Family Farming

This weekend was one of our families favorite activities - the local farm tour. We've managed to visit new farms each year and it's always a great mix of education and fun.  The girls went with Grandma and Grandpa after Emily's early morning soccer game and spent most of the morning and early afternoon visiting seven different farms.  

The boys went with us to two farms after Sam's early afternoon game.  Our favorite stop was a family run beef and pork farm.  If was their first year participating in the tour and they did a fabulous job. 

These little piglets are about a week old.  I am always surprised at how quickly animals grow in comparison to humans.  By 5-6 weeks the piglets are weened and by 6 months they are considered adults.  The flip side is that by about 4 they are considered done and sent to market. 

Like many Kansas farms, this is a family run operation with multiple generations and families working together to make the operation work.  They've raised hogs for fifty years or so, and recently a branch of the family added beef to the farm's offerings.  They raise a pure bread of cows from Germany that can be used for both beef and milk (though they only use them for beef).  They grow their own hay and corn so they can prepare their own feed mix for the animals. 
 

They send all their bulls to market to maintain genetic diversity.  This guy was getting a hair cut while we were there.  Getting all preened for the American Royal.  
 

Sam and Alex were really excited when the farmer said it was okay for them to climb the bails of hay.  So while the adults asked questions about the cows, farm and how to order their meat, the boys climbed and jumped and climbed and jumped until it was time to get back on the tracker and move on.