THE LAND — APRIL 29/MAY 6, 2022
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
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Harvesting hens was a family chore not forgotten Was there anything bad Yes, someone had to exeabout growing up on the cute the execution of the farm in the 1960s and strutting fowl that would 1970s? I guess not too much soon be the object of our … unless you were me and baited forks and numerous you had to clean chickens. wish bone-possession fights. How glorious it was to have How I despised that time fried chicken for dinner; but every summer. It took a lot how dreadful it was to get of food to feed a family of TABLE TALK it from the farm to the fry nine; and part of that involved “putting up” chick- By Karen Schwaller pan. ens. Doing “the deed” was a job only Dad could do. We As much as I despised it, all had to help catch the chickens (as I think of my poor mother — who blew if they were common street criminals) in from Boston to Kansas City to to help get the process started. northwest Iowa, and arrived on the farm straight out of the church with a Once all of that was finished, the brand new diamond ring, mice in that plucking began. Even that wasn’t so old house, work to do and a whole lot awful, but my sister knew how to work to learn about farm life. the system. She was meticulous, and would clean only one chicken while She was our own version of Lisa Douglas of “Green Acres” fame; except the rest of us carried the load of actually moving the entire project forward. Mom was much prettier than Ava Gabor. I suppose Mom learned a lot about all of us kids as we stood around the Dad was the man of the hour to upside-down cow tank which served start the process. He would bring in as our table of deprivation, and listall buckets from outside, fill them tened to our teen and tween stories with water and heat them on the and sass. She even bore the scars of stove. That combination brought the hog house aroma into the kitchen, and having to listen to our brand of music — mostly as a peace offering. (She was a bouquet I didn’t mind packing longed to hear the Mills Brothers, but away when I left for college. usually got The Doobie Brothers.) When all conditions were met, Dad Mom and us girls processed the would do “the deed.” birds for freezing. I can still recall the
Register for MFU camps ST. PAUL — Registration is now open for Minnesota Farmers Union summer leadership camps. MFU’s leadership camp is open to youth ages 8 to 18. Youth need not be connected to agriculture to attend camp. MFU’s leadership camp is held in two locations in Minnesota: June 20-24 for ages 8 to 11 near Erskine, Minn.; June 27-July 1 for ages 11 to 14 near Erskine, Minn.; July 11-15 for ages 8 to 11 near New London, Minn.; July 18-22 for ages 11 to 14 near New London, Minn.; and July 24-29 for ages 14 to 18 near New London, Minn. MFU leadership camp curriculum promotes leadership development while teaching youth about agriculture, cooperatives and Farmers Union. The camps attract about an equal number
of youth from rural Minnesota and the Twin Cities metropolitan area, giving them all an experience in diversity and informing the state’s future leaders about the essential role of agriculture. COVID-19 vaccinations will not be required to attend camp this year, but students will be screened upon arrival and there will also be daily health screenings. Enhanced cleaning protocols are in place and there will be multiple hand washing stations around camp. The Farmers Union five-day, fournight leadership camps are priced at $115 to $140. To learn more, visit mfu.org/camp. This article was submitted by the Minnesota Farmers Union. v
feeling of reaching inside the cavity. I liken it to sticking your hands into the brains at the haunted house. Still, I don’t remember Mom complaining about doing the same thing, even though this was certainly a job she didn’t come from the big city knowing how to do. Looking back, I wonder if she ever regretted not reading the fine print on her marriage license. Who would sign up for such a fowl-smelling (pun intended), greasy and disgusting annual ritual? As kids, I used to always be amazed that when the fried chicken was passed around the table, Dad always took the back. It didn’t have much meat on it—you’d think he’d stick his fork into other plump pieces that offered a hunger-taming mouthful of juicy, poultry-lovers’ delight. It was many years later when it occurred to me that, while we kids devoured all those sumptuous, plump pieces, Dad took the pieces that no one else wanted to eat. It had to be true — otherwise, why would someone who worked as hard as he did choose to eat those pieces that looked as if they had already been eaten? And every time?
It was after that epiphany that I sorrowfully thought of Dad every time I heard my own thighs rub together when I walked. It was fallout from all those summer days spent in the grove, starting the process of fattening us all up, once the chickens had selflessly completed their part in the first leg of that journey. Fast forward to when I was married, and we agreed to let my mother-in-law raise some chickens on our farm. When the day came time to clean them, we invited both sets of parents here to ensure the job got done quickly. None of them minded the work, really; but they both had different thoughts on how the job should be done. I think you know the rest. I don’t mind saying it was a glorious moment when we saw tail lights in front of us. And I think I understood how Mom and Dad must have felt when us kids all left home. Karen Schwaller brings “Table Talk” to The Land from her home near Milford, Iowa. She can be reached at kschwaller@evertek.net. v
Farmers asked to take survey In a new research project, University of Minnesota Extension is exploring how row crop management systems change soil response to rain, and farmer access to fields after rain. Extension will be monitoring pairs of farms using contrasting management for soil structure and moisture for two growing seasons. Any crop farmer in Minnesota is invited to participate in a survey to collect information including farm characteristics, how farming practices impact
workable field days, and the impact this has on farmer stress and overall quality of life. The survey should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete and can be completed online at https://z.umn. edu/FieldworkSurvey. Questions about the survey can be directed to Anna Cates at catesa@umn. edu or (612) 625-3135. This article was submitted by University of Minnesota Extension. v
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