Matt Reese

Our three-year daughter loves hot-air balloons and she constantly scans the sky for them. The other night we were outdoors doing the chores when she spotted not one, but two. Much to her elation, one of them flew right over our house. It was close enough that we could easily see the flames heating the air to keep the balloon afloat.
While our daughter really wants to fly in a hot-air balloon sometime, I am the only thing full of hot air at the Reese house.
… Continue reading

In her first ever ladies lead competition, our daughter Campbell, three, won her class. She led her ewe “Mac” for the competition and we are proud parents. We had an interesting summer leading Mac down the road, providing plenty of entertainment for our neighbors. My wife and Campbell did all the hard work, I just had to help hold the sheep, follow directions and take a few pictures — a pretty good deal for a happy daughter (and wife) and her first trophy.

… Continue reading

Where did all of the canned pumpkin go?

We had a recent run-in with a bit of food supply reality when my wife went out in search of some canned pumpkin this fall. In anticipation of making holiday pumpkins pies, she went to a couple of grocery stores to stock up on this vital ingredient for one of my favorite desserts. She was somewhat surprised when she could not find any at the first store. Fortunately for myself and the other pumpkin pie lovers in the family, she went to a second store and got the last can they had.

A few days later, she was at a local bakery and the pumpkin conversation came up again. The baker said that their popular pumpkin products were going to be very limited this fall due to a short pumpkin crop. The baker said that if people want pumpkin for pies and other autumn goodies, they are actually going to have go buy pumpkins and can it themselves!… Continue reading

Farmers seem to be beating the hempiculturalists to harvest this year. Rumors are flying about that the early harvest is thwarting the efforts of marijuana growers that have planted their favorite cash crop in corn fields.

Had the potheads been paying attention the GDUs and the early planting schedule, they would’ve known better and snuck back into fields to save their imperiled crop from the early arrival of cold steel cutter bars of combines that rolled through fields ahead of schedule this year. The OCJ and OSU’s CORN Newsletter may have a significant increase as a whole new audience of devoted agriculturalists brushes up on the finer points of corn production within the constraints of the wild whims of Ohio’s weather.

Pot growers, take heed, and combines drivers should beware of any unusual side effects of this year’s early harvest.… Continue reading

I had the chance to visit the Hocking County  Fair the other day with my family to watch some friends show their livestock. The grounds are surrounded by the hills the county is famous for. A trip to any fair is not complete for my daughter unless she gets to ride the carousel.

… Continue reading

Those seeking some haunted Hocking County thrills need to check this out. Ghost stories from one of the most beautiful parts of the state make a great autumn combination that is worth looking into. Here are the details.

Ohio authors launch “Haunted Hocking: A Ghost Hunter’s Guide

Where the Natural World and Supernatural World Collide”

Just in time for Halloween, authors’ Jannette and Patrick Quackenbush have collaborated to give readers a compilation of Hocking Hills’ most famous — and infamous — local legends and ghost stories. Located in the Heart of the Midwest, millions of travelers have discovered the natural beauty of Ohio’s renowned Hocking Hills region. However, beyond the miles of hiking trails and cascading waterfalls, awesome cliff edges and unique recess caves, the Hocking Hills region is also known for adventures beyond the realm of the five senses. In “Haunted Hocking: A Ghost Hunter’s Guide,” Jannette and Patrick Quackenbush present a collection of more than 55 local legends, scary tales and spine-chilling ghost stories.… Continue reading

A friend of mine sent this funny story the other day and I thought it was worth sharing. She has pygmy goats and a weak stomach.

I had to take a 5-month-old buck goat to the vet for castration. I thought I was prepared, though I have never actually witnessed a “surgical” castration before. We always just band them.

I used the local vet because she is cheaper. She is really nice but it smelled like a typical vet clinic — cat litter and cleaner — and I was already a little dizzy from that. The smell of cat litter can easily make me gag or vomit.

I offered to hold the goat for her but thankfully her assistant did it. She asked if I wanted him sedated. She normally doesn’t do it, so I decided that he would be OK.

Well I should have asked if I could have had some, because we were chatting and I thought she was going to scrub him up or something.… Continue reading

A friend of mine sent this funny story the other day and I thought it was worth sharing. She has pygmy goats and a weak stomach.

I had to take a 5-month-old buck goat to the vet for castration. I thought I was prepared, though I have never actually witnessed a “surgical” castration before. We always just band them.

I used the local vet because she is cheaper. She is really nice but it smelled like a typical vet clinic — cat litter and cleaner — and I was already a little dizzy from that. The smell of cat litter can easily make me gag or vomit.

I offered to hold the goat for her but thankfully her assistant did it. She asked if I wanted him sedated. She normally doesn’t do it, so I decided that he would be OK.

Well I should have asked if I could have had some, because we were chatting and I thought she was going to scrub him up or something.… Continue reading

The next time you see Dale, make sure you get one of his new t-shirts. They are comfortable, fashionable and the big fish will surely follow. I am one for one catching 20-inch bass in a Dale t-shirt. It must be a trend.… Continue reading

My brother suggested that we look into trying this recipe for our next family gathering as all Reese boys have an inherent affinity for bacon. I think this would be a hit, as would just about anything that includes a “bacon weave” topped with sausage and (of course) some more bacon.… Continue reading

My wife was in Atlanta recently and got a photo of this now unsettling acronym in Ohio agriculture on a signed clinging to the side of this building. Pronounced “Sue’s,” this Chinese dining establishment had fine fare (including a variety of meats). My wife stopped to eat there after hearing good reviews and I told her she had to take a photo. She did not, incidentally, bump into Pacelle dining there. … Continue reading

Our two-year-old made her show ring debut for the Open Horned Dorset Show at the Ohio State Fair.

Before the show it was move-in day for the breeding sheep at the Ohio State Fair. We got our Horned Dorsets washed up and ready for the shows over the next couple of days. Our daughter helped with the hose and the spray bottle.
… Continue reading

By Matt Reese

Starting in late July, a sea of dedicated Ohio youth clad in plaid shirts, jeans and shiny belt buckles congregated in Columbus for the Ohio State Fair, the pinnacle of livestock shows in the state. They arrived toting meticulously groomed and cared for market livestock of every kind — from goats to beef cattle.

Many of these young people have been perfecting their showmanship skills since they could carry a show stick and have spent months painstakingly working with their animals. They go to great lengths to make sure every hair is in place and every comfort is provided to maximize the animal’s performance.

Once they get to the fair, the animals are cleaned to a show ring sheen and clipped to eye-appealing perfection. When the show arrives, the young exhibitors toil in the sweltering heat to present their animals to the discerning eye of the judge.

After the champion has been chosen and the ribbons awarded, tears are shed as the animal and exhibitor part after spending countless hours together in preparation for this event.… Continue reading

By Matt Reese

Starting in late July, a sea of dedicated Ohio youth clad in plaid shirts, jeans and shiny belt buckles congregated in Columbus for the Ohio State Fair, the pinnacle of livestock shows in the state. They arrived toting meticulously groomed and cared for market livestock of every kind — from goats to beef cattle.

Many of these young people have been perfecting their showmanship skills since they could carry a show stick and have spent months painstakingly working with their animals. They go to great lengths to make sure every hair is in place and every comfort is provided to maximize the animal’s performance.

Once they get to the fair, the animals are cleaned to a show ring sheen and clipped to eye-appealing perfection. When the show arrives, the young exhibitors toil in the sweltering heat to present their animals to the discerning eye of the judge.

After the champion has been chosen and the ribbons awarded, tears are shed as the animal and exhibitor part after spending countless hours together in preparation for this event.… Continue reading

There is a reason I am a writer and photographer. I have no experience doing on-camera interviews, but someone had to do the interview we needed at the recent Ohio State Fair Wether Goat Show. That someone was me.

I made sure my hair was combed and I did not have any stains on my shirt before the interview. We had my daughter Campbell help do the sound check to make sure we had the mic hooked up to the camera properly. All in all, it was quite an event and the interviews did not turn out too bad, after extensive editing. For the videos, visit the goat show result links at the top of the OCJ home page at www.ocj.com.… Continue reading

There is a reason I am a writer and photographer. I have no experience doing on-camera interviews, but someone had to do the interview we needed at the recent Ohio State Fair Wether Goat Show. That someone was me.

I made sure my hair was combed and I did not have any stains on my shirt before the interview. We had my daughter Campbell help do the sound check to make sure we had the mic hooked up to the camera properly. All in all, it was quite an event and the interviews did not turn out too bad, after extensive editing. For the videos, visit the goat show result links at the top of the OCJ home page at www.ocj.com.… Continue reading

The donkey in our barn needed its hooves trimmed, but I had no experience in the realm of jackass foot care. I was completely unsure how to proceed until my friend Chad came over and said that he would be trimming the hooves of his (and his in-laws) donkeys the following day. He said if I helped him trim his donkey hooves, he would be glad to help me. How fortunate.

The next morning I found myself chest deep in a pasture of nettles and poison ivy trying to round up donkeys that were not too interested in being rounded up. In our system, Chad (who is a much more experienced donkey farrier than I) did the trimming and I was charged with wrestling and holding the surly beasts of burden that were quite dismayed about the entire situation. In the process, I was kicked, bitten and stepped on.

I complained enough about my various injuries from the experience that my wife was not sure who the real donkey was in the barn when we finally got to the hooves of our donkey (see my blog at www.ocj.com… Continue reading

Gardening with two little ones at the Reese house is always interesting. We have been harvesting green beans, squash, zucchinis, lettuce, and cherry tomatoes (no regular tomatoes yet). Our kids help (sort of) with the endeavor and never fail to make harvesting the garden a memorable experience.… Continue reading

Including my children, five generations of my family have worked and played in this Hancock County barn — that is a lot of pichforking and straw tunnels. My parents hired a gifted Amish crew to give it a major makeover for future generations of Reeses. The Indiana-based crew has a driver that brings them two-hours each way to work on the barn.
Every day of work brings exciting progress and my daughter has already expressed interest in playing in the barn as soon as it is finished. I hope she too gets the chance to play “King of the Mountain” and spend hours crawling through the straw tunnels of this grand old old barn. We’d love to hear your favorite old barn memories.

… Continue reading

The holiday weekend was filled with farm fun. We unloaded hay, cleaned the chicken coop and on Saturday morning trimmed donkey hooves. This was my first experience trimming hooves and it was rough. I was kicked, bitten and stepped on numerous times while we trimmed this donkey at my house and six others at other area farms. My friend Chad said he would teach me how to trim hooves if I helped him. I think I had the rougher end of the deal. I also recently discovered that more people are killed annually by donkeys, on average, then die in plane crashes.
At any rate, I complained enough about my various injuries from the experience that my wife was not sure who the real donkey was in this photo.… Continue reading