It’s been awhile since my last post! So many things happened…. we purchased two AA10 pregnant heifers in the Spring of 2022, and had two calves born mid-winter. We usually don’t have calves born that time of year, but we figured it out, adding a couple pens for the new mama’s inside the shed. Also, one of our other cows, Miko, had a calf too. So we were feeding/watering/bedding/cleaning 3 extra pens that winter which made for alot more work! We had a total of 10 head! We were just making it through the winter in January 2023 when we were hit with devastating news. Our son Cody was diagnosed with MS. Cody was our herdsman, doing most of the feeding/watering and caring for the cows. So we made the tough decision to sell the cows and half of our farmland. We sold the land almost immediately! I sent a flyer to the Wisconsin Wagyu breeders who are members of the AWA, and we sold our cows to 3 different breeders. We feel they all went to good homes! It was sad to see the cows go, but also it freed us from worries, expenses, and alot of work. All of this made it possible for Craig to retire so we can focus on Cody’s future and find time to relax and enjoy retirement. I plan to work another year or two before retiring. Lost Creek Valley Farm is still here, 39 acres of beautiful farmland and forest. We are leasing fields for planting and are thinking about possibilities for the future of our farm. The story continues…

Winter has been going slowly- quite a few days of below zero weather, but not much snow so far. The cows are doing great- they are loving the wrapped hay that smells like it’s freshly baled when we remove the wrap. We are having the cows preg-checked soon, crossing our fingers it’s good news. We are also thinking about what projects take priority this Spring, and looking at future plans. Our goal is to have 10-15 breeders in the next 3 years, that includes purchasing a couple more heifers to add to the herd. All is well on the farm, and we are really looking forward to Spring weather!

We had a wonderful vacation visiting Dusty and Camila in Los Angeles! So much fun to be together again. And not long after we got back, it started getting colder and we’ve had a little snow. But, we are feeling good about being ready this year. Got a lot of things crossed off the list. We contacted a local breeder who will help us get our cows bred for calves next Fall. Another winter begins…

Fall is coming up fast! We are leaving for a week to visit Dusty and Camila soon. They have a new apartment and we have made plans for some day trips and to also visit our niece Beth and her family. Looking forward to it! Cody is staying home to keep an eye on the farm. We will be working with a local breeder to AI our cows on the farm. We purchased a Nitrogen Tank for semen, and will be ready to do this when we get back. So, we will have Fall calves next year. Also, we are taking the 2 steers in for processing next Spring. Wagyu steers are usually not ready until they are 30 months of age. So, we will feed them well over the winter! All of the hay is finished and wrapped so we are good to go for winter feeding. Feeling good about getting through this winter.

We had some extra fun this summer boating on the Mississippi River! We rented a slip for our pontoon and bought a small cabin cuddy so we could stay overnight on weekends. It was a welcome retreat from the stress of work and the farm! The cows are doing well, calves are growing and fall is fast approaching. We had a second bull calf born in June- Kaito Macho, a nice healthy guy! We are finishing up our 3rd crop of hay and should have enough for the winter- which is a good feeling! We are also planning on processing one of our steers this Fall- our first sales! Soon we will be taking the cows to the vet for AI and all will be ready for the cold winter ahead. Hate to think of putting the boats away!

We are ready for the season to change! Craig and I have had our Covid Vaccine and Cody just got his last week. We are thankful that we got it and feel much better about going into public places, even though we still wear our masks and keep our distance. It’s been a tough year, but things are looking much brighter. Even Dusty and Camila have gotten their vaccine! We are so happy that they may be able to travel safely home for the reception. It is still not confirmed but we will decide in May if we feel we can hold it safely. Crossing my fingers!

We plan to work a few years before retiring before working full time on the farm. We think that in 3 years we should have 12-15 head and it will grow fast after that! We also purchased another tractor with a 3 point hitch to run the bale wrapper, and possibly take to my brothers to use to cut and bale hay. All is going well, and we have some projects to get to when the weather breaks!

We got another Wagyu heifer – Mino from a farm near Kewaunee, Wisconsin. Our first bull calf was born April 16th and he is a strong, healthy guy. So we are slowly growing our herd!

We had a good fall and feel that we are ready for winter with plenty of hay for the cows. Our plan to put in a well pump in the deep well by the shed didn’t get finished and we decided to hire someone to do it next Spring and put in a watering fountain for the cows. We purchased straw bales for bedding and a few extra round bales from a local farmer. All of our cows are expecting calves in the Spring and we are looking forward to that! Meanwhile, the cows are looking great and really enjoy the fresh hay bales that have been wrapped with our new bale wrapper. And, the weather hasn’t been too bad this year, not alot of snow so far, and the temps have been decent.

Covid is still here, but we are signed up to get our vaccine shot soon! We are planning a wedding reception for Dusty and Camila the end of July, so hoping that everyone will be vaccinated by then. We are holding off with plans til May to see how things look. It will be so exciting to have them home for a party!

This year has been a challenge in so many ways. Covid19 has been the answer and excuse for alot of things! But we have been lucky to still have our off -farm jobs and the cows are doing nicely. We had a Spring storm that knocked a tree down on our shed, damaging the roof and part of the sidewall. Insurance came through and we have the materials ready to get it fixed before winter. This year we bought a hay tedder and a bale wrapper. We want to have quality hay and without a barn for storage, the wrapper was the next best thing. We had to AI the cows again early this summer, so no calves until early Spring 2021. Another purchase was buying our own cattle trailer, something we have been wanting for a long time! And we are finally working on putting in a water fountain. Each year we make improvements to make things streamlined!

During these troubled times, there’s still time for love! Dusty and Camila got married at Will Rodgers State Beach in Los Angeles on May 31, 2020. We attended via Zoom! It was incredible- we felt like were were almost there! They did a video call afterward also- it was beautiful. And the beach-goers all applauded and congratulated them! It was a special day and it went very well! We are all excited for them to start their married life together. Congratulations to our son and our new daughter-in-law! We are planning to have a reception here next summer when we can all hopefully gather together!

We are quarantined at home on the farm right now. I’m working from home and Craig has been furloughed for a month because of the Coronavirus pandemic. We are taking advantage of this time to catch up on some farm projects. Craig has been busy every day! So, even though this is a stressful time, we are making the best of it. Dusty is working from home in LA and we are constantly in contact to know all are safe there. It is especially hard to spend Easter weekend by ourselves rather than our usual family gatherings. We cancelled our plans to visit Dusty the end of April and hope we can reschedule later this summer. Maybe by June we can start to get back to “normal”. The cows, of course are fine and oblivious to our life changing times! We haven’t had a vet here to confirm pregnancies because of the virus concerns. Hopefully they are still pregnant! So, with prayers and hope, we will get through this together and continue our lives! Happy Easter to all!