Stateline Bean

Nice Day in the Valley

2012-03-01T13:40:00.000-07:00

Enjoy the beauty of each day!
Simplicity.

F.A.R.M. Photos

2012-02-29T14:43:00.001-07:00

Preserving Our Agricultural History!

Last Small Grower Meeting

2012-02-28T16:56:00.001-07:00

We did it! I'd like to thank my crew for helping put on all of these Small Grower Meetings, 11 down! We had fun and I feel like we had great participation from our growers, thank you! If you guys have any feedback for us on these meetings, please feel free to share. Just give us a call!

Today, we were in Torrington, Wyoming. We had 12 guests and several great questions. Thank you Goshen County Extension Office for hosting us!

Monday at the F.A.R.M.

2012-02-27T12:24:00.001-07:00

Heading over to the Farm And Ranch Museum in Gering for our 10th Small Grower Meeting of the season. We are expecting a very large group! So excited!

Alliance Small Grower Meeting

2012-02-24T07:05:00.000-07:00

We are headed up to Alliance today to meet with our growers there! Looking forward to another great meeting! We will hold our last two Small Grower meetings early next week.

Monday February 27th at 1 pm at the Farm and Ranch Museum in Gering
Tuesday February 28th at 1 pm at the Extension Office just west of Torrington, Wyoming

Hope to see you all soon! :) Have a great weekend!

Updates

2012-02-23T11:21:00.001-07:00

These are pictures I took this weekend at my house during a walk. It was an absolutely beautiful day! The snow was laid so delicately over the fields and buildings. As the sun was shinning, it was slowly melting the snow; it was so very pretty!

I am working in Bridgeport today and it is not snowing yet! LOL! It seems like every other time I have been here, it has snowed at some point in the day. It looks and feels like it could snow today though. We will just have to wait and see!

Wednesday in the Valley

2012-02-22T13:39:00.003-07:00

Hi All!

I hope everyone is having a great day! We are transferring Great Northerns from Gering to Bridgeport today so that they can be cleaned and processed. It is a nice day...very little wind and warm. They keep talking about wind, but maybe we were able to dodge it here in the valley!

P.S. So, hello wind. I have been proven wrong....that wind they were talking about....yep, it's here! It's definitely a square day here in the valley. 53*F and at least 53 m.p.h. gusts!

Mitchell/Morrill Meeting

2012-02-21T18:10:00.001-07:00

We had a great showing for our Mitchell/Morrill Small Grower Meetings today. We had a morning session and also afternoon. The morning session was very interactive and extremely interested in trying to capture the canner market. The afternoon session was small but mighty! We had great discussions and fellowship with these growers as well! Thank you Scotts Bluff County Ag Society for allowing us to rent the meeting room and a BIG thank you to Just Your Way Cafe who provided our homemade cinnamon rolls! Yummy! :)

Snowy Morning

2012-02-20T17:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, it was snowing and blowing this morning on my way to work. The road was already covered when I was headed to the gym! Check out this AWESOME picture that Dave took!

Despite the weather, we had excellent Small Grower Meetings today! We had our morning meeting in the Skyport board room at the airport. It was a great group with great fellowship following meeting. Our afternoon meeting was at the Scottsbluff Training Center just west of the new MainStreet Market. We had good representation there as several growers joined together to talk about beans. We had excellent service at both locations today, thank you!

Mirage Flats

2012-02-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

Dave, John, Courtney, and I all headed up to the Mirage Flats area for our small grower meeting today! It was a very successful meeting. I feel like we had a large crowd from up there, growers came from near and also from as far as Chadron. Some people had to tend to cattle today, which is totally understandable! Hopefully you can make it to another meeting. :)

Bayard Meeting

2012-02-16T15:37:00.002-07:00

We had a great meeting in Bayard today! Thank you for those who came and thank you Corner Cafe! The banana bread and homemade donuts were delicious! It's off to Mirage Flats tomorrow!

Wednesday!

2012-02-15T22:52:00.000-07:00

I am a little late posting this blog, but today was a super duper catch up day! We have been traveling the countryside and today I played catch up. We also were able to fit in 2 safety meetings to go over our food safety certification information with the guys.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2012-02-14T16:55:00.000-07:00

Our second small grower meeting went well down in Kimball today! We had lunch afterwards and there were beautiful roses on the tables. Thank you for your hospitality Mulligan's Steakhouse!

First Small Grower Meeting

2012-02-13T08:21:00.001-07:00

Today, we kick off our first of 12 small grower meetings! We are excited to see everyone and get to chat about beans over some coffee. I hope to see you all in the next couple of weeks as we travel the countryside to meet with our growers!

Small Grower Meetings

2012-02-10T09:12:00.001-07:00

Starting Monday, we kick off our first of 12 small grower meetings we put on for our growers. The first one will be at our Bridgeport Headquarters at 10 am. You should be getting a call here in the next couple of days about a meeting in your area. If you are curious before then, please give us a call (308) 436.2186. Hope to see you all soon! Come with questions. Have a great weekend!

Tip of the Day: ....Live like it's heaven on earth! ~ Anonymous ~

Mark Your Calendars

2012-02-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

Spring is just around the corner!

On Tuesday, March 6th, 2012 we will be holding our "Spring Grower Meeting" for our members at the Civic Center here in Gering. Please set this date aside as you will be pleased with our lineup of speakers and of course the wonderful lunch served by the Civic Center. We will get started with registration at 8:30 am and will serve lunch around noon.

Tip of the Day: ....Love like you have never been hurt....

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

2012-02-08T15:35:00.003-07:00

Picture from Bridgeport.

Tip of the Day: ....Sing like no one is listening....

Happy February 2012!

2012-02-07T07:04:00.000-07:00

Well, better late than never, right? Happy February!

Tip of the Day: Dance like no one is watching....

Happenings at Stateline Today....

2012-02-06T13:31:00.000-07:00

It sounds like the guys in Bridgeport are making 100 pound Pinto bags for a boxcar and running Great Northerns to get ready for a hopper tomorrow. Our guys here in Gering are loading boxcars today too!

Where they load boxcars in Bridgeport.

Tip of the Day: Enjoy what you do today and always!

Happy Saturday

2012-02-04T05:52:00.000-07:00

View from atop the bins!

I hope everyone has a great and RELAXING weekend!

Tip of the Day: Enjoy what you do!

A Day in Bridgeport

2012-02-03T14:55:00.003-07:00

Yesterday, Heath and I walked around all the bins, tunnels, ladders, mill, and warehouse going over H.A.C.C.P/food certification improvements. He showed me and taught me how they process beans here in Bridgeport as we walked around. It has been alot of fun being down here the past couple of days. Here are a couple photos from my journey.

As Heath and I were on top of the bins and this is what I found!
Willie likes to light it up during Christmas time!
How FUN! :)

Tip of the Day: Change is Good!

Traveling Today

2012-02-01T07:09:00.001-07:00

Buenos Dias,

I will be on the road today! I just wanted to post a quick update on the blog before I left. Make it a GREAT day!

~Kinsey

Tip of the Day: Smile while you workout.

Beautiful Day!

2012-01-31T10:27:00.000-07:00

It is once again, a beautiful day in Western Nebraska! It is hard to believe that it is almost February already and it is going to be 52* today! We must take full advantage of this beauty as we are given each day to live life to the fullest!

Tip of the Day: Laughter is the soul's medicine! Laugh with someone today! :)

Bridgeport

2012-01-30T09:14:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! The weather sure was beautiful in the mountains this weekend. As we are getting ready for spring, we have lots of things going on. We are loading boxcars, finishing up seed booking, contracting beans, and working on building our new software program. Courtney has been heading up the new software with conference calls each day for at least 1.5-2 hours minimum. It is going to be a very efficient and effective system once it is built!

Bins in Bridgeport

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be in the Bridgeport office on Thursday and Friday of this week. If you have any questions about seed, contracts, or beans in general, feel free to stop by either of our offices. We are here to help you!

Have a wonderful day!

New Stateline Bags

2012-01-26T10:57:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to introduce our newly designed Stateline Pinto bean bag. These bags are brightly colored and very eye-catching! One look at these make you look again! Hopefully these bags will speak to our end user.

Note: This design is created to display the color of the pinto bean through the thin clear strip down each side. The back of the bag is the reddish-orange color to preserve the original bright color of our pinto beans. We initially thought we'd have the back clear but they suggested that the colored back would be more protective for our beans.

Stop by to see the bags today! The guys are loading boxcars as we speak!

Gering and Bridgeport Tour

2012-01-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

Today, I had the honor of touring our facilities with Mr. Les Dale from Michigan. He is helping us work towards gaining a formalized internationally recognized certification for food safety. The whole industry is headed that direction and we are trying to be proactive with our actions.

We toured the Gering facility and also the Bridgeport facility to learn of ways to improve our facility. It is a work in progress and with a team effort from everyone involved we will get our certification.

All three photos are from our Bridgeport facility.

Nebraska Weather

2012-01-24T16:32:00.002-07:00

Snow this morning that turned into rain and then sun with a few clouds. Nebraska weather. :)

Beautiful Day in Western Nebraska

2012-01-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

The growing season is just around the corner!

It is absolutely beautiful outside today! We had some very heavy winds late Saturday evening into Sunday morning. We even had a little snow falling down Sunday, but by mid-day, it was sunny again. Sounds like surrounding areas might have had a little bit more trouble with the blowing snow. Today feels like Spring! I hope everyone is inspired by this beautiful weather to accomplish their 2012 goals!

Update from Bridgeport

2012-01-20T06:05:00.000-07:00

Good Morning~

Heath just sent me this picture of our new scale for loading rail cars in Bridgeport.

Thank you Heath for this photo!

Tip of The Day: Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.

Gering Celebrating 125 Years

2012-01-19T09:28:00.001-07:00

My logo contest entry.

Hi! Beautiful day here in the Valley. Very cold but very sunny also! I just wanted to kick of the one year celebration of Gering's 125th Anniversary with the logo I entered in their contest back in the fall. The town of Gering was looking for a logo that they could use on letterhead and on city vehicles to represent the town's 125th year anniversary. They had tons of good entries in the contest which you can view the winning logo on KNEB's page: http://kneb.com/news/index.php?more=9y34jwbr. It looks like they will kick off the festivities on Wednesday March 7th, 2012 at the Gering Civic Center. Food and entertainment for only $1.25! Mark your calendars and rally support.

I created my logo to do my best at representing Gering as a farming community with our National Monument in the background, very simple. This is actually Jerry Mackie in the combine!

Tip of the Day: No matter how you feel, get up , get dressed, and show up.

Seed Orders

2012-01-18T08:26:00.004-07:00

Just a quick reminder to make sure to get your seed booked for 2012. Also, please call or stop by for our new crop pricing opportunities.

This is a cute little phone booth outside a
British restaurant in downtown Denver.

Tip of the Day: Each person counts.

Snow and Wind

2012-01-17T11:12:00.001-07:00

We had some snow roll in late yesterday afternoon. It got pretty cold last night with a low of negative degrees when I got up! The sun in shinning right now and the wind is coming. Supposed to blow bad tomorrow.

Tip of the Day: You are in charge of your own happiness!

Blog Feedback

2012-01-16T07:46:00.000-07:00

Hi All~I am really excited about sharing the "Daily Happenings" with you all. As I continue, I would like to get some feedback on what you would like to see more or less of on here. If you feel so inclined, you can become a "Follower" or "Subscribe By Email." The "Subscribe By Email" feature will deliver the newest updates to the blog automatically to your email box around 7-8 pm each night that there is a post.

~My Buddy~

I had some feedback at Bean Day which was very positive. I really appreciate this as it helps me with topics/pictures that are of interest to our growers. One suggestion that was made was to incorporate more on our Bridgeport facility. I will work on that! Thank you for the suggestions! Feel free to comment at the bottom of these posts!

Thank you all for your continued support!

Tip of the Day: Make 3 people smile each day. :)

U.S. Dry Bean Council

2012-01-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

I was really impressed by the U.S. Dry Bean Council Executive Director's presentation at Bean Day 2012. Ms. Jeane Wharton gave a presentation on the "U.S. Beans in the International Scene" and reported on their activities within the council. It is so inspiring to see the advocacy for beans. Watch for the bottom logo on your beans! Also, for more excellent resources, check out their website at: http://www.usdrybeans.com/.

Logos from U.S. Dry Bean Council

Tip of the Day: Enjoy the Ride.

Scholarship Opportunity

2012-01-13T06:31:00.000-07:00

We jut got some information from the Nebraska Cooperative Council Education Foundation that we would like to pass along. This is a 2012-2013 Scholarship Program in honor of Dr. Michael S. Turner. Eligibility: "Scholarships will be awarded to sons/daughters of a parent/legal guardian who has been an active member, director, or employee for at least the prior three years of a cooperative which has been a member in good standing of the Council for the past five years. Scholarships will be awarded without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, or disability." Please check it out! This is a great opportunity for students entering University of Nebraska-Lincoln or Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture at Curtis. Also, for current students at Chadron State.

Please see http://www.nebr.coop/1213app%20form%20and%20coop%20promo.pdf for the print out of the flyer or http://www.nebr.coop/ to find an electronic version of the application or call (402) 475.6555. Applications must be completed by April 15th, 2012 for further consideration.

Tip of the Day: Each day is a special occasion so get out the china, burn the candles, and enjoy life. Today is Special.

Representation!

2012-01-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

I would like to congratulate Courtney Schuler for being elected to the Nebraska Dry Bean Commission on behalf of Stateline Bean Producers Cooperative. She will take Mr. Don Orr's position as a processor on the board. http://nebraskadrybean.com/bean-info/

Also, I would like to send a shout out to our representation on the Nebraska Dry Bean Growers Association board. It is great to see alot of familiar names on the board of an organization striving to support our bean industry. http://beangrower.com/

Tip of the Day: Dream while you are awake!

Pinto Bean Pie

2012-01-11T12:30:00.002-07:00

So....I just realized that I did not share the wonderful "Pinto Bean Pie" recipe from our Annual Meeting. I would like to send a quick thank Jamie Meisner for making these pies at our meeting and also for providing us with this excellent recipe. Enjoy! It's totally worth it!

http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2009/03/pinto-bean-pie-sweet-not-savory.html

P.S. I have even used mixed Pintos and Great Northerns....all = DELICIOUS!

Tip of the Day: The BEST is YET to come!

Bean Day 2012

2012-01-10T17:28:00.002-07:00

Bean Day 2012 was a huge success! Congratulations. Great fellowship with fellow processors and growers.

Tip of the Day: Communication and Respect can go a LONG way.

Perspective

2012-01-09T11:38:00.004-07:00

Living in the west is so different from where I grew up in the midwest. I am thankful for my experiences here which have opened my eyes to numerous new ways of life outside of what I am familiar with. Last night, as I was driving back to Nebraska from Colorado, I pulled over to the side of the road just north of Kimball to watch the beautiful sun set behind the windmills. At first glance, the moon was really big and beautiful too and it got smaller as I continued driving towards home.

Tip of the Day: When you wake up say, "Today, my purpose is...."

Before the Sunrises....

2012-01-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

I got here a little early the past few mornings so the guys could use my truck to load those boxcars sitting out back. My truck allows them to pull the goose-neck efficiently. They start loading before sunrise....which is the best part of the day, in my opinion!

60* and Sunny

2012-01-05T09:27:00.002-07:00

~Beautiful day here! January 5th and it's 60* and SuNNy! Life is GOOD!~

Day in the Life

2012-01-04T17:29:00.002-07:00

Busy day at the office! Lots of great visits with growers. Stop by to book your seed for next year!

Live Simply.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-03T10:00:00.002-07:00

What a great way to start off the New Year! Lots of warm weather this week! I'll take it after that crazy blizzard on Saturday! I'm so glad that I was inside....I hope everyone was off the roads at that time! Here is a little post card to welcome in our WONDERFUL new year!

....beautiful....

2011-12-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

This morning I was able to catch the sunrise at the house! I have been waiting for this moment because my farmers have recently moved their beet equipment into the yard and I just knew this would be an awesome photo with the sunrise in the background! I just wanted to share it with you! Again, we live in a BEAUTIFUL part of our world!

Relax and have a wonderful New Year's weekend!

Oh the Wind

2011-12-29T13:43:00.002-07:00

Wow, they were not kidding when they called for wind today! I'd venture to say it is more than just a "light breeze." I went over to the new Coop Main Street Market to get lunch for the crew and on my way out, the lid blew directly off my meat and cheese tray and the cheese started flying around. It was crazy! Anyway, the new grocery store there is very nice! You should go check it out.

Please be careful today! I have heard on the radio that light trailers are blowing over! It was interesting, while talking to a farmer yesterday, he mentioned that we might have a "square day" today. Curious, I asked what that meant. He proceeded to tell me that when it is 50 degrees outside and the wind is blowing 50 m.p.h., that is a "square day." Then I decided that I didn't know which would be better, the 50/50 or 30 degrees and 30 m.p.h. wind?! Glad I don't have to choose!

~Photo taken in Illinois!~

~Home Sweet Illinois~

2011-12-28T10:29:00.001-07:00

Home Sweet Illinois~It was wonderful! I hope that everyone had as great a Christmas as possible! I got in late last night and I am so thankful for the time that I got to spend with my family! My family just keeps growing and growing!

WOW, how green it was at home! The weather was beautiful and totally did not feel like December in Illinois. I got to run outside in only a light jacket. Yesterday, we got a little snow/sleet just enough to make it white for my sisters birthday! Then it melted, allowing us all to make it to the airport and return home safely.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

Please take care and have a wonderful Christmas! See ya next week...stay tuned for more updates from Stateline Bean!

Winter Wonderland

2011-12-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

They were right! We woke up to a snowy winter wonderland! It is gorgeous! As I was driving to work, I got distracted by the Monument. The sun was shinning on it perfectly on the freshly fallen snow. I just kept driving towards it so that I could get a better view. So beautiful!

I do hope that everyone travels safe and is able to get to their final destination this weekend to celebrate with friends and family!

Snowing

2011-12-21T11:28:00.002-07:00

The snow is here earlier than expected! It started around 7 am this morning and is coming down. It's starting to accumulate a little bit. We will see what tomorrow brings!

Boxcars Leaving

2011-12-20T10:41:00.003-07:00

The sun is shining with a chill in the air. They are calling for heavy snowfall on Wednesday night. I hope that I can still make it to Denver on Thursday!

Cars heading out....

...the railroad came to pick up our boxcars today!

Beautiful Weekend!

2011-12-19T14:24:00.003-07:00

The weather this weekend was, yet again, beautiful! It's hard to believe how warm it is just one week before Christmas! So awesome! Hopefully everyone was able to take advantage of the excellent weather! Wishing you well as you finish up your Christmas decorating, shopping, family organizing, baking, etc. Don't forget to take time to stop and enjoy the true meaning of the season!

Christmas Spirit

2011-12-16T09:27:00.000-07:00

Good Morning All!

I just wanted to take a second to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I know it's early, but I just had to share this photo with you of Mr. Pilot, our Board President's dog. He has been with us all week long and it's going to be so sad when he goes back home. We have all really enjoyed having him around! He is such a great and quiet dog....loves "to go" anywhere in the vehicle with you. Today, he is going with me to the post office. :)

Day #2

2011-12-15T11:17:00.001-07:00

Day #2=SUCCESS! We had a more steady crowd in today! It was alot of fun! Thank you all for visiting!

While we were all inside visiting, the guys were working really hard outside loading boxcars. There are 8 cars in this picture and 7 were loaded between today and yesterday (one car was rejected). Great work guys! We have had beautiful weather for the past 2 days.

Day #1

2011-12-14T14:04:00.004-07:00

Day #1=SUCCESS! Lots of food, fellowship, and seed ordering happening today here in Gering. I have really enjoyed being surrounded by great people in agriculture!

Seed Booking Days Tomorrow and Thursday

2011-12-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

Heath is here in Gering with us today with our new Stateline pickup, helping load boxcars. The truck is going to good use!

Just a quick reminder, don't forget about our Seed Booking Days tomorrow and Thursday this week. I'm cooking! I am all ready to cook some beans tonight! I went to the store last night to get all of the ingredients for Crock Pot Tamales and the Bean Pie that we had at our Annual Meeting. We received an EZ Bean Cooker as a Christmas gift the other day in the mail. What a great invention. I will be giving it a try tonight! Check it out: http://www.ezbeancooker.com/ for more details. I will let you know how it works. It's supposed to cook beans in 12-50 minutes, depending on the bean, without soaking or anything.

America the Beautiful

2011-12-12T09:46:00.003-07:00

Good morning, I just wanted to share with you all a picture that I was fortunate to take this weekend! I was just in awe when I saw him sitting there on a limb just outside of town. It was a beautiful sight! I was so very close that I thought that he would fly away as soon as we stopped the pickup, but he just sat there keeping a close eye on us. Look at his beak and those talons! I was very aware that his neck feathers were a little ruffled. He never budged though. Amazing! What beautiful things you can see if you take the time to enjoy!

Beautiful

2011-12-10T13:42:00.000-07:00

The picture above was taken by Dave as the sun was setting a few nights ago. We live in a beautiful place!

Sugar Factory Tour

2011-12-09T08:31:00.001-07:00

I must say that I was fascinated by the factory tour last night. I drive by it almost everyday and there are so many more steps that the beets go through before they become sugar than I initially thought. We learned about each step and what is produced at each one. Then we got to view, in action, each step. I was amazed by all of the computer sensors in the factory that are constantly being monitored for any problems. A simple click on the computer and things can be slowed down or stopped to prevent furthering the problem.

A view of the Monument from on top of the factory.

We toured and then had a very nice meal that was donated from several local businesses. The tour fee will go towards scholarships that the sugar factory awards. Thank you for a great opportunity to share what you do, with the community. It was really neat because there were a couple of ladies there that had worked in the office of a sugar factory way back when and they were just elated to get to tour. They said that everyone in the community should get the opportunity to go.

Moon picture next to the huge bins.

What I am going to start looking for in the stores are sugar (brown, powdered, or white) that has a lot number that begins with the letter "F." This "F" I learned last night, means that sugar was made at the Scottsbluff Factory. :)

Stateline Crew

I was so happy to see several of our Stateline growers at this tour last night. Hillside Farms and Rein Family Ag are in this picture with me. I also met one of our grower-members for the first time last night too (not pictured).

Sugar Factory Tour

2011-12-08T12:44:00.001-07:00

I am really excited to get to be a part of this year's Sugar Factory Tour at Western Sugar. Sugar beets are a whole new thing to me and the longer I am here, the more I learn. This harvest, I got to go ride in a beet digger and tonight I will get to see the whole process at the factory. I am thankful for this opportunity.

Sugar beet in the field next to the house.

Post Office

2011-12-07T06:52:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to send out a quick thank you to our post office in Gering. I get to get the mail everyday and I look forward to my visits because they are so nice and helpful! Thank you for all that you do!

-3 Degrees

2011-12-06T14:47:00.001-07:00

The guys are all bundled up today as it was -3 degrees this morning when we got here. Totally freezing! The best part about the whole day is that the sun is shinning and the temperature is now 32 degrees above zero! Dave and Gerald made us some chili today to eat for dinner! It sure hit the spot on a day like today! Thank you guys!

Cold and Sunny Here

2011-12-05T12:31:00.001-07:00

This is a really neat picture of our facilities here in Gering. You can see the leftover snow from this past weekend covering the ground and the sun is s*h*i*n*n*i*n*g. Cold, but very peaceful outside, the sun is helping warm things up a bit.

Wonderful Visit

2011-12-02T15:06:00.001-07:00

I had the most wonderful opportunity to visit with the Rein Family this afternoon. I went over to present them with their "Clean Bean Award" for the 2011 crop year. Both Jeremy and Jack tied for third place in the Pinto category. We just had the most wonderful conversation and I got to see their home and where they farm. I just had to take the opportunity to snap a few pictures of their most unique propane tank! How awesome to turn a white tank into an eye catching watermelon! Great idea Gloria! Thank you for your friendship and fellowship.

Chilly

2011-12-01T15:00:00.001-07:00

We woke up to a little snow this morning. They have been talking about a front coming through all week. This wasn't the fun, pretty kind of snow, it wasn't the cold and blowing kind either. It was just kind of there when we woke up. It wasn't enough to make it pretty, but we did get some sunshine today about the time I took this picture the clouds broke. :)

Travels

2011-11-30T16:41:00.001-07:00

Landscape South of Gering

Landscape by Bridgeport

Beans

2011-11-29T10:30:00.001-07:00

The Guys moving totes to the North Warehouse.

Beautiful Day in Western Nebraska

Action Shot of Movin' Beans

Fun at work! The Guys were making me laugh! :)

~Weekend~

2011-11-28T10:34:00.001-07:00

What a wonderful weekend! I hope everyone was able to spend time with family and friends. I just have to share a couple of pictures with you that pretty much wrap up my weekend! These friendly fellows reminded me how much I want to strive to 'live simply.' They were so happy just grazing the meadow with the beautiful majestic mountains in the background, not a care in the world. Occasionally, they would come up to the barn to visit with us and see what was going on. They were very settled and content.

R & R

2011-11-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a WONDERFUL day with family yesterday and a great RELAXING weekend to follow! Take a backseat and just rest and ENJOY!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T06:05:00.000-07:00

I'd like to thank our growers, staff, truck drivers, and everyone else who helped make it a great and successful harvest! Have a great Thanksgiving!

Many Hands

2011-11-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

Many Hands Make Light Work!

I just love these pictures! Thank you for all

of your help guys! I am so thankful to work

with such a great staff!

Movin' Beans

2011-11-22T13:19:00.001-07:00

Oh BEAUTIFUL day in November! Over 50 degrees almost on Thanksgiving!

Today, we are starting to move our Great Northern beans from our facility in Gering over to our Bridgeport facility.

Happy Monday!

2011-11-21T14:30:00.001-07:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Did anyone get corn all finished up? I sure hope so. With the little bit of snow we had on Saturday, it feels more like Christmas than Thanksgiving. It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is already coming...this Thursday! Time goes by so fast! I have been working at Stateline for almost six months now. I came in during seed, got to go through the growing season and then harvest. Now, with our Annual Meeting behind us, we are on to our next season. We will begin small grower meetings as winter progresses. I really look forward to holding these meetings for our current growers as well as potential members. If you all have any ideas for topics, please let us know. Don't forget about our seed booking days December 14th and 15th.

I just want to take a quick moment to thank our growers and staff for welcoming me onto the crew. I have enjoyed getting to know everyone this summer and fall. Thank you for your patience, as well, as I was learning the truck dispatcher stuff. With harvest all wrapped up, I can look back and realize how much I have learned since I began just six months ago.

Congratulations!

2011-11-18T15:46:00.001-07:00

There were three nominees for the "JOE FRANKS AWARD." This year it was awarded to Mr. Larry Birdsall (pictured above) for his dedication and excellence in leadership for the bean industry.

Another congratulations goes out to our growers who won our "CLEAN BEAN AWARD!" This award is calculated by adding the F.M. and dirt on the total tare per load.

Pintos

1st Place – Don Rein Farms
2nd Place – M Gompert Farms
3rd Place – Tie - Rein Family Ag & Jeremy Rein

Great Northerns

1st Place – Groskopf Farms
2nd Place – Kerry Birdsall
3rd Place – Mickey Ryan

Congratulations everyone!

Annual Meeting Tonight

2011-11-17T09:49:00.001-07:00

Getting ready for our meeting tonight. I am really looking forward to meeting everyone's other half!

Snow

2011-11-16T07:54:00.001-07:00

I just love those mornings when I wake up and open the curtains to a fresh snow covering ground and beautiful flakes gently falling. It was a TOTAL surprise this morning! When I checked the weather last night, I didn't even see any snow in the forecast. It sure did feel like snow last night though...the humidity seemed to kick up after dark. Anyway, I was super excited this morning!

Congratulations

2011-11-15T10:15:00.001-07:00

We would like to congratulate Carlos Urrea for his service and dedication to the dry bean industry. Thank you for all of your hard work! We really enjoy working with you and your team.

http://kneb.com/news/agricultural/index.php?more=pt4r8hh3

Annual Meeting

2011-11-14T16:30:00.001-07:00

* Just a reminder that our Annual Meeting is this Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m. at the Gering Civic Center. Please R.S.V.P. at (308) 436.2186 so that we can get you down. I look forward to seeing everyone! *

It was an absolutely beautiful weekend! Hopefully alot of corn came out! Today, it is extremely windy, but around 60 degrees and sun shinning!

Go Huskers!

2011-11-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

B & N Johnson's Truck

~Thank You~

2011-11-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

Our little town is honoring our veterans.

Thank you to our friends, family, and strangers that we may never get to meet, your dedication and love for this country is amazing! Thank you for serving!

"Salute the ones who died,

The ones that give their lives

So we don't have to sacrifice

All the things we love..."

~Zac Brown Band~

Beauty All Around

2011-11-10T11:35:00.001-07:00

Courtney caught this beautiful sunrise over Scottsbluff
the other morning.

In the News...

2011-11-09T09:37:00.005-07:00

Proud to be a part of Stateline: Back in September, Stateline got to participate in donating beans along with other community businesses and people to help the local food pantry. What an awesome feeling to be a part of that! To read more follow this link:

http://www.starherald.com/articles/2011/09/04/news/doc4e62f199e07cc343463326.txt

Our grower-owner cooperative was recognized by the U.S.D.A. during Cooperative Month. http://www.nebraskaagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=845&yr=2011

http://www.thebusinessfarmer.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=1464&page=76

Dave and several of our grower-members were highlighted on the UNL CropWatch website regarding the new Great Northern variety, Coyne: http://cropwatch.unl.edu/drybeans

Coyne Tour in September

Randy Mattson, Treasure Valley Seed with
Carlos Urrea, Dry Bean Breeder from UNL

Dave Dietrich, Stateline field specialist
with Kerry Birdsall, grower-owner at Stateline

Coyne Tour

Frosty Morning

2011-11-08T09:16:00.001-07:00

Good Morning. We have a bit of a winter wonderland...everything is covered in a thin layer of frost. The fog was really heavy early this morning and it is supposed to lift mid-morning.

November Weekends

2011-11-07T15:10:00.005-07:00

I headed down to Colorado on Friday night for a Half Marathon in Loveland and the weather was beautiful! Then, we ended up going up to Estes Park where it was snowing very gently. It was really pretty coming down in the mountains!

Sunday morning, I was so excited because one of our growers down South was going to take Heath and I hunting for pheasants. When I woke up on Sunday morning, it was very windy. After a quick text to Heath, he said it shouldn't affect our hunting. After church, we headed down there. We actually caught up with our growers, Gary and his sons, moving their corn equipment on Highway 71 to their neighbors field to help them finish up. We had alot of fun...we got to hunt and then I got to ride in a GREEN combine! It was really fun! I was so happy that I got to go and visit with them while they were combining corn!

~Saturday~

2011-11-05T06:37:00.000-06:00

~Have a great weekend! From all of us at Stateline Bean~

Friday!

2011-11-04T16:37:00.002-06:00

I was put on a mission today to head to Bridgeport and then down to Dalton for some errands. Wow, I know that Bridgeport is 30 miles from here, but I forgot how pretty that drive is! All the little towns and Chimney Rock and then the train as you are welcomed into Bridgeport. It was fun visiting with the staff at our Bridgeport facility today as I have only met them a couple of times and only been to our facility once before. I talk to them all of the time on the phone, via email, and instant message, so it was good to see them in person again!

Chilly Morning

2011-11-03T08:50:00.002-06:00

It sure is a chilly morning....earlier steam was rolling off the beet piles and the river which created a beautiful scene this morning. I captured the Monument pictures right there close to the Y. I even got to see a little flock of geese congregated for a morning swim. :)

First Snowfall!

2011-11-02T11:21:00.003-06:00

It started snowing around 7 pm last night!

Calm Before the Storm

2011-11-01T08:33:00.001-06:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween last night! There sure were lots of kids in great costumes around here! The weather was perfect with a slight breeze and 60 degrees.

This morning it is still pretty nice, but they have been telling us on the radio that we are under a "winter storm warning" which will be in effect until Wednesday morning. Here are some pictures that caught my eye this morning as the railroad was dropping off cars next door. It is pretty cool with the sun on the cars with the dark clouds in the background.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T09:19:00.000-06:00

This photo was taken at Barn Anew.

Happy Fall!

2011-10-28T08:56:00.001-06:00

Well, I have to brag just a little bit on my puppy dog. His 3rd birthday will be in November and he has recently been down with a bad leg. He is getting better and I just had to take the opportunity to capture a few shots of his personality! Have a great and safe weekend!

Here are a couple of pictures that make me think of fall! Please bare with me as my good camera is in the shop being cleaned and fixed. Bean harvest was hard on it with all the dust! It was totally worth it though because I got some awesome pictures! :)

Fresh Coat of Paint

2011-10-27T16:18:00.000-06:00

I forgot to mention the nice paint job the guys did this summer on our lovely Gering building. It sure spruced the place up a ton! That and Courtney's beautiful flower pot by the front door. I'm not sure how it's going to do since the heavy frosts that last two nights, but this summer it was awesome!

We have an "Office" sign to put by the front door, now we just have to finish painting it! That will be the finishing touches!

Weather Update

2011-10-26T09:04:00.001-06:00

So, the weather we were all so prepared for, must have just gone south of us! We are getting a little snow falling now, but when I woke up this morning, all that could be found was a little snowy/frost mixture on the roof and pickup windows. The roads were fine getting to work, however, a friend of mine drove to Colorado for work today and he said that the roads were pretty rough. He said they had about 4-6 inches of accumulation.

Winter Storm Sweeping through Area

2011-10-25T15:49:00.001-06:00

We have winter weather alerts all over! We will wait and see!

http://www.weather.com/weather/map/interactive/69341:4:US?animation=true

University Harvest

2011-10-24T15:42:00.000-06:00

Last Friday morning, Dave and I took an hour to go meet up with Carlos and John out in the field at the Panhandle Research Station. They called us to let us know that they were harvesting their test plots. When we got there, this is what we saw in the middle of a bare field.

Immediately, it grabbed my interest as I was expecting to see the combine rolling. All the beans were already off the ground and they were on to the next step. I was curious how they could get through all those little test plots of beans and keep them all separate for accurate data collection. Well, they shut down their operation as soon as we got there and explained the whole process to us. They pick the beans by hand and place them carefully in the big black garbage bags already labeled with the individual varieties.

As you can see from the picture above (taken by Dave Dietrich), all the big black garbage bags piled on the trailer. After they pile the bags on the trailer, they start thrashing them in that machine. It acts just like the combine and gets rid of all the chaff out the front and it spits the cleaned beans out the side where they collect in a bucket with a small labeled brown paper sack (shown in picture to the right). This is how they collect all of the samples to then take back inside and analyze for moisture, yield, check seed coat, and splits among many other tests. They must have their method down because they said this amount of bags would only take another hour or so.

They had all kinds of beans, from small to big and all sorts of colors! Some I had seen before and others I had not. These beans that I am holding in my hand are called Cranberries! They are beautiful! To me, they look like big pinto beans with red strips instead of brown. Awesome combination. I cannot speak to how they taste, but they sure do have great presentation.

We had a great quick trip to the University to learn about their test plot harvest methods. Thank you for taking the time to explain them to us!

Stateline

2011-10-22T14:14:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone has a great and safe weekend of harvest!

Beets

2011-10-21T06:40:00.000-06:00

I was outside in our lot yesterday when this scene caught my eye. The train had just past and the sun was shinning perfectly behind the smoke at the Sugar Factory. It made me realize that just because we are almost done with beans doesn't mean that everyone is done with harvest yet. There is still alot of time left of harvest with beets and corn. Please be safe!

Done Loading

2011-10-20T14:23:00.005-06:00

The guys worked really hard yesterday and got the boxcars all loaded and they are ready to be picked up!

Still Comin'

2011-10-19T06:44:00.000-06:00

We still have beans coming in!

Funny Story....so I had just finished up probing and grading a truck when all of the sudden the room got darker...hmmm...little did I know, I could seriously reach out my office window and touch the box cars as they were pushed up beside our building! We got our boxcar delivery that we will be loading soon!

Teamwork!

2011-10-18T10:38:00.000-06:00

After the rain, came the sun yesterday afternoon....
I was wrong, no snow.
This is a picture that I took as I was leaving work. :)

Here is a picture of me and the guys! It's all about
teamwork around here!

Dave and the Guys!

Jaun and I!

Rainy Day

2011-10-17T12:30:00.002-06:00

Today, it's a little chilly! It feels like one of those days where it gets colder as the day goes on. The temperature reads 40 degrees right now. It was spitting rain this morning on my way to work and now it is raining and windy. They say possible chances of snow mixed in with the rain. Now, I haven't seen any snow yet, but I'll let you know tomorrow if I do!

We had some trucks this weekend and a few more today. The beans are still coming in!

Stateline Bean

Nice Day in the Valley

F.A.R.M. Photos

Last Small Grower Meeting

Monday at the F.A.R.M.

Alliance Small Grower Meeting

Updates

Wednesday in the Valley

Mitchell/Morrill Meeting

Snowy Morning

Mirage Flats

Bayard Meeting

Wednesday!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

First Small Grower Meeting

Small Grower Meetings

Mark Your Calendars

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Happy February 2012!

Happenings at Stateline Today....

Happy Saturday

A Day in Bridgeport

Traveling Today

Beautiful Day!

Bridgeport

New Stateline Bags

Gering and Bridgeport Tour

Nebraska Weather

Beautiful Day in Western Nebraska

Update from Bridgeport

Gering Celebrating 125 Years

Seed Orders

Snow and Wind

Blog Feedback

U.S. Dry Bean Council

Scholarship Opportunity

Representation!

Pinto Bean Pie

Bean Day 2012

Perspective

Before the Sunrises....

60* and Sunny

Day in the Life

Happy New Year!

....beautiful....

Oh the Wind

~Home Sweet Illinois~

Merry Christmas!

Winter Wonderland

Snowing

Boxcars Leaving

Beautiful Weekend!

Christmas Spirit

Day #2

Day #1

Seed Booking Days Tomorrow and Thursday

America the Beautiful

Beautiful

Sugar Factory Tour

Sugar Factory Tour

Post Office

-3 Degrees

Cold and Sunny Here

Wonderful Visit

Chilly

Travels

Beans

~Weekend~

R & R

Happy Thanksgiving!

Many Hands

Movin' Beans

Happy Monday!

Congratulations!

Annual Meeting Tonight

**Snow**

Congratulations

Annual Meeting

Go Huskers!

~Thank You~

Snow

Frosty Morning