ag on the forefront

Why ag on the forefront?

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:02:00 +0000

Today I want to link up with a group of Nebraska bloggers and they are each sharing why they started blogging and the reason their blog name is significant to them.

There are many reasons I started this blog, but I decided to take a look back at my very first post. I want to be an advocate for agriculture. I have a somewhat unique ag background and career path. At least I think I do.

I was raised on a cow-calf ranch in Eastern Colorado – no crops except for some alfalfa for hay. And I didn’t really understand the whole crop thing. Why would you grow crops when having cows was so much fun!? I started to gather some knowledge of crops at a young age when we’d visit my grandparents in Eastern Kansas who are row-crop farmers. But for some reason, going to Grandma’s meant cooking, shopping and playing more than really learning about the farm. Really later on in college and now in to my career have I been asking Grandpa questions about his farm and grasping a better understanding of the family’s farming history.

My interest in a career in agriculture came from 4-H. I was a 12-year 4-Her and state officer and saw myself being involved in an ag career from early on. My original life plan was to be a teacher and an author. I could do both of these in ag! I then had an awesome opportunity to intern for Farm Credit in my hometown. I’ve always loved business/economics (I used to sell beef sticks to my classmates during our yearly testing – I had a pretty good business plan. Mom bought the beef sticks, I raided the pantry, sold the beef sticks for $0.50 and kept all the profits!).

That took me to my educational goals in agricultural economics. Some of my focus changed when I got to college at K-State. Being a girl who loves to write and wanting to be an author, I decided to include a public relations focus to my major – which I still credit as some of the most useful classes I took at K-State, but I can’t discredit my awesome Ag Econ professors! I loved ‘em so much I stuck around for an extra year and a half to earn my masters.

Being at college and having a fun social life with all of my ag friends introduced me to my wonderful hubby. Thank goodness he was an ag boy! An ag boy who was two years older and moved off to Nebraska for a job while I was still in school. Thankfully, things worked out and we got married, I found a job, defended my master’s thesis and moved to Nebraska all in one month’s time. My job working for Nebraska corn farmers has almost been more educational than college. I have grown so much (thanks to my awesome co-workers and board) and have really been able to expand my ag knowledge.

Seeing the importance in this new job of communicating ag issues inspired me to start ag on the forefront. The name literally popped into my head the moment I started thinking about this blog and it just stuck! I really enjoy blogging as I contribute to the Nebraska Corn Kernels blog, Nebraska Agribusiness Club blog, as well as my diy/family blog, a little birdie told me.

I hope to continue using my passion for writing, educating, answering questions about agriculture through this venue and thank God everyday for all that He has blessed me with!

Nebraska Bloggers Connect

Things moms get wrong at the grocery store

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:08:00 +0000

Moms aren’t always right when it comes to the grocery store, according to the new Gate to Plate survey of more than 1,000 moms. The survey found that moms are often misinformed, especially when buying “all-natural” and “hormone-free” products. (Click on the graphic to the right to see entire results.)

Findings of the survey include:

ORGANIC FOODS

Eighty-four percent of moms surveyed believe that organic food is farmed without any pesticides, fertilizers or herbicides.

The facts –Organic is a labeling term that indicates that the food or other agricultural product has been produced through approved methods. Synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering may not be used and organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides. 1 However, more than 50 synthetic substances may be used in organic crop production if other substances fail to prevent or control the target pest. 2 All foods – whether organic or nonorganic – must meet certain health and safety regulations before being sold to consumers.

GMO FOODS

While one-fourth of the moms who participated in the survey said they had never heard of genetically modified (GMO) foods, the majority of moms question the safety of GMO foods. Nearly half – 43 percent – of moms in the survey believe that GMO food is nutritionally and chemically different than non-GMO food.

The facts – All GMO foods are still exhaustively assessed for safety by groups like the Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 3In the 12-plus years that modern biotech crops have been commercially grown, there has not been a single documented case of an ecosystem disrupted or a person made ill. 4GMO foods are nutritionally and chemically identical to food grown from non-biotech crops.

HORMONES IN MEAT

More than half of moms in the survey said they believe it is important to feed their families hormone-free poultry and pork – even though it may cost more to do so.

The facts – There’s no need to pay extra for poultry or pork that’s labeled hormone-free. USDA prohibits farmers from using hormones to raise chickens and pigs.

ALL-NATURAL FOODS

More than half – 53 percent – of moms surveyed said it’s important to purchase food labeled “all natural,” whenever possible, because it is a more nutritious choice for their family.

The facts – All-natural doesn’t mean nutritional benefits. As required by USDA, meat, poultry and egg products labeled as “natural” must be minimally processed and contain no artificial ingredients. However, the natural label does not include any standards regarding farm practices and only applies to processing of meat and egg products.

LOCAL FOODS

More than half of moms surveyed said locally produced foods are always better for the environment.

The facts – Purchasing locally grown food is a great way to support farmers in your community but does not always benefit the environment. Sometimes it takes more energy to grow and harvest local food than it does to grow it elsewhere and have it shipped.

FAMILY FARMS

Seven out of 10 moms surveyed believe the family farm is dying in the United States.

The facts – Between 96 and 98 percent of the 2.2 million farms in the United States are family farms.

Seven out of 10 moms in the survey agree that farmers should be a key resource for individuals seeking information related to food and farming, yet only one out of five moms surveyed seeks information from farmers.

This study was commissioned by CommonGround, a grassroots coalition of farm women who want to foster conversations among all women – on farms and in cities – about where our food comes from and how it is raised. CommonGround is to be a resource to provide moms with facts and information that can help them make informed food choices.

Japan, TPP and agriculture

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:30:00 +0000

On Friday of last week, the Obama Administration announced bilateral consultations with Japan about its interest in joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) have concluded and the U.S. welcomes Japan joining TPP negotiations. The TPP is an ambitious, next-generation, regional trade agreement that seeks to create a “new millennium model for trade.” As the world’s third largest economy, the addition of Japan will provide the platform for a Free Trade Area of Asia Pacific and will strengthen the U.S./Japan economic and strategic relationship.

The agreement brings Japan closer to entering talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which Japan hopes to participate in as early as July. Japan needs formal approval by all 11 participating countries to take part in the talks. If Japan does join, the pact would cover an area that accounts for almost 40 percent of world economic output.

What does the TPP mean for agricultural products?

TPP is a U.S.-led free-trade agreement in the Asia-Pacific region which represents a positive development to expand market access for U.S. exporters in one of the world’s largest economies. Additionally, U.S. food and agricultural exports to the Asia-Pacific region have previously reached more than $80 billion, and account for more than 70 percent of total U.S. agricultural exports to the world.

The U.S. Grains Council strongly supports the announcement of bilateral negotiations with Japan regarding the TPP. The Council has enjoyed over 50 years of cooperation and relationships working to innovate the Japanese feed, livestock and starch industries. Because of this mutual relationship and the U.S.'s commitment to be a long-term reliable supplier, Japan has been the number one customer of U.S. corn exports.

TPP will also provide opportunities for free and fair trade. And when trade works, the world wins. The TPP objective of removing tariff and non-tariff barriers will require adjustments both in the U.S. and Japanese agricultural sectors.

The Council believes that Japan is well positioned to not only remain a strong customer of the U.S. feed grains industry, but that it will have enormous opportunities to meet future Asian consumer-driven demand for high value and quality food.

When I was in Japan two years ago and three years ago, there were many discussions about TPP and how it would affect trade and agriculture. It is exciting to see this work through, as well as the 30-Month and Under Beef trade limitations changed from 20-months in February. Working relationships are so important when it comes to trade.
Flickr Source

Germs in your food?

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 22:38:00 +0000

Perusing through my Twitter feed today I found this tweet from National Geographic (@NatGeo):

I was instantly interested. Do I consume germs? (My germaphobe husband might gag if he read this tweet.)

What I discovered was really interesting. There are “living” germs in a lot of our foods today (like yogurt – I knew that, but didn’t really understand why). You can also buy pills for your gut, creams for your face, tablets for your breath – all that include a living germ.

There is a lot of research being conducted right now on the benefits of germs in your food and products you use daily. The article’s author, Carl Zimmer shares that there is ample evidence that the 100 trillion microbes that call us home–the microbiome–exert important influences on our biology. While some of them can make us ill, for the most part they help maintain our health–nurturing our immune system, moisturizing our skin, breaking down food and toxic compounds.

Actual research on humans has been rare. Scientists have only been able to study the microbiome with much clarity in the past couple decades, so they’ve got a late start. Another reason is that the microbiome is different from our own cells and organs. It’s an ecosystem made up of hundreds of species, with lots of diffuse, interlinked effects on our bodies.

The cool thing I took from this article is that many of these microbiome’s uses in food and body products can be “enriched with DNA fragments of beneficial bacterial cells” much like genetic modification in our crop production.

The technology and science in our food industry is amazing – and they are doing years of research to verify that this food is SAFE for us. They don’t take anything for granted, but through the use of technology, we can benefit. Even if it does mean ingesting germs. ;)

Agriculture majors face future with confidence

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 22:49:00 +0000

Just over a year ago, remember that not-so-lovely article by Yahoo! stating that ag degrees are worthless?

Well I have a come-back for Mr. Loose (author of that article). In USA Today, there was well-written article on March 26th - Agriculture majors face future with confidence. Who could argue?

The author, Ms. Wickel says it all in the first line, “People are never going to stop needing food.”

Her research leads into the article that agriculture science is seeing an increase in enrollment at the college level. The industry is leading to broader and more diverse careers than just being a farmer/rancher.

And there are jobs out there waiting for these graduates. Agriculture and natural resource majors have little to worry about, according to the Georgetown Public Policy Institute. Only 3.5% of experienced college graduates in the field are unemployed, rivaled only by 2.2% of health care grads.

This is exciting for the future of ag, but also for the future students knowing there are jobs to find and probably even thousands more waiting to be created with the increase of technology in agriculture. The future is bright!

‘Growing Season’ mini-series shows life on the farm

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 11:25:00 +0000

Are you ready for Growing Season?!

We’re not talking about the actual growing season of our crops, this Growing Season is a yearlong documentary mini-series about the Bartak family from Anselmo, Nebraska and their job of growing a crop for this year’s harvest.

Although a few of these guys look like they could be straight out of Duck Dynasty, this series follows the challenges of the Bartak boys throughout a year’s time, with monthly episodes to keep viewers updated on the progress of the farm.

Once a month a new episode will be uploaded to the web for viewers and followers to watch and interact with one another. Some of the activities in the series include: planting, spraying, harvest, branding, auction of cattle, chores, weather, celebrations, emotions, and, hopefully, a successful Growing Season.

They take a behind-the-scenes look at the agriculture community and really see all of the struggles, conflicts, victories, and successes that are entangled into a growing season. Their goal is to get a better grasp of the different challenges each farmer faces.

Farmers and non-farmers alike will be able to enjoy and share in the experiences with the Bartaks as they tackle this year’s Growing Season. The show is produced and supported by Cooperative Producers, Inc. (CPI) coop and is a great educational tool to see how new products actually work on the farm, test the precision ag technologies, watch how crops go from seed to yield, and then off to your table. This story embraces the importance of family, friendships, and the ability to work extremely hard for a goal. Everyone coming together, struggling to make it, to accomplish their goal.

Check out the teaser below – or any of their quick clips on YouTube.

The season premiere is Thursday April, 4 2013 at 7pm CST on www.itsgrowingseason.com.

What is Whole Foods’ non-GMO risk?

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:06:00 +0000

The cyclical interest in GMO foods being labeled or not even included in some retail stores is uncanny.

Recently, an interested article arose on SuperMarketGuru.com regarding the decision by Whole Foods Market to push for full GMO transparency. A question was asked, “What if suppliers shrugged and said something like, ‘They’re just 340 stores. We won’t be in there. So what.’”

The growing phenomena of the Whole Foods stores in urban and suburban areas has grasped the interest of foodies, moms, organic customers, animal welfare standards and seafood sustainability. Their website touts healthy eating, recipes and their values. It even features a “Cattle Cam” with videos on what your “meat eats”.

The article notes that The Lempert Report sees Whole Foods adding risk to its supply chain, since it clearly lacks the scale of Walmart to push the vendor base. The chain currently sells 3,300 Non-GMO Project verified products, more than any North American retailer. Its 365 Everyday Value store brands were the starting point in 2009.

That 3,300 figure is notable not only for its progress, but for the distance that remains for grocery suppliers to transition to non-GMO sources, or to clearly label products that contain GMOs.

Whole Foods says 2018 is its deadline for 100% transparency.

While admire Whole Foods for reaching out to a niche market – not that I shop there because I plainly believe that food I buy in any grocery store is safe – I don’t agree with the route they are going to go to all non-GMO sources. Some may question if this is really the consumers demanding or activists who are pushing their agenda. Is Whole Foods willing to risk this huge step with their suppliers to demand non-GMO products.

These are some questions food makers would likely ask before complying with the Whole Foods request—especially since science is inconclusive and FDA sees “no meaningful difference between foods that use organic ingredients and their genetically modified counterparts,” describes The Washington Post.

In that paper’s Q&A with Whole Foods co-CEO Walter Robb, he said, “How do you argue with the fact that a customer has a right to know what’s in their food? It’s so fundamental.”

True. But what if the chain is overestimating its customers’ demand to know? And what if enough major brands choose not to go along—and the Whole Foods supply chain is disrupted come 2018?

Good questions from The Lempert Report. What are your questions?

Planting time? and snow drifts.

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 12:23:00 +0000

In the next several weeks, farmers across the U.S. will begin planting and cultivating their crops for the 2013 harvest.

With the 2012 drought still looming, this is a little scary. You can put a seed in the ground, but what does it need to grow? Water, nutrients, sunlight. And more water. And not to leave out the ranchers who are banking on more moisture to revitalize their pastures.

Unfortunately, the reserve of soil moisture for much of the corn belt is gone, compounding the continuing bad news about widespread drought, experts at the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln said.

Rainfall is crucial over the next two months for planting corn and soybeans and for the recovery of grazing areas. Typically, once we get into the second week of May, we've reached our peak in soil moisture, and we start to decline from there.

At the ranch in Colorado this week, my family was blasted with numerous days of blizzard conditions that left 6-foot drifts in areas. We were thankful for the moisture, but the winds and harsh conditions were stressful for our calving mama cows. I’m grateful for ranchers like my dad who spend hours feeding the cows and snow-blowing out areas for the cows to get through.

Celebrating ag week…calving-style!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:02:00 +0000

Happy National Ag Week! I got to celebrate, calving-style, this past weekend at my in-law’s farm. They have baby calves and baby lambs everywhere!

See these two cuties? They are actually twins. One red, one black. The really random thing is that the neighbor had the exact same thing happen, both out of black momma cows.

One of these calves will be going to my nephew for his 4-H bucket calf project because the momma cow just doesn’t have enough milk for the both of them. But in this first week, she has done ok.

Both of our families raise cattle so we can provide safe and quality beef for others to enjoy. We take great pride in raising these animals – and even in a tough drought year, we are doing all we can to provide for our animals.

And we can’t forget the two cow dogs who love to be out with the cattle as much as we do!

How are you celebrating Ag Week this week?

Changing the views of desert & livestock

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:08:00 +0000

What is your attention span? Mine – especially for videos – is usually around 2 minutes. And that’s only if it’s good and I don’t skip on before it’s over.

This video I’m posting about today is 22:20 and it felt like only 2 minutes.

There is a new video circling the Internet (I found it through the Drovers CattleNetwork article), about solutions – and about dispelling some exaggerated myths about livestock production.

The star of this new video is Allan Savory, a soft-spoken Zimbabwean biologist, farmer and environmentalist who has spent a lifetime studying and practicing techniques that combat desertification around the globe. In fact, he’s built a career and a business challenging what many consider facts about livestock – that they’re bad for the planet and contribute to climate change.

On the contrary, Savory says, livestock are a solution to climate change and an effective means by which to fight hunger, poverty and violence across much of the Third World.

Savory’s speech was presented at the 2013 TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) Conference, a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate “ideas worth spreading.”

Savory’s idea “worth spreading” is that removing grazing animals from an ecosystem promotes desertification. Indeed, he argues, the cause of desertification is the absence of grazing animals. To heal the land and slow climate change, he says, grazing animals must be returned to areas in peril of desertification, which may include two-thirds of the world's grasslands.

Those ideas are not just a hunch, an unproven theory that Savory promotes. He has proof, compiled over a lifetime of study and practice. You have to watch the video to fully comprehend this powerful message.

Savory began working on desertification in his native Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1955. He is credited with developing Holistic Management, a systems thinking approach to managing resources that builds biodiversity, improves production, generates financial strength, enhances sustainability, and improves the quality of life for those who use it. Holistic management offers a new decision-making framework that managers in a variety of enterprises, cultures, and countries are using to help ensure that the decisions they take are economically, socially, and environmentally sound, simultaneously—both short and long term.

You can read about (and watch!) our family ranch’s intensive, holistic grazing practices here.

#FarmVoices - It’s our turn

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 23:47:00 +0000

Farmers feed this entire planet. And it’s time the world paid attention.

This is what motivated young farmers and ranchers to launch a campaign with the purpose of getting farmers to tell their stories, rather than having farmers stories told by special interest groups outside of farming.

I’m super impressed by the work of these young leaders in agriculture. The FarmOn Foundation, formed by a group of young agricultural enthusiasts, from rural Alberta, determined to see the industry thrive and become tangible for new farmers looking to be a part of it, is calling on young farmers to stand up, tell their stories and show people their own farming reality through the Farm Voices project.

On April 22, Earth Day, the organization is rallying farmers to use the power of social media and post a photo and a thought to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter about their experience as a farmer, attaching the hashtag #FARMVOICES.

“Young people have been at the forefront of every great social movement in history,” said Sarah Wray, a board member with the FarmOn Foundation. “The power of social media means that we now have the opportunity to effectively and powerfully speak for our own industry, directly to the audience we’re trying to engage.”

While farmers have proven amazing stewards of the land, they have left the story of their industry for others to tell. But it’s truly critical for sustainability and success that this trend does not continue.

“I don’t know about other farmers out there, but I’m sick and tired of groups like PETA trying to tell my story,” said Wray. “We take pride in our operations and the handling of our livestock, treating them with the utmost respect and care. It’s our turn. The world needs to hear the reality of the family farm.”

Way to go, gang! You’ll be sure to find me tweeting on Earth Day. Check out the Farm Voices movement online and watch their video below.

“Exceptional” moisture

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 13:40:00 +0000

I’m feeling grateful this Friday. Despite the cold and bitter winter conditions, the ranch received some much needed moisture this week.

The ranch in Eastern Colorado is where the green star is on this map – right in the middle of the dark red, Exceptional Drought. We like to view our ranch as “exceptional”, but not during drought.

However, we are very thankful to God for providing several inches of snow for moisture. And we pray that all of the Exceptional Drought areas receive moisture this winter and spring as well. The cows were very thankful to see the tractor coming yesterday morning with feed – no snow day for ranchers!

Ranch security puppy, Fletcher, thinks the snow is great!

Rarrr…a sequester monster

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 21:22:00 +0000

*Blog shared from Corn Commentary by Cindy.

The impending deadline for “sequestration” has taken on the character of a looming cataclysmic event or awakening of a sleeping monster in a horror movie – a monster with an axe aimed at all government spending.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack called sequester one of the “man-made” risks facing agriculture right now.

“You all know that March 1 will come, and if it comes before Congress has acted that the sequester will be triggered, and what that will mean for USDA is every line item, virtually every line item, of our budget will have to be reduced by a certain percentage, and that percentage could be somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 to 6 percent,” Vilsack said during the opening of USDA’s annual Ag Outlook Conference this week.

“And that’s an annual percentage, which means we have to implement this reduction in the remaining portion of the fiscal year, which will be approximately 6 months. That means it is really the impact of the effect of a 10-to-12-percent reduction of our remaining resources, and unlike normal circumstances where the Congress will direct you to reduce funding but give you the flexibility to choose where and how, this is a direct prescription from Congress to reduce every line item by the same percentage.”

Vilsack added that the next deadline facing Congress on March 27 also creates a man-made risk for farmers. “If Congress has not continued the budget process and provided a continuation of the Continuing Resolution or passed a budget, theoretically all government activity stops, and that, of course, would impact our trade promotion efforts. It would impact food safety. It would impact the ability to provide credit to farmers right at the time when they have to finalize the credit opportunities to put their crop in the ground. This is another risk that’s manmade and can be avoided,” said Vilsack.

The sequester monster is coming on March 1 – watch for the sequel “Son of Sequester” coming March 27 on the Corn Commentary blog.

Ag blamed for tooth decay

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 23:11:00 +0000

Here we go, another blame on agriculture for something that I believe is far-fetched.

On the Scientific American website, an article relates modern tooth decay to have originated in the mouth of a rodent (sick.), and found its way to our teeth – get this – thanks to agriculture.

Apparently, according to the article, the study of human teeth suggests that before our ancestors started cultivating plants for food, cavities were uncommon. Tooth decay, it seems, spread once we changed to an agricultural lifestyle.

Supposed evidence from Omar Eduardo Cornejo Ordaz, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Stanford School of Medicine, and his colleagues back up this hypothesis. They analyzed the genomes of several strains of the prevalent caries-causing bacterium to determine when new genes evolved in this species and its close relatives. The team's statistical analyses suggest the bacteria's population started expanding exponentially about 10,000 years ago, which coincides quite nicely with the birth of agriculture. Can we say coincidence?

Other research findings suggest that when the Nubian people living in northern Sudan and southern Egypt switched to intensive agriculture, the incidence of caries in the population jumped from 0.8 percent to nearly 20 percent.

Obviously not being a dentist or dental hygienist, I reached out to my Facebook friends for any clarification. One of my college friends who is now a dental hygienist said, “I think it is a little bit of a stretch to say that agriculture brought the rats that brought the bacteria. I don't know the origin of the cavity causing bacteria but I just assumed it was always in some people that just spread.... I wouldn't blame it on agriculture.”

I’ll agree with one thing from the article. It stated that not all researchers agree with the rat hypothesis. Peter Brown, a paleoanthropologist from the University of New England in Australia, thinks the emergence of tooth decay relates to sugar in the human diet. Duh.

I’m sure the dental industry can thank technology for many innovations that have improved the mouths of people for decades – just like agriculture uses technology to grow more food for a growing world. Maybe they should chew on that.

Water issues, on the ranch and across the country

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 22:58:00 +0000

This week, the exciting Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show is going on in Tampa, Florida and I know many cattlemen and women who are attending.

One of those is my uncle, Mark Frasier, who is the President of the Colorado Livestock Association and I’ll brag on him for a minute. :) He took some time this week to talk with Drovers Cattle Network to discuss water issues, particularly because of drought, and legislation coming up that will affect producers.

Enjoy the video:

Dodge Super Bowl commercial giving back FFA-style

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:15:00 +0000

An update to my blog post last night. If you didn’t see or hear about the Dodge Ram “So God Made a Farmer” Super Bowl commercial, it is creating quite the conversation. The video features Paul Harvey’s voice sharing the poem with “tear-jerking with pride” images of the people across our country who raise our food. A great tribute to the “the farmer in all of us.”

When you watch the video on Ram’s website, the Ram Brand will make a donation to National FFA Organization (up to $1 million) and assist in local hunger and educational programs.

There is also a poll taking place over the next week for the best commercial, so vote it up on YouTube here.

If you are considering buying a Dodge vehicle, make sure your dealership knows that you appreciate their ad!

Please pass this along and God Bless farmers.

Best Super Bowl Commercial...So God Made a Farmer

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 03:19:00 +0000

The Super Bowl isn't even over yet and I can already tell you the best commercial...Dodge Ram's "So God Made a Farmer."

The commercial shares the poem read by the infamous Paul Harvey...Good Day! What a great tribute to, "the farmer in all of us."

New app let’s McDonald’s customers “TrackMyMacca’s”

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 15:14:00 +0000

This is pretty aus-some.

Consumers want to know where their food comes from, and – in Australia at least – McDonald’s is utilizing technology to tell them.

In Australia, McDonald’s is commonly called Macca’s, so McDonald’s has launched a free iPhone app called TrackMyMacca’s that can be downloaded via Facebook or iTunes. It uses the GPS in a smart phone to find out what restaurant you’re in, image recognition to see what you’re eating, and the date and time to track the exact ingredients that went into your food.

‘TrackMyMacca’s’ works with food that comes in specially marked boxes, including the McChicken burger, Big Mac, Filet-O-Fish, and Chicken McNuggets. Augmented reality is used to provide interactive information about McDonald’s and its supply chain, turning the iPhone into an ingredient tracker.

Image-activation software identifies the specific food purchased and all this info, combined with the date and time, is cross-referenced with McDonald’s supply-chain data.
The app then pinpoints where (the bakery, ranch, farm, canner, etc., often by name) the ingredients in the food about to be consumed originated.

The app can supply the name and photo of the farmer, rancher or fisherman by whom a product is supplied. Choose an ingredient and sourcing details—customized to the location, product and date—are offered. For example: “To make great Chicken McNuggets we need great chicken morsels. So we got ours from Eagle Farm, Queensland.” A sourcing message for a burger bun might be “Fresh buns are the building blocks of a good burger. That’s why our Martin Place restaurant could have up to three deliveries a week. You’ll find our bakers at the Fresh Start Bakery, not far away in Liverpool, New South Wales.”

The TrackMyMacca’s app will track selected menu items in all Australian McDonald’s restaurants from Jan. 16, 2013, through June 30, 2013.

McDonald’s also announced it is changing the signage to “Macca’s” on 13 selected restaurants across Australia in honor of Australia Day on January 26. McDonald’s opened its first restaurant down under in Sydney in 1971.

Now for the first time, McDonald's is making its much-loved Aussie nickname "Macca's" official. Chief marketing officer Mark Lollback said, “We've been a part of Australia for over 40 years now and we're incredibly proud to embrace our 'Australian-only' nickname."

Missing out on a beefy opportunity, China.

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:10:00 +0000

This week, I read that China has approved four additional Canadian beef facilities that will now be able to export beef to China. These newly approved establishments will increase the Canadian export capacity for beef in a market estimated by the industry to be worth approximately $20 million annually.

Timeout! Nothing against Canada, but why is China investing in Canada and not looking towards the U.S. beef supply?

What is China’s beef with U.S. beef? As of December 24, 2003, China has banned U.S. beef from being imported due to the BSE concerns. Beijing later lifted the outright ban but the U.S. has been unable to overcome continued barriers involving the inspection of the beef. More recent talks with China came up with a staged-basis solution to getting U.S. beef into the country.

Who is our competition for getting beef into China? China allows beef imports from seven countries, including Costa Rica which was approved recently. The main competitors include Australia, Uruguay, New Zealand and now, Canada.

Worldwide beef exports from the U.S. are strong. According to the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), year-end reports for 2012 reported weekly exports were up 4 percent from 2011. However, for the leading markets of Mexico, Japan, Korea, Vietnam/Hong Kong, Russia and Taiwan, reported exports were 1 percent lower. Export growth in 2012 was led by Vietnam/Hong Kong (+18 percent) and Russia (+12 percent), with Japan and Canada each up 1 percent. Exports were lower for Korea (-9 percent), Mexico (-7 percent) and Taiwan (-39 percent).

Interestingly enough, some of those exports to the Southeast Asia region are making their way into China (off the record).

There is a potential for having a future with China in the beef export market. Even at a relatively low per-capita consumption level, China still consumes about 10 percent of total global beef production. Challenges to China’s domestic beef industry, including high input costs, are making it increasingly likely that China will have to increase beef imports to meet growing demand, led by a booming restaurant industry.

What is the potential if we can open up this export market? U.S. beef exports would likely reach $200 million in value in the first full year of access, swiftly putting China among the top five export markets.

In a recent food exhibition in China with USMEF to promote U.S. pork, Joel Haggard, USMEF-Asia/Pacific senior vice president said, “…almost every Chinese meat buyer we met asked when U.S. beef will return to the market.”

It seems that Chinese meat buyers and consumer want U.S. beef, but politics are getting in the way. Thankfully, USMEF is working to overcome this issue to allow U.S. beef back into China. China’s market for beef has changed considerably since U.S. beef’s exit a decade ago. Unlike pork and poultry production, which has grown due to an influx of private investment and government subsidies, the Chinese beef industry has languished. Domestic production has fallen 10 percent over the past 5 years, from 6.13 million metric tons (13.5 billion pounds) in 2007 and 2008 to an estimated 5.54 million metric tons (12.2 billion pounds) this year, according to USDA statistics.

Hopefully this will provide for a future break to take over from our many missed opportunities. 谢谢 (thank you), China.

“WE in agriculture.” A response to HSUS.

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:29:00 +0000

The following letter was written by my father, a rancher in Eastern Colorado, in response to the HSUS’s CEO Wayne Pacelle’s letter to the editor in Feedstuffs Magazine, December 31, 2012.

Dear Editor:

Pacelle's attempt at civility (Dec 31, 2012 Feedstuffs) is similar to a D.C. politician giving the evening forecast. He can rant about how he envisions next week's weather and then blame the producers' uproar on their misunderstanding when the forecast is totally missed. His monologue about how those who disagree with his group’s point of view on Animal Agriculture are arcane to the well-informed Agricultural Producers. His approach is like the small cloud on the horizon, seemly inconsequential, but full of updrafts.

He challenges those who won't willingly 'come to the table' as being part of a culture content to sip the cup of confrontation. Mr Pacelle, sitting across the table from you is like sitting across from Harrison Ford in the Star Wars Bar Scene, you are Mr. Collected with an ion pistol in your lap. You paint a nice picture of cooperation in your letter, but neglected the details of the blackmailing, closed door meetings with the Corporations that you have threatened, in order to bring about these "forward thinking, sustainable business models".
Mr. Pacelle, in paragraph eight you begin with 'In Agriculture, WE...' let’s stop right there! You sir are NOT in agriculture, WE implies that you are invested in the actual sustainability of Agriculture and for that matter, rural life.

WE in Agriculture are smart in not meeting you at the table because we know no good can come from it. We see, however, how you are already coming through the back door in many states – not by state legislation or ballot initiatives – but through the board rooms of corporate food organizations who deem that changing agriculture’s production practices will suffice their consumers’ desires.

This is at best, a poor business practice Mr Pacelle. The business that my family and I are in as a beef rancher is raising safe, affordable and abundant beef. We know this business and care for this business. We respect the open forum of debating ideas and practices and will not be bullied by the likes of your faux fronted practices.

WE in agriculture have seen our share of 'Clouds on the Horizon', we can recognize an honest, accurate forecast. We've also seen our share of Dust Devils bully through, that never account for anything sustainable. We’ll keep our business in our own path of agriculture. Thank you for keeping your business to helpless pets in shelters, that is what you are sworn to do, right?

Joe Frasier
Owner/Operator of River Bend Ranch
Limon, Colorado

Read other blogs about HSUS:
People really don't know what HSUS is...
HSUS Corporate Sponsors
HSUS: Lawyers in Cages
Does HSUS even know its own history?
Donate your car to charity – not HSUS
HSUS & Coyotes: The New Humane Action
HSUS proves again why it's not here to help pets
Humane confusion
10 things you must know about animal rights
Pacelle's new book: defending dogs or hogs?

What’s the beef with Big Beef?

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 23:14:00 +0000

“Beef’s Raw Edges”: a series of 16 stories that ran over three-consecutive days recently in the Kansas City Star. This series raised plenty of serious issues including beef safety, nutrition, the use of antibiotics and growth promotants and the environmental impact of feedyards. These issues are all important to their readers – however they have coined another nickname in ag with “Big Beef” and characterizing those people who raise beef in the US.

Daren Williams, NCBA, noted that the articles stated 48 times throughout the series the label "Big Beef" and was applied to a wide variety of companies and organizations including the beef checkoff. As we all know, the beef checkoff reflects the tremendous diversity within the beef community encompassing large and small farms and ranches raising a wide variety of beef choices for today's consumer, including grain-finished, grass-finished, and naturally-raised beef. Beef raised by the people who invest in the beef checkoff is sold in large and small grocery stores, national chain restaurants, local diners, and direct to the consumer via the internet and local farmers' markets.

Other media jumping on board
Harvest Public Media also put out a special report stemming from America’s Big Beef. This group took a look at the industry to examine what goes into our meat; safety, research, genetics, environment and consolidation. When you examine all of the facets of the beef industry that the KC Star and Harvest are looking at, we could certainly look like “big beef”.

There is so much that goes into beef: starting from what my husband does of working with producers to choose the best genetics for their cattle to be artificially inseminated, to raising that calf, feeding it at the feedlot, processing it, cutting down the primals to steaks or hamburger and shipping it to restaurants, grocery stores or your house. There is a big process to this! But how else could it be done? There are millions of people that consume beef everyday and in order to satisfy this demand, this American industry has figured out the best way to humanely care for the animals that efficiently produce safe protein. It seems like just as the seed industry has gotten a bad rap for “big is bad”, beef production has been tagged the same.

Maybe the KC Star and Harvest reporters don’t think there are people behind the beef? Maybe they don’t truly understand the values that farmers and ranchers have to taking care of their cattle? Maybe they don’t really don’t care about anything except getting a rise out of people like me?

I won’t apologize for my rant. It is not fair that beef and agriculture are under this scrutiny. It’s not fair that food issues are Harvest Public Media’s “integral part of their mission”. But it is reality. Some days I love the role media has on influencing others and getting them information. In this instance, I curse it. But it gives us a chance to correctly educate – or provide the correct information - on our industry of raising beef, its importance and the people behind it.

The Bottom Line
Farmers and rancher share the same concerns our fellow consumers have for the safety of our families, our health, and the health of our planet and we work hard every day to continuously improve the way we raise beef to meet consumer expectations.

Workin' Farmer Style

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 13:20:00 +0000

The "Farming and I Grow It" Peterson Farm Bros did it again! Check out their new agvocacy video called "Farmer Style (Gangnam Style Parody)"

"We are the Peterson Farm Bros,
and we're farming and we grow it
We love agriculture, and we want the world to know it
Farming is a way of life with many different flavors
Being stewards of the gifts God gave us"

Solving world hunger: 1 egg at a time

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 14:21:00 +0000

This is Part 3 of 3 of “Making safe, affordable and abundant food a global reality”, Jeff Simmons and Dr. Chris Ashworth from Elanco. Read more at PlentyToThinkAbout.org. Read Part 1 and Part 2.

What Part 1 and Part 2 may have shown you is that we have a challenge: feeding our growing global population. And we need to do that with technology and choice.

But there is another side of this issue. Nearly 1 billion people cannot afford the recommended 1,880 calories per day. Over the past decade, global meat prices have jumped by 60 percent and global dairy prices by 83 percent. It’s no surprise that over this period, the number of people who are undernourished has increased by nearly 10 percent — from just under 800 million in 1997 to 870 million today.

According to Simmons, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Worldwide demand for animal protein is expected to double over the next 40 years. Yet today, demand already outpaces production. Simmons uses the example of one of our most basic proteins — an egg. Eggs are one of the most easily affordable protein sources. A single egg contains almost all vitamins and minerals a person needs. A single egg has the power to break the vicious life cycle of under-nutrition, which can have a huge impact on development. That impact affects not only individuals but also communities — even countries.

But egg production is declining.

Today, people around the world consume about 174 eggs per person per year produced by some 6.5 billion hens. Since 2000, egg productivity has been declining by 1 egg per chicken per year. This may not sound like much, but if this trend continues, by 2050 the world will need about 3 times more hens — nearly 18 billion — to feed our families eggs.

Why has productivity gone down? Among many examples is a California ballot initiative that changed hen housing standards. That initiative alone is expected to increase egg production costs 20 percent.

Yet if we could return productivity back to historic rates — helping hens produce a modest 1.5 eggs more per year — it would take only 10.4 billion hens to meet demand. That’s more than 7 billion fewer birds — which translates into a lot less feed, less water and less waste.

The benefits of advanced production technologies — increased food supply, cost efficiencies and positive environmental effects — are obvious. But it’s never safe to count chickens before they hatch.

Simmons encourages us to take action now. By the end of this decade, barely eight years from now, we will need 20 percent more meat and poultry than today. Two-thirds of the increase will be required to feed developing countries. We must embrace innovative production tools to break the cycle of hunger once and for all.

That gives you plenty to think about. Check out Plentytothinkabout.org and watch their video as well.

Three rights of our safe, affordable and abundant food supply

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 22:16:00 +0000

This is Part 2 of 3 of “Making safe, affordable and abundant food a global reality”, Jeff Simmons and Dr. Chris Ashworth from Elanco. Read more at PlentyToThinkAbout.org.

In the Part 1 blog post, Simmons summed up that the role of technology in developing safe, affordable and abundant food enables three rights: food, choice, sustainability.

1. Food – a basic human right

The first right is ensuring human right of all people around the world to have access to affordable food. While the majority of residents in the industrialized world aren’t faced with the threat of starvation, many deal with random bouts of food insecurity and spend significant effort searching for the next meal. Finding nutrition is the daily challenge for an increasing number of children in developed countries. In the developing world, hunger may well be the #1 health problem. Lack of food kills more people worldwide each year than war, AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. According to the World Food Programme, every hour, 720 children around the world die from a lack of food.

The hard thing is that there is a cost to to this right and food comes for a price. Keeping food prices affordable is critical to creating greater access for those living on low incomes.

Nearly 3 billion people—43%of the world’s population—currently live on less than US$2 a day.
More than a third of the world’s poorest live on less than US$1 a day,17 or what many of us reading this paper might spend on a bottle of water.
In the world’s poorest countries, citizens can spend from half to as much as 80% of their income on food.

Due to continual innovation in food production, we’ve been able to keep food prices amazingly low. Farm gate prices for corn, wheat, rice and milk actually cost 40 percent to 85 percent less than in 1960 based on inflation-adjusted prices. Meanwhile, oil prices, a key input in food production, have skyrocketed, costing 337% more than the inflation-adjusted price in 1960.

Poverty is a complex issue, and solutions to the related challenges of poverty and politics will likely come over decades. Yet one thing can be done right now on more of a global level, and it boils down to choice and technology. Hunger is a disease for which we already have a powerful weapon: technology.

2. Choice – a consumer right

As mentioned in Part 1, consumers have a choice to the food they buy and consume. Taste, Cost and Nutrition were the most important factors in food purchasing decisions. That’s a pretty powerful message to our farmers who want and will continue producing food using technology to meet the consumer demands of taste, nutrition and cost. But what type of people are out there making these food decisions? According to the ICAS study, 95% are Food Buyers, 4% are Lifestyle Buyers and 1% are on the Fringe.

Food buyers are the type that buy their food based on the taste, cost and nutrition. Lifestyle buyers are interested in luxury or gourmet, organic/local and gardens. Then, those considered Fringe buyers what their food issues to be your issues – activists holding food bans, demanding restrictions and trying to affect policy with propositions.

But the great thing about our food system is that we have many choices for buyers.

3. Sustainability – environmentally right

Finally, the responsibility of providing an abundant, affordable food supply with a broad variety of consumer choice must be delivered while protecting the very resources—the land, water and air—that sustain us.

The facts are compelling and leave little room for argument. Production technologies are enabling farmers to grow more food with greater efficiency, allowing them to feed more people while consuming fewer natural resources and generating less animal waste. Modern, efficient food production is environmentally sustainable.

The data speak for themselves. For example, since 1944, annual production of milk per cow has quadrupled in the United States,32 which means we need far fewer cows to meet the demand for milk. Consequently:
• Modern production of every gallon of milk requires 65% less water
and 90% less land than it did in 1944.
• 76% less manure is being produced for each gallon of milk sold.
• The “carbon footprint” for a gallon of milk in 2007 was 63% lower than it was in 1944.

The story is similar for beef and grain production. Our challenge though is that we need continuous improvement. To ensure our growing global population has sufficient food, we’re going to need to grow food with maximum efficiency and with as little impact on the environment as possible.

In Part 3 – look forward to Jeff's analysis of how we can solve world hunger, one egg at a time.

That gives you plenty to think about. Check out Plentytothinkabout.org and watch their video as well.

Technology’s role in food?

noreply@blogger.com (Kelsey Pope) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 20:01:00 +0000

This is Part 1 of 3 of “Making safe, affordable and abundant food a global reality”, Jeff Simmons and Dr. Chris Ashworth from Elanco. Read more at PlentyToThinkAbout.org.

I’ve had the opportunity to hear a message about food insecurity and using technology in food twice in the last 2 weeks, and this is so timely for this Thanksgiving season when everyone is thinking about – and consuming – food.

What is technology’s role in food in the 21st century? How do we make safe, affordable and abundant food a global reality?

These are both questions that Jeff Simmons and Dr. Chris Ashworth, from Elanco, recently addressed. Other people in the world want safe, affordable and abundant food and we have it here in America!
What does it come down to with providing food for our growing global population? Technology and choice. We {farmers and food producers} have to double food production by 2050 – meaning we’ll need 100% more food. And 70% of that has to come from efficiency-enhancing technology.
When you hear technology, what do you think of? For most people, when it comes to their phones, cars, kitchen appliances and household items – technology is a pretty great thing! So why are people concerned when it comes to technology in their food?

Technology is defined by Simmons as:
1. Practices – doing it better.
2. Products – using new, innovative tools and technologies.
3. Genetics – to enhance desired traits in plants and animals.

In a world without food technology - organic - we see a a small amount of food being raised. As a percentage of all food sales, organic foods grown without certain technologies represents less than 2% of worldwide sales. Even in industrialized regions such as Europe and the U.S., more than 97% of food budgets are pent on products grown using technology – a percentage projected to change very little by 2014. In 2009, 3% of the food produced in the US was organic. Projected for 2014, 4% will be organic.

But consumers have a choice. A validation study completed for this project called the International Consumer Attitudes Study. This study showed the factors influencing food purchase decisions and you know what? Taste, Cost and Nutrition were the most important factors in food purchasing decisions. That’s a pretty powerful message to our farmers who want and will continue producing food using technology to meet the consumer demands of taste, nutrition and cost.

Technology enables three rights: food, choice, sustainability. I will address that in my Part 2 blog.
In Part 3 – look forward to Jeff's analysis of how we can solve world hunger, one egg at a time.

That gives you plenty to think about. Check out Plentytothinkabout.org and watch their video as well.