Life on a French Swine Farm

This past July I had the opportunity to intern on a swine farm near Auvers-le-Hamon, France. During the month, I lived alongside the Huet family who was the most welcoming and generous family. The family included Alexis, the father, Domonique, the mother, their daughter Anais as well as their sons Esteban, Arthur and Antoine. Needless to say, this experience was one of the biggest learning experiences I have ever had. I was able to learn about French agriculture and observe the similarities/differences to American agriculture.


The house that I lived in with Esteban and Arthur in France

While on the farm, I worked mainly with the sows and their litters. My duties included assisting with farrowing, weaning of piglets, insemination, giving shots and vaccinations as needed, and maintaining the animal stalls among other tasks. The Huet’s operation was truly a family effort with family members working directly on the farm and others working to regionally market their product. The Huet’s utilized the Label Rouge, or red label, program when marketing their product.

 Products with the above seal on them are certified under the Label Rouge. This program guarantees that its products have met a specific set of characteristics establishing that is of higher quality to similar products. Food products and non-food agricultural products such as flowers are eligible for certification under this program. In all that translates to about 500 products being certified under this program in France. For pork, some of the criteria deal with feeding, breeding conditions and age at the time of slaughter.

The most challenging and rewarding part of the internship was working alongside people who spoke almost entirely no English while I spoke very poor French. At the start communication was a big obstacle to overcome when trying to accomplish basic farm tasks. After a few days, we were able to establish a routine and communicate effectively through body language and the few words of French and English that both parties knew. Even though I was not able to have a conversation with the workers, I could tell that they truly cared about their profession and raising their hogs in a healthy environment was their top priority. This showed me that no matter where you may find yourself that producers in both the U.S. and abroad care about the quality of products that they provide to consumers and make agriculture a unique industry due to that characteristic.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns send them my way. I would love to hear them!

Signing off,
Wyatt Pracht

At the End of the Day, It's All About the People

This past weekend I took a vacation from school. Not to some exotic location with warm sandy beaches but to a place I can call home in Southwest Iowa, 4K Farms. Being an Oregon native, going to school in Kansas can be difficult at times since I don’t get to go home as often as I’d like.  However, the generosity and hospitality of the Swanson family has become one of the things that keeps me in the Midwest. That and the pigs. This Saturday was filled with pigs, puppies, and time spent with lots of good people. 


Max feeding a boar a Gatorade

When I hopped in the farm truck on Saturday morning, I knew it would be a long day of work. As Drake, the neighbor farm help, and I started in the farrowing house (where the sows and piglets are), we fed the sows and checked on the babies while carrying on a conversation on how his high school football season went. We continued from barn to barn, to the Double L nursery where we found a sick pig that would need treated. Part of being an excellent caretaker of livestock involves spotting out the animals that aren’t acting “normal” and nursing them back to good health.

I then got to climb from pen to pen with Kirk (my Iowa dad), his friend from Missouri, Jesse, and Jesse’s five-year old son, Max. We spent this time looking at the young pigs, sorting through gilts and sows, and discussing pedigrees with genetic lines that go back to the early nineties. While many people would think that sounds crazy, standing there listening to the conversations taking place, I got to see two individuals talk with passion in their eyes about the swine industry and ways to help it progress. Even little Max was in on it. He came walking over to us after looking at the pens and pens of boars to say “Kirk, you have some very impressive boars.” I just smiled and laughed, thinking that the ordinary 5-year old probably doesn’t talk about boars everyday. 

It takes many moving parts to get the best picture

The main task of the day was to take pictures of some of the elite breeding stock on the farm.  We would wash the pigs and then take them to a big grassy area to capture the perfect shot. It takes a lot of patience, creativity and perfect timing to get those photos, but the end result is highly satisfying. Several hours and over 400 photos later, it was time to call it a day for the pig photo shoot.

As the sun began to set on Saturday evening, Jerra (my Iowa mom) and I worked on feeding the pigs their second meal of the day while the boys snuck in one last picture of a boar before the sun was all the way gone.  After finishing up the evening chores, we gathered in the kitchen where Jerra had whipped up my favorite lasagna and cherry pie. Exhausted from a long day at the farm, and full from supper, we all talked late into the night about hogs, dogs and the livestock industry. One quote that resonated with me came from a conversation Kirk had had a few years back with another swine enthusiast. He said “When leaders begin to follow, the breed will fail to progress.” I think that line is one that could be taken and applied to many different aspects of life.



Kirk feeding sows at the bunk

Sunday I rode around in the farm truck with Kirk to work on morning chores before I headed back to Manhattan. The life conversations in between bedding down pens and vaccinating piglets are when some of the most valuable advice is given.

As I sit on here on Monday back at school and reflecting on the weekend, I can’t help but realize I have been blessed to have the weekend I did. It’s not very often that you find a warm sunny Iowa day in mid November, with views of harvested corn fields, all while being surrounded by people that share the same passion as you. A wise person once told me “Don’t let school get in the way of your education.” I didn’t know what that meant at the time it was said to me, but after this weekend I finally do. The classroom is a valuable place to pick up facts, but it’s the unscripted days that I have spent in Iowa outside the walls of a classroom that I have learned the most.  At the end of the day, agriculture is a way of life, and it’s the people that make it worthwhile.

Until next time,
Kiah

 

 

           

For Love of the Game

In some ways, farming is a game.

Farmers get to wear sweet unis. Sometimes throwbacks depending on if mom has kept up on laundry.

Typical uniform for the farmers in my family.

It's a game that takes a lot of practice. Many farmers come from generations of people who farmed the same ground they are farming today. My brother is now the 4th generation of farmers to be growing crops and cattle out at our farm.

My dad with his dad on the family cow horse at our farm a "while" ago. 

Farming, like many games, can be expensive. Equipment, gas, land, electricity, seed, feed, oil, tools and among others are all things that farmers spend a lot of money on to play their game.

Tractors, corn seed, irrigation sprinklers and a combine.

Do you ever gamble on a sport? Farmers gamble a lot. Every time they sell a corn crop, they are locking in a contract price. The next day the corn prices could go really low or get really high. It's a chance they have to take. When you are selling hundreds of thousands of bushels? That's a big chance.

Gambling with the markets, weather and input (diesel, seed, fertilizer) contracts happens on every farm. 

At the end of the day, farming can be a very high stress occupation. My dad went to college, got a degree in Agronomy and could've easily gotten a job in an office with air-conditioning, an office assistant and free coffee. However, for love of the game, he decided to keep the family farm alive. Today, my brother is following in his footsteps and doing the same thing. They've gone pro.

Heck, they've won the pennant. 

Tera

Mad Cow

Actually, we don't have mad cows on our farm. I really don't like the term because the disease is correctly called Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. Feel free to visit that link if you want to learn more about BSE because this post isn't about mad cows. It's about happy cows, but since the title drew you in you might as well stay and read a bit, right?

Why does my farm have happy cows? Because we work hard to insure the health, nutrition, productivity and well-being of our herd.

• Herd: the word used to describe a group of cattle. You can have a small herd like ours (30-50 head) or a large herd (100+ head). 
• Head: the word used to describe one animal in the herd. 

153 is a heifer in the dry lot at our farm.

Because we are raising a biological organism, our herd consists of cattle at different life stages. They are not all the same age, sex or reproductive status.

• Heifer: a heifer is a female bovine that has not given birth to a calf. 
• Calf: the name used to describe a juvenile bovine of either sex. Think of how we use the word child. 
• Cow: a female bovine that has given birth to a calf. 
• Bull: an intact male bovine that is used to breed the cows and heifers. 
• We have two bulls in our herd and farmers commonly have at least one bull per 30 females. 

A heifer walking through the corn stalks we let them graze. 

My family primarily raises crops. We raise cattle because we love animals and they are able to graze the ground we farm. Essentially, feed for our herd throughout a majority of the year is free because we own the land already and they might as well graze it.

• Dry lot: we bring our cattle into a set of pens where they have access to feed, water and minerals. It is handy to have cattle come into the pens because it makes it easier to check them each day. Cattle maintain a similar schedule daily according to the juxtaposition of the sun. Our cattle come into the pens at the farm every afternoon and return to graze towards evening. If my brother notices that one didn't come in, he knows something could be wrong and can closely inspect. 
• Corn stalks: we let our cattle graze the ground that was used to grow corn from April to September and has been harvested. The stalks are left in the field to prevent erosion and provide a great feed source for our herd. One acre of corn stalks can feed two 1,000-pound cows for one month. 

Stay tuned for an upcoming post that will teach you more about how we raise cattle in the heartland. If you have any questions or need clarifications, please comment below.

Enjoy,

Tera

Photo credit: These pictures were snapped by the newest farm wife in our family - my sister-in-law. I'm sure glad God made farmers, but it takes a special woman to be a farmer's wife! Shout out to all the farmer's wives out there!

Do You Have Farmer Style?

The Peterson Farm Brothers sure do - check them out on Facebook and you'll find three young men who are enthusiastically sharing the day to day activities of farm life through their hilarious song parodies. Remember this?




That little ditty has amassed almost 8 million views on YouTube and led to the brothers being featured on national television and news outlets promoting agriculture. They have presented at the FFA National Convention, agribusiness meetings and were most recently recognized at the final K-State home football game. They are doing great things for agriculture and we are excited that Greg (the eldest brother) is a member of Food For Thought! Last night, the Peterson Farm Bros released their newest parody hit titled Farmer Style which is a parody on Gangnam Style, the smash hit that has taken over the music charts. Have a look!
 





This is a great video because not only is it entertaining, it mentions some important agriculture aspects. The constant reference to the importance of hay and forage is evident but they also hammer home that they are a family farm and are passionate about agriculture. Congrats on another great job Peterson Bros. - Food For Thought and the agriculture community are thrilled that you're on our side. Keep up the fantastic work! If you want more info on the Peterson Farm Bros, you can check out their YouTube page, Facebook page or follow Greg on Twitter (@gregpeterson33).

What do you think of the video? We want to hear you feedback? Should the Peterson Farm Bros do another parody? Which song?

 Until next time,
 ~ Buzzard ~

Upson Lecture with Secretary Dale Rodman Tonight!

Tonight is the night!

 

Tonight we welcome Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Dale Rodman to Kansas State University. Secretary Rodman will be speaking on the topic of Kansas Agriculture in 2025 in the Main Ballroom in the Student Union at 7 pm. Many factors affecting agriculture and food production will be discussed and Rodman will answer questions following the lecture.

 

If you are unable to make the lecture, be sure to follow along using the #ULSRodman hashtag on Twitter. Updates will also be posted to Facebook and you can also follow the @fftgroup Twitter handle.

 

We are looking forward to an informative lecture that will shed light on the challenges that lie ahead for Kansas agriculture. Don't miss out!

 

Until next time,

~ Buzzard ~



Hands that Farm our Food

This week I am sending you to some of my favorite blogs about agriculture, and here's another winner! If you are interested in personal stories about people who farm our food, you will not want to miss this blog. I love the photographs, as well as the personal accounts. Check it out and let me know what you think!


Hands of a Farmer

Almond Farming

I am sending you to one of my favorite blogs to read today for a post about an almond farmer. Check it out and browse the other posts The Farm Vet has! My favorites are the Face of a Farmer series.

Face of a Farmer: Almond Farming

What'd you think? Comment below!

Tera

Boots on the Ground - father. teacher. farmer.

BOOTS ON THE GROUND is a series of posts introducing you to a producer. Check out the other ones if you haven't kept up!

Today we go East of the Mississippi a ways to check in with a small family farmer who enjoys the farm life while his main career is in the education field. John grew up on a family farm in Kentucky where they grew corn and tobacco. Nowadays, John continues farming on the weekends and breaks from his position as a 5th grade teacher. 

When do you pull your boots on in the morning? 

 I don’t think I’ve ever taken my boots off. Whether you are a farmer full time or more of a hobby farmer like me, agriculture is part of your everyday life. There is always something to do on the farm and that means I’ll always be prepared with my boots on. My family's been wearing farming boots for 4 generations. I hope I can pass on a pair to my son.

What is your role in the agriculture industry? 

I’m a teacher who enjoys supplementing my income with a small family farm. People say that bigger farms are not considered family farms and that is incorrect. Just because I have a job outside of the farm doesn’t mean that my farm is better because it’s smaller. In fact, it's the other way around. The size of my farm is directly related to the fact that I can manage it while still having a career in education. I wanted to keep my family's farm alive and so I had to downsize it to something more manageable.

Here is your platform, what do you want consumers to know?
I want to connect with consumers. People are more interested to know where their food comes from. I have time to connect with a lot of consumers because I have a job off the farm. Most farmers, however, are busy growing crops and raising animals all day. It’s harder to make that connection with a mom buying groceries in New York City when you’re on the ranch in Texas. The internet is a wonderful tool and I hope that consumers are reaching out to connect with farmers on the internet, rather than finding more information about their food from sources that don’t really know the truth.


From Farmer John to the Consumer who might be reading this: 
Agriculture is a complex system of growing, marketing and trading goods that become the dinner on your table. Because of that complexity, we have a safe and cheap food supply. Please learn about your food from a reliable source. Believe it or not, agriculture gives you many options at the grocery store and that doesn’t mean that those options exist because the traditional ones were wrong or unhealthy. Options exist because the consumers asked for it! How lucky we are!


BOOTS ON THE GROUND is brought to you by Country Outfitter They sent me a fancy new pair of boots and so I'm linking them on to this series. They help put boots on the ground, and I know I will be ordering my next pair from them too!

Keep Families Farming...still!

I know you all read the last post about the #Keepfamiliesfarming campaign that I participated in because of the recent DOL move to remove children as workers from farms.

If you'd like to read another one, I'm going to send you to a fellow Food For Thought blogger's personal blog. Brandi Buzzard gave her two cents on the topic also.

Also, I was remembering a few things that my dad taught me growing up while helping on the farm. These safety and conservation tips were ingrained in my mind at a very young age because I had the opportunity to help him on the farm.

• ALWAYS slow down at a dirt road intersection that has corn growing on both sides. Even if there is no stop sign, you have to yield because you can't see who is coming. 
• SAFETY GLASSES are the most important investment you can make for employees because our eye sight is so precious. 
• GRAIN BINS and SILAGE PITS are the most dangerous places to be on a farm and kids simply aren't allowed there. 
• LOOK AROUND! You have to be aware of large machinery running around the farm and keep yourself at a safe distance. 
• ELECTRICITY is not a fun toy, it's serious business. We always had to check the electric fences for the cows and learned the safe way to do that. Also when working on a sprinkler for irrigation we always had to be sure the power was off.
• DIRT BLOWING means that precious top soil is being lost. Farmers are stewards of the land and do everything within their power to prevent this loss to erosion.

#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

Welcome To My Sister's Family Farm

Celebrating harvest time for some people = apple cider, football, mums, pumpkins and craft fairs.

Celebrating harvest time for farmers = late nights, early mornings and hopeful wishes for a bountiful crop.

With corn harvest over in my neck of the woods, I thought I'd share a few photos from my sister's farm in Illinois. She married a man she met in college who is originally from the central part of Illinois. Transplanting a Kansas girl into Illinois wasn't an easy task, but seeing as they transplanted her to a farm made it that much easier.

Their family raises corn, soybeans, a little bit of wheat and for fun, a few vegetables (my favorite are their green beans). My brother-in-law is fortunate enough to work on his farm with two brothers and his father. They are a team in every sense of the word and have a very successful farming business. What I think is even more special about their farm is that for many years, the boys were able to learn from both of their grandparents who farmed in the area before they took over.

 These are some aerial shots of the 3 combines running through the field. I think these are beautiful shots of harvest time in Illinois.

These photos were taken by their agronomist. Their agronomist works for Pioneer Hi-Bred and offers her services to collaborate with the farmers and the seed companies to continuously improve products that Pioneer offers its customers. Pioneer Hi-Bred is a seed company that breeds different lines of corn seed for farmers to plant. Picking a seed company is a lot like choosing a bank. Farmers make their decisions on who to purchase seed from based on the data behind the specific breeds of corn that a company offers.

This is a really neat site that shows the various crop reports as they are coming in across the country. You can see different states by changing which view you are in. The data is presented in bushels per acre. That means that for every acre of farm ground planted to corn this is how may bushels of corn is yielded. You can also see the soybean harvest reports. If you forgot what a bushel is you can check out this post.

 I have to leave you with my favorite photo: 

With three combines running at the same time, my brother-in-law wanted a way to distinguish his combine from the other two. Proudly sporting a chrome powercat, his combine was out in the field this weekend during the big win for the Wildcats! During harvest, farmers are working around the clock since it is the most important time of the year for them. They are feeding the world, though, so even K-State football can wait.

Best,

Tera

Back in the Dust Bowl

An aerial view of a wheat field that failed to grow because of the drought in Haskell County.

Leaders in the Captiol here in Kansas have been hard at work to get 21 south western counties in Kansas recognized by the USDA as areas of natural disaster because of the recent drought that has caused crop and cattle production to dwindle. These are the counties involved in disaster areas: Finney, Gove, Grant, Greeley, Hamilton, Haskell, Kearny, Lane, Logan, Meade, Morton, Ness, Scott, Seward, Sheridan, Sherman, Stanton, Stevens, Thomas, Wallace and Wichita.

"Kansas if facing one of the worst droughts since the Dust Bowl days," said Sen. Pat Roberts in this article released today.

He's not far off. If you will remember my family's farm is in Haskell County where we attempt to raise wheat, cotton, corn and cattle. This year the wheat crop is non-existent partly due to the drought conditions and the fire that blazed through the area in April.

It's easy to see that it will be a rough summer for most farmers in the area. One thing many people won't think about is how the drought will affect cattle ranchers in the area. We don't have the lush green pastures of the Flint Hills in Kansas, but what we do have usually works for our cow herd. We turn our cows out in the spring on a pasture of mostly Bermuda grass that looks pretty dormant most years and greens up pretty good in April or May. Things are a little more desolate this year.

The greenest thing in the pastures back home might just be the algae in the water tank. Thus is the reason that this morning my Dad headed to the sale barn this morning with a big chunk of our cow herd. He culled any of our cows that were old or had structural problems. The reason we can't keep these cows around is because the feed that we normally depend on (the pasture grass) isn't there due to the severe drought conditions. This year we are hoping to be able to run 25 cows with their calves along side on 1000 acres of grass. We're not even sure that we will make it into the fall without supplementing them with feed and 1000 acres is a lot of ground!

Remembering that farmers and ranchers are the original environmentalists, the SWKS area will get through this drought just as it has in the past. Rest assured that farmers are doing everything possible to preserve the ground that they have signed on for a lifetime to be caretakers of. My dad will not be doing anything foolish with the ground he farms because he wants his son to be able to continue with the family business. Ranchers are also being responsible in how their cattle are cared for. Knowing that it's going to be a rough summer, my family will not be compromising the welfare of any cows that might have a hard time grazing the pasture ground we're dealing with. By selling them as cow-calf pairs we have, in a sense, given them an opportunity to move on to greener pastures!

What does this mean to you as a consumer? The southwestern corner of Kansas is a huge supplier of grain and cattle in the Kansas economy, which is also a huge supplier to the US food supply. You probably won't see a rise in prices at the grocery store, even though many farmers are going to see huge deficits on the profit margin. That's where understanding how American Agriculture works full circle and realizing that we are still able to feed our population through adverse weather conditions comes in.

American Agriculturists are working hard to literally put food on the table. We need consumer support and welcome any questions you may have.

My Best,

Tera Rooney

To read more:

http://www.kansas.com/2011/05/10/1843545/usda-named-21-counties-as-natural.html#ixzz1LzUGIPgk

http://www.dodgeglobe.com/features/x855743556/Drought-prompts-call-for-federal-disaster-assistance-in-southwest-Kansas

What is sustainable farming?

Sustainable agriculture is a buzz word that seems to fly frequently when talking about food production these days. It is truly important because we have to think about feeding the current population as well as the future.

What does sustainability mean to an agriculturist?

Sustainability means that a farmer's son can come home to farm the same acres of ground he inherited from his father. Sustainability means that a rancher can turn his cows out on the same pasture year after year. What could be more important to an agriculturist than the sustainability of his or her family business?

To further explain sustainable farming, I think it's best to use a real life example from my back yard.

Royal Farms Dairy is near Garden City, KS is managed by Kyle Averhoff and the Irsik family. They milk around 6,000 cows each producing around 6.7 pounds of milk per day. That is a total contribution of about 14,673,000 gallons of milk to consumers in a calendar year! When I visited Kyle's dairy farm, he talked about the environment and the measures that Royal Farms take to ensure that they are doing things correctly. By taking these measures, he can provide a sustainable approach to producing milk and I know that Royal Farms Dairy will be around for years to come.

Royal farms uses a milking parlor like this and water is flushed down it to keep it clean. It's important to keep the parlor clean to help maintain food safety standards. The water that cools the milk is also re-used to clean the feed alleys outdoors and is ultimately pumped in to a center pivot to water the nearby corn fields. Royal farms irrigates 1,600 acres with the water from their dairy. The manure that is hauled away from the farm is also incorporated into the soil to increase water holding capacity and provide natural fertilizer for the crops.

Air quality is always something that gets brought up when a large number of dairy cows are kept in one area. One thing that I thought spoke to Kyle's dedication to properly maintaining his dairy farm is that his house is literally across the road. He raises a family using the same ground, water and air that his dairy does. Air quality was superb when I visited Royal Farms Dairy.

One of Kyle's best examples of sustainability and something that really hit home for me was when he brought up a simple relationship. I don't remember the numbers exactly, but Kyle related the amount of water that Royal Farms Dairy uses in a year and compared it to the 62 employees his farm provides jobs for. In a rural community, if you look at the number of children that will be enrolled in the local schools because of the increased employment at a nearby farm, you can't get a better deal! Enrollment numbers are important to rural schools and farms like Kyle's boost the economy of a small town and help add to those numbers. The amount of water used really becomes minuscule when you think of it from this angle.

Sustainability at it's finest at Royal Farms Dairy.

For more information about the dairy industry, I've found this site really useful.

http://www.midwestdairy.com/0t2p8/all-about-dairy/

Kyle's farm was honored at the World Dairy Expo and there is a lot more information on this site.

http://www.worlddairyexpo.com/seminars-tours-virtual-farm-tours.cfm

All my best,

Tera

Been there, done that!

Have you noticed how so many critics of the food industry go on and on about how they "think" food is produced on "factory farms" here in America? How many of them have actually been to the farms, ranches, feeding lots, and packing plants where food is produced? Maybe before writing a book or article condemning the food industry, one should take a look at it first hand.

Check out this article about Ryan Andrew's, self-proclaimed plant-based eater, visit to Magnum Feedlot in Colorado. A good friend of mine's family owns Magnum, and I am proud that they opened their gates, allowed for their operation to be transparent, and took the time to educate a weary consumer.

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/cattle-feedlot-visit

Before you've been there and done that...don't read everything you believe. Know the truth behind where your food comes from!

Weather permitting...

What seems to be chalked up as Snowpocalypse 2011 for much of the Midwest has successfully laid down a thick sheet of ice and is beginning to dump inches of snow in a large swath that is making it's way across the US. To top that off the temperatures are dipping well below zero in much of the area. Weather permitting, I believe I will take to the couch with my study materials and enjoy the heat of a nice fire. Weather permitting, I took a bit of time to think of the people who don't get the luxury of a snow day:

• I personally know hundreds of farmers and ranchers who woke up this morning to the same weather I did and headed out in coveralls to get to work. Work doesn't cease on a farm when weather gets nasty, it usually just heightens the load. The key farming states in the US - Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri have been hammered by a record-setting combination of ice, snow and just plain frigid conditions. This means a lot of animals and crops will be affected. Many ranchers are trying to get their animals to warmer grounds where they can be provided with a windbreak, dry bedding and fresh water.
• Off the ranch and into the city, as a storm sets into the Midwest region many traders who work at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange packed overnight bags to stay downtown. Many agriculture commodities will still be traded on the board, despite the weather. These commodities and futures are essential to our country's economy.
• Grain dealers across the prairie states are taking a hard hit and operating under skeleton crews only. Major grain companies, like ADM and Cargill, have reported many portions of their operations down because of the storm.
• A friend of mine who works at a Kroger plant, said that crews worked late into the night to keep up with the oncoming demand of what is termed, "snow bread". People flood grocery stores when bad weather is looming and deplete bread supplies. Kroger employees worked hard to help meet the demand.
• An ode to back home, the Southwest Kansas area, is the fact that nobody out there is surprised that they get hit with all the weather everyone else is, but none of the moisture! An already almost non-existent wheat crop will undoubtedly receive a lot of damage with such low temperatures coupled with the lack of moisture.

Even though this post is aimed towards highlighting agricultural jobs that face severe challenges with the weather, I don't want to take away from the fact that many others do the same thing. If you are enjoying a snow day today, take a moment to think of the people who work in the elements to deliver the mail, keep electricity working, clear off the roads, take care of sick patients, ensure national security and keep food on our tables!!!

Farmers Night Before Christmas

FARMERS NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS 2010

Twas the night before Christmas when down on the farm
The animals were resting in the warm, cozy barn.

Now was the time to reflect on the past year
Saying thank you for all the great things they had here.

A calf had been born to the brown and white cow
All bedded in straw from up in the hay mow.

The horses they whinnied with such a great joy
They were a present picked out for the farmer’s young boy.

The pigs they all squealed with every ounce of their might
For the farmer’s wife gave them extra apples tonight.

Even the dogs gave a bark to say thanks
While wagging their tails the children all yank.

A nice quiet night is what they all thought
But little did they know quiet it was not.

When what to their wondering eyes should appear
But the farmer’s whole family had all gathered here.

First there was mom who gathers up all the eggs
And her cute little toddler clung tight to her legs.

Next was the farmer all warm in his coat
And his brown headed boy with his brand new toy boat.

Come Susie! Come Matthew! Come Peter and Paul!
Quick Jenny! Quick Sarah! Come close to the stall.

To the animals they went with treats all in tow
For their gratitude to those creatures they must show.

The pigs all got apples for giving them bacon.
The cows all got hay for the milk they’ve been makin’.

Benny and Penny, the Labs, got new bones.
Their cute little puppies were going to new homes.

As the family and animals all gathered round
The snow started falling softly to the ground.

Even the animals enjoy Christmastime
Giving joy to the family without spending a dime.

They all danced around to frolic and play
As the farmer dropped down to his knees to say:

Thank you for my family and country home
And a nice big area where my animals can roam.

I promise to take care of the creatures and land
And the people who lend a warm, helping hand.

Thank you for the freedom to do what I do
To produce food and fuel so others may have too.

Time had come for the family to call it a night.
The children needed sleep though fight it they might.

To the door they all went while waving goodbye.
What a night this has been they said with a sigh.

Once they retreated the animals all lowed.
For this was the best Christmas one cow bellowed.

They all settled in to get a good rest.
The family they had was clearly the best.

Provide for them they would with all of their might.
That’s what they must do after a night like tonight.

Christmas on the farm is a sight to behold.
Merry Christmas to all, both the young and the old.

- Adapted December 2010 by Aimee Chandler

Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did! Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Chelsea

Welcome to my Family's Factory Farm

Frobose Family Farms

Fortunate enough to be home for the Thanksgiving Holiday, I thought it would be an appropriate time to highlight our beef cattle operation back home. We raise quite a few cattle as a family, not a factory!

I am very grateful to have a great family and a fourth generation farm outside of the small town of Pemberville, OH. For those of you who read my last blog, "Animal Welfare Judging", I briefly described that our team assessment involved evaluating a covered beef feedlot. This assignment struck particularly close to home as we operate a covered feedlot back home.

Since beef feedlot production systems have been criticized heavily over the past few years, I thought it would be beneficial to show some pictures of our feedlot, where we house approximately 100 head of beef cattle for approximately 150-200 days. Because we live in an environment that recieves 35-40 in of rainfall each year and about the same amount of snow, raising cattle outside in a dry lot situation is really not an option. We feed our cattle in the original Frobose barn, built in 1868, and have built additions in order to provide appropriate space for the amount of cattle we raise. We aren't about to haul out manure and fertilize our fields as often as would be ideal because of the added rainfall, so we provide straw or corn stalk bedding throughout the year in areas where the cattle rest.

The cattle on our operation are fed high quality ingredients including shelled corn, oats, a soybean meal supplement to provide additional protein, and a red clover hay as a forage to maintain gut health. Our cattle also have free access to wheat straw in order to prevent acidosis, a condition that can occur when cattle eat too much grain and not enough forage.

Our cattle are marketed through Ohio Signature Beef, a branded product line that our family and other Ohio producers created in order to provide an outlet for Ohio consumers to purchase a high quality beef product that was raised and fed in Ohio. Through our production system, we choose not to implant our cattle and we do not give antibiotics to our cattle in order to provide beef that some consumers prefer. Oftentimes cattle can get sick and need to be given an antibiotic, and in such case we market them through other outlets or often just process them and put them in our own freezer at home, because we know there are no issues with antibiotic or hormone residues in beef raised with traditional methods.

I hope you've enjoyed the story of our feedlot operation, if you have any questions about our family farm and dispelling the idea of factory farms, please feel free to email me at frobose@ksu.edu

Thanks,

Hyatt

The Motivation Behind the Practice

Have you ever asked a football player why they love to play football?  Or asked a cowhand why they love to rope (ask me!) or inquired of a teacher their motivation to mold young minds?  If so, chances are you've heard one of the following responses:

- It's fun
- I don't know what else I'd be doing
- I just sort of fell in to it.
- I love being a ________ (insert beloved career here)

Ask any farmer or rancher why they produce the nation's food supply and they'll most likely tell you a combo of 1 and 4 "I love farming and I can't imagine what I'd rather do more."  America's farmers and ranchers work around the clock to make sure we have an abundant level of choices in our healthy and safe food supply and they do it all with care and respect for the land and animals.  Just ask Kevin Hinke, cattle producer here in Kansas.  A Kansas Farm Bureau video gets the 411 on Kevin and his motivation to farm.



As always, if you have questions about your food and where it comes from - just ask!  Farmer and ranchers aren't mysterious creatures in hiding - they go to church, school, football games etc.  Got a question about grass raised vs. conventional beef - flag them down and ask away!  You just might learn something  ;)

Until next time,
~Buzzard~

Meet a Farmer

We live in a society that is increasingly urban and suburban. In fact, the average person is two generations removed from the farm. However, there is research that indactes people consider farmers and ranchers reliable sources of information about food and food production.

The problem is less and less people have a personal connection with a farmer or rancher. In that spirit, I decided to share some of my favorite ways you can connect with real producers online. This is just a sampling. Many farmers and ranchers are active online. Feel free to share your favorite producer information sources too.

Blogs :
Debbie Lyons-Blythe blogs at “Life on a Kansas Cattle Ranch” about raising cattle and kids in central Kansas.

South Dakota rancher Troy Hadrick share about his ranch and his take on current events in agriculture in his blog “Advocates for Agriculture.”

Facebook :
Kansas rancher Mark Smith shares about his operation – often through fabulous pictures – on the facebook fan page for Pleasant Valley Ranch.

YouTube:
Kansas Farm Bureau’s YouTube channel offers profiles of various Kansas farmers and ranchers.

Twitter :
Many farmers and ranchers are active on Twitter. I recommend following California farmer and rancher Jeff Fowle @JeffFowle, Ohio farmer Mike Haley @farmerhaley, California dairy farmer @RayLinDairy and Kansas farmer Darin Grimm @kansasfarmer.

If you’re itching for an in-person tour of a farm or ranch, search the Internet to see if there is a program in your area. If not, local and state Farm Bureaus and Livestock Associations also may be able to get you in touch with a farmer or rancher willing to give a tour. You’d be surprised how willing many producers are to open up the farm gate and share what they do.

Best,

Chelsea