Ramps, Rodeos & Recommendations

Life On The Ranch

It's been busy here with these 300 chicks, crazy winds, going to rodeo's with Kyrna and considering doing laundry... and her I am doing the newsletter.

The grass has been growing here in the yard! We have been getting a bit of rain and definitely some sun. I leave the grass every year at this time and let the bees get some food. Even though I have tons of dandelions I still have not cut the grass... because we also try to get the horses to go over the grass once or twice before I cut it. Why was gas cutting the grass when the horses can eat it. Plus, after leaving it for so long to grow it would take me a long time to cut the grass.

We have to fix the chicken tractors to get these we little birds outside in them. We got the birds earlier this year to prepare ourselves for the summer. It gets so busy when hay starts that getting the broilers done earlier is really going to help.

Justin and I decided we are going to have to realign ourselves and the ranch. The main reason is because there is no land for sale around us, even though it's looking like we will be adding another 110 acres of hay to our plate it's not enough to count on to grow with. We have to begin to ask ourselves a lot of big questions. So, in total we will have 410 acres of hay to cut. This year we hope to have enough hay we can sell some. Small square hay should sell well as usual as long as we can get it up and time it well. Since Justin bough himself a new hay rake, we are hoping it will help speed up the process.

We went to our local RM office to see if they had grater blades and YES, they did. Justin is creating himself a mole hill leveler. The hay land we are renting has a lot of mole hills and it takes longer to go over the land. He did not get it on time for the first cut however right after the first cut he will be cutting down the mole hills so the second cut can go much quicker.

Grandpa Moyer needed a ramp off his deck so he could get down with his walker and not have to need help from Grandma. So, we loaded up the truck and flat deck with supplies and went down to build them a ramp. Even ACE likes it! We will show final pictures once the final boards are put on. Now we can all relax better knowing he can get up and down from the house on his own.

Welcome Ranch Family! Now that this is a BLOG and not an emailed newsletter there will be many more people with access to it. We want to consider you all as our ranch family as you join us on this journey to accomplishing our dreams. We are progressing towards Justin being at home full-time ranching. Many more changes are going to have to be made however we will just keep going.

SPOTLIGHT

Manitoba High School Rodeo Finals are coming up next weekend and we are a bundle of emotions/nerves as it approaches. Definitely have to put our resilient/coping skills to the test as the Finals approach. The goal is to not put any pressure on Kyrna as she puts enough on herself and for her to go in having a great time and doing her best with a great attitude towards herself/Ginger and the rest of the rodeo team.

She has learned that all of the work happens before the competition. Once the competition is here... IT IS WHAT IT IS! Meaning that you need to prepare and use your time wisely throughout the year so when it comes to the time to compete then all you do is YOUR THING! Regardless of the outcome next weekend we are so proud of Kyrna for all of the hard work she has put in and for the way she carries herself amongst her peers which at times can be a challenging task. She is grateful to have the friends she does who support her and for her to return the favor. There is still much more work to do before getting into the arena next week and she loves every minute about it. (Well.... almost every minute)

RECOMMENDATIONS

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL RODEO ASSOCIATION

(Manitoba High School Rodeo Association)

High School Rodeo is about far more than competition.

It teaches young people responsibility, discipline, work ethic, sportsmanship, animal stewardship, and resilience. These students learn to care for their horses and livestock, manage their time, set goals, handle success with humility, and overcome setbacks with determination.

Many of today's rodeo athletes become tomorrow's ranchers, farmers, veterinarians, business owners, tradespeople, and community leaders. They are preserving valuable agricultural knowledge and rural traditions while developing skills that serve them for life.

When you support High School Rodeo, you're not simply sponsoring an event- you are investing in youth, leadership, agriculture, and the future of our communities.

Every donation helps provide opportunities for young athletes to grow, learn, compete, and become the next generation of responsible stewards of the land, animals and communities we all depend on.

Support a student. Support agriculture. Support the future!

If you eat beef support the individuals learning the skills to take care of that beef!

#highschoolrodeo #supportyouth #futureleaders #agriculturematters #rodeofamily

Appreciation: As a tiny rancher... we truly appreciate what it takes to do this on a larger scale!