TWT Raws Seg1

Did you, did you get any stacks or anything or do you just, he knows he's like when he does something good or that's not what I guess that was part of the training process is it? Oh yeah, so he just loved to find a bird and he gets feathers in his mouth and just just loved, I mean him, him getting a bird in his mouth is a satisfaction for him. Now I give him, it's getting stacks and water, it's important to keep him hydrated because they run and work really hard, so. Yeah, I think it's part of the building, I think it's probably another guy. Yeah, I do. Seems like, what now, what's he doing now? He feels a flower cooler now. Looks like he's using, I don't know what that is, some type of a plow undercutter to work up the ground before he. Alright, I think we can probably gather enough sound, enough interviews and if you want to, I was going to bring the stereo mic out but I thought we'd go ahead and, might be a little too windy for that.

Go, go, go. We can talk about some more stories here on the way back. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, we knew we weren't going to be able to get anything or probably look for anything but, like I said, we got to get number of stories and stuff. You have any other stories Kevin, you want to share with us or something we had wrote down or some notes?

Check, check. Okay, there we go. A couple of one about the first president of a shot and one about that president hit the power line? Okay, yeah. Alright, so what's the strangest thing that has ever happened to you while you've been out here honey in the years that you have been hunting here Kevin? My name is Kevin Mills, but hunting all my life I grew up hunting with my dad and my grandpa and my uncle Bill mainly. Back in the day, you always carry a beep again and that's how I learned hundred of safety with the beep again and every time you'd point a beep again, somebody weren't supposed to or just when you're getting out of a vehicle or stepping up on something. Everybody in my family would say, ah, watch where you point that and since I learned not to do that and got to a reasonable age, I started a fessah hunting with them.

We go fessah hunting probably. We used to go all season when I lived down the farm, opening weekend on, we always hunted and we always had a big group of people out, my mostly family, some friends, opening weekend. And then all the way throughout the season in January we'd hunt and Thanksgiving would always have people have a big Thanksgiving dinner and usually hunt after Thanksgiving as well. When did you first get your license? Oh boy. That's kind of unusual as that. I would say probably, you know, you don't have to buy a hunting license but you do have to get a hundred safety card. We'll get back to the house. I can look at what date my hundred safety card is issued but I would probably 11 or 12 years old. And then you mentioned to us that you bought your dad had purchased one a lifetime or something? Yeah, my dad bought a lifetime hunting license for me and his thinking was my Uncle Bill lived out of state and every time he came into hunt, which was every year, he'd had to spend 50 or 60 dollars on out of state fessah hunting license.

And he thought that that way if I were moved out of state, I could come and come back to farm and hunt with him all the time. So I've never actually bought a hunting license with my dad about the lifetime one. I think when I turned 18 when he had to have one, that's what he gave me from my 18th birthday, if I remember right? We're bringing things up today. Where are we going right now and is this the place you always go hunting? We're headed 20 miles north of Garden City. I'm the small town called Friend Kansas. I grew up a mile south and a mile west of Friend and we're going to go hunt near that area. Why is that a good area for you know somebody to live there or is it just an area you've always been able to find a game there? It's a good hunting area but more than that, that's where I grew up and that's where we still have some family on ground.

So a lot of time with hunting and you want to have permission on whoever you hunt on and obviously my dad gives me permission and a lot of the friends and neighbors that I grew up with a lot of time on their ground as well. And now how many times do you hunt a year? Recently, three or four times a year growing up, it was all the time and when it wasn't fessence season we're always shooting rabbits and coyotes and sometimes we hunted during dove season and deer season on occasion. So you hunt with a bow too then? No, I've never hunted with a bow. I'm brother and I'll hunt with a bow a lot but I've never had with a bow. So what do you normally hunt with a shotgun? Yeah, with a shotgun you normally hunt birds, you can hunt fessent, quail, turkey with a shotgun, a little bit different turkey load, doves. And now when you do usually just take one weapon or do certain times you take several, I mean I see sometimes people that are driving their trucks how there's a weapon holder or a rifle holder where you might want to take one or more or use these.

Well, when you go out target shooting a lot of times people will take multiple guns but when you go like when you go fessent hunting, most of the time you just take a shotgun. Sometimes during deer season people will throw their shotgun in when they're deer hunting because if they run into a bunch of birds they'll shoot as well because the season's overlap some. And now I see yours is this the safe place to keep it right here just in case for maybe shoes or... Well, a lot of people will lay their gun down the back of the vehicle since we're driving a pickup and my dog is in the back. I just sit here next to my seat but I'm not sure that's the safest way to do it but that's how I've always done it. It's not loaded. And so we're headed about 20 miles north of Garden City. Now when you go let's talk a little bit about this year.

When you go hunting this year do you have any plans yet or are they just kind of better than moment plans? When you go hunting or do you go by yourself? Well, every year since I can remember my Uncle Bill has came out for opening weekend and my Uncle Bill's my cousin Greg and my cousin Spencer usually come with him and usually I make it a family event and usually a few other guys. And we never have a really big group but between between five and eight and nine at the most. It was just a good year and last couple years have been really good. Generally if it's really dry out sometimes we have a bad a bad pheasant crop or if it's been some real harsh weather when the pheasants are hatching their eggs on the ground and if you get a bad hail storm or something it can affect the pheasant crop. Alright and now we talked a little bit about turkey hunting one time and he said you went one time. Just talk this a little bit about turkey.

He said you're running west because of my cousin west you're running west. He's more the turkey hunting and it's not so much popular here in western Kansas on high plains. No there aren't very many around Garden City in Scott City. There are sure aren't very many turkeys. In fact I've never seen one in this area. I've been here turkey hunting twice, one time unsuccessfully, one time successfully. My brother-in-law Wes Urban took me turkey hunting and it was quite the experience. It was just south of Wichita and we were all in camoed out and he's a hunt with the boat and I was with the shotgun. He called about 20 turkeys and most of them hands of three or four jakes over across this south alpha field. Probably a good 600 yards across the field so it was really exciting to watch those turkeys come into us. And then I shot through some brush unfortunately.

I shot a nice jake. And now did you guys actually what might be your shot and what happened after that you got to keep it or you had to put some of that tag? Yeah well for turkeys you have to have a hunting license and you have to have a turkey tag. And yeah we took it back to Wes's house and plucked it and actually Wes kept a turkey. We had it for Thanksgiving dinner actually. He fried it up in a deep rat fryer and it was really good. Was it a pretty big one or not? Well it was big but in comparison to a commercial turkey. Wild turkey is shaped quite a bit different and doesn't have quite as much breast meat on it. It doesn't have near as much actually. The commercial birds are I mean they're bred and they're you know that's what they're made for is for a lot of meat. But wild turkeys aren't that way. Yeah in comparison to a pheasant they're quite a bit bigger that way. Oh yeah a lot bigger.

And the reason I didn't wasn't successful my first turkey hunt was I'd never been turkey hunting before and I shot the turkey in the body just like you would shoot a pheasant or a quail or a dove or anything else. Well turkeys have really they're almost their feathers are almost like armor to a shotgun shell. So when the lead hits the turkey you got to hit him in the head or if you hit him in the armor I mean you could probably kill him that way. But that's not the best way to shoot him. So I'd actually shot that turkey in his body and it waited up flying on off and now turkeys you shoot on the ground. You can shoot him in there too but in general you shoot him on the ground. Now pheasant and quail and dove it's a legal to shoot him on the ground. So you got to actually wait and you shoot for the body with the quail in there? Quail and pheasant you know you shoot him wherever you can hit him. They're not near the bigger bird and in general if you get a good shot on one they'll go down. Sometimes you have to shoot him a couple times and sometimes you can shoot and it didn't feel like they're ever going to go down. Now when does hunting season actually start from pheasant?

Don't quote me on this but I think it's November something. Yeah it's in the first sometime in November. Yeah they've moved it back. It used to be I think the second weekend they moved it back or forward or something. Don't quote me on that. Oh okay. I don't know what it is. It goes through January. Okay. And when do you know how you've been out of state hunting? Never for a pheasant I've went out cutting in Colorado and went wild boar hunting in Texas. But never for birds out of state. He's talking a lot about your uncle. He seems to be quite the hunter. Yeah we call him a billy goat. He's in great shape and hunts all the time and just really into it. And now he gets dressed up and does a whole surveying bag as far as the callings of the you know. I don't know if he's ever hunted turkey or not.

He has deer and elk and pheasant. Pheasant's in our family's history. That's probably their main bird our family ever hunt. Growing up in western Kansas that's the most popular game bird for sure. Wow well I'm excited to go you know see what we see if you fancy today. We'll see hopefully. We'll see what happens here. Well I'm glad you were able to take me with you west. I west Kevin Scott. And hopefully we'll see what happens. It gets natural sounds. I think that was that sounded pretty good to Mike there as far as giving this a few facts. Do you go target shooting at any time or a week? I do usually go out here north of town too and like to shoot prey dogs and rabbits. And generally we set up a lot of beer bottles and shoot beer bottles. Or sometimes targets too.

Let's talk a little bit about bow bow. Does he know what's going on right now? He sees the gun out probably but he's been hunting with you several times. Oh yeah he uh. Yeah when we pulled the shotgun out today to go hunting bow knew that it was time to go hunting. It was hyper jumping up in there. He just he just loves hunting. And usually when my alcohol bill comes they'll stay with it at our house now. And he's got a dog named Xander and bow and Xander play all night. And they know what's hunting season and they're just excited as could be. Yeah how long do you have bow bows? A little over seven years old now. So you've had it for seven years or that time? Yeah yeah we got him as a pup. So he's a pretty good shape though. I mean you know I mean as far as he's still playful and has ever seen you. Oh yeah he's a he's pretty active and he he loves hunting.

And he also he sleeps he sleeps on the floor next door bed. Actually he has a bed next door bed. So so he's a he's a bird doctor in fencing season every other time. He's a lap dog in a house dog. Well we hope we hope we're excited we're going to spend some quality time with him. I'm sure he's excited to get out there. And now what do you do? What normally happens when you shoot something? He goes out for the bench. Actually it picks up and tells you where the bed is inside. If you do you get it there? Yeah the way it works is we'll go out hunting and bow will be 20-30 yards in front of us working the field back and forth. And he'll be putting his nose on the ground as well as looking up in the air. He'll be smelling for the birds and if it's as long as there's a little bit of moisture he can smell him very well. But really dry dogs have a hard time picking up a pheasant scent. And you'll see him when he gets when he gets on one he'll kind of go crazy and you'll see him just get real excited.

And then ideally and usually what happens is he'll get a bird up and a bird will come up right in front of bow. And he'll watch and ideally will shoot him and it'll go down to the ground. And sometimes they'll hit the ground and run in. In that case the bow will chase him down and catch him. I hope so he'll bring the bird back in. And put him in his mouth and it's important for a dog to have a soft mouth. You don't want him to be real hard on the bird because it'll tear up the meat. So they'll pick up the bird and bring it back to me and fetch it. And there have been times we've been hunting in CRP fields with real thick cover. And we'll knock a bird down and not be able to find it. And look for a long time and give up on it. And then I'll look down and bow. We'll stand right there with me the bird in front of me just happy it could be. Yeah so he's quite an advantage to the hunting then. I mean as far as you know it's important that you have someone like that who can not only in the preliminary but also in the post part of that. A good bird dog is very valuable when you're hunting it.

Makes all the difference. So I've trained bow myself and it should really bring me a sense of satisfaction when he does what he's supposed to do. And both got really good in the beginning. He'd run off a little bit too far ahead and wouldn't always mind. But now there are times that later in the season I'll take bow out just bow and eye. And we'll go into a corn stock field or a Milo stock field. And I'll just follow bow around the field and he'll get birds up and we'll shoot him and just bow and eye. If it were just me to go into a field by myself the bird would just run away from me. But bow knows how to find him. Yeah so he's important in this little mission. Now Kevin how many times do you catch him one time? The limit is four per person per day. Do you usually max out at that sometimes? Last couple of opening days we have.

But there are years when you can hunt all day and not shoot one or two a piece. Last couple of years we've been done by two o'clock on opening day or we've had our limit. And when we get our limit on opening day that's pretty good. We're not always the best shots that means we saw a lot of birds because sometimes some of them get away. Is it not as a bird busy on opening day out here or around here? Oh it seems like it's gotten busier and busier and there's all kinds of hunters around. From all over the country and opening days really you really have to know where you're going to hunt and have permission. It's hard to find enough to hunt all day because there are so many people wanting to hunt. And for these farmers and landowners it's hard because they have a whole bunch of people asking them for permission. And if you go out a month after opening weekend a lot more people will give you permission to hunt and it's not near as busy.

But opening day you can pull into a field and somebody's already hunted it. Even if you're the only one that had permission sometimes there are people that hunt it when they shouldn't. Yeah and now do you go here on this side we're going to right now in opening day? Yep every every year. So you know the roads, the back roads or wherever it is we're going to fill the right. Oh yeah yeah. And now it's just I guess we'll be able to see it when we get there. Do they plan anything there? Is it just pasture land mainly? You know one of the fields will hunt the CRP field, the conservation reserve program. That's ground that's set aside it is never planted crops and it looks like tall grass and weeds. Well we might hunt some tear water pits which are just a while back before they had these inter-privileged irrigation systems they run off the runoff irrigation water

would go and fill those up. Now most of them are empty. But they have weeds in them and could cover for the birds. So it will be interesting and then how many acres is this on here? Oh you know we might hunt some on save alts and some of my dads and it just depends on what we do. But probably I have permission on about 15,000 acres which is a lot of ground. Yep. All right great. I guess we can take the pods there. I don't know if I have any more questions around about here. Oh yeah I guess I've got one. There it is. There it is!

There it is! Yes you do. There it is. check check all right we're here with Kevin Mills and where are we at now Kevin we are we are on friend road just probably about a mile east or west of Highway 83 yeah mile west of Highway 83 see if we can find some birds in this CRP all right ready to go well where's the bird come on

bird bird boy check check how far do you want to walk I guess we're gonna walk how far do you normally how far do you want to walk up and down okay you don't want to I don't know for being a bird can you yeah oh come oh come is he on the look now for brood get to see you guys nose down he's looking around he hasn't he hasn't got any good smells yet

you need to leave him over you need to let him out that's enough It's not a standing mile on all the standing corn, it'll be hard to find a bird in the CRP. Yeah, so there's probably not too many birds around here. Hey, probably don't want to put down the radio because then they'd know that we're before the season starts. Uh-huh. I mean, because normally, after the seasons, when everything will be harvested, yeah. Let's see how both come back and checks in, they'll go back and forth, and they'll come back a little bit to us, and then they'll go back and forth, and he wants to make sure

he's not too far out because if he gets a bird up way out, we can't be too far to shoot him. Yeah. How does he react when you make it when you fire a shot? Oh, he'll, he'll see you here, he'll get real excited and watch where the bird falls and go straight to it, and he'll start looking, and he, he, he just gets excited. All right. Come on, shoot? Yeah, go ahead and shoot. Get a bird, get the bird, bro, get the bird, he's looking around now, isn't he? Oh, yeah. Come on, right back, good boy, come here, good boy, good boy, good boy, good boy. Oh, come, you done got his nose down, huh? You, he really kept some如此. Oh yeah, he's looking, so, you shot, where'd he go, he's just looking around for the

birds. Oh, he's over there, that hurt, yeah? Yeah. Come on, go, come on. Good boy. Alright, good job, Bo. Yeah, we figured right now wouldn't be a good time, but at least we can get a dry run. Oh yeah. I don't know if I know whether you're, when you're hunting. How does Manny ever come with you? Oh yeah, she's a, she's shot, shot again before, and I don't know if she's ever shot a thousand, but she shot some rabbits. Yeah. I don't think I've ever been hunting, but I've always liked to come. Do you at least imagine that, you know, people who've never been, just imagine people that are dressed up, you know. I mean, you have this whole different view of what it's going to be.

You want to shoot the shotgun? No, that's okay. Kevin, so how many hours do you normally come for? You know, opening day, we'll hunt until it's dark or until we get our limit. Oh, we usually get out at 6.37 in the morning. Sun rise right before the sun comes up, and you can, you can hunt. I think it's 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset, so right when it's getting light out, and you can tell whether it's a hand or a rooster, and then when it starts getting dark or starts the sun goes down, we stop hunting because it wouldn't be safe then. Oh yeah, he looks like he's excited for this. He knows he's not supposed to get too far out. You know, anywhere within probably a 25, 30 yard radius, front and beside, and all around, he knows his job is to find a bird. Oh yeah. Some bird dogs will just get a scent and they'll just take off, and he won't find them until the end of the field. They'll always say, where are we hunting next?

Yep. He's excited. He's excited. Come here, fucker. I need some of his sounds. Did you, did you get any stacks or anything, or do you just, he knows? Like when he does something good, or that's, that was, I guess that was part of the training process there. Oh yeah, he, so he just, uh, love to find a bird, and he gets feathers in his mouth, and just, just loves, I mean, him, him getting a bird in his mouth is a satisfaction for him. Now I, I give him, give him stacks and, and water, it's important to keep him, keep him hydrated, because they, they run and work really hard, so. Yeah. I did it as far as I could. I probably know this guy. Yeah, I do. Seems like, what, now what's he doing now? He feels the plow cool. Uh, looks like he's using, uh, I don't know what that is. Some type of, uh, some type of a plow undercutter to work up the ground before he,

Alright, alright. That art court does. Alright, I think we can probably, probably gather enough sound, enough interviews, and if you wanna. I was gonna bring the stereo mic out, but I thought we'd go ahead and, might be a little too windy for that. Go, go, go. We can talk about some more stories here on the way back. Okay, in the vehicle driving.

Yeah. Yeah, we, we knew we were gonna, we were gonna get anything, or probably look for anything, but. Like I said, we, we gotta get, get number of stories and stuff, and. You have any other stories coming you wanna share with us, or some of you could wrote down, or some notes? Might, shut up. Check, check. Oh. We gotta float here. Okay, chest, there we go. Couple of more about the first heaven ever shot, one about that. Pleasant to hit the power line. Okay, yeah. Alright, so, um, what's the strangest thing that has ever happened to you while you've been out here, honey. And the years that you have been hunting here, Kevin. Well, back when I was just first carrying a BB gun, honey. Um, I think it was a day after Thanksgiving, if I remember right. Um, we were hunting right behind our, behind our house in a, in a Milo field. And I had been walking and was tired of walking, so I was posting with my, with my grandpa, Calvin.

And some walkers got a bird, a flushed a bird up. And it was coming, it was too far away from the walkers for them to shoot at it. It was coming right at my grandpa and I, and I would just kind of ducking down so the birds, so the bird would keep coming. And my grandpa pulled up the shoot and the, as the bird flew by us, I turned my head. And the bird came down, just came down hard. And I ran and retrieved and got the bird from my grandpa. And I was walking them back with the dead peasant. And I said, great shot, grandpa. And he said, I didn't shoot. And I was kind of dumbfounded. I didn't, after I thought about it, I hadn't heard anybody else shoot either. And when the, when the guys that were walking got up there, they said, yeah, they had seen it from a distance. They had flown into the power line and did a flip all the way, rung its neck on the power line and fell down. And that must have been right when I was turning my head, but I thought my grandpa had shot it. And to that stay, we still talk about the bird grandpa guy without ever shooting. That's cute there.

And how old were you then? Oh, I couldn't have been eight years old. You stood just out of BB gun. Yeah, I was just carrying a BB gun. And I was here in your, we're right now. Yeah, that was just a couple miles away from where we're right now. All right. Hi, bro. Want a bottle of water, Tommy? Oh, yeah. I'm full over. All right, check, check. So a lot of times you'll see the beds in here on the road. Yeah, the pheasants will come to the road a lot of times in the morning and the evening. And pheasants have a little bit different digestive system where they actually eat the rocks off of the road. And somehow or another, the rocks are what helps digest the food. I think it goes into a gallbladder.

So yeah, in the early morning and night, a lot of times you'll see the pheasants walking around in the ditch or on the road. And they're actually swallowing, swallowing small gravel. What pheasants eat usually is corn, mylo, sunflower. So anytime is a good feed source. A lot of times you'll find good pheasants. You You

You You You

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You She You You You You You You You You You You The The The The that's the reason. Oh, l'm an elitist, l'm an elitist, l'm an elitist. Oh, l'm an elitist. My first look at the wild turkey we call Gimpy came on a splendid evening when the wind was still.

He limped onto stage with his left foot curled into a ball. Each step painful to see. People said, look at that poor Gimpy gobbler, which is how he got his admittedly regrettable name. On that night, the grass and the pasture was an emerald carpet. Behind was a backdrop of cottonwood trees, gilded by the afternoon light. It seemed a great, green stage, a fitting place for some grand opera. And right on cue entering stage, right was Gimpy. Our brave misshapen hero. Tis the season of passion in turkey land. The males are everywhere displaying, spreading their tails with a regal flap and swelling up into majestic beings. Gimpy began displaying too, which added to the tragedy. The others paused to watch. And then a Gimpy's halting pace, the whole flock exited stage left,

foreshadowing the sad events to come. For without the ability to fly to roost a wild turkey could be doomed, one night spent on the ground could be its last. Next morning, I looked out and there was Gimpy sitting on the ground. He rose up slowly, balanced on his one good foot, achieving a perfect yoga pose. He stretched that leg in compensation for a long, dark night. I saw him huddle near the bunkhouse steps for three nights running, yet every morning there he was. And it wasn't long before he began to fly to roost. How he got a running start when he could barely walk, I can't explain. But he would wobble through a few lurching steps before his wings would lift him into the air. How he landed on one foot on some slippery branch 80 feet in the air I cannot tell you either. Nor how he held to his perch all night, and how on earth did he ever land in the morning.

Yet he did these things again and again and after a while his balled up foot seemed to give him very little trouble. Then, Gimpy showed up with his foot uncurled, all four toes hanging limp. I don't know if it uncurled on its own or if something else happened, but poor Gimpy had to learn to walk all over again on splayed out tender toes. It looked so bad I almost wished it curled again, but each day he flinched a little less and soon he didn't flinch at all. Of course his ankle seems permanently swollen and he walks as if on one high heeled shoe, but he limps so little I get him confused with the other goblers. Which is all well and good, but no fit conclusion for my opera. One evening when night was about to fall, the wind began to blow in earnest. Gimpy rose on his one good foot and jumped straight into the air with wings outspread in the sunset light.

He levitated straight into the topmost branches of the cottonwood trees. There was a great crescendo as he landed and a sigh of relief when he stayed put. The wind blew and the music played and it was a stirring conclusion to the while turkey opera I call Gimpy lives. Thanks to the McCauley Library and just Seppie Verde, who's forgiven us we earnestly beg. On a hot and windy day in mid-September I paid a visit to Pleasant Prairie Meets located south of Garden City. Owner Keith O'Neill met me in front of the small office building that serves as the company store for a family farm that raises pastured beef and poultry. With Thanksgiving a couple of months away, the operations attention is turning to providing holiday turkeys for a growing list of customers who want a bird that's been raised in a natural environment. We load up in the SUV for a drive around the back of the farm outbuildings and into the pasture area.

We pass by the O'Neill Eggmobile, an old school bus that has been converted into a motorized chicken house, complete with nesting boxes, a back ramp entryway, and construction barrier netting that fences in a flock of laying hands who spend their days scratching in the grass and their nights snoozing in their mobile home. We climb a rise in the general rolling sand hills and see the turkeys in large fenced boxes that are moved on a regular basis to give the birds a new area to forage. I tell Keith about an article I read concerning the turkey industry ultimately changing the shape of the Thanksgiving bird to the point that they have such big chests that they have trouble staying upright when they walk around. His birds are pretty mobile and don't seem to be endowed with that kind of dolly part in silhouette, but they still look pretty big. As I watch the birds investigating each grassy tuft and squabbling over a particularly tasty treat, I wonder if it's hard to keep from getting attached to something that ultimately is sent to that big holiday table in the sky.

This is Pleasant Prairie Meets. We're about 30 miles southwest of Garden City. We raise grass-finished beef, pastured poultry, eggs from free-range hens, and pastured turkeys. The whole family is involved with my wife and then we have three teenagers and then a five-year-old that help out in the project. The turkeys are pretty good size. Where they're out on the pasture, we need to get those processed before the bad weather gets here. We've gone a little late in previous years and with snow and storms, so we try to get those done before the snows come. The turkeys kind of have a personality. The chickens really don't seem quite the same, but not really attached to them, but they're an interesting bird and kind of fun to watch. Ours are raised on pasture. We have an all-natural ration that we use, one that's without any antibiotics or hormones with any kind, and they also get bugs and weeds and grass out on pasture.

We really don't have problems associated with the confined birds where they're just pushed so hard and to gain so fast. Ours are pretty good size. The tombs usually dress out at about 20 pounds and the hands about 15, and they're good sized birds where they've been raised on pasture. There's just no comparison with the taste. It's been so long since we've had one from the store, I really tell you for sure what they taste like, but from what our customers have said, they just taste a lot better and I don't know how to describe the difference in taste. Other countries, Europe especially, have realized the health benefit of animals raised on pasture, and that's something that in the United States, I think that's something that people are just become more aware of. A chemical in the meat called CLA, and they found that it's a cancer fighter on beef and the poultry too that's been raised on pasture, is just so much healthier for people than those that have been raised in confinement.

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I don't know how to describe it, I don't know how to describe it. I don't know how to describe it. I don't know how to describe it.

I don't know how to describe it, I don't know how to describe it. I don't know how to describe it, I don't know how to describe it, I don't know how to describe it. Okay, so for the record, if you would state you're anywhere we are. Yes, this is Keith O'Neill from Satanta, actually we live about 18 miles north of Satanta.

And we're at near hitch feeders or we're also about 30 miles southwest of Garden City. Okay, in the name of this particular business. This is Pleasant Prairie Meets. Okay, and you provide? We raise grass-finished beef, pastured poultry, eggs from free-range hens, and pastured turkeys. Now we've got all the details. How about goats? Do you still have goats? Still have a few, have a few goats. Just to keep things under control. Just to try to work on the weeds, yeah. Are they meat goats? Yeah. Yeah, there's some. Is that a seasonal thing? Yeah, the Hispanics like to have a goat for Cinco de Mayo and for their celebrations they enjoy butchering a goat. And do you do butchering here or do you contract that for them?

The goats are so alive. The beef is done in a state-inspected facility at Lincoln. And poultry, we're able to do here. We're allowed by the state to process. We have a limit that we can do but we have a registration number that allows us to process here at the farm. And do you have help doing that? It's a family, you know, it's the whole family is involved. And we have my wife and then we have three teenagers and then a five-year-old that help out in the project. Surprise. Yeah. That's fantastic. Okay, so we're talking, we're going to focus on turkey. Yeah, if you want, our voices on here choose with him. We'll re-record you later. So it's a clean nursing home.

Okay. We can still hear you. Okay. So we can repeat what you said. Okay. So you want to start? No, let me start. Okay. We're recording this. We're having this visit in September. The memory of September. So what size are the turkeys right now? Where are the turkeys in food chain at this point? The turkeys are pretty good size. We'll be butchering them next month. Where they're out on the pasture, we need to get those processed before the bad weather gets here. And we've gone a little late in previous years and with snow and storms. And so we try to get those done before the snows come. Okay. So you shoot for mid to late October? Mid to mid October. Just have a couple of weeks. I know.

Yeah. Can they sense it? You know, that's always a joke that people have about turkeys. No, it's coming. Do they know it's coming? I haven't asked them. Do you get attached to them in any way, Shaco? Well, the turkeys kind of have a personality. The chickens really don't seem quite the same, but not really attached to them. But they're an interesting bird and kind of fun to watch. Now, they're only like, they're less than a year old, right? Because I got your mailer in the spring and you said that the turkeys had come in. The hatchlings and everything. So a turkey. They're about 16 weeks old when we butcher them. So a Thanksgiving turkey is really like a teenage turkey. Yeah. They're young. Okay. Okay. Now, I've heard these horror stories about the big production units that have confined feeding turkeys. And that turkeys have been bred so that they have these huge chests on them.

And that they can't even, some of them can't even walk because they tip over like dolly carton or something. Because they're so big. Big bosom. So, is that really true? And are your turkeys, your turkeys are out there running around in the block arena, right? Well, ours are raised on pasture. We have an all natural ration that we use to, that is one that's without any antibiotics or hormones with any kind. But they also get bugs and weeds and grass out on pasture. And so we really don't have many leg problems or other problems associated with the confined birds where they're just pushed so hard and to gain so fast. And so ours have done really well.

Do they, so I would think that they look different. If I were to come here and say, okay, come here for my Thanksgiving turkey and the turkey has been killed and dressed and ready to go. Is it going to look like those big balls of turkey that you get out of the freezer at grocery stores? They're pretty good size. The tombs usually weigh, dress out at about 20 pounds and the hands about 15. And they're comparable in size. Yeah, they're good sized birds. But where they've been raised on pasture, there's just no comparison with the taste. And they're just a real healthy bird. And what is the difference in the taste? Do they taste wilder or gamier or darker or muscular or what? Well, it's been so long since we've had one from the store. I really couldn't tell you for sure what they taste like.

But from what our customers have said, they just taste a lot better. And I don't know how to describe the difference in taste. I think probably if you take back to the mashed potatoes, it's also on the table. It might be kind of similar to that. Yeah, I think so. Kind of bland. So yours are definitely not. Yeah, they have a lot of flavor. Do you fix them the same way? I mean, is the cooking time pretty much the same? Yeah, you just go by the number of pounds that the turkey weighs on a cooking time. And then when I talk to you before, that year that I was out here, you had already sold out. I mean, you sell out in advance on your turkeys and people. It's kind of like a Broadway show. People have to get their tickets or their turkeys in it. For the chickens and turkeys, we send out a newsletter in the late winter, early spring.

And we have a order form on there. And people can request how many they want and weigh on. And it has our processing dates on there. And then so sometimes we're sold out early spring. And other times we have them through the season. This year we still have some more for sale. Now, you had regular customers from Eastern Kansas, from way back, way, way across the state. Is that still the case? Yeah, we have one customer from Kansas City. And we have quite a few from Southeast Colorado that come. And so do you do any shipping of these meats or is this a thing where you have to come and pick it up? With the poultry, the state law requires us to sell to the final consumer at the farm.

So the customer has to come to the farm to purchase it. So you can't sell the villains? No, I can't. Or you could do a restaurant. No, I have to sell to the final consumer. Okay, so even with a restaurant you wouldn't be able to because you still have the restaurant's customers. Yeah, no, we just have to sell directly to the person that's going to be eating it. That's too bad. Well, that's the law. I'm going to set this. I'll get that later, sorry about that. That's okay. Well, are we ready to go look at the turkey? Yes, we are. Is there anything that is a commonly asked question or misconception that you'd like to take this opportunity to dash? Well, I think other countries have Europe especially have realized the health benefit of animals raised on pasture.

And that's something that in the United States, I think that's something that's just beginning to be people are become more aware of. Hang on, we'll wait for a definition. Okay. With the beef, there's a chemical in the meat called CLA and they found that it's a cancer fighter on beef that's been raised on pasture. And the poultry too is just so much healthier for people than those that have been raised in confinement. I'm so glad I'm looking at the specialty packages.

So we're here at the Harnett's household and it's on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving morning and getting ready. We've been looking at this refrigerator which is actually more of, looks like it belongs in an art museum. It's hard to see that it's a refrigerator because it's covered with photographs and pictures and paintings and all kinds of fun things. And we have Nancy and the kids and kitchen right now. So what's up on tap for tasks right now, Nancy? Well, we got several of the things started. My job for Thanksgiving is side dishes and that's a perfect assignment because it's very broad. You can kind of make anything you want and I think we always surprise them because we try and bring at least a little bit of green and crunch and veggies to the offering. But we have carrot and parsley salad which is one of the things Lauren requested.

So Lauren, I need you to go ahead and wash the parsley and let's get started with that. And that recipe, how I'm reading, is in here because I've had some dressing. We also have my niece from Lawrence here. Sadie, what we really need to do is finish the, oh, and if you land and get that hand out of the refrigerator. And we'll figure out how to heat up that hand. Do you know how to do garlic when you peel the garlic cloves and smash them? You want to do that? Okay, so in the refrigerator is the garlic because that's what we need. This green bean recipe, I isn't quite what you have in mind, Sadie, but it has um... Oh, there it is, right there by the pair. It's not quite green or a casserole. It's like the opposite of green bean casserole. The only thing it has in common is that it has green beans. But it's garlic and anchovies. Anchovies! So we're going to do that.

You can have the green bean casserole another time. So get the garlic right there by the pairs. Okay, and we need like three or four cloves of that. So here's the cutting board. And there you are. I'll figure out what to do with the hand. It does like the little potty things. Yeah, the little potty things. P-O-D. And whoever goes, the only other thing we've, I forgot to get yesterday was the raspberries for the raspberry salad. I never got to the grocery store. Hey mom. Yes. Can you do that on the back? Yeah. I don't know why she reads the instructions and says, what does it say? What does it say? Does it say something about decorating it? Because we have some pineapple here. That's just a pineapple. Something that dresses up. Oh, look at this. Oh, you don't like it? You're going to take that to us. Oh. We have, we always tell that.

Oh, here it is, how I put it. Sorry, I'm washing the hand. Mr. Lee gave us that, Landon. Yes. That is a good gift. We have a gentleman who we refer to in this, our Vietnamese Santa Claus. And he was one of us. He's also one of Mr. Bunny. He is the Easter Bunny. He came to the States, Mr. Yan Lee about eight or ten years ago. And he has decided that we saved his life. So he gives us goodies. Oh, my gosh, it does look like Spain. It does look like Spain. Yeah. Keep looking for mine. We'll fly the earth. Did you get that, Helen? Yeah, but it doesn't have any parsley. That's well, well. Add parsley. That's more a Mediterranean thing. Okay. You guys need to get a baking dish for a like one of those cookie sheets for the green beans because you roast them with anchovies and now other ones. How much more?

Three or four cloves. Here we go. Turn on the oven. Here's the recipe for that for the green beans. That would help by the way. Oh, what do we do with that? Recipe somewhere? What's that? Oh, here they are, right here. Heat oven to room. Set rack on the upper level. And I don't know where we have any time. You'll have to let go. Ooh, you'll need a bigger one now. Put some butter on sugar on it. You need to do something like that. Oh, look at that. Okay. What is it called? Is it say it's a Mediterranean? That's baking. Okay. It's so not ham looking. I mean, it's the same color. It's like a cute, cool thing. It does look like spam a lot.

Exactly. Exactly. Okay. It doesn't have any way to decorate that ham. Oh, it's good. It's a no sugar one. Friends sugar would help. It's a plenty of Python would put brown sugar in it. Well, why is it marbleized? Because it's just like ham spam. Don't touch. Do you want me to touch it? You just stole it? No, man. See what it says about decorating ham? Well, usually, yeah. I mean, we don't know much about decorating ham. Okay. Let's see if you're right. That's what you're doing here. You're confirming that. Where's the ham? Do you guys know how to use indexes? I don't know, but that can be used. Okay. I found the plate. I was just going to have a parsley sauce confused. Okay. For the rest. All right. And you've got red wine vinegar too.

If you want to use that. Well, shall you use canola oil? Yes, please. Okay. Let me see. Let me see. Let me see. Let me see. Let me see. Okay. Guys, we need to boil the ham. One cup of water. One jar of crushed pineapple. Two tails, some lemon juice. And one tablespoon of yellow mustard. You were great at this. This is a life-in-great answer. You should put an inch at more. Place the ham. Okay. You need to do that. That's a real ham. No, this is ham. It's just small ham. Well, that's what it really needs to be decorated. Oh, yeah. I think we have find it. We can find some kind of beauty. Nancy, why don't you come over here and let's talk for a minute about some specific things. Get this out of the way. So, and we'll have them in the background. Okay. Probably. So, how many people are... And now, is this a harness?

No, it's a cord. Okay. So, this is your family. Yes, this is my family. We anticipate when we all get together, there's 27 of us. Because five siblings, and we each have three kids. So, there's five times five plus my father and my step mother. But today, one family headed off to Missouri. So, it will be my three brothers and me. And all but Lacey. Because Lacey is the oldest and she lives in Nashville. And she's in retail at the moment. Thanks, good. So, all told, we'll have... What do you think about? Almost 20. And we'll meet at my brother, Eric's house. And because he has the biggest house and it works best for all of us. We range in age. I think the youngest is Will. And he is seven, I think. Six or seven, and he won't be there today.

So, we'll get range in age from 78 to 10. We may want to move away just a little bit more from the sandwiching. Well, when the clinging happens, it goes into orientation. How do you not give us something to give us? Do you guys want to leave us a question? Or do you have, do you like vinegar? Because I just bought that one. Yesterday. But there's a new bottle of vinegar and it's in the cabbage. Yeah, let's just move over here. In the corner in that way, we won't be quite so close to the clings because it was going into the orange when I did that. Okay. So, how long have you... Has it been all your life that you remember? Thanks, giving dinners this big and this many people? Yes. I was trying to think, I spent one Thanksgiving in Greece and made fried chicken for my fellow expatriates that were in Greece. But almost every other Thanksgiving that I can remember,

it was all of us together. Of course, when I was younger, my mom took the lead and made the meal. And since then, we gathered together. I think I've only, I was trying to think of that. I think one time I've been responsible for hosting and for making the majority of the meal. Other than that, it's always kind of a communal effort. We all have things that, you know, we're supposed to bring Cindy, my sister-in-law is very good at desserts, so she always brings the desserts. And, you know, Pam and Eric are going to do the main part of the meal. And Tim and Judy come from Lawrence. And, you know, it's just a big crowd. Very noisy. Okay. Let's see. How has, unlike this question from Lynn,

how has it changed? I mean, from what you remember early as days, is it has the type of cooking changed or the meal itself changed or? You know, I think one thing that's changed is kind of funny, is that macaroni and cheese has become part of it, because as the kids have gotten older, some of them are more open to eating interesting food and some of them are less inclined to eat interesting food. So there always seems to be something that, oh, you want that. Lauren Renee, read the recipe for the green beans. So you know what to do with the garlic. So, you know, macaroni and cheese seems to be part of it. That's kind of interesting. Depending on where we host it, there seems to be more of a sit-down meal approach and more of a buffet approach. And so we've moved kind of more to the buffet as the kids have gotten older and the crowd has gotten bigger.

But you know, for the most part, it's kind of just has the same feel as it's always had. You know, and some of the foods make it through. No one's too crazy about sweet potatoes, so those kind of dropped out the menu a long time ago. I slipped them in this time. Do you, is everything pretty much homemade? Or do you, are there certain things that you buy ready-made from the store? Do you use store-bought on this Thanksgiving table anywhere? Um, macaroni and cheese is out. Well, no, but that's box. I mean, but it's so, somebody fixed it, but it's not from scratch. I would think that the majority of it, I used to spend, and I have in the past, made a big deal out of homemade rolls. And that never seemed to be as appreciated as one of hope for the time it took to make them. So, you know, now we kind of do the, you know, the rolls in the package.

Um, I, most of it is homemade. Tim smoked the turkey because he has a smoker, and so that's kind of a new piece. Occasionally, Mr. Lee, our wonderful Vietnamese Santa class, so I will bring egg rolls and sticky rice. And that's been a wonderful addition in the last several years. I don't, I don't expect that today. Um, you know, there's a jello salad that my mom made for years, and the Thanksgiving before she has to weigh we made. And so I, I try and make that no matter who likes it or who doesn't. But, um, you know, it, it's a time tip for everybody to get together. Cousins are a big deal in our family, when you get to see all the cousins. And so this is a, this is a holiday for cousins. And, um, and then we'll, and some assortment of us will be back together again for Christmas. And we'll meet probably at Eric's house because it's the biggest. And, um, you know, we'll gather together and spend as much time as people schedule to allow, but that's, that's, you know,

and I also think as I've gotten older, I realized that, you know, enjoy it because it doesn't last very long. Yeah. So what do you think for this Thanksgiving in particular? Um, that we are here and healthy. And, you know, everybody made it on their, on their long rides. And, you know, it'll be a noisy, crazy day with good food and lots of love. And, and that's Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving to me is a time to celebrate everything God has done and to get together with the family. I think you said it just right, sweetheart. What? I think you said it just right. Um, okay. Well, maybe put it on to me. Back to me, the Sadie. What do you think? So what does Thanksgiving mean to you?

That's what I'm over there. We can go in the bathroom. We can go in the room. Um, I think it's just a really nice time to gather with. Maybe family that you don't see every day. Like for me, um, I don't see all my cousins in the summer of the day, so it's really fun to get together again. And it's just celebrating them. You know, like what? Family's all in that. I mean, it's all about love and caring for one another and having each other back. Happy Thanksgiving, you too. Happy Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for being here. What do I think of Thanksgiving? I love it. It's my favorite holiday. Does it work? It works. No, it's okay. the fact that we've been in a free country,

we should be thankful for our ancestors, our grandparents, our parents that are not with us today. We should be thankful for a family, a media family that's not here today, but always. We miss her, we miss her birthday. Herring, trash, everyone. For everyone to have a safe trip. And we all have a safe trip this weekend. There's a lot to travel in, not only for our family, but for everybody else that everyone has a safe trip. For these we can pray. Amen. Amen. Good job.