The Circle of Life

It's funny how certain movies, no matter how silly, just stick with you. My favorite movie of all time is The Lion King. There is just something about the plot that gets me everytime, and those songs aren't just catchy: They have special meanings that relate to my everyday life.

This afternoon Obie's rabbit, Ollie, died. He was eleven years old, which in Rabbit years is exponential. Ollie's rambunctious romps around the garden, nibbling my mom's veggies will be sorely missed. Some other things that I will miss about Ollie include:

Obie and Ollie 2009

-His craftiness: This rabbit would do almost anything to avoid being caught, he came up with some pretty great plans in his time.

-His empathy: Ollie would always listen. All you had to do was snuggle him in your arms and spill your secrets.

-His tolerance: I will be the first to say it, Obie is not the most delicate kid, but that rabbit stuck it out.

Ollie was a great rabbit and a good friend and he will be missed by the whole family. But it's the circle of life and tomorrow. Begonia, our breeding ewe will be coming home-very pregnant. Last year she had her lambs in March, but we are hoping for January lambs this year. Here are some things I look forward to with our own lamby family:

Brenna and Begonia 2009

The lambing: There is just something about seeing newborn lambs opening their eyes and suckling their mother, and knowing that you helped make that happen, that is super magical.

-The walks: Taking lambs for walks becomes a blast with Bugonia in company. All that I need to do is lead Begonia on a halter and the lambs come running behind her.

-Showmanship Practice: Yes I complain about practicing the same routine over and over, but when it comes down to it, I really enjoy the moment when I finally feel I have it down.

Happy New Year Everybody! I wish you Peace, Joy, Happiness and lots and lots of Ag!

"Don't Look Now!

But you have a Posse of Blond Children following you around!" I was at the FFA farm the other day, when I saw my friend feeding her sheep. She quickly came up and alerted me to the situation. I looked behind me... it was true! I had taken my brother Obie, and some family friends on a walk down to see the FFA farm, and when we were walking, it did sort of look like a posse of blond children.

Here they all are. That's Obie posing on the front of the tractor, and then there is JJ, who is two, ready to drive. Lexi, with the sweet little smile and pink dress is four. Will, the explorer in the orange shirt and binoculars is seven, and Percy in the blue sweater and mischievous grin is nine. So that's where I was a couple afternoons ago, at the farm with my very own Posse of wonderful blond children. When my FFA advisor showed up to work on the rabbits, I tried to carefully herd them over the the far field. Apparently, my exciting suggestions "Let's go look at the mini horse in the field over there" were not very convincing. So my Advisor, seeing that we were headed that way, asked if I could feed that pony. Sure! I told her, knowing that this was the perfect moment to enlist some adorable young helpers! "Who wants to climb up and get some hay for the horse?" and "Who wants to push the wheel barrow" were much more appealing, so about five minutes later we were headed, albeit slowly, for the far field. By the time the horse had hay in it's feeder, had been hand fed quite a bit of hay, and had a full water dish, I had five happy kids. We headed back to the barn, (with several wheelbarrow rides along the way), parked the wheelbarrow, took a couple of pictures with the tractor, and raced straight home. All in all it was a fun afternoon, with animals, friends, and sunshine. What more could you need?

(O.K. FINE! Maybe we made one stop at the edge of the farm to jump in some jumbo (around 6 ft) piles of leaves on the way back.... And maybe we skipped part of the way home, but getting there is half the fun right!?!)

The Art of Naming Sheep

Having recently acquired our market lambs for the year, my sister and I now have six sheep that live at the animal pens in our backyard. Now, having six sheep is very fun, and I definitely enjoy working showmanship with them, and walking them is a different, but still enjoyable experience. However, one thing that can get a little bit tricky is keeping their names straight. Once you master that, your golden! Because we have six sheep this year, and have been doing sheep for a while, I have learned a thing or two about naming sheep. It's best if the names are cute and catchy, and, keeping that in mind, there are a few steps that I usually follow:
1. Is the sheep a ewe or a weather?
It is best to keep this in mind when you're considering names that are specific to one gender or the other. My sister wanted to name her ewe's first lamb Orion, but because she was a girl, she tweaked it to Oriana. Now that her ewe has had two lambs, she has both an Oryan and an Oriana.
2. What color is the sheep?
Some names, such as coco puff, Oreo, honey etc. are very cute and can be decided from the color of the sheep's wool. This year I named my market lamb Pooh Bear, because of his honey colored wool.
3. Consider the personality of the sheep.
Does the sheep jump around about? Maybe Tigger or hopper would be a good name. Does the sheep constantly lay down when you try to walk it on a halter? That behavior led my sister to name one lamb London (bridges falling down). This year, because her market lamb is extremely vocal, she named it Enya.
4. Don't forget about flower names.
Although names such as daisy and rose are slightly overused, they are still very cute if they fit the sheep. For something a little more fun and exotic, try unusual flower and plant names. Our breeding ewe's name is Begonia, and my sister also once had a lamb named clover.
5. Think about recent movies.
Last year, half of the sheep at the fair were named Bella or Alice. This year, because the breeding ewe that I chose was marked with a big chalk paint "A" I named her Olive in reference to "Easy A". These names are funny, and can start a conversation about the movie.
Follow these tips and you're sure to come up with something. But if all else fails, just remember that as long as YOU like the name and it sort of fits the sheep, it works!

Llamas on the Loose

There is no downside to keeping a pair of retired Llamas around. They're not loud, they don't chase cars, they don't need to be groomed often, they don't need to be walked for a half hour every day, and they don't kick. They do eat weeds, have kind and unique personalities, put up with unruly dogs and brothers, and have an adventurous spirit. Wait, okay, so I suppose that "adventurous spirit" can get them into a little trouble sometimes. But that's okay, because they don't startle very easily. However, when they do get startled, combine that raw(ma) llama fear with that adventurous spirit, and you might have a bit of a problem on your hands.

Now, you may be getting the idea that I'm speaking from experience, because, well I do have a pair of retired Llamas, and yes I normally do speak from experience. So I will admit right now that yes, my Llamas became startled. Then, they started feeling adventurous, and they sorta broke right through one of the panels on their pen. So that's how my family spent our Sunday morning. Rounding up a couple of spooked Llamas-in the windstorm that had them all riled up in the first place. Needless to say it wasn't easy. We would have our arms around them, ready for a halter, when a gust of wind would come up, and that lovely Llama would take off again. It doesn't really help that we were trying to repair the pen (that Bodie Busted through) at the same time. Eventually though, we had the pen fixed, the Llamas rounded up and sealed in their pen, then we got some hay in those Llamas and they settled right now.

I'm looking out my window at the Llamas. Bodie is munching on some tasty weeds, and Superman is acting as our heroic Sentinel, keeping an eye on the road. Yeah, no matter how many "adventures" we might have together, I don't think I will ever see a downside to keeping Llamas.

Keeping An Elephant In My Backyard

I've always imagined that elephants were loud. In fact, whenever I'm making a racket in my bedroom, the kitchen or front porch, my mom asks me to stop "acting like an elephant". But I have just realized that however loud elephants may or may not be, my lambs can make quite the ruckus. Today my sister and I did the most awful, cruel, and insensitive thing, well, according to our market lambs that is. Yeah, that's right, today we weaned our breeding ewe's babies. Well, Begonia had them pretty much weaned as it was, we just finished up by moving Begonia to the next pen. Yes, we separated the lambs from their mother. They now reside a whole foot away in the pen next door, with our other three market lambs. Of course, though this sounds simple and routine to you or me, to the lambs, it is a cataclysmic event. Therefore, when stepping outside my front door, I was bombarded with a cacophony of lamb-type cries. Oreo and Ryan (our ewe's babies) are crying for their mother, Begonia, is crying for her babies, and the other three lambs have decided to join the party also. It is times like these when I realize how lucky I am to have such tolerant neighbors. Because you never know, someday I might just want to keep an elephant in my backyard.



Oreo and Ryan as [happy] newborns with their mother, our family breeding ewe, Begonia.

County Agriculture Spotlight

Let's try something new. Every week I'm going to feature a different county in California for an agricultural spotlight! From going to FFA meetings and leadership conferences where we worked on memorizing the top five ag commodities in California, (dairy products, nursery products, grapes, almonds, and cattle), I have realized that there is a lot more to California agriculture than the ranches and youth opportunities that I see in the desert. This is my way of highlighting the different agriculture industries of California's 58 counties.


This week I will be featuring Alameda county. Alameda County's top agricultural commodity is Nursery Products, which are closely followed by grapes and a variety of livestock production. Alameda county has a lot of urban land use in addition to their agricultural land use. Therefore, they have taken on a major urban agriculture project that involves over 200 community farms and gardens in their urban areas. Alameda county has two FFA chapters, with a total of three ag teachers.






My sources for this spotlight include:



http://www.calaged.org/caescripts/school-listing.asp?Option=County&HasURL=YES



http://www.acgov.org/cda/awm/



And my own experiences at FFA meetings and conferences!

A Tisket A Tasket

A Silent Auction Basket. I'm starting to get really excited for our FFA chapter's big fundraiser that's coming up next weekend! We're having a wine tasting, complete with live music, art displays, and of course- a silent auction. A couple months ago, my advisor asked me if I could get a little help and put together a basket for the silent auction. I was ecstatic! My mind flooded with ideas: I could get a gas card from a local gas station, and arrange it in a basket with some cute hotwheels! Or, I could get some cute fabric, and make an adorable basket with custom made stuffed animals! But with all of my grand ideas, I started to forget some of the basic guidlines of making a Silent Auction Basket, like having stuff that I could get together before the event, or choosing a theme that the guests at the wine tasting would enjoy.

Then I realized that it would be really cool if the basket centered around the goal of the fundraiser: our FFA chapter. I thought of the bumper stickers that my Ag teacher is always passing around "Eat Beef" they say, or "Beef: It's what's for dinner". Then I remembered some vintage cook books I had seen at the local used bookstore. I had my theme, and it was time to ask for help. I partnered up with my mom, and we set out to create the cutest vintage barbecue basket ever. But again, things don't always turn out the way you plan. One thing led to another, the basket looked like a picnic basket, the perfect vintage fabric that would make amazing napkins, the funny vintage cookbooks with unique recipes and adorable pictures, the matching picnic plates and silverware... It wasn't looking like a vintage barbecue basket. This was not the basket I had imagined. But as I looked at the contents of the basket, the perfect fabric, the adorable cook-books, I realized that this basket had most certainly not turned out the way I imagined it. It was much better. While setting out to create the best Vintage Barbecue Basket ever, I accidentally created the best Vintage Outdoor Entertainment Basket ever, perfect for your special picnics, and other outdoor get-togethers.

The Basket is really starting to come together, and I can't wait to show my advisor! I'll be putting the finishing touches on the napkins, picnic tablecloth, and basket liner tomorrow, and then I will have finished my first ever Silent Auction Basket.

(This Experience Was Brought To Me By Agriculture, and My Local FFA Chapter)

My Llamas are On to Something big...

"And what might that be?" you ask "What could a pair of fuzzy modified ruminants possibly be onto that is so big?". Easy, I'd tell you. The secret of life. Although it sounds silly, the more I think about it, the clearer it is. Everytime I look out the window at the two of them, Bodie and Superman are as happy as can be. So now you might be wondering. What is the secret to life? It's simple, just like a Llama's day: Take lots of naps, Surround yourself with really good friends, Go for plenty of long walks, Take things slowly, but never be afraid to go for it when the moment is right for a run, Always keep someone around who knows how to scratch your back, You can never have enough tender green leaves and when you feel insulted, put your head up a little higher. These lessons from the Llamas just hit me after a nice relaxing afternoon of Llama time. Waking them up for a nice slow walk in the afternoon sunlight, running a couple of times when it just felt right, returning home to scratch their backs (brush them-they love it!) and just standing with them while they enjoyed the twenty-four-hour salad bar that is my front yard. A really simple afternoon, but one that meant a lot. This afternoon with the Llamas helped me to realize that to be happy, you need to slow down and appreciate the little things every now and then. The Llamas also taught me to lead by example. How many times have I been told by the media and the people around me to take the time to slow down and relax? Countless times! But it wasn't until I was able to see the Llamas appreciating their simple, lazy Llama day, that I could really appreciate the power of slowing down every now and then. Above all, the Llamas have taught me to keep an open mind, because the most powerful lessons, can come from the most unexpected places...like the pretty face on the end of the lead.

State Conference

Well I've just gotten home from Fresno, where I've been for the past few days for the 83rd annual California State FFA Convention. I had a blast! Seeing keynote speakers Josh Shipp and Brooks Gibbs, rocking out to great music with friends in Selland Arena before every session, and a very fun Gloriana concert. On top of all this, there were the things that make state conference uniquely FFA. An agriculture career show, proficiency award and speaking competition, and of course State Officers. The opening session that the 2010-2011 California state officer team put on Saturday night was an adventure in its self: They were rappelling from the ceiling, zipping in on motorcycles, being dropped off INSIDE the arena by cool cars, and above all, celebrating the FFA organization and it's members. After the session, I caught up with retiring State Vice President Lindsey Anderson for a quick chat.

Even though she was busy running the conference, and probably tired from the outstanding opening session, she still had time to talk to a desert Ag girl. I was impressed. When asked what her favorite thing that she had done in FFA was, she answered quickly that it was competing on her Ag Sales team. This was because she and her team got to travel around to compete in Ag Sales competitions. While her team did go on to become the state winners and compete at Nationals, for Lindsey, it was more about becoming a family with her team and getting to spend time with them competing than it was about the title. Through this experience, Lindsey became very close to her Ag Sales coach and team members. On Monday, after an amazing performance at an impromptu talent show with the State Choir, I headed over to check out the career show. The career show was full of fun booths, advertising different agriculture colleges, career opportunities, and even a couple of feed booths. The booths that stood out most in my mind though, were the chapter booths. One in particular caught my attention.This booth, from the Delta FFA chapter, featured a California Ag Trivia game to win fun prizes, California Ag facts, and was staffed by a trio of Delta FFA redheads and their advisor. Here I am hanging out with the totally awesome Delta FFA redheads. Wouldn't we make a great team? :) While getting ready for the Gloriana concert with my roommates I heard a strange clanking noise. Wondering what it could be, I headed out into the hall. A couple doors down I found eNRGy, president of the High Desert FFA Section, holding a unique cowbell.I soon found out that not only was this cowbell unique, but it was one of a kind, eNRGy, had made it himself! While hanging out with Jacquelynne Garcia, 2010-2011 State Secretary at the SOLC, she mentioned that she was always getting lost. Inspired, eNRGy went back to his Ag Mechanics class and made her a cowbell, to help her with this problem.

This cowbell is made out of rectangular tubing, welding rod, and a bolt. eNRGy has made a lot of different things out of metal in his Ag Mechanics class, even barbeque's. To finish off the cowbell, eNRGy collected the signatures of the other retiring state officers, who he knows will always be there for her.

As the conference came t0 a close, I again caught up with eNRGy. He had given the cowbell to Jaque and she had been thrilled. This is just another example of how good with our hands, creative, and downright thoughtful us FFA members can be. All in all, I had a great time at State Conference, I met a ton of amazing FFA members, heard some incredible retiring addresses from the 2010-2011 State officers, watched as the new State officers were elected and sung in the best choir ever. Oh yes, it was a wonderful weekend.

The Joys of Sheep

Looking back, I probably should have realized what I was getting myself into that fateful day at the beginning of sixth grade. I should have seen the older girls, with the wild eyes and curled hair, should have asked. If I had they might have told me about the clippers, the banding, and the long daily walks. If they had told me about that, I might never have signed up. More likely though, they would have told me about the joy of watching it grow, the competitive spirit of working to have the best one, and the exhilaration of the spotlight in the show ring, and I would still be where I am today. My little sister, Brenna, and I have been showing sheep for six years now, and I am hooked. This year is a little different. This year Brenna's ewe Begonia, has two lambs of her own, Oreo and Ryan, and I am falling in love with sheep all over again. I love to go to fill up the water buckets and see them frolicking in their pen, and chasing each other back and forth. I love how fast they are growing. Here is my tribute to lamb love, for now and always!

Unpredictable

That's the weather in the desert all right! Last week we had a 90 degree scorcher, and today, April 9th....

I mean really who covers hay...In the desert....In APRIL??? Yeah, it snowed, I woke up this morning to a VERY unexpected white fairy land. And one very thrilled eight year old. Obie asks me to "Come outside! I have a present for you." This is NOT my first snow day so I of course asked him if it was a snowball. "Noooo" he says, and runs outside. Needless to say, when I headed out to feed the animals this morning, I had a gorgeous snowball in the hip... and a grinning, giggling brother! Even though most of the snow had melted, Obie had found enough for my "present", thanks love. The Llamas, were not quite as thrilled with our April surprise.

Bodie says that he is not a fan of snow, it covers all of the dove weed that he likes to eat. But he is happy to be munching on his hay! Well, the snow is just about melted now, but did make for a fun and eventful morning. We all deal with life's little surprises in different ways, sheep and brothers frolic, Llamas eat extra hay, my mom finds carrots for Obie's "Snow Jedi" and I write. Well, after a quick snowball fight that is!

If you give an Ag Girl the Keys....

Have you ever read If you give a mouse a cookie? It was a favorite of mine when I was little, every time the mouse finds something to do, something else suddenly needs done! I had an evening like that today. Just returned from a trip to pick up my little brother... turned driving lesson... turned "wildlife" viewing expedition. Whew! My mom and I were heading out the door, time to pick up my little brother Obie, when I realized that this would be the PERFECT time to drive, just me and my mom (who of course was gripping the edges of her seat the entire time... I have no idea why!). So I picked up the keys and off we went. As we neared my Grandpa's house, I realized that our normal parking space (on the side of the road) was occupied by a gorgeous red Angus cow. I carefully, carefully, carefully, pulled right in beside her, climbed (almost) silently out of the car, and she posed for her photo shoot. On the way back, I again drove home, this time singing "What would you do for a Klondike Bar" with Obie, when a buzzard or three swooped over the car. I first saw the buzzards five years ago, about fifty of them sharing the same tree across the street from my house, and here they were today, flying towards that same tree. So we stopped singing, looked at the buzzards, and then I drove off. I guess I now know what happens (and uh... so does my mom) if you give an Ag Girl the Keys...

You may think...

I admire the boundless energy of lambs. Really I do. Even when they use their energy to frolic past me while I'm trying to bring them food. Even when they run out of the gates of their pen, and take off into the desert. Even when- after escaping they decide to take their mother with them. I don't think I introduced myself. I'm Allie, I'm 17 years old and live in the middle of the desert, oh, and I happen to have a hopeless passion for Ag (agriculture). Especially sheep, and Llamas, and calves, and oh I give up, just about everything really. You may think that there isn't any Ag in the desert, but really, you'd be surprised. And well that's me, and this is me, this is my life, my world, my dreams, and my Ag. So anyway, that's how I spent my evening. Dragging my loving, loyal, kind dog- who coincidentally loves to chase and "play" with the lambs, into the house. Coaxing the lambs back into their pen-and then, when that didn't work herding them. Convincing their mother, our family Ewe Begonia, to follow them into the pen, and then making absolutely sure that the gates were shut nicely behind me. I admire the boundless energy of lambs, but really, why can't they share?