Ag Is Sexy...And You Know It!

Thanks to Dr. Ronnie Green, UNL IANR Vice Chancellor, we can all agree that AGRICULTURE IS SEXY. (Dr. Green has coined that phrase this past year) You are probably thinking how is ag sexy? Just watch these three brothers from Kansas show how sexy agriculture truly is!

Wordless Wednesday

I'm a "Corn Star"

So, for this weeks County Music Monday, I'm gonna ditch the life lessons and philosophical-ness which I usually try and convey to you all, and replace it with some, well I'm not quite sure yet.  I guess I'm winging this post tonight. haha

So this weeks song is CORN STAR by the one and only Craig Morgan.  I stumbled upon this song about two weeks ago and immediately fell in LOVE with it.  I honestly am a true sucker for funny songs with great innuendos. So thus I present you with.... CORN STAR.

So instead of me relating this song to life, I'm just gonna give you some great CORN facts.  Since my family makes a majority of its living fromcorn production, it only seems fit.
So here we go....  

1. U.S. farmers produce about 40 percent of the world's corn, using only 20 percent of the total area harvested in the world. 
2. One bushel of corn is 56 pounds. That means U.S. farmers produce an average of more than 9,000 pounds of corn per acre. 
   
3. If U.S. farmers used crop production practices from 1931 to produce an amount of corn equivalent to the 2008 crop, it would require 490 million acres—an area more than 120 million acres larger than the state of Alaska.
   
4. Individuals or families own 82 percent of corn farms. Another 6 percent are family-held corporations.
   
5. Less than 15 percent of U.S. corn acres are irrigated.
   
6. Farmers today produce 70 percent more corn per pound of fertilizer than as recently as the 1970s.
   
7. Corn farmers have reduced total fertilizer use by 10 percent since 1980.
   
8. According to the USDA, one acre of corn… removes about 8 tons of carbon dioxide from the air in a growing season…at 180 bushels per acre produces enough oxygen to supply a year’s needs for 131 people.
   
9. Corn production has marched steadily upward for decades while using fewer acres.
   
10. American farmers produced the five largest corn crops in history during the past five years. Even after supplying food-makers, ranchers, ethanol producers and grain exporters, America will again be able to save 10 percent of this year’s harvest for the future.
    
11. Farmers today grow five times as much corn as they did in the 1930s — on 20 percent less land. That is still 13 million acres, or 20,000 square miles, twice the size of Massachusetts.
    
12. The yield per acre has skyrocketed from 24 bushels in 1931 to 154 now, or a six-fold gain.

Now it is sad to say that many people in our world today are uneducated in the facts about farming and ranching in America.  It is not always their fault though, many people have never been exposed to truths about the agriculture industry, because today the average consumer is 3 generations removed from the farm. Because of this fact, most consumers get their thoughts and opinions from public figures, social media, and television, none of which most of the time are connected to production agriculture and report the facts.
 
So again I say, like I always do, it doesn't matter what your choices and opinions are when it comes to your food choices, but it does matter that you are making choices that are based on truth and facts from the people who produce your food.  The ones who work extremely hard to produce the safest and healthiest food for us as consumers to enjoy.

You as a consumer are not the only ones who eat the food that farmers and ranchers produce, they eat it as well.  So don't you think they would want to raise safe and healthy food? Farmers and Ranchers eat from the same table as the rest of us. 

...that's what she said 

Ashley

Learn From Your Farmer, Know Your Farmer, Trust Your Farmer

For the last two days in Los Angeles, there has been some AMAZING things happening.  The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance hosted::

The Food Dialogues: Los Angeles
Lights, Camera, Food: Perceptions and Realities of Farming and Ranching in AmericA

The panels were streaming live on the internet so I was able to listen in on the last panel of the day.  And boy o boy was it a good one.  It was so awesome to see a large panel made up of a diverse group of people, but one thing that they all had in common... farmers.  

Panelists

• Dr. Dave Daley • Associate Dean, College of Agriculture, Chico State University & Cattlemen
• Vinny Dotolo • Chef, Animal 
• Ray Martin • Vice President, Culinary Development & Corporate Executive Chef
• Gabe Segovia • Manager, Culinary Innovation, El Pollo Loco
• Julie Maschhoff • Pig farmer & Vice President, Public Policy and Public Relations, The Maschhoffs 
• Kristin Reese • Chef, farmer/rancher
• Jon Shook • Chef, Animal 

The discussion was titled The REAL Chef Challenge: Understanding How Food is Grown and Raised.  I didn't get to listen in on all of it because I was at work and well, since it is only my first week on the job, I was trying to multi-task and do work and still listen, but from the topics that I did catch, there was alot of amazing points that were brought up.  Another great thing happening during all of this was social media.  Now in today's age the use of social media is immense and it sure was shown today.  I can honestly say that the twittersphere was blowing up!

So instead of my blabbing on and on about how awesome this panel was today I'm just gonna throw out a few of the best things I heard today.

1. 98% of all farms in America are family owned. Family plays a critical role in agriculture.
2. It's not just educating, its about conversing and listening. Know Your Farmers, Trust Your Farmer.
3. Agriculture by definition is innovative- give a farmer or rancher a challenge and they will overcome it.
4. Conventional farmer is a misnomer, all farming has changed over the past several years.  It's constantly improving. 
5. Why do we welcome technology into daily life but resist it in agriculture?

So after all this said, I guess my main point that I always go back to is, EDUCATE yourself about your food choices.  Don't let social media, celebrities, or outsiders choose for you.  If you have questions or concerns about your food, ASK A FARMER.  They are the ones growing your food, so they are the only ones who truly know how and where your food is coming from. 

LEARN FROM YOUR FARMER, KNOW YOUR FARMER, TRUST YOUR FARMER

...that's what she said

Ashley

The Last of a Dying Breed

The average age of the American farmer is 57 years old, and there has been a 20% drop in the number of farmers under the age of 25. (according to USDA)  Now many may wonder why this is such a problem so let me put it simply. 
Farmers feed the world.
 
Without farmers producing food for us to eat, we won't eat.
While I was on my way home last night I heard the song, Last Of A Dying Breed.  And I started to think about my grandpa.  My grandpa Fred is 94 years old and would still be a full time farmer if his health would allow.  But don't get me wrong, at 94 years young he still tends to his garden, mows the yard, checks some irrigation wells, and drives a tractor now and again. He is the definition of life long true American Farmer and for sure, the definition of the last of a dying breed. 

But then I think about my father.  My dad is about the average age of a farmer today.  Then I think about my older brothers.  They are 25 and 28 years old.  They are a all part of a "rare breed" in today's world and I am proud to have true American farmers in my life.  But one thing that, well frankly scares the bejeepers out of me is the fact that someday the average age of our farmers might be in the 60s.  Which will mean that our total number of farmers is still decreasing.  And that is a fact that should scare everyone because we need our farmers and ranches to produce all the products that we use everyday.  Our worlds population is projected to double by the year 2050.  This means we are going to need to increase our world food production immensely by then and we need as many farmers as we can to reach that goal.

So, it is so important that we support our farmers and ranchers because, well without them, we can't survive.

...that's what she said
Ashley