I hate it that I've neglected my blog for so long but life has kept me busy and away from the computer more than usual. I also haven't made the time to sit and write because I've been enjoying time with family and friends on the farm and at events at our new livestock facility.
Our daughter Ashley spent last week with us, on a short break from graduate school in Texas, and she is now in Costa Rica with a Texas Tech study abroad agriculture class. It was so nice to have her at home again and just spend time at the barn feeding and making time to relax together when we could. It was a busy week also with our youngest spending his last week at the only school he's attended, now headed to the high school in August. His week was filled with banquets, musical productions, and ended with us hosting a small party for his friends, parents, and teachers.
Thankfully my life has slowed at work now that we are in the college summer sessions with fewer students and shorter business hours. This will give us time to concentrate on the farm and helping Blake with his livestock show animals.
Life on the farm is always full of surprises and days of dealing with the unexpected. Yesterday began with finding one of our young doe kids, weak and unable to stand. After a close inspection the diagnosis soon became Floppy Kid Syndrome, a condition of acidosis resulting in a reduced absorption of Thiamine and B Vitamins which leads to weak and stumbling kids early on, progressing to kids not being able to stand or nurse, often resulting in death. Tim treated the kid with Thiamine, penicillin, B vitamins, and a solution of baking soda in water to neutralize the acidosis. So far it looks like we caught this doe early, because we know she was up, running and eating Tuesday night but unable to stand on her own Wednesday morning. I must add a disclaimer to this because thankfully this is the first case we've ever had and most of the information stated has been found on the internet. So glad to report the doe was standing on her own this morning and doing much better. Treatment will continue through tomorrow.
This afternoon we are hosting a grooming clinic at Burley Fields Livestock Center for 4-H and FFA livestock exhibitors in our area, to instruct and help the kids with their own animals. Hopefully a true hands-on clinic will help to build confidence when grooming their own animals. Experience is the best teacher when learning how to properly fit and groom livestock for the show ring and the earlier a child learns that hair/wool grows back, the easier it is for them to take a set of clippers and go to work on their own animals.
As we get closer to Memorial Day weekend enjoy time with your family and friends and remember those soldiers from past generations that fought for our freedom, and especially those veterans still with us today and all the soldiers currently standing watch and their understanding families.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
AgProud
I've neglected my blog terribly the last month and today I'm sharing a link to Ryan Goodman's blog Agriculture Proud, where today he has kindly included an article of mine about our operation in his AgProud series, featuring agricultural producers, bloggers, and advocates from across our country.
Please follow the link to his site and enjoy the daily articles and insights of this University of Tennessee animal science graduate student http://agricultureproud.com/2012/05/18/agproud-quiggins-chiangus-kentucky/
You can also find him on facebook at I am Agriculture Proud.
Please follow the link to his site and enjoy the daily articles and insights of this University of Tennessee animal science graduate student http://agricultureproud.com/2012/05/18/agproud-quiggins-chiangus-kentucky/
You can also find him on facebook at I am Agriculture Proud.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
What's in a Name?
I had the most amazing visit yesterday with a good friend and near the end of the conversation I mentioned the first sale to be held this Saturday at our newly constructed livestock center and how I was feeling both nervous and excited as the day grows near. She reads my blog so I told her about the link to the facility called Burley Fields Livestock Center. "Why that name?" she asked. "Why not something with your name in it?"
Immediately tears came to my eyes as my thoughts went to the origin of the name, my family. My ancestors and generations of people like them, making a living off the farm in the burley fields. Now if you're not from Kentucky, odds are you did not grow up on a tobacco farm. There are several states with tobacco producers, including Tennessee and North Carolina, but up until a decade ago most farms in Kentucky produced tobacco, no matter how large or small the farm.
Tobacco and beef production is my heritage on both sides of my family. Income from these paid for my college education, made farm payments, and purchased farm equipment. Now my memories have little to do with money, but I do want to acknowledge the positive financial impact the tobacco industry had on the small Kentucky communities and the people. My greatest memories of being a member of a tobacco producing family include pulling tobacco plants from the bed and listening to Papaw talk about his days as a teenager and making me wonder how much he embellished the stories, taking very wet mud from the setter wheels and both throwing and smearing the mud balls on whoever was riding with me, listening to my Daddy sing wonderful old gospel songs as he drove the setter, and going to the barn every afternoon after school to strip tobacco to make sure we got it on the sale floor the day after Thanksgiving, reading the writing of Mama, Nanny and Papaw on the cardboard covered walls of the barn from twenty years earlier, Nanny making sure we had lemon drops in a jar in the room when we stripped tobacco, and my Papaw making me re-do the hand-tied leaves every time until I got it right. We worked hard, but 90% of the time we had fun along the way too.
The tobacco crop brought the family together, three generations, working to get a quality product to market. Those many hours of work gave us time to talk, hear the stories of my grandparents and parents, and kept us close. This is the second year that we have not had a tobacco crop and I can say that I really miss the routine and the family time it gave us.
However, our children share our same love of livestock industry and over the years that has replaced our "tobacco time" and we have shared many hours at our own barn and at many livestock shows. Since 1999 our family vacation has been attending the week long American Junior Chianina Association National Junior Heifer Show and hauling cattle and kids to a different location in our nation and visiting with some of the best people in the world and making new friends while the kids have learned more about the beef cattle industry, developed leadership skills, and formed life-long friendships.
So when it came time to name the facility that we had planned for nearly 3 years before breaking ground, it was clear that the name had to include the basic crop that had provided for many generations of our family. Since we are embarking on a new adventure it's important to remember what brought us here, the hard work and many hours family members and neighbors spent with the crop, especially if we may never grow another crop of tobacco. So when you hear the name Burley Fields Livestock Center, you may not have the connection we do but I hope you will appreciate our desire to continue the farming heritage of our ancestors.
The Kentucky Proud Elite Breeders Sale will be held this Saturday, April 21, featuring market lambs, goats, and pigs from 22 Kentucky breeders. These animals will make great 4-H and FFA projects so make plans to attend. Show of sale animals begins at 9:00 a.m. with educational program beginning at approximately 11:00 a.m., followed by the sale at 2:00 p.m. The educational program will provide 2 hours for Kentucky 4-H livestock certification requirements. For more information follow this link: http://www.kentuckyproudelitebreederssale.com/
Our formal open house will be scheduled for a later date as we near the completion of the meeting hall of the facility.
Immediately tears came to my eyes as my thoughts went to the origin of the name, my family. My ancestors and generations of people like them, making a living off the farm in the burley fields. Now if you're not from Kentucky, odds are you did not grow up on a tobacco farm. There are several states with tobacco producers, including Tennessee and North Carolina, but up until a decade ago most farms in Kentucky produced tobacco, no matter how large or small the farm.
Tobacco and beef production is my heritage on both sides of my family. Income from these paid for my college education, made farm payments, and purchased farm equipment. Now my memories have little to do with money, but I do want to acknowledge the positive financial impact the tobacco industry had on the small Kentucky communities and the people. My greatest memories of being a member of a tobacco producing family include pulling tobacco plants from the bed and listening to Papaw talk about his days as a teenager and making me wonder how much he embellished the stories, taking very wet mud from the setter wheels and both throwing and smearing the mud balls on whoever was riding with me, listening to my Daddy sing wonderful old gospel songs as he drove the setter, and going to the barn every afternoon after school to strip tobacco to make sure we got it on the sale floor the day after Thanksgiving, reading the writing of Mama, Nanny and Papaw on the cardboard covered walls of the barn from twenty years earlier, Nanny making sure we had lemon drops in a jar in the room when we stripped tobacco, and my Papaw making me re-do the hand-tied leaves every time until I got it right. We worked hard, but 90% of the time we had fun along the way too.
The tobacco crop brought the family together, three generations, working to get a quality product to market. Those many hours of work gave us time to talk, hear the stories of my grandparents and parents, and kept us close. This is the second year that we have not had a tobacco crop and I can say that I really miss the routine and the family time it gave us.
However, our children share our same love of livestock industry and over the years that has replaced our "tobacco time" and we have shared many hours at our own barn and at many livestock shows. Since 1999 our family vacation has been attending the week long American Junior Chianina Association National Junior Heifer Show and hauling cattle and kids to a different location in our nation and visiting with some of the best people in the world and making new friends while the kids have learned more about the beef cattle industry, developed leadership skills, and formed life-long friendships.
So when it came time to name the facility that we had planned for nearly 3 years before breaking ground, it was clear that the name had to include the basic crop that had provided for many generations of our family. Since we are embarking on a new adventure it's important to remember what brought us here, the hard work and many hours family members and neighbors spent with the crop, especially if we may never grow another crop of tobacco. So when you hear the name Burley Fields Livestock Center, you may not have the connection we do but I hope you will appreciate our desire to continue the farming heritage of our ancestors.
The Kentucky Proud Elite Breeders Sale will be held this Saturday, April 21, featuring market lambs, goats, and pigs from 22 Kentucky breeders. These animals will make great 4-H and FFA projects so make plans to attend. Show of sale animals begins at 9:00 a.m. with educational program beginning at approximately 11:00 a.m., followed by the sale at 2:00 p.m. The educational program will provide 2 hours for Kentucky 4-H livestock certification requirements. For more information follow this link: http://www.kentuckyproudelitebreederssale.com/
Our formal open house will be scheduled for a later date as we near the completion of the meeting hall of the facility.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
23rd Anniversary Angus Opportunity Sale~April 7, 2012
Spring is in the air and it's sale time in Kentucky. Buckner & Jeffries Angus Farm is hosting their 23rd Anniversary Angus Opportunity Sale at their farm in Canmer, Kentucky, Saturday, April 7, 2012 at 12:00 noon, CDT . With over 60 lots of Angus cow/calf pairs, bred and open heifers, and service-age bulls from BJF and eight guest consignors there's proven genetics available to suit any Angus program.
Keith and Diana Jeffries have several decades of Angus breeding experience and their sons and families are carrying on the family tradition. This year's sale includes progeny of TC Aberdeen Ace 966, the featured herd sire for Buckner & Jeffries, Hammerhead Cattle Company, and TC Ranch, named Grand Champion Bull at both the 2010 Kentucky State Fair and the 2011 Kentucky Angus Preview Show, and sire of both the Junior and Senior Get-Of-Sire at the 2011 Kentucky State Fair Angus show.
This is an excellent opportunity for Kentucky youth to purchase heifers qualifying as Kentucky Proud, which receive added premiums at shows sponsored by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.
For an online copy of the sale catalog click on the following link: http://www.bingmanpub.com/2012-angus-opportunity-sale-book.aspx
For more information contact any of the Jeffries family members at the following numbers:
270-528-3318 Keith and Diana Jeffries
270-528-6605 Tim and Leslie Jeffries
270-528-7246 Todd and Denise Jeffries
270-524-3440 Troy and Tammy Jeffries
email: beef @scrtc.com
Guest consignors: Hammerhead Cattle Company, Shaw Family Angus, Davis Bend Farm, Caveland Angus, Jaysen Manning, JHL Angus, Patriot Angus, and Johnson Farms.
Keith and Diana Jeffries have several decades of Angus breeding experience and their sons and families are carrying on the family tradition. This year's sale includes progeny of TC Aberdeen Ace 966, the featured herd sire for Buckner & Jeffries, Hammerhead Cattle Company, and TC Ranch, named Grand Champion Bull at both the 2010 Kentucky State Fair and the 2011 Kentucky Angus Preview Show, and sire of both the Junior and Senior Get-Of-Sire at the 2011 Kentucky State Fair Angus show.
This is an excellent opportunity for Kentucky youth to purchase heifers qualifying as Kentucky Proud, which receive added premiums at shows sponsored by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.
For an online copy of the sale catalog click on the following link: http://www.bingmanpub.com/2012-angus-opportunity-sale-book.aspx
For more information contact any of the Jeffries family members at the following numbers:
270-528-3318 Keith and Diana Jeffries
270-528-6605 Tim and Leslie Jeffries
270-528-7246 Todd and Denise Jeffries
270-524-3440 Troy and Tammy Jeffries
email: beef @scrtc.com
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| TC Aberdeen Ace 966, Grand Champion Angus Bull, 2010 Kentucky State Fair. Featured herd sire for Buckner & Jeffries, Hammerhead Cattle Company, and TC Ranch |
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| TC Aberdeen Ace 966 as a yearling |
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| TC Aberdeen Ace 966 as a two-year old |
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