Posts filed under ‘Featured Articles’
Farm Day Experience
Thanks to Mary Ann Hooker for telling us about the annual Farm Day Experience held in Salinas! It’s the largest program of its type in the US to teach kids about agriculture. Mary Ann’s chapter, the Gonzales Young Farmers, donated their time and services to feed the volunteers that take the children around to all of the exhibits and displays. You can see some of her photos from the event below, as well as read the article from the Monterey Herald!
Local Sausage Makers
Local Sausage Makers
The comments Mary Ann heard while taking this pic with the ducklings was "It TICKLES!!!" {A side note - the duck breeder is her neighbor}
Some of the other birds John brought with him
From the Monterey Herald:
One of the first things third-graders learned in the annual Farm Day Experience in Salinas on Thursday was that meat doesn’t just come neatly wrapped from supermarkets.
For Laura Ortiz, a student at Loma Vista Elementary School, feeding an artichoke to a huge dairy cow was a highlight.
“I got licked on my hand by that cow,” the wide-eyed girl said.
Farm Day Experience co-organizer Claudia A. Smith agreed that seeing farm animals up close is the best way to teach about agriculture.
“It’s important because agriculture helps drive our local economy,” she noted. “Monterey County is the salad bowl of the entire country. Some of the kids don’t know it until they come here.”
About 3,000 students from Salinas-area schools were at the event, held at the Growers Cooling industrial complex at the south end of the city on Growers Street. The event was sponsored by Monterey County Agricultural Education Inc., a nonprofit representing the local farming industry. More than 700 volunteers take part.
John Metzer of Metzer Farms, a poultry business near Chualar, handed out baby ducks for children to hold, to the students’ delight.
“I run a hatchery,” he said. “Naturally, for the kids it’s a thrill if they can hold the baby ducks, so I’ve got an easy job here.”
He displayed the many types of eggs found in the hatchery.
Marji Coe, a retired home school teacher who lives in Prunedale, said the two 10-week-old pigs she was exhibiting would be used for food and not as pets, which drew a troubled, collective groan from the children.
“Did you know that pigs have been used for meat for 9,000 years, longer than any other animal?” she told the third-graders.
Ray Vasquez, 9, a student at Montessori School in Salinas, said his favorite part of the program was seeing the sheep dogs.
“I might want to be a farmer,” he said.
Tori Mount, a student at North Monterey County High School in Castroville, and her sister, Sami Mount, 9, talked to children about the animals they raise as part of 4-H, an agricultural youth organization with a title that stands for head, heart, hands and health.
“The people in 4-H are fun and it’s the learning aspect I like,” Tori said. “I plan to go to Cal Poly and become a veterinarian.”
Jim Conn, sales manager of Quinn Co. in Salinas, a Caterpillar heavy equipment firm, showed the children the Challenger MY 865C diesel-powered 520-horsepower tractor. The huge machine has belt-powered wheels and an attachment towed behind that can dig a furrow 32 inches deep.
“This tractor weighs about 60,000 pounds and costs about $450,000,” he said.
Also on hand was a Bell-47 helicopter used in agricultural spraying and piloted by Allan Carter of King City.
Other attractions included a Monterey County Sheriff’s horse search and rescue unit and a hay-squeezing machine.
A third-grader at Loma Vista School, Thaicy Martinez said the highlight for her was meeting a chicken.
“Because he was friendly to me,” she said.
Silvia Barbosa, a third-grade bilingual teacher at Los Padres Elementary School in Salinas, said she enjoys attending the Farm Day Experience every year.
“It’s fun because the kids really get hands-on,” she said.
In addition to Thursday’s event for Salinas-area schools, Farm Day Experience is held in October for Monterey schools and in March for those in Salinas Valley.
Ag was green before green was cool.
From Amanda Radke’s Beef Daily blog:
Agriculture Was Green Before Green Was Cool
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has promised to stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). AFBF President Bob Stallman told its members, “Our message to the new Congress is clear: It is time to stop the EPA. This pressure is a clear and present danger to American agriculture, and it’s coming from one major source.”
According to Stallman, greenhouse gas regulations, new rules on dust, and expansive new rules for water are some of the regulations that endanger agriculture. Read more about it here. I’m incredibly pleased with this strong message AFBF is sending, and I think one thing we can do to help this mission is to spread the positive word about agriculture and the environment.
After all, for cattlemen, every day is Earth Day, and we are the truly the first environmentalists. Here are a few talking points we can share today via Facebook, Twitter, email and one-on-one conversations about how green farming and ranching really is:
1. More than two-thirds of land used for grazing in the U.S. is not suitable for raising crops or urbanization.
2. More than 97% of U.S. beef cattle farms and ranches are classified as family farms.
3. Today’s American farmer feeds about 144 people worldwide.
4. If 1955 technology were used to produce the amount of beef raised today, 165 million more acres of land would be needed—that’s about the size of Texas!
5. According to the EPA, the entire U.S. agricultural sector accounts for only 4% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).
6. Methane from livestock accounts for only 2.6% of total U.S. GHG emissions.
The opinions expressed in the above post represent the thoughts and feelings of the blogger, and not necessarily NYFEA as a whole.
How you can make 2011 a great year for agriculture
By Cyndi Young and Brownfield Ag News for America:
Commentary. I’m pecking away on the computer keyboard in my home office in the second story of our old farm house, watching it rain “cats and dogs” on the final day of 2010. Although it is in this chair that I sit to write many of the columns that appear in this paper, the discussions leading to the topic of these columns more often than not take place in another office on this farm – the office in the barn.
It is in that office, wearing boots with treads caked with cow manure (and mud on this day) that my husband and I discuss politics, religion and the economy. Although we don’t always agree 100% and sometimes cancel each other’s vote at our local polling place, there are many issues for which we share great concern and passion.
I remember the day, after weeks of hearing Jim voice his disapproval for actions (or lack thereof) of lawmakers, I laid in front of him a call sheet, listing phone numbers for those representing our interests in Washington, D.C. My message to him, “I cannot fix what is bothering you. Here are the phone numbers of those who have the power to do something.”
And so it began. Instead of cussing and discussing, he invested some time each week to call our senators and representatives. Rarely did he actually speak with the lawmaker, but did get the ear of their aides. Some of them didn’t much like what it was he had to say. Others listened and asked questions, and answered those he posed.
I wouldn’t label my husband a political activist, but he did take the information gained from these conversations with congressional aides to educate others with shared concerns as well as those with opposing views.
I share this story with you on the final day of 2010 because I believe that if each one of us would invest the time to make the calls, the grassroots of this country would be heard and recognized much more clearly. I don’t care, as I’ve said a million times, if your political views lean to the left or to the right. I do believe that it is our responsibility as citizens to be a part of the process.
Animal rights activists, modern-day luddites and some environmental activists don’t care if your family farm has been passed from generation to generation. They do not care that animal welfare practices, too, have been passed from generation to generation. They do not care that your use of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides is precise. They do not want animals raised for food and they do not want farmers to utilize modern crop protection tools.
Charitable donations to the groups that are working so hard to put your family farm out of business and turn consumers into vegetarians have risen exponentially in recent years. These anti-organizations are investing hundreds of millions of dollars domestically and internationally to change – and ultimately destroy – American agriculture.
We must tell our stories to those who have the power to make a difference. We can talk to each other until our faces turn blue, but we have to do more.
Pay attention to bills introduced in the statehouse as well as in Washington, D.C. You and I vote for our lawmakers. We put them there and they work for us. We need to make sure they are held accountable for actions they take – either by introducing, supporting, or opposing bills that impact animal agriculture.
2011 can be a great year for American agriculture. Please call someone who can make a difference.
The opinions expressed in the above post represent the thoughts and feelings of the blogger, and not necessarily NYFEA as a whole.
This April, NYFEA will unite with young ag leaders across the country to spread the message of agriculture across Washington D.C. For more information, visit http://agriculturespromise.com . As more info about the event becomes available, we’ll keep posting about – so be sure to check back!
A Farmer’s Christmas poem
Noticing a theme, are you? 
From Columbia Missourian:
Christmas is not just for those in the city where stores are abundant and bright lights shine pretty.
Dwellers in big towns would no doubt be shocked to find out that farmers keep Santa Claus stocked.
Now don’t get me wrong, the elf makes the toys and delivers them worldwide to good girls and boys, But animals get hungry working hour by hour and reindeer don’t run on nuclear power.
St. Nick, he would tire without milk and a snack, but the reindeer must haul that fat elf and his pack,
So Santa must feed them to finish his task – the farmer will tell all who take time to ask.
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all ‘cross the farm the cattle were mooing as if in alarm.
I sprang from my bed and put on my wrap, but neglected to button my long-handles’ flap.
That wakes you up fast on a cold winter’s night, so I went back inside and fastened it right.
I picked up my flashlight and rifle, what’s more, and fully awake again stepped out the door.
Visions of wrong-doers ran through my mind; rustlers or poachers I expected to find.
The cattle were herding ‘ore the hill that cold night, so I followed their lead toward a very strange light.
When you follow a cow, as all farmers know, you don’t look ahead but directly below.
Old habits like that are not easy to break, but I gazed straight ahead since much more was at stake.
To the top of the hill the cattle I followed, to the source of the light by the hay in the hollow.
A whiskered fat man was re-harnessing his team — they had stolen my hay, or so it would seem.
I angered not much for the cost of the hay, but who wants to toss bales on Christmas day?
“Hold it right there,” I yelled at the elf. “You really should be quite ashamed of yourself.
“I planted and harvested a good fescue crop, and you pause here as if it’s a roadside rest stop.”
Looking my way, he laughed with a roar. He regained his composure, then ho-hoed some more.
My rifle and threats had caused him no fear, and why do I feel such a draft from the rear?
Looking behind me expecting a trap, I saw nothing more than my unbuttoned flap.
Ho, ho, ho, he laughed with delight. I guess he was laughing at the ridiculous sight
Of this farmer in long johns with flashlight and rifle, ranting and raving while exposed just a trifle.
Embarrassed and angered, I was prepared to do battle — I pushed my way through that big herd of cattle.
His laughter continued as we met eye-to-eye, and I was finding it hard to be mad at the guy.
We ha-ha’d and ho-ho’d for an hour together at my careless exposure, to be sure for the weather,
But even the best of good times must soon halt, so I bade him good-bye and said “Leave without fault.”
For the use of my pasture and consumption of hay, he kindly and generously offered to pay,
But I wouldn’t hear of it — it gave me a lift to think that just once he was given a gift.
He picked up the reins and got on his way. The reindeer took off with that magical sleigh.
I made my way back to my home and my bed, and laughed to myself at the last words he said
As he steered north by the stars without aid of a map, “Merry Christmas to you — and button your flap.”
I know that my story has taken a while, but the time was well spent if it brought you a smile.
Merry Christmas from farmers who plow up the furrow, and Denny Banister reporting for the Missouri Farm Bureau.
Denny Banister, of Jefferson City, is the assistant director of information and public relations for the Missouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization.
A Dairyman’s Christmas Poem
Dairy Channel: A dairyman’s Christmas poem
(The author is the northeast Ohio district dairy specialist with OSU Extension.)
Young farm couples take part in education program
From Farm Credit Services of Mid-America, one of our wonderful National Institute sponsors!
Group attends national conference addressing important issues facing young farmers
LOUISVILLE, KY (December 15, 2010) – Eight young farm couples were among a group of approximately 250 agriculture producers selected to attend the 2010 National Young Farmer Education Association program held this year in Monterey, California December 8-11.
The eight couples were sponsored by Farm Credit Services of Mid-America, a $17 billion ag lending cooperative serving farmers and rural residents throughout Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee. Those attending on behalf of Farm Credit include:
• Gina and David Tighe of Ridgeway, Ohio
• Mandy and Andy Heath of Woodstock, Ohio
• Kent Pullins of Cable, Ohio
• Amy and AJ Booher of West Lafayette, Indiana
• Carrie and Josh Davidson of Frankfort, Indiana
• Heather and Mark Furrer of Brookston, Indiana
• Alicia and Jonathan Dye of Nancy, Kentucky
• Mandy and Whit Willis of Hillsboro, Tennessee.
During the four-day event, participants attended tours, meetings and interacted with other farmers throughout the country. The visit included Ocean Mist Artichokes, a Dole salad processing unit, Gills Onions, King City Nurseries, and numerous other farms and farm attractions in and near the Salinas Valley and Monterey County. “It was exciting to see the diversification in farm enterprises and experience a different part of agriculture,” said Liz Funderburgh, financial services office in Bellefontaine, Ohio and the FCS host of the conference for the eight customer-members.
Funderburgh went on to say that Farm Credit was delighted to sponsor a program that helps influence the changing face of agriculture. “Taking an active role in the future of farming has been an important initiative for Farm Credit for almost a century,” she said. “Sponsoring these programs gets issues out in the open and sparks important conversations and generates ideas. That’s a crucial part of our overall commitment to agriculture and to rural America.”
Mandy and Andy Heath of Woodstock Ohio; Lindsey DeBrosse and Kent Pullins of Cable, Ohio and Matt and Liz Funderburgh, FCS hosts of the trip.
The group toured Gills Onions in addition to making several other stops at local farms.
Texas Agriculture Talks: Three challenges in the debate over sustainable agriculture
By Mike Barnett
The rising cost of survival is something society needs to think about as the phrase sustainable agriculture is bandied about in an increasingly bitter debate. There are many challenges as the world ponders it’s food future. Here’s three:
• Farming is a business.
Recent Farmer’s Share data released by the National Farmers Union shows the agriculture producer’s piece of each dollar the consumer spends on food is 19 cents. The other 81 cents goes to processing, packaging and transportation costs.
Out of their 19 cent share, farmers must pay the expenses of running a farm—seeds, machines, fertilizer, fuel—before any profit is realized. Farmers always face the prospect of being one drought or one flood away from disaster.
The food police will tell you farmers need to go back to the practices of the 1950s, when farms were small and the rural population was huge. They would be wrong. Many farmers of that era—like my dad—left the farm because they couldn’t make a living. Was it because they were bad farmers? No. It was because they were spending huge amounts of toil and time to farm small amounts of land. They could not find sufficient incentive to stay in agriculture.
Although small farms still play an important role in agriculture, many farmers seek bigger, more efficient farms to confront the rising cost of survival.
• The world’s population is booming.
Some maintain the world is headed for a food crisis as societies try to figure out how to feed an additional 3 billion people in the next 40 years. Farmers will have to do much more with much less as the amount of arable land shrinks with a growing world population. Research and technological advances are part of that sustainable equation as society addresses the rising cost of survival.
Which brings me to my third and final point.
• What happens if the next generation refuses to farm?
A sustainable farm to me, is one that can remain profitable for generation after generation while protecting land and water resources. America’s farmers are aging. According to the 2007 Census, the average age of American farmers is 57. The majority of farm operators are between 45 and 60. The fastest growing segment of agriculture is those 65 and older.
Young farmers have a steep hill to climb: Credit is tight, land is expensive. Returns are small, the risks are enormous.
That’s a whole different aspect of sustainability that few critics think about. You can’t live off of love for the land and the love for a way of life forever. Eventually you have to make a profit. We need to find ways to encourage young people to remain in agriculture.
It’s a small price to pay for the rising cost of survival.
Visit the Texas Farm Bureau website at www.txfb.org .
Source: http://www.txfb.org/TxAgTalks/
The opinions expressed in the above post represent the thoughts and feelings of the blogger, and not necessarily NYFEA as a whole.
Farmers Learn Facebook and Twitter to Reach Out to Consumers
From The Sacramento Bee:
It wasn’t discussions of sustainability, irrigation techniques or cattle breeds that had dozens of farmers busily scribbling notes in Davis on Saturday. It was the intricacies of hashtags, followers and status updates that pulled them out of their fields and into classrooms for a 21st century addendum to the agricultural revolution.
“It’s all about putting a face on that plate,” said Jeff Fowle, who raises cattle, horses and hay on a 640-acre ranch in Siskiyou County.
“I want to be the face when a family is sitting down to a dinner of Hamburger Helper.“
About 80 people attended the full-day workshop on social media for farmers – hosted by the University of California, Davis – to help an aging farming population communicate directly with their consumers through Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
“The economic edge for farming can be very narrow,” said organizer Annie King, a professor of animal science at UC Davis. “This is a way farmers can tell the story of their family farms and how they get food on the table.”
The disconnect between growers and the general public became apparent after the passage of Proposition 2 in 2008, which set standards for the confinement of farm animals, Fowle said. Some farmers felt their voices were lost in the conversation with no direct channels of communication with voters, he said.
Fowle created a Twitter account the following year and now has almost 25,000 followers. He also co-founded www.agchat.org, a non-profit group that hosts online discussions every Tuesday about agricultural policy and other issues.
“If you know the person who is growing your food and you develop a relationship with them, it’s hard to be mad at them,” he said.
Cowboy hat-wearing ranchers and sun-creased farmers learned the basics of opening Facebook and Twitter pages as well as more technical instruction such as how to optimize searches during the workshop.
Ray Allen Jr., a retired horse and cattle rancher who lives in San Luis Obispo County, will likely leave the social networking to younger generations but took away tools about messaging – especially vital because less than 2 percent of the country’s population remains in agriculture, he said.
“In my generation and certainly my father’s generation, you had a rural population where practically everyone was related in one form or another to food production,” he said. “We don’t have that anymore.”
Read the rest of the article at: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/11/21/3201217/farmers-learn-facebook-and-twitter.html#ixzz162rVnN7u
Survive the Holidays without Weight Gain
From Indiana Dairy:
Tis the season to eat and be merry! And boy do we EAT! I did a little research, and the average American eats approximately 3,000 to 3,500 calories during Thanksgiving lunch / dinner (the actual meal). This comes to about 4,000 calories for the day in total. To put that in perspective, an excess of 3,500 calories equals one pound of fat. Many people gain a significant amount of weight during the holiday season; some people can gain as much as 5-7 pounds. The weight-gain cycle can easily continue throughout the winter months, and by spring you can have up to 5-10 lbs to lose. Hold that pace for a decade and you will have gained 50-60 lbs.
But wait! There is good news: While it can take a few to several years to gain 50-60 lbs, it can only take 6-12 months to lose it. The better news: you don’t HAVE to gain weight over the holidays! Here are some tips on how to avoid adding holiday weight:
1) Walk and Exercise More. Take a walk with the family after dinner or go outside and toss the football around. Inside activities could include playing video games that are exercise related such as the Wii Fit, or just helping clean up! Just twenty minutes of brisk walking can burn between 100-150 calories. That equals a cookie or soda in calories! You can even start a new holiday tradition of going hiking, ice skating, swimming in an indoor pool, working out in agym, or taking an exercise class at an adult education facility.
2) Eat Slowly. Eat very slowly and enjoy the flavors. Try to chew your food several times per mouthful. It’s recommended to chew 30-40 times! It will allow the “hungry- full” response from your brain to recognize that you are satisfied. It takes the brain about 20 minutes to let you know you are full.
3.) Drink Water. Water is going to naturally help you avoid eating as much if you drink a large glass 20-30 minutes prior to having a large dinner. Plus, water will keep you hydrated and help you burn fat more efficiently. Some people confuse hunger with dehydration. If you just drink a glass of water, that will often take care of the food yearning. This is not skipping a meal – just a way to work through temptation. You can figure the approximate amount of water you need a day by dividing your weight in pounds by 2. This will be the number of ounces you need a day.
4). Don’t let stress get to you! Don’t let stress trigger an overeating episode. Even though it’s easy to reach for “comfort food” when you’re feeling stressed out or when you’re under pressure, skip the urge altogether and try a completely different activity to feel better. Talk to a friend, take a walk around the block, or hit the gym to give your mood a boost and keep your mind off eating.
5) Brush Your Teeth after Meals. I read this somewhere and tried it. It works! Right after eating a meal, especially dinner, go straight to the bathroom to brush, floss, and mouthwash so that your mouth is feeling nice and clean – this makes it less appealing to eat more (especially before bedtime). Ever try to eat or drink something after brushing your teeth? Not tasty!
Source: http://indianadairy.wordpress.com/
The opinions expressed in the above post represent the thoughts and feelings of the blogger, and not necessarily NYFEA as a whole.
