Real Farmers, Real Food

Miss America says it better than anyone I've heard in a while. Join me to celebrate our plentiful and safe food supply. Check out her video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGq21MAX1eM&feature=youtu.be

Remember, she'll be in Manhattan, KS in November as our Fall 2011 Upson Lecturer. You're going to want to be a part of this!

Best,

Tera

UNDERCOVER: Dairy Farms Exposed!!!

From a friend:

http://www.holsteinworld.com/story.php?id=4964


Best,

Tera Rooney

Health Conscious? Dining out? Can you do/be both?

I ran across this site the other day and I thought I'd share it with you all. The best part is, you can use it while you travel! I love the kids section as well.

Healthy Dining Finder

Enjoy,

Tera

Getting Ready for the Fire!

Getting ready for spring pasture burning.

Before clearing the fireguard.

Fireguard complete.

Want to know what has to be done to keep pasture and rangeland healthy and productive? And what precautions have to be taken to ensure safety and success? I am coming to you straight from a Bobcat in a pasture in Reno County, Kansas.

Check out the video below:

As always, let me know if you have questions.

All the best-

Brandon

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

Helping Those in Need...

Katie grew a 40 pound cabbage. Katie's dad encouraged her not to waste and to share her harvest with those in need. Katie serves cabbage at a soup kitchen, changes lives, and starts dreaming.

Katie's dream is now 6 gardens in her area with 11 gardens in other states. What does she grow? Fruits and vegetables to feed people in her community who may be less fortunate.

Everyday Health showcases Katie's story in a few episodes. You have got to catch them because her story is INSPIRING!

You will want to check out this site and episode series today! Here's the link.

Can't get enough? Katie also has a website: Katie's Krops

Happy Saturday,

Tera