Meet Bandit, The Super Awesome Farm Dog

HELLO PEOPLE!!!!  I LOVE YOU!!!!  YOU'RE AMAZING!!!  Whew!  Now that we've got that out of the way, let me introduce myself (seriously, you're so cool).  My name is Bandit.

I'm the official super awesome farm dog here at Ehrenholz Farms.  My job is fantastic!  I get to chase cows, ride in the side-by-side, hang out with some terrific people, and train The Kid.

Let's take a moment to talk about The Kid before I go into detail about my other duties.  The Kid is a young pup that came to live on the farm earlier this year.  His name is Max, but I call him The Kid because he's my sidekick.  The Kid is a pretty great guy and we get along really well.  He's sort of like a little brother.  I do my best to bestow upon him all my wealth of knowledge, just as my mentor, the late, great Wolfie did for me.  Enough about him, though.

I love to chase the cows!  It's the most terrific part of my job!  Sometimes I'm allowed to chase them along with the humans, and other times I sneak a quick chase in when the humans aren't looking.  If I get caught, the the thrill is almost worth getting scolded.  Cows aren't the only thing I chase.  I'm also an expert in chasing birds, butterflies, and vehicles.  Chasing and running are my absolute FAVOURITE things to do!  And just to make sure everyone knows that, I try to chase anything I can when someone drives onto the yard.  Sometimes there's nothing to chase, so then I pounce on The Kid.  That's pretty fun, too.

Let's talk about the side-by-side now.  The side-by-side, also called Ranger by the humans, is the BEST THING EVER!  I can't even describe how amazing it is!  The humans get to ride in it all the time, but sometimes they let us dogs join them.  The best is when they let us sit up front on the seat!  I stick my face above the windshield and let the wind rush through my fur!  It's absolutely exhilarating!   The only bad part is that sometimes the humans have to hit the brakes extra fast and then I smack into the dashboard and fall on the floor.  It doesn't hurt much, though, and sometimes the humans even remember to catch me before I go flying forward!  My humans are AWESOME!  Other times the dogs get sent into the back box of the Ranger.  I suppose it's safer back there when they hit the brakes, but the wind doesn't rush through my fur in quite the same way.  Still, it's better than running alongside.  That can get a wee bit dangerous.  One time I got distracted and stopped right in front of the Ranger.  Getting run over sure did hurt!  Valerie let me ride in the front seat after that until I got my wind back and jumped out to chase some cows.  Now I have a pretty sweet limp.  The Kid thinks I'm even cooler now!

My final official duty is to be a guard dog.  The humans say I'm terrible at this job, but I think I'm a pretty amazing guard dog.  My mentor, Wolfie, taught me that guarding is a twofold job: firstly, it means keeping the coyotes away, and secondly, it means greeting absolutely EVERYONE who walks or drives onto the yard.  I take running coyotes off the yard very seriously.  It was those mangy beasts who killed Wolfie a couple of years back.  I was too young to help him fight, and he was too old to get away.  All I could do was save myself and show the humans where Wolfie was the next day.  I promised myself that when I got big enough, I would show those coyotes that they are not welcome on this farm.  I run and bark every night, scaring those creepy wimps right back into the bush!  The second part of guarding is far more pleasurable!  I LOVE people!  I would never want to scare anyone, so I run up to them without barking at all and wag my tail until they pet me.  It's so much fun!  

Well, that's about all I've got to say about myself right now.  If you ever make it out to the farm, I will be so EXCITED to meet you!  We can hang out and you can pet me and rub my tummy, and I'll lick your face and lean on you!

"I'm Gonna Ride the RED Tractor!"

I don't complain much about what I see on social media, even to myself.  The endless pictures of food and pets are mildly annoying at best.  Passionate political arguments are, at the very least, slightly informative.  Sure, I cringe at poor spelling and horrid grammar, but I can just skip past those posts.  Anyone who uses too much profanity or gets too annoying with promoting some fad is simply deleted from my social media feed.  But this latest thing I cannot ignore.  It's despicable.  I can't stand it!

"What has happened?" you ask.  I'll tell you.  I've got this friend who occasionally posts on social media.  He usually posts fun pictures, bits of news, and a few political things.  All interesting stuff.  But now he's started sharing promotions from his place of work.  He is using social media to promote John Deere!

Ok, so it's not that bad.  I just thought that would be a fun way to introduce how farmers feel about their equipment.  Most farmers are as passionate about the make of their equipment as sports fans are about their teams.  For example, there are farmers who like to only use John Deere equipment.  Then there are the sensible farmers who know that John Deere equipment breaks far too easily and won't go near it.  As you can tell, I am not a John Deere fan.  The equipment on our farm ranges from Massey-Ferguson to White to International to New Holland, and includes a few relics like Cockshutts, Olivers, and even a little old Ford tractor.  We aren't fanatically tied to any one make of equipment, although Dad does like to collect old Oliver tractors that don't actually run, but we generally avoid John Deere.  There are those who are fans of makes other than John Deere, of course.  Some farmers only drive the blue equipment of New Holland, or the red Massey-Ferguson equipment, for example.  No company builds perfect equipment, and each has its pros and cons, and all farmers know that.  However, I've become convinced that city folks are woefully uninformed about the variety of equipment.

If I can say anything good about John Deere, it's that they have consistently had an excellent marketing policy for many years.  Have you ever looked for material with tractors on it, or some farm toys that don't come directly from the equipment manufacturer?  Almost everything you find is John Deere, or has the green and yellow John Deere colours on it.  My city-dwelling relatives used to proudly point out the farm-related toys, etc. that they had bought for their children.  All of the stuff was John Deere.  I would sadly shake my head and do my best to find something with red tractors on it for the kids.  Why red tractors?  It was mainly because there are several different companies that make red equipment (Massey-Ferguson, White, International, even some New Holland stuff).  As a result, I have succeeded in the past few years in reversing the John Deere indoctrination and have taught my relatives and their children that red tractors are best.

Those kids still have their John Deere toys, though.  So how do I know that I succeeded?  Well, in the summer of 2015 some of my cousins came to the farm for a visit.  I went to help one of my cousins unload her children from the minivan and opened the door to be greeted by a very excited preschooler who exclaimed, "Valerie, I'm gonna ride the RED tractor!" as soon as he saw me.  I was so proud!  His mom scolded him and told him to ask, instead of tell.  Even so, I gladly honoured his wish and took him and the rest of the kids for a ride on the Massey-Ferguson tractor.  This summer he was just as excited about riding in a red tractor, but the battery died, so we took the faded red Cockshutt out for a spin.  I think I may have done too good of a job.  Now I have to teach them that grey, blue, and some green tractors are also cool.

I should also mention, for the sake of fairness, that I have used John Deere equipment before.  I have driven a couple of John Deere tractors at school, I regularly use a John Deere lawn mower (which has the clutch on the wrong side) to mow the church lawn, and I used a small square baler to bale some hay this summer.  I have to admit, I liked the baler.  But, just as I will always look sideways at Calgray Flames fans and staunchly support the Olds College Broncos, I think I will always have fun teasing farmers who are John Deere fans and I will judge equipment at farm auctions by condition and colour.

One of my dad's old Oliver tractors.  The green and yellow on this tractor has nothing to do with John Deere.

Don't Fear Your Food: Animal Welfare on the Farm

There are few food-related issues that get consumers so riled up as reported cases of animal abuse on farms.  I have so many topics I want to cover in this blog series, some dealing with crops, and others with livestock, but I feel as if I will be stuck trying to deal with any of those topics without dealing with the topics that touch so many of the other issues.  Animal welfare is one of those topics that will continue to pop up as this blog series progresses.  Today, I am going to give you an overview of how farmers tend to view their livestock and of how animal welfare issues affect the production of your food.

From what I have observed (and know to be true in myself), farmers are often less attached to animals in general than others who own animals.  Pet owners often see their dogs, cats, etc. as a part of the family.  Farm kids grow up surrounded by animals, but they learn early not to get too attached to those animals because they will die.  Cattle, pigs and chickens are butchered for meat; kittens get killed by foxes, coyotes, or the farm dogs; and the farm dogs get run over or killed by coyotes or other predators.  You may tell me that death is a part of life and that we should not hold back from loving people and animals because of that.  Well, you try eating your beloved pet steer for supper.  Besides that, animals on the farm have a purpose.  Livestock produce food and fibre products, dogs keep predators away and help move the cattle, and cats keep rodents to a minimum.  I personally can't understand house pets.  Why would I spend a whole bunch of money to keep a cat, dog, fish, etc. alive if I'm not going to get anything out of it?  And no, I don't think companionship is adequate reimbursement when the animal can't even talk to me.

I know a lot of farmers who feel the same way as I do.  We would never cause an animal harm or distress, but we also refuse to own an animal that is useless to us.  Of course, we all have our soft spots.  My dad has rescued several kittens from the side of the road over the years.  We fight to save every calf that turns up with a broken leg from being stepped on or laid on by an inattentive cow.  I'll even admit that I cried a bit when my first dog was killed by coyotes a few years ago.  Farmers do their best to treat their animals right, but we just don't have the emotional energy to get attached to every one of them.  No one does.  So we put up a harsh front, which makes us seem uncaring at times, even though we will do all we can to save an animal and make sure it is well-cared for.  The vast majority of farmers take good care of their livestock.  Unfortunately, there will always be a few irresponsible, even cruel, people who make us all look bad.

Many of us have seen at least one horrifying video of animal abuse on the farm, whether it has popped up on a social media site, or been played on a local news stations.  I despise every aspect of those videos.  I am sickened by the farm workers who could treat the animals in such a fashion.  I am disgusted by the person taking the video for standing by and doing nothing to stop the abuse.  I am frustrated to the point of wanting to shut my eyes and ears to the entire thing by the uninformed masses who comment and protest and demand that the agriculture industry change when they see just a tiny percentage of what goes on.  Yes, the incident is horrible and clearly something needs to be done on that farm, but that doesn't mean an entire industry needs to change!

We are getting to the point where industry standards are being shaped by consumer demands, even when those new standards fly in the face of what science and experience tell us is best for the animals and the environment.  I willingly admit that there are a few issues that need to be addressed in the livestock sector of the agriculture industry.  The good news is that these issues are, for the most part, being addressed.  We are learning new animal handling techniques, investing in low-stress handling systems and methods of dealing with various issues our livestock may have.  Research is showing us what works best for our animals and what they need in terms of physical needs, as well as social and behavioural needs.  Each passing year brings new discoveries regarding what animals need and how they behave and thrive and the agriculture industry is trying to keep up.  Give us a little credit and a little time and we will get caught up once we figure out the best way to provide what our animals need without breaking the bank.  If it's too expensive for us to raise animals humanely, we will either neglect or abuse them, or we will sell out to someone who will ignore what is best for the animals.  Give us time to adjust economically and we will do what is best for the animals.

If you take just one thing away from this blog, let it be this: Farmers do nothing without a reason.  We are incredibly busy and work in a high-risk, low-pay industry.  If we do anything, it is to increase the productivity of our animals.  Research is now showing us what many of us have learned from experience: animals are more productive when all of their needs are met and they are happy.  So when we do things for the purpose of making our animals more productive, we are doing what is good for our livestock.

Before I end this post, I'd like to answer a few questions I couldn't figure out to answer in the main part of the post:

• Some folks aren't comfortable with how farmers "put animals out of their suffering".  How would you answer those who compare putting down an animal to euthanasia for humans?
• What I am about to say are my own personal beliefs and should not be attributed to anyone else.  I am not in favour of euthanasia for humans under any circumstances.  However, I will not allow an animal to suffer.  If I (or the vet) can't reasonably prevent the suffering, I will have the animal put down.  I believe that humans were put on earth to serve God.  Suffering cannot stop us from doing that.  Indeed, suffering can help us to grow closer to God.  I can justify suffering to a human (and yes, I have had to justify my own suffering to myself).  I cannot justify suffering to an animal.  An animal cannot grow from suffering.  Animals who suffer in the wild are killed by predators and thereby released from their suffering.  We do so much to protect animals from predators that we keep them alive beyond what nature would allow that we have lost sight of how much suffering might be too much.
• If someone suspects there is a case of animal abuse occurring at a farm, what can they do?
• The best thing to do is to notify the authorities.  Don't try to deal with it yourself.  A farmer won't take you seriously if he thinks you are just a busy body who doesn't know what you are talking about.  In Alberta you can call the Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) or Alberta Farm Animal Care (AFAC) to report neglect or abuse.  You can find the websites for these organisations in the resources below.
• What exactly are the needs that an animal should have met?
• Alberta Farm Animal Care identifies "Five Freedoms" that should be met for animals.  They are:
• Freedom from Hunger and Thirst
• Freedom from Discomfort
• Freedom from Pain, Injury and Disease
• Freedom to Express Normal Behaviour
• Freedom from Fear and Distress

You may look at this and see the cow locked up, unable to move while the farmer stands by and watches.  I look at this and see my dad resting after a struggle to get a very hungry calf to suck without its mother walking away or trying to kill my dad for getting close.

Resources:

• Alberta SPCA - contact this organisation if you suspect neglect or abuse of animals
• Alberta Farm Animal Care - this organisation works with farmers to improve animal welfare on the farm level
• Codes of Practice for the Care and Handling of Livestock - the National Farm Animal Care Council sets out recommendations and requirements for the care and handling of various types of livestock
• Animal Use Spectrum - this is a great graphic to help one understand the various philosophies that guide how people view animals
• Articles Concerning Animal Welfare from the Western Producer:
• Animal welfare improving by 'light years'
• Does 'cage-free' really lead to better animal welfare?
• Supply management and animal welfare
• Animal welfare added to quality assurance
• Fragile contents: handle with care
• Student seeks producers for animal welfare research
• Feedlots adjusting to new animal-care program

Visitors to the Farm

I come from a fairly large extended family.  Many of my cousins grew up in the Barrhead area, some on farms, and some in town.  Others grew up further away.  One of my uncles raised his family in Alberta's capital city, Edmonton.  My uncle's three children seem to have enjoyed growing up in the city, but they also have an appreciation for the farm.  Those three cousins used to come visit us on the farm every once in a while.  Now that they are grown and have families of their own, they still come to the farm, usually once a year.  When they arrive, the kids pile out of minivans asking as many questions as they can.  "When do we get to ride the tractor?  Where are the cows?  Can we play with the dogs?  What is that?"  It's a bit of chaos, but it's so much fun to have my cousins and their kids over for a day!

Meeting Spike, the bull.

Yesterday was the day that my cousins were able to come out to the farm this year.  My aunt and uncle arrived first, with their youngest granddaughter, Audrey, napping in the backseat.  I wasn't quite ready for them and had to drag the over-eager dogs into their kennel before they climbed right in to the truck with everyone.  By the time I finished that, my cousin Sherisse had arrived with her two children.  Kasaya's questions started almost as soon as she was finished greeting me.  Canaan didn't get many questions in, but he did have two very nice pictures coloured for me.  We talked about the grain bins, augers, and cows until my cousin Sandy arrived with her husband, Neil, and four boys.  In case you've lost count, we now have a total of 7 children, five adult visitors, and one farmer.

The six oldest kids playing in our old squeeze chute.

Once the boys were all unloaded from the van and had put their rubber boots on, the fun began!  We started with a tour of our new cattle handling system.  The kids and "Opa" (my uncle) pretended to be the cows and I put them through the system.  Then we had to check out the whole system from the outside.  The kids were asking so many questions that I was hard put to remember the answers to all of them!  There were a few times that I had to stop and think, "what does that particular rope do?" before I could answer.  It was good practice for me to use the new system, and the kids seemed to think it was pretty cool, too.

The kids emerge from the squeeze chute.

After we had thoroughly checked out the handling system, we went for a short walk to look at some of the cows.  Then it was time for tractor rides!  The kids never wait long to ask for a tractor ride when they come to visit.  I had planned to take them for rides in the Massey, mainly because it has a cab, making it safer and warmer.  Unfortunately, the battery died in that tractor and it was blocking all of the other tractors, except for one.  So, there was nothing to do but use the old Cockshutt tractor, with the post-pounder hooked behind it.  It turned out all right, though, and we had plenty of fun with the tractor, and the lack of a cab allowed for decent pictures.  The most exciting part was giving Levi and Kasaya, the two oldest grandkids, the chance to drive the tractor "by themselves".  They are now the age I was when I first got to drive the tractor myself (with Dad working the pedals).  It was so fun to see their excitement when I told them they could drive it themselves (basically, I let them steer without my hands on the wheel).  Levi did an amazing job!  Kasaya almost hit a hay bale, but other than that she did a great job, too!  The rest of the kids got to help me steer, or just rode along, depending on their age.

Valerie and the kids with the old Cockshutt tractor.  Can you see all 7 of the kids?

The next activity of the day was feeding the cows.  I had originally planned to have the kids help me feed grain to the feeders.  Shortly after I made those plans, it began to rain - a lot.  The entire farm was very wet and muddy this weekend and poor Daniel got stuck just waiting for a tractor ride!  Due to the heavy mud in the corrals, I had already fed the grain to the feeders in the morning, but I knew that two groups of cattle needed their minerals topped up.  Each child got a bucket and poured their minerals into the appropriate tubs, then asked what else they could feed.  They really enjoyed getting to do simple chores.  Maybe I should keep them around...

Feeding minerals with the kids.

I didn't have any more to officially show the kids this year, and I had no field work for the men, so we returned to the yard so the kids could play with some old toys I had dug up, and with the dogs, which were finally allowed to come out of their kennel.  The dogs loved the kids!  By the end of the day, almost all of the kids had warmed up to the exuberant dogs, too.  Only Andrew was still rather hesitant, probably because the dogs kept running past him while playing fetch with Jayden.  I'm surprised they never ran right over him!

Bandit loved the kids!

I had so much fun showing the kids the farm and spending time with my cousins, aunt, and uncle!  I'm looking forward to the next time they all come for a visit to the farm!

Photo credits to Sandy Rysavy.

The Handshake Agreement

Often when folks think about the farming community and the way in which business is conducted in rural areas, they think of the classic handshake agreement.  In this process, two people chat about a business arrangement, agree to work together, and seal the deal with a firm handshake.  Business then proceeds as arranged and everything is peachy-keen.  Nothing ever goes wrong because rural folks are simple and honest and it all just works (I write this with deep sarcasm, of course).  If you were to take this business model to the city, you would quickly be laughed out of the office and would never make a deal, and if you did, you might find that the other party had taken advantage of your trust.

I think it is time to remove the handshake agreement from business because it simply doesn't work.  Of course, there will always be people who take advantage of another person's trust.  However, my dislike of the handshake agreement doesn't stem from distrust of my neighbours and potential business partners.  Rather, I am finding that handshake agreements simply leave too much unsaid.  Let me explain.

Let's say that I rent a 40-acre field from my neighbour (we'll call him Bob).  We agree that I will pay $55/acre to have the use of the field for a year.  We agree to these terms and shake hands to seal the deal.  Now that I have the use of that land, am I allowed to do anything I want with it?  There is nothing telling me what I can or cannot do.  Suppose this field is really nice and clean, with very few weeds in it.  I don't want to spend much money, so I buy low-quality seed from another neighbour and plant it.  The seed is full of of weed seeds and these weeds come up.  Still not wanting to spend money, I refuse to employ any method of weed control and the problem spreads.  Now Bob's field is full of weeds.  The next person to rent that field might demand a lower rental price since the land is not clean and they will have to spend extra money on weed control.  Not only that, but if there happens to be noxious or prohibited noxious weeds in there, Bob will have to pay the local weed inspector to control or destroy them.  Bob loses money because I was irresponsible with his land, but he has no written agreement to point to and say, "Valerie, you violated our agreement and my trust.  You are responsible for cleaning up this mess."  Instead he takes the financial hit and thinks twice about renting his land to me in the future.  As the renter, I can technically do whatever I want with the land and Bob will take the loss if I am irresponsible because there was no written agreement in place to guide my activities.

What about the owner's land use, though?  Bob owns the land.  Is he entitled to use it during the time I have it rented?  There is no agreement saying he can't.  Suppose I rent the land, plant my crop and carry on in a responsible fashion.  Bob accepts the rent cheque and carries on with his business, paying no attention to the field until one weekend when his grandkids come for a visit.  The grandkids enjoy taking their ATVs and dirt bikes for a ride.  The most convenient space for the kids to do this is on the 40 acres behind the house, the 40 acres I have rented.  Bob owns the land, though, so he allows his grandkids to ride all over the field, damaging my crop.  Whether that crop is lentils, wheat, oats, hay, or tame pasture, it doesn't matter.  My crop, which I own, has been damaged.  I will have to take the loss, however, because there is no written agreement saying that Bob and his relatives can't use the land while I have it rented.  I have nothing to point to and say, "Bob, you violated our agreement.  You need to pay for this damage."

In both cases, neither I nor Bob violated our agreement.  I paid Bob the agreed upon price and he let me use the land for the agreed upon period of time.  However, in each situation, one of us took a serious hit.  That is exactly what is wrong with the handshake agreement.  Now, you may say to me, "Valerie, that wouldn't actually happen."  And I will answer, "I have listened to a landlord complain to my dad about another renter who would not deal with his weeds properly.  I have also, in the past few weeks, seen the relatives of two different landlords ride ATVs and other off-road vehicles all over my dad's hay crop (and don't tell me it's just hay - it's a crop and it was damaged)."  These are real-life situations that could easily be avoided with a written agreement.

It's okay to trust your neighbours, but why not protect yourself and your business partners with a proper written contract?