Our legacy as Farmers, but also as a Family

“Farming is a profession of Hope.” – Brian Brett

Sometimes and many times you don’t choose to be a farmer, you are chosen.  It’s that undeniable desire to watch something grow from nothing into something amazing and to know that you made that happen.  It’s that tug that pull, that fact that no matter what you aren’t complete doing anything else.

That’s how it is for Derrick and I.  Trust me there have been a lot of times where things go wrong and they are devastating and you ask “why am I doing this”.  Farming is a profession of faith, there is no doubt about that.  There are hard times, financial struggles, lost cattle, lost crops and 60 to 70+ hour work weeks where you miss your family time and social events.  I can tell you of times where I personally have dropped to my knees because of an event and asked God that question.  “Why am I doing this job”, “Why did this have to happen”, and of course as a Christian I should not ask why for I know He has a plan.

My first experience with this was when I lost a cow that my husband bought for me as an engagement present.  He had brought her home as a surprise for me from Virginia.  I loved that cow when I was down in Virginia and he surprised me with it as a gift.  She was going to have a calf and I was so excited and then in a horrible storm she was taken from us.  I cried and asked these questions.  That was in my first few months as a farmer.  But it taught me that all things live and all things pass.  God was testing me to see if I had the grit to handle what farming could throw at me. 

And then there are times when God blesses you as well for your faith and devotion not only to Him but also to the land, the animals, to your family, to all the gifts he has given you. 

I have mentioned my 4 kids many times so far…and I will probably keep reminding you of them…yes 4, oh I know!  But my last two were twins and I was on bed rest and in and out of the hospital and at home with nursing care.  It was like this from 6 weeks into my pregnancy until they were born.  This was a hard time for my family, I was very ill, our other children didn’t understand what was always happening and my husband was working full time, running our farm by himself and taking care of me and the kids.  To be honest, he looked horrible and I was more worried about him than me.  At the time we didn’t know why God had given us these babies but after they were born and we saw what we all went through and how tight and strong our bonds were we understood His plan.  There is always a light after the storm. 

Farming and raising a family is without a doubt about believing in and following God.   Those calves that are born every season and, those crops that give your farm a bountiful harvest.  All that hard work, seeing it pay off.  Being able to give your children the opportunity to be raised on a farm and teach them what a strong work ethic is.  To be able to raise them with a love and understanding of farming and that God will always provide for you on any path you follow.   That He always has a plan.  That is a farmer’s legacy to the next generation.  That is our legacy to our next generation.

They are so cute, right?

 

 

Follow us on Facebook!

The Ode to Buttercup…

Meet Buttercup, our Jersey cow.  Yes you read that right, our Jersey cow.  No we are not a dairy farm.  Yes we raise Angus beef cattle.  Well then what is a Jersey cow doing at our farm and why is she letting an Angus calf nurse on her? 

Well Buttercup is kind of a celebrity here at At Ease Acres, and she definitely has a very important job and she is appreciated greatly for doing that job so well. 

So here is the next question…how is a Jersey cow become a mother to an Angus calf?  No, that Angus calf is not her biological calf, and no the Angus calf was not an embryo transplant calf.  She was a twin!

How exciting, Twins!  With beef cattle having twins can be a blessing and a curse as many producers know.  Twin births happen in less that 1 to 7 percent of births and the breed of cattle and genetics play a role.  Like in humans, the gestation time of twins can be 1 to 2 weeks earlier than a normal single gestation.  And as a mom of 4 kids, 2 of which are twins.  I feel for these cows…a double birth is definitely a lot more uncomfortable!

Also like humans, twin calves do tend to be smaller than their single birth counterparts.  Sometimes even 20 lbs less at birth! 

In this calf’s case, she and her brother were both about 40 lbs at birth.  This for an Angus calf is small for sure.  Many of our calves, depending on genetics and breeding will be born around 65 to 80 lbs and yes we have had larger ones. 

So now the reason for Buttercup’s appearance on our farm.  These twin calves were born to a young heifer, who try as she might would have had a hard time caring for two calves.  A more mature cow may have been better equipped and more experienced but in order to give this mother and her calves a much better chance we decided to bring in Buttercup.  With only one calf to care for, this heifer will have just enough milk for her single calf and she herself will be able to maintain a good healthy body condition.  Her single calf will grow at a prosperous weight and will be weaned at a weight comparable to its single birth counterparts in the herd.  And the same is to be said with the calf that Buttercup has now claimed to be her own.  Jersey cows are known to love any calf and will be a foster mother better than most other breeds.  And it was love at first sight for Buttercup.  She saw that calf and she claimed it as hers.  She cares and protects it just like it was her own.  And for that we are thankful! 

 

So if you happen by our farm and see Buttercup, no we haven’t switched from beef to dairy…though I do love ice cream!  We are just giving a cow, and her calves a great start.  And Buttercup, she loves her job and we love her for doing it so well.  She will be a celebrity in our herd for quite some time! 

 

Follow us on Facebook! 

Welcome! Who we are, and What we do...

Hi!  My name is Nicole DeBoer aka "The Farmer's Wife" and welcome to my blog dedicated to our family and our family farm, At Ease Acres.  Here is where I share about our family's passion for cattle and our farm but also our everyday life on our farm.

Family & Food

I am a mom to 4 wonderful rambunctious children.  Every day these kids surprise and amaze me with what they do and what they have learned.  They are adventurous and intelligent.  Their love and passion for agriculture of all kinds shows through daily and all of that makes me very proud to be their mom!

I have the wonderful opportunity of working with my spouse every day.  I never planned to be a farmer, but some how I ended up majoring in Agriculture in college.  This is where I fell in love with a gorgeous blue eyed Dutch boy... did I mention that my children have their daddy's eyes (love!). 

I am not saying that every day working with your spouse is perfect.  Oh do we have our days!  But we are equal partners in business and life.  We share the same love and passion for our farm, our cattle and our kids.  And at the end of the day we thank God for allowing us the opportunity to do what we do and we couldn't picture it any other way.

Our big family of 6, for some reason loves to eat!  And that's great because I love to cook!  To me there is nothing better than preparing a great meal for my family and us sitting down around our table to enjoy it.  I also love to garden and preserve food, so I will be sharing lots of recipes with you!

 

Farming

We are a farm family who raise Registered Angus cattle and sell wholesale all natural beef.  We also have a small herd of Boer goats and chickens among other animals our kids talk us into.  We live in upstate New York, in a wonderful farming community.  We love sharing our lives and farm with people.  So thank you for stopping by and I  invite you to follow our farm and learn more about what we do!


Follow us on Facebook!