Recently I went to a hearing near my home town to learn about plans for a 4,600-cow dairy farm. The producer is from out of state, and milks about 10,000 cows on two dairies, but wants to start this dairy in Wisconsin for a variety of reasons (feed, infrastructure, labor, regulations, etc.)
The little town hall that held the hearing was burp full of local farmers, vendors, media, regulators, townspeople, and town board members. In general the audience was friendly - most just wanted to know what was going on. There was one activist who put up a fairly big stink, but after talking to another producer it seems she raises a ruckus about anything.
We've followed stories like this a number of times. Hearings on dairy permits happen a lot in our state. But it's always amazing to hear the amount of red tape and paperwork that producers need to go through before even the first dirt clod is turned. It speaks to the entrepreneurial spirit of farmers. In a sideways economy, this producer is exploring ways to expand his business in a place 1,500 miles from his home. In an area completely different from his own, in a county where he will grow the dairy cattle population by a third just with his dairy, and at a site 8 miles from a significant and growing metropolitan area.
Yet his morals and ideals come through when he talks about his faith, his family, and his fortitude in caring for the environment, his animals and the people who work for him. As our world population grows and farmland shrinks, it's critical that farmers like this get the opportunity to let their spirit run.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Wear Jeans and Vote
Does a field assignment actually have to take place in a field?
Well, of course not, and such is the case for our month-long field assignment.
Throughout September we are tilling up a new field, supporting research for children with rare diseases. Our tilling efforts include voting for the Global Genes Project via the Pepsi Refresh program.
We have partnered with the
Children's Rare Disease Network to support the Global Genes Project, which is a grassroots effort to raise awareness for kids suffering from rare diseases. In order to remember to vote each day at vote4hope.org, our staff is wearing jeans. Our change in attire is not for comfort, but for hope, and our month long attire goes along with the "wear that you care" concept.
There are currently more than seven thousand rare diseases identified, affecting 30 million people in the U.S. alone, 75 percent of whom are children. The Global Genes Project raises awareness of genetic diseases and generates funds to promote collaborative research into disease causes and treatments.
By going to the Vote4Hope website, we can vote three ways- on the Pepsi Refresh website, on Facebook and on a cell phone by texting.
But we definitely can't do this alone; we need you to vote and show your support for children with rare diseases, too.
So come on, put on your jeans, grab your cell phone or computer and vote!
Well, of course not, and such is the case for our month-long field assignment.
Throughout September we are tilling up a new field, supporting research for children with rare diseases. Our tilling efforts include voting for the Global Genes Project via the Pepsi Refresh program.
We have partnered with the
Children's Rare Disease Network to support the Global Genes Project, which is a grassroots effort to raise awareness for kids suffering from rare diseases. In order to remember to vote each day at vote4hope.org, our staff is wearing jeans. Our change in attire is not for comfort, but for hope, and our month long attire goes along with the "wear that you care" concept.There are currently more than seven thousand rare diseases identified, affecting 30 million people in the U.S. alone, 75 percent of whom are children. The Global Genes Project raises awareness of genetic diseases and generates funds to promote collaborative research into disease causes and treatments.
By going to the Vote4Hope website, we can vote three ways- on the Pepsi Refresh website, on Facebook and on a cell phone by texting.
But we definitely can't do this alone; we need you to vote and show your support for children with rare diseases, too.
So come on, put on your jeans, grab your cell phone or computer and vote!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Denver Hosts 2010 ADSA
As a student, I am encouraged to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible. Earlier his week my field assignment took me to Denver, Colo. for the 2010 American Dairy Science Association annual meetings. As a delegate from the University of Minnesota, I attended the Student Affiliate Division (SAD) portion of the conference, from July 10 – 13.
At the conference students learned about newly released research, interacted with students from other universities and learned about the many career paths the dairy industry has to offer.
Before the business portion of the conference began, the weekend was filled with opportunities to socialize with other students from across the nation and learn what their dairy clubs do to stay active in our vast industry. Taking advantage of the city’s surroundings, the SAD set off for a whitewater rafting trip, later followed by dancing at a local pub.
As the business portion of the SAD meetings began, students competed in the dairy bowl competition. Undergraduate students also competed in a variety of other competitions, including the oral and poster research presentations, yearbook, website, and outstanding chapter and student contests.
On Tuesday the group gathered together one last time for a career roundtable and to celebrate successes, announcing award winners and the national officer team for the 2010-2011 year. Congratulations to all award winners and the new officer team!
Taking advantage of an opportunity such as ADSA has helped me gain useful industry knowledge. I encourage all students to make the most of their dairy industry experiences and attend the 2011 ADSA meetings in New Orleans, La.
At the conference students learned about newly released research, interacted with students from other universities and learned about the many career paths the dairy industry has to offer.
Before the business portion of the conference began, the weekend was filled with opportunities to socialize with other students from across the nation and learn what their dairy clubs do to stay active in our vast industry. Taking advantage of the city’s surroundings, the SAD set off for a whitewater rafting trip, later followed by dancing at a local pub.
As the business portion of the SAD meetings began, students competed in the dairy bowl competition. Undergraduate students also competed in a variety of other competitions, including the oral and poster research presentations, yearbook, website, and outstanding chapter and student contests.
On Tuesday the group gathered together one last time for a career roundtable and to celebrate successes, announcing award winners and the national officer team for the 2010-2011 year. Congratulations to all award winners and the new officer team!
Taking advantage of an opportunity such as ADSA has helped me gain useful industry knowledge. I encourage all students to make the most of their dairy industry experiences and attend the 2011 ADSA meetings in New Orleans, La.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Out on the Prairie for another Field Assignment
At Charleston|Orwig, we say time and time again that most of our work is in agriculture not because we fell into it but because we were born into it. Many of us grew up on farms and either still have family operating the farm or may even still operate it ourselves. Therefore, we are able to bring first-hand, end-user knowledge to the table for our clients. We believe it is essential to know the products/services we work with from the customers’ perspective and that is why my recent Field Assignment took me to the James River Valley in South Dakota.
I spent the week riding along with members of a cooperative to tour many of their facilities that are undergoing major renovations. It was very interesting to be a “fly on the wall” amongst these producers. In many ways I would have thought I was at home in Illinois with my dad and neighbors because they all were concerned about the weather and were discussing if they should upgrade their equipment this year or not, etc. The small towns looked very similar, too. A true example that agriculture is not just an industry but a way of life that transcends location.
There were noticeable differences, though. The climate and soil type also lends to more diversification. Many of the producers I was with grew three or four commodities and also had livestock. Market access is much different in land-locked South Dakota compared to Illinois with two major rivers. Farmsteads look much different because growers rely more on elevator storage than on-farm storage. I saw very few leg systems on farms. So many of the upgrades at the locations we visited were to add more storage and more rail access.
Trips like this remind me how lucky I am to work in agriculture and spend my days communicating to growers like these about products and services to make their lives a little easier.
I spent the week riding along with members of a cooperative to tour many of their facilities that are undergoing major renovations. It was very interesting to be a “fly on the wall” amongst these producers. In many ways I would have thought I was at home in Illinois with my dad and neighbors because they all were concerned about the weather and were discussing if they should upgrade their equipment this year or not, etc. The small towns looked very similar, too. A true example that agriculture is not just an industry but a way of life that transcends location.
There were noticeable differences, though. The climate and soil type also lends to more diversification. Many of the producers I was with grew three or four commodities and also had livestock. Market access is much different in land-locked South Dakota compared to Illinois with two major rivers. Farmsteads look much different because growers rely more on elevator storage than on-farm storage. I saw very few leg systems on farms. So many of the upgrades at the locations we visited were to add more storage and more rail access.
Trips like this remind me how lucky I am to work in agriculture and spend my days communicating to growers like these about products and services to make their lives a little easier.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Hidden Field Assignment
I had just finished unloading my car with all the Project EverGreen materials for the Gathering Waters Festival booth, when a young man asked for some help. Lakeshore State Park, where Saturday’s event was b
eing held, was still fairly dead. I decided to help him unload his trailer full of odds and ends.
I told him I was representing Project EverGreen, a national, not-for-profit organization that promotes adding green spaces. He showed me his “beepod,” an invention of his that allows people to produce their own honey. As we were chatting, he informed me that bee populations are dying. I asked him what he meant. He said bees are dying because “big seed companies that genetically modify plants inject nicotine into the plants, and when bees pollinate the plant they get ‘high’ and die.”
eing held, was still fairly dead. I decided to help him unload his trailer full of odds and ends.I told him I was representing Project EverGreen, a national, not-for-profit organization that promotes adding green spaces. He showed me his “beepod,” an invention of his that allows people to produce their own honey. As we were chatting, he informed me that bee populations are dying. I asked him what he meant. He said bees are dying because “big seed companies that genetically modify plants inject nicotine into the plants, and when bees pollinate the plant they get ‘high’ and die.”
Now, I may be a little gullible at times, but nicotine, really?! I don’t think I’ve ever heard of farmers planting crops genetically modified with the latest nicotine lines.
I began to wonder… Is this what people really think?
I thought quietly to myself and then said, “Well, I do know a thing or two about farming and the types of crops farmers plant.” I informed him that the use of biotechnology allows for integrated pest management (IPM) programs, which doesn’t harm beneficial insects.
He looked at me and said, “Huh… I’ll have to look that up. I didn’t know there were such things.”
Hopefully
our short conversation changed his perspective, and hopefully he looked it up to reevaluate his beliefs about biotech crops.
There are so many people who believe in myths and have misconceptions when it comes to modern agricultural production. There are resources available to help dispel these myths, such as the Thinking Ahead blog.
My field assignment for the day was to promote Project EverGreen. What I didn’t know was that I had another field assignment for the day—to be a voice for agriculture.
What do you think? Have you ever had an experience like this? What are some of the tools you used to advocate the truth?
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Congratulations Hoard’s Dairyman on 125!
Charleston|Orwig was present to help Hoard’s Dairyman celebrate its 125th anniversary June 8th at the Hoard’s Dairyman farm. The event was attended by over 100 dairy industry professionals and enthusiasts and featured the unveiling of the newest edition of the “Foster Mothers of the Human Race,” created by Bonnie Mohr of Glencoe, Minn. Bonnie is known world-wide for her agricultural paintings
Hoard’s Dairyman magazine was established in 1885 by William Dempster Hoard and today is the dairy industry’s leading dairy publication. Hoard’s Dairyman is a widely used resource that allows dairy producers to run their businesses more effectively. The Hoard’s Dairyman farm is home to the largest and longest continually registered Guernsey herd in the nation and allows Hoard’s to contribute personal experiences and stories about dairy farming to their magazine. Jersey cows were also added to the herd in 2009.
The newest edition of the “Foster Mothers of the Human Race” follows four others painted by Jim Baird, a retired art director of Hoard’s Dairyman. The first portrait was completed in 1957 and features five breeds, all with horns. This fifth edition is the first to feature all seven breeds recognized by the Purebred Dairy Cattle Association and a representative of each of the breed organizations was present at the unveiling. All five of the paintings hang in the W.D. Hoard main office located in Fort Atkinson, Wis.
To learn more about the history of Hoard’s Dairyman visit their website at www.hoards.com. To see the video of the 125th anniversary celebration and unveiling of the newest “Foster Mothers of the Human Race” painting, click here.
Hoard’s Dairyman magazine was established in 1885 by William Dempster Hoard and today is the dairy industry’s leading dairy publication. Hoard’s Dairyman is a widely used resource that allows dairy producers to run their businesses more effectively. The Hoard’s Dairyman farm is home to the largest and longest continually registered Guernsey herd in the nation and allows Hoard’s to contribute personal experiences and stories about dairy farming to their magazine. Jersey cows were also added to the herd in 2009.
The newest edition of the “Foster Mothers of the Human Race” follows four others painted by Jim Baird, a retired art director of Hoard’s Dairyman. The first portrait was completed in 1957 and features five breeds, all with horns. This fifth edition is the first to feature all seven breeds recognized by the Purebred Dairy Cattle Association and a representative of each of the breed organizations was present at the unveiling. All five of the paintings hang in the W.D. Hoard main office located in Fort Atkinson, Wis.
To learn more about the history of Hoard’s Dairyman visit their website at www.hoards.com. To see the video of the 125th anniversary celebration and unveiling of the newest “Foster Mothers of the Human Race” painting, click here.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
June Dairy Month
As some may already be aware through the many references on Facebook or Twitter, June Dairy Month is upon us. Since 1937 June has been known as National Dairy Month and provides a way to celebrate the dairy industry and its products. Throughout June Dairy Month you can find dairy princesses in your local grocery store or “breakfast on the farm” events in efforts to promote dairy’s wholesome and nutritious products.
According the Midwest Dairy Association, priced at 25 cents a glass, fluid milk is one the richest sources of well-absorbed calcium in a diet. Dairy products provide nine essential nutrients, including calcium, potassium, protein and vitamin D, and are the most economical sources of nutrition.
For dairy producers June Dairy Month is a way to celebrate the industry’s accomplishments and further spread its positive messages. Throughout the country many dairy farmers are opening their barn doors for consumers to learn the effort and dedication that goes into producing safe and healthy dairy products.
To learn more about the dairy industry and how to incorporate its products into your diet visit the National Dairy Council.
According the Midwest Dairy Association, priced at 25 cents a glass, fluid milk is one the richest sources of well-absorbed calcium in a diet. Dairy products provide nine essential nutrients, including calcium, potassium, protein and vitamin D, and are the most economical sources of nutrition.
For dairy producers June Dairy Month is a way to celebrate the industry’s accomplishments and further spread its positive messages. Throughout the country many dairy farmers are opening their barn doors for consumers to learn the effort and dedication that goes into producing safe and healthy dairy products.
To learn more about the dairy industry and how to incorporate its products into your diet visit the National Dairy Council.
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