Yes, those lines of the FFA motto do come in handy, and they very accurately describe this past week! I had the chance spend the week at home with my family and my best friend, who just happens to be a farmer in north-central Ohio. Given my non-farm background, I always find it an interesting experience when I help him out with farm work, though I use the term "help" relatively lightly. Luckily, my friend has a way of letting me mess up (without scolding me for it) and then helps me figure it out on my own. While I normally want the answers up front and careful instructions, he refuses to give in to my pleading and makes me try it before he'll answer my questions.
Between unloading hay wagons, moving equipment and running parts to whichever field the problem creeped up in; I had the chance to learn. And not just in the "sure, I suppose I learned something" kind of way. No, this was learning through experience. Or rather, learning by screwing it up a few times and then finally getting it (sort of) right. My favorite kind of learning.
I learned.... That wearing gloves while unloading hay is usually a good idea. That practicing welding for an hour will lead to getting flash burn on your arms, and it hurts. That I need to wear ear plugs when groundhog hunting or I'll be partially deaf the rest of the day. That when remodeling an old farmhouse, it's best to get over your fear of spiders. Very quickly. That driving a big standard truck is really not that bad, unless someone else wants to drive on the same road. That knowing the current prices of corn, soybeans and fat cattle are essential to carrying on a good conversation with local farmers.
And most of all, every time I'm out on the farm I learn just how much I love and appreciate production agriculture and the industry that clothes, shelters and feeds our world.
As we prepare to finish up the quarter with lesson plans and such, I've been spending a lot of time on the internet searching for teaching resources. One I've found that would be awesome to do with students is making a methane biodigester. Just imagine how cool it would be to have a few of these out in the shop!
When I was little, I hated vegetables. In fact, I'm pretty sure that at one point or another I hated food all together (my poor mother...). Luckily, I grew out of my pickiness and now insist on having at least one type of veggie per meal.
The reason I take this trip down memory lane is because I found this video under a category titled "kids and vegetables", which happened to come up along with "funny cats". Needless to say, I couldn't resist. (On either of those titles, to be honest.) Thus, I present to you "Crazy Over Vegetables - Cool Tunes for Kids":
Maybe it's just because I'm hungry, but it food is on my brain today. And even more than that, the fact that people don't know where their food comes from. The other day, I ran into an obnoxious lady in the grocery store who was telling her son that he shouldn't eat eggs because they are dead baby chickens. Now, just imagine what will happen when that young man grows up and carries on his life with the notion that eggs are dead chicks! It's amazing what people will, and won't, believe about their food. You would think that something that is so vital in our lives is something that we'd actually want to learn about.
Apparently I'm not the only one who sees the problem. The United States Department of Agriculture has an initiative called "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" that is a perfect example of a proactive approach to this problem. Such a great way to promote agricultural awareness! Check it out below.
With farmers across the country looking to get into the fields and put seeds in the ground, the weather has been less than cooperative. While we here in Ohio are definitely feeling the pain of the rain, others in the south and midwest have been even less fortunate. It serves as a harsh reminder that we must count our blessings, regardless of how awful the outlook seems to be. We must always be thinking of those out there whos struggles are greater than our own. With the massive flooding plaguing the agricultural industry, our thoughts and prayers are needed now more than ever. One of my favorite farmers prayers is written by J.M. Kenyon:
A Farmer's Prayer
Make sunrise early and the sunset wait; make summer early and the winter late! Allow the crops to sprout and thrive and give me hope to man the drive.
Please let the raindrops fall at night and keep the ground firm in daylight. Make all my callouses a bit more tough when times are hard and life gets rough.
Please, bless the plow that parts the furrow and earth in which our hopes shall burrow. Supply enough of sweat and blood to drive on when bad luck should flood.
Dear Lord, I ask you bless the seeds and spare them from the choke of weeds. Help them arise from in the ground and bear enough to go around.
But most of all...
Please keep my spirit in your palm my will intact, my body strong, my family close, my faith untaxed, my heartbeats tight, my laughs relaxed!
Growing up I loved raising and showing market lambs. Although I can't say I always loved getting up early to feed, walking them every day or cleaning pens every night; I loved the idea of taking a lamb and turning it into a healthy meal for a consumer. I cared for my animals intently and went to great lengths to ensure their comfort, security and health. For my family and I, raising lambs was a "learn through experience" enterprise. For instance, the first time we tried shearing on our own was less than a beautiful sight; however, we learned and kept at it until we were able to shear for shows with ease.
Showing one of my lambs at the Ashland County Fair
While our methods worked just fine, these days there are a lot of resources out there for sheep beginners. One I found that has a ton of resources is http://www.sheep101.info/201/index.html. It has details about hoof trimming, washing, lambing and even uses for wool. Point being, with so many great resources out there for just about anything, those of us in agriculture can not only encourage others to try agricultural enterprises, but we can give them the resources to do so.
With these resources, we can encourage others to educate themselves and agriculturalists. What a cool way to advocate for our industry!
What's the newest craze sweeping the nation? Farming simulation games. Yes, you read that correctly - games that simulate farming. In fact, if you search it on http://www.youtube.com/, you'll find a plethra of folks who have uploaded themselves "harvesting wheat" or "planting corn" on their simulation games. While normally I'm not a fan of video games of any capacity, I have to admit that I'm a little excited to see this trend taking place. First of all, it's as close as many kids will get to sitting in a real tractor and secondly, they have to know what to with the crops to play. In my book, learning about how food is produced from a video game is A-OK! Here's an example of one simulation I found:
Now that the weather is finally turning warmer and it's getting closer to my favorite season, I've begun craving anything that can be cooked on the grill. In searching around for recipes for the upcoming grilling season, I stumbled up this great part of the http://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/ website called the "Meat Case". As you click on different cuts of beef, it provides you with proper cooking instructions and recipes for cooking. Check it out before you're next trip to the grocery store!
There are few things that can stop me in my tracks and instantly make my stomach curl, but animal abuse is on the top of that list. This past week the animal activist group Mercy For Animals released yet another "top secret" video of farmers abusing their livestock. As many of us are aware, this isn't the first time this particular group has targeted dairy farmers and their families. Last spring they released a video of an Ohio farm with the vicious intention of promoting political initiatives in our state. What wasn't broadcast or thrown to the media was the fact that in that video, the employee of the farm was initially hired by Mercy For Animals to pose as a farm worker and abuse livestock. Or that this particular farm worker's bail (of a large sum) was paid in cash. But no one seemed alarmed by these facts. In fact, I still hear people talk about the incident with certainty that all farmers are cruel and inhumane.
Honestly, I couldn't even watch the whole video from last year because I was so disgusted; let alone this new supposed case of abuse. And I'm not the only one. Agriculturalists have spoken up with emotions that can only come from individuals that truly know and understand our industry. A great example of this came from a blog I found called "Gate to Plate":
Although it pains me to see news like this flashing all over and brainwashing uneducated consumers, it also reminds me of how much work we have to do as advocates.
While I'd like to say that it's their own fault for being uninformed, look at what information they are receiving. Wouldn't you be a little concerned and mad at livestock producers if abuse videos were highlighted on the evening news? Wouldn't you be apt to join in anti-agriculture movements if you'd never met a farmer before? Wouldn't you believe that animal agriculture is harmful if you'd never seen a production farm or how livestock are handled? I know I'd be suspicious. And suspicion is dangerous.
That is why it is more important now than ever before that we come together and spread positive messages about what we do and who we are.
It is our responsibility to educate others.
Our mission needs to be informing consumers.
If agriculture is our passion, we need to be willing to spread the word.
Growing up, one of my favorite times of year was when my younger brother and I went to pick out market hogs to show at the fair that year. Although we needed to get pigs that were a few months old, I always kept my fingers crossed that there would be piglets running around that I could hold for a few minutes. I am still always amazed that those tiny little piglets would soon turn into a large, full-grown pig; going from 2 pounds to 200 in a matter of months.
As a result of countless hours in the barn with my market hogs, I've grown to love and respect them. Therefore this blog is "hog wild" with facts about, you guessed it - PIGS!
Top Ten Facts About Swine:
Pigs are very clean and they tend to keep their bedding dry and clean.
Pigs make funny sounds like grunts and squeals.
Domesticated pigs eat ground up corn, soybeans, wheat, and grain sorghum.
The skin on pigs is pink, but the hair can be different colors.
Pigs can't sweat, farmers use sprinklers and fans to keep pigs cool.
Pigs not under fans will wallow in mud to keep cool.
Wild hogs roam forest, meadows, and swamp areas.
Litter size varies from 2 to 12 piglets.
In Europe, pigs are used to find underground mushroom-like plants called truffles.
Yes, such a place exists. And yes, I want to go there.
The Farm School is located in Athol, Massachusetts, and runs programs year round for youth and adults. Imagine a place where students can get their hands dirty planting crops, learn about stewardship and taking care of the environment and interact with livestock. Not to mention a long-term program where adults can literally "Learn to Farm". This is the place! How awesome would it be to have one of these in every state? Just think of the agricultural literacy we could attain and the advocacy we could spread!
Now that I finally have cable in my apartment, I've become much more aware of commercials and what they advertise. And it's amazing to think about how much we absorb from them. After all, that's why the companies pay so much to put them in front of us!
The one that has stood out to me the most this week was one produced by California Dairy Farmers. Although I've seen agriculturally related commercials on other channels, the CDF Association have decided to place their ad on primetime TV spots. For example, one came on during "Dancing with the Stars". Yes...I watch it. Another one aired during the evening news. How much do you want to bet that viewers watched and learned from those commercials? I'd put my money on it! Even if the slightest bit of information was absorbed from that minute ad, it helps agriculture. It's awesome agricultural advocacy. Therefore, I'm dedicated this blog to dairy, dairy cows and dairy farmers. Here goes!
Another commerical from the California Happy Cows Campaign
Great video from the Dairy Herd Network produced by Michigan Dairy Farmers!
- It takes more cows to produce milk annually for Pizza Hut cheese (about 170,000) than there are people living in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
- Cows have an acute sense of smell, and can smell something up to six miles away.
- Vanilla is America's favorite ice cream flavor.
- The average cow produces enough milk each day to fill six one-gallon jugs, about 55 pounds of milk.
- Each person in America eats an average of 46 slices of pizza a year.
- All 50 states in the United States have dairy farms.
- The natural yellow color of butter comes mainly from the bets-carotene found in the grass cows eat.
- The average cow drinks from 30 - 50 gallons of water each day - about a bathtub's worth.
- It takes 12 pounds of whole milk to make one gallon of ice cream.
- A cow can't vomit.
- It is possible to lead a cow upstairs but not downstairs, because a cow's knees can't bend properly to walk back down.
- The greatest amount of milk produced in one year was 59,298 lbs by a Holstein cow named Robthom Sue Paddy.
- Dairy cows can produce 125 lbs of saliva a day.
- A cow chews her cud (regurgitated, partially digested food) for up to 8 hours each day.
- The oldest cow ever recorded was a cow named "Big Bertha", she died 3 months short of her 49th birthday on New Year's Eve, 1993. She also holds the record for lifetime breeding as she produced 39 calves.
- A cow has to be a mom before she will produce milk.
- Contrary to popular belief, cows do not have 4 stomachs; they have 4 digestive compartments in one stomach:
- The rumen holds up to 50 gallons of partially digested food. This is where cud comes from. Good bacteria in the rumen helps digest the cow's food and provides protein for the cow.
- The reticulum is called the hardware stomach because if cows accidentally eat hardware (like a piece of fencing scrap), it will often lodge here causing no further damage.
- The omasum is sort of like a filter.
- The abomasum is like our stomach.
- Cows only have teeth on the bottom
By my definition, education is my other passion in life. Therefore, choosing agricultural education as my major and intended career field was a no-brainer. However, I've found throughout the years that "education" means many things to many people. At times, it's picking up novel to learn about Charles Dickens, and then there's my dad's philosophy of education - keep doing it until you get it right. Needless to say, building our pole barn out back with him was quite an adventure! But it got done and is standing, so mission accomplished.
This past weekend the Ag Ed Block had the privilege of visiting Greene County Career Center in Xenia, Ohio, to learn what education means to them. From building an entire house in carpentry to running a salon in cosmetology, and from extracting DNA from plant cells to designing a 3-D wax printer; these students are gaining an education that is second-to-none.
Above Left: Andrew works to prepare his DNA gel with dye that will indicate the ladders of DNA in various plant cell samples he's taken. This was the culminating piece to 2 weeks of work by the students in the Biotechnology class.Above Right: Haley shows us her market steer, Emitt. She and her father travel nearly every weekend to BEST shows to compete for scholarship money.
These are just two examples of what education looks like at Greene Co. CC. During our time there, we also got to visit students on their job placement sites, learn about how programs can be adapted for special education, how to read a school district report card and why truly caring about a student is our top priority as teachers. While there were many more amazing experiences throughout our time there, it's far too hard to describe the impact this weekend had on my perspective of education. A huge thanks goes out to GCCC Superintendent Dan Schroer for hosting us and all the amazing teachers that allowed us into their classrooms. You all represent education at it's finest.
Although this blog came about as an assignment for my agricultural technology and media class, my journey as an agricultural advocate began over eight years ago. My involvement in 4-H, FFA and majoring in agricultural education at Ohio State originally set the adventure into motion. However, it was my experience with a gentleman on a flight during my year as a National FFA Officer that catapulted my efforts into overdrive...
I've always enjoyed flying because of the unique conversations that can arise from the people you sit beside. When this particular gentleman sat down next to me in his bright orange Hawaiian shirt for the flight to Chicago from Atlanta, I knew I was in for a treat. We started off with the traditional "What's your name?" Where are you from?" and "What's your reason for traveling?" questions, but it wasn't long before I threw him the curveball: "What do you do for a living?". He replied that he was in real estate and returned the question to me. I told him that I was involved in agriculture in several capacities and that I hoped to teach high school agricultural education some day. He paused for a second and stared at me like I was kidding. Then he said something I'll never forget - "Miss, I'm going to give you a little advice. Agriculture is dead." I scoffed. Then laughed, thinking he must be kidding. But he wasn't. In fact, he began to lecture me about how agriculture is a "dying industry" and how someday "we won't even need it".
To say that I was appalled would be a drastic understatement. As I tried to explain to him that it's the largest industry in the world, employing hundreds of thousands of people; and literally provided his home, the bag of peanuts he just ate and even his dreadfully awful shirt - he stopped me by putting his hand in my face and saying, "No, no, no - if you want to make money someday and have a meaningful career, go into real estate." That was about all I could handle, but with over an hour left on the flight, I calmly turned away from him and put my iPod earbuds in; cranking the music so I couldn't hear his lecturing anymore.
When I got to the terminal and made sure the gentleman wasn't in ear shot, I called my mom and recounted what had just happened through frustrated tears. She simply said, "Hannah, people don't love and understand agriculture the way that you do." As if that wasn't painfully obvious to me. However, I realized she had a point. That man couldn't love (or even appreciate) something he didn't truly understand.
That experience was a slap in the face to the reality that agricultural illiteracy is a HUGE problem. People don't know where their food, fiber and resources come from. I wish this story was the only one I could share of this kind, but unfortunately there are far too many instances like this to count. And that's why I've chosen to complete my assignment for class by beginning to detail the "Adventures of an Agricultural Advocate" as a blog about my cause and my passion. I hope you'll come along for the journey!
