While we snuggled last night, safe in our beds, listening to a really nasty wind howling outside, Jeff King was racing under the burled arches in Nome, his fourth Iditarod win under his belt. He ran the race in 9 Days, 11 Hours, 11 Min., 36 Secs. The veteran musher, besides being an able dog handler and race strategist, has made some innovations in his equipment that have made a real difference to his team. Check out the way he has made a seat, a better way to haul dogs that need a rest, heated handlebars and a better harness. He even keeps his dogs fit by swimming them during the warm weather in summer.
Congratulations to Jeff and his team and to all the hardworking people and dogs who make the great race possible.
Jeff King
Iditarod
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Monday, March 13, 2006
Iditarod
Jeff King has the lead right now, having reached Shaktoolik, according to Cabela's, with Doug Swingley, Paul Gebhardt and Dee Dee Jonrowe next in line. Jeff is my favorite musher, but I would love to see Dee Dee win. She has been trying for a long time, through a lot of personal challenges. She is also only two years younger than I am (and I am older than dirt). I sure couldn't climb on a sled behind a bunch of dogs and go over a thousand miles in a few days.
She gets my vote as a real fighter.
Iditarod
She gets my vote as a real fighter.
Iditarod
Springing forward
On today’s early morning walk to the barn to check cow number 114 (to see if she is ever actually going to have that calf she is hanging onto so jealously,) I heard a veritable banquet of birdsong. Although the sun was not yet up and it was barely light enough not to need the flashlight, I could hear not one, but three, male cardinals pouring forth three different versions of their melodious call. There were blue jays, chickadees in summer mode, starlings, blackbirds and grackles. There was a sparrow that I think was a song sparrow, although his call was a bit rusty, and a white-throated sparrow. Off in the heifer pasture woods, things I can’t identify by call were singing and screaming and tooting and hooting.
Last night geese filed over the farm in V-shaped ranks, echoing their gargling calls across the whole valley. These are not the resident geese that hang around all winter scrounging corn out in the fields; these are the real deal, headed for their far north nesting grounds apace. They don’t even answer the tempting lure of a rest on the river, but just hurtle on by, flock after flock.
The valley fairly pulsates with waterfowl right now; crowds of ducks winnow the air over the house with frantic wings. They do stop at the river. I was kicking myself Saturday when the boss drove me over to gas up the car. There was a large flock of something small and black and white, guddling around right in the shallows next to the speedway.
And there were no binoculars in the car. I am thinking hooded mergansers, but I will never know for sure. We are in for some nasty weather again later in the week, but the birds don’t care. They have declared it spring anyhow.
birds
spring
farming
Last night geese filed over the farm in V-shaped ranks, echoing their gargling calls across the whole valley. These are not the resident geese that hang around all winter scrounging corn out in the fields; these are the real deal, headed for their far north nesting grounds apace. They don’t even answer the tempting lure of a rest on the river, but just hurtle on by, flock after flock.
The valley fairly pulsates with waterfowl right now; crowds of ducks winnow the air over the house with frantic wings. They do stop at the river. I was kicking myself Saturday when the boss drove me over to gas up the car. There was a large flock of something small and black and white, guddling around right in the shallows next to the speedway.
And there were no binoculars in the car. I am thinking hooded mergansers, but I will never know for sure. We are in for some nasty weather again later in the week, but the birds don’t care. They have declared it spring anyhow.
birds
spring
farming
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Another case of BSE?
Maybe. The USDA announced another inconclusive test today. There have been several of these in recent years and they have all done ugly things to beef prices for a while. It is my personal opinion that there is no reason whatsoever to announce anything but proven positives. There is nothing to gain by announcing maybes except damage to farm prices. If they turn out to be false in the end, the harm is done for no reason.
BSE
mad cow disease
BSE
mad cow disease
Friday, March 10, 2006
USDA Getting Looked at Some More
"WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The integrity and competence of the U.S. Department of Agriculture were called into question Thursday by U.S. senators concerned with the USDA's failure for several years to investigate anti-competitive cases in the livestock and meat packing sectors. "
From what I read at Cattle Network, it looks like maybe some action will be taken on the USDA's complete failure to make any effort to look into anti-trust complaints against packers and stockyards. Hope that they get that boar's nest cleared up and then investigate the big milk marketing companies (you know the ones that call themselves farmer owned cooperatives and then lobby in Washington for lower farm prices). When one company with more arms than a giant squid is allowed to buy out dozens of small milk plants until it controls most of the milk in the country, somebody should sure investigate something.
"
beef
dairy
farming
From what I read at Cattle Network, it looks like maybe some action will be taken on the USDA's complete failure to make any effort to look into anti-trust complaints against packers and stockyards. Hope that they get that boar's nest cleared up and then investigate the big milk marketing companies (you know the ones that call themselves farmer owned cooperatives and then lobby in Washington for lower farm prices). When one company with more arms than a giant squid is allowed to buy out dozens of small milk plants until it controls most of the milk in the country, somebody should sure investigate something.
"
beef
dairy
farming
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Iditarod Update
One of my favorite mushers has long been Jeff King. This is partly because he seems like a fine man who runs outstanding dogs. (In 2003 he won the coveted Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award for excellent dog care .) However, I especially like him because he also gave a local boy, CJ Kolby a ride on his sled, under the IditaRider program. (See that link for more on CJ's story.) CJ was suffering from a cancer, which later proved terminal. Jeff even visited CJ's family when he was speaking in the area. We followed the race even more intently than usual that year, because of CJ.
Jeff is currently in 7th place, with another favorite of mine, Doug Swingley, in first. The race has currently reached Ophir.
Iditarod
Jeff is currently in 7th place, with another favorite of mine, Doug Swingley, in first. The race has currently reached Ophir.
Iditarod
P. I. G.
If you heard of a high school course called "Participation in Government" or PIG, what would you expect the students to study? Even getting away from the obvious jokes about the relationship between swine and leadership on high, wouldn’t you figure that children would be taught about the legislative and judiciary branches of government? Maybe a bit about the executive level? And maybe even get to see those entities in action?
However, here in ever so liberal NYS, that is just not the case. While some attention is given to state and national government, the focus seems more toward teaching our fledgling citizens how to find all the handy sources of pork at the personal level that government has to offer. Thus, rather toting high schoolers down to Albany to sit in the balcony above the Senate chambers to watch government in action, they are forced to head over to the county building to find out how to sign up for government benefits. WIC, Medicaid, Food Stamps, you name it and the kids have to get a signature in the department that doles it out. The rationale is that they may need these some day.
It seems to me that what they really need is to learn how the leaders they elect (if they are not too lazy to vote) do the leading.
We took Becky to some very meaningful farm meetings, including the one that disbanded our milk cooperative, to gather information for this course. However, she has never been allowed to make her required reports on these meetings. Her class is just too busy learning that it is smarter to sell your home and rent rather than acquiring equity. Arrggghhhh.
I tip my hat to everyone who reads this who either home schools now, or has already raised, bright, well-prepared, capable, offspring by schooling them themselves. It seems like we spend most of our teaching time with our children counteracting the junk they are taught in school.
I guess they should just call the course "People Slavishly Dependent on Government" and get it over with.
However, here in ever so liberal NYS, that is just not the case. While some attention is given to state and national government, the focus seems more toward teaching our fledgling citizens how to find all the handy sources of pork at the personal level that government has to offer. Thus, rather toting high schoolers down to Albany to sit in the balcony above the Senate chambers to watch government in action, they are forced to head over to the county building to find out how to sign up for government benefits. WIC, Medicaid, Food Stamps, you name it and the kids have to get a signature in the department that doles it out. The rationale is that they may need these some day.
It seems to me that what they really need is to learn how the leaders they elect (if they are not too lazy to vote) do the leading.
We took Becky to some very meaningful farm meetings, including the one that disbanded our milk cooperative, to gather information for this course. However, she has never been allowed to make her required reports on these meetings. Her class is just too busy learning that it is smarter to sell your home and rent rather than acquiring equity. Arrggghhhh.
I tip my hat to everyone who reads this who either home schools now, or has already raised, bright, well-prepared, capable, offspring by schooling them themselves. It seems like we spend most of our teaching time with our children counteracting the junk they are taught in school.
I guess they should just call the course "People Slavishly Dependent on Government" and get it over with.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Monday, March 06, 2006
Sled dogs and Jersey calves all in one
Ramey Smyth is currently in the lead in the 2006 Iditarod sled dog race. Lance Mackey, now in 33rd place, set a blazing pace to Finger Lake, with very little time to rest or camp, according to Cabela’s website. The 2006 Yukon Quest winner is said to have exceptionally fast, strong dogs. His lead dogs, Hobo Jim and Larry, won the Golden Harness award in the Quest this year.
Much to my surprise, one of my favorite authors, Gary Paulsen, tried running again this year. However, the 66 yr.-old scratched in Skwentna. He managed to complete the race in 1983 with a team led by a trap line dog, and went on to write the account in the children’s book, Woodsong. Woodsong is one of my great favorites especially the story about the "seven skunk run" I guess sled dogs are sometimes hard to steer and they LIKE skunks.
Here at Northview, Rumpleteaser, an aging Jersey/Holstein cross cow, kept Liz up literally all night nursing her through the birth of a large bull calf. He was quite a disappointment, as not only was he not a heifer, but he was black, instead of the lovely honey brown that her ¾ bred calves usually are. Oh, well, he is still cute as you can see in his picture. This is looking like a big year for bulls, payback for all those heifers we got last year.
Dog sled racing
farming
Much to my surprise, one of my favorite authors, Gary Paulsen, tried running again this year. However, the 66 yr.-old scratched in Skwentna. He managed to complete the race in 1983 with a team led by a trap line dog, and went on to write the account in the children’s book, Woodsong. Woodsong is one of my great favorites especially the story about the "seven skunk run" I guess sled dogs are sometimes hard to steer and they LIKE skunks.
Here at Northview, Rumpleteaser, an aging Jersey/Holstein cross cow, kept Liz up literally all night nursing her through the birth of a large bull calf. He was quite a disappointment, as not only was he not a heifer, but he was black, instead of the lovely honey brown that her ¾ bred calves usually are. Oh, well, he is still cute as you can see in his picture. This is looking like a big year for bulls, payback for all those heifers we got last year.
Dog sled racing
farming
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Iditarod
My favorite sporting event of the year kicks off this weekend. More exciting than the Superbowl and World Series combined, the Iditarod Sled Dog Race is romance, drama and wonderful working dogs all thrown into one phenomenal event. I have followed the mushers for years, like kids follow pitchers, catchers and quarterbacks. From Susan Butcher in earlier days to today’s Seavey family, Jeff King and Martin Buser, they all fascinate me.
Since the first time I froze my feet trailside, watching a team of sled dogs explode down the snow at a local race, (back when there were races around here, back when we had snow), I have been hooked on the thrill. We used to tie our pet dogs to a plastic toboggan with whatever came to hand when I was a kid. Later when we bought the first Border Collies, Mike Canaday’s team of sheepdog trial dogs ran away with his son on the runners and my kids on the sled. (That was a whole nother kind of exciting.) Then a local musher gave us a couple of harnesses and we were really in business. We loved to drag the kids around on a Border Collie powered hand sleigh when they were little. They were the envy of a lot of town kids with their three dog team. Instead of gee and haw we hollered "away to me" and "come bye." Sometimes the dogs even listened.
There is just nothing like the eagerness of the dogs to run. They are bred to run, born to run, trained to run, conditioned to run and they truly love it-even the Border Collies, which are not exactly huskies. They twist in their harnesses on the way to the gang line, and yelp and moan with delight. Then they leap against the line, desperate to start the fun. Hitching up at a race is loud, with dozens of dogs screaming their desire to get going. It is like a canine Mardi Gras. When the brake is released and a team takes off the energy is staggering.
Once they are out on the trail all is silent. There is only the faint grating sound of the sled runners in the snow and the susurrus of dog paws to be heard. It is eerie to find a trailside standing place and watch them go by almost soundlessly.
These days we always seem to be too busy to hook up the mutts. The harnesses and gang line are stuffed under the hutch in a tangled ball of nylon line, flat straps and fluffy padding. However I will certainly be finding time to click on Cabela’s excellent coverage every day for the vicarious thrill of the race. Hope you can join me.
sled dog racing
Iditarod
Since the first time I froze my feet trailside, watching a team of sled dogs explode down the snow at a local race, (back when there were races around here, back when we had snow), I have been hooked on the thrill. We used to tie our pet dogs to a plastic toboggan with whatever came to hand when I was a kid. Later when we bought the first Border Collies, Mike Canaday’s team of sheepdog trial dogs ran away with his son on the runners and my kids on the sled. (That was a whole nother kind of exciting.) Then a local musher gave us a couple of harnesses and we were really in business. We loved to drag the kids around on a Border Collie powered hand sleigh when they were little. They were the envy of a lot of town kids with their three dog team. Instead of gee and haw we hollered "away to me" and "come bye." Sometimes the dogs even listened.
There is just nothing like the eagerness of the dogs to run. They are bred to run, born to run, trained to run, conditioned to run and they truly love it-even the Border Collies, which are not exactly huskies. They twist in their harnesses on the way to the gang line, and yelp and moan with delight. Then they leap against the line, desperate to start the fun. Hitching up at a race is loud, with dozens of dogs screaming their desire to get going. It is like a canine Mardi Gras. When the brake is released and a team takes off the energy is staggering.
Once they are out on the trail all is silent. There is only the faint grating sound of the sled runners in the snow and the susurrus of dog paws to be heard. It is eerie to find a trailside standing place and watch them go by almost soundlessly.
These days we always seem to be too busy to hook up the mutts. The harnesses and gang line are stuffed under the hutch in a tangled ball of nylon line, flat straps and fluffy padding. However I will certainly be finding time to click on Cabela’s excellent coverage every day for the vicarious thrill of the race. Hope you can join me.
sled dog racing
Iditarod
Saturday, March 04, 2006
New Animal Tracking Database
According to World Dairy Diary, a group called ViaTrace has teamed with Microsoft and the United States Animal Identification Organization to create an animal tracking database. ViaTrace is calling its product ViaHerd, and has provided technology to the National Cattlemens Beef Association for bovine ID and to New York State for tracking captive deer already.
Why does this worry me? I dunno, somehow the combination of the world's dominant computer software bully with the bullies who want to identify our cattle in the name of disease tracking just isn't real comforting.
NAIS
Farming
Why does this worry me? I dunno, somehow the combination of the world's dominant computer software bully with the bullies who want to identify our cattle in the name of disease tracking just isn't real comforting.
NAIS
Farming
Friday, March 03, 2006
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