Friends and Family Tour 2017


 

Dumont IA – We pulled in to Kurt and Corky Wolf’s on Friday afternoon.   The trip from Ottawa to here was uneventful.  GA takes her turn at the wheel and does quite well.  She’s a natural and it sure makes traveling easier for both of us.

We were warmly greeted and it was great to see our Florida neighbors in their natural habitat.  The countryside is very reminiscent of where we lived in Illinois only not quite as flat but certainly covered with corn and soybean fields.

Kurt wasted no time getting his new farm hand indoctrinated in the business.  We arrived at the ‘pig barns’ and went in to a small area between the north and south pens of the first barn which he called his office.  He then told me to put on some boots and go through the door.  I walked through the door and saw a couple hundred pigs running away from me and another couple hundred running toward me, squealing as they ran.  That was just the ones by the door.  There were about 3500 other ones I hadn’t met yet.  Kurt hollered at me to let him know if I saw any sick ones. I took that as my que to walk to the other end and do an inspection.  It was quite an interesting trip.  I asked Kurt if he had names for all of them.  He said they didn’t have names but there were times he called them names.  I’m sure quite affectionately.

By then Kurt had his tools gathered and I assisted him in a few repairs outside.  Then he said he had to change a light fixture.  He gathered his tools and said follow me.  He handed me what looked like a broom or shovel.  At this point he didn’t offer much information as he probably thought if I knew what was coming I would chicken out. (I never thought about chickening out in a pig pen, not sure if it’s possible.  Likewise, not sure if you can pig out in a chicken coup.  I digress) Next thing Kurt jumps over the railing into the pen with the pigs.  My job was to follow him into the pen and take this broom looking thing and shoo the pigs away from Kurt while he was on the ladder fixing the light.  I never shoo’ d a pig before and wasn't sure how they would respond to a  stranger.  I soon found out they were quite cooperative once given a firm nudge with my pig shooer tool.  A couple got by me though and quickly felt the toe of Kurt’s boot.  It was a little more than a shoo or nudge though.  Kurt doesn't show much playfulness when in the barn.  I also learned they have cold wet noses and like to chew on your boots. 


I learned about feeders, watering, antibiotics, ventilation, and foaming poop. I got to sit in all the tractors, got a lesson on the manure hauling equipment including the ‘remote load’.  I got to thinking if he had a country western band and a bake sale we wouldn’t need to go to the Franklin County Fair.  He would have it all right here and could even charge admission!!


Tim with his Pig Shooer tool and a thousand of his new friends
 
 
See Ya Out There
 
Tim
 

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