Small Acts, Big Harvests

We turn a tense roadside rescue into a reflection on gratitude, then dive into building a duck pond, rethinking fertilizer strategy with strip-till and planter placement, and guiding our kids through 4-H projects. The theme is simple: choose joy, serve neighbors, and farm with intention.

• community response to a runaway dog on a blind curve
• reframing lateness as divine timing and gratitude
• building a moving-water duck pond with winter plans
• navigating too many drakes and humane choices
• shifting away from fall nitrogen and broadcast dry
• benefits of strip-till, autopath, and root-zone placement
• kids’ show cattle, daily chores, and 4-H lessons
• closing takeaways to find joy and do a good deed

Find us on all of the socials at farmersgreatestasset
Send us a message
We love hearing from you
farmersgreatestasset@gmail.com
And remember, it is a good day to have a great day

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:12

The Farmer's Greatest Asset Podcast. We believe the Farm's Greatest Asset is the Farmer. Their knowledge, experience, mind, and health. Well, welcome to the podcast. I'm Jesse.

SPEAKER_00 0:37

And I'm Dr. Leah.

SPEAKER_01 0:39

So here we are again.

SPEAKER_00 0:42

Thursday morning.

Gratitude And Divine Timing

SPEAKER_01 0:43

Running a little late. Story of our life, right?

SPEAKER_00 0:47

Well, I guess maybe I want to look at it differently. Like, this is the time that worked for us. And instead of like, we're running late, I'm gonna say, this is divine timing and exactly when we needed to be doing this.

SPEAKER_01 1:02

There you go. There's a blessing in everything, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:05

Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

It's a blessing in disguise.

Community On A Dangerous Curve

SPEAKER_00 1:07

Yes, so many blessings every day. So many. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

So we did our good deed for the day.

SPEAKER_00 1:13

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

Help the neighbor.

SPEAKER_00 1:15

Well, and you know, isn't that really kind of what it's all about? Building community.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 1:22

And there was a little cute little wiener dog out on the road. And what I want to say is thank you to everybody who tried to stop and help, called or messaged. Like people were very concerned that our pet was out there on the road. And although it was not our pet, I would be frantic if my pet was out there and everybody was just whizzing on by. So I'm grateful to everybody that slowed down and stopped and tried to help catch our quote unquote our pet, um, who has belonged to the neighbors, but anyway around it, um, people were really willing to like put their lives out there on the line.

SPEAKER_01 2:08

Right. So we live on a fairly busy road, and it is on a curve.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

A steep curve. I mean, it's like banked.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

The curve that takes basically a 90 degree turn.

SPEAKER_00 2:22

And it's not safe to stop on at all.

SPEAKER_01 2:28

Just it was a little scary out there at points. So we're busy, and the fact that one, it was time for everybody to go to work. Right. Also, we have the fertilizer plant that a lot of trucks come by here, so it is constant after tanker, after tanker. There goes one now. It is just non-stop because it is 'tis the season, right?

SPEAKER_00 2:51

Right.

SPEAKER_01 2:51

Um, and they they are plentiful. And we had a couple ladies, God bless them, they wanted to help, literally stopped on the curve. And I just I was just like, let's just not park on the curve. How about that?

Joy In Daily Moments

SPEAKER_00 3:07

Yeah, like we don't need you to get hurt trying to catch this beautiful little creature. So, and you know, it was just scared because it was out yesterday and ran off and no one found it, and then was out there, like literally on the road.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

Right. He had said he had just got it, so it was yeah, freaked out.

SPEAKER_00 3:32

Yeah, totally freaked out, the poor little thing.

SPEAKER_01 3:34

Semi zimming by and it it would sit on the shoulder. There's not much of a shoulder here, like maybe 12 inches, maybe a foot, and the semis just howling by and it just look at him and cower and poor puppy. Anyway, we found caught the puppy, and everyone's safe, she's home.

SPEAKER_00 3:53

Thank you, everyone who tried to stop. I think it says a lot for humanity that you everyone was willing to slow down, take a breath, you know. Even the semis, if they saw it, were slowing way down. And so I think that that's all goodness.

SPEAKER_01 4:13

It was a lot of good hearts out there.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

Yeah. So good way to start the day. And it's been a beautiful morning. The sunrise was absolutely gorgeous. Of course, you know, I haven't seen a sunrise I didn't think was gorgeous.

SPEAKER_01 4:28

Right.

Building The Duck Pond

SPEAKER_00 4:28

Or sunset for that matter, or blue sky, or any of that. So that being said, it's it's definitely I one of the things I'm really focusing on, you know, with this, you know, slow down time is finding the joy in every day, like in my everyday life, whether it be the sunrise, the sunset, sharing a little time with one of the kids or with you. Um, yesterday, my joy was a duck pond.

SPEAKER_01 5:02

We built a duck pond. And I'm gonna say I'm a little impressed with myself.

SPEAKER_00 5:09

So the duck pond is looking good. We are probably 80% done.

SPEAKER_01 5:15

I'm afraid of what I have done, though.

SPEAKER_00 5:17

Oh, don't worry. I have big plans for our front yard. And now I'm thinking like that was so so easy. We put that in in no time.

SPEAKER_01 5:27

I showed you how easy it actually was and our capabilities.

SPEAKER_00 5:30

Yeah, we may have ponds all over.

SPEAKER_01 5:34

So we bought the pond liner because the ducks need a pond, because now they're just inside with little pans of water and they make a total mess. So we bought the pond liner, and we're like, well, let's put a little waterfall in.

SPEAKER_00 5:55

The waterfall was totally you.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

Well, so I want to keep the water moving, you know, keep a circulating one to keep it from freezing, and then just keep it cleaner.

SPEAKER_00 6:06

Right. And our plan is to put a heater in there so we they can use it almost all winter.

SPEAKER_01 6:11

Right. So naturally I saw the pump and I was like, okay, the cascading waterfall, okay, here we go. We did it. It's the pretty cool little duck pond out there by the duck and chicken coop.

SPEAKER_00 6:24

So we are getting so close to letting them out on in the run. So it isn't, you know, it is it's definitely the run is definitely Steffen's Meyer's size.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

We do not mess around.

SPEAKER_00 6:40

So, and it was from when I raised dogs, and um, so we had the dog run out there because I wanted my dogs to get exercise every day. So they were out running around all day. But um, so we had it there and we are converting it now into a chicken and duck run so they can get out and dig in the dirt and we can have really amazing eggs. So we have a nice duck pond out there, and it's we're getting really close. I think in the next couple days we'll get them out there.

SPEAKER_01 7:14

We also realized that when we ordered the ducks, they couldn't order sexed ducks ducks, and now we have six drakes.

Too Many Drakes, Tough Choices

SPEAKER_00 7:27

Like we were watching the ducks, and and it's really Lucy's project, so I just was hands-off because I know a lot of times I can just come in and take over, and I didn't want that for her. But yesterday I was like, those ducks are huge, they're huge, it's a large breed, and I was like, and they are awful pretty. So I just, you know, took a picture and Googled it, and sure enough, they are drakes. So we ordered eight of one kind and seven of another, and six of the eight are drakes. So now what? Right. I know what I want to do. I think what I want to do and what you want to do are two different things.

SPEAKER_01 8:15

Um I actually like to eat duck, so I want to butcher the ducks. And nobody else wants to butcher the duck.

SPEAKER_00 8:23

So I would be fine with eating the ducks if you wanted to butcher the ducks.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

I also have said I don't miss butchering chickens, and I don't ever want to do it again. So here we are with six ducks that probably should be.

SPEAKER_00 8:40

At least we haven't even gone through the other breed, have we? Did you look at that?

SPEAKER_01 8:44

Maybe we could call Paul and Anita and they can have their little experience.

SPEAKER_00 8:49

They would probably come up for that.

SPEAKER_01 8:53

Uh shoot.

SPEAKER_00 8:55

So I would be okay helping. I cannot put an animal down. I I cannot do that.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

So we have not decided what we want to do with those. We could take them to the sale barn because they do sell a lot of outside items like that. Um, or we could butcher them.

SPEAKER_00 9:15

I think we that's my vote. Take them to the sale barn.

SPEAKER_01 9:19

I want to butcher them, but we'll see. So we got that going for us.

SPEAKER_00 9:27

One more thing.

unknown 9:29

Right.

SPEAKER_00 9:31

It's all good. So what's going on on the farm?

SPEAKER_01 9:36

Well, still trying to finish a little tillage and finishing up soil samples. Trying to get that done so we can make a plan for next year.

SPEAKER_00 9:47

So that'd be good.

SPEAKER_01 9:50

Our fertilizer program, we have changed from doing all fall broadcast dry fertilizer. Um we are not doing any nitrogen this fall. Used to in the past, do all dry fertilizer broadcast, uh, put on our anhydris in the fall, and we are completely changing that program.

SPEAKER_00 10:14

Well, it's been a somewhat slow transition.

Strip-Till, Tech, And Placement

SPEAKER_01 10:18

I mean, we've done it over a few years, but we had a strip till bar a couple years ago. Um, and that was when we were still doing dry fertilizer and anhydris. So it was set up to do with twin bins, so you could do map or dap or both, or potash and map or dap and anhydris all at the same time. So I really liked that capability in that we could dial in all three products because you could variable rate all three at the same time. You were creating a strip to plant on, and you were doing your tillage all at the same time. And I really liked that. Uh, that was also right when I got hurt. So the next following fall, I was unable to be in a tractor, so we used it, um, but then we literally changed our program. So we sold that strip-till bar. So now we would like to go back to a strip till bar because I know there is benefit to one making the strip and planting on that strip. Also, we have autopath in all of our equipment, and that is key. Oh man, I love that. We farmed some farms that are on contours on hillsides, and that first strip, that first pass that we made with the strip till bar, you transfer that to the planter tractor, and it was awesome. I didn't even touch the steering wheel, and it just drove it even around terraces, terrace risers. It was awesome. So, with all the technology that we have, that really helps. Um, so then the fertilizer placement. That it that was the whole reason I wanted to go to strip till in the first place was just placing that fertilizer there.

SPEAKER_00 12:08

Better avail better availability for the the plant.

SPEAKER_01 12:11

Put it where it needs it.

SPEAKER_00 12:12

Right. When it needs it.

SPEAKER_01 12:14

Right. So fast forward now. We are putting more on with the planter versus pre-plant, um, but still it's all going in the root zone. So it's more readily available. So we're shopping around and looking to see what we could do for a strip till bar. Can we build one? That's what we're doing right now.

SPEAKER_00 12:40

Another big thing that happened this week, hen you and Henry went and picked up his heifers.

SPEAKER_01 12:48

Got his show heifers here.

SPEAKER_00 12:50

And weaned calves. So the girls have their heifer and steer.

SPEAKER_01 12:56

Have their show heifer and steer here as well.

SPEAKER_00 12:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:59

Back to back to chores at home.

SPEAKER_00 13:03

That's good. Good projects for them. Henry's really excited about his heifers. Um, and Lizzie's really excited about her steer, who seems to be calm.

SPEAKER_01 13:15

Yeah. He they've been here two, three days now, and he'll just stand at the fence. You can walk up and scratch on him, and um yeah, so it'll be good. Perfect steer for Lizzie.

SPEAKER_00 13:28

Yeah. Lucy's doing a heifer. She does not want to do steers ever again. Just because she gets so attached to them, loves them so much. Understandably, um, it's hard for her to part with them like that. She feels better when they go back out to pasture. 4-H projects starting. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:52

Why do we always choose not the hardest or most difficult, but the biggest project? The Stefan's Meyer way, right?

SPEAKER_00 14:03

Well, I I think that we just are not scared of a challenge.

SPEAKER_01 14:09

That is for sure.

SPEAKER_00 14:11

I I think that it is a good way for them to learn so many things. Not that you have to have beef to do that. I think that there are so many kids learning wonderful things through 4-H in their own unique way. This is how we chose to do it. And Henry loves show cattle. I mean, we started with hogs.

SPEAKER_01 14:32

We actually started with cattle.

SPEAKER_00 14:33

Cattle and hogs. This was kind of what he honed in on and the girls honed in on. So And you really have a strict no goats or sheep rule. Yeah. Totally. So that gets you down to hogs or cattle.

SPEAKER_01 14:52

I told Henry he could do sheep, but I ain't touching them. I ain't doing it. But yeah, now the kids have chores, so they have responsibilities and another more responsibilities.

SPEAKER_00 15:04

They always have responsibility. Yes. Valuable lessons.

SPEAKER_01 15:10

So the takeaway for today is look for the blessings in everything, like we always say. And even the littlest gesture of helping our neighbor catch their new dog is it's a good deed. Go out and do a good deed today.

SPEAKER_00 15:27

And find the joy in the everyday. I think I'm that's gonna be on repeat for me. That's where I'm what I'm trying to really focus on and encourage other people to do.

SPEAKER_01 15:40

So thanks for listening. As always, we love hearing from you. Find us on all of the socials.

SPEAKER_00 15:46

At farmersgreatest asset.

SPEAKER_01 15:49

Send us a message. We love hearing from you.

SPEAKER_00 15:52

At farmersgreatestasset at gmail.com.

SPEAKER_01 15:56

And remember, it is a good day.

SPEAKER_00 15:58

To have a great day. Bye.