Tribute to a Great Man

This posting is in tribute to a great man - Howard Young - Aug 7, 1929 - May 14, 2010

Farmer’s Creed

I believe a man’s greatest possession is his dignity and that no calling bestows this more abundantly than farming.
I believe hard work and honest sweat are the building blocks of a person’s character.
I believe that farming, despite its hardships and disappointments, is the most honest and honorable way a man can spend his days on this earth.

I believe farming nurtures the close family ties that make life rich in ways money can’t buy.
I believe my children are learning values that will last a lifetime and can be learned in no other way.
I believe farming provides education for life and that no other occupation teaches so much about birth, growth, and maturity in such a variety of ways.

I believe many of the best things in life are indeed free: the splendor of a sunrise, the rapture of wide open spaces, and the exhilarating sight of your land greening each spring.
I believe that true happiness comes from watching your crops ripen in the field, your children grow tall in the sun, your whole family feels the pride that springs from their shared experience.
I believe that by my toil I am giving more to the world than I am taking from it; an honor that does not come to all men.

I believe my life will be measured ultimately by what I have done for my fellow man, and by this standard I fear no judgement.
I believe when a man grows old and sums up his days, he should be able to stand tall and feel pride in the life he’s lived.
I believe in farming because it makes all this possible.

Thank you for teaching us how to be stockman, and passing on your love of agriculture.  Rob, Deanne, Crystal and Stacy.

Whats on your Reading List?

Magazines seem to be the bulk of the reading material at our house, although I do like to take the time to read a trashy novel once in a while.  The selection of reading material varies with the season.  January - March the stack is high with Bull Sale Catalogs.  First you scan them before the sale to possibly find your next heard sire, then you re-read them following the sale to see who made what selections and what brought the high prices.  April - June the stack changes to Farms Sale flyers and land auctions.  Rob is on the hunt to purchase a few pieces of farm equipment now that we have broken up some pasture and need to become "farmers".  We have had offers to use equipment from friends and family, but our little ole tractor can only pull about 12', so I guess we'll keep on looking.  There doesn't seem to be much time for reading during the summer, but that is when the show entry books arrive and we start making plans for the fall.  September - December are the Female Sale Catalogs.  Again you could be at a sale almost every day, if the work at home would get done by it's self.  Now scattered throughout the year are the magazines that we subscribe to. 

The Simmental Country  http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/2757f0ac#/2757f0ac/1

The Angus Journal  http://www.angusjournal.com/

The Western Producer  http://www.producer.com/

The Cattleman Magazine  http://www.canadiancattlemen.ca/

and the latest addition to our stack is Lot One

http://www.liveauctions.tv/

So if you have time for an over night visit this summer, one or more of these magazines will probably be on the night table in the guest room.  If you are not currently subscribing to them you can always check them out online.  I hope that we get some rainy days over the weekend, so I can catch up on my reading.