We have Calves!

Posted on by mlball2014

Good evening all! Currently… I am sitting in my apartment sipping on a homemade mocha and munching on frozen banana peanut butter bites- which I highly recommend! I am teasing my mind, warming myself with warm coffee while allowing myself to pretend it’s hot with frozen treats haha.

bananas

I am so over this cold front already and it just arrived! Just imagine relaxing in the sun with a good novel! Ahhh I am so ready for hot summer nights! I bet our babies are also ready for warmer temperatures. The 2017 calving season will be wrapping up at the Ball Farm here in a few weeks. It has been a busy couple of months for dad. I applaud him and his hard work! I am looking forward to helping with the 2018 calving season :).

Ball Calving Season

Even though I am not physically at the farm, I feel like I was right in the midst of the action. Dad has been very diligent in sending photos of the cows and their calves. I am getting updates in real time and its very exciting to see our herd expand.

A lot of hard work and time is dedicated to the herd during calving season. Typically our season starts towards the end of March and continues into May. This year we had a calf almost every day during the month of April! Very very busy! But the first step actually starts with the cow. It is very important for the new calf to consume their first milking. The first meal for a calf includes colostrum. Just like humans, calves need colostrum to build their immune systems. The colostrum contains antibodies to protect the calf from diseases.

Ball Calving Season (1)

The second step happens a few days later. Farmers use a variety of methods to identify their calves when they are born. Most cattle producers tag their calves and some may also use more permanent methods like branding. We currently use the tagging method. To help with identifying the pairs, calves get the same number as the cow. We are in the process of developing a new numbering system that will allow us to maintain more information.

ear tag

The third step happens when we tag the calf. Unless a bull, fertile male, is going to be used as a breeding animal, farmers castrate them. Bulls are castrated for a couple of reasons, 1) it reduces aggressiveness and sexual activity and 2) creates a higher quality grade and a more tender beef cut. Banding is an alternative method to traditional castration. It offers less stress and faster healing.

calves

The fourth step takes a bit more time.  We keep in-depth records for each individual calving season. By managing strong records we can refer back to it throughout the year.  Below is an example of our records. We also record when we get the calves preconditioned by the vet.

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And finally we watch the calves grow! Calving season is a lot a work but it is so worth it. Not only do we have baby calves, we have baby seedlings!! Here is you official flower garden update: We have germination! Checkout the snapdragon seedlings :).

snapdragons

Have a great night!!

Anticipating Beauty

Posted on by mlball2014

Anyone else anticipating beautiful garden veggies? I know I sure am! Can I get a woot woot!? I am very anxious to map out my flower garden! Not only do I expect to eat deliciously healthy this summer but I am hoping to surround myself with many bright and colorful arrangements. Last weekend, Ty and I started our seeds! It is official…the season has begun. We are in business and a successful (crossing my fingers) summer begins!

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Do you want to start your own flower garden? Are you interested in planting a flower bed? Or are you curious about this new profound passion of mine? Well if any of those pertain to you, keep reading. 🙂

Follow six easy steps to germinate seeds indoors. What is germination? To germinate means to grow and produce shoots after a period of dormancy.

1. Purchase the necessary supplies. 

Items and Estimated Cost 

  • Grow light: $50.00
  • Trays: $5.00 each
  • Seeds: varies
  • Seed starting mix: $10.00
  • Labels: $1.50

2. Decide which seeds need to be started indoors. 

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Depending on the flower, some seeds do best when directly sowed. The seeds that need to be started indoors usually have a longer germination period and are sensitive to the cold. I started Eucalyptus, Aster, and Snapdragon.

3. Add water to the seed starting mix.

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The soil needs to be moist, but don’t let the water pool. The soil need to be wet at all times in order for the seeds to germinate.

4. Add soil to the seed cells.  

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I bought seed trays that have a hole in the bottom to help with drainage. Fill the tray cells full and don’t be afraid to overfill. The soil will compact when we continue to add water.

5. Create a seed bed. 

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Make a small bed for the seeds to lay. You don’t need a special tool for this, just use your hands to make a bed in each cell. By making a place to drop 3-5 seeds we avoid losing seeds when watering. It is also easier to cover the seeds with soil when they are secure in the cell.

6. Place trays under grow light. 

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We have had pretty warm days but the seeds tend to be sensitive to cold temperatures. They will still germinate but it might take longer. Ty moved our seeds indoors last night to avoid the chilly spring nights.

Six easy steps right? Starting the seeds indoors is not hard but seeing successful germination is a whole different ballgame! I am so excited to see the seeds germinate. I am crossing my fingers for a successful first trial!

To wrap up this Wednesday post I would like to congratulate Michael and the CCA Trap Team!! Good job Clippers! 🙂

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New Everlasting Happiness

Posted on by mlball2014

Good Morning Picking Wild Flowers and Happy Monday! I thought I would kick off your week with a little food for thought. I was scrolling through Google trying to find inspiration for this week and I came across this short but perfect quote. “New Beginnings and New Everlasting Happiness.”

New Beginnings and new everlasting happiness

I practice Lent, a religious holiday that begins on Ash Wednesday and continues until Easter Sunday, and yearly I like to give up something that challenges me to rely on God’s help. For those of you who know me well, I have a bad habit of picking my lip when I am bored, nervous, or stressed. For the past three years I have tried to give this up and as soon as Lent is over I go about my normal ways. Well not this year friends! This year I want to focus on the true reason we practice lent, to lean on God for help in all things! Did you give up something for Lent this year? If so, comment below :).

THINGS to take

New Beginnings,” what does this mean? The more I sat and thought the more joy I felt. This quote represents Easter as a time to rejoice the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus died for our sins and with that we are forgiven. The second half, “New Everlasting Happiness,” puts a smile on my face. Each year is a new opportunity to see the beauty before us. I love this quote too, “The story of Easter is the story of God’s wonderful window of divine surprise,” (Knudsen).

The beauty before us… I bring you an Easter arrangement. I hope my class design puts a smile on your face this week.

Today’s arrangement is inspired by topiary design. “Topiary is the horticultural practice of training live perennial plants by clipping the foliage and twigs of trees, shrubs and subshrubs to develop and maintain clearly defined shapes.”

Recipe: Alstroemeria, white and yellow Daisy, and Aster.

I had a lot of fun with the topiary. It is a unique design that helps to celebrate Easter. The bright colors and odd shape highlight the symbolic relationship between the colors and elements of Easter.

Here is a FUNNY…

THINGS to take (1)

Happy Easter!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boys and their Toys

Posted on by mlball2014

This week we explore a whole new topic related to farming! Boys and their toys! Two weeks ago Dad, Tyler, Kyle, and Michael hunkered under Dad’s Dodge pickup truck to install a new exhaust. We all pitched in and bought it for his birthday and I just know he has been antsy to hear how it sounds!

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Now don’t let these boys fool you… They might look clean but let me tell you… there was no sitting inside without a towel! The morning started off drizzly and I needed coffee, but they did not seem to mind.

I don’t quite understand the excitement that accompanies mechanics, although I do enjoy watching everyone work together! My the end of the afternoon Dad had added a new exhaust and convinced the boys to help with break pads! All of their hard work paid off and everyone felt accomplished!

The opinion of a truck is important to the men in my life. Their trucks are used to haul livestock, machinery, hay, feed, and/or equipment. The TRUCK is part of their everyday routine. My first vehicle was a truck but the dynamic is different.

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I felt sad when I sold my truck, however it didn’t serve the same purpose for me as it does for those who use it everyday. For many outdoor professionals it serves as an essential part to their daily activities.

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And for that reason I will never stand between boys and their toys.

Now, I did not forget to add flowers to this weeks post! I want to make sure I add a bit of sunshine to your lovely Tuesday evening.

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The arrangement is a Easter basket design and can be used as a centerpiece. Meaning, that the flowers and Leather Leaf are symmetrical all the way around the basket.

Easter is a time for celebrating! We will come back to this topic next week but I will leave you with this quote.

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5 reasons to be a Women in Ag

Posted on by mlball2014

Happy Spring! Last week I was annoyed with the rain, clouds, and mud, but I have decided to embrace spring! As we approach Easter, I am reminded that Jesus died for our sins and we are blessed with many things. I encourage us to dance in the rain!

I stayed busy during the rainy weekend! I love learning and networking through professional development functions. I encourage everyone to attend events relating to their field! Participating in events with like minded individuals can be so inspiring! This past weekend I had the opportunity to assist with Surviving and Thriving in Challenging Times, a Grain Marketing Forum for Women. And attend the first Washington County Women in Agriculture Conference.

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Surviving and Thriving opened with a great keynote speaker. Julie Ward presented, “Grains in the Veins.” Crop farmers learned how marketing can improve their bottom line. I enjoyed taking pictures and helping to prepare for the conference ahead of time!

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Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Women in Ag was one sponsor of the first Annual Women in Agriculture Conference. I had a great time participating in the day’s events. I even ran into my Aunt Pam! We sat together and soaked in all the information we could from keynote speaker, Jolene Brown! We learned how to create farm business documents, transitional plans, and contracts.

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Jolene wrapped up the afternoon with “10 ideas to relieve stress and bring renewal to farm and family life.”

My Favorites:

1. Develop Mini Breaks: meditation and hobbies

2. Keep learning (perfect for this post)

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My time at Iowa State University has been unforgettable! “Don’t Judge Each Day by the Harvest you Reap, but By the Seeds you Plant!” I love being a women in agriculture! Here are my top 5 reasons why I have the best major ever!

  1. Professional Development: Possibilities to learn after school and throughout my life
  2. Relationships: The agriculture industry is large but at the same time small- I run into people I know all the time. It is incredibly rewarding to be involved in such a close-nit industry.
  3. Variety: Agriculture offers such unique career opportunities :).
  4. Produce: We can develop worthy work that creates a more food secure world!
  5. Fun: I have a passion for agriculture and the hands-on joy it brings me!

Be a Women in Ag! It is pretty AWESOME!!! 😉

 

 

 

Tropical Agriculture

Posted on by mlball2014

Hello and welcome to Sarasota, Florida! Tyler and I’s first trip south was perfect! I predict many more visits in our future! I had fun meeting the Hibbs family and exploring the growing city. I loved learning all about where Tyler was born and the place he calls his second home :).

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Enjoying seafood after visiting Mote Marine

Our trip began a little rocky with 3 delays, 1 cancellation, 1 hour wait for a taxi, hotel visit, 4 more delays, frozen bathroom pipes, tornado in Sarasota, and flu season at the airport. But none of that stopped us and we made it to Florida Monday night!

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Tyler and I had so much fun hanging out with his grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and friends. We had a week packed full of adventure- starting with the beach. We explored the Siesta Keys twice, swam in the pool, walked through Mote Marine, discovered a flower farm, and watched the county fair dairy show.

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The weather was high 60’s and sunny! AHHH Florida Sun! 

Did you read what I just wrote??? We discovered a flower farm and saw a dairy show!! I just can’t seem to get away from agriculture! It is all around us folks!! Soak it in…. ;).

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Bucky and Joyce have family friends getting married next week and when he shared with them my love for flowers they invited us to the Native Florida Landscape. A little cove of wonder off the main road in Fruitville, Florida. Within the Native Landscape is a small business called William’s Wild flowers. Williams is creating the flower designs for the wedding next weekend.

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She creates designs using only wildflowers. The gardens are built with the intention that wildflowers will grow in their natural habitat. A few flowers are planted to ensure enough material is available to work with. The business was a unique one to capture. She is very creative and has an eye for beauty within the landscape.

The sun warming the back of my neck made for a beautiful morning outside. It made me very excited to begin my own flower garden.

 

The Hibbs took Tyler and I to the Sarasota County Fair. I noticed a few differences as I made comparisons to our own fair, but all in all the fair felt like home! The summer sun warms Florida to the core and to prevent animals from getting over heated, the fair is moved to spring time.

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Dairy show began at 7 pm 

Our last agriculture stop was more tropical than the rest. Aquaculture is a large industry in Florida and the seafood market is booming. We did not visit any fish farms but we did visit Mote Marine. An aquarium that is dear to the families heart. I learned a lot about the creatures under the sea. We even saw one large shark that no longer exists. I tried to act like it was behind me but Tyler wouldn’t play along haha.

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Spring break 2017 was great! Now begins the countdown for graduation! 1 month and 2 weeks!!!

My First Wedding Corsage & Boutonniere

Posted on by mlball2014

Hey ya’ll! How are we doing on this lovely Thursday??? Exactly 9 days until spring break, but who is counting ;). I am so excited to show you my first (of many) attempts at a corsage and boutonniere!

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I now have much respect for floral designers who make 50+ for prom, weddings, etc.! It is not easy…! My hand was cramping, my stress level increased, and my concentration narrowed but I loved, loved, loved every minute of it!

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We began by wiring all of the individual flowers and wrapping each stem with floral tape. The wire was placed in the head of the daisies and right below the bloom of the rose. If you look closely you can see the wire in the daisy above.

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Next we added Tree Fern and Purple Limonium to the back of the corsage and boutonniere. After taping it up one more time, we added a bow below the flowers.

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I hope you are as pleased with them as I am! Let the orders flow in, prom goers, brides, grooms, event participators… call me! 😉

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Guess what Picking Wild Flowers? My flower seeds came in!! I am excited to write about the flower garden and I invite you to come along with me on my journey. Here are a few post ideas:

April: Starting flowers indoors

May: Transporting them to the garden

June: Flower growth

July: Local flowers

Currently…

Posted on by mlball2014

Is it Monday already?? It can’t be… this weekend went way to fast! Currently I am sitting at my dining room table in my cozy apartment while it drizzles outside. I am loving the odd weather! It may be getting me antsy for spring break though 😉

Between last week and this past weekend I am feeling pretty blessed. I had a great Valentine’s Day. Tyler surprised me at school with my favorite flowers. It is a semester of flowers, flowers, and more flowers and I am loving every minute of it!

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Wednesday came around and it was time for my weekly floral design class. This week we designed 3 arrangements: french bouquet, wedding bouquet, and a small table design. I found the hand bouquets to be very frustrating! It was so hard to hold all the stems as you twisted and layered the flowers. We also had to make the flowers stand up on their own!

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My flowers (amateur designer) of course would not stand up! I cut the bottom stems perfectly flat and the dang things just wouldn’t listen haha. I was so embarrassed but I worked hard and finally got them to stand on their own just as the teacher was walking around to each person’s station.

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We then tore the bouquet apart to make the small table piece. It was sad pulling the flowers from their tightly bound arrangement, but in the end we had more practice.

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I have to give a shout out to Tyler for making my week fantastic! Not only did he surprise me on Valentine’s Day, but he accompanied me to the National Farmers Union College Conference on Cooperatives in Minneapolis.

16832149_10211098346488256_7479524901779703506_n-1Doesn’t he clean up nicely? 😉 He is going to be mad at me… haha. We had a great time exploring the Twin Cities.

Did you know there are housing and restaurant co-ops? Ace Hardware is a co-op…it is ran by its employees!! We had the opportunity to tour Mississippi Market, Riverton Student Housing, and REI.

I learned so much from so many people. NFU  put together a great line up of knowledgeable speakers and panelists. Coming from an agriculture background, I really only had experience with grain and local cooperatives, but co-ops are everywhere!

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Iowa Folks

There were two other Iowans who joined us at the conference. It was great getting to network with people within our state and with people from across the U.S. I met 3 wonderful people from North Carolina.

NFU took us to the Mill City Museum and to a play called “Rise up O’men,” I highly recommend both! I had a blast stepping back into history.

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Sunday came and the drive to Iowa was a sleepy one, but it is opportunities like this that I want to take advantage of. I am learning so much and I find the experience to be so valuable. Having a open mind and soaking in the world is something that will continue long after I graduate.

“Millennials love co-ops, they just don’t know it yet,” said keynote. Cooperatives are a very unique way to conduct business.

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Quote of the Day! Check it out mom! 🙂

 

 

 

 

Dear Valentine,

Posted on by mlball2014

Dear Valentine,

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Thank you for taking time out of your day to read Picking Wild Flowers each week. Your continuous support and encouragement is making my blog come to life. I wish you a Happy Valentines Day!

These three things continue: FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE… and the greatest of these is LOVE.

XOXO

Morgan

I love Valentines Day! I love celebrating LOVE and cherishing those who are in my life! This is Tyler and I’s first Valentines Day <3! Being as Valentines Day is on a Tuesday I won’t be able to see Ty, therefore, I made him treats last weekend before heading back to school. Have you ever heard of Iowa Girl Eats? If not check her out because these Triple Fudge Brownie Truffles are chocolate heaven!

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Coming off a chocolate high, I introduce to you two designs from last week! Enjoy!

Design One:

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Asymmetrical Design
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3 Gerbera, 3 Bells of Ireland, 3 Aster, 2 Palm leaves, and 3 Linear Blue flowers
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Bells of Ireland are so interesting!

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Design Two: 

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Roses, Alstromerias, and Zinnias for Grandma Pat from Dad

Have a great Valentines Day! 

 

 

Designing a Large Focal Arrangement

Posted on by mlball2014

Check out the largest arrangement I have created to date! Last week I mentioned my blog would soon be filled with floral arrangements and today I bring you my first one!! I am enrolled in a floral course this semester taught by an owner of Coe’s Floral and Gifts. Each week we will design a new style of arrangement. I am soaking in the information and trying to be in the moment each week as I practice my design skills.

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As we walked into the hen house (AKA lab work space, but why not call it the hen house? #ISU horticulture students… haha) I was shocked by all of the flowers we had to process! Iowa State has gone above and beyond my expectations for this class. To process the flowers we had to strip all of the leaves and clip the stem diagonally to open the pores. While traveling, the flowers are in a state of “sleep” they are subject to a cold treatment that keeps them from growing. To “awaken” the blooms we need to use a flower hydrate solution. This encourages the stems to fill with water.

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Dan, Coe’s Floral and Gifts owner, designed a recipe in advance for us to follow. The large focal arrangement included 3 Liatris stems, 3 Daisy Mums, 3 Purple Stocks, 3 Carnations, 3 White Daisies, 3 stems of Solidago, and Leather Leaf.

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It was fun following the instructor as he gave some tips and tricks to the art of design. I was intimidated at first by the small bowl compared to the amount of flowers we were given, but in the end it was really fun to experiment with.

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Guess what Picking Wild Flowers???? Tyler and I received the seed catalogs and have picked out the flowers we want to try growing this summer!! As many of you have probably guessed, flowers have become a new passion of mine. I love agriculture and I love the idea of small scale flower farming. I think it ties in nicely with my love for cattle and agriculture advocacy. With whatever I do with my degree once I graduate; whether that be marketing, public relations, writing, extension, event planning, etc., I know I want to actively participate in farming too and flowers can be my avenue.

This summer I am going to start with a small flower garden on the west side of the machine shed. The garden will be small to begin with, but maybe in the next few years I can expand to an acre or two out in the country somewhere. 🙂

This year, DRUM ROLL PLEASE, I have decided to try Sunflowers, Rudbeckia, Liatris, Mums, Asters, Baby’s Breath, Iris, and maybe Lavender. 🙂 🙂 I am so excited!!! AHHH. Want to know what I am most excited for??? Being outside, getting my hands dirty, and creating something that brings joy to everyone!!!

Have a great week everyone and remember to appreciate all the beauty God has created.