Country Girls ca.1920

Bonding Time

I got to do something today that was really neat. My daughter Cassidy dressed in period clothing and helped with the historical interpretation. It isn't the first time that I have had her in "oldie timie" clothes. Being the child of a historian you are bound to get drug along once in awhile. The first time I took Cassidy out was when she was 2 months old. I had to work a local parade and I put her in the model "T" Ford with me. We actually won "cutest entry" in the parade. I think it was due to her but I never told her that. Then when we were working in Lafayette she was about a year and a half and we had a dress made for her and she would hang out with me and the draft horses. While she wasn't born in a barn she has nearly always been around them. So today we spent the afternoon just the two of us (and a couple hundred visitors) picking strawberries and cherries.

Tractor class

I had a real deja vu moment this week when I got to teach a tractor driving class for Kristen. Sitting up on that old John Deere holding the chalky black steering wheel reminded me of when I was a boy and my Grandpa Walt taught me how to drive. As a kid there it is pretty special when you get to drive something as big and powerful as a tractor. I remember the pride of accomplishment I had and then I got to see it on the faces of these kids that were getting to do the same thing. That was pretty neat.

Farmers Market and Summer Strolls begin

This past Saturday we kicked off the summer at Wagner Farm with two of our most popular programs, summer strolls and the Glenview Farmers Market. The strolls were volunteer Robin Forde's idea a couple years ago to add docents to the Saturday programming on the farm. Different volunteers man stations from the chicken coop to some of the equipment and tell the visitors interested facts about whatever it is they are looking at. To go along with this we also have interpreters on the farm doing activities that would have been common on a 1920's farm.

The Farmers Market begins it's third year at Wagner Farm. Three years ago our opening day drew in 46 people. This year we had 1,127 with 19 vendors, a community booth, live music and the Village of Glenview sponsored Green Table. My favorite thing is still the what makes the market great, the food. This week I bought a bag full of the best blue berries I have ever eaten. You can't beat fresh from the farm!

Something you don't see everyday

Warning - this post isn't for the squeamish.

Yesterday we noticed that one of the pigs had developed a prolapse of the rectal tract. Since it all the sudden appeared we are sure why it happened. Maybe other pigs laid on it, maybe stress or even a bad cough, yep that could do it. Fearing the prolapse would grow or get infected we called veterinarian, Dr. Bill Morrissey in for the surgery. While I will spare you the full procedure it was really interesting to watch a professional in action. The first thing Dr. Morrissey did was put the pig to sleep and then give a local for the area that he was going to operate on. Then four stitches later he was all done and the pig was sore.

Baby Mama

About two weeks ago I saw a little Barn Sparrow sitting on her nest near the heritage center. I am not sure the incubation period for a small bird egg is but it seems we now have new baby Sparrows. Mama is doing a good job of feeding the little ones. Whenever she comes to the nest their fuzzy little heads all pop up with mouths ajar.

Dairy Breakfast 2009

What a great weekend we had. On Friday evening Jeff, Beth, Sarah and I were sitting on the porch of the heritage center watching the rain and wind tear through the farm. We took turns peaking around the corner to see if the big tent was still standing. At that point all there was to do was sit back and hope for the best on Saturday. We had taken care of the details that were within our control the rest wasn't up to us. Come Saturday morning we had a beautiful sun rise with hardly a cloud in the sky. Egg Harbor served the classic farm breakfast with the Blue Water Rambler's Bear and Jim supplying the background music. Visitors could try contests of milk chugging to chip tossing. There were demonstrations of butter and ice cream making. There was even a 4-H lamb and calf show. By the time we wrapped up we had seen over 1,200 folks at the farm for a day of learning and fun!

Thanks to everyone who braved the mud to support the farm. And if you find yourself up at Egg Harbor please tell them thanks for being friends of the farm. Without their donations and help this event would not be what it is.

Dairy Breakfast

Dairy Breakfast

Barn dance party

This past weekend we had a rental in the heritage center for a college graduation party. Our friend Emily McNish has just finished her degree in history from De Paul University in Chicago. After working hard and graduating with honors it was time to celebrate. I snapped a couple of pictures of the evening and the really good band, Northern Sky Light.

Build an ark

The animals two by two were looking for somewhere to go this morning as the rains poured down. The weather is really putting a damper on getting ready for the Dairy Breakfast. At least some of the kids had fun with the new swimming pool.

The name is official

Please meet Madison the heifer. The kids came up with this name because they were all up in Madison at Badger Dairy Camp the day she was born. Seems to fit.

Cow and calf are doing well.

Hackney's Placemats

This is kind of a personal story but I thought I still might tell it since it does have to do with the farm. Every year the folks at Hackney's let me put out place mats at their restaurant promoting the upcoming Dairy Breakfast. A couple of years ago my folks came to town to attend the event. This is a big deal since it is hard to get a farmer out of the field. It was the Friday before the event so I thought I would surprise them by taking them to Hackney's for dinner and see how long it would take them to notice the place mats. I have to tell you, it really is something to walk into a dinning room of over 150 settings and seeing all those mats with Wagner Farm on them. It didn't take but a second for Mom and Dad to see the place mats. There was a pride on both our sides that day that I won't soon forget.

If you happen to go to Hackney's thank them for being a friend of the farm!

First milking

With the birth of a calf it is time for a cow to take her spot in the milking line. Yesterday Boo was milked out mostly by hand and the special milk was saved and given to the baby calf. This first milk is called colostrum and it is loaded with great nutrients.

Both cow and calf are doing great.

Baby Arrives!

What a morning. As the sun was coming up and milking was almost done I looked out into the pasture and noticed that one of the girls wasn't standing in the barnyard. The missing heifer was Boo the almost 3 year old daughter of Reta. We knew she was supposed to calve out soon but had our sights closer to next weekend. As I scanned the pasture I saw movement out in the tree line and could not believe my eyes, there was mother and baby. The calf was up and walking and Boo had cleaned her off so the birth was sometime in the night. What a surprise!

We'll be working on a name but Julie and the 4-H kids are up in Madison at Badger Dairy Camp so the we might have to wait until they come home.

For a heifer Boo did outstanding, she's a great mother.

Pig Day

While pigs are not a high maintenance 4-H project they do take a little work. This week our pig girls got to meet veterinarian Dr. Maureen Hall and learn a little more about hogs. After a short lecture they got down to the business of health papers for the county fair. With swine you have to take a blood sample and send it in for testing before getting permission to take them to the fair.

At this point in the project the pigs have an average weight of 149 pounds and are gaining about 2.08 pounds per day. In the farming this is called rate of gain. In the normal farm setting the average rate of gain for swine is between 1.5 and 2 pounds per day. Two years ago one of our

4-Her's won top rate of gain for all the pigs at the fair with a whopping 2.88 pounds per day. Just imagine if you put on almost three pounds a day all summer.

A good home for a new family

Today when we were cleaning up around the farm I saw this mother Barn Swallow sitting on her nest. She seems quite content to watch the goings on from her hidden perch.

Where the tall corn grows, kind of.

So maybe this post will not be as interesting to some of you as it is to me but have you ever seen corn pollinated? Growing up on an Iowa farm I have seen plenty of corn. I have even worked on a detasselling crew that neutered corn for hybridization. But sometime when it is something that surrounds you you actually miss seeing it.

A couple of days ago I was giving a tour of the Heritage Center and when we got to the greenhouse I talked about the plants that were growing there. Jeff and Beth had planted a couple of stalks of corn and so naturally that was part of the talk. I looked up and on the top of the plant the tassels were in full bloom and the pollen was already dropping. So I talked about how this falling pollen must hit the silks that come out of the ends of each of the ears of corn. In turn, each kernel of corn is tied to a silk. If the silk doesn't get it's dose of pollen then the fertilization of the kernel is abnormal or non-existent. Ever wondered why your corn on the cob is sometimes funny shaped?

The part I just described is old hat. Here's what I never took the time to see. At the top of the plant, on the tassel the pods that release the pollen were all still attached. In a field setting these normally fall of in the wind. Because this was growing in our greenhouse they were all still attached. When I shook the plant to show how the pollen was dropped the pods made this really neat rattling sound. Nature is really amazing. If you want to see the corn plant I was talking about you had better come over quick before all the pods drop. It is worth the trip.