Today through Friday, you can bid for your chance to get tickets to the Iowa State Men’s Basketball Game which is next Monday. All the proceedes will go to the American Cancer Society. The Bid is now up to $125 so make sure you click on the picture to bid. (comments on this post will not count towards the bidding)
On your marks… Get set… BID!
“Musings of a Pig Farmer”
By Larry Sailer
Last Tuesday I wrote a blog about how farmers spend their time when there aren’t any crops in the fields. I mentioned that winter is the “meeting season,” and today I want to share highlights of one particular meeting I had on Valentine’s Day in Des Moines. I got to share some “food love” while making media visits with Michele Payn-Knoper (pronounced “Pain – Ka-nope-r”).
A food and farm advocate, Michele wrote No More Food Fights! Growing a Productive Farm & Food Conversation. This is the first-ever book to speak to all sides of the food movement in an attempt to bridge the divide between farmers and consumers. I had the honor and privilege of being one of 35 contributing editors. Chefs, registered dieticians and Olympic athletes also share their stories.
“Food and farming seem to have become the new politics and religion,” says Michele during an interview last Thursday with Michael Libbe, host of Insight on Business. “You don’t dare talk about it with people because you don’t want to get your friends upset with you. That’s really unfortunate.”
More than 98% of Americans are several generations removed from first-hand farming experiences and very few have even visited a farm. Most are very disconnected from and distrusting of modern agriculture, writes Michele in a No More Food Fights! news release. At the same time, Michele says many farmers have done a poor job of talking about today’s farming practices. Not enough farmers are taking advantage of tools like social media that could help facilitate connections to the farm that food buyers crave.
To satisfy your own craving for knowledge, check out No More Food Fights! It’s providing me with great insight as I work to bridge the communication gap with consumers through social media and presentations.
That reminds me… I’m looking forward to getting together Friday evening and all day Saturday with fellow #agnerds and #agvocates at the AFC Upper Midwest Regional Conference.
Before I head north to that conference in Minnesota, I must head south for another meeting. Today I’m making about a 90-minute trip south to the Statehouse in Des Moines where Iowa Farm Bureau members will visit elected officials. Side note: Anyone can be a member of Farm Bureau. You don’t need to be a farmer to become part of the IFBF’s grassroots efforts either. Members can sit in on board meetings or even go to the member section of the web site and voice your opinions on topics ranging from education to what our kids (or grandkids in my case) eat in school. #Schoollunchrules
Thursday, in the middle of a forecasted blizzard, I’m planning to attend a PQA Plus continuous improvement program for pork producers. Although I’m not due to renew my CEU’s, this class is being held right within 10 minutes of my farm. That’s too good to pass up! I can always learn something.
This busy week is sure to be disrupted by weather, but we’ll “play the hand that Mother Nature deals us.” How’s your week looking?
On his Facebook page, I Am Agriculture Proud, Ryan Goodman recently asked his farming and ranching friends to share they spend their winter months. My winter months are filled with so many different activities that I decided to devote today’s blog post to answering Ryan’s question more in depth.
There isn’t any field work for Midwest farmers from about Thanksgiving to Easter, but I still manage to stay quite busy during “the slow winter season” by (1) planning next season’s crop (2) attending meetings and completing continuing education; and (3) communicating with consumers.
Once harvest is complete and the machinery is back in the shed, I finalize plans for next season’s crop. I buy inputs and fix machinery. I also care for 4,000 head of hogs. Winter farm chores and moving snow seems to keep me as busy as ever. I haven’t had to move as much snow this winter as I have in past years, but it seems the snow always falls when I’m either loading out hogs or bringing in a new group. Murphy’s Law, right?
Winter also is the “meeting season,” which I consider my continuing education time. To farm in this era of government regulation, I need to keep up with the current laws. The commodity groups to which I belong are very active with programs to make me a better farmer. For example, PQA Plus was developed by the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA), the National Pork Board (NPB) and National Pork Producers Council (NPPC). This is such a great program, teaching pork producers the latest and best known techniques to raise pigs. Most pork processors require pork producers to be PQA certified in order to sell hogs to them.
In addition to attending the commodity group’s annual meetings and continuing ed programs, winter is the season for machinery shows like the Iowa Power and Machinery Show that was held recently in Des Moines. There is also a show on fertilizer and herbicides. In addition, Extension offers many regional and statewide winter programs on everything from pork production to crop production and insect identification.
Yesterday I participated in a meeting in our county seat that was sponsored by the Franklin County Farm Bureau. We were honored that U.S. Congressman Steve King visited a local school system (CAL) in the morning where he watched our Ag in the Classroom program in action. At noon, Congressman King shared his thoughts about the current session of Congress and then we had the opportunity to talk about issues that concerned us.
Another area that I work on more during the winter months is the art of communicating with non-farmers. Yep, the commodity groups even teach that! I’m even going to do some teaching myself on Feb. 23 when the AgChat Foundation hosts a regional conference in Rochester, Minn. This group has done an amazing job helping me to understand that the way I talk may be a foreign language to someone not familiar with farming. Terms that are familiar to farmers like me aren’t always the same slang used in the city. Who knew?
Off season? Yeah, right. I didn’t even mention all the desk time required to get our tax returns ready. Off to the office I go!
Even if I hadn’t been tuned into the Super Bowl on Sunday, news feeds on Facebook and Twitter accounts provided a play-by-play account – at least of the commercials. Who would’ve guessed that “farmers” would be trending during the Super Bowl?
The top Super Bowl spot, at least during the first quarter, was the “Got Milk?” ad featuring Duane “The Rock” Johnson. Soon thereafter Budweiser’s “Brotherhood” Clydesdale ad surpassed the Milk “Morning Run” as top ad, according to Forbes.
The commercial about the little Clydesdale is very much a true picture of how farmers feel about our animals. This particular commercial did a masterful job of telling a farmer’s story and showing an emotional connection with his animal, which brings up an important point I’ve been trying to make: emotion attracts the attention of those whom we want to share our message.
For years and years, those of us in the ag community have talked about facts and science. We’ve been armed with research and data– and we’ve been largely overlooked. To get noticed for the right reasons, farmers must use emotion to gain attention of the non-farming public and to share our messages! Why? Because agriculture is relevant today – maybe even more so if you take into consideration the growing world population – as it was when 98% of all people were farmers.
Recently, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said rural America is less relevant now. Really? Farmers and ranchers provide food, fiber, and fuel for this country. Products made from agricultural products are used to make medicines and other products used for healing, such as pig skin for burn grafts and heart valves. Knowing that my pigs are helping feed people – and heal their hearts – is a source of pride.
There are many reasons that I Am Agrihculture Proud. Nothing stirred Pride, Passion and Conversation on Sunday – and nearly every minute since it aired – like the Dodge Ram truck commercial featuring a poem recited by Paul Harvey during the 1978 FFA annual convention. It was a nice, little piece that paid tribute to farmers and God, both of which have been getting bad press lately!
Dodge Ram’s ad is part of a campaign to support the National FFA Foundation’s hunger initiative “Feeding the World – Starting at Home.” Each time this commercial is watched online, the National FFA earns $1 up to $1 million! Check out this post by fellow Franklin Count farmer, Val Plagge, “for the rest of the story.”
Also be sure to check out these related blog posts from farmers across America:
While this list is long, I’m sure it’s not complete. Feel free to share additional links. A special thanks to I Am Agriculture Proud for starting this list of great blogs!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMpZ0TGjbWE[/youtube]
Guest Blog from Dan Gogerty, Communications Editor for CAST
Dad, my uncle, and my grandparents farmed together and lived on three homesteads that were spittin’ distance from each other. The combined kid-count for the families eventually reached fourteen, so we could move like a swarm of locusts from house to house–playing in the yards, spilling kool-aid in the kitchens, and tracking in enough mud to start small indoor gardens.
Before we were old enough to chore and drive tractors, the adults tolerated this mayhem. As Mom recalls, “On a snowbound day, you kids could wreck my house in the morning and then move on to Aunt Ruth’s place for a second shift in the afternoon.” With no video games, cartoon networks, or battery-driven toys, we built pillow forts, played hide-n-seek, and concocted games with marbles, plastic army men, and knicked-up Lincoln Logs. When cabin fever reached a certain point, the folks would relent and let us brave the snow and cold. Even in the dead of winter, a Midwest farm in the 60s could be a vibrant playground.
We might start in the yard with snowball fights, snow angel designs, and our own kamikaze version of duck-duck-goose. With Mom’s home-sewn snow suits on, we survived tumbles on the ice and wrestling matches with the dogs, but as we grew a bit older, our boundaries expanded. Red plastic saucer sleds worked well on snow drifts and short inclines, but large runner sleds gave us more speed. We’d take off down the lane, often with brothers or cousins jumping on until a sled might look like a shaky pile of logs with a boy at the bottom groaning in pain until all three or four of the bobsledders crashed in a heap.
The creeks and pastures called us further afield even when they looked like silver arctic zones. The two streams on our farm provided a Jack London setting, and we would walk on the ice looking for muskrat trails and rare beaver dams. As in London’s famous story “To Build a Fire,” one of us would occasionally break through the ice and fill a boot with frigid water. Unlike the story’s main character, we all survived, although I’m sure we entertained the shivering victim on the fast walk home with tales of frozen fingers and amputated toes.
Survival was tougher when we became old enough to skate and play hockey on the creek. We’d make holes in the ice for goals and the pucks were rocks, clods, or maybe a frozen “road apple” from an old cow pie on the bank. Scores were low but wet clothes and near concussions came regularly from our awkward falls and lack of skating ability.
When cold winds started to numb our cheeks, we might seek refuge in one of the barns. Hogs and cattle provided a type of bio-heat that came from warm animal bodies and the steamy straw-manure bedding they lay on. The heat rose into the haymow where we’d make tunnels and play some type of king-on-the-hill turf war. It was a bonus if we found a nest of baby kittens and a bummer if someone crawled through a tunnel that the raccoons had used for a litter box.
A classic winter day on the farm ended with a peel-and-pain routine. We’d peel off wet gloves, four-buckle boots, and ice-laden coveralls and then complain as our fingers and noses burned with the stinging pain of the thawing-out process. We then huddled in front of the furnace vent and got warm with the help of fresh-baked rolls. Mom knew how to cure frostbite. She also knew how to acquire some sanity on snowbound days. In an era long before smartphones, Mom had an app for kid cabin fever: it was an aperture called the front door, and she knew how to download it—you dressed the kids in warm clothing, turned the door handle, and let them access the winter wonderland that came already installed on a Midwest farm.
Trips to Oregon and Alaska top the “top do” list for Gary Bennett, who retired in December after serving nearly 28 years as a research coordinator for Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds. Then like any other Iowa farmer, he’ll look forward to spring when he can till the soil and plant the 2013 crop.
“I’m not sure how I ever had time to work!” says Gary with his signature easygoing smile. He’s stayed busy this past month by insulating and paneling the garage, as well as remodeling barn stalls. He’s getting everything in order for the spring arrival of bucket calves, which his grandkids will break to lead and exhibit at the 2013 Franklin County Fair. Then they finish out the steers and sell the beef by the quarter. This tradition started 10 years ago when his first grandchild was old enough to show in the open class.
“I really believe it’s important for kids to have responsibility,” says Bennett. “Raising livestock teaches them every living thing has its purpose. They learn the importance or completing a task and the feeling of accomplishment when a job is well done.”
Raising livestock is something Gary has enjoyed since he was a child himself. He grew up on a farm in Howard County where he was a member of both 4-H and the FFA. He had the honor and pleasure of attending state and national conventions. During his junior year of high school, he earned the Iowa Farmer degree and was also runner up to the Star Dairy Farmer. When his kids were old enough to join 4-H, Gary served as their Northwest Franklin club leader.
Gary and his wife, Diane, moved to Franklin County in 1975 when he accepted a position as Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA) supervisor. After working five years for DHIA, milked his own herd of dairy cows for five years before joining Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds.
“I really enjoyed my career with the company,” says Gary. “It was always fun to plant the new varieties and see which ones made the cut. Technology continued to change and genetics improved – many changes happened over the years.”
Although Gary said he’ll miss seeing his colleagues, he’s looking forward to spending more time with family. Oldest son, Kelly and his wife, Lisa, live in Ankeny, Iowa, with their son and daughter. Middle son, Eric, and his wife, Peggy, live in a suburb of Portland, Oregon, with their son and daughter. Youngest daughter, Karianne, and her husband, Scott, live in Altoona, Iowa, with their two boys.
Gary’s also looking forward to doing some landscaping around his farm this spring. He’ll also enter a few tractor rides with his restored 1953 Super M Farmall. We wish Gary many enjoyable days relaxing in the great outdoors this spring and summer.
There are still a few winter months that all Midwesterners must endure before we can turn our attention to gardening and farming. To help get us through a few more weeks of wintry weather, today Diane shares with us a few of the Bennett family’s favorite recipes for soup & cookies. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
Directions:
“Musings of a Pig Farmer”
by Larry Sailer
This past week was loaded with pork – not the kind that you hear about when Congress is discussed but really everything related to pork production.
Last week I had planned to spend three days in Des Moines at the Iowa Pork Congress. Between uncooperative weather and farm chores, I was only able to attend on Thursday. That morning I did hog chores in sub- zero temps, and it warmed all the way up to zero by the time I was ready to leave home! I donned my favorite tie, snapped a photo for Facebook and headed out the door. Turns out, my pig tie was a hit – my phone kept buzzing with comments about it during my entire two-hour drive.
The walk across the parking lot to the convention hall was bitterly cold, and the bone-chilling wind felt like it was coming directly off an iceberg. I was relieved to get inside the climate-controlled auditorium, which made me think about how I now raise inside a climate-controlled building where their warm and dry with all the feed and water they could want.
A walk through the show site was a stark reminder of just how sophisticated pork production has become. The amount of equipment and technology on display was amazing! It’s really mind boggling when you consider everything that goes into building a new site for hog production today. One day wasn’t enough time to take it all in, so I started looking at exhibits along the outside corridor. I stopped at the booth for the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers and learned some older hog buildings are being used to raise fish in Iowa. Since I have an old site that’s not suitable for raising pigs, this tidbit gave me all the more reason to be at this show!
Next I ran into Jeff Hansen and and Jen Sorenson. Jeff owns Iowa Select Farms and Jen makes people aware of the great things that company does. Since Jeff grew up on a farm near me, we shared concerns about the lack of moisture and rising feed costs in our area. Then I stopped to talk with Rodney Dykstra, a recent past president of IPPA. Because he lives in northwest Iowa, we talked about how farmland prices have topped $20,000 per acre in his area.
Time passed too quickly and before I knew it, I had to make my way to the seminars. I listened to Laurie Johns with the Iowa Farm Bureau share insights on how pork producers can deal with the media. Following her presentation, I sought Laurie’s professional opinion on how to handle some of my projects.
Next I attended a seminar about federal policies. It’s important for farmers to understand how their operations might be impacted. Former Iowa House of Representatives Agriculture Committee Chair Annette Sweeney provided valuable information and thought-provoking comments during this session. Annette introduced HF 589, a bill making it illegal to apply for a job in a farming operation under false pretenses is close to becoming law in one of the nation’s largest livestock and commodity production states. Thanks to Annette’s passion for animal agriculture and her tenacity, this bill was signed into law by Gov. Terry E. Branstad in March 2, 2012.
Honestly, the policy session gave me another wakeup call! Hearing what folks in the Beltway are considering reaffirmed the importance of advocating for agriculture and the need to bridge the communication gap between farmers and consumers. We must help them understand how their decisions impact our livelihoods. #tellyourstory
Saturday was a banner day – literally.
“Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds” name appeared in lights on the banner board surrounding James H. Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, as we were one of three Iowa-based companies being recognized for supporting the Cyclone Charity Stripe. This promotion raises money for every free throw that the Iowa State Cyclones Men’s Basketball team makes during the 2012-13 basketball season; donations benefit the American Cancer Society through Coaches vs. Cancer.
Coaches vs. Cancer evolved from a concept championed by Norm Stewart, former head coach of the University of Missouri men’s basketball program. As a cancer survivor and member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), Coach Stewart challenged fans to pledge a dollar amount for points made by his team. The American Cancer Society and the NABC adopted that concept in 1993, transforming it into a nationwide effort “to provide help and hope to people facing cancer.”
Providing support for the American Cancer Society and helping raise awareness for cancer prevention and early detection is a cause that’s near and dear to our family. My mother-in-law and John’s paternal grandmother are both breast cancer survivors, and my father-in-law is about to celebrate the third-year anniversary of his stem cell transplant.
Because we know first-hand what a gift “hope” can be, we’re glad to help support the American Cancer Society and Iowa State University’s Cyclone Charity Stripe Promotion. The Cyclones on Saturday made 10 free throws, which helped lead them to victory over the #11 rated Kansas State Wildcats.
Free throws this season have net nearly $15,000 for the American Cancer Society and 18 straight home victories for the Cyclones. Now that’s what I call a “win, win situation”!
Click here to see video highlights of Saturday’s game in Hilton.
High heat and low moisture levels created several production challenges – for farmers and seed suppliers alike – in 2012. Dry growing conditions have affected seed germinations, seed size and seed quality nationwide.
Not all seed brands will be able to offer top quality products for 2013 planting. Be sure to read the bag tag and consider switching product numbers or adjusting plant populations accordingly.
Rest assured when you plant Latham®, you’re planting quality. Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds’ hands-on production process allows for less handling, which leads to higher germination rates.
The vast majority of our seed beans are brought to Latham’s production facility in Alexander, Iowa, immediately upon harvest. Bringing the soybeans directly to our plant allows Latham to control the seed from the production field to our customer’s shed.
We also don’t bag in extremely cold conditions, which can lead to splits and cracks and further reduce the chances of having that seed germinate. Our bagging line was shut down most of this week due to cold temperatures.
We take great pride in producing soybeans that contain the industry’s top genetics with leading technologies like Genuity® Roundup Ready to Yield® and LibertyLink. We’re also proud to offer top hybrids featuring the industry’s top genetics – and one of the broadest, deepest trait lineups in the country.
As a family-owned company, Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds can offer hybrids with the following technologies: Genuity® SmartStax® and RIB Complete™; Agrisure Viptera 3111 and 3000GT; and Herculex Xtra™. (Click here for our full hybrid lineup.)
Contact your Latham® representative or call 1-877-GO-LATHAM for more information about top-shelf Latham brand products on inventory that will meet your needs for spring 2013 planting.
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“The gentle handling of Latham® seed through each part of the bagging and delivery process helps preserve seed quality.”
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, during a speech Jan. 14 at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual meeting, encouraged farm leaders to create strategic alliances and reach out to groups that might have differing opinions. Here’s an excerpt from that speech:
Now I know that there are not too many fans of the Humane Society in this room. But egg producers thought it was in their best interest to avoid 50 different referendums, 50 different sets of rules. So they sat down with folks and they reached common ground. After all, isn’t that what we’re asking our Congress to do? Isn’t that what we’re asking our political leaders to do – to sit down and make common cause? I think the egg producers have the right idea. Now, the issues may be different for different types of producers but we need to be constructively engaged at all times and conversations. We may not find agreement. But I think we will substantially reduce those who oppose farming and substantially reduce the reach of those and hopefully be able to get enough proactive activity that results in a five year bill.
If you follow what I preach, you know that I insist we listen to all sides. As much as I agree that farmers must engage in conversation with non-farm groups, I honestly don’t believe sitting down with the Humane Society of the United States would be constructive.
Vilsack sites the chicken and egg folks as a textbook example of how ag groups can find “common ground” with HSUS. Say what? How can we find “common ground” with a special interest group that wants to put livestock producers out of business? Animal rights activities don’t really care what we do because they’re only concerned with pushing their twisted agendas.
HSUS has teamed with some cattle producers to file suit against the Beef Checkoff, and now HSUS is going after the National Pork Checkoff. Here’s where I’m going with this: the U.S. Secretary of Ag oversees all checkoff programs. As a pork producer, I vote on whom I want on the commodity checkoff board but Secretary Vilsack actually decides who gets a seat on that board. Now Vilsack says we must listen to extreme animal right group, and herein lies the problem!
A few of this administration’s moves in recent months cause me great concern:
Because some farmers and advocates of the agricultural community made their voices heard, the USDA retracted its memo in support of Meatless Mondays. The new school lunch rules have been relaxed, and the U.S. Department of Labor put new child labor laws on hold. That doesn’t mean these issues won’t resurface sometime over the next four years, so we must remain vigilant in our agvocating efforts.
The U.S. agriculture community must spend as much time advocating for agriculture within the U.S. Department of Agriculture – which should be a natural ally – as it does with consumers and anti-farming groups. Now the U.S. Secretary of Ag is trying to convince the mainstream that groups like HSUS are best buds with the small farmer—it’ more than I can handle!
I must admit that I’m extremely concerned about our new administration, and some of the people who are serving and their beliefs. We already know there are former HSUS employees high in the ranks of the USDA. Now I’m reading that Raú Grijalva is being considered for U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and he’s being heavily backed by groups that want to eliminate animal ag!
When governmental agencies are infiltrated by this type of fanatics, they’re in place to make policy. We can’t afford to let this happen! Speak up. Write emails. Contact your elected officials. It’s important that people in office understand what we do on the farm.
