Libbi with me on a great ride of Titan. Her horse and the first horse she broke quite a talent she is when it comes to horses.

Probably the most important tool here on the ranch in the month of December.

Good old fashioned winter with few days in double digits in the past three weeks.

Eve helping me water cows running on cornstalks.

Sorry for the Holiday break but we have had tremendous family time Christmas and New Years break. So I spent very little time looking at this computer so now time to catch up.

The morning sun on Dec 23, 2012. The Christmas season was very cold and snow cover the whole time.

No words needed.

My Christmas present to my lovely wife Kelli. Okay so if you have never loaded hogs with your spouse this may not make sense. On the other hand if you know what it is like to load without proper fence's and loading ramps you fully understand the importance of this loading chute I just finished in time for Christmas. Love you Kelli.

Dug out, thawed out, bedded, fed and even bred.

No school thanks to the blizzard so I had great help today with Lindsi. Yes go ahead and notify the Department of Labor that some rancher Dad is taking pictures while his 10 year old daughter chops ice with an "axe".

Cows have to be God's most amazing creation (right after Jesus). Look they survive anyway, they eat stuff not good for anything else, cellulose, and they make what people need to live. I want to be as tough as a cow one day. The blizzard hit and they are just happy as can be on corn stalks.

Why is that silly cowboy always laying on the ground?

These hogs figured out how to handle the snow drifts in their pen. They made tunnels from the shed to the feeder to the waterer. I WANT A CAFO.

First project of the day collected El Regresso and bred the 1-1 spot sow.

Random photos on blizzard Dec 19, 2012

This is my market hog finishing pen in a blizzard today. Meanwhile pigs in a confinement building (incorrectly called a factory farm) are still in 75 degree building and don't know it is even snowing. I NEED A CAFO.

The snow can be so beautiful yet so troubling at the same time. Actually snow is no problem but when the wind comes beauty turns ugly.

Okay call me crazier than your pet coon but I love winter.

Goats out looking for a meal in the big blizzard 2012.

The snow starts at noon and comes so peacefully...

The story of 21-3 crossbred sow sired by Snowflake

Okay I have mentioned before I am not a big fan of my own crossbred hogs but let me tell you about 21-3. Here she is about 30 days from farrowing.

This barrow is from her litter born July 20, 2012 and will be exhibited by Lindsi Loos at the Arizona National hog show the week after Christmas in Phoenix, AZ. He is sired by COD a son of Package at the A Cut Above stud Benedict, NE.

So she has just farrowed again on Dec 17, 2012. Think she has any milk?

Trying to out do herself in the past she farrowed 13 live pigs born to Anticipation on stud at Purple Power in Chalmers, IN. He is a Duroc boar and the pigs look tremendous. I earnotched them today and they are litter number 8 watch for them next summer.

Problem in the goat pen this morning. Yes that is a mid-term abortion. Goats tend to be very susceptible to mold so I am hoping that is the deal. Or they are also very "rammy" and one head butted another. Disease would be the other reason and that would be the worst news.

Christmas season in full swing at Loos's

The girls decorate the Christmas tree last night... Ironically without plan a cross is visable in the window, cool. Thank you Jesus.

Kelli and her sister Roxi organize the church program telling the story of the birth of Jesus. Court is held and it is determined that we should celebrate "Joy to the World." Great job Kelli, Lindsi and Landri J.

Oh yes and Libbi's job is to capture the program with camera. Did not realize when I snapped the picture that Lindsi "playing" the bailiff is seen in far left corner.

Back home on the ranch and great day

Kelli had a terrible time keeping the cows in the corn stalk field while I was gone but I think that new turbo electric polywire combine with a light shower got the problem fixed.

This poly wire has been tremendous until this week. I personally think that it is so dry the cows do not get shocked enough to be a deterent. A little shower that didn't amount to any rain seemed to make difference today.

 

Random photos from Las Vegas Dec 11-13, 2012

This is what Las Vegas Blvd looks like at 6:00 am on Dec 13, 2012.

First time I have seen this my faucet has a rotating commercial while I wash my hands.

Second year in a row I have attended this A4M conference in Las Vegas. Not a confidence building for today's medical system.

The dark spots are actually arteries in thermo-imaging scan at the Neo40 booth at the trade show of A4M conference 2012.

Las Vegas photos 2012

Apparently Pampus is my favorite place to eat in Vegas I have eaten here 3 times in the past 6 days. Yes this Brazilian Grille is awesome.

Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture. For how long I ask?

Question of the day. When will he contribute to the unemployment statistics. Answer NOT SOON ENOUGH. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has some harsh words for rural America: It’s “becoming less and less relevant,” he says. A month after an election that Democrats won even as rural parts of the country voted overwhelmingly Republican, the former Democratic governor of Iowa told farm belt leaders this past week that he’s frustrated with their internecine squabbles and says they need to be more strategic in picking their political fights. “It’s time for us to have an adult conversation with folks in rural America,” Vilsack said in a speech at a forum sponsored by the Farm Journal. “It’s time for a different thought process here, in my view.”

Get the real feel of life in Rural America from Linda O'Connor from Sharon Springs, KS and grew up in upstate New York. Click here to listen to Linda on Loos Tales Dec 11, 2012.