Christmas Newsletter 2014

This year was filled with "last things" for Brent during his senior year in high school.

  He did well at the fair with his Advanced Feeder Pen of 4 cattle.











For his last prom (IMS Banquet), he and his buds decided to go all out in dressing up and asking dates.... not!




In his final baseball season, Number 18 got in the record book for career steals! Doug and I managed the concession stand at the beautiful school ballparks- great community event with lots of friends we will miss!

      A highlight of graduation was that Grandma Zaerr, Aunt Rachel and Cousin Katie came. Those three make anything a party! I also spoke at his baccalaureate service - ask him how glad he was!

 His party was at a community center with friends Ben and Spencer on Memorial Day. Kathy, Steph and Sara joined us! The frame around their picture was made with Mt. Dew cans- and yes- they drank ALL THAT POP!

  Brent had such good guy friends in his class. Sometimes got into trouble, but so much fun to have around. Our house got real quiet this fall when they all went away to college. Doug says when you put more than 5 guys together, they're going to get in trouble.Clear thinking goes out the window!     

 Oh, yes, we DO have a daughter, too! Mo had a Monsanto internship this summer in Redwood Falls, MN. She had her own apartment for the first time. We worked hard on "the professional outfit" for her St Louis corporate presentation. Doug and I went for a tour of the soybean plant.

Doug and I are youth group sponsors, so lots of shoes are a frequent thing at our house. Last summer after service trip, we stopped at Bubba Gump's Restaurant at Mall of America. An anonymous couple heard us talking about the trip and paid our entire bill! We have 20 great kids in our group, and are planning to go with them to Youth Convention at Kansas City next summer.  

I taught 3rd grade for the last 6 weeks of school. Rotten time to sub, yes, but I got to try out some of my farm unit plans and brought baby animals to school on Friday as a reward for good behavior.

 

We are grateful for the many things that continue on... like the farm...

and my flowers and birthdays!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Brenneman Christmas Newsletter 2013

In April, Brent got all dressed up and went to the banquet (IMS version of prom). He even let his friend bejewel his tie to match her dress!  

 Brent is a senior this year and is weighing colleges vs. farming. He keeps an active social calendar and it’s hard to find him ON the farm.

 

May 2013 saw Mo graduate from Hesston (KS) College with an Associates in Science degree.

  

 August 2013, we deposited Mo at Iowa State University to study agronomy. Now Doug and Diane will finally learn how to farm!










Diane worked 6 months as an interim director for a Wellman preschool. Staff was a challenge, but the kids were adorable (well mostly) and my knees got daily hugs hello and goodbye!

Doug and Diane kept busy tending pigs, cows and chickens.

Doug spied a tractor at Duwa's Auction just like the only one his Grandpa Stump ever owned. Doug had inherited his grandpa's tractor but it was later burned in a machine shed fire. I encouraged him to buy it, but he thought he didn't need it. So the kids and I arranged for our friend John Dale to buy it at the auction. Later, we had Doug's birthday lunch outside, and Brent came driving down the road on the tractor!

 The year of reunions for Diane. In July  in Philadelphia with college friends Tim Johnson, Joy Lapp, and Carol Martin Johnson.

And in Archbold for 35^th high school reunion in late September, complete with paper cutout of principal shaking our hands! Both were quite enjoyable..

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

              

First load-out. 175 hogs loaded and still friends!

Brent's beginning

Brent at 16

 Will Brent have a future in the pork industry? He's interested in farming, so we'll see. Just in case, I took a picture of him "at the beginning" to show his kids down the road. Four kids showed up to help their dad and granddad unload pigs. They each had a small tin can with corn inside, taped shut, to shake to encourage the babies to move. Not sure who was more entertained, the pigs, the kids or me!

Gene, his granddaughters from DC and two of our neighbors

Not a very auspicious start!

And the first pigs arrive...

Gene Gentry and his granddaughters bring the pigs

 On July 11, 3 months to the day we broke ground, the first pigs came to live @ Brenneman's Barn. They are curious, cute, and cuddly! We only got 200 the first day due to weaning schedule but 600 more will come Monday and then twice a week until the barn is full. Doug made me laugh the night before when he told me, "Well, we better turn on the barn." It's true, that building has a brain all its own. Learning to use it is a fun challenge... who knew learning technology for working at a distance for MCUSA would come in handy in the hog barn! My local service technician is impressed with my technological savvy. Since they were just weaned, we check them every 2-3 hours (Doug calls it babysitting) and sprinkle food on their mats, and show them where the water is. They catch on real fast. Smart pigs!

Down the ramp into the barn

A new home

Hog Barn Open House July 3

Grant Nebel, Amanda Beachy, Jason Widmer

Chance Miller, Naomi Miller, Jason Litwiller  Mo

The Coalition to Support Iowa Farmers sponsored this day, along with Hills Bank, PSI (our builders) and US Feed. The integrators attended as well. Dennis and Sharon Gratz are from Farmington, Iowa. The menu included ribs on a stick from Freemans. They planned for 125 people and had to order more food as about 200 showed up. Even then we ran out of food. It was a blistering hot day, and WHO radio was broadcasting from the kitchen. This meant Coalition folks and sponsors had to run out to the barn and back into the house. Doug and me, too! When people came they told us they had heard us on the radio. I can't even remember what we said. The day before the Coalition came out to do a video of us with our barn for their promotion, so we had a little practice talking about ourselves in front of a mike. Doug told everyone I'd be doing the talking, but Bob Quinn first shoved a mic in Doug's face! Lots of people had never been in a hog barn before, so it was a good day.

Francis Liwiller, Ez Schrock, Maynard & Cameron Gingerich

Tobyn, Donovan, Karen Bender

The Big Show on WHO

 This is Bob Quinn, one of the hosts of a Midwest radio program that broadcast from our farm on the day of the Open House, July 3, 2012. They were supposed to broadcast from the hog barn but we didn't have a land line out there (we're going wireless with the alarm). So they had to set up near the house- they suggested the garage, but I invited them to use the kitchen. It was 100 outside, so they enjoyed the air conditioning.

The guy in red is Brian Waddingham, Executive Director of the Coalition to Support Iowa's Farmers, talking on the radio. Doug and I were interviewed, too.