Wild Wild West

Check out this article, I thought it was very interesting:

Cattle Rustling 

Best,

Tera Rooney

Turkey Talk

A couple of days ago, turkey was the talk of the town. It was the center of millions of dinner tables. It was the star of the show. I don't know a whole lot about raising turkeys on a commercial level, but I did raise 4 birds one year for my 4-H project. You know who knows quite a bit about raising turkeys?

This guy!

http://cjonline.com/news/2011-11-23/kansan-does-more-just-talk-turkey#.TtKtZbIr27s


Enjoy!

Tera Rooney

Miss America Video

In case you missed Miss America present the latest Upson Lectureship Series or if you thought it was so good that you wanted to watch it again, well you are in luck. The video has now been uploaded to YouTube at the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYuhrVWd7d4

Take a look and just think how lucky we are to have somebody like Teresa Scanlan advocating to agriculture.

Miss America Speaks at Kansas State University

 Teresa Scanlan, Miss America 2011, visited Kansas State University on November 15th to give the fall lecture in Food For Thought's Upson Lecture Series.

 Pictured above with Dr. Dan Upson and Dr. Dan Thomson both professors at Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Miss America 2011, Teresa Scanlan, addresses the audience with a challenging message. She emphasized the fact that not all Americans are farmers, but that we all have to eat. It is up to agriculture producers to connect with consumers and give them the science-based knowledge they seek about where food comes from.

All of these photos were taken by the very talented Wrenn Pacheco of Wrenn Bird Photography.

Miss America Event A Success!

In case you missed out: the Miss America event was a huge success!

Many people attended the lecture last night and Miss America Teresa Scanlan couldn't have given a better message to the audience. You want to hear more, right? I have you on the edge of your seat?

The suspense might just have to kill you. We're going to keep you waiting a little bit longer. You see, we are all students in Food For Thought who are extremely passionate about sharing agriculture's point of view with consumers. The key word in all of that was that we are STUDENTS! We have to pass a couple of test and turn in a few projects and then we'll be able share with you the details of Miss America's lecture.

Stay tuned for pictures, quotes and tid bits from the big night! You have my word, we won't keep you waiting too terribly long.

Best,

Tera Rooney

Today is the day!

Please join us tonight for the big event as we welcome Miss America 2011, Teresa Scanlan to Manhattan, KS. She will be giving the 4th installation of the Upson Lecture Series sponsored by Food For Thought.

Poster designed by C. Kniebel

MISS AMERICA WILL BE HERE TOMORROW!

Do we need to say any more?

Fly Over States

I'm sure this song has been out for quite some time but since I'm in Australia I haven't been able to tune into many American country stations so incidentally I just heard it last week. For your listening pleasure:



 I love this song because it serves as a reminder of the importance of the farmers and ranchers who are producing a safe and affordable food supply in those fly-over states.

Additionally, Thanksgiving is just around the corner so remember to thank a farmer while you're carving up your Thanksgiving bird (or ham)..

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

#foodthanks for the American Farmer

The month of November ranks rather high on my list of favorite months. Not only is it the month of my birthday, but its part of the beautiful fall season and marks a much anticipated holiday- Thanksgiving. Many families take time during the start of the holiday season to give thanks for the most special things that are part of their lives. If any of you are like me and spend much of your free time on Facebook; I’m sure you’ve seen the many status updates aimed at giving Thanks for something different each day.

This simple act of giving thanks is a deed, often gone undone. As American’s we have the honor in being citizens of a free nation. We should give thanks each day to the men and women who fought for our Country’s freedom, and continue to protect this great Country. We have the right to stand up and speak freely for what we believe in, and the ability to worship; regardless of what denomination one might believe in.

As a faithful Christian, loyal American citizen and a proud daughter and granddaughter of an American Farmer and Rancher; part of what I’m so thankful for is American Agriculture. Growing up on a family farm has taught me countless lessons and morals that I carry with me each day. I take pride in being able to work alongside my family; caring for our land, our animals and providing America with safe, affordable, and wholesome food for our neighbors and their families across the country.

As your thinking about your menu this Thanksgiving and making your grocery list, be sure to give thanks to the folks who represent 2 percent of the population; the farmers that provide enough food, fuel and fiber for the remaining 98 percent of Americans. The freedom of being an American farmer provides families with a variety of food choices; whether it comes from conventional, organic, large or small family farms. Agriculture is one of America’s richest traditions, and provides remarkable economic stability for our country. Without the dedication, honesty and hard work of American farmers and ranchers, it would be a little harder to find the words to give #foodthanks this holiday season.

In closing, I leave you with a call to action. Like many of my friends on Facebook, I’m going to give thanks to something each day…But here’s my twist. Of all the many blessings there are to share; I’m going to give #foodthanks each day. So join me in thanking our farmers for providing the nourishment to keep us healthy, clothing to keep us warm, renewable energy to keep our engines and fires burning and for caring for our Earth for future generations of American families to enjoy!

With many thanks,
Kiley

From another blog...

This is an older post from this summer, but I ran across it today. The author did a great job of highlighting the role Miss America, Teresa Scanlan, plays in advocating for the agriculture industry. As a consumer of food and fiber products, I am thankful for her willingness to approach this industry in her platform.

Farm Policy Facts Blog

Enjoy the read,

Tera

I give #foodthanks because...

I give #foodthanks because I am a farmer's daughter. 

 I took my nephews and niece to a small pig farm in my area so that they could learn about pigs and play with the babies! If my niece and nephews get involved in the family farm, they will be the 5th generation of Rooney's to farm in Haskell County, Kansas.

In light of a campaign put on by the AgChat Foundation called #foodthanks, I wanted to compile a simple list of why I am thankful for American farmers and ranchers who provide the food on my table everyday.

1. I am thankful for the farming community because it is the reason I was raised in a rural setting. We may not have access to a large shopping area or abundant choices for restaurants where I live, but I consider the quality of life in Satanta, KS, to be very high.
2. I am thankful for the farming community because it is going to be my career! I am a veterinary student at Kansas State University and would like to return to rural Kansas and get involved in food animal health. I also see a lot of opportunity for community enrichment programs with education brought in by a veterinarian for companion animal owners. 
3. I am thankful for the farming community because they, though small in number, feed and clothe the world! It is fascinating to me how my dad's cotton grown in Haskell County ends up in a foreign country for processing and then back in the US as denim for jeans. Or how the corn he grows ends up in the rations fed to cattle in our region's feedlot industry which are eventually sent to slaughter locations in our backyard to be shipped to foreign countries that do not produce enough meat to fill their demand.
4. Finally, I am thankful for the farming community because my family has been a part of it for several generations and now my generation is getting ready to jump in to the family business! It makes us all very proud that the same pieces of ground my great grandfather first farmed will be planted by my brother and cousins this spring.

What makes you thankful for farmers? If you do not have a tie to Agriculture, your reasons for showing #foodthanks may be even better than ours! Please feel free to share with us!

All my best,

Tera Rooney

Welcome to My Family Farm

You've seen a couple of our member's highlight their family farms. Farm families are proud of the food we provide for world. We want consumers to know where their food comes from because it is a pretty special business we are lucky to be a part of.

Want to tour some more farms? Most of our members have a cattle or grain farming background so we don't get to share with you the diversity that exists in American Agriculture. Here's your chance!!! Check out this website to tour some farms:

Real Farmers Real Food 

Remember that Miss America, Teresa Scanlan, celebrates agriculture by advocating for and supporting Real Farmers Real Food!

Enjoy your tours,

Tera

Miss America Blogs Too

Did you know that Miss America has her very own blog? Keep up with Miss America 2011, Teresa Scanlan's blog at this site.

Why are we so crazy about Teresa? Well, besides utilizing her platform as an advocacy effort for the agriculture industry, she is going to be the fall lecture for our Upson Lecture Series. If you haven't made plans to attend, you better book it to Manhattan on November 15th for an evening of fun with Miss America!

Check her out here, speaking about why American Agriculture is so vital to keeping a viable, nutritious and safe food supply available.

7 billion mouths to feed

The world population hit 7 billion yesterday. That's a lot of mouth's to feed. Emily Jackson put the number in perspective in Butler Ag Ambassador's blog post, which I've also pasted below.

Enjoy,

Chelsea

7,000,000,000 – that’s a pretty big number!! But just how big is it?? According to CNN:

*7 billion seconds ago, the year was 1789, the year George Washington was inaugurated as the first United States President.

*If a person takes 7 billion steps around the equator (at 2 feet per step), they could walk around the Earth at least 106 times.

*Suppose there were 7 billion thimbles filled with water, they could fill up over 5 Olympic sized swimming pools.

*If 7 billion people were stacked on top of each other (considering an average height is 5 feet, including children) they could reach the moon 27 times!

*7 billion ants (at 3 milligrams each) would weigh 23 tons!!!

*And oh yeah, you share the Earth with 7 billion other people.

As many of you may have previously heard, today – Monday, October 31, 2011 – the world population hit seven billion.

Doctors and researchers are already wondering how every child’s basic needs are going to be met! Will there be food, clean water, shelter, education and a decent life? In case you haven’t heard, Mexico’s streets aren’t paved with gold and not everyone has a stainless steel kitchen sink to supply fresh, clean, running water, nor the capabilities to attend school daily and learn about reading, writing and arithmetic. Now, I can’t speak for every issue, but what I do know is food. And, that’s not just because I love to eat it, but more the fact – I produce it!!!

Now more than ever, farmers, especially American farmers are feeling the pressure to supply not only the great USA but also the world with food. And, I’d say with less than 2% of the American population in the production industry still feeding 100% of Americans….they’re doing a pretty good job!!