Family Farming--Danger from Farmwork, or Safer than Ever?

This was a great article posted by AFBF to facebook today, that I really thought went well with the Department of Labor issues that we are facing in family farming right now.


http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/03/12/148320219/children-face-dangers-on-farms-but-not-from-farmwork

Government Regulations—What are they costing us? And should they be??

Government Regulations—What are they costing us?   And should they be??

We are paying the price at the pumps.  Driving a vehicle with a diesel engine means that you are paying an even higher price, for a bi-product of the cheaper fuel, too which always seems to rub me the wrong way.  And when you live in a rural area where traveling is a large part of life, doctors appointments, major shopping, family events, etc., are all an 80 mile minimum drive, it is really hard to stay off the road.  So, your budget tightens, you start skimping on spending everywhere you can in order to be able to keep driving.  And the oil companies are still making millions, but they swear up and down there is nothing they can do—it’s all about the government regulations. 

So, a few more government regulations slip in here and there, and we continue paying the price, only now it isn’t just at the pumps, it is at the grocery store.  More regulations on farmers and ranchers are driving the cost of our food, UP! This is why agriculture awareness is so important for everyone, not just those in the industry—you have the ability to help control these regulations, to voice your opinions—and so many are, just not in the way we would hope.  So many think that they are doing what is right for the animals, what is safest, what makes them happiest and healthiest while they are being raised for consumption. 

Unfortunately, most people do not understand the ins and outs of animal production, of why laying hens are in cages, or sows are in crates.  They don’t understand the efforts being put in to keep these facilities clean, disease free and more of a controlled environment where they can use less antibiotics or other treatments that seem so offensive to many consumers.  They don’t understand the care and effort put into these animals by the producers, who want to maintain their livelihood and know that doing so means productive and healthy animals. In 1990, studies and reports (by North and Bell) on battery cages or crates used for laying hens showed these positives:  

1. It is easier to care for the pullets; no birds are underfoot. 2. Floor eggs are eliminated. 3. Eggs are cleaner. 4. Culling is expedited. 5. In most instances, less feed is required to produce a dozen eggs. 6. Broodiness is eliminated. 7. More pullets may be housed in a given house floor space. 8. Internal parasites are eliminated. 9. Labor requirements are generally much reduced. 

It also showed that 75% of the worlds commercial layers and 95% of those in the US used this system.  That's a lot of eggs, you wipe out this system and you put a huge and very heavy burden on these egg producers, production goes down while demand is still going up and the cost will be--well, I never in my life dreamed I would pay over $4 a gallon for fuel and do it often, so I am just grateful at this point we raise our own eggs.   There are ups and downs in all aspects of life, but we do our best, American Farmers and Ranchers are doing there best--the ones I wonder about are the ones creating the legislation--are they doing their best?  Their best to put us out of business, their best to raise the cost of living?   Okay, enough of my orneriness, but take the time to be informed, to know about the things that so strongly impact your day to day living--we Americans take for granted our food supply and we need to stop it and become involved in it before we have no say left. 

When these government regulations come up, the voice fighting against them isn’t strong enough and they pass.  More family farms shut down, generations worth of farming families can no longer produce at the level they were because of the expense added to implement and maintain these regulations—regulations which may not be needed or necessary at all.  Not to mention, we pay the price at the market, and it is looking like the price could be going up 10-25% on most of our poultry and livestock products if these regulations continue to be brought to pass and enforced.  Unless, you want to buy cheaper eggs from Mexico, where the standards are way lower and not nearly as safe as what we already have, or your meat from Brazil.  Only thing is, why should we trust their farmers over ours—shouldn’t we trust our farmers to keep giving us the same healthy and great products that they have without overwhelming them, even putting them our of business to try to get them to produce at an even higher standard than is needed.  Just something to think about.

 Several articles about it and a study by the Soybean Checkoff:  http://www.agriculture.com/news/policy/imal-rules-raise-food-prices-study_4-ar22606

http://www.farms.com/news/the-cost-of-regulations-and-shrinking-herds-50123.aspx

(this one really details the issue and shows the major potential impacts of more regulations)

Government Regulations—What are they costing us?   And should they be??  Maybe we could turn regulations into research and really come to a system  that works better for all involved.

YF&R Conference 2012 (Part 2--The Tours)

I have to say that there are a lot of things that I enjoy about the National YF&R Conference, but the final day of tours is always one of my absolute favorites.  Sometimes it is COLD, sometimes it is LONG, and sometimes, mistakes are made and you go the whole day without drinks (they made up for it this year!)  BUT, it is always such an incredible learning experience that I feel bad we only get to go on one of the four tours because there are so many other neat places that we are missing.

As we head out on the tours it is always exciting to me to see the landscape of the area we are in--especially if it is one that I have not yet been to, and this was my first trip to Michigan.  I wanted to ask "Is there a law that the barns have to be red?"  Everywhere, the land is dotted with red barns, though, I did actually see a couple that weren't.  We have barns here in the west, plenty, but the red is not so predominant.  The land is mainly covered with cornfields.  This area is all between Grand Rapids and Lansing.

TOUR #1 GM PLANT

So, this year we loaded onto the tour buses on a chilly Monday morning in Michigan, and we headed to the Lansing/Delta GM Plant where they make their Acadia/Traverse models.

This year GM has become the official vehicle sponsor of the American Farm Bureau, a big change after our years with Dodge, but I think that the winners of our YF&R competitions are so thrilled to get a new truck that they better not complain what brand it is!

Only drawback to the tours—NO CAMERAS!  GRRRRRR!!  Take my camera away and I just might cry, but I tried to make do, so some shots are through the bus windows and some I had to find online to give you an idea of what we experienced.

I also wanted to include an article about the plant we went to because it is relatively new and uses all of the newest technology, along with being friendly to the environment, the extent that they have gone to is pretty interesting and impressive.  So, here is the link to that article:  http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2011/Dec/1205_ldt

Anyway, here is a rundown on the GM tour-

We entered a huge building, that is one of three in a row on the property.  All three buildings are connected by elevated, enclosed walkways that are actually how they transport the vehicles.  They start in the first building where the metal is stamped and formed into the body, then they travel to next building where they are painted.  In the third and main building, the assembly begins.

Here you can see the cars being transported through the
'walkway' into the next building.

The whole system is incredible.  I can’t imagine what Henry Ford would think to see an assembly line working like this.  Whether they are traveling on a flat trailer, or suspended like a hanging rollercoaster ride, they travel in a smooth and even rhythm through out an amazing course of assembly.  In one area seats are assembled, in another, the motors are built and placed on the drive-train.  The drive-trains travel to the vehicle frames on a computerized vehicle that follows an outlined path, due to sensors under the floor.  There are mapped out walkways for people to stay on at all times, with signs and lights for warning in areas where you might get ran over by one of these little vehicles if you are not paying attention.  

This reminded me of the rollercoasters that you ride in
hanging from the track--these wound around and in and
out through the building as they slowly came together.

Teams of people work together in certain areas, who are trained in all the jobs of their areas so that every couple of hours they can rotate positions and not have to work the same spot all day long.   And minute by minute, these vehicles come together, doors and tires going on near the very end, but they all have been sent out in jus the right order to match up with the vehicle that they are numbered to match to.  Some are Chryslers, some are Chevy, etc., so it is crazy that they all come together so perfectly and then they are started and tested on a small course to make sure everything is firing and working the way that they should.  They even go through a water test to make sure they have no leaks.

One of the few pics I could snap from the bus window
that actually showed a little of what we had seen inside.

This plant generally puts out just over 1000 vehicles a day!  This kind of blew my mind since they are only producing 2 styles of the GM line, no other cars, mini vans, trucks, etc., are coming out of this particular factory.  WHERE DO ALL THESE CARS GO??? 

Very impressive to see an assembly line working like this, to see how it all comes together.  Thanks GM for the tour!

 TOUR #2 HEFFRON FARMS

The next stop on our tour took us to Heffron Farms, a local, family owned and operated farm.  At Heffron farms they produce some of their own feed, I believe they had some row-crops and other ventures, but their biggest, and the one we mainly came to see, was their ALL-NATURAL BEEF.  

I have to admit, I was a little bit surprised when we stepped around the calving sheds and these little black and white critters started poking their noses out to greet us.  My initial thought was, "Really?  They are using Holsteins for beef?"  See, the things you get to learn when you travel the country with Farm Bureau.  And while I come from beef cattle country in the west and that is our family background, I actually have raised Holstein calves by bottle before, so it shouldn't be a total shock.  In Michigan, surrounded by dairies, they are going to be able to come by Holstein bull calves a lot easier and cheaper than anything else--I just know that they take a lot to finish out and it didn't seem like it would be that profitable of a venture.  Just goes to show how little I know!!

This is the second stage--from the calving sheds to the barn they are now
 kept together in the same group of calves for their entire
 stay at Heffron.  They have been de-horned and weaned
 at this stage.  But the real reason I took this pic was the cat under
 the manager--it had all these calves spooked and running
 around as we came in.  They were pretty nervous about the
little thing and it caused quite a ruckus before settling down.

Crossing back to the other side of the road we were able to see the last couple of stages of finishing out these calves.  This was about the most snow we saw during our entire time here, also, and it was melting and muddy though it was a little chilly out.

Jordan Heffron is the brother in charge of the cattle.  He works with a nutritionist to plan their diet for the different stages of growth, and they also do not cut the bull calves until they reach about 600 lbs, which helps add more testosterone than a bull calf/steer would normally have in its system, also promoting growth. 

This would be the stage three group of calves

Stage four and definitely getting bigger.  I can't remember exactly how many months
they said that they take to finish a calf out, but I believe it was 17 months.

And then we are getting closer to the end with this group of steers.

Heffron Farms Beef is considered All-Natural by USDA standard.  They are not Organic, the calves receive their first rounds of shots at the dairy before they are bought by Heffron.  The Heffron's also prefer to buy from Dairies that keep the calves on their mothers for at least one week in order to get the benefits of the colostrum that makes an amazing difference in the overall health and growth of a calf, especially one that is going to be pulled off of it's mother and raised by bottle.  They usually don't do any shots or additives beyond that unless a calf is sick and in need of it, which isn't very often because of the clean conditions and the different areas they are kept in.

Heffrons market their beef in somewhat of a co-op with other producers around the area.  They sell in and out of state, all USDA inspected.  They said they actually ship a lot to Florida during the winter months--I guess some of those Michigan people go south for the winter, too.  They had a small market there at the farm, and others in different places besides that.  I was so curious to see what the prices would be on this all-natural holstein beef that would make it worth producing.  Well, if you can see the tags in the freezer, you will think that it must be worth their while, while I will never know what it tastes like, because I don't think $22.99/lb beef tenderloin is in my budget.  BUT, I am glad to see American Ag Producers finding a market that works for them and for those willing to pay those prices!!  They also vacuum seal and freeze their meat, none of it is sold otherwise, it is just a better storage life this way and longer market availability.  You can order meat from Heffron's by the cuts or by the half, whatever fits your needs or your freezer!  THANKS HEFFRON'S for sharing your farm with us!!

 TOUR #3 ETHANOL PLANT

(Carbon Green Bioenergy Plant)

Once again, this is about it when it comes to the extent of my picture taking--my camera was banned, AGAIN!  So, you'll have to just use your imagination as I take you on the tour.  This plant  buys corn from local framers to produce ethanol, about 50 million gallons a year.  What is ethanol??  Ethanol is alcohol, about 200 proof alcohol, that is used as an additive to gasoline.  Ethanol burns more completely than gas, burns cleaner, and is a renewable resource.  All though there is great debate in the country over the past few years about whether it is worth putting our corn into, or not, the fact is that it is currently blended into about 50% of the nations fuel supply, and has been used in this kind of way for decades.  The alcohol is made from the fermentation of starch sources, hence the corn.  In some places around the tour the smell of yeast and alcohol was about enough to make some of our tourers giddy. ;)  

Has ethanol production taken over the corn market, driven up prices, raised costs for those trying to feed animals?  Not a debate I am willing to get into.  But, it was interesting to tour the facility to see how the production is done.  In one end and out the other, it didn't take very long to finish--I want to say about two days, but it is hard to keep all the facts and figures straight.  I do know that they have a railway system that comes right into one of their sheds, they are able to quickly unload massive amounts of dry corn, and also ship out massive amounts of distillers dried grains that go back out to local Ag producers for feed.  From their particular plant, it is about 120 thousand TONS of distiller dried grains per year.

All of their ethanol from this plant goes out to local Michigan gas stations.  These are a pretty common site in the midwest (well over 150 refineries, maybe closer to 200), and in Michigan where I found they have at least 5 plants in production as of 2012.

The one thing that we discussed after the tour was the amount of power that went into these refineries, and my husband's question was, is it really more efficient?  But, we live in a world where efficiency is in high demand, but the fact that it is environmentally friendly tends to out weigh most costs.  

Another very interesting tour in Michigan, THANKS Carbon Green.  And I must say, we looked pretty cute in the hard hats and glasses, but thank heavens for once, we couldn't use our cameras! ;)

A Sight Along the Way....

This was about the best, and only pic I could really get of this enormous facility that is where Eggland's Best Egg's come from.  This commercial operation is huge!   We were told that it produces 5 MILLION eggs a day, supplying ALL McDonald's East of the Mississippi with their eggs.  Also, for ease of transport, the eggs are all shelled and transported in tankers.  Like I said, this is just a small portion of the buildings, which our Michigonian friends tell us is always under construction as more go up.  We also passed another large operation at a different spot somewhere along our tour, which they informed us was this same operation's 'organic' site.  So next time you are snacking on Sausage, Egg and Cheese McMuffin, maybe you'll think of this!

So, after a great day of touring Michigan, we headed back for our final event of the Conference, the Grand Finale!  But, for today, I am done, so you will have to wait until next week to see the final wrap up of our time in Grand Rapids!

Another Success Story of YF&R Membership.....

AFBF had posted this blog article on facebook about the national YF&R convention and I wanted to share it on here because it is such a great example of what you can be gaining from FB, from YF&R, from these conferences.  It also shows how great and dedicated the people that present at these conferences are to the people of the agriculture community.  So, check it out:

http://heyhungrypeople.com/2012/02/27/how-social-media-especially-twitter-is-saving-my-farm/#comment-226

What Happens in Nevada Ag Doesn't Always Happen in Nevada--YF&R Conference 2012 (Part 1)

Ben LaCrosse--AFBF YF&R Chair, welcoming us to his home
state of Michigan for the 2012 AFBF YF&R Conference.

What Happens in Nevada Ag Doesn't Always Happen in Nevada--Actually a lot of times it's happening all over the United States at the different Farm Bureau Conference that American Farm Bureau holds each year.  In Fact, this year, it was happening in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the AFBF National Young Farmer and Rancher Conference, where 990 registered members came together to the theme of "Your Voice, Our Future."    Last month over 20 Nevada Farm Bureau members headed to Hawaii for the AFBF Annual Meeting, and at the end of that month 11 Nevada YF&R members spent a weekend in Utah learning from their YF&R conference.  So, while the cows and the plows stay in Nevada, the learning and development to promote and protect our state's agriculture is happening where you might not expect it!

At this years meeting, we started off with a meeting of the State Chairs and Coordinator from each state, to get a brief overview of the next few days and to give us packets that we could use to collect information for the AFBF's Centennial Development Project- a huge, nationwide evaluation of Farm Bureau and Ag statistics over the past century, the trends that it has followed, the trends that are projected, and how the actual members feel about things such as threats to Farm Bureau, untalked about things in Farm Bureau, changes that should or shouldn't be made.  We were assigned tables for lunch the next day and asked to visit with our table members and then compile a report for our State Chair and Coordinator breakfast on Monday morning.

We began the conference Saturday morning with a welcome from Michigan Farm Bureau President, Wayne Wood.  He was followed by Jane Eckert, CEO of Eckert Agrimarketing, whose topic was, "IF You Are So Doggone Smart, Why are You a Farmer."'  Jane was raised on a family farm and went away to California to pursue a career in marketing, only to find her way back to the family farm and life in agriculture where she was able to combine her career with the lifestyle and tradition of the family farm she loved.

After lunch it is on to the Breakout sessions, where the real learning begins, from technical to educational, to leadership to development, they try to cover areas that will be useful to all of us, only thing is you have to pick and choose.  So, while I headed off to the State Chair session (which I felt was one of the best I have attended over the past few years) Grant headed off to "Tools for Successful Farm Transition and Establishing a New Farm or Farmer In, On, or Alongside an Existing Farm or Farmer."  Which I am sad to say I missed, because he really enjoyed and a lot of what they covered were ideas that were really great for issues my parents are facing at their farm, and similar to things that will be coming up at my Grandpa's.  There were more sessions on Internet Marketing, Effective Risk Management Strategies, Education for Farm Women (mainly on developing leadership) and "Can one voice truly make a difference?" which had a big focus on getting involved in policy development, speaking to elected officials, and what 'grassroots' really means.  

Heading to the B.O.B. for dinner with Arizona.

After our busy day, it was time for dinner with Arizona YF&R.  Every other year the states are paired to go to dinner at a place of their choosing.  So, as per Arizona's request we headed to what Grand Rapids knows as 'The B.O.B."  The BIG OLD BUILDING.  Once an old warehouse, it has been converted to restaurants,  bars and clubs, one, called Gilly's where we had reservation with the 16 members of Arizona's group.

Unfortunately the pics below were awful, I didn't realize I had the wrong setting on and didn't want to take them again since I had already blinded everyone, so this is what you get!!

Anyway, we had a great dinner with them and look forward to seeing them all next year as the National YF&R Conference 2013 goes to Phoenix.  After dinner there was ice cream Sundays and the Scott Thompson Band performing back at the convention center for the rest of the evening.  Gotta admit, it was actually pretty fun--we don't get to dance much, and even though my husband doesn't have the most talented partner, he is pretty good at western swing and without kids around we got a few dances in!

Sunday brought Matt Lohr, the Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services.  Matt is a former YF&R member who has been very actively involved in some of YF&R's great programs, even winning national competitions and participating in PALs program.  Matt and his wife Andrea have spoken at many events to promote agriculture and he served for 5 years in the Virginia State Legislature after realizing that it was time to practice what he was preaching by encouraging such practices.    Matt was definitely one of the most dynamic speakers of the conference and really was one of us, leading by example.

After attending the general session in which he spoke, I definitely wanted to attend Matt's breakout session "Making an Impact."  Matt said that the hardest thing he has ever done in his life was run that first time for the state senate.  It all started with a phone call asking him to consider running for the vacancy in his district.  He immediately wanted to say no, but his wife gently reminded him of what he had spent so much time preaching to other farmers and ranchers about getting involved, seeking political office, making your voice heard.  So after family discussion and a lot of prayer, he went for it and became the only full time farmer serving in their state legislature.  His wife was actually diagnosed with cancer and fought a hard several year battle with it before passing away last summer, which of course, made his work and effort even more admirable.  What an example of what our voice means and what we can do by sharing our story and getting involved!

Debbie Stabenow, Senator from Michigan.

Lunch brought us addresses from some of our major sponsors, like CASE IH, Scott Rasch, The United Soybean Board, John Butler, and Greetings from the Hill, Michigan State Senator Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan farmgirl working hard for the Farm Bill and other agricultural issues facing the nation.





Along with the speakers, the food and the new friends, there were also opportunities for learning more in a mock policy development class, the collegiate discussion meet was also being held, and in conjunction with everything else, classes for Beginning farmers and Ranchers who are not necessarily involved in Farm Bureau, but trying to get involved in the field.  Their is also a Silent Auction in which states donate items and Nationwide will match funds up to $5000--this year we made $9000 off of it which goes to "building awareness, understanding and a positive public perception of agriculture though education."  More breakout sessions on: Sharing you story through blogging, What's in FB for Collegiate members, Communicating with Consumers, Change is?, Knowing your Farm Insurance, and more.

Derek Sawyer from Kansas has been my regional representative from the AFBF YF&R
committee for the past two years.

Sunday closed with a banquet dinner, address from new AFBF sponsor GM, by Bob Briedis, and farewells to the retiring members of the AFBF YF&R committee.

Most YF&R National Committee members serve as couples, though there are
usually several that are single.  This is Derek and Katie with Julie Roop at the end of
their tow-year term.

Our closing speaker on Monday morning before we headed out for the tours was Bryan Townsend, a motivational speaker, known best for his 18 years of live radio broadcast from Talladega's NASCAR Super Speedway time trials.  Which helped form his speaking theme of, "STAND ON IT!  Succeeding in Challenging Times."  

I have to say, I still start laughing when I think of some of the stories he told--hysterical, and yet very motivating, too!  

After this we headed for our tour buses, so all of that will come in PART 2 of my report!

Does Anyone Else See the Irony in This? Animal Welfare Reform, Really?

 The Irony of Those Living Stacked in Crates and Boxes in the City, Trying to Tell Farmers and Ranchers that their animals should not be kept in such a similar way???

So, I have to say that after reading of another of HSUS's big wins for Animal Reform, I have to come out and comment on what I feel is a pretty ironic situation.  So, go to the link, read about what Bon Apetit is doing to make the world a better place for animals in commercial farming, and then think about this--

Just a few minutes ago I took my preschooler in to school, I then turned around and drove almost three miles home, most of it on a dirt road with either pastures or sagebrush surrounding me.  I looked at my home sitting out by itself, with an alfalfa field directly in front of it, pasture and corrals to the side and open land, hills and fields for acres and acres.  And, I thought, yes, I love, love, love that this is where and how I live.  And as I though about the cows in the fields and corrals of my grandpa's ranch all around me, I thought--well, some people would see them out here in the winter and think, "Poor cows, they need to be in shelter."  "Then, when put in shelter or barns, those same people would say, "Poor cows, they need to be free to roam and range."  Ahhh, the irony, and I am just getting started.

This is the alfalfa field directly in front of our house,
looking down the valley towards town.

So, as I looked out at my house and all our open area I thought, "And those are the SAME people that are stacked story after story high, crammed in to apartments and condos, homes without yards, surround by fences and walls and security systems."  How is it that it is perfectly okay for them to live stacked in crates and boxes, but it is not for these animals?  To many of them the thought of living on a stinky, smelly farm, away from the smog of the city, the constant hum of traffic and sirens, is as undesirable as just about anything.  They might want to take a drive in the country a walk through a park, but to actual live there--in the fresh air???  (I apologize for my sarcasm, it tends to get a little thick sometimes and it isn't always easy for readers to discern emotions when they are reading.)

Vaccinating calves every year at spring branding
helps keep our cows healthier and more
productive--Anyone out there think it's ironic
that we will vaccinate our kids for just about everything
but it's now acceptable to vaccinate our
food source??

So, yes, I think it is a little ironic, that it is okay for people to rush to the doctor at the slightest hint of a sore throat for a fill-up on antibiotics, the mere hint of cold weather sends them out in droves to get a flu shot, but yet they don't realize that animals are just as susceptible to their own illnesses whether out in the open or in temperature monitored, sanitary barns--and would probably like a little bit of antibiotics to get over what ails them as much as these people do.  And, yes, I think it even more ironic that people will cram into buildings hundreds of feet high, wall to wall, loving that they don't have a yard to care for, perfectly content in their concrete jungle, but it is definitely NOT okay for animals to do so.  In my personal opinion, if I had to live like they do, away from the country, the openness, the sunsets, the fields, the hills, I think that I would think it inhumane.  But, do they know any better?  Have they lived any other way?  Have these commercially produced animals??
The Reality of the Care that Farmers and Ranchers have for their Animals......
In all reality, Farmers and Ranchers care for their animals in ways that most consumers and 'city folk' can't imagine.  Yes, when my sister is done raising a few calves they go to auction and then she takes the money to buy beef--she won't eat the ones she has raised because of the tie she has to them.  We recently sold the first calves my kids bottle raised, and though there was heartache and sadness in saying good-bye, there are more there waiting to be fed and the cycle continues.  I think I cried almost every time I was done showing my lambs at the livestock show and it was time to load them up and say good-bye after the sell was over.  My Grandpa knows his cows, at any time he generally has about 300 head on his ranch, he knows their temperaments, he knows their bloodlines, he knows them.  Just the other day he said he had a hard time selling some of his culls to another rancher because he doesn't really like their feeding methods and he wants to know that his cows are taken care of even if they are headed for slaughter.

My Grandpa and son.  Grandpa turned 83
last month and is still cattle-ranching full-time.
He has been working cows his whole life,
and started his Angus herd in 1954.  It is his
product, and if he doesn't keep them healthy
and productive then what does he have??

So, if you really want to know where your food is coming from and how it is being treated, talk to the source, meet real people
doing what they really love.

 At 83 years-old my grandpa doesn't ranch full time because it's fun or easy, but because it is something that is in his blood, something that keeps him alive, and something that America should be proud to say exists in a vast majority of those providing them with the healthiest and most cost efficient food source in the world.

Read the Latest Story and then Decide whether or not you think that HSUS really has the right agenda at hand or not....
Here is the link to the article about BON APETIT and their welfare reforms in conjunction with HSUS--

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/all-we-can-eat/post/bon-appetit-announces-animal-welfare-reforms/2012/02/17/gIQACPPARR_blog.html

Useless Degrees....

At some point in time I had missed this Yahoo article (about useless college degrees that you may want to avoid if your looking for a college degree) and didn't hear of it until we were attending Utah's Young Farmer and Rancher Conference at the end of January.  Well, maybe it was good that I missed, maybe for helath reason, i.e. high blood pressure, anuerism, etc., it was something that I shouldn't read.  But, enough kidding around, it was pretty offensive to me, though I know they did not intend to be, but I really struggle with people who are ungrateful and who have no idea where there food comes from or how and so they dismiss it so lightly because, hey, who needs these degrees when we have plenty of food at the grocery store?  While the article does lean towards the degrees being useless because demand is low, maybe we should be taking Bill Gates advice and creating the demand by increasing funding for research in Agriculture.  As the Agriculture Industry is the largest employer in the nation I find it a poorly written article that describes all of these fields as being a useless degree to obtain.  But, it's time for me to lower my blood pressure while you read and form your own opinion....

So check out the article:

http://education.yahoo.net/articles/most_useless_degrees.htm
And then tell me how you feel about it.

On the other hand, I would like to very loudly applaud Bill Gates for his recent remarks in one of his annual letters, calling for more money for agricultural research.  He said, "Given the central role that food plays in human welfare and national stability, it is shocking – not to mention short-sighted and potentially dangerous – how little money is spent on agricultural research."  Now if we were going to rely on someone's opinion (meaning the general public at large, relying on an opinion of oh, say a moviestar, or maybe a billionaire entreprenuer and computer genius) wouldn't you lean a little closer to Bill's than maybe Brittney Spears? 

So, thank you Bill Gates!

Here is a link to an article about his comments:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/24/gates-calls-for-more-mone_0_n_1229216.html