Look Out 2013....

So I have never been one to make new year resolutions because, well, lets be honest, there is nothing about me that isn't perfect. But just for kicks and giggles I decided to jot down some resolutions for my 2013.....

1. Be nicer to dumb people.

2. Eat more fruit...snacks.
3. Teach Peyton more manners.
4. Stop licking frozen flag poles.
5. Learn to adapt to the things I cannot control.
6. Drink less......cheap beer.

7. Watch more cat videos on YouTube.
8. Go downtown more without Molly.

9. Realize that some people are just assholes, plain and simple.
10. Get adopted by the Duck Dynasty clan.

11. Realize, that some people will lie to me.
12. Watch every episode of Big Bang Theory...consecutively.
13. Turn my fabulous off once and awhile.
14. Drive closer to the speed limit.
15. Use my vacuum more.
16. Stop being a lazy ass.
17. "Take alil ride" with Jason Aldean so he stops asking once.

18. Stop caring about what others think, and do what makes me happy.
19. Learn how to fold a fitted sheet.
20. Appreciate the simple things.
21. Be thankful for what I have.
22. Stop putting the peanut butter in the fridge.

23. Don't sleep on couches so much.
24. Find out where in the world Carmen San Diego is.
25. Realize that everything is going to be alright, maybe not today, or tomorrow, but eventually.
26. Learn to play the piano on my iPad.
27. Learn when to walk away and when to talk a step forward.
28. Realize it's not always all about you.

29. Wash my car more.

30. Take more naps with Peyton.

31. Realize that some people will never change, and that my energy is not worth the struggle.
32. Don't judge myself or others by the past, we don't live there anymore.
33. Attend more livestock shows.

34. Learn how to tickle myself.
35. Finally "shake it" for Luke Bryan.

36. Don't just be busy, be productive.
37. Keep winning on slot machines.
38. Enjoy my youth, but act like an adult.

39. Learn more than three words to Gangnam Style.
40. Marvel in gods beauty.

41. Continue text bombing all my friends with rottenecards.
42. Set a good example.
43. Stop making milkshakes that bring all the boys to the yard.
44. Buy a trampoline.
45. Hang out with the cows more.

46. Tell my friends and family, I love you more.

47. Accept the things I can't change and leave the past in the past.
48. Keep punching awkward in the face!

49. Continue to love life.
50. Don't die!

With a road map like this for the next year, I'd say FAILURE is NOT an OPTION!

...that's what she said

I Didn't Die!

Now that 2012 is almost over its time to share the awesomeness that was my life the last 365 days. So here it is folks... My life in a list..

1. Started this blog!
2. Flew to the other side of the world.
3. Graduated college!

4. Made new friends... Some good, some not so good, and kept some amazing friends around! 
5. Visited my bestie in Nashville!

6. Road tripped with some amazing friends to visit my other bestie in Dodge City!
7. Jumped off a cliff into glacier water!
8. Got a big girl job that I love!

9. Went to the bars probably to much. ;)
10. Had to much fun at the bars....

11.Made some "bad decisions" that I definitely don't regret. :)
12. Saw my main man Eric Church again!

 13. Turned the big 2-2.

14. Moved to my own place.
15. Paraglided off of a mountain.

16. Excused some people and welcomed new ones into my life.
17. Rode a mechanical bull.
18. Introduced the ladies to the awesomeness that is wings at Gary's.

19. Discovered my favorite nail salon!
20. Got a Target REDcard!!
21. Learned the importance of organ donation.
22. Was a bridesmaid for the first time.
23. Picked up dog do-do with a doggy bag.

24. Rode a Harley.
25. Won some business plan competitions.
25. Got my first article published on agweb!
26. Discovered the amazingness that is RedBox!
27. Found my new love for Pendleton.
28. Saw Channing Tatum at the airport.
29. Said good bye to the G6.

30. Became a better Agvocate.
31. Bought WAY to many pairs of shoes.
32. Finally bought some square toes, which I practically live in now.
33. Fully jumped on the Red Dirt bandwagon.
34. Shared a beer with a PBR champion.
35. Got an iPad!
36. Had my car broken into.
37. Painted myself silly.
38. Learned how to light the rubix cub that is a pilot light.
39. Won $90.50 on a slot machine.

40. Finally invested in a corkscrew.
41. Got a crockpot!!!
42. Swore to much.
43. Fell out of the raft, while white water rafting. (sad part is that's not the first time)

44. I continued my rep as a smart ass.
45. "Tried" to stop fishing with corn dogs.
46. Continued to be fricken awesome!

47. Took a lot of photos of cattle, corn, tractors, and other Ag stuff.

48. Continued to be sarcastic 24/7.
49. Learned to look forward, not back...
50. I DIDN'T DIE!

SCORE:  2012 - 0  Ashley - 50

Bring it on 2013.

...that's what she said

Farmer Style

There isn't much I can say about this video except that, I. LOVE. THE. PETERSON. BROS! These Kansas boys are the prime reason why I love American farmers and ranchers. And they show it perfectly in the music videos they are so famous for producing. So Great job boys! Keep it up!

Thanks Boys!

Thanksgiving is the biggest food holiday of the year. The prescription is simple: Eat massive amounts of turkey; or hopefully beef, stuffing, mashed and sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and top it off with pumpkin pie. If, after the feast has concluded, you can muster up the energy, you drag yourself to the couch to watch football and enjoy another of the time-tested Thanksgiving traditions, the nap.

The Thanksgiving meal is a modern marvel of sorts. Your dinner table will be filled with a cornucopia of foods with growing locations as diverse as their flavors. Many of our cranberries will come from Wisconsin; Minnesota is the state that produces more turkeys than any other, your yummy yams may have came from North Carolina, the sweet potato leader, and there is a good chance your great tasting beef came from Nebraska. Thanksgiving Day dinner is a meal that illustrates how efficient and economical American farmers and ranchers are as well as the entire American agriculture system.

The statistics of Thanksgiving Day dinner can be mind-boggling: Americans will eat over 45 million turkeys this Thursday and over 80 million pounds of cranberries will be consumed. In virtually every corner of our nation, supermarkets will have all the ingredients necessary to make an impressive meal. While the numbers are staggering, it’s simply amazing that our nation’s food system can grow, process, and transport all that food to many locations around the country that can’t support their own agriculture.

With a growing disconnect between farms and consumers, more and more people have no idea where their food comes from. They simply expect grocery stores and restaurants to have what they want, when they want it and at a reasonable price. Thanks to modern American agriculture, they usually do, which is truly amazing when you think about the many facets involved.

Less than 2% of Americans spend their days growing, raising and sharing the nutrients that will soon be eaten by consumers around the world. This is definitely something to thank the people at the beginning of the food chain for, our American farmers and ranchers. 

Due to some great technology, thanking a farmer or rancher can be an easy task. Use social media to thank our producers and to spread the word and encourage others to thank them as well. Are you on Twitter? Then, send out a message with #ThankAFarmer hashtag in it. Or, share links to U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance or other farm organizations on your Facebook wall and encourage others to do the same.  Add a pin to Pinterest about your appreciation for agriculture.  There are thousands of ways to show our farmers and ranchers we care, so I ask you to take a few minutes to do just one.  

As the last of the leaves fall off the trees, Americans across our country will gather with family and friends to celebrate a holiday with roots as deep as our country is old: Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving causes us to reflect on the many blessings of the past year. Let us also remember to thank the American farmers and ranchers who labored to provide the wonderful bounty we are about to enjoy. 

So I would like to take this moment to thank the following: Dustin (the brother from the same mother), Lyle (brother of the doughnut provider), John (aka Schurman), Duane (that funny guy), Kenny (that old guy that lives in the tractor), Brad (the cousin), Lyle (somedays I like to call him Dad), Grandpa Fred ("hey, who's that short little guy", sorry inside joke), Mike (the doughnut provider), Brett (the other brother from the same mother).

Thanks boys! You fill my belly with yummy-ness, and I sure do appreciate it!

...that's what she said

The F Word

Big is celebrated in many ways because it often equates to success. But for some reason in today's world, big farming often gets a bad rap. I ponder this everyday, and especially when I get the opportunity to share with someone what my family does for a living.

Farming and the Nunnenkamp family goes together like peanut butter and jelly. I was never fortunate enough to know my great grandparents but they starting farming the American soil when they immigrated over to the U.S. My grandpa Fred is the oldest of 11 children and I am pretty positive he was born knowing how to farm. Except for a few years where he was overseas serving our great country in World War II, he has spent his life tilling the soil and turning seeds into success. Now 95 years later (he will be 95 in a few weeks, so Happy Early Birthday Grandpa!), he is still doing what he was born to do, FARM. Except now, he has his sons and grandsons by his side, and some days even his great grandson. We are a FAMILY FARM and darn proud of it.

So back to the "big is bad" idea. Big does not mean that a farm is not a family business. Our farm did not start big, it has grown over time.  The size of farm my grandpa had 50 years ago was not big enough to be run by my dad and uncle when they decided to join the operation. And the size of farm my grandpa, dad, and uncle had was not big enough to be run by 3 additional members, my cousin and two brothers as well. And I assume that a few years down the road when the next generation wants to join the farm, expansion will occur again.

In order for farmers to work together and farm as a family, operations have to evolve and grow.  Just because we are bigger than most does not mean that we do things different than any other farmer. We still have the same practices and take care of the environment.  We are stewards to the land and work hard to grow crops the best that we can. It literally breaks my heart when I hear someone say that big farms are, I cant believe I am about to say this F word, "Factory Farms". Yes, we have 450 head of cattle but we raise and care for them the same way as if we had 50 cows.  Yes we have 8,000 acres of crops, but we grow and care for them with the same passion as if we only had 1,000 acres. Just because one farm is bigger than the other doesn't mean one is bad and one is good. We need all kinds and types of farms to create diversity and feed our ever growing world. So it is not fair to label big farms as bad or "factory farms".

Smile boys!...or just open your mouth and stare awkwardly, either works.

Being a farmer is NOT an easy job.  There are no weekends off or paid holiday vacations.  The farm doesn't close at 5pm or open at 8am.  It is 24/7.  I was once told that farming is not a job, it is a lifestyle. And that is a fact. My family lives and breaths farming, and agriculture in general. And the best part is that we all breath it together.  Working alongside your family is one of the greatest blessings a person can have.  I am sure there are days when my dad thinks my brothers are idiots or that everybody else thinks that dad is being bossy ( its okay we all love each other :), but at the end of the day I am sure I can speak for them when I say that they wouldn't change it for anything.

So I guess to sum it all up, in the Nunnenkamp family, there are some F- words we like, some F-words I am sure get used when they shouldn't on the farm, and some F-words that definitely don't describe us. But at our farm, F stands for FAMILY.

...that's what she said

How Country Feels

My whole life I was raised in the thick of the farming life.  Everyday I was able to wake up to an open window with the Nebraska sunrise shining in and corn fields glistening in the distance.  But in my young and dazed mind I would just wake up and never really realize or appreciate How Country Feels. 

Now 22 years later, I am off and on my own (well technically, thanks mom & dad for still helping me out when I need it :). I live in Lincoln, which to most is still just a town, but to me, its a big city.  There are many days I wake up to the sound of my neighbors banging around outside or squealing tires on the street and I think to myself, where is the bright sun that would wake me up in the morning and that I use to curse as a teenager.  Where are the corn fields in the distance? Where is the sound of cows bellering? Some may think these kinds of things are pointless, but that only means that you have never been shown How Country Feels.

So when I see groups like HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) and PETA (People for the Eating of Tasty Anima.... opps, I mean.. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) trying to attack  agriculture and the country way of life I just want to scream, YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW COUNTRY FEELS! How do you as a political lobbyist extremist think that you know what is best for agriculture? You know nothing about how or why we do the things we do? If you truly knew why we care for our animals and our environment with such respect and passion, you would not be attacking us they way you are.

So I ask you, are you giving into the media hype and greedy lobbyist groups who are trying to fool you in to thinking they actually care about the country and agriculture? or do you truly know How Country Feels.

...that's what she said
Ashley

...because I'm too lazy for a real blog topic

So I have been peerrrtty busy lately with my ever changing life that my mind is kind of exploding.  Anybody who knows me at all, knows that I am more random than a yellow munchkin eating an ice cream cone inside a Prius. I usually have plenty of time to spout off my crazy thoughts and sarcasm packed comments, but i feel as if I have had to bottle all that up lately.  So since Sam didn't want to hang out with me tonight because of pie (This will be a test to see if Sam actually reads this stuff) , I will take this time to clear my head.

• I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given 

Saturday night more kisses begin with Bud lights than Kay.
• I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they

 drive behind obeys the speed limit.
• Why doesn't the freezer have a light as well?
• What ever happened to the green and purple ketchup?
• Why is it called Planned Parenthood?
• Put your clothes back on Channing Tatum! said no one ever. 
• Justin Bieber, she really needs to be quiet. 
• I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to 

answer when they call.
• I am outdoorsy in the fact that I like getting drunk on my patio. 
• Fitted Sheets, are they foldable?
• I can't remember the last time I wasn't just a tad tired. 
• The best nicknames are the ones that people don't know that they have.
• Was it really necessary to waste my elementary years learning cursive?
• If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring 

would probably just be completely invisible.
• Nickleback, please stop.  
• I hate it when I am making myself a milkshake and all the boys show up in my yard.
• Why do gingers have no souls?
• Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?
• Why can't I tickle myself?
• If a word is misspelled in the dictionary, how will we ever now?
• WOW, that guy in the skinny jeans looks SO manly! said no one ever. 
• What if dog really spelled cat? (Chelewski that ones for you) 

And now for funny random animal pictures!!

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  ...that's what she said
  Ashley

I Am Definetly A Carnivore!

So I have totally FAILed.  I started out this blog totally awesome, and now I am a total slacker.  But in my defense I haven't had time to sit down and type out my random thoughts because I have been dealing with a lot of BEEF lately.

I accompanied 3 reporters from France and Netherlands to a feedyard as well as a ranch out near Gothenburg, NE.

They were traveling to Nebraska to cover the current drought and then go to Monsanto to learn about drought tolerant corn.

They were very open and understanding about our beef industry, but they had a hard time grasping the feed lot system since Europe does not operate feedlots.

It was quite an interesting trip which ended with a shattered back window of a rental car and 2 hours behind schedule.  But it was well worth it. 

I spent a lot of my last two weeks either prepping for or working at the State Fair.  I made sure to make time to go watch some of the livestock shows. My cousin Colton is the last family member to be showing cattle, and he does an AWESOME job! He had Champion FFA Market Heifer and Division Champion 4-H Market Steer.

It is pretty sentimental watching the shows, because I don't think I ever really appreciated showing livestock as much as do now. 

O ya, that's Miss Nebraska showing a calf in a mini skirt and heels.  Yes, that happened.

The Celebrity Cattle Show helped raise some money for some great charities.  To bad some one like Eric Church or Luke Bryan wasn't there leaded a steer in the ring.  I'm pretty sure I would have dumped my wallet in those buckets.

So the other parts of my State Fair time were spent at the Beef Pit.

Nothing beats a slab of  fresh prime rib or roast beef sandwich.

I wish I had a cooker this big!

The line is always CRAZY long to get in because the food is CRAZY good.

Nebraska corn fed beef is so good, I bet it could turn a vegetarian into a CARNIVORE! Speaking of vegetarians, while standing outside the Beef Pit directing the traffic, one of my coworkers over heard a conversation of two young boys and their parents.  First off, the smell outside the Beef Pit is A-MA-ZING! The little boys walked by and said "O Wow that smells soooo good!" And the father turns around and says "No, we don't eat meat".  Umm, excuse mister vegetarian, how do you know your kids don't eat meat.  I mean, I understand if you don't eat meat due to medical reasons, but to push your vegetarian-ism onto your children is ridiculous.  Animal protein is an important part in a humans diet, so why not let your children choose whether or not that want be a vegetarian like you.  And if humans are not suppose to eat meat, then why do I have sharp teeth like a carnivore??

mmmmm....nomnom I am definitely a CARNIVORE!

The Beef Pit is operated by volunteers.  Nebraska Cattlemen from all over come and serve fair goes a hearty protein packed plate of beef.

These guys serve up a sandwich every 16 SECONDS!  I think they have Jimmy Johns beat. That's Freaky Fast, So Fast You'll Freak.

...that's what she said

Ashley