Howdy y’all! Blogs are going to be on a bit different schedule this week… Today and Sunday!

Last month, on September 4th, Jazzy was laid to rest. She spent her last weekend partying at Kayla and Nick’s wedding dance with us dogs. She lived 12 wonderful years and fulfilled Marie’s lifelong dream of having an Old English Sheepdog. She will always be remembered for her sweet, patient personality, her love of children, and her joyful spirit. She was wonderful!

This week, we are busy preparing for the “13th Annual Kids and Cows Family Day” (For info please checkout Facebook). This event is open to all ages interested in learning more about showing beef cattle. We are bringing nine animals including one steer.

If you have any interest in learning about showing beef cattle, come check out the event.

I also have been assisting with building a wall in the barn for cart storage. It’s been quite entertaining! We are trying to get it done before it gets too cold so we can clean the area in full and polish all the carts and sleighs for winter.

Farmers’ Market season is over, but Sandy Acres Meats is always open by appointment so if you need or want any beef or lamb, please give Marie a call 715-579-2917. We raise the beef and lamb on our farm and have the meat processed locally. We are very flexible for appointments so never hesitate to call!

Until Sunday, have an amazing week!

Sincerely, Wally the trusted Border Collie

This week was fun and busy again! We are currently getting ready for “13th Annual Kids & Cows Family Day” that will be at the Barron County Fairgrounds on October 13th. We will be bringing eight animals from our farm to the event to join the other cattle there. This event is for kids of all ages and adults to learn about all aspects of showing beef cattle in a fun environment. Below is a link for more info:

https://www.facebook.com/events/151822735638552/?ti=ia

So why is this blog called howling in tune you ask? Well, I “sing” when I ride the gator sometimes. I sing to make the humans laugh, to entertain the dogs, and to burn off morning energy!

Watch this entertainment featuring Kayla as well!

Until next week, be awesome! See you next Friday!!

Yours Truly, Wally the Trusted Border Collie

Hey everyone! I’m so happy to be back! We will be doing more routine blogs now, so check back each Friday for more “Wally’s Farm Adventures”. Also, updates will be coming on the website as we continue to develop ideas here at Sandy Acres.

Just a couple short weeks ago, on September 1st, Kayla and Nick were married. Jax and Moose, their dogs, were a part of their wedding and everything!

It was a very exciting day! Jeff drove Kayla down to the aisle on a John Deere 4520 and Dancer came out to do some photos with Marie.

The wedding party had some fun!

Additionally, on the second Saturday in September was the Farm-City Day in Bloomer at Seibel Organic Dairy. Jeff and Marie took several animals including: sheep, goats, pig, donkeys, horse and Miniature Hereford.

In other news, this Saturday, September 22nd, we will be at The Playhouse in Eau Claire with our meat from 3pm-7pm. Come visit us!

Until next week, be awesome and have fun like me!

Sincerely, Wally the trusted Border Collie

My editor wants to apologize for continually delaying the release of this current blog! She is only a week away from her wedding, so she’s a bit side tracked. I’ve been ready for this to come out since Tuesday, but needless to say, it’s coming out later than that. It makes me put on my Border Collie smile and laugh a bit.

It’s been a busy summer with Brady and Tonya getting married Memorial Day weekend, then preparing for fairs, and now preparing for Kayla and Nick to get married Labor Day weekend!

We recently finished lambing for the summer! The lambs are sure cute!

My mom then headed to the Iowa State Fair with our four show beef last weekend. There are about 100 Miniature Herefords there so it was exciting for all of us to see how the heifers showed against other competition.

I always miss my mom while she’s away…Marie is my favorite human! However, I did get to have some fun while she was gone!!!

I helped haul bales of hay with Dad (Jeff) and Kayla one day, and I helped Erika do chores every day while Mom was gone! However, I was super excited when she got home Sunday night!

Summer is quickly passing and school is about to start for Kairi! However, we are still making summer memories!

So for some other news!!! Marie will be at the Chippewa Falls Farmers’ Market on Thursday, August 30th. Get some meat for your Labor Day Picnics. We are also available for farm pick up almost anytime by calling Marie 715-579-2917.

Kayla and Nick along with help from both of their families will be working this next week to get ready for their wedding next weekend! So, I should be back on Sunday, September 9th with a few photos of the occasion and some other news.

Kayla says I can resume writing regularly after her honeymoon and she promises she won’t forget to push publish! Until next time from all of us at Sandy Acres… Thank You! We can’t wait to connect again soon.

Oh, and one more fun thing… my friend, Moose, seems to think this is his personal swimming hole. He’s a funny guy!

Have a great couple of weeks!

Sincerely, Wally the trusted Border Collie

Hey everyone!!! It’s Wally here!! Last time I wrote, I was patiently awaiting the arrival of the trailer from the fair. After the fair was over and the animals were home, I was able to go to the fair and help pick up the camper with Jeff and Marie. It was nice to see where everyone had been for the week.

So much has happened since then! Hay is being made, lambs are being born, and calves are being born as well! Here’s a peak at the three calves that have been born recently!

So far we’ve had three calves recently this summer and thirteen lambs born over the past week!

As you can see, we are lucky to have an additional guest and helper this week! Bryanna, Marie’s great-niece, is visiting!

No matter how busy we get, we always make time for a little fun!

Kairi really enjoys helping and playing on the farm. Ohhhh and I also got to have fun playing with the water hose on multiple occasions lately (sadly, no one took pictures of me)! It was awesome to cool off while the humans were watering flowers and spraying down the floor of the shed.

A couple items of business… We have Katahdin Rams For Sale from spring lambing, so if anyone is looking for a nice ram, we have a few.

We also still have a few Boer Goats we’d like to sell this fall, so touch base with us if you might be interested.

Last but not least, Marie is at the Chippewa Farmers’ Market every Thursday from Noon to 6pm, please go check it out! As always, Sandy Acres Meats is open by appointment at nearly anytime by calling Marie 715-579-2917.

See you again soon!

Yours Truly, Wally the trusted Border Collie

This year’s fair came and went so fast that I’m finally publishing the blog on the final day of the fair! Two of our Miniature Herefords went to the fair for Junior Fair, Ava and Liberty. The other two, Matilda and Carly, went to join them on Friday for the Open Show over the weekend.

Julia had a wonderful time showing the two during the Junior show and she received first in Beginner showmanship with Ava.

Raylee and Jack showed on the weekend along with Julia and Marie. Ava accompanied both Raylee and Jack in Showmanship and was a very happy yearling heifer.

Kairi also hung out at the fair most of the week along with Marie, Jeff, and Kayla. Brady, Tonya, and Nick also spend time there!

With almost all my favorite people gone most of the week, especially my mom-Marie, I cannot wait for them to bring the cattle home tonight so I can spend some quality time with her.

Luckily, Erika and I stuck around the farm and got chores taken care of around here this week. Erika told me that everything was going well at the fair when she went to visit as well!

The next show that these animals will go to will be the Iowa State Fair next month!

Now, I will patiently wait for the trailer to arrive back home tonight so I can spend time with my family!

Until next week, Wally the trusted Border Collie

Ps-Marie will be at the Chippewa Farmers’ Market again this upcoming Thursday from noon-6pm.

Hey y’all! Happy Independence Day! I’m back! We’ve been busy getting ready for the fair, doing farm and field work, and helping family as their lives change as well! I will also be back next Friday after Marie and Kayla settle into the fair (they will send me pictures, wink wink). Plan on me coming with farm updates every week again.

First and foremost, today, I want to thank all the veterans and current military men and women as well as their families for their service to this country. They have sacrificed so much so we all can have the freedom we have. Thank you for all you do! I hope everyone has enjoyed a wonderful “Fourth of July” and celebrating Independence Day in the USA.

We are eagerly preparing for the fair next week and weekend with the cattle. Raylee and Jack, Jeff’s nephew’s children, will be showing beef at the fair this year for the first time. We are all super excited!

A new addition to Brady and Tonya’s family arrived since my last blog post! This makes Kairi a big sister to the new puppy, Kukes. The puppy comes to visit with his family and enjoys time with all us other dogs! We are a blast as you can imagine. I love having a new puppy friend!

This last photo is from this morning! The beef came running in as the rain began to fall! They are lucky to have luscious grass as well as a dry shelter to go to.

Marie will be back at the Chippewa Farmers Market next Thursday, July 12th. If you would like any meat between now and then (or any time), do not hesitate to contact Marie via phone 715-579-2917. We will gladly help you at the farm get your meat order!

Until next Friday! Warm wishes, Wally the trusted Border Collie

Hey y’all! Another week came to a close. My mom and dad, Jeff and Marie, work quite a lot, but this last weekend they took a trip!

Nick and Kayla joined them on the road trip. They visited Warm Springs Ranch in Boonville, Missouri which is the Budweiser breeding facility. They were able to see foals from this year, weanlings, yearlings, and so on, all they way to the mares having foals now. They learned that the hitches that travel the United States are comprised of geldings. Since they took the Private VIP Tour, they were able to spend time amongst the horses, learn all about the operation from their tour guide, Kirby, and even visit with one of the horses’ daily handlers while enjoyed a cup of Budweiser at the end of the tour.

After enjoying a day in Missouri, they traveled to Waterloo, Iowa. In Iowa, they toured the John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum. Since our farm and family is definitely John Deere fans, everyone enjoyed learning about the rich history of the John Deere tractor! Jeff uses these tractors and all their power to spend long hours in the field each growing season to till, plant, and harvest crops along with occasional help.

I missed my mom so much while she was gone! Luckily for me, I had a little girl to give me lots of love while they were gone. Kairi sure knows how to make a dog’s heart feel full!!

Until next week!

Yours Truly, Wally the trusted Border Collie

Hey Everyone!

This Thursday was the first time our farm and our meat was featured at the Chippewa Falls Farmers Market. Marie, Tonya and Kairi enjoyed the afternoon visiting with people and meeting other local farmers. I wasn’t able to attend, but I helped Kayla and Erika at the farm. I even rode in the truck that day while Jeff and Kayla loaded hay from the field. However, by the time mom (Marie) arrived home that evening, I was patiently awaiting her arrival, excited to hear how the afternoon went.

This week many cows along with their calves were moved to the lower shed which connects to the pasture. The calves were very excited! The cows will be bred for next spring calving now, as well.

We did a head count of calves and 24 miniature hereford calves have been born in 2018! We are still awaiting seven more births.

Friday afternoon, we finished our day with taking our show cattle on their first trailer ride. They did awesome! We want them to be familiar with this before we take them to the first show in a few weeks.

Mom says to remind y’all to go visit her every Thursday at the Chippewa Falls Farmers Market anytime noon to 6pm! She’d love to visit with you and hook you up with some beef or lamb for dinner.

Yours Truly, Wally the Trusted Border Collie

Hey Everyone! Happy Friday night!

Marie has the pleasure of taking care of her granddaughter, Kairi, each day while her parents are at work. This week, on Thursday, Jeff and Marie’s great niece, Raylee, came for the day to farm and also work with her show heifer.

Needless to say the pictures speak for themselves! I had a blast hanging out with the two girls while they did chores, led the beef, bottle fed the calf and lamb, and even shared their snacks with me! Yum!

In my opinion, there’s no one better to share the day on the farm with than a couple of fun girls!

In May, Kairi and some of my dog friends used to join Kayla (Jeff and Marie’s daughter) in the field. They always had a great time!

Raylee will be coming over once a week to spend time with her show heifer, so I’m gathering video clips and will soon show you a short movie of the girls and their adventures! I even had one captured of me helping them lead Peppa, the calf. So, I’ll be featured!

I hope everyone had a great week! I know I sure did!

See you next Friday!

Yours Truly, Wally the trusted Border Collie