Courtney Oregon Farmer

03/07/2026

🌾Oregon Agriculture Friday! 🌾

✨ Have a great day! ✨

https://oregonaitc.org/resources/oregon-resources/oregon-map/

02/08/2026

02/08/2026

As a grass seed producer, I'm excited for the Super Bowl 🏈

Today's game will be played at Levi's Stadium and on REAL grass!

According to SFGATE, "Whenever the NFL isn’t playing the Super Bowl on a turf field indoors, the league contracts with a grass farm to produce the literal foundation of its championship game. This year, the NFL used West Coast Turf, a California company that has sod farms all over the state."

"West Coast Turf has a proprietary grass type it calls Ready Play, which is a Bermuda grass that the company overseeds with ryegrass."

The science behind simple grass is pretty amazing!

"Sensory devices can test the strength of the grass. Massive LED grow lights can help heat up a field to optimize the best temperature if the grass gets too cold. A vacuum ventilation system underneath the field can help decrease moisture on a field. All of it has turned groundskeeping into quite the scientific endeavor."

Although our grass seed isn't being used for today's game, it's still a big win for the grass seed industry! The grass crop in this picture is a newly planted field and the seed will go to football fields, maybe the Super Bowl someday 🏈

https://www.sfgate.com/centralcalifornia/article/super-bowl-california-grass-21307874.php

02/04/2026

The vet came out today for a farm call.

Thankfully we have only had to call the vet a few times over the years, but today was the day.

Boy calves are born as bulls, intact. They get castrated to become steers, which is ideal for many different reasons.

Well I banded this little guy (castrated) when he was tiny and obviously didn't do a great job because the vet had to castrate him (cut them out) with some sedation.

I'm kicking myself because this could have been avoided, banding tool operator error basically (me). I've done this 100 times but messed up on this guy, although the hormones do help them grow so overall it's not a terrible thing...except now I have a hefty bill to pay.

I also recently bought a used squeeze chute! I've been lucky all of these years and haven't needed one but I knew that wouldn't be the case forever. I'm thankful a friend had an extra one to sell me, thanks Joel! I don't anticipate using it much but it'll be handy to have, like today.

(and yes, I know how the head gate works. I had the chute opened up and gave him some hay to distract him until the vet arrived)

01/22/2026

Just a friendly reminder that IP 28 signature gatherers are still out there lying to people about it. it is not an animal welfare petition; it is an attempt to outlaw animal agriculture and hunting in Oregon. Don't fall for the lies!

01/22/2026

The boys and I had a little time to kill in town yesterday, I decided to drive toward the outskirts of town to check out some new subdivisions.

I was speechless.

Beautiful new homes! Don't get me wrong. I loved seeing families out walking on the paved trails and the tiny groomed yards. I admired the idea of having very little outdoor work to do.

But some were so close together, it looked like apartment living. A few houses shared one big paved driveway and zero outdoor space.

I was truly speechless while counting my blessings. Rural living has its drawbacks but it's also the best experience. It has peace and quiet, in addition to endless work.

It made me extra thankful for this chaotic farm life - and that includes the cow p**p, endless mud, gravel road, farm equipment, mile long to-do list, outbuilding maintenance and everything else. We take it for granted.

What's your favorite part about where you live? In town or not.

01/20/2026

When we clean seed, there's a lot of trash...small seeds, empty seeds, tiny pieces, dust, etc. It's stuff that we don't want as seed producers.

Part of the cleaning process separates this trash and stores it all in a giant outdoor bin. When it's full, we call for a truck to unload the bin, as shown.

It's now on its way to become animal feed at , and another example of Oregon's grass seed being used 👏

01/15/2026

2016 was 10 years ago and apparently it's a trend to post pictures from then.

10 years has gone by...so much has changed and yet nothing has changed ❤️

01/09/2026

Chicken friends...I need chicken help!

As you know, I recently and unexpectedly acquired chickens, because people know I can't turn down animals and will take great care of any stray. So here we are.

I currently have 4 full grown chickens that are all different breeds. I don't know really anything about chickens. I also have little to no affection for birds. They're gross.

One started laying again!

Do they need a heat lamp in winter? What do I feed them? And how often? Is there anything they can't eat? Will the rest start laying again in the spring? Do I collect eggs daily or will they produce more if I leave one in there?

Please share the basics! What works for you? (but also remember that I have a lot on my plate and these girls are not anywhere near the top of my priority list)