Hadrick Family - Aberdeen 21/8/12

After leaving the Irvine Family we made our travels up to Aberdeen in South Dakota, where Troy picked us up from the airport close to midnight!! Troy and Stacy are fifth generation ranches from north central South Dakota where they are involved in a cropping and commercial beef operation. The cropping is mainly a rotation of corn and soybean, with the cattle operation consisting of a breeding and fattening operation where they fatten their own steers and open heifers in a feedlot program using their own corn silage as their base feed.

The Hadricks breed a Black Angus Base herd where they practise an A.I. program for one mating cycle, and then use clean up bulls for two cycles ending up to a 60 day mating period. They also mate their maiden heifers at 14mths of age. The Hadricks sell their fat cattle into the Black Angus Premium Beef market which is one of the most popular markets in the US. Troy also practises a rotation grazing system in conjunction with mineral supplements. The Hadricks also prepare lucerne round bales for their winter feed and some of their corn stock is sold to the open market.

Stacy took Leah to their local school where their three children attend and Leah saw hands-on how the main stream school system worked in the US compared to how Leah home schools our son Kurt. Leah was amazed at how well-behaved and focused the children were. Leah was on 'show and tell' to the children for that day in the classroom where she spoke about where she lives, animals at Bald Hills and also the distance education home schooling program.

Not only do Troy and Stacy have their cropping and beef operation but also are the founders of Advocates for Agriculture where they dedicate themselves towards getting positive messages of agriculture out to the world by speaking at functions, utilisation of social media and also teaming up with Nascar, Farm American racing team (Number 78).

Leah and I had a great time with Troy and Stacy and their family sharing alot of laughs, stories and also some 'serious' talk in between!! Leah and I thank them once again.

Visit Troy and Stacy's website at www.advocatesforag.com