This happened in 2021, but it remains one of the hardest days we’ve ever experienced on the farm.
The Most Rewarding Job
And the Suckiest One
Want to know the most rewarding job in the world?
Also the suckiest?
Farming. The reality of farming is something you can’t prepare for, it’s something you learn and live as you farm.
This photo was taken that day — my favorite shirt and jeans covered in amniotic fluid and blood.
Those were my eyes, red and swollen from crying. My heart ripped into a million pieces from not being able to help, from holding my dear sweet Ida as we let her go. Grieving, hurting, yet still doing it again and again.
This is real farming. This is the reality of farming.
Who Ida Was
Ida Belle wasn’t just another goat.
She was Floyd’s adoptive mama — the same Floyd so many of you know today. She was patient, gentle, and one of those rare animals that just knew how to mother.
She was my favorite girl.
When a Joyful Day Turned
What should have been a joyful afternoon — a birth on the farm — turned into tragedy.
Ida went into labor and quickly ran into trouble. The baby’s head was tilted back and down, and we had to go in to try to reposition her.
Once — only once — I managed to get hold of her head, but it slipped before we could pull her through the pelvic bones.
Everyone Did Everything They Could
Jessica worked just as hard as I did. We took turns working in a tight, exhausting space.
Joseph held a 140-pound goat up by himself while we worked.
Josh got home.
Jacob got home.
As soon as Jessica called, “Zoo Jake“, he rushed to us — bringing years of knowledge and experience. He tried with everything he had. I cannot thank him enough for responding so quickly and working as hard as he did.
When We Lost the Baby
And Then Lost Ida
By the time we finally got the baby positioned and pulled, she was already gone.
Then everything worsened.
Some of Ida’s organs prolapsed through a tear in her uterine wall. We were extremely careful with positioning, but I believe the tear was already there — we had seen blood earlier.
Despite every effort, we lost Ida too.
There was nothing we could do.
Sometimes Experience Isn’t Enough
The baby was tiny — much smaller than Ida’s last. She was simply malpositioned.
Even with the combined experience of several people, we couldn’t fix it.
From the start of active labor to the end, it all unfolded in less than two hours.
Five grown men.
Two grown women.
All praying.
All working.
All fighting.
Even with experience, preparation, and multiple knowledgeable hands, some births simply cannot be fixed. Difficult deliveries like this are known as dystocia, and they can turn critical very fast — especially when a kid is malpositioned and space is limited. Sometimes there isn’t enough room to correct things safely. Sometimes damage has already occurred before anyone realizes how serious it is. And sometimes, despite doing everything right, you still lose them. That’s a hard truth many people don’t see when they look at farming from the outside. For those who want to better understand how and why this happens, Cornell Cooperative Extension has a clear, educational explanation of dystocia in goats and other small ruminants.
👉 Dystocia in Small Ruminants – Cornell Cooperative Extension
The Hardest Part
When things started to get really ugly, we sent the little kids inside.
But before that, Little Jude and Jarah prayed their hearts out. They sat still, in a chair, excited to watch a birth, soon sending it was going bad. They lifted up the name of Jesus and they prayed. Watching your children’s hearts break, it opens you up to an entirely different kind of emotion.
This was their first lesson in the reality of farming.
I had never seen anything like it.
And I never want to again.
“Horrific” doesn’t even begin to describe it. A dead, tiny, baby, a ruptured and prolapsed uterus, etc..
You can read about situations like this.
You can watch videos.
They do not prepare you for real life.
Twenty-four years in EMS did not prepare me for this.
This Is Farming
Even years later, thinking back on that day still hurts.
What began as a joyful afternoon ended in heartbreak and loss.
This is part of farming.
It comes with the territory.
But it never gets easier.
Gratitude Where It’s Due
A heartfelt thank you to Jacob W, aka: Zooey, now my son in law, for responding so quickly, for your expertise, and for trying so hard. I wish it had gone differently.
A heartfelt thank you to my adult children that tried so hard that day.
Jessica, Jacob, Joseph, and my husband Josh, for being there even in the hard times, for digging in and standing strong when things aren’t pretty. I love you all from the bottom of my heart.
All of you, all of us, are Kiser Ridge Farm!
Rest easy, Ida Belle. 🤍
Floyd was lucky to have you — and so were we.
If you’ve ever wondered where Floyd learned to be gentle, it started with Ida.
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