Farm Transition

Despite having little rights, hardworking women and children were often the key to success for independent farms. For these small, family-run farms, the children were often the ones who helped work and manage the land. Women were often the backbone of a household, doing the housework, weaving, cooking, and raising large amounts of children. Women were practically required to bear many children over a lifetime in order to staff the farm to maintain the family’s livelihood.

I have worked on my family farm ever since I was fourteen years old. This is where I have gained my love of agriculture. My responsibilities include taking care of my show calves, working cattle, helping with harvesting and planting, and assisting my father with any other needs around the farm. The experiences I have gained through working on my family’s farm will help lead me through the rest of my life.

The Pitchfork Ranch is one of the most historic ranches in west Texas. The Pitchfork Ranch has been owned by the same family for more than a century. On December 13, 1883 the Pitchfork Ranch was bought with 52,500 acres of land in west Texas. It was started with 9,750 head of cattle. It’s the only ranch in west Texas that didn’t have to downsize during the Great Depression. Today the Pitchfork Ranch is spread over 162,000 acres in west Texas. It spreads over Dickens and King Counties (Nordyke). This paper will discuss various topics about the Pitchfork Ranch, from the history of it to how they work their horses, cattle, and everyday maintaining the ranch. The Pitchfork Ranch has many different kinds of income. Its main income comes from cattle, but they also have mineral rights to the land and they just recently started drilling oil. They also have 500 acres of farmland which they sale some of the crops but they mainly use it to feed the cattle crop every year. They also have a feedlot at the ranch headquarters. The feedlot is a necessity because they have over 5,000 head of calves every year, and it’s a lot more economical to feed them out on the ranch, instead of selling them for a lower price whenever they’re younger (Ranch). The Pitchfork has been in operation over one hundred years, and it has only been through seven ranch managers. The current ranch manager is Bob Moorehouse, he has been the manager since 1987. “I love this way of life, there is

The prospect of labor to earn money is a blessing for many people in the world. In the essay, “Work Is a Blessing” by Russel Honoré, the author makes a point that this prospect is vital for survival. Honoré starts his essay with a story from his past: “We grew cotton, sugar cane, corn, hogs, chickens and had a large garden, but it didn't bring in much cash. So when I was 12, I got a part-time job on a dairy farm down the road, helping to milk cows” (79). Readers can immediately infer that even if Honoré hated the job, it allowed him to help his family.

The new technology used in American agriculture made it overall more productive and widespread while creating mixed results for the farmers. The advancement in machines like reapers, threshers, and mowers to harvest grains produced contrasting outcomes. An obvious benefit was some of the ease brought to the farmers. The human labor involved in harvesting grain by hand with a scythe or by a simple, one horse-powered machine was far greater than harvesting with a big, multi-horse powered machine. The devices made work simpler, faster, and more efficient for the farmers by relying on animal energy and technology (Document D). With promises of larger crops with less exertion, the new machines became very desirable to farmers in order to stay in competition with their peers; however, buying these machines also pushed many of them into unfortunate financial situations. Not only was the actual

Ever since I was little, I’ve always wanted my own farm to live on, and make a living from. My grandpa passed away when I was about two

Growing up on a small family wheat farm in southwestern Oklahoma, I have experienced the harsh conditions of farming firsthand. The job that used to employ the largest amount of people in the United States has lost the support and the respect of the American people. The Jeffersonian Ideal of a nation of farmers has been tossed aside to be replaced by a nation of white-collar workers. The family farm is under attack and it is not being protected. The family farm can help the United States economically by creating jobs in a time when many cannot afford the food in the stores. The family farm can help prevent the degradation of the environment by creating a mutually beneficial relationship between the people producing the food and nature. The family farm is the answer to many of the tough questions facing the United States today, but these small farms are going bankrupt all too often. The government’s policy on farming is the largest factor in what farms succeed, but simple economics, large corporations, and society as a whole influence the decline in family farms; small changes in these areas will help break up the huge corporate farms, keeping the small family farm afloat.

“Last row of the day, let’s make it a good one!” our supervisor announces to an exhausted group of teenagers, “temporary agricultural workers” as we were officially titled. I psych myself up, roll down my sleeves around corn rash-ridden wrists, and put on my safety glasses and neon visor; it’s time to work. I begin my trek down the extensive stretch of lofty cornstalks, making minimum wage during my first job of corn detasseling.The sky looks ominous and gray. However, our supervisors tell us the storm will blow over, “so keep working.” Like lambs to the slaughter we believe them and had taken off our raincoats. The sound of tassels being ripped was masked only by quiet conversation. I made small talk to pass the time until I felt the first raindrop touch down.

Growing up on the family farm, riding with Dad or Grandpa in the combine, tractors, and trucks was my brothers’ and my favorite thing to do. We thought, the only thing that could get better is if we could operate the equipment just like them. When I was twelve years old, I was given the job of chopping corn stalks on a farm that wasn’t next to home. Stalk chopping (or shredding) is similar to mowing the lawn, used for breaking down corn stalk residue, using a full-size tractor with a PTO driven mower attachment. All went well until one afternoon when an accident occurred.

Father Boyle mentioned, “People want me to tell them success stories. I understand this. They are the stories you want to tell, after all” (Boyle 167). Many people think that living on a farm is so fun and easy

The farm is bountiful with fulfilling and perceptive belongings, it is the centerpiece of my families’ lifestyle. It’s where I grew up and learned about the world around, such as life, death and the hard work that it is to achieve the certain things that the most valuable in this life. The long lasting milking parlor with it’s coated on white walls and ceiling filled with dust and thin, stringy cobwebs filled with debris that has fallen from the level above that is used as a hayloft. The hayloft is filled to the brim with small square bales of dry golden, yellow straw and tightly packed, light green hay. The free stall barn attached to the parlor is filled with the aroma of freshly mixed feed for the milking cows and the barn is filled with

To complete my hours, I went on two trips to the farm. Our first task was to pick okra and I instantly realized why farmers are known to have tough hands. As a half hour into picking okra I had two large blisters on both my thumbs. After picking the okra we weeded the tomato garden. This is where I began to understand just how hard farming is, since weeding in the hot Texas is tiring. Once we were done weeding, Paul served us lunch of a fruit smoothie and kale salad. Once we got our lunch we all sat on his porch and discussed how Paul started farming and his views on industrialized food. Paul began farming because of his ex-wife, which I think made him regret farming as he talked about if he knew how hard farming was he would not have started his own farm business. However, he did have a passion for growing organic food as he believed the reason we are getting cancer is because of all the chemical in our food. After lunch was done he took us to see sheep and I was amazed at how many of them there were. We learned

A couple of my uncles and dad did not have any formal training to become farmers. They followed along and helped their fathers ever since they were allowed to do so. They all say that it is important to know how to solve math problems and read so you can keep up with the latest trends that are written in farm magazines. They also stated that knowing how to run a computer has helped them, keeping track of the farm operation.

Throughout this class I have learned more than I thought that I would. Not being from a ranch or farm, this class did not seem to pertain to me, but was the only one that I could fit. As the class began, I took a likening to the class atmosphere and the discussions that we had. In the discussions, everyone’s opinion was valued and the atmosphere allowed you to feel comfortable saying what you felt and while learning things, I also enjoyed the social aspect of the class. It was an important realization for me that just because I don’t come from a ranch or farm, learning about Home on the Range is important in becoming well rounded, no matter my major I am studying, also, it is my state’s history, which is important to know.

-“Oh, father” – answered the boy – “Can we keep the farm? I cannot just leave my friends. They need me”