Farm life isn't always sunshine and roses
This is the side of production agriculture we don't always want to show.
We fear what others outside of Ag will think, and say. Will they twist it against us?
Not today.
With a nod to David Ropeik, it's time to stop fearing the fear. It's time to show the other side. You see, it''s not not all rainbows and unicorns and cute puppies. It's real, it's life, it's death and sometimes it sucks.
Checked this group of pregnant yearling ewes at 3pm-ish and everything was fine. Ewes were bedded down and calm. Checked them at 11:15pm when I got back from planting to find this ewe had died during labor. This picture is of her, when I found her.
Now it's not common, but not the first time it's ever happened here or on any other livestock farm. I can't tell for sure, but due to her apparent near-instant death she either had a heart attack or aneurysm.
It sucks.
A genetic flaw killed this ewe that appeared perfectly healthy just 8 hours earlier. I'd like to say she died in the prime of her life, but she hadn't even entered it. She was at the end of her first pregnancy, the start of her life as a brood ewe here.
It sucks.
This ewe was genetically at the top of this group, and was carrying twins. I had hoped those twins had at least one female that would carry her superior genetics to the next generation.
It sucks.
We bred and raised her mother. Bred her mother to a hand picked ram for the purpose of producing a ewe just like this to improve the flock. We hand picked the ram she was bred to so we could build on those genetic. That effort has all been wasted now. This ewe represented 3 generation bred and raised here, using the skill I've acquired in nearly four decades of selecting genetics and raising replacements. While I have others that are carrying similar genetics, none were as favored by me as this one. As a brood ewe, she was as good as I've raised, and I've raised thousands.
See, this is the real side. The unvarnished side. The side without fresh-faced bloggers, pod-casters, and media consultants. This is the side I live in, day in and day out. I wouldn't trade it for anything, but some days it sucks.
Yesterday was that day.
We fear what others outside of Ag will think, and say. Will they twist it against us?
Not today.
With a nod to David Ropeik, it's time to stop fearing the fear. It's time to show the other side. You see, it''s not not all rainbows and unicorns and cute puppies. It's real, it's life, it's death and sometimes it sucks.
Checked this group of pregnant yearling ewes at 3pm-ish and everything was fine. Ewes were bedded down and calm. Checked them at 11:15pm when I got back from planting to find this ewe had died during labor. This picture is of her, when I found her.
It sucks.
A genetic flaw killed this ewe that appeared perfectly healthy just 8 hours earlier. I'd like to say she died in the prime of her life, but she hadn't even entered it. She was at the end of her first pregnancy, the start of her life as a brood ewe here.
It sucks.
This ewe was genetically at the top of this group, and was carrying twins. I had hoped those twins had at least one female that would carry her superior genetics to the next generation.
It sucks.
We bred and raised her mother. Bred her mother to a hand picked ram for the purpose of producing a ewe just like this to improve the flock. We hand picked the ram she was bred to so we could build on those genetic. That effort has all been wasted now. This ewe represented 3 generation bred and raised here, using the skill I've acquired in nearly four decades of selecting genetics and raising replacements. While I have others that are carrying similar genetics, none were as favored by me as this one. As a brood ewe, she was as good as I've raised, and I've raised thousands.
See, this is the real side. The unvarnished side. The side without fresh-faced bloggers, pod-casters, and media consultants. This is the side I live in, day in and day out. I wouldn't trade it for anything, but some days it sucks.
Yesterday was that day.
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