The Internet and Food

Recently I was asked to check out the Food Babe blog. From the name I thought that I would be very interested in what the content of that blog would be. It turns out I would be disappointed.

As I read through some of the blog posts I became more and more disgusted with some of the things that were being put out there. The entire purpose of the blog seemed to be to scare the consumers and anyone else reading the blog. The blog had so much information that was aimed at consumers for the sole purpose of making consumers fear everyday food that is being consumed by millions of people worldwide each day. This becomes obvious just by reading the titles of the posts such as, "Is Healthy Food Destroying Your Gut?", "It Was Snuck Into our Food Supply-- Are You Eating This Dangerous Ingredient?".

What is the first thing you think of when you see those posts. For me it was that someone was trying to make me fearful of the food that I am eating. While some of her posts (and by some I mean bits and pieces of some posts) have good health tips and ways to make sure you know what you are eating, the general idea is to push you to buy her book or eat products that she deems "safe".

My purpose here is not to necessarily tell you that she is wrong. After all, I have not done nearly enough research to prove/disprove every post that the Food Babe has made. My purpose here is to make sure that if you do read her blog, be sure to check your facts before joining the "Food Babe Army". When you read some of the posts, I implore you to look at any sources she provides with a critical eye. Some of them may have a heavy bias toward her cause. Would she present those sources if they weren't?

Photo credit: quickmeme.com

Finally, if you have any questions about what goes into your food ask a farmer. We as farmers want to talk to you and we want to know what you think about your food. If you have reservations about your food get the information first hand. After all, not everything on the internet is true. If that were the case, I would like to make it a point right now, in this post, to say that I never have to pay taxes and I have a degree in Law and full job security for the rest of my life. As does every one of you reading this post.

The Places You Go

This map is a compilation of my story in college. Sometimes the places we go and the memories we make in those places are what makes the college experience... well... memorable. I have had the great opportunity to meet some of my best friends in college and this is just a snapshot of the places we hang out on occasion.

"So God Made a Farmer"

One of my favorite things about agriculture is that many who practice it root their lives in their faith. They have faith in God. Faith that he will provide them with what they need to become stronger and better. Whether it is a drought that year to teach us how to persevere through hard times, or an abundance of rainfall to teach us to be thankful for everything that we receive, farmers and ranchers are deeply rooted in their faith.

This is displayed in one of my favorite commercials that aired during the Superbowl. It portrays what it really means to be a farmer. It shows people that farmers aren't just a bunch of hillbillies on tractors. This commercial shows everything that needs to be done to produce food. We need people to do all of these things. "So God made a farmer."

Passion for Farmers

Some of you may have seen this episode of a relatively new show called "Shark Tank". This is a perfect example of how passionate farmers are about what they do. It shows that farmers are innovative, hard-working, and willing to do the right thing no matter what. Please watch this video and share it as well because this is what the industry of agriculture is truly about!

My Favorite Project

One of my favorite projects that I have ever done was not in school. This may seem strange but it is true. The project was none other than raising calves. This may seem pretty typical, right? I mean, I live on a farm and the logical thing to do would be to raise animals. But this was different. I wasn't doing this because I wanted a good grade in a class or because it was what everyone else was doing. I was doing it because I really wanted to have the experience of growing something and watching it develop.

Photo credit: Kevin Shields

I started out with one small black and white Angus calf. She was very small and needed care so I agreed to care for her until she was old enough to not need to be bucket-fed anymore. This turned into me buying her and then keeping her. I later received more opportunities to buy more calves and I took them. After about five calves I ran out of money and was beginning to run out of time. Individually feeding them took up time before and after school and though I enjoyed it because it meant spending time with them, I was also very hard pressed to get other tasks done.

Throughout the time I had them I would go out to the pen when I was stressed and the calves would all come up to me and I really felt like they were there for me. This may sound really weird and I thought so to at first. Sometimes I would go out and run around the pen and they would follow me and if they caught up with me they would run circles around me very excitedly. I really enjoyed having them as company. I genuinely cared for them and I realized that many farmers and ranchers feel the same way but they don't have the same amount of time or energy that I did.

This is why this was by far my favorite project. I was able to find something that I loved to do and I was producing something that would benefit others. I was able to provide a good start to the lives of the calves under my care and when all was said and done, I learned new skills that I hope to continue to use in other parts of my life.

Photo credit: Kevin Shields

5 Things I Love About Living in the Country

#1: You don't have to have your pets restrained.

Sometimes you come home after work one day and you need to let your pets out but you don't want to have to go everywhere they do. I know when my family first moved to the country I loved to run outside and play with the dogs. It was a lot of fun and we did not have to keep them fenced in or on a leash. While this is one of the more enjoyable things about living in the country, make sure you train your pets to come back!

Photo credit: Kevin Shields

#2: Fresh air and wide open spaces.

Have you ever had that feeling where you feel like you just need to decompress and get away for awhile? When I felt like life was going a little too fast I would go outside and sit a little ways up an old silo and just watch the trees and clouds in the distance. It brings a feeling of peace that you may not be able to find in the city unless you love the buzz of traffic. It gives me a sense of freedom. If I can see it I can go there.

Photo credit: Kevin Shields

#3: The sunsets!!

One of my favorite photography subjects is a tree out in front of my house and if you look through the branches at sunset then you get the shadow of the branches against the bright oranges, pinks, and reds of the sunset. Sometimes my parents and I would just sit out on the porch talking and watching the sunset and it is still one of the most beautiful things that I have ever seen. (Fun fact: Kansas was ranked in the top 7 places in the world to watch a sunset!)

Photo credit: Kevin Lewis

#4: The people.

I cannot think of a single time I was driving down one of the dirt roads around my house when another driver waved to me. There is a sense of community in rural areas and that extends to people you may not know yet. It is not uncommon to feel like you know some vehicle that is driving down the same dirt road as you and not want to wave. I remember my dad explaining to me why this was such a big deal and he said that you may not know them now, but you may meet them in the future and you don't want to spoil relationships like that before you know the person.

Photo credit: desmoinesregister.com

#5: The stars.

Out in our huge backyard we have a small white building that is our well-house. On the sides of this well-house there are little pegs that are just big enough to grab a hold of and climb on top. When I hear news of a meteor shower or I just want some time alone to think and reflect on life I just climb up there and look at the stars. The clear night sky is a great way to put things into perspective. I remember thinking one night that there is an entire universe out there with millions and millions of galaxies and I am just one person. I have had some of my wisest thoughts while looking at the stars and I hope that everyone gets to see those same stars at least once from out in the country.  

Photo credit: galleryhip.com

Ag in the City

When you think about agriculture you may picture rolling hills, fields of golden wheat rippling in the wind, and maybe green pastures dotted with cattle. While this is very common in rural america, there are also other aspects and homes for agriculture that may not seem as obvious to you. A big example is urban areas.

You might ask, "How do they put agriculture and farming in areas where there are houses? Where is the room for all that?" The answer lies in things like community gardens and hydroponics. Both of these methods for growing food are very viable and are growing in popularity. In the city I currently attend college in, I know of community gardening programs around town and there is even a push to get a community garden on our campus. People are beginning to recognize the importance of agriculture and are finding ways to produce the maximum amount of resources with a shrinking amount of space.

Photo credit: chicagoflower.com

Though these programs are growing in popularity, they still may not be as popularized in some areas. After asking some of my fellow students what they thought about community gardening in Topeka, I received a similar response from many students. "I don't think we have community gardens in Topeka." When I asked them about hydroponics, many of the students weren't sure what I was talking about.

When you look at the big picture, rural America still has a lot of weight to pull. These farmers and ranchers still produce the majority of the food for our country. If people in urban areas were to engage in activities such as community gardening, not only would they be helping locally produce food to keep costs low, they would also become more knowledgeable about how their food is produced as well as some of the necessary practices that go into producing our nation's food. This combination of knowledge and skill in both rural and urban areas may help ease some of the tensions between the consumer and the producer regarding how their food is made.

Teach Ag

Many of you who are reading this have had some sort of education (hence your ability to read). Right? In fact you may be in college or even in the grown up world of business and hourly wages. So I think it is safe to say that teachers were a crucial part of your development as well as the development of future generations. So why is there a shortage of agricultural educators?

There have been numerous times that I have thought over what my life would be like without my ag teacher. What would I have done in high school? Would I still love public speaking if I didn't have my ag teacher as my coach? The truth is, agricultural educators don't just teach you about cows and sheep. In fact, I think I learned more applicable life skills such as business, public speaking, and effective communication in that class than I did about how to milk a cow or plant wheat, (not to say that we did not learn about these things). Agricultural education teaches you so much about life lessons and being the best that you can be. 

Agricultural education provides students with a hands-on approach to doing things. There are so many career pathways in agriculture that one can find. You could have a student who loves science and wants to be a biotech engineer and another student in that same class want to be a motivational speaker. Whatever the choice of the student, agriculture education enables them to gain hands-on experience with doing what they love. I'm not exactly saying that students will be gene splicing in high school or that they will be speaking to thousands of people in the near future. The point is that if you want students to succeed in the real world, give them real problems and make them come up with real solutions. 

I chose to go in the direction of leadership and public speaking. My ag teacher would always help me write my speeches and she would endlessly critique them until I thought that I had it perfect, then she would critique them more. No matter what, she always gave me advice and still does on occasion. And guess what? I still use almost every single one of those tips each time I talk to a group of people, even in normal conversation. Sure in science you can learn stoichiometry, but I can tell you one thing. I have never used it. That is not to say that it is not important, just not for me. That is the beauty of ag ed. You can pick and choose your career pathway and still gain valuable experiences from the class that you will apply later in life. 

Food Myths Busted!

There are many myths and misconceptions that are floating around about food. These myths, when believed, can hurt the agriculture industry and the people consuming the food. One might say that if consumers believe these myths then they are just "being on the safe side" and not taking a risk. The truth of the matter is that consumers that believe these risks are going to put unnecessary time and money into avoiding what they mistakenly believe to be true. Here are some food myths that are widely believed but not necessarily true.

Myth #1: High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is bad for you.

The truth behind this myth is that HFCS is not all that different from regular table sugar. The key is moderation. If you eat excessive amounts of table sugar, it is not good for you. The same goes for HFCS. In fact, if you look at the chemical makeup of table sugar (50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose) and HFCS (55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose) there is only a 5 percent difference. If you were to eat enough HFCS to make that five percent matter then you are probably eating it in excess. Everything is fine in moderation.

Photo credit: recipes.howstuffworks.com

Myth #2: Organic foods are more nutritious than conventional foods and GMOs.

This myth has been a very hot topic, especially with the rise of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The truth is that about 60-70 percent of all the food in the world is genetically modified in some form and nobody has died due to genetic modification. Another important thing to consider is that genetic modification already occurs in nature. Scientists are just able to speed the process up a little more and make the process more predictable. The reason for genetic modification is to make crops more resistant to pests and weather conditions as well as produce a higher yield. 

Photo credit: imgkid.com

One reason that people give to buy organically raised foods is the of trace amounts of pesticide. While you should wash all your produce carefully before consuming, consider the fact that organic producers use types of pesticides as well. Both methods of production are beneficial to agriculture but there is really no difference in the nutritional value of the food itself. 

Myth #3: Coffee is unhealthy and addictive and therefore should be avoided.

Coffee sometimes gets a bad rap for being unhealthy because some people get addicted to it and it is high in caffeine. The truth is that coffee is probably one of the healthiest parts of our daily lives. Believe it or not, coffee actually contains more antioxidants than fruits and vegetables combined! Coffee also has been shown to reduce the risk for depression, Alzheimer's, and even help you live a little longer 

So next time you're in the break room getting your morning fix feel no shame in pouring yourself an nice cup of morning motivation. You are making a healthy decision and if you are anything like me, you have an assurance that you will make it through that rough Monday.

Photo credit: orvietoorbust.com

Burning Season

Since burning season is upon us and it is my favorite time of the year, I have decided to explain a little as to why I love what should be the practice of a pyromaniac.

I would first like to start off by saying that burning season is a very important part of agriculture. The purpose of burning is to release crucial nutrients in the soil that help renew and enrich the land where grass and other wildlife grows. It is also an important part of grass, brush, and weed management. Without burning, we would have a bunch of dead foliage sucking up all the sunlight while the organisms that need it cant get it. So even though burning pastures might seem like farmers just trying to have fun with fire, it does serve an important purpose.

I love when my family burns pastures because it makes for beautiful scenery in the evenings. On occasion, I will look out my window and see a blazing line of fire in the pasture next to our house. Most people would be alarmed and even start panicking. This is one of my favorite sights though because I know that good things are going to come of it. It is going to provide new life for the things that grow there.

Photo credit: Kevin Shields

The other reason I love burning season is because of the smell. I don't know about some people but I love the smell of burning leaves in the spring. Not that smell that is so strong that it burns your nostrils and makes your eyes water. The smell of a pasture fire that has happened recently died down and all that is left is the hint of burning leaves and brush. I'm not sure where I got this strange attitude but it is there and I wouldn't change it for anything.

Next time you are driving along a highway and you see a line of fire lighting up a pasture for a prescribed burn, take the time to enjoy it, without wrecking, and if you're like me you may roll your windows down.