Thank You Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Farmers!

So I always knew I liked Culver's, but after today, its probably a super bad thing that I live 2 minutes from this tasty restaurant.

Today I learned that Culver's has teamed up with the National FFA Organization to thank American farmers and the future of American agriculture, FFA members! In a world where it sometimes seems that hardworking farmers and ranchers are constantly the target of misguided information and radical untruths, to see something as simple as a photo on Facebook being shared and liked thousands of times can put a smile on the face of anyone involved in agriculture.

And beyond the fact that Culver's is proud to shout their support of farmers from the social media roof tops, they are also helping others thank a farmer by sending thank you notes, which in turn Culver's will donate $1 to the National  FFA Foundation for every note sent.

Click the photo to Thank A Farmer!

Then after you write your note, head on over to Culver's and divulge your taste buds in a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Concrete Mixer. Well, that's what I did anyway. And let me just take this moment to say thank you to the "Reese's Peanut Butter Cup farmers" for providing me with a tasty relief from my work day. Your Peanut Butter Cup farming is much obliged. :-)

Hey brother bears and poppa Lyle, to thank you for being super great farmers, I ate ice cream in your honor. You're welcome :-)

But before I sign off, I would just like to share a little diddly of information about other restaurants and food services companies that, shall we say, do not support American farmers. These places support groups such as The Humane Society of the United States and have been bullied by this radical anti-agriculture group to eliminate buying products raised by certain methods of production that HSUS does not agree with. Methods that American farmers use to produce the safest and healthiest food products in the most humane and efficient ways possible.

The list of places include:

• McDonald’s
• Wendy’s
• Burger King
• Sonic
• Safeway
• Harris Teeter
• Winn-Dixie
• Carl’s Jr.
• Hardee’s
• Quiznos
• Red Robin Gourmet Burgers
• Chipotle
• Whole Foods
• Wolfgang Puck
• along with many other businesses.

But, there is one restaurant that I will not be throwing under the bus like the above mentioned, and that is Domino's! After last year's Ag Pizza Party, Domino's scored major brownie points in the supporting American Farmers category. And now I can happily add Culver's to that category.

So I guess it looks like my diet from now on will consist of Domino's pizza and Culver's concrete mixers. Well, maybe just today's diet anyway.

...that's what she said

Nobody is Going to Tell Carrie Underwood to “Shut Up and Sing”

So the last few days Carrie Underwood has caused quite a ruckus on the web with her comments regarding her disapproval of Tennessee HB 1191/SB1248, The Livestock Cruelty Prevention Act.  And since all my fellow ag peeps are raising their voices on the issue, I figured I might as well join the party!

In Tennessee, The Livestock Cruelty Prevention Act (HB 1191/SB1248) has passed in the state legislature and is now awaiting the signature of Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. The measure stops animal rights activists from videotaping and editing videos to create animal cruelty on tape and sending these videos to the media and debuting them on social media to create publicity for something that may or may not have been fabricated. This measure certainly does not prevent farmers and ranchers from being transparent and helping to stop animal abuse, but it instead prohibits animal activists from going undercover with false pretenses in order to try and film abuse.

Well apparently, Carrie Underwood isn’t too happy about this measure entering into the agriculture world. A world she apparently LOVES and SUPPORTS so much, with her monthly donations to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), her vegetarianism, her support of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and her blatant disregard for a majority of her country music fans, who I can probably guess are involved in agriculture. 

Now what boils my blood more than ever, is that she supports groups such as HSUS, an anti-animal agriculture extremist group who would be MORE THAN HAPPY to put her ranching parents out of a job. Come on Carrie, do your research, talk to your family, realize what you are potentially supporting!

I was reading an article about some recent comments Underwood made about the TN bill saying: "Shame on TN lawmakers for passing the Ag Gag bill. If Gov. Bill Haslam signs this, he needs to expect me at his front door. Who's with me?"

In response, State Representative Andy Holt, who supports the bill, told local news: "I would say that Carrie Underwood will stick to singing, I'll stick to lawmaking."

To that I say, right on Representative Holt. This is just another example of celebrities using their status to try and manipulate the legal system.

The first sentence of that article also said, “nobody is going to tell Carrie Underwood to “shut up and sing”.

Well correction, I am …and I just did.

...that's what she said

So God Made A Farmer..."The Rest of the Story"

And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need a caretaker." So God made a farmer.

Never in my life have I had a heart stopping moment during a TV commercial. And last night, I can most certainly say that living rooms all around the country went “hush” during the “So God Made A Farmer” Dodge Ram commercial. I know that mine sure did. Every time I hear that moving poem, I get this “fluffy happy” feeling in my stomach and almost a tear in my eye. Seeing such purity on the TV screen after watching and hearing the awkwardness that was the Go Daddy creepy make out session is extremely refreshing. 

"Somebody who'd bale a family together with the soft strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh and then sigh, and then reply, with smiling eyes, when his son says he wants to spend his life 'doing what dad does.'" So God made a farmer.

But before you begin to bow down to the great Mr. Paul Harvey, “Here’s the rest of the story”…

Paul Harvey, was anti-animal agriculture. He was a closet animal rights zealot. The following is taken directly from the HSUS website:

“Some animal advocates may not be aware that Paul and Angel were two of the best friends that the animal protection movement and The HSUS ever had, and the same must be said of their surviving son, Paul Harvey Jr. This triumvirate supported the work of our organization on countless fronts, with the support from the elder Harveys dating back to the nascent days of the organization in the mid-1950s and continuing through our work today. In one way or another, they worked with all of the six CEOs of The HSUS since the group’s founding in 1954.”

Now this may come as a shock to a majority of us ag-nerds out there who use to praise that deep god like voice that would bellow over the rural radio waves with his long dramatic pauses and his legendary “good day!” sign off.  Trust me, I felt betrayed almost; I couldn’t sleep so that is why I am writing this at 1am. 

I have been seeing a lot of huf and puf about whether or not agriculture should like having Paul Harvey promote the American way of agriculture and also the National FFA Organization. Well here is my thought,

WHY ARE WE COMPLAINING ABOUT HAVING THE MOST EXPENSIVE TWO MINUTES ON TV MONEY CAN BUY, BEING SPENT PROMOTING AMERICAN FARMERS! (Major props to you Dodge! I always knew I had a soft spot for you somewhere deep inside my Chevy roots)

"I need somebody with arms strong enough to rustle a calf and yet gentle enough to deliver his own grandchild. Somebody to call hogs, tame cantankerous machinery, come home hungry, have to wait lunch until his wife's done feeding visiting ladies and tell the ladies to be sure and come back real soon -- and mean it." So God made a farmer.

We are seriously shooting ourselves in the foot right now people. This commercial ranked in the top five favorite commercials of the night and #SoGodMadeAFarmer was trending on twitter immediately after the airing. On a night when people are usually talking about Budweiser, Doritos, Beyonce forgetting to put her pants on, and Jim Harbaugh unplugging the Super Dome lights because he couldn’t beat his brother, people were talking about farmers and thinking about where their food comes from. Viewers were not concerned with the hidden agenda of the voice reciting the poem; they were listening to the words and getting lost in the images on the screen. People who have never even thought about the life of a farmer got to see real life people working hard to create a healthy wholesome product to nourish our nation. Now don’t get me wrong, my praise for Mr. Harvey has definitely been suppressed to some extent, but to each their own I guess. But in my opinion, agriculture most definitely won last night. 

...that's what she said

FYI: Paul Harvey did not write the poem "So God Made A Farmer", yes he did recite it at the FFA Convention in 1978, but the author is unknown. Also, go watch the commercial, because every time you do Dodge will donate money, up to $1 Million to the National FFA Organization.

And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need a caretaker." So God made a farmer. 

God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat supper and then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board." So God made a farmer. 

"I need somebody with arms strong enough to rustle a calf and yet gentle enough to deliver his own grandchild. Somebody to call hogs, tame cantankerous machinery, come home hungry, have to wait lunch until his wife's done feeding visiting ladies and tell the ladies to be sure and come back real soon -- and mean it." So God made a farmer. 

God said, "I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt. And watch it die. Then dry his eyes and say, 'Maybe next year.' I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from a persimmon sprout, shoe a horse with a hunk of car tire, who can make harness out of haywire, feed sacks and shoe scraps. And who, planting time and harvest season, will finish his forty-hour week by Tuesday noon, then, pain'n from 'tractor back,' put in another seventy-two hours." So God made a farmer. 

God had to have somebody willing to ride the ruts at double speed to get the hay in ahead of the rain clouds and yet stop in mid-field and race to help when he sees the first smoke from a neighbor's place. So God made a farmer. 

God said, "I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and heave bails, yet gentle enough to tame lambs and wean pigs and tend the pink-combed pullets, who will stop his mower for an hour to splint the broken leg of a meadow lark. It had to be somebody who'd plow deep and straight and not cut corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed and rake and disc and plow and plant and tie the fleece and strain the milk and replenish the self-feeder and finish a hard week's work with a five-mile drive to church. 

"Somebody who'd bale a family together with the soft strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh and then sigh, and then reply, with smiling eyes, when his son says he wants to spend his life 'doing what dad does.'" So God made a farmer.

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

Humane Society of the United States... Not On My Birthday!

Guess what y'all!! It's almost my birthday!! The big 2-2 is just 3 days away!! And everyone has been asking me lately "What do you want for your birthday?" So, I have been thinking lately what I would want for my birthday. And I guess I have been having trouble, and then something came across my radar the other day.

It was recently announced that Bank of America has launched a Visa card with pictures of little kittens and puppies on it. Sounds sweet right, well for every credit card account opened they will give $60 dollars to the Humane Society of the United States, and 25 cents for every $100 spent on each card.

Now first let me say, HSUS is NOT YOUR LOCAL HUMANE SOCIETY. HSUS HAS NO CONNECTION TO YOUR TOWNS ANIMAL SHELTER. So don't be confused or hoodwinked by their name.  Many people have been taken by the over dramatic commercials on tv and their extreme and radical approach in the media. So here are a few facts about HSUS that many are unaware off:   (these facts came directly from the Center for Consumer Freedom and Humane Watch)

-HSUS scams Americans out of millions of dollars through manipulative and deceptive advertising. 85% of all HSUS tv ads feature cats and dogs.  However, HSUS does NOT run a singel pet shelter and only gives 1% of the money it raises to pet shelters, and it has spent millions on anti-farm and anit-hunting political campaigns.

- HSUS receives poor charity-evaluation marks. ChairtyWatch(formerly the American Institute of Philanthropy)  gaves HSUS a D rating.

- Six members of Congress have called for a federal investigation of HSUS. In 2011, six congressmen wrote the IRS showing concerns over HSUS's attempts to influence public policy, which they believe has "brought into question HSUS's tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status.

- HSUS regularly contribute more to its own pension plan than it does to pet shelters.  An analysis of HSUS's tax returns determined that HSUS funneled $16.3 million to its executive pension plan between 1998 and 2009 - over $1 million more than HSUS gave to pet shelter during that period.

Quotes from HSUS Officials

-“We believe in the Three Rs - reducing the consumption of meat and other animal-based foods; refining the diet by eating products only from methods of production, transport, and slaughter that minimize pain and distress; and replacing meat and other animal-based foods in the diet with plant-based foods."– Wayne Pacelle, President/CEO (Farm & Dairy Magazine, 2009)

-"The Meat Industry Equals Systematic Murder."– sign carried by Paul Shapiro during Compassion Over Killing protest (The Washington Post, 2003)

-"My goal is the abolition of all animal agriculture." - John “J.P.” Goodwin, Director of Animal Cruelty Policy and former Animal Liberation Front spokesperson

HSUS is a radical animal rights organization that is not affiliated with local animal shelters and instead uses its more than $100 million budget to threaten America’s hardworking farmers and ranchers. While many Americans mistakenly believe HSUS is the national organization affiliated with local animal shelters, very little of its funding is used for hands-on animal care. Instead, HSUS uses its resources to attack farmers and ranchers with legislation, litigation, and public relations smear campaigns.

So for my birthday, the only thing that I want is for you to go to Bank of America's facebook page, and write them the TRUTH about HSUS and tell them why they are making a huge mistake in partnering with such an outrageous, radical, and immoral animal rights organization.  And if you do hold an account with Bank of America, do you really want to be apart of such a ridiculous partnership? If you value the food you eat or the clothes you wear, you will STAND UP for American farmers and ranchers and say NO to the HSUS.

that's what she said...

Ashley