We picked up three new ram lambs this week — future breeding rams that’ll be working around here for years to come.
I found the ad on Facebook Marketplace. No name, no profile, just a couple of photos and a short description. Normally I’m cautious with that kind of thing, but they also had another ad up… for hay.
One of the hay photos caught my eye. Not because of the hay — but because of the tractor sitting in the background.
I’ve got a farmer friend who lives in that area, so I screenshotted the picture and sent it to him.
“Do you recognize this tractor?” I asked.
Didn’t take long.
“Yep,” he said. “That’s Pete’s. Good people.”
That was all I needed.
So I finalized the deal, and just for fun, I picked my friend up on the way. When we pulled into the farm, it turned out something kind of funny — they’d been neighbours their whole lives… and had never actually met.
What was supposed to be a quick pickup turned into an hour-long chat in the yard. Farming stories, mutual connections, weather, hay, sheep — the usual things that somehow never get old.
Eventually, we loaded up the three rams, shook hands, and headed home.
It wasn’t until later, once they were settled in their pen, that Anne took a look at them and said, “Well… those three look like Larry, Curly, and Moe.”
And just like that, the names stuck.
It’s one of those moments that reminds me how farming really works. Even now — with online ads, smartphones, and social media — it still comes back to people knowing people, reputations that matter, and conversations that happen face-to-face. Like the old saying goes, sometimes it’s who you know, not what you know.
Farmer Rod
