Thank Heavens for Farmers.....

Julie Wolf from Churchill County Farm Bureau shared this video with me and so I wanted to pass it on to all of you this week.

"Farmers Tribute: So God Made a Farmer"

Thought You'd Rice to Know....

Hi!  Have you had your rice today?? 

You may not realized it, but in China, that is about the same as asking "How are you Today?"  Want to know more interesting facts and legends about rice from cultures around the world--read here:  http://www.menurice.com/All_About_Rice/Rice_Variety/Legends.asp

In celebration of National Rice Month, I wanted to share what I have learned.  Rice is a staple of life for my family, along with potatoes, it is on the menu at least once a week.  I was really surprised to hear what I did about rice, I always assumed most of it was grown out of the nation and didn't realize how much is produced by Americans.  And, my family is just a itty-bitty speck out of the 2/3's of our world's population that's diet is sustained by rice.

Rice in the United States:

"Over the past 25 years, the demand by U.S. consumers for milled rice has tripled. That astonishing rate of growth is unsurpassed by any other grain. So who’s growing all that rice?

In large part, U.S. farmers are. U.S.-grown rice accounts for nearly 90 percent of the rice consumed in this country. And it is also in demand abroad because of its exceptional quality.

Rice is picky about where it grows. Only a few states have the climate and soil suitable for commercial rice production. In alphabetical order, they are Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas. Can you guess which state is the largest producer? (See answer below.) All of these states primarily grow long-grain rice, except California which produces primarily medium-grain rice. The latter is prized by consumers in Northeast Asia for its exceptional cooking and eating quality.

The top rice-producing states? Arkansas ranks first, followed by California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Missouri." (All information and facts, above and below come from : http://www.menurice.com/ )

Rice has been around since 5,000 years ago in China, but how did it come to the U.S.???
"Early American colonists began cultivating rice quite by accident. In 1685, a storm-battered ship from Madagascar reached Charles Towne harbor in South Carolina. As a gift for repairing the ship, the ship’s captain gave local planters a small quantity of “Golden Seede Rice.”

Fresh-water marshes of the Carolinas and Georgia proved ideal growing environments for rice production. In truth, the rich, wet flood plains could grow little else. By 1700, rice had become a major crop for colonists. Bills of sale from that year record that 300 tons of “Carolina Golde Rice” was shipped to England.

The substantial hand-labor requirements of growing rice led to the plantation era of the southern states. Farming equipment of the time was ill suited to the demands of soggy soil preparation, planting, harvesting and threshing of the grain. Even small tracts of rice production required hundreds of manual laborers.

By 1726, the Port of Charleston was exporting nearly 4,500 metric tons of “Carolina Golde,” which had become the world standard of rice quality. By the time of the American Revolution, rice had become one of the nation’s major business enterprises.

Upheavals of the Civil War, combined with the ravages of hurricanes and competition from other crops, pushed rice agriculture westward. It was during this time that rice became a major crop in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Not until mechanized farming methods became practical in the 1880s would southern rice crops become viable again.

The California gold rush of 1849 spawned a rice boom in the far west. A steady influx of Chinese immigrants created demand that prompted growers in the Sacramento Valley to plant and harvest the grain. By 1920, California had become a major rice-growing state.

From its humble beginnings in South Carolina, rice continues to be an important U.S. agricultural product and export. The high quality of U.S.-grown rice is respected the world over. So are our innovative growing and production methods. New techniques have reduced the time spent in fields to just seven man-hours per acre while some Asian growers still require 300!"

What kinds of Rice are out There?

Long Grain: Kernels are slender and four to five times as long as they are wide. When cooked the grains are separate, light and fluffy.

•Rice varieties: U.S. long grain brown, white and parboiled, U.S. jasmine, U.S. basmati, U.S. aromatic red

•Great for: Entrées, rice bowls, pilafs, stuffings, rice salads, jambalaya and more

Medium Grain: Kernels are two to three times as long as they are wide. The cooked grains are moist and tender, with a greater tendency to cling, a desirable characteristic in many dishes.
•Rice varieties: U.S. medium grain brown and white, U.S. arborio, U.S. black japonica
•Great for: Sushi, rice bowls, risotto, paella, rice puddings, desserts

Short Grain: Kernels are plump and almost round in shape. After cooking, the grains are soft and clingy.
•Rice varieties: U.S. short grain, U.S. sweet
•Great for: Sushi, paella, Asian dishes, rice puddings, desserts


So why is Brown or Whole Grain Rice Better for you??
"When it comes from the growing field, each grain of rice is enclosed in a tough hull, or husk, which must be removed. Underneath is the nutritious whole grain, which may be brown, reddish or even black, depending on the color of the bran layers. All rice may be eaten at this stage, but most are processed further.


Under the hull are the bran and germ which are high in vitamins, minerals, oil and various phytonutrients proposed to have health-benefits. Rice at this stage is 100% whole grain.

Remove the bran and germ and what remains is the endosperm, the white rice enjoyed throughout the world. To replace some of the nutrients lost in milling, most North American processors apply a thin coat of thiamine, niacin, iron and folic acid to milled rice to produce what is known as enriched rice.
To recap:
Whole-grain rice (sometimes called brown rice): longer cooking time; more fiber; high in vitamins, minerals, oil and various phytonutrients; shorter shelf life which can be extended using cool storage temperatures.
Milled rice: shorter cooking time; enriched to restore nutrient value; longer shelf life."

Well, I hope you learned a little more about Rice today than you knew yesterday, but most of all, I hope you know a little bit more about American Agriculture today than you did yesterday and all of the great things that our nations Ag Producers are providing for you!!



September is National Chicken, Honey and Rice Month!!

Welcome September (okay, techincally this post is a couple of days ahead)  Can you believe it is already here?  I think I was just barely blogging about spring and now we are edging into fall! 

So, did you know that September is National Chicken, Honey and Rice Month???  Okay, so not all together, but each of the three claims September as it's month to be celebrated and acclaimed nationally--so how could I possibly clebrate this???  Well, of course, by sharing with you my favorite combination of all three!!

Honey Lemon Chicken Kabobs (Over Rice)

Okay, so this can either be lemon or lime, your preference, I just usually always have lemon juice on hand.  So, take about 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (Sorr,y I am not really good with detailed recipes, I usually just kind of throw stuff together and see what I get)  Slice them in thin strips.  In a zip-lock gallon bag add 1 cup of Honey, 1/4 cup of lemon or lime juice and a 1/3 cup of Soy sauce.   Add the chicken to marinate for at least an hour, but not more than about three.  Then stick them on your kabob sticks, get your grill hot, turn down to medium, and grill evenly on both sides until done.  You can boil your remaining marinade to kill any bacteria and the use it as a baste for even stronger flavor while grilling. 

We stir fry or steam up veggies and serve with long-grain brown rice (we rarely use white rice, and while it took a little bit of adapting to when we first switched over, I am glad my kids were young and never noticed that once again mom was trying to get them to eat healthier!!)  and a fight usually ensues over who gets the last few morsels of chicken.  I have yet to find anyone who didn't like these. 

 So, what better way to celebrate a month of CHICKEN, HONEY and RICE!!!

Growing....with a Few Weeds

My kids are growing like weeds, while my pastures is growing with a few weeds--but, it's GROWING!  Where once was dirt (though many years ago my grandpa did raise alfalfa out here)we now have a grass hay pasture that we have been working on since last year--just about the time we got all or our plumbing ready to go in, my mother-in-law became ill and so most of it was put off until this spring.  Now, my kids have had the 'fun' and 'happy' experience of picking rocks, which they of course, hated passionately, but is one of those treasured opportunities that no farm kids should really go without. ;)  (Yep, you should have heard me whine as I had to move 'pipes' as a kid, especially since my hand-me down water boots always had holes in them.) 

It's a small step for us, but we are excited about it.  The kids helped dad disc, which they definitely enjoyed more than the rock picking.  And, of course, my filly, Penny, was a lot of help, too, as she loves to try to understand everything that is going on, especially the tractor that had invaded her space.

So, here it was just a few months ago.....

....And, here it is today, with way more windrows than I expected!! 

Agriculture is a BIG deal, even on a small basis.  From backyard gardens and 'Hobby' farms all the way up to the Corporate Farms with thousands of acres...it is our backbone, and satisfy's the most human needs--giving us nourishment, fiber, and work. 

Take a look around, how does agriculture affect your daily life???



Lincoln County Fair & Rodeo!!!

Lincoln County Fair & Rodeo!!!

It is time again for the Fair--each year a bit bigger and a bit better!  For NV YF&R members, if you are interested in coming up, LCFB will cover your gate charge!! Let us know so we can have armbands ready for you!!

Events:

Friday August 5, 2011

FRIDAY

8 am Gymkhana

Gymkhana 8 am - 2pm

Barrels

Poles

Keyhole Race

Flag Race

Goat Tying

(Entries close at 7:45 am)

Ages:

Junior: 8 and under

Intermediate: 9-13

Senior: 14-17

Adult: 18+

9 am - 5pm Petting Zoo

10 am Jackpot Roping

1:30- 4 pm Tractor Barrel Racing

4:30 pm Pet Show

5pm Lincoln Co Farm Bureau Dutch Oven

6 pm Live Entertainment

7 pm RODEO

9:30-11 pm Dance

SATURDAY AUG 6

7 am Adventure Run

8 am Open Horse Show

9- 4 Exhibits

9-5 Petting Zoo

10 am Jackpot Roping

1:30- 4 Tractor Barrel Racing

2 pm Lawn Mower Races

3-5 pm PEE WEE Rodeo

5 pm FFA BBQ

7 pm RODEO

MORE INFO:

 

JACKPOT ROPING--Fri & Sat at 10 am

entry fee: $50 per event or $50 per team for roping

RODEO--Fri & Sat at 7 pm

Steer riding: 14 and under

Rough stock: 15 and up

Saddle bronc

Bareback

Bull riding

Team Roping

Calf Roping

Barrel Racing

Steer Riding

Wild Cow Milking (Fri olnly)

Mutton Busting (Sat only)

(ENTRIES CLOSE JULY 31, 2011)

OPEN HORSE SHOW

Sat. Aug. 6, 2011

8 am - 3 pm

PEE WEE RODEO

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2011

3-5 pm

Call Merre Scott for info

775-725-3882

12 and under

EVENTS:

Mutton Busting

Calf Riding

Stick Horse Barrels

Poles and Flags

GOAT DRESSING

A Tribute to the Creature that makes my Ice Cream Possible!

It's still June and that means it is still DAIRY MONTH!!! I am going to 'milk' this one as long as I can!!  So, this weeks post is to help educate you a little bit more about where those great dairy products are actually coming from--it was kind of a fun trip down memory lane for me and the very short time that I did Dairy Judging in FFA, but I did learn a lot from it that I hadn't known before!  So, here is some great info, the source is at the bottom of the article if you want to learn more when you are done!!

Dairy cows have been providing nourishment to humanity since ancient times. Evidence of humans using dairy cows has been found in Bronze Age Switzerland, and the ancient Egyptian nobility feasted on dairy products. Dairy cows, along with other cows and some other animals, are referred to as cattle, a word that comes from the old French word chattel, which means property.

Ancient History

Cows, along with sheep and goats, have been milked for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians enjoyed dairy products, but they were so expensive that only royalty, priests and the extremely wealthy could afford them. The old testament of the Bible mentions man milking cows 44 times. It is believed ancient cows produced much less milk than modern cows, as little as one-tenth of what a modern cow can produce.

Breeds

Each of the six major modern breeds of dairy cow--

 Ayrshire,

 Brown Swiss,

Guernsey,

 Holstein,

Jersey

and Milking Shorthorn

--was developed separately. Guernseys were first raised by monks on the Isle of Guernsey. Jerseys, the smallest breed of dairy cow, were raised on the Isle of Jersey. Ayrshires were raised in Scotland, in the county of Ayr, and Holsteins were nurtured in the Netherlands. Milking Shorthorns were raised in northeastern England. Brown Swiss cows are the oldest breed of milking cow and have been in the Swiss Alps for thousands of years.

Cows in America

The first dairy cows were brought to the New World on Columbus' second voyage, and the first dairy cow was brought to Jamestown in 1611, per the Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory (AIPL). Nearly all early settler families had their own cow. In 1822 the first Ayrshire cows were imported to America, and 1852 marked the arrival of the first Holstein. Brown Swiss were first brought in the 1850s, but by the end of the century they were found all over, even reaching as far as the Pacific Ocean.

Dairy Cows Today

There are around 110,000 dairy farms in the United States, and they contain over 9.2 million cows. Cows spend nearly eight hours a day chewing their cud, which means they regurgitate and then chew the food again. Cows have one stomach, but four separate digestive compartments: the rumen, the reticulum, the omasum and the abomasum. The rumen can hold up to 50 gallons of undigested food, and the reticulum is where foreign objects (like bolts, pieces of fence or anything else that may accidentally fall into the cows food supply) get trapped to keep from injuring the cow.

The Dairy Industry

Milking machines were invented in 1894. Before milking machines, it took a farmer an hour to milk six cows. Now, one farmer can milk up to 100 cows an hour using modern machines. Each of the 9.2 million cows in America drinks a bathtub full of water and eats between forty and ninety pounds of food every day. Wisconsin dairy cows produce between five and seven gallons of milk a day, and each gallon of milk takes about 350 squirts of milk, according to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.



Read more: Fun Dairy Cow Facts

eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_6382589_fun-dairy-cow.html#ixzz1O8qlXgVS

JUNE IS HERE!!

I am not even going to ask how it got here so fast or July will be hitting me upside the head before I know it...instead I am just going to try to deal with it and see if I can't get in the occasional post this summer!

So, here's what I have for you today: 

 JUNE IS NATIONAL DAIRY MONTH!!! 

 Ice cream, milk and cheese, OH MY!!  How would I live without dairy--yeah, I'd die.  Okay, so I might be a bit 'cheesey' (ha ha ha) today, but I running on low energy (maybe I need some protein?  Any idea where I could find a good source??)  DAIRY PRODUCTS!! 

Did you know that Milk is the Official beverage of Oklahoma??

● 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


Cool Facts from: http://www.greenmeadowfarms.com/cooldairyfacts.htm
 
 
After researching a little more about June being Dairy month, I found out a few other astounding facts:  June is also National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month, and Turkey Lovers Month--so, I might have to add a few posts of fun facts about those great Ag industries this month, too. But for now, let's celebrate Dairy Month by thanking our great American Dairy Producers for all they do to provide us with some of our favorite foods and treats!!!