Suzanne's CommonGround

Thank You

2014-05-26T10:01:00.002-05:00

To all who have served our country.

Thank You.

Reason 92

2014-05-25T13:17:00.000-05:00

Why I Love Farming Reason # 92

My kids know what their parents, grandparents, and a lot of neighbors and friends do for a living.

Day 9 of Planting

2014-05-22T18:09:00.000-05:00

Today, I had to run Joe out to the field to start planting corn. I jumped in the tractor and rode a whole 100 yards with him. It's been a long time - probably BC - before children - since that has happened.

Sometimes you just have to sit and tell Mom how it is.

The previous 8 days of planting this spring are chronicled on our FaceBook page - 2 Farmers & Their 3 Sprouts. https://www.facebook.com/pages/2-Farmers-Their-3-Sprouts/121924591316104?ref=hl

GMO's - A Non-Farmer View

2014-04-29T17:14:00.000-05:00

I came across this National Geographic Society blogger article today. It's a non-farmer view point and science based. Enjoy!

http://theplate.nationalgeographic.com/2014/04/29/rebecca-rupp-im-pro-gmo-and-heres-why/

The Iowa Food & Family Project

2014-04-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Lindsey from Iowa Food and Family Project interveiwed me a couple of weeks ago. Here are the fruits of her labor.

Spring has sprung at the Shirbrouns

Planting season is quickly approaching and Suzanne Shirbroun of Farmersburg (Clayton County) has a lot on her mind. From finalizing plans for the upcoming growing season to growing their business to plan for the future, the Shirbrouns have no shortage of ‘things to do.’
Suzanne Shirbroun is a CommonGround volunteer and recently visited with Iowa Food & Family Project about her farming family and passion for growing food.

Food & Family: Your farm is certainly a family affair. Tell us about it.
Suzanne: My husband, Joe, and I have three sons – Tom, 16, Andrey 14, and Nate 9. We believe in doing chores as a family so our children learn responsibility. The boys have a couple of chicken flocks - egg laying and meat. They also have a couple of beef cows and steers. The boys buy the steers when they weigh about 550 pounds and then sell the steers when they are around 1,300 pounds. The money the kids earn (that's if they even make money after expenses!) goes into their college funds. I was able to finance my college education with the money I earned raising cattle. Tom and Andrey help out planting and harvesting crops. They do some tillage in the spring and fall, run the auger cart tractor in the fall during harvest and help out when we do yield checks for our Pioneer seed customers in the fall.
Joe and I have our farming operation, a Pioneer Hi-Bred seed dealership and a precision agronomy business.

Food & Family: Farming is a dangerous occupation. How does that impact you as a parent?
Suzanne: The farm is a wonderful place to raise children but it can also be a dangerous place. For this reason our children are taught to respect farm equipment and animals. Since Nate is only nine, he does not run any farm machinery but he does get to help out with cleaning the cattle feedlot and chicken coups!

Food & Family: Water quality is very important and receives a lot of attention. What steps are you taking to protect the environment?
Suzanne: Soil conservation is my dad's passion. I tease him that in a former life he must have been a soil conservation engineer. We implement several conservation techniques on our farm. We use terraces to hold soil in place and slow down water flow. At last count we had over 42 miles of terraces on the land we farm. We use A-frame, broad base and grass back terraces. We also use waterways to control water flow as well as conservation tillage practices. We do not use tillage when planting soybeans into standing corn stalks. Corn planted into soybeans stubble is no tilled as well. For our corn-on-corn acres, we use conservation tillage (at least 30 percent residue) or minimum tillage (at least 60 percent residue). The Conservation Reserve Program is another conservation tool in our toolkit.

Food & Family: How has farming changed since you returned to the farm?
Suzanne: We moved back to Iowa and had our first crop in 1999. I believe that one of the biggest changes is that the market outlets for our products has shifted. China has become a more reliable customer. As China's middle class grows, so does the desire for protein, specifically meat. Thus, Iowa farmers will sell more corn, soybean and meat to China.

Food & Family: Is it difficult to get started farming today?
Suzanne: Very difficult. My parents invited us back to the farm in 1999. We share equipment and labor with them. By doing this and also having the seed dealership we have been able to become the sixth generation on our family farm.

Food & Family: You mentioned you have a precision agronomy business. What does that mean?
Suzanne: Data management is becoming a really big deal. We have farms that have been grid soil sampled since 1993. We have been running a yield monitor with GPS since 1999. We have lots of data and now technology is to the point where we can layer all of the different data samples and analyze what is working and what can be improved upon.
From what we have experienced on our own farm and also from working with our seed customers, we have started a precision agronomy business to help farmers manage their grain farming data as well as analyze and interpret this data. The amount of information flowing at a farmer today is amazing and sometimes another set of eyes can help to interpret this data.

Food & Family: You believe it’s important to share your farm story. What message would you like our readers to remember?
Suzanne: While farming has changed a great deal since my great grandfather farmed this land, I want people to know that the underlying principles of farming have remained. Iowa’s farmers are working hard to provide a safe and economical product for you to purchase at the grocery store. We understand that a large portion of today’s population isn’t familiar with today’s agriculture and we invite you to ask questions and come visit us and see for yourself!

Happy Easter!

2014-04-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

Matthew 28:18-20

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Egg Experimentation

2014-04-19T14:00:00.000-05:00

Son #3 is into the "what did they do in olden times?" phase right now. he question came up how did "olden times people" color Easter eggs? Well after some investigation we came up with some foods to use for colors. Here are the results:

For the blue eggs we chopped a head of red cabbage and boiled it until the pigment came out of the leaves.

At this point #3 headed out the door. This was taking too long for a nine year old boy - especially on one of the first nice days of the year.

I added in some vinegar and salt and let the eggs set in the frig for a couple of hours to get the robin egg blue.

For the pink eggs I wised up and used the juice from canned beets. We added in some vinegar and salts and ended up with some pretty pastel pink eggs.

For the yellow eggs I went way out on a limb and tried turmeric. To start with my house now smells like an Indian restaurant. That isn't necessarily a bad thing but it's something that son #1 does care for and the house is being aired out as I type.

This is a concoction of water, 4 tablespoons of turmeric, salt and vinegar. It only took about 15 minutes to end up with a yellow egg.

I was going to do a coffee/vinegar/salt blend for a brown egg but decided to just stick with the hens' al-natural brown and not mess with Mother Nature.

This was a good experiment but both #3 and I decided that we will stick with store bought food coloring because it is MUCH faster.

Happy Easter!

Losing The Iowa Nice

2014-03-25T08:58:00.000-05:00

I have been practicing Iowa Nice this winter. When Chipolte started releasing the exploding cow infomercials this winter, I chalked it up to corporate ignorance and desperation. I did not give the writers of this internet infomercial the satisfaction of acknowledging it - until now. But, today I came across an article titled Breaking Bad In Iowa, written by Kamyar Enshayan, Director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). Now, I do take offense to his writing. As an Iowa farmer I refuse to accept being compared to a methamphetamine maker but that is what Enshayan has done.

In his article, Enshayan starts his attack of commodity agriculture by stating that there is no need for stable communities, civic organizations, schools, churches, libraries, or rural businesses. Not only as a corn farmer but as a mom, I completely disagree. We need all of the above in rural America for the quality of life.  Living in a rural community, I feel more people volunteer and take part in the community because we all feel the need to support our schools, churches, libraries, and civic organizations because there are fewer of us than in urban areas. In cities and urban area with larger populations not as many individuals need to be volunteers for multiple organizations. It's not out of the ordinary for a rural business owner (and this includes farmers) to be a volunteer firefighter, serve on a church committee, help out at school, and be a 4H leader. In rural America we take care of our own.

The writer continues on how soil erosion has degraded and impaired watersheds. Here are a couple of interesting facts. Soil erosion has decreased by 33% from 1982 to 2007. Conservation farming is continuously increasing. In 2006, conservation tillage was used on 13.9 million acres in Iowa. In 2007, 15.2 million acres of conservation tillage was practiced. In Iowa alone 250,000 acres of wetlands have been re-established. Can Iowa farmers improve? Absolutely! But, with new technology and education we are making great strides to save AND improve our natural resources.

Here is a quote from this article. "Unlike meth, commodity agriculture is legal, legitimized by the USDA and land grant colleges of agriculture, and financed by tax dollars, laundered through corn subsidies and ethanol plants (car wash in Breaking Bad)." Wow, nothing like calling the kettle black Enshayan. I'm pretty sure that I'm financing you, whether I like it or not, with my tax dollars. The world has a growing population and there is a growing need for protein. Corn is an excellent feed source for cattle, hogs, and poultry - all protein dense foods. There are government food subsidies to ensure economical food for the US population.  Sure, we could produce our crops without a government payment but the increased food prices in the grocery stores would reflect this.  Ethanol plants have brought jobs back into rural Iowa. Hence more consumers and volunteers in rural Iowa towns. Plus, when I fill my family minivan with ethanol I am buying local.

Enshayan does acknowledge in the last paragraph of his article that many Iowa farmers are practicing good agronomy. However, like so many articles showing up in print and social media , Enshayan has taken the low road and sensationalized issues that do need addressing with poor, unrealistic comparisons. Scare tactics are not necessary to educate the US consumer.

I try to keep a positive attitude but it's frustrating when individuals decide to cut me and my occupation down. So, I will now return to my Iowa Nice mode.

Hey! Check out this opportunity at www.Iowafoodandfamily.org! You could spend a day with an Iowa farmer and have all of your burning questions answered about the food you eat.

Win a trip to an Iowa farm

The next time you look at farms zooming by you as you travel through the state, picture yourself there: riding in a tractor, feeding cattle, harvesting soybeans. Iowa Food & Family Project and Iowa's farmers look forward to helping you feed your curiosity about agriculture and connect the dots from the farm to the food on your plate by hosting you for a real field day!

One lucky winner and family will have the opportunity to experience spring planting on an Iowa farm. The contest entry period ends March 31 with the winner announced in early April.

Happy Thanksgiving to You!

2013-11-28T07:00:00.000-06:00

If you could travel back in time who would you want to meet? I have a list of individuals that includes Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Amelia Earhart, Paul Tibbets, and Margaret Thatcher to name a few. But, at the top of my list would be George Washington. I should back up. I am in total awe of the common citizens who took on the King of England, declared their independence, and then fought to create this county. The colonial times through the Revolutionary War is a time period I love to read about. I always wonder what inspired these people to act. It's one thing to talk and complain but it's another to act upon one's grievances. What did they have in them to take on an impossible task and succeed? George Washington was a soldier, engineer, politician, and a farmer. He was intelligent, quiet, humble, and a leader most respected. But why George Washington? What set him apart from all the others to lead during this amazing yet frightening time in our nation's history? Historians go back and forth arguing about Washington's religious beliefs. However, I am confident that it was God's divine intervention that inspired individuals like Washington to build this country. For this I am thankful.

George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation
“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor, and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me ‘to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.’
“Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, Who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this country previous to their becoming a Nation, for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of His providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war, for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed, for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

“And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the People, by constantly being a government of wise, just and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and Us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.”

Saturday Video

2013-09-28T17:07:00.001-05:00

Six Days

2013-07-23T15:35:00.000-05:00

Six days until entry day of the Clayton County Fair.

Mom Video

2013-07-15T10:17:00.000-05:00

We are in the midst of the county fair season and there are many 4H and FFA families on the verge of . . . well, let's just say there are a lot of very busy 4H'ers and FFA kids across the country right now. I found this video this morning and it made me giggle. I hope all you 4H moms and "retired" 4H/FFA moms get a giggle as well.

Ok Boys, back to work. Only 15 days to the Clayton County Fair!

Saturday Video

2013-07-13T07:30:00.000-05:00

Better Late Than Never

2013-07-10T17:33:00.000-05:00

First, my apology. I am not tech savvy. In fact, I hate computers - I would much rather be outside in my hosta garden or in the kitchen cooking. However, they are a fact of life and I do appreciate all the conveniences that come along with computer technology. But, when a computer does not do what it is suppose to do I'm completely lost and FRUSTRATED. So, here is a post that was to be done a week ago. There will be a few other late posts coming up. Please be patient with me - I'm one desperate computer operator. Now with that little editorial complete, on with the blog.

Every 4th of July I take a picture of Grandpa and the boys in front of a corn field. There is the old saying, "Knee high by the 4th of July". That is an old corn farmer's gauge as to how well the crop is doing.

With the mixed up, crazy spring we basically have three different corn plantings - mid May, late May and mid June. None of these are considered timely. If you would like more information about timeliness of corn planting go on back to my blog post titled "The 8th Day of Planting", the end of May.

The field I take a picture of each week on the Growing Season Picture page was one of the first farms planted. If you hope over to that page you can see how far along this field is. But on the 4th Dad/Grandpa was side dressing our corn on later planted farms. So Dad being Dad we took two 4th of July pictures - one on an earlier planted farm and one on a late planted farm.

Mid season planting of corn
on the 4th of July.

A late planted field of corn - well, at
least it made knee high on the boys.

Farm Boy Creativity

2013-07-08T20:45:00.000-05:00

I love farm boy creativity. Take 1 very hot and humid day, add in a couple of boys and Mom never knows what to expect.

I wasn't sure what was transpiring when Son #3 wanted to know where to find the dish soap (Apparently he has never had a need to use it before now.) and his pop-up tent. Then I looked out the window to see every hose on the farm connected together and going all the way from the seed warehouse across the farm yard, to the top of the hill by the machine shed. Next, I saw Son #1 wandering from building to building. When I asked what he was looking for I got the usual "not much" comment.

When they ran out of the house in their swimming trunks I figured they were going to have a water fight. Well, they did a little better than that . . . All I can say is that necessity is the mother of invention.

Silage tarps tacked down with tent spikes make
a great slip and slide.

Squirt a little dish soap on the plastic to
add some speed.

FUN ALL THE WAY DOWN!

Facts! Just the Facts Ma'm!

2013-07-02T10:36:00.000-05:00

I posted this video by Cornell University on my FaceBook page: 2 Farmers & Their 3 Sprouts but I believe this is an important video well worth your time to watch. Or, at least please listen to it while doing something else.

http://www.cornell.edu/video/gmos-misconceptions-and-concerns

The scientists in this video go over the facts about GMOs, NOT the fiction that is continuously shadowing the science behind producing food for the world.

Saturday Video

2013-06-29T07:30:00.000-05:00

For all you 40 somethings out there!

Saturday Video

2013-06-22T07:30:00.000-05:00

Hair Cut

2013-06-19T08:45:00.001-05:00

It was recently Morton's 1st birthday. Morton would be our dog. How else do you celebrate a birthday other than by getting a haircut!

Before

After

Like any little boy Mort enjoys running, playing outside and getting very dirty. And, like any little boy after his bath and buzz cut he headed right to the shop, rolled around in the dust and rubbed up against the grease guns. He's just like all the other males on this farm.

Saturday Video(s)

2013-06-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

Nitrogen?

2013-06-14T07:30:00.000-05:00

These three look like they may be on a leisurely stroll through a corn field enjoying one of the few days we have had of sunshine. But, they are doing more than that. Due to the excessive amounts of rain we have received this spring there is a real concern that the corn crop may be short on nitrogen. Nitrogen is one of four most important nutrients needed to produce corn. While we have applied some nitrogen already to the field we still have time to side dress the amount yet needed by the crop. To determine what the amount still needed is we need to have soil tested in a lab. That means we need to take soil samples. Lots of soil samples.

Joe and Junior Super Intern (along with #3's help) sometimes tag team pulling soil samples to send to the testing lab. Joe pulls the first core down to the 1 foot level. Then he drops the soil core into the bucket.

Then, Junior Super Intern(JSI) takes a core out of the same core hole
as Joe but this core is from 1 foot to 2 feet deep. This is where muscle comes in.

It takes a lot of umph to get that soil probe down that deep. I used to take these samples by myself 20 years ago but then I wised up - take the pictures and have a strapping young man do the hard work. Joe and JSI take several cores in an area of the field. This will be one sample that is bagged up. There will be several samples taken acrossed a farm because soils vary acrossed a farm and each soil holds nitrogen differently.

Because the soil is so wet it often sticks in the soil probe. A long time ago we discover that Pam cooking spray applied to the probe will help the soil slide out easily and not effect the analysis. This is where #3 comes in. He is the Pam man!

Once all the samples are pulled the bags are labeled and set in the frig so the soil bacteria are slowed down from fixing more nitrogen in the sample and we get an accurate measurement from the lab.

When you live on a farm you never know for sure what
may end up in your frig.

JSI packs up the samples and ships them off to the testing lab. In a couple of days the results are emailed to us. From the labs measurements we can decide if we need to add more nitrogen to the field for the corn crop.

For those of you in the know - yes, I realize I simplified this process but I didn't want to give a lecture today. If you would like more information about this follow these links:

How to do a Deep Nitrate Test Soil Sample - http://www.extension.iastate.edu/publications/pm1584.pdf

Nitrogen Fertilizer Recommendations for Iowa - http://www.extension.iastate.edu/publications/pm1584.pdf

This whole process takes a lot of the guess work out of managing a corn crop. The farmer finds out if more nitrogen is needed by the crop. If it is needed a corn grower can side dress the crop with anhydrous ammonia, urea, or liquid 28%. If more nitrogen is not needed the grower can move on to the next chore on this list. This is good for the crop, the environment, and the farmer's pocket book.

The Passing of the Chickens

2013-06-11T09:54:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year once again when the boys need to make room for their 4H broiler chicken fair projects. That means the old layers get booted out of their coop so the new layers can move in and the baby broilers have their own coop when they arrive. What it comes down to is that we do not have enough suitable buildings for all of our fine feathered friends. So, sons #1 and #2 need to find new homes for their lovely, feathered ladies to the dismay of their egg customers. It is ashame as the hens are just over a year old and in their prime egg laying stage.

But, never fear! Number 1 did some wheeling and dealing with a friend of his to take a few as well as neighbors of ours decided it's time for their kids to take on a little more responsibility. So, Sunday afternoon the last 21 chickens took a short trip down the road.

I believe these three are wondering what
their parents got them into this time.

#1 giving a lecture on the color of chickens ears. Did you
know that you can determine the color of the egg a chicken
will lay by looking at it's ears? A chicken with brown ears lays
brown eggs and a chicken with white ears lays white eggs.

As you can see these chickens are on the tame side.

The ladies checking out their new digs.

This picture has nothing to do with the chickens

but I thought the lush green pasture and the red barn

looked nice.

Saturday Video

2013-06-08T07:30:00.000-05:00

What Should the Public Know About Agriculture?

Done!

2013-06-04T18:05:00.000-05:00

Finished up planting at 5:00pm!

Sigh of relief. . .

The 10th Day of Planting

2013-06-04T11:57:00.000-05:00

Rain drops on a planter tire.

Well, the forecast for two days of good weather was wrong. We have been planting this morning but we keeping getting small showers of rain. It's not enough rain to make soil stick to the tires of the tractors or planters so Dad and Joe are still going. If this was May 4th instead of June 4th, we would stop and wait for better weather and soil conditions but circumstances dictate otherwise.

Soil is not sticking to the
press wheels of the
planters - yet.

The heavy rain is hanging just west of us so we will keep on pushing forward. You will need to stay tuned and find out if we are able to finish up planting today or if we need to wait for the next break in this rainy weather or go Preventive Planting.

Dad trying to figure out why a seed drop
sensor is not communicating with the
computer in the tractor.

I have no idea what time Joe headed out to start planting but I had a very early morning phone call from him. I thought maybe he was calling to wish me a great day in the weed warehouse or whisper sweet endearments in my ear. But, I was mistaken - Dad was broken down and needed pieces and parts - NOW!.

Oh well, life of a farm wife.