Farm Tales and Cow Pies

They usually came when you called them—at least on their own terms. Some had familiar names
like Tippy, Toby, or Josie. Others answered to unforgettable monikers like Killer. Whatever they
were called, they were more than just farm animals. Some were part of the family.

Every farm pet had its own personality, quirks, and daily routine. They greeted us after school,
followed us to the barn, curled up on the porch, or ...

Today's guest is Vern Johnson, an equipment trader who's worn a lot of hats. From his family's dairy farm—where his dad famously tripled the herd in a single day—to more than 40 years of buying, selling, and trading equipment. Vern has collected stories that are as memorable as the
machines themselves.

He takes us back to the days of corn pickers, four bottom plows and long Iowa road trips. You'll...

He grew up with a passion for engines and today we are visiting with John Wangen, President of the Coulee Antique Engine Club. John grew up on a century dairy farm but was more interested in hauling milk than milking cows. Combining a 50+ year career in milk hauling with a 50 + year love for
collecting old stuff!

Join us as we learn how those seeds have blossomed into a 3 day show on 30 acres. Presented by a ...

Remember the cash from your first job? Did you make $1.70 or $3.00 per hour or $150 per month? Did you get an allowance for taking out the trash or feeding the calves? Cold hard cash would burn a hole in your pocket during the baby boomer years.

Whether your first job was walking beans, picking rocks or hoeing tobacco we’re going to uncover the intimate details. How did you make those jobs fun or at l...

From the hills of Chipmunk Ridge to the wide-open spaces of Texas. From the cornfields of Oakland, Minnesota to the vineyards of southern California. We’re joined by John and Scott who shot and saved single moments in the life of our farms. Join us as we expand our horizons.

Our guests take us on a flight with no checked bags. No TSA prechecks, no long lines or short tempers. Just 1,000-word memories ...

In a one room schoolhouse a teacher asked the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up. A doctor. A fireman. Will’s turn came and he answered – I want to be a farmer!

Today we’re switching it up a bit and sitting down with Dan’s neighbor Will. Raised on a ridgetop farm he went on to spend the next 45 years milking cows and farming over 800 acres. From the first bite of apple pie baked for ...

Neither rain nor sleet nor snow… we’re not talking mail delivery here, but spring planting for farmers. Timing is everything as farmers work against and with the clock and mother nature. The race to be first in the fields is on… with bragging rights and replanting options all on the table.

Sunday drives to see how the neighbors are doing gave Dad a rare chance to get away from the farm for a breather. Sunsh...

Where there’s a “Will” there’s a way! If you use a 2, 4, 6, 8 or 12 row planter the seed still goes in the ground 1 kernel at a time. Spring temps rise and the seed corn hats and jackets change hands and turn heads. Bags of seed are loaded on trucks and poured into boxes and hoppers. Wait a minute…

Before we start to plant we need to cover a few things. Like fields, with manur...

The whine of windmills, pumpjacks and electric pumps supply water to Rural Route addresses across the country. Simple math played out daily, if 5 gallons of water equals a gallon of milk. How much milk is produced by 50 gallons of water? Arriving in pipes and faucets from a well source up to
600’ below our familiar paths.

Available in multiple forms and transported by more. Ice cubes, summer rains and w...

Get the inside scoop on manure during this episode, while we clean the barn. Join fellow manure “spreaders” as we remember cleaning calf pens, scraping alleys and putting lime on the alleyway and not in the coconut!

Manure is on the move with pitchforks, manure shovels and barn cleaners. Oscar and Ole get stuck on the barn roof and George Costanza gives us a refreshing definition. We were carefu...

Snow had a way of stopping time! Every kid knew the signs before adults said a word. The forecast was for 4-6 more inches with the possibility of a “Snow Day”! We shot downstairs in the morning, turned on the TV and celebrated or groaned depending on the scroll.

Winter felt bigger back during the baby boomer years. The snow was deeper and the cold was colder. We didn’t care as we grabbed our fa...

A Rose is a Rose – unless she’s a Ross or an Otis or a Mulligan. Some cows had names as unique as their personalities. Others had numbers and chains, but they were all a part of our herds growing up on dairy farms during the baby boomer years.

Beauty contests with Miss Alaskow and Miss Moo Jersey kept us entertained while doing our daily chores. We look back on some of the records we recorded for milk producti...

The winds howled as Dad crawled back into bed. The radio forecast crackled a tune of 20 below with a good chance of more snow as he pulled the covers over his head. A slow thaw occurred after his midnight stroll where he fed the furnace, checked the milkhouse heater and stacked a couple more bales on the pumphouse door.

It was January on the farm with no trips down south on the horizon. A season of frozen drinking cups, cold m...

Cold temps + high humidity = Case weather. Tobacco leaves hung in sheds waiting to be stripped in the warmth of the barn. The cows chewed their cud as another bale was stacked in the corner ready for the Tobacco Pool.

“Cat’s in the Cradle” played on the radio as we wrapped up chores and stripped another bundle of leafy garland. We wrapped up one year as the next one waited in the wings. The Mar...

SPOILER ALERT – of course we talk about Santa – enough said! Magical times of Christmas return as we remember tinsel, favorite toys and an extra scoop of feed for the cows on Christmas Eve. Lots of family time with holiday foods and fun as we celebrate the reason for the season!

Was your Christmas tree from the farm or a trip to town? Did you tell your siblings where the presents could be found? Hurry up as we take...

We have a lot to chew on in this episode. As the rhythmic click, click, click of the planter echoes in the background. Your tobacco allotment required lots of hard work by hand. Transplanting, hoeing and topping were only the beginning, as this “tubby” crop was truly a family affair!

By mid-June that steady planter clicking could lull you into a trance. And for the next 60 days the tobacco required constant attenti...

What was the color of your favorite farm tractor? Red, orange, green, yellow or blue…who knew the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was hooked up to a tractor! Was the first tractor you drove a letter – B, C or H – or a number 50, 60 or 300?

Horsepower was key as the 4 wheels replaced the 4 legs of your horse on the farm. Let’s dust off the as we fire up your memories of farm tractors during the ba...

The oil is boiling as Mom slides the donuts into their 375 degree bath. The smell of baking bread drifts upstairs pulling you out of bed. But DON’T JUMP around the oven as you race into the kitchen or the bread will…! We’re back with a couple more courses along with a few desserts.

Mounds of mashed potatoes and gravy in TV dinners and from our gardens were devoured as we watched the Walto...

Pickled herring and pickled pigs feet, stuff of nightmares or tasty treats. Watermelon chilled all day in the tank. Hot sweet corn slathered with butter fresh from the field. Meat and potatoes seven days a week. We’re diving in teeth first recalling the food that made us who we are today.

Pour a cup of coffee or grab a glass of milk. We have sandwiches with cheese, bologna or weisswurst. Chicken noodle sou...