a pen of animals.

After Verne’s accident with a gate that didn’t hold last June (he and cow Annie ended up in the same spot together), he's going to be sure everything is in top shape for the sorting.

Verne has added a new steel “cat walk” to be above the animals in one area, and new steel bar gates in the middle sorting circle so he can be behind it when sorting the cows.

Please wish us a safe sorting and calm cows tomorrow!

Labels: buffalo

Buffalo Audience

We've had two warm days- up to 70 degrees by late afternoon. The wind was finally down too so I tackled the flower beds in front of the Visitors Center Wednesday after work.

I had left the dead plant mulch over the winter to protect the perennials and rose bushes, and now pulled or cut all the brown matter off to uncover the starting crowns of flowers and tulip shoots.

Hearing a soft snort, I looked up and saw that my action had gathered an audience. Takoda and the cows had come up to the fence by the handicap parking area to see what I was doing down on my hands and knees.

I went inside to get the camera to take their picture, and then went down to their eye level to show you what they were seeing too.

When people call to ask if they can see buffalo at our place, I tell them they are right by the building sometimes, and I mean right by it.

When Verne built our Visitors Center in 2002, the buffalo herd spent those months parked along the fence to watch and listen as the building frame and roof took shape. They were curious and fascinated with the progress, just like they were with me cleaning the flower beds.

This week the herd is spending most of their time scouting for green grass. I really noticed a difference this morning in the look of the pasture. It’s starting to green up.

There’s a 60% chance of rain tomorrow, so that should help the grass’s progress too. Spring is on the way!

Labels: Bison Farm, buffalo, Smoky Hill Bison Visitors Center

Favorite Food

Each morning brings an ever so slightly change of color in the pasture. Tints of green are showing up as blades of grass start their spring growth.

The buffalo are seeking the clumps around every part of the pasture, and to the very edge of the fence line. Pictured is our cow Ida and her calf nibbling new grass.

Me and the buffalo are in the same mode today. Just can’t get enough of our favorite food.

Although the delicacy that I’m grazing on today is fresh Belgium choclates that my sister in Virginia shipped to me for my birthday tomorrow. Knowing that the chocolate was flown in from Belgium this week, I opened it immediately to start my celebration early. It is fresh and melts slowly in my mouth. I can tell it’s the “good stuff” with high quality ingredients.

Shipping food around the world, or across country is so easy these days because of the internet. We ship buffalo meat from our Kansas pasture to both coasts. Our customers order from us and eagerly open their meat coolers because we’re known for growing and delivering top quality meat.

Have you had a treat today? Make sure it’s super tasty and the “good stuff”- whether it’s a tender buffalo ribeye steak ….or a choclate truffle.

Labels: buffalo, chocolate, food, meat

Goodbye Tonka

Nine year old Tonka moved on today, not to the "big pasture in the sky", but to a new pasture in western Kansas to be with 55 other buffalo.

He moved to our pasture on January 16, 2005 and spent three seasons with our cow herd. Since his daughters will be old enough to breed this year, Tonka is moving out, and three year old Takoda takes over as herd bull.

Verne called the herd in from the pasture this afternoon, and sorted Tonka into a pen by himself to wait for the trailer that would move him.

The cows wandered past the Visitors Center to go back out to our pasture, but then Esther our head cow, couldn't find Tonka. She and the rest of the herd headed back to the holding pens looking for him.

As a 2000 lb. mass of muscle and hair, he's been a congenial bull whose picture has been taken by people from around the world.

His big claim to fame is his relish for pumpkins. He LOVES them, and inhales one whenever given as a treat. Visitors who took the tram out to the buffalo herd during our maze weekends watched him charge and devour any orange pumpkins thrown into the pasture.

I had one frozen pumpkin left in the shop, waiting for the perfect time to give it to Tonka. This morning I took the frozen mass out to thaw for his last treat.

When he was loaded and in the trailer, I pushed the thawed soggy pumpkin in the trailer for him. At the moment he was mad about being confined and not in the mood to thank me, but hopefully he’ll enjoy it as a snack down the road.

Esther and the herd stood by the fence to watch him leave, then headed back to the pasture without him.

Goodbye Tonka...

Labels: buffalo

18 degree Buffalo

The ground is covered with snow, and it's only 18 degrees in the middle of the afternoon, so winter is back in Kansas.

The Visitors Center is quiet with few people driving out here to our farm this week. I'm spending the uninterrupted time doing employee W2's, and getting ready for our tax appointment next week.

Occasionally I look out the window to see what the buffalo herd it up to. Yesterday they ran by pell mell for some reason...maybe just to warm up!

This morning Verne was driving out to the pasture with a bale of Sudan Grass on the tractor as the herd was coming in for their morning drink of water. Verne had to raise the bale higher because the buffalo thought it would be fun to eat it right off the tractor's fork. The buffalo are always curious of what’s coming into their pasture.

After the herd moved past, Verne drove out to the bale feeder to drop the bale in. The buffalo will munch of this bale during the week between foraging on the snow-covered pasture.

Labels: buffalo

Goings on at a Kansas buffalo farm.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Friday, August 15, 2008

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Friday, June 6, 2008

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Friday, March 28, 2008

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Friday, February 22, 2008

Goodbye Tonka

Saturday, January 19, 2008

18 degree Buffalo

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