#FarmVoices - I'm going to play that card and play it hard

There was a man named Norman Borlaug that was a genius and father of the Green Revolution. He is often credited with saving billions of lives through the agricultural techiniques he implemented around the world that increase crop yields and in turn increase food production. Today is a unique day because not only would it be Norman's 100th birthday, but it is also National Ag Day.

I love this video remix of some of Norman's most profound quotes. I think my favorite quote of his is "If I have anything to contribute to this world I'm going to play that card and play it hard." For Norman this meant that he was going to use science, use GMO variations, use technology to ensure more people around the world had access to food and basic necessities.

For my husband and I our card is raising the best Hereford cattle possible. We want superior genetics, cattle that are phenotypically superior and at the end of the day produce a great steak.

"Look what happened to the dinosaur. When he lost his ability to change he became obsolete. Is this the destiny of the human species." - Norman Borlaug

The Chevy Hereford Bull Iowa Style

Another Super Bowl is over. In my opinion it is a good thing that there were some good commercials because it was all a little underwhelming. I will have to say that one of my favorite commercials was the Chevy Super Bowl Commercial "Romance."

The Boy found out that the bull in the video goes back to Star Lake (his dad and grandpa's ranch that was sold in 2012) bloodlines. Although, it was neat to see a Hereford bull in the ad since that is what the Boy and I raise, we like to think that we have our own superstar Hereford bull.

Parker is our Hereford bull that we will be selling in the Iowa Beef Expo in February. He will be bought by another cattlemen and turned out with a pasture full of ladies this spring for a little "romance." This weekend we spent primping, washing and clipping Parker for his video debut.

I am definitely going to miss Parker. He is kind of like my big baby, but I can't wait to see what kind of calves he'll produce. His mom, Teardrop, has another bull calf inside of her, and she will be calving this spring. Who knows if she'll be mother to another superstar. 

We leave a lot up to Mother Nature, and Mother Nature never takes a day off.

Other than updates from the Boy I have been pretty removed from the farm this past week. My agriculture office job has taken me to Kansas City and Fresno, California this week helping market the products I represent (they are a vitamin and mineral supplement for livestock cattle VitaFerm and Sure Champ.)

The Boy has been fighting against the weather as they try and finish up the last little bit of corn harvest. Another inch of rain has delayed things again today. Although, Mother Nature is creating an inconvenience she isn't in threatening mode yet. 

So why I am really brining up Mother Nature? Because of this video I saw today about a new movie called Farmland. It gave me goosebumps. I hope that's not just because I am a farmer, but because this story will resonate will all people. Even though you might not live on a farm or even know someone that lives on a farm trust me agriculture still impacts you. 

I hope you'll take a minute to watch the Farmland trailer. And this spring maybe we can all have a virtual viewing party. 

 Photo credit Don Holtz

What Does the Fox Say?

There are a lot of things I could talk about today like my sister's wedding that we attended last week in Canada, my new found interest in Red Bull Marketing Case Studies (which is kind of odd considering I hate Red Bull, can't even stand the smell) or how once again I am glad with my decision more than seven years ago to give up Chipotle. However, I feel like first I must share with you this amazing discovery.

It is a video called What Does the Fox Say. If you need a dose of fun and happiness then watch this video. And proceed to sing the song in your head all day.



The video was released on Sept. 3 and it already has nearly 64 million views as of Sept. 19. Fraka-kaka-kaka-kaka-kow!

Fresh Prince Fresh from the Farm

Remember those good old Kansas farm boys, the Peterson Brothers, that made headlines with their I'm Farming and I Grow It video? Well they are back and this time they are sharing a little more about what happens on a typical farm. The Boy and I rap all the time like this too ;)

Now this is a story all about how 

Our life is spent wiping sweat off our brow

And we'd like to take a minute just to stop and say

What goes down on the farm in a typical day

So you might not see a musical performance like this from the Boy and I, but with Instagram now hosting video you certainly will see more video from see. Can't wait to get home and start making our cows even more famous. To find me on Instagram search CrystalCattle.

p.s. To watch more Peterson Brothers video click here. 

My #FarmVoice Celebrates Earth Day

There are a bunch of people celebrating Earth Day today. I don't know if this day feels any different than most to me, and I try and respect the land (which in my case includes pasture and farm ground) everyday. That's because I am a farmer. And when you sign up to be a farmer you are also signing up to be responsible for the land and the animals on it.

Farm On has been asking farmers to share their stories using the hashmark #FarmVoices. If you are on Twitter, Instagram or Vine check out the great posts from people around the world.

I've been using the #FarmVoices hashtag for a while now and thought I would share with you a couple videos and photos from our farm.

(To hear sound hover your mouse over the top lefthand corner of the video and a little sound button will appear. Click on that.)

I call this steer Big Ben because 1. he is bigger than all the other steers, and 2. he is really gentle. Our steers are getting close to the end of their lives. Since this fall they have been eating lots of corn and getting really fat. Soon it will be time to harvest them. We feed them corn twice a day. However, during the day they like to stick their heads in the hay ring or lounge around. Below is a picture of them from this weekend.

These same steers and the bull on the other side of the fence were a little restless this week so the Boy and I had some fence fixing to do. It is amazing all the farmgirl things you can do in a hot pink J. Crew shirt.




And finally, I had to go back in time a little bit and show you this video of a brand new baby calf. It is pretty cool to watch these little guys be born. We only have one cow left to calf. All the babies and their moms have been moved out to the big pasture. They are wanting that combination of sun and moisture as much as I am, as they are ready to start eating some green grass!

Happy Earth Day to you all, and remember to thank a farmer for taking care of the land everyday.

Introducing the newest babies

There are a few new babies in town, and there is going to be ton more throughout March. (So a ton for us is like 12, a ton for others is like 50). I've got a new little boy and new little girl to introduce you to.

This is the bull calf. The Boy so far has called him Paul Revere. Why you may ask? I asked this too. Well, this bull calf's sire (dad) is name Bailout. And Paul Revere bailed out the Americans by yelling "The Red Coats are coming, the Red Coats are coming!" Follow? Yes, naming is quite the process at our house. We'll see if the name sticks. I love the first moment when baby calves stand up. 

The next calf is really special to us. Her mom Fantasty ended up being a bottle calf when she was a baby because her mom didn't have enough milk. She even got to spent some time in the Boy's basement. The Boy pretty much raised Fantasy all while we were dating. Now, she has her own little baby heifer and Fantasy is a great mom. You'll also notice that I am keeping it real and there is some afterbirth on the cow. It can take a few hours for the cow to "clean" and expel all the afterbirth. 

This is a really quick video of Fantasy and Baby Fantasy. I've recently joined Vine, which is like the video world of Instagram. I've got a couple more calf videos posted on it, and let me know if you have jumped on the latest social media platform. If you are on Vine look me up - Crystal Cattle.

Duck Dynasty creates new product for Vegans

We are huge Duck Dynasty fans in our house and can't wait for the new episodes to start again. The Boy recently read their book The Duck Commander Family: How Faith, Family and Ducks Built a Dynasty. Now that he is finished I can't wait to get started.

Recently, the cast of Duck Dynasty was to appear on Jimmy Kimmel the night after animal activist and vegan, Morrisey, (I guess he is a singer). Morrisey was appalled by this calling the Duck Dynasty gang "serial animal killers." Morrisey told Kimmel it was either him or the Duck Dynasty gang. Duck Dynasty won.

However, the boys felt a little bad and thought they could do a little better job of catering to their vegan friends. Check out Jimmy Kimmel's video for all the details.

May you always have cows around

This week one of my good girlfriends asked if I had heard Corb Lund's new song, and if I hadn't I needed to check it out. I checked it out and therefore I present Cows Around.




If you aren't in a position to have cows around I'll let you adopt mine so they can bring you much happiness. Corb even mentions the two breeds of cattle my family own first - Hereford and Simmentals. Yes, that is the kind of thing that makes me happy even when I was up at 6:30 in the morning in -5 F (without the windchill) weather feeding those cows this morning.

p.s. Don't forget about the Country Outfitter gift card giveaway!

Farmer Rap

These Kansas farm boys know how to get down.

Remember the Peterson Brother's video Farming and I Grow It and Farmer Style? Well there is another farmer that has decided to share a little bit of farm life via this fun little video.

 

You can follow Daddy D on Twitter @klingpossum

The silos came crashing down

In less than 8 seconds it was over. 

This weekend the Boy and I spent the majority of the weekend at the barn. We move into the Iowa State Fair on Saturday, where we will be showing five Hereford heifers (heifers are the girls). However, we got a call in the middle of the day saying we needed to get home because "you are going to want to see this."

In our farm yard is a grain storage facility that our family and a number of other farmers in the area use. However, in front of the newer grain bins sat two old cement bins. The bins were probably put up in the 1950s however they needed to come down because we no longer used them, and the extra room will allow for new improvements to the storage facility. 

A pair of Amish men came over to help take them down. And it went something like this. 

The Boy also took a few videos of the silo. 

The first time it didn't quite make it to the ground.

And then there was success. 

My farmer friends are sexy and they know it

A parody in the field. 

On Tuesday night as I sat in my hotel room @Mel_Writer tweeted me about some "crazy creative advocate"(she knows them personally) with a new YouTube video. Let's just say these boys aren't the "Sexy and I know it," type rather the "I'm farming and we grow it." Just watch this video.

These three boys definitely peaked my curiosity and I had to know who they were. I sent off an email and here is the behind the scenes story of these YouTube agriculture superstars.

Greg (21), Nathan (18) and Kendal (15) are from Assaria, KS and are a part of their fourth generation farm. They are also die hard K-State fans. This made me even more excited. Greg is a senior at K-State majoring in Ag Communications with a minor in Music Performance (not surprising), Nathan will be a freshman at K-State this fall and Kendal will mostly likely end up there too, after finishing high school.

The boys' primarily raise beef cattle, but also have crops such as wheat, corn, soybeans, milo and alfalfa. I would say all that food raising keeps them pretty busy.

Now, how in world do you come up with a video like this. Well, Greg said that he wrote the song back in May, and convinced his brothers to record the audio with him before wheat harvest started, and then during wheat harvest they started filming all the scenes. "We filmed everyday since then, and whenever  we convinced my dad to let us off work early," said Greg.

In the first 24 hours the video surpassed 4,000 views, and with all the sharing and singing along the video is growing into quite the sensation.

Greg said if he could share one thing with consumers is would be, "Don't take agriculture for granted. Whenever, I see people on the Internet bashing farmers I know it is because they do not understand us. Farmers are vital to our society and we work hard to meet the demands of consumers. Farmers are just trying to meet the needs of the people!"

Be sure to also check out their Facebook page Peterson Farm Brothers.
Dec. 17 Update - the video now has 8+ million views. They also have a second video out called Farmer Style and it has 10+ million views.

Daily Affirmations that Life is Great

I'm thankful.

Sometimes do you a little spark to be lit under you? Somethings to remind yourself that today really is going to be great. That despite the hurdles we have to climb that life is pretty good. This little girls know how to get her day started, and it made me smile! Hope you are all having a fantastic Wednesday.



p.s. Don't forget that it is National Beef Month! So go our and grab a steak, hamburger or start up the grill.

Does agriculture honestly affect everyone?

Yeah. 

Did you run warm water for a 20 minute shower this morning? Then stand up for farmers.



This is an awesome video produced by a group of students from Texas A&M called Farmers Fight. I am pretty impressed with their passion, and I am glad that these young people are the future food producers of our nation.

On a random side note because of my love of the K-State Wildcats I really don't care for Texas A&M, however I really wish they didn't leave the Big 12. We met some wonderful Aggies on our honeymoon. People that embodied the caring, friendly, passionate Big 12 spirit. The same spirit that Jasmine Dillon shared in the this video.

That's all folks. Remember thank a farmer.

Antibiotics and meat

We use antibiotics on our farm. 

The Boy and I are slowly moving in the freeze beef business. What does that mean? It means that you will be able to buy beef directly from our farm.

As we have been talking with our partners the question has came up if we can market our beef as antibiotic free. The answer really we can't. When an animal gets sick on our farm we consult with our veterinarian and they either comes to our farm to administer medicine or he tells us what we should give the the sick animal. Just like when you have a sick family member and you go to the doctor or consult with a medical professional. So some of the animals on our farm at some point may have been given antibiotics.

This video talks about antibiotics and the other regulations that we have to follow on our farm.



Are you comfortable buying meat from an animal that at some point was given antibiotics?

Cattle Show or Rock Concert?

You decide.

One of the photos
I took at OYE. 

Last week, I was in Oklahoma for a junior livestock show Oklahoma Youth Expo. It is the largest junior livestock show in the world, and both 4-H and FFA members have the opportunity to show. That means there were a lot of kids there, and even more pigs, cows, lambs and goats. Yeah it maybe smelled it a little by the end of the week, but it is pretty cool to know that agriculture is in the hands of these kids. And even if they don't remain in agriculture I like to think that they will go onto be pretty great people in their communities.

Now watch this. I promise it is nothing like you have ever seen - well unless you were there ;)



Now if you are wondering what in the world just happened. In each species breed or weigh division is selected, and they all come together for the Grand Drive. That is when they choose the overall champions. You can see that happening in the next two videos. The Oklahoma Youth Expo is really unique because they work on highlight youth as much as they do the livestock.



These are all market animals so this is ultimately the end of the road for them. The grand champion steer brought $60,000. Now that is not market price, and there is a good chance that those people paid $10,000 for the steer. What is the best part about this show is that they really work hard to gather up scholarship dollars for the participants. The company I work for is one of those sponsors. One of our $1,500 scholarships went to a freshman in high school. If she can get one of those every year she'll have a nice little chunk of change to put towards college.

Dan Dagget, Author and Environmentalist, has something to say about agriculture

A former member of the Sierra Club

What happens when cows graze the land? Do they do more harm than good? Would the land be better without them or human intervention? As a farmer and care taker of the land I don't think so, but let's hear was Dan Dagget (a former self-proclaimed "eco-radical" and member of the Sierra Club) has to say.



Livestock are amazing animals, and are important part of the environment. Most of the land that you will find cattle on isn't suitable for growing crops. And I would sure like to look a pasture full of cattle rather than another city spreading its fingers into rural areas.

I love Dan's line in the video about how the environmentalist have to be as accountable as the ranchers and farmers. Environmentalists and ranchers need to work together to create an environment that we can all continue to enjoy.

To view more I am Angus videos click here.

Chipotle your Grammy commercial still doesn't change my mind.

Ok, time to revisit the subject. 

Things I would like to point out.

1. I have not eaten at Chipotle for years. You can read about that here.
2. I support consumers having options on the method their food was raised - organic, natural, conventional (my family and the boy's family and 99% of the food on the grocery store would be conventional). And no I don't consider our farm a factory farm.
3. I can't stand when groups, individuals companies have to criticize, falsify information, etc. to make their decisions look like the better choice. I get marketing, I am a marketer but to me this is not the way to go about it.

There are so many things wrong with the picture painted in the Chipotle Grammy commercial (this commercial has been out for awhile, just not on T.V.) that I don't know where to start.

0:21 into the video

Pigs, I hope you don't live in Iowa because with the windchill this morning it was 1 degree F (-17 C). If you were outside roaming pastures you probably would have died. 

0:36 into the video

Yes, cattle can be found in barns. Dairy cattle are often in these huge, and I mean huge open aired barns, and they can roam around eat when they want to, and have these amazing bed packs to lay on. Some farms have waterbeds for their dairy cows to lay on. If you would like to ask a dairy farmer more about how their cows live please let me know. I will put you in touch with one, and I am sure they would love to let you tour their farm so you can see first hand how these cattle are living. 

The beef cattle we raise only come into the barn if they are about to calve and might need a little help. Cattle in feedlot spend time in spacious pens, with windbreaks to shield them from the elements. And those feedlot cattle are only in those pens for a few months of their lives (average lifespan around 13-16 months I would say). Yes, we eat feedlot cattle. 

0:48 in the video

I am sure this part is referring to the hormones that SOME farmers feed their livestock. These hormones are already naturally occurring in livestock. There is actually more hormones in a head of cabbage than a steak, by A LOT. This is an in-depth subject so if you would like more information please let me know. And if you choose (you have a choice) to buy beef, chicken, pork, etc. without hormones that is perfectly fine. Just look for hormone free on the label. 

0:58 in the video

I live in eastern Iowa, and I am pretty glad my food comes from across the country. If it didn't I would be pretty limited on what I would find at my grocery store in the winter. p.s. I can't even keep a house plant alive so I am pretty sure a garden wouldn't be so successful. 

I know you shouldn't blog when you are angry, but I am. My friend and family are farmers. I care about the food that I am raising for you to consume, and although we only have 20 cows, we are planning to grow. I support feedlots, dairies, pork farmers. I know families that have thousands of head of cattle, might seem like what consumers and media call a factory farm, but those people are families just like me. Ask a farmer about your food not Chipotle. 

Update #1: 

A quote from Chipotle's annual report - 

“We do, however, face challenges associated with pursuing Food With Integrity. For example, current economic conditions have led to natural chicken and steak supply shortages. It can take longer to identify and secure relationships with suppliers meeting our criteria, and there are higher costs and other risks associated with purchasing naturally raised or sustainably grown ingredients. The growing time for naturally raised meat and sustainably grown vegetables can be longer. Herd losses can also be greater when animals are not treated with antibiotics and hormones and field losses can be higher for organically grown produce. Given the costs associated with natural and sustainable farming practices, and recently due to decreased demand as a result of the weak economic environment, many large suppliers have not found it economical to pursue business in this area.”

Read more from this great blog - Beltway Beef. 

Update #2:

Here is a very interesting post from a pig farmer about the type of barns they used in that past and what they use now. Thanks Chris Chinn. 

Update #3:

I have always enjoyed having the option of having anonymous comments. This way it makes it easier for those without a blogger account to comment. However, those that are continuing to comment anonymous and attack me, you just lost the privilege for everyone. I have respect for other people's opinion and love discussion we can all learn from each other. 

Barbie Girl Loves Lambs

A belated happy Australia Day!

I was able to wish a few of my friends a Happy Australia Day on Wednesday, and here is a belated have an awesome day to the rest of you. My friends Shelley and Matt posted this awesome video to their Trio Angus blog and I had to share.

I had some of the best lamb I have ever had on my trip to Australia, I just wish I had enough confidence to try and cook some myself!



Just remember marination leads to salivation!

Move over Farmville, time for Cow Chow

Get your gaming on. 

Love that popular Facebook game Farmville, then Cow Chow is right up your family's alley. This computer game brought to you by the good folks from the Beef Checkoff have created an interactive game about what cows eat. It event includes a video made by strapping on a camera to a calf so you can see what a day of eating looks like for a cow. 

The game helps explain what Cow Chow really is. The Boy and I's cows receive a ration of forages (grass in the summer time and hay in the winter), grains, water, vitamins and minerals just like other cows from across the country. 

Play along with Jill or Bill and learn about grass fed cattle, feedlots, and how cattlemen feed their cattle. Did you know that 80-85% of a cow's life is spent on grass, and on 100-120 days are spent in a feedlot if that animal is being raised for consumption. 

At the end of the game you even have a chance to learn about common misconceptions or submit your own question about cattle and the food they consume. Check out Cow Chow with your family and let me know how you score.