Angus, Indians and a Feedlot, Oh My!

This morning on our first stop, we visited Equity Angus of Montezuma, NY, which is owned by Rich Brown. He has a small herd, about 30 head of registered black angus that must think they wake up in heaven every morning cause what else could a cow want besides lush green grass and fresh water?

Rich grew up on a dairy farm. He said when he transitioned to beef cattle he discovered that if he did exactly the opposite of what he THOUGHT he should do (as a dairy farmer) that would be the correct thing to do for his beef cattle. He said it took him about two years to figure that out - and apparently he has figured it out pretty well, judging by the look of his cattle. Nice!

Rich also is a good spokesman for agriculture overall. He allows ATVs to park on his land to ride nearby trails. He has TV stations that often use his cattle and farm for stories about beef. He has a nature trail that he opens to the public - no fee, just donations. His latest venture will be a dude ranch of sort - sans the horses. He will allow city slickers to come and work on his farm - drive a tractor, haul hay, build a fence - you get the picture. And yes, he's familiar with Tom Sawyer and even mentioned that in his talk. But, in addition to getting some help on the farm, he's building an important relationship with members of the non-farming public. Smart logic, if you ask me.

The next tour stop was Fleur-De-Lis Farm, a registered black angus farm in Seneca Falls, NY steeped deep in history and filled with beautiful black cows. The farm is run by Robert Groom who likes black Angus but openly appreciates all breeds of cattle - he even owns a couple of Herefords. The owner Rita Partee was so gracious. She prepared a barbecue beef lunch that was delicious, but before that we snacked on local cheese (a scrumptious sharp, white cheddar) and beef sausage made from beef grown there on the farm. A fun story the owners shared was that the Amish young men from the area will go into town, rent a tv and then party in the nearby woods with the local girls from town on the weekends. Apparently, it's a common occurrence and one that is fairly well tolerated by the locals. Who knew the Amish liked to party?

It's a little after 2 p.m. and we just finished a tour of the brand new Lake View Cattle Co. facility owned by the Cayuga Indians, in Seneca Falls, NY. The tribe has just purchased land in this area that was once tribal land. The previous owners ran a dairy there years ago but until the tribe purchased it (or repurchased it, whichever is correct) it was pretty much grown up in weeds. Brian, the farm manager and herdsman, is a local fella who in his own words "has the best job in the world." The tour participants were all envious that all the farm's equipment is brand spanking new and the tribe has purchased some of the best genetics in the world. The farm raises registered black Angus cattle and in addition to a holding barn that rivals just about any facility any where I've been, it has a top-notch medical barn with handling facilities and office space - again, all new. The manager said we were the first guests ever at the ranch.

Our final stop of the day was at a small feedlot owned by Ed Primrose and Matt Slegel of Conquest, NY. Currently, They run about 550 calves through the lot, but can hold more than 900. There is an expansion underway that will increase the one-time feeding capacity to more than 1,400 head. However, with the current number of cattle, the feedlot is classified as a small CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation). The expansion will move it to a large CAFO classification, but the owners say they aren't worried and the fees aren't that much more here in New York.

As for the cattle purchased for the feedlot, crossbred cattle with black hides are preferred. Not to offend any seed stock farmers, Ed said, "but the last thing I want here is purebred cattle. They just don't perform as well."

Most of the cattle are purchased in small lots - usually 10-15 head at the time - sometimes less, from individual farmers. That's a far cry from the tractor trailer load lots that most feed yards prefer (usually 60 head at the time), but this works for him and his young partner, Matt, pretty well apparently.

It's shortly before 4 and our ever-faithful bus driver, Augie, has us headed back to the Double Tree Hotel in Rochester. Winds have kicked up and it's a less than smooth ride. But we have a pit stop planned for the big rest area/store we saw yesterday. They sell sweat shirts there - the weatherman says we'll be needing them tomorrow! Today's high was 83 - warmer than I thought it would be. But tomorrow, the forecast is for a high of 69 and a low of 47! Thursday is predicted to be even colder - a high of 58 and a low of 42! Fall weather - hooray!!! Real Fall Weather!

Cows With A View

We had a delicious lunch at New Penn Angus Farm in Truxton, New York. Talk about a beautiful working farm - they have it! Mr. Carl Hinkle is the owner and his cows have one of the prettiest views you can imagine.

The farm is located along the foothills of a mountain in a valley with pastures so green they almost look fake. Black cows, green grass and blue skies - nothing much prettier.

Our hosts served us a delicious lunch of barbecue beef sandwiches, Great Northern baked beans, pasta salad, green salad and fruit salad, and brownies and cake for dessert. These folks can put on a spread.

We also met one of the oldest Angus breeders in the state. He's been in the business for 71 years and is still sharp as a tack. I had the good fortune to sit next to him at lunch. A humble man, who was so hospitable, it was like talking to your grandaddy. I can see why he's so popular around these parts - you immediately feel like you can trust everything he says and he dispenses wisdom with every word.

Friendly folks, these New Yorkers - not really what I imagined.

This Afternoon

Following a bus ride through some surprisingly rolling hills of southern New York state. We arrive at our next stop - a tour of the Cornell University Teaching and Research facility with Dr. Michael Baker, the beef extension specialist for the state of New York. The facility is nice and he has done some good work on feed conversion for grass-fed beef. Although beef cattle make up the smallest head count for the facility (dairy and sheep have the highest population here) Mark wears jeans and a cowboy hat - he looks like a cattleman - not a sheep herder.

The next stop was a registered Simmentol farm in Groton owned by Ken and Jeanne White. Simme Valley Farm - Oh my goodness what beautiful cattle. Absolutely some of the prettiest cows I've ever seen and nice folks to boot!

Talk about a small world, when I posted a comment about the Simme Valley Farm on my Facebook page, my phone rang a few minutes later. It was my daughter Kellie - she knows Jeanne - they've chatted on the Cattle Board on occasion. Kellie spoke very highly of her - "She knows her stuff," Kellie said.

I agree - all you have to do is look at their farm - she definitely knows her stuff.

We're headed back to the hotel and then dinner. More beautiful cattle tomorrow. On with the adventure!

And We're Off in the Empire State

After a breakfast buffet at the hotel, we loaded up on the bus with our driver Auggie who definitely has a strong New York accent, but is a pleasant fella. Our first stop is just 30 minutes away but in the mean time, our Beef Director Nate Jaeger orchestrated a trivia game designed to educate our group about New York and agriculture in the state, specifically.

For example, did you know the number one agricultural industry in the state is DAIRY? Yep, New York is third in the nation in diary production behind California and Wisconsin. Pretty impressive! There is so much grass here - our farmers are amazed and it's amazingly green. Auggie thinks the grass is fescue, but seriously, he is much more likely to be able to tell you where a nice Italian restaurant is, than what kind of grass is growing.

Our first stop is in Canandaigua, at Tamberlane Farms. It is a Charolais cow calf farm and Dr. Jake Martin, a semi-retired dentist is the owner. Can't wait to meet him.

My favorite quote so far today:

As we approaching our second toll road in less than 10 minutes, Bill Lipscomb said "We ain't got nothing like this." To which I said, "That's probably what Auggie as thinking when he saw you this morning."

Gonna be a great day.

Safe Arrival, Now On With The Tours

Despite all the anxiety about flying today, the trip could not have been more perfect. Every newspaper I saw today, every radio station, every TV station had something about the 9-11 attacks. It did sort of give me butterflies as the plane took off, but I was never really scared. It did cross my mind that the people who were on the planes that day were just like me - going about their business on what they thought would be a routine flight.

The Montgomery to Atlanta flight was uneventful.

The leg of the trip from Atlanta to Rochester was a bit interesting. The young lady seated next to me had a slight anxiety attack as we left the gate for departure. She was fighting back tears and rocking in her seat. I tried to make her feel at ease by telling her this was probably the safest day she could ever be on a plane. Our conversation helped take her mind off it, I think. Her name was Xena and she lives in Rochester. She is originally from South Africa. I told her I had a horse named Xena one time - our conversation turned to horses and away from her fear of flying. The trip was uneventful and pleasant after that.

We had a welcome dinner at the hotel. This, after all, is the Beef Tour, so we had....you guessed it - STEAK! Everyone in the group introduced their self and told what county they were from. There are 45 of us from all around the state, most of them I've come to know personally over the last 13 years. I'm the only person here from Pike County and one of only three staff members attending. Nate Jaeger, our beef division director, and Lynn Cook of our in-house travel agency Destinations, are the other staff members. They have put together a wonderful program for us this week.

Tomorrow, we will visit Cornell University, among other stops. The bus leaves the hotel at 7:30 a.m. Gonna be an exciting, fun day. Monday is supposed to be the warmest day this week - a high of 78! A nice change from south Alabama.

Watch for photos on the Alfa Farmers Facebook page tomorrow.

Through the Baggage Check

I made it through the checkin process quite easy this morning. Not too many people flying today - go figure. The security guy even cracked a joke as I removed my boots going through security. I am wearing my caiman skin boots (they are MUCH easier than dealing with lace-up shoes). He jokingly said "I might have to confiscate these" and shot me a big grin. His way of admiring my favorite boots, I think.

There was a very sserious moment, however, as I was drinking my coffee. About 8:45, over the airport PA a lady asked each of us to participate in a moment of silence to remember those who were killed and died 10 years ago this morning. For more than a minute, all of us - hundreds who have no connection other than we are at the same airport this morning - lowered our heads and prayed in silence. I admit, I did sneak a look around - not to the break the moment or my thoughts and own prayer, but to soak in this moving event as Americans paused together to remember those special people. Very moving. Made me so proud to be an American.

Now off to the gate, Atlanta and then Rochester.

Getting Ready

While most of my family and friends are watching SEC football today, I've been busy trying to pack for my trip to New York state tomorrow. Yep, that's right, I'm flying to New York on Sept. 11. I am not really worried, however, cause some members of my family are worrying enough for us both. My sister Deedie, who works as the advertising manager for the Troy Messenger, just flat out told me she didn't want me to go. I hope I convinced her that I will be safe. She told her coworker, and my friend, Janie Treadwell, about my trip. Jaine is a reporter at the Messenger and called and interviewed me about my trip.

Here's that story:
http://www.troymessenger.com/2011/09/09/a-nation-changed/

For the record, I'm flying into Rochester, New York. I can't imagine there's a terrorist plot for that city. My biggest worry about the trip, if you call it a worry, is what to pack. The temperatures are more fall like and I'm really looking forward to that - highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s - ahhhh - now that's fall weather!

If I can figure this blog thing out, I will be posting some comments all along about my trip. I am taking my iPad and have a new Zagg keyboard that greatly improves my typing speed. I will post photos as much as I can, too.

I will be attending the annual Beef Tour with the Alabama Farmers Federation. There's about 45 of us on the trip. We will be visiting some of the nicest beef operations in that state, along with stops at Cornell University and Niagara Falls. It should be a great trip.

Stay tuned and keep your fingers crossed. I promise I will be safe.