Another annoying claim....

I read the back of a Cascadian Farm Organic cereal box... big mistake, I know. At the bottom, there is a box that says "Why Eat Organic?" And it lists 3 reasons. But none have actual facts backing up the reasons, it basically lists what constitues organic labeling.... once again misleading the public to believe that buying organic food makes you healthier and happier and a good person. But the 3rd reason really got under my skin... "Organic farming helps protect and nurture the environment- Organic farmers rely on time-tested natural methods including soil building and crop rotation to reduce the negative impact on the environment" Now, you all better be glad that Stephen is asleep and I am flying solo on this one because he would GO OFF. ALL Farmers rely on both things they mentioned. All farmers have to be stewards of their land. All farmers want good yeilds and good crops-- not just the organic guys who are working for big companies. Crop rotation is not something that organic farmers thought of or that is unique to them. And in fact, organic farms actually consume more land due to low yields and consume more resources (fuel) to produce their crops. Further more, as i stated in my milk post, most organic farmers are not people who believe in organics! They simply grow organic crops because they have found a way to put food on their table. They work for someone else. As Stephen always says... Farmers were the FIRST environmentalists and we will always be the ones who have the most at stake for protecting our land.

Safe Food

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2007/10/29/opinion/viewpoint/128387.txt
Amy Kaleita, an assistant professor of agricultural engineering at Iowa State University and a senior fellow in environmental studies with the Pacific Research Institute, writes in this commentary distributed by McClatchy Newspapers that public interest in the environment is increasing and the news is full of stories about food safety. Those developments have led many to push for a return to small organic farms.
Such farms do have certain advantages, and are committed to sustainable practices, but there is no guarantee that organic farms are better for the environment or food safety.
Organic farms ban the use of pesticides and genetically modified organisms, minimizing inadvertent effects on other organisms. However, whether such avoidance makes organic production "better" for the environment is largely a matter of personal priorities.
For the most part, these chemicals, when used properly, don't pose any net threat to the environment. In fact, many objections to their use are philosophical in nature, rather than scientific. Further, the required soil conservation practices are not unique to organic production. Many traditional growers use the same practices, even though not required, because of the associated soil fertility and erosion mitigation benefits. And some types of organic food, such as poultry, require more energy to produce than their conventional counterparts. Production of organic milk requires more land input and generates more carbon dioxide emissions. Some may argue that organic production means more local food, thus cutting down the environmental impacts of the associated "food miles." But a recent study from the United Kingdom's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs suggests that for some foods, global production might have a smaller environmental footprint than local production. While global products are transported long distances, they are also produced and transported in very large quantities, creating positive economies of scale. Purely local food production also is limited to only those crops well-suited to being grown in the local environment. This means a considerably diminished variety of foods for most consumers, and many organic foods are still transported long distances for this very reason.
Nor is it true that organic foods are necessarily a safer and healthier option than conventionally grown food. In a recent analysis of government data on fruit, vegetables and meats, Consumer Reports found that foods such as asparagus and bananas, even when treated with pesticides, do not tend to contain detectable levels of pesticides anyway.
While the concept of any pesticides in or on our food sounds scary, the majority of conventional foods have no detectable pesticide residues. The FDA has repeatedly found that America's dietary intakes of these chemicals are well within international and Environmental Protection Agency standards. There is also the possibility of disease outbreaks from any food; the spinach responsible for last year's E. coli outbreak was grown on a small organic farm. A comprehensive 2002 review of scientific research found that with the possible exception of nitrate content, there is no strong evidence that organic and conventional foods differ in concentrations of various nutrients.
Subsequent reports by the French Food Safety Agency and the Swedish National Food Administration also concluded that there is no difference in terms of food safety and nutrition. In a recent study at the University of California at Davis, organically grown tomatoes were observed to have more vitamin C, but no significant differences were found between conventional and organic bell peppers.
Surely, changes can be made to conventional food production systems to produce food that is friendlier to the environment, such as conversion from one or two crops in rotation to more diversified farming systems. And we should continue to investigate sustainable farming practices. But the public should understand that conversion to small organic farms will not necessarily have notable environmental and food-safety benefits.

Farmer Boy

One of my favorite books of all time has become one from the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Farmer Boy is the story of Almonzo Wilder, who Laura would eventually marry. I highly recommend it to everyone who is interested in learning about life on a farm. Here is a quote from the very end of the book, when his father is talking to him about considering a job outside of the farm. It brought me and Stephen to tears.

" A farmer depends on himself, and the land and the weather. If you're a farmer, you raise what you eat, you raise what you wear, and you keep warm with wood out of your own timber. You work hard, but you work as you please, and no man can tell you to go or come. You'll be free and independent, son, on a farm."

Amen to that. And thank you Lord, that you have called my family to live on a farm.

Dear Editor

I have sent this in to our local paper...
Dear Editor:
I want to thank you for your article a few weeks back asking the question, “Have you thanked a farmer?” As the wife of a multi-generation American farmer, I can answer with a resounding, “YES!”

I would like to add another important question: “Have you considered the source of your food lately?” In America today, there is an increasing need for the provision of a safe, affordable, and abundant food supply. We have all seen the negative effects of outsourcing our food supply to other countries. We are beginning to realize that cheap food can come at a very high price. As conventional farmers, we sometimes find ourselves in heated discussions over organic food and fiber with the public. And while these issues are important to discuss, I would like to suggest that the more important issue facing consumers today is the proper labeling and knowledge of country of origin on our food and fiber products. I have recently begun to scour the labels and bottles of what I am taking off of the shelf to see if everything inside has come from the USA, or if anything has been imported. I was shocked to read what I did! China, Argentina, Chile, Brazil…. All were contributing countries to my bottle of apple juice and canned fruit for my kids. I was glad I looked.

Most people have no idea of the strict regulations and standards that are imposed on all America’s farms and ranches. Detailed documentation, inspections, and the requirement of licensure are all part of an American farmer’s operation. Our food supply is the safest one in the world because of it.

I appreciate the hard work, dedication, and pride that go into farming in America and believe it is worth its weight in gold. I fully trust the farmers and ranchers who have produced it and trust that the standards and regulations that they are held to will continue to supply us with a safe, affordable, and abundant food supply.

Tracie Fulford, Monticello

Puberty at 5 months old?

Last night, we were kept awake every hour on the hour by a crying baby. Rather, a moooooooooooooooooooooooooooooing cow. All kinds of thoughts were going through my head at 1:45 this morning as to why she was calling to us. We've had her since she was 1 week old and NEVER before has she mooed in the middle of the night. Well, she mooed all night long. Stephen went to sleep in the guest bedroom because it was so loud!

This morning he called me at work to tell me that when he let her out of her pen to take her to the pasture, she tried to jump on his back. She followed him everywhere sniffing his rear end. Poor guy! Poor sweetums!

Long story short, she thinks she is ready for a gentleman caller, but she has to wait a whole year! 18 months is the recommended age for pregnancy. Unfortunatley for all parties involved, she will go in heat every 21 days and it lasts for 15 hours. So technically we "should" get some sleep tonight. Of course, most of you know that the midnight snacker aka Gannett could wake us up at any moment with a cold Motts bottle of juice in my bed next to my skin as I am sleeping...

White Gold

2 questions for ya: What color cow makes chocolate milk? and.... Where does your food come from? If you ask these questions to a child, they will probably say BROWN! and PUBLIX! And maybe some adults would too.... Some families have such little association with agriculture that they literally have no idea where their food comes from, or what it took to get it onto the shelves at the store. This is a problem! And it has become such a problem, that it has fueled the organic food, hormone free milk, and free range meat debate to a degree that US farmers are now in danger of not farming... but that is a different topic for a different post... don't worry, it's coming. This was supposed to be about the $4.50 gallon of white gold in your fridge. Got milk? Let me start with some definitions:

• cow- a female bovine who has birthed a calf
• heifer- a female bovine who has not birthed a calf and who is of birthing age (+12 mo)
• steer- a male bovine who has had his manhood taken (or twisted) from him; the majority of beef we eat
• bull- a male bovine who is ready and waiting
  
• Holstein- black and white cows used primarily for MILK that is used for milk products
  
• Jersey- light brown cows used primarily for MILK that is used for cream products; Sweetums is a Jersey
• Angus/Brahman/Limosine; - bovine used primarily for BEEF
• homogenized: no cream
  
• pasturized: to kill bacteria- taken up to 161 degrees
  
• ultra-pasturized: taken up to 250 degrees - most creams, organic milk
  

I have toured a few dairy farms in north FL and we are friends with several dairymen throughout the state. This is a very labor intensive, time consuming, stressful occupation. Women, remember all the factors that go into successful nursing? Well, think about a 2000 pound animal with the same problems. Mastitis is frequent. "Bad nursers" are not uncommon. Slow let down. Low supply. Stress. Sickness. The same things happen as with humans. And it is not easy to make sure cows are happy! People talk about organic or free range animals being "happier." Trust me---unhappy animals are not a farmers friend. Regardless of being organic or free range, a farmer/rancher tries their hardest to keep their animals happy. Think about it! So generally speaking, after a calf is born on a dairy farm, they nurse for 24 hours-3 days. They are then seperated from their mother and given formula. The mothers are put back into production. For those of you who just thought, "how sad"-- remember a few things. 1-America needs milk. 2- animals are NOT humans. Depending on the size of the herd on the dairy, cows are milked 1-3 times a day; 24 hours a day; 7 days a week. They are put on pasture or on grain in between milkings. When it is time to be milked, they walk into the milk parlor, go to their stall, their hind end is washed off, their udder is sterilized with iodine, and the milker is attached (think breast pump). They are also checked for clogged ducts. They are milked for a few minutes, and then out they go and in comes the next group. The milk goes into a huge vat that is immediately cooled to 34-38 degrees F. The semi you see driving down the interstate that says MILK on it drives to dairies all day and all night. Also depending on the size of the herd, they go to the dairy 1-3 times a day. The driver tests the milk for hormone/antibiotic levels, temperature, and quality. For those of you shocked by this, yes, the US gov't has regulations that milk cannot have traces of antibiotics AT ALL in it. I'm not talking about organic dairies! (This is what irritates us the most about organic claims-I'm trying very hard to not go off on this right now). Sick cows who have been given antibiotics are simply taken out of production until they are off of them. What a concept! Then the driver hooks up a giant hose from the vat to the truck and then he is off on his way to the milk bottler in that area where it is pasteurized, bottled under several different labels usually and turned into milk products. Now here is my most favorite and fascinating fact on FL milk.... from the time the cow is milked, to the time you have thrown the empty milk jug away---- an average time of 7 days has passed! Now that is some fresh milk. (To contrast, non-local organic milk that is sold in stores has a very long shelf life due to ultra pasturization and has usually traveled a great distance to get there. )

Whoa. That was a lot of info. Any questions?

Little known farmer facts...

For my first post, I want to give everyone a little bit of learnin bout how important farmers are to our American lifestyle of health and wealth. Most of my facts come from the American Farm Bureau webpage; the National Ag in the Classroom webpage; and the Future Farmers of America webpage.

• The United States provides food at a lower cost, as a percentage of income, than any other country in the world. We produce sufficient surplus to be the nations leading exporter.

• The United States produces 46% of the world's soybeans, 41% of the world's corn, 20.5% of the world's cotton and 13% of the world's wheat.

• There are 2.19 million farms in the United States.

• Individuals, family partnerships or family corporations own 99% of U.S. farms with fewer than 10 stockholders. Non-family corporations own only 0.4% of America's farms and ranches.

• The American Farmer feeds an average of 130 people. In 1960, he only fed 26!!!!

• The hourly rate for the average American farmer is about $0.90 per hour.
  

Can you believe all of this? Pretty amazing.

Life here on our 1600 acre farm has been an eye-opening experience for me, to say the least. To see 4 men (5 in the summer) get up every morning and drive their truck to a field, get on a tractor for 12 hours, and do this 6 days a week... Now I know why no one is going into this job anymore... it takes too much dedication. Too much hard work. Too much time spent waiting... on rain, on money, on nature to run it's course. My husband has never known any life different from farm life. To him, it isn't nearly as fascinating as I find it. Sure, he knows how fortunate he has been to have grown up in this simple life, but he can never know what it is like to be on the other side! The "non-simple life" is so ordinary. So boring. So predictable. And the funny thing about it all is --- people choose that! Now that I am where I am, doing what I am doing, I cannot possibly imagine living life any different. And we all feel that way about our own lives to an extent, but let me explain further. Out in the country, I see life happening according to life itself. Not what a human has made it into. I see the sun rise and set everyday from my porch or out of my windows. I cannot hear cars driving when I am outside. I see momma turkey's followed by 4 babies walking in the woods. I see 5 different animal tracks in my driveway (raccoon, deer, turkey, dog, fox). I don't have satellite TV or even cable. I don't have high speed internet. My family eats 3 meals a day together at the table. I can't get to a mall without an hour drive. I can see for miles just looking out my back door. And yes, I like living like this.

I plan for this blog to include funny stories, little known facts, and anything else that I think of that is related to life on the farm--I'm doing this for you city folk, who like me at one time, had no idea that there were educated people living out in the country, who actually lived a very interesting and full life!

Enjoy-