Kraye Family Updates

David has matured into a full time rancher, and has become a vital part of the daily operations, at Kraye Angus.  Whether they are calving, haying, fencing or involved in their many construction projects, John and David don't have any trouble staying busy.   David has spent many hours getting to know the bull calves and letting them get to know him.   David has a very sharp mind, and a real knack for pedigrees, so there is very little about the Kraye cattle herd, that he doesn't know. David attended an artificial insemination school, in November of 2008. After having been around the AI corrals all of his life, David thought that it was time that he learned how to AI, so that there could be two inseminators, instead of just one. The insemination process was a little harder than David had expected, and he was a little hesitant, at first, but after helping to breed 670 cows his confidence was much improved and he did an excellent job. Our percentage of cows settling to their AI date was as high this year as it ever has been.

David, Don Sullivan & John.	David, Don Sullivan, & John G.
David @ 2006 Bull Sale.	David, John & customers @ 2006 Sale.
David & Shelby at our ranch sign. David checking the cows this past winter.

Helen started out 2009 with a two week long trip thru Greece and Turkey. Helen went with a group of fellow Doane Students, and they toured quite a few cities in Greece and walked thru lots of historic ruins. She visited several island communities where the only open space was the sidewalks between the buildings. Culture shock for a girl from the wide open plains of Nebraska! Even though Helen was completely out of her own element, her friendly personality asserted itself and Helen and two of her friends struck up a conversation with a local couple, who invited the girls into their home for tea, so that the girls got to see exactly how the people in that part of the world live.
               
Helen look lots of pictures on her trip and somehow most of the photos had a stray cat or a dog, in them. Helen claimed that the animals just seemed to follow her around! Surprisingly quite a few of the pictures that Helen’s friends took were pictures of Helen holding these stray cats and dogs. Not too hard to figure out why they were following her.

Helen graduated from Doane College, on May 17th, 2009 with a bachelors’ degree in Chemistry. On the 28th day of May, she packed her car and started off on a 1380 mile journey to Rochester New York. Helen accepted an offer to attend graduate school, at the University of Rochester, to work towards a doctorate degree in Chemistry. Helen also accepted a job offer to spend the summer months doing research in a chemistry lab at the University.
It’s been an adjustment, for all of us. Helen had leased a one bedroom apartment, sight unseen, over the internet, and the first order of business when she got to New York was to furnish her apartment and get settled in before starting work in the lab.

Helen with Shelby. Dr. Andrea Holmes, Helen & John
	Helen at Doane.	Helen receiving award @ Doane.
	Helen Graduating!
	Helen and her good friend, Kaylee, found time in their busy schedules to sculpt a life sized snowman in the winter of 2008! Isn't it amazing what three years of college can teach you!