Cousin Pride

Might I brag for a moment?

In the May 1 issue of the Walhalla Mountaineer, I learned that my SCRANCH neighbor/friends/second cousins, Wayne and Mark Newell, won the 2012 Soil Conservation award! Presented by the Pembina County Soil Conservation District Board of Directors at the North Dakota Soil Conservation Convention in Bismark, the award honors farmer efforts in improving soil, water, air, plants and animals.

"Mark and Wayne Newell are 4th generation farmers, they took over the family farming operation in 1995. they have implemented strip tilling, crop rotation, nutrient and pest management as conservation practices on their farm. They also currently raise wheat, corn, soybeans and dry beans." 

In the paper, they included this photo:

And this is where I have to step in because, holy cow, they look so serious and boring here - which is not true - so I feel the need to flesh our their personalities a bit with some additional shots:

Outside my bedroom window on one of my first mornings - Mark (I think) and Brent changing a tractor tire.

This is Wayne and one of their (he and his wife, Paula) awesome dogs, Abbie, in front of "the shop" - the gigantic man cave that would make any suburban husband cry from sheer longing. In it, you can find things like this:

My weakling arm is no match.

I thought Kirk would die from joy when he saw these drill bits.

In addition to the giant wrench, Brent can also be found here daily.

Also, here's Mark Newell, ever-so-patiently explaining the technology of a modern John Deere combine to me:

Then came the day when Wayne came to my rescue. I was at the end of my mental health rope - which was frayed and coming undone - when he included me in a family 4WD outing.

Can you find the Californian in this photo?

Wayne Newell, in one of my fave shots.

Mark, Wayne and their brother-in-law, Sheldon. Great guys.

Congrats to the Newell brothers! Well deserved.