Harvest is Officially Underway

Harvest has officially begun on the Pagel farm. Which means that I'm tired and not going to write a very good blog. I hear it's supposed to rain sometime this week so maybe I can get a good one wrote then. For now the three 'S' are more important. Shower, Supper, Sleep. A blog will be forthcoming with all the harvest escapades in it. Hope you have a great week!

WOTUS-Ditch the Rule!

Issues week. So many of us are faced with issues everyday of our life. Some out of our control. In a world filled with all sorts of regulatory controls, we are often bombarded with what we can legally do an not do. As producers of the world's food supply, we are regulated. In a political year such as we're in right now, some issues are brought to the forefront, others shoved under the rug.

One issue that you may not have heard about, but is a HUGE issue for not only farmers but everybody! The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are trying to protect our waters. In 1972, our waters were polluted and not safe. Congress passed the Clean Water Act. This act protected the interconnected water system. It understood that when dumping pollutions in streams, everything flowed downstream. So we're all downhill from something. In that time 1 in 3 Americans got their drinking water from these types of streams that were very polluted. Water isn't just essential for drinking, it is also has a large part to do with our nation's economy. Farmers and ranchers need water to grow the crops and livestock that feed the world. Manufactures need water to make everything. Energy makers need it to produce power for our homes. Then let's talk about the recreational uses for water. More than $640 billion is spent in consumer spending each year. The jobs that are associated with that is about 6 million. The Clean Water Act has produced some confusion about which waters are protected under this act. Hence the reason that the EPA is now proposing this new rule. Many think that this will broaden EPA's regulations. According to the EPA's website, "...that's simply not the case. Our proposed rule will not add to or expand the scope of waters historically protected under the Clean Water Act. In the end--the increased clarity will save us time, keep money in our pockets, cut red tape, give certainty to business, and help fulfill the Clean Water Act's original promise: to make America's water fishable and swimmable for all." (www.epa.gov/uswaters)

So that was all EPA's take on their new rule they are proposing. Let's take a different view of it. This view is from the National Association of Counties (www.naco.org). The new definition of waters that are covered would expand the range of waters. EPA is proposing taking out the world navigable. That means any puddle on your land could be regulated by the EPA. Even if it only filled with a heavy rainfall. According to this new rule there would be more waters federally protected and subject to the new rules. It would increase the number of county owned ditches. Meaning the ditch would have to be maintained by the counties and will lead to "cumbersome, time-consuming and expensive" maintenance of said so called ditch. Permits would have to be obtained in order to do a lot of this. A backlog of permits pertaining to the Clean Water Act already exists. If succeeding in taking out the world navigable, this number will exponentially grow. The current backlog of between 15,000-20,000 permits and takes and average of 2-3 years to obtain a permit. Can you imagine what it would be like if you had to obtain a permit for every little thing? If this rule goes through, more projects will be required to have permits. Which means the backlog will increase making it virtually impossible to get a permit.

The rest of this information is from http://ditchtherule.fb.org/. A lot of this information is directly quoted from their question and answers page. I encourage all of you to visit it and thoroughly look over the information. This is going to be structured much like their page is. Visit the website!

What will be different under the proposed rule?
Previously the word 'navigable' was in the definition. The proposed takes that world out. The result would include "ditches, small ponds and even depressions in fields and pastures that are only wet when there is heavy rain." Permits would have to be acquired to do daily things such as building fences, using pesticides, many other routine farming activities. Permits aren't guaranteed and with the backlog the chances of getting a permit is slim to none.

Not a farmer? Think you don't need to concern yourself with this? Think again! Do you enjoy planting trees? Using weed control on your lawn or flowers? Thinking about building a new house? All of these activities are far from guaranteed if this rule is implemented. Under this new rule, "nearly every drop of water that falls would be regulated by the federal government-the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

So, farmers have to get permits. What's so bad about that?
We've talked about the backlog of permits now, let alone with this new rule. Farmers cannot wait 6 or more years to get a permit. These activities (building fence, applying fertilizer, pulling weeds and spraying for weed and insect control) have to take place when they need to happen, not wait for regulations! "Ultimately, EPA will have control to deny a discharge permit and, in doing so, to restrict a farmer's ability to farm". We haven't even talked about the increase paperwork that is associated with this. So why not just do it and hope to not get caught? Penalties include "up to $37,500 per violation PER DAY-and maybe be enforced by EPA, the state or even interested citizen groups." PER DAY!! Can you imagine that? We couldn't afford one day, let alone multiple days and we all know it wouldn't be resolved in a single day! And even interested citizen groups could regulate this? What do they know about what we do every day of our lives?

"Is it possible to do even more to protect water quality? Yes, of course, and Congress has determined that the best way to do that is by strengthening the state-led programs that promote best practices for agriculture and other land uses, not through federal regulation that stifles those activities."

So how do you get involved so that this rule does not go through? Visit http://ditchtherule.fb.org/ to learn more. There's a "Take Action" tab to click on. Go to your local Farm Bureau and sign a postcard making sure this does NOT happen. More questions? I loved to hear from you in the comment section. This is a huge issue not just affecting farmers and ranchers. It affects YOU to. Make sure you make your voice heard so EPA knows they cannot push ridiculous things like this through. Another little item that I neglected to mention. EPA doesn't have to take this through Congress. Congress will NOT vote on this. It's entirely up to the American public to make sure that this doesn't happen. Now, that I say that, our Congressman are doing what they can to make sure this doesn't happen. But we need to do our part! Don't be complacent about this!

Hope you have a great week! And remember! Make your voice heard...this will affect you!

Change

Change is usually not easy. Many resist change. And sometimes change happens and you just go with it and make the best of it.

Matt and I were given an opportunity for me to apply for a job at our local FSA (Farm Service Agency). We were both happy with our current situation; however, this job would be a pay raise. With our goal of being debt free before having kids this would decrease that happening from 100 years to about 95 years. Okay, that was a lot of sarcasm. So neither of us was sure about whether to apply or not, so Matt suggested I apply and see where it goes. So I did. Next, I received a call to interview. So Matt and I decided I would and see where it went. The morning after the interview I got a call offering me the job. So after a lot of thinking we decided to accept the job. It is a full time temporary job. It's only through March. Unless the government runs out of money before then, then I'll be let go before then. Or the time could be extended. I'm full-time, but on a compressed schedule. This means I work eight 9 hours day, one 8 hour day and have a day off in the pay period.

You're probably thinking this isn't a big deal. Most of America has full time jobs. However, for Matt and I this is a HUGE deal. Matt and I have been married for 11 months and 3 days. We work with each other every day. We talk hourly, if not more, every day. We can go on date nights or date days whenever we want. Rainy days we can sleep in. I'm 22 years old and have NEVER sat in one place for 9 hours straight. I grew up on a family farm and have always been very active. My first day of work, my body ached when I got home from sitting all day. After the first week in our temporary new life I have been more motivated to exercise than I have ever been before, so it's not all bad. Matt and I have been adjusting to being apart and not talking all day. I don't know how you all do it. I miss him so much. I've been doing a lot of filing in the first week which is fairly boring, but it will get better.

Well, that's about all the information about the change in our lives. We're fall calving cows right now. We've been having lots of twins. We don't let the cows raise twins. So that means we have a lot of bottle calves. But, with normal calving operations, we've lost a few for various reasons so we've used a few of them on them and are in the process of getting the cows to adopt the babies.

Okay, so that's about all I've got. Sorry about the shortness and probably let down for not very exciting change news for most, but for us having a full time job is a BIG change that we're still adjusting to. We'll get there.

Hope you all have a great week!

Twins week!

Sunday, sunday, so good to me. It's been a week of twins on our operation. I've been remembering to take lots of pictures so enjoy!

This is some of our fall cattle. Just showing how calm the cattle are. We were cleaning the waterer out so it would be clean for them. 

Do I have a spoiled dog or what? She got Sonic! It was just water, but still!!

Matt thought he could cross here. Obviously not. Made for a good laugh when I went and pulled him out though. 

The first of our twin filled week. We are officially fall calving.  I went and checked them one night. Tagged this baby and everything was good. Went back the next morning and she had another one. So we took this for a spare. 

Twin number 2. Checked cows one night and she had one and was having another. It was getting dark so we brought this one in. I was on babysitting duty and the bugs were biting really bad so I brought her into the bathroom. 

And twin number 3 with Abilene. The first couple calves she wasn't sure about riding in the pickup with. By not sure I mean she road on one side of me while the calf ran on the other side. 

Eventually, they both started getting used to each other. And rode on the same side together. 

Both of the twins in the morning. Matt was fixing their bottles to feed them and I was babysitting on the porch with Abilene. 

Some people have dogs, but Matt has calves. They were running all over the deck playing. 

Full pickup. 2 calves, Abilene and myself. They all rode very nicely.

If you look very closely, that's Matt reading directions. That's all I have to say about this picture, just a man reading directions. Didn't know if there was any other picture in the world with a man reading directions. Wanted to document it. 

This week Margaret and I picante sauce. Margaret had a whole bunch of tomatoes so we made picante sauce. I don't have the recipe right now, but I'll put it in a future blog.

That's all I have for this week! Hope you have a great week!