Hi from N. Wyoming

[blue80]

My name is Kevin Schilthuis. I have really been enjoying the information gathered on this site, I hope to learn a lot and maybe even contribute some day.
My wife Keri, four kids and I have happily settled in Lovell, Wyoming. Actually picked 80 acres of flood irrigated land of the map (actually Ebay) and moved out here not knowing a soul. We love it, and hope to raise our family with a lot of the sentiments shown by others on this site.
Problem is, I don’t pick soil types well when moving. Our last farm in S. Indiana was nicknamed “the red rock farm” (When we purchased it in January of ’04- frost in the ground- the realtor with the current amish owner told me straightfaced it was sandy loam) Oh well, we actually bought it just as an excuse to get out of Florida. But needless to say, we never got to plow with horses on that ground; though as a side note, with me following neighbours instructions, we planted a stand of alfalfa that they (a bunch of guys in their 70’s) said was among the best in the county. (I also learned how to rebuild a disc three times-after each time we worked the soil to get a seedbed, and spent a full month straight picking rocks.)

So when we bought this ground in Wy, I was determined to learn from my mistakes. I looked at NRCS maps and soil types and the county crop records and decided these acres would be as good as the next. “Mables Farm” the farmer said everyone called it. But when we moved out here, everyone was using the term “the blue 80” yep, 80 acres of “compacted, waterlogged, alkali bentonite clay not worth farming.” Actually it is turning out to be more like 30 acres of the heavy soil, and 30 of more tilthy stuff. With better management and out of the box thinking, we hope to make a go of the simple life right here. Have some lemonade, if you will. It’ll be interesting, as we are right on a state highway which goes right up the Bighorns…

Don’t have a team yet, sold our Belgians when we moved, but hopefully won’t be long; But if I have to wait much longer you might see me working the fields with our foxtrotter studs haha.
We are trying to get infrastructured up first. But I did break away this summer for a week at doc hammils workshop to get tuned up and ready, which was time well spent.

Looks like I am all excited and wordy tonight, better go.

Looking forward to meeting you all!

Kevin

[Joshua Kingsley]

Nice to have you here. Enjoy the site and best of luck to you and your family.

Joshua

[Scyther]

Good luck in your new location. I hope you adapt well to the different climate and conditions. Should be an adventure.

[Carl Russell]

Great to have you in board, Carl

[Author]

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