Our Christmas Present

Last night Bethany wanted to go and check on the "momma" cows. We had one that was looking like she would deliver any minute. Dad had gone out and checked a few hours earlier, but Beth insisted. Once again, she was right! We found her out in the woods beginning to labor. We stood around and watched for a long time. While we were watching we could hear a sort of a moan/mooing that she was making. I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure that a few times I even heard some of the other cows moan with her. It is amazing to me how social they can be. There were several times that she would begin to pace to ease the pains and the other cows would follow.

Even though we wanted to stay and watch the whole thing, we had to get our two babies in the bed so we left the momma cows to do what they were made to do. When we got up this morning we called Dad. He said that he had gone back out there around two that morning and the calf had already been born. So we bundled up and took John Luke and Sayleigh out to see our "Christmas" calf. (I can't be sure that she was, in fact, born on Christmas day, but I'm choosing to think that way.) Both the momma and the calf are doing great!

In church this morning we sang Away in a Manger.  In one of the verses it talks about the cattle lowing and I couldn't help but think about that momma laboring last night and the gentle lowing that she was making. Having helped Bethany through the birth of both of our children, I know the importance of having moral and emotional support there for the mom. I can only imagine that as Mary was laboring, she was comforted by the animals that were there. I thank God for these experiences. They draw me and my family closer to Him. This Christmas was made a little more special by the birth of a Christmas calf and God using that to remind me of what He has done for us, His children. Merry Christmas!

-Will

To see more pictures of the "Christmas" calf visit our website. http://www.butterfieldfarm.net/

Come on out!

Over the past several months we’ve talked to our family and friends about the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) concept and our hope to involve our friends in the family farm.  Until now there really haven’t been many opportunities for our friends to be involved.  That’s all about to change…

Many folks would think that there’s not a lot going on during the winter months, but we’re actually quite busy.  Over the next 3 months (actually starting any day!) calves will be born at the Homeplace farm.  Our ryegrass/clover pastures at Flagon Pasture are looking great, and the yearling calves are happy and growing under the watchful eyes of one of our more experienced “Momma Cows”.  Feeding, checking fences, building water facilities, still more fences, and on and on.

My point is, come on out! Call the farm and we’ll get together on times to come out and see what’s happening, take some pictures, get an up-close look at a cow or calf and let the kids (and maybe some adults too!) see what “life on the farm” is all about.
-John

Grandpa's Stories #2

Another installment of the memoir of Ivan Butterfield, told in his own words. Each story is a continuation of the last, so be sure to read the previous "Grandpa's Stories" post to refresh your memory.


Driving Ms. Eva
    ...For some reason, I don't remember anything about Mother and my sister Mary (who was three years older) until after we had moved to the Frazier place.  They must have been moving small things in our Patterson touring car, although you could have moved larger things in it cause it was huge!  Dad always seemed to be in charge of the upkeep of the roads around our place and since tractors were scarce as hen's teeth, Dad used the car to tow the wooden drag that he used to keep the road smooth.  On occasion, he allowed me to ride on the drag, that is until Mother found out and that ended that!

     There was a lady that lived one mile north of us with her aged mother.  She was so large that when she talked Dad into taking her to Diagonal to shop (which she did periodically) Dad had to help her in and out of the car and she actually broke the rear springs of the car on whatever side she sat on.  Her name has just come to me--Eva Bodie.  Anyway, one time we were taking her to town when another very old lady came out and flagged us down.  We were probably traveling about 20-25 miles per hour when she stopped us and told Dad there was a snake under her house.  Dad went over, found and killed the rattlesnake, and we went on to town.  We broke so many springs on that car that Mother finally put her foot down and told Dad he would have to tell Eva that if she wanted to go to town by car, she would have to buy her own.  I don't remember if she did or not.  I do remember that Dad, Mother, Mary and I went to her house one day and she told Dad that she couldn't find her mother.  Eva was so large she could hardly walk, to say nothing of getting through the door which, by the way, Dad had already made larger for her, so Dad went out to the barn to look for her mother.  He found her dead in the corn crib.  Apparently she must have been out doing chores and had a heart attack or else just died of old age!...

   Grandpa's story pauses here and moves on to another subject.  He does not speak again of Ms. Eva.  While some of you may find this ending shockingly abrupt, I find that the abruptness is what makes the story so interesting and even humorous.  Most of Grandpa's stories share this bluff, forthright attitude.  His frank descriptions of everyday depression era life are endearing and make me want to read more.  I hope you share the same sentiments!  

   P.S. I know this story has nothing to do with the current Christmas season, but it was next in line.  I'm searching for a Christmastime story from Grandpa.  If I find one, I'll be sure to break out of the timeline and share it with you!  Merry Christmas!

-Bethany

Endangered Human Species

As an educator, I encounter a diverse group of children as well as their parents on a daily basis. Through my interactions with a variety of people in the last few weeks, I have had my values and expectations for my students questioned. Those who know and love me despite my immediate emotional reactions understand that this has really bothered me and as a result, I have been thinking quite a bit about it. During one of my reflections on my home from UA last night, I recalled not only all the things that make me who I am, but also more importantly all of the people who have helped mold me into the person I am. Then I thought of a recent lesson with my students on the “Endangered Human Species.”


The endangered human species are those people who are becoming rarer and rarer with each passing day. Two particular groups of people intrigued my students: those who stay on the line when they have dialed the wrong number just to apologize for doing so and those children who would rather read than play video games. I am proud to say that I can fit into both of those “endangered species” only because of my parents and the Butterfield family who showed me the way. “Butterfields” are endangered species. It is not often in today’s society that you find a family like ours. We are family who holds their values dear and devotes themselves to teaching others the benefits of hardwork, dedication, service, and above all devotion to our Savior.

It is my desire to serve as a good role for not only my children, but also for all children. I believe our family can take “Butterfields” off the endangered species list by continuing to serve the Lord and others. Thank you to each person who has shown me what it means to be a Butterfield!

~Jen

"The little engine that could"

During the recent hay-cutting season, John and I talked alot about aquiring another tractor to expedite the process.  Cutting and raking, raking and baling, baling and moving, well you get the picture.  Miss Rita said "go buy you a tractor".  But I didn't want just any tractor.  Then I began to think about Dad.  When we bought the farm back in the early 70's, Dad bought a Ford 8N tractor that we used to clear land, move things, plow...you name it.  Well, oddly enough, every time I thought about aquiring an antique tractor, I thought about Dad, and I liked that feeling.Well, like Eddie always says, "when he gets something in his head...". I began to search the country for a Ford 8N tractor to refurbish and work on the farm.  I looked at tractors in Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, but none were exactly right.  Then, one of my guys at work found one for sale, right around the corner.  So last Friday, Bob Sr. and I picked up the newest addition to the Butterfield Farm and Rita's Ranch Family...a 1948 Ford 8N tractor, Serial Number 7775.

Is he a little rough around the edges? Does he need a little TLC?  Don't we all?  People have asked me if this little tractor can handle the rigors of life on the farm, and keep up with the 50+ hp  four wheel drives of today?  Since we bought this little tractor, I am reminded of a story Mom used to read us.  The book was titled "The little engine that could" by Watty Piper. It is an excellent story of optimism, courage and hope.  Plus it's only 48 pages long...my kind of book. I highly recommend it.

Can we turn this 62 year old tractor into a viable member of the farm?  "I think I can, I think I can"

Say hello to the newest member of the family "I-van".
.
Uncle Chuck

Grandpa's Stories

Our Dad (Ivan Woodrow Butterfield) was born on his family’s farm in Tingley County Iowa in 1915. His time spent on the farm in the years leading up to and during the Great Depression had to be tough. I believe that the lessons learned during that time helped him to develop (and pass on) the hard work, never give up, I can do anything attitude that our family tries to live up to. 

We lost Dad to an accident in 1990. But it is amazing how much his influence is felt by our entire family on a daily basis. 

We wanted to share with you, our friends,  the Dad we knew. Dad used to hand out a little business card that stated his name and the phrase “ If you haven’t met me, you haven’t missed much… But if you haven’t met Jesus, you’ve missed everything.  We’ll Dad, I believe that you were only half right, those who hadn’t met you did miss quite a lot.

In truth, Grandpa was the title he really loved, so that’s how we’ll refer to him as we share his stories, stories he wrote. Anyone who knew Grandpa knew that he loved a good story. In his latter years, Grandpa realized the importance of recording his story. Recalling his “life on the farm” as a young boy to traveling to Louisiana to support his family, Grandpa made audio recordings that were later transcribed for our family to share.  Through blog posts and a new section of the web site, we’ll be sharing a story each month in Grandpa’s own words that will give you a peek at the Grandpa we knew and still love.

By the way… If you don’t know Jesus, give us a call. We’d love to talk with you. 

Thanks Dad.

--John

The first of Grandpa's Stories:

 First Recollections

     My first recollection is of living on a farm about three miles north of the town of Tingley, Iowa, in the county of Union.  I must have been about three years old, but I can well remember how the house, barn and outbuildings were situated.  About the only other thing I remember happening while living there, was when Dad was going to help a neighbor cultivate corn and I wanted to go along.  Dad agreed to take me and got out an extra horse so I could ride behind him.  He tied the reins of my horse to the back of his cultivator and we started out.  I wanted to drive the horse myself and finally persuaded Dad to allow me to be on my own.  When he turned my horse's reins over to me, I discovered that the horse had a mind of his own as he promptly turned around, much to my dismay, and headed for home with me screaming every step he took.  Dad turned around and caught up to me and my horse, and we remained tied for the rest of the journey.  I don't remember if we ever got to our destination or not.

     Sometime after that, Dad bought a farm (or at least we moved to a farm) down south in Ringgold County, Iowa near the town of Diagonal, known as the Dan Frazier Place.  As was the custom in those days (1918-1919) when a farmer moved from one farm to another, the move was made between March 1st and 15th, which is about the worst time of year as far as weather is concerned in Iowa.  At any rate, we moved in a sleigh.  What a day!  Or should I say night, for I recall carrying a lantern as we walked beside the sleigh to keep warm.  A sleigh on the farm was a wagon with the wheels removed and runners affixed in their place.  It must not have been more than ten or twelve miles from one farm to the other, but I recall it was snowing very hard and we had to get off the sleigh and walk to keep warm.

Meeting the Neighbors

You know, it's interesting how sometimes you plan your day and it doesn't go that way at all. I stayed home today to finish/start some honey-do's that I've been promising Bethany that I would do. Truth be told, I really wanted to be out at the Flagon pasture putting up some fence. So I started my day with mowing the yard. While I was gassing up my weed eater, I heard a four wheeler on the railroad tracks (which is illegal, by the way). The longer I listened, the slower the four wheeler moved. Eventually, the engine died, and I heard some girls talking loudly. So I decided to go and see if they needed help. They had already tried to turn around and, in the process, got stuck straddled across one of the rails--a very dangerous situation if a train were to come down the tracks. When I got there, the battery on the four wheeler was dead and wouldn't take a charge, making the situation even more dangerous. The four wheeler was too heavy for me to push out of the holes the girls had dug with the wheels while trying to get loose. Long story short, it took our farm four wheeler and about an hour to get them free and towed back to the road. We were so lucky there was no train. During that time, I had an opportunity to help and meet these girls (and later their mother) who had recently moved into the neighborhood. For us, this is what life is about--helping others when they need it most. Had I not been home, I wouldn't have been available to help. I didn't plan on spending part of my day wrestling a four wheeler, but I'm glad I was able to help our neighbors.
--Will

Is it worth it?

I would like to tell you one of the reasons I love living on Butterfield Farm.  Every Sunday John and I get up, go to church, enjoy a nice lunch, and go grocery shopping if I didn’t get it done on Saturday.   I usually get home and start cooking about 2 or 3 p.m. to have supper ready for 6:30.   Our family gets together every Sunday night here, and we have a meal together.  We will have grandparents, moms, dads, aunts, uncles, sons, daughters, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, adopted family (the Whatleys) and many friends come and spend Sunday evening with us.  Sayleigh will call us all together by screaming “CIRCLE UP, CIRCLE UP!”.  We will all hold hands as Sayleigh and Case say our blessings.  Sayleigh starts with “Hey God….” then our more serious blesser, Case, ends with “thank you for our pood”  AMEN!  There are squeals, laughter, crying (yes even crying), talking, running, and guitar playing going on all at the same time.  Craziness is what it is and I am thinking "Is it 9:00 yet?".  Then everyone goes his or her separate ways, and John and I sit down and say “WHEW!  Listen, do you hear that?  Nothing, absolutely nothing."  Is it worth it?  YES, it is worth every moment!  I would not change a thing.  Well, I would change one thing:  having you join us.

--T

I wish it wouldn't...

I spend about half of my time wishin’ it would rain, and the other half hopin’ it won’t. This weekend we got both. Jacob took a vacation day on Friday and cut about 10 acres. (That’s some dedication, huh? A vacation day!) Eddie, Jake and I (John) cut another 8 acres Saturday morning under gray skies, on a day that was supposed to have a 20% chance of rain. A few clouds then a quick shower about noon that really didn’t even get the ground wet. The day ended up sunny and dry.

I heard the rain at 4:30 am. It rained until about 5:30. After a few hours of "I wish it hadn’t," I was reminded (by that little voice in my head – Yes, God even speaks to Methodists!) that we probably already have enough hay and that this new field is lagniappe. Anyway, the Flagon Pasture is so dry that the dust is unbelievable.

So I’m glad it rained. No, wait I wish it hadn’t…
--John

Saving the Family Farm

We hear a lot about the disappearing family farm.  As I travel around our state, I see hundreds of wonderful old “Home Places” that are overgrown with weeds and seem to be forgotten. I wonder about the family that sacrificed to build a small family place only to, for whatever reason, move on to life without the farm.  Not so long ago, every little pasture you passed while driving had a couple of cows to sustain the family that operated the little farm.  Those places are now mostly empty.

One of our dreams is to, in some way, help save some of those places by keeping them productive. 

Cattle need hay. Lots of hay.  We currently cut our hay from several of the old “Homeplaces” in our community. It helps us by providing a good place to produce a hay crop, and I hope our neighbors find value in keeping these farms alive a little longer.

We believe the family farm doesn’t have to disappear. Life goes on, things change. But, I like to think there’s a group of old farmers looking down on us that appreciate our trying to make the farm last a little longer. 
--John

Recent Activity

It's been a while since our last post, but there hasn't been a lack of activity on the farm. We've made some great strides in the last three weeks and I can't wait for you to see how things are coming.  There have been countless hours of pushing up debris, burying debris that wouldn't burn and discing. We finished the fence on the west side of the property two weeks ago. This past weekend Eddie, Bob and Uncle Chuck drilled the water well. We also cut hay on four different pastures. We finished baling the third pasture yesterday and we already have fifty three rolls on the ground! John made a "handshake" agreement with our cattle supplier to hold our price until December when the grass is ready. We will be going to his farm in mid September to choose and tag the cattle we'll be purchasing. From this point on I think our primary focus will be on planting grass and finishing the fence. We work every Saturday starting around 7:30 a.m.. Give us a call or email if you want to come help or just see how things work. We'd love to have you! I am posting some pictures of all our recent activity on the website. www.butterfieldfarm.net/life_on_the_farm

-Will

Bulldozing is finally finished!  There is still so much more land that needs to be cleared, but that will have to wait until a future date, perhaps next summer.  For now, we have more than enough land cleared for our cows to have plenty of healthy grass to enjoy.  We had a number of mechanical problems--went through two rented bulldozers, five (five!) hydraulic hoses, two truck tailgates (ask Will about that), and a few ATV problems.  Soon we will disc the land and begin planting grass seed.  I'm excited about finally seeing a pasture full of lush, green grass bordered by Flagon Creek, which is absolutely beautiful, as well.  The creek has a number of spots that just scream for a rope swing.  If only there was no possibility of snakes!

We've had a few recent health problems in the Butterfield family.  Will had his gallbladder removed, Laney was hospitalized for strep, and Grandma Ardena had a procedure to help with nerve pains.  Butterfields are resilient, though, and we have quite a network of family and friends to help during hard times.  There has been no shortage of shoulders on which to lean.  I'm so thankful to be a part of this tightly knit family!

Bethany

Rita's Ranch is online

Well great things are happening at Butterfied Farm.  The Rita's Ranch location is fully fenced, gates up,(special thanks to all those that pitched in and got it done) and the grass it growing.  Which prompted us to move three of the "momma cows" over there.  They love to walk into "waist deep" grass and talk about happy cows!

Excitement always abounds when you have a new calf born. Last Friday was no exception.  Early morning, while performing my daily head count, I noticed a new addition.  Doesn't matter how many you've had in the past, a new one is always a new one and everyone, young and old alike, gets excited and just gotta come see. There is nothing like seeing the wide eyes of the little ones when they first get a glimpse of the new calf.
They are all so cute, cuddly and a blessing to watch and enjoy.  God's plan is amazing when you slow down enough to see it's detail!

Uncle Chuck

We need your input!

Hey everyone!  This is a brief update to ask you to fill out our survey! We've created a brief questionnaire (only 3 questions!) to help us learn about your needs.  Your feedback will help us determine which cuts of beef, and how much, to include in our packages.  We want our customers to feel like part of the family, and, as such, to have input in our business.  Please consider yourselves part of the family and give us your input!  Click the link below to fill out the survey.  It only takes a minute!
-Bethany
                                         Take the Survey!
   
                            

Forward Motion

I guess it's been about a month since we started talking about expanding Butterfield Farm beyond a few cows in the pasture. There is no doubt that God spoke this and I love to see and be a part of people following His direction. God has been blessing us with provision already. Dad meet with our dozer operator again this week and he decided to lower his hourly rate by fifteen dollars! The loggers are making great strides and should be done by Friday so we can begin cleaning up and finishing the fence. If all goes well we should be able to plant and have a nice stand of rye grass for December/January. We were able to get three of the four sides of the fence posts over at Rita's Ranch (Uncle Chuck and Rita's place) finished on Saturday (see Uncle Chuck's post). God is also blessing us with customers already. It seems like almost everyday we run into someone that says, "sign me up", when we tell them about the Farm. I cannot wait to see how God is going to provide this week!

Ryan, Jen, Emma Grace, and Blake came home this weekend. We had a blast hanging out and rodeoing! We went to the Center Point Rodeo this weekend and had a great time. Thanks for coming and cheering on Jen, Emma Grace and Sayleigh! Keep watching because Emma Grace, Sayleigh, Blake and John Luke are going to be rodeo stars!
-Will

Where Cowboys (and Cowgirls!) Come From

Friday night at Mr. Jesse's.  Having fun and learnin' Cowboy stuff.

Takin' a deep seat.

"No, really Dad, I can handle this."

"OK, Papa, so this is a piggin string see..."

"Throw them hands in the air!"

Today's Lessons                             1. Nobody's too little.

                                                                       2. It don't hurt to get a little dirty.

-Papa

Another day in paradise...

Actually, still puttin’ up fence. Will it ever end? Will, Eddie, Bob Jr., Ryan, Chuck, Jacob, Maddie, and John put up 100 or so posts at Rita’s Ranch on Saturday morning. They decided to get some fence up over here since we actually have grass! and tired of mowing it...

Boy was it hot.  Those who are not used to Louisiana summers, you need to come experience the fun.  100+ with the heat index = about 170 degrees, more or less.  We made good headway though.

-Uncle Chuck

Puttin' Up Fence

Chuck, Bob Jr., Will, Bethany, Jacob and I spent the better part of the day Saturday “puttin’up fence”. More specifically we set posts. Lots of posts. We completed the east side (along Flagon Creek), which has been a major undertaking. From clearing the right-of way for the fence to setting the posts it has been a pretty good battle. To date we're close to 400 posts, only maybe 150 or so to go. We now lack the north side (the long side) of the property, then on to stretching wire.


I remarked to Jake yesterday that I have thought, planned and dreamed about this fence for a while now, but as Dad would say “We’ve about gotten all the fun out of this”.

If good fences make good neighbors… this should be a great neighborhood!

-John

Family Tradition

I manage the parts department at Petron L.L.C. and this morning I was talking with a vendor. He asked for my name and I told him it was Will Butterfield. He then asked if I was Ivan Butterfield's grandson. I told him yes and he spent the next few minutes telling me what a great man my grandfather was and how much he admired him. These occurrences happen about once a week and they always bring about a sense of honor and deep respect for Grandpa. This morning I was remembering what life was like when he was around. Unfortunately, I have to rely mostly on stories I've been told, because he passed away when I was in the third grade. Nevertheless, every person that has shared their experiences with me have blessed me with stories of a man that was kind, caring, extremely hard working and took pride in a job well done. Grandpa passed these same values to his children and they have passed them to us. As a family and as a business we are kind, caring, hardworking and will do whatever is necessary to get the job done right. I love this family and I love that we have been blessed by a tradition that will be a blessing to others. Thank you Grandpa!

-Will

Happy Cows!

Happy cows don’t only come from California.

For our new friends, and some old friends, that don’t know about our farming operation, raising beef cattle is not some new adventure.

Over the last 30 years, we’ve raised cattle of various breeds for either our own consumption or sale through traditional markets. (We even spent several years in the commercial sheep business!)

Through the years, as our children have grown in livestock business, we’ve taught them an always present underlying theme…God first, family next, then the livestock. As our days begin, the livestock are cared for, then the day's other activities begin. As the day draws to a close, the livestock is cared for, then we relax.

Butterfield Farm's beef cattle have never been treated with growth hormones. They seem to grow just fine without it.

As we begin this new chapter in our history, we hope to provide the freshest, healthiest beef available.

John

Grandma's For a Day

Saturday turned out to be a great day. We started bright and early headed to Lake Charles to put down wood flooring for grandma. The weather was not being nice to us, at all. The only good thing was, theres not much to do in our stage of preparing Butterfield Farms "Flagon Pasture," that we can do in the rain. After a long day of hard work from the Butterfield Boys, we left Lake Charles around 8pm. The floors look great and Grandma was as happy as she could be. It just goes to show you what happens when a family comes together to get a job done.

Eddie

Here We Go!

We have recently added +/- 50 acres we lovingly refer to as "The Flagon Pasture". This property is (located about a mile south of the home place, directly across the blacktop from Kati and Josh) currently about 6 acres of pasture and 44 acres of brush and small timber. The timber has been sold and progress toward development into pasture should be happening throughout the summer. Papa (John Butterfield) and I went and picked up a trailer load of scrap metal that had been thrown onto the property prior to our ownership. Hopefully in the next few weeks we can complete the fence. We are also having our very first Butterfield Farm business meeting sometime next week. We are beginning to organize and determine who will be responsible for the different parts of the business. It is beginning to look like a family affair which is really exciting! I'm looking forward to sharing our progress and getting others involved in the processes here at the farm!

-Will