Ethanol Burns Cleaner... see for yourself!

I found this video from the McHenry County Farm Bureau's Ag in the Classroom program. Gives you a pretty good look at what they are talking about when they say "ethanol burns cleaner!" Plus... it's home-grown!

Springtime on Our Farm

Even if your closest link to farming is the fields you see when you are driving down the road, you probably know that spring means a lot of farmers are getting their crops in the ground. But what does springtime mean for livestock farmers? This weekend, I took a few photos of our cattle farm. As you can see, springtime means lots of baby animals on our farm!

We choose to have all of our calves born in the springtime. The main reason for this is the well-being of our cows and calves. Springtime usually offers good weather for calving- not too hot, not too cold. Extreme weather conditions are a threat to newborn calves, so we try to avoid exposing them to these kinds of weather conditions.

During calving season, we need to check our cows more often to make sure that we know if one is in labor and whether or not she needs help. Ideally, cows have their calves without assistance and everyone is happy and healthy. Once in a while, though, cows need help giving birth. Problems such as a leg or head positioned wrong can make it almost impossible for a cow to have her calf. If it takes her too long, the life of the newborn calf is at risk. Once the umbilical cord is broken, the calf has no oxygen supply, so it becomes priority to get the head and chest of the calf out quickly.

Cows aren't the only ones with new babies on the farm! These cute little guys live in our shed where we store our seed for the crops. Mice can cause huge problems and waste a lot of seed by chewing holes in the seed bags, so keeping cats around helps to keep our mice population down and ultimately saves us money on seed.


We used to have pigs on our farm before all of our pasture was used for cattle. Springtime always meant (you guessed it) baby pigs! My dad would bring my brother and I with him to care for the new pigs, so we would always sit on the roof of the hog huts and hold piglets while he worked. Sows are incredibly protective, so the roof of the hog huts was a safe place to us to be while we were out working with dad.

Spring is a critical time of year for both grain and livestock farmers... but it is something we look forward to every year!

Thirsty Thursday: Cheer's to Barley!

In honor of Thirsty Thursday (and my weekend starting early!) I would like to raise a glass to all those barely farmers out there who bring us one of our favorite beverages... beer! To make beer, you generally need 4 ingredients: water, barley, hops, and yeast. Barley supplies the malt for the beer by being exposed to a specific temperature that stops the maturing process of the plant, but allows the enzyme that breaks starch into sugar (maltose) to remain active. The yeast then metabolizes that sugar into carbon dioxide and ethly alcohol!
Barley does more than supply the beer with malt and the sugar needed to create alcohol... it also gives it that distinct flavor that we all know and love! Barely that is not used for it's starch can be roasted to higher temperatures. The degree to which the barely is roasted determines the color and taste of the beer.

So let's raise a glass (after your work day is over of course) and toast to our farmers! Without them, we wouldn't just go hungry... we wouldn't have beer!
Have a great weekend! And remember to thank a farmer.

What does all this weather mean for farmers in the corn belt?

Like many of you, I have been enjoying the warm weather we have been having for the last few months. But what does this unseasonable warm weather mean for our farmers here in the corn belt? Obviously, weather plays a huge role in the success of a farmer's crop, but it is also a variable that farmer's have no control over. This is a pretty scary thought... but mother nature seems to be on our side so far this year!



Warmer weather early in spring gave farmers the opportunity to get their corn in the ground in record time this year. Although planting early increases the risk of frost killing a young crop, many farmers got lucky and avioded that threat.
In theory, early planting means there will be many farmers harvesting earlier than usual this fall. However, the weather we will have this summer is going to play a huge role in how quickly this years corn crop matures. Corn needs good summer heat and rain to grow efficiently, so the farmers aren't done gambling on the weather yet.
If mother nature continues to favor the corn crop, and early harvest will have an affect of corn prices. Corn stocks are expected to shrink significantly this year, so every bushel of corn counts. An early crop could cause market prices to rise, which is good for our corn farmers, but will increase feed costs for livestock farmers and different products in the grocery stores.
It is hard to say what the outcome of the corn crop will be this year, but so far many of our corn farmers are pleased with the way things are going!

The Hard Work Doesn't Stop Here

As my college graduation day approaches without delay, I thought I would share this thought from an image created by Erin Ehnle on her page Keeping it Real: Through the Lens of a Farm Girl. If there is one thing I have learned this last semester through my job hunts and many life decisions, it is this: The learning and hard work it takes to achieve your goals is never over. As I begin my full time job and classes towards my Master's Degree, I know that I am going to have to put in a lot of hard work... but I also know that my hard work will pay off in the end.

How do I know that? Everything I grew up with on the farm was hard work, but it was more rewarding than any other project or assignment I have ever worked on. Farmers spend countless hours in the field during planting and harvest, but knowing their hard work made that crop successful makes all those hours worth it. Livestock farmers are outside caring for their animals morning and night, rain or shine. Can you guess what makes it all worth it?

It is because of my upbringing on a farm that the hard work coming my way doesn't scare me... in fact, I look forward to it. I know once I accomplish all it is that I am working towards, nothing will compare to the satisfaction I get from knowing that the harvest of my success was as a result of good old fashioned hard work.

Masters of Beef Advocacy Program

I recently participated in the online Masters of Beef Advocacy program, which is one of the many programs in place that is funded by the beef checkoff dollars. As a beef producer, I have paid a checkoff with every beef sale I have ever made. I am glad to see that my dollars are going to programs such as this one, and I am more than willing to participate myself!


Ok, Rosie. You keep talking about this Masters of Beef Advocay program... but what is it?? It is a program designed for beef producers to better prepare us to discuss our product and operation with consumers. I am glad to participate in this program because I strongly believe that consumers should be able to ask a local farmer questions about the industry. If consumers can't ask their local farmer about how their food is produced, who can they ask?

I keep refering to consumers and producers as if there is an "us" and "them." I would like to point out that I'm not just a beef producer... I am a consumer, too! I have the same concerns about the food I eat as anyone else, I just happen to be a producer of some of that food and attend agriculture courses 5 days a week in which we discuss issues such as food production. Not everyone has access to the resources that I have pertaining to food production, so I feel it is my duty to extend what I learn to other consumers who have concerns about what is on their plate.

The MBA program went over topics such as modern beef production, beef safety, nutrition, animal care, and environmental impact. These are all important issues to be knowledgable about as a producer because consumers often have questions about these topics. If you are interested in participating in the program, follow the link above. I highly recomment it!

BSE (aka Mad Cow Disease)- What's the deal?

In case you have been on vacation and out of touch with technology and the news, earlier this week a cow in California was found with BSE. We all know that "mad cow disease" is something we want to keep out of our food supply, but what exactly is it??
Well, the correct term is Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (or just BSE for those of us that can't spit that out in casual conversation). BSE is a type of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy; in cattle it is called BSE because it is in the bovine species, but TSE's have also been found in other species including humans (in which case it is called Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease). This is a degenerative neurological disease in which prion proteins in the brain unwind, eventually causing neurological and behavioral changes in the infected individual.

So if a cow has BSE, and I ingest milk or meat from that animal, will I get the human TSE?
No. Because this disease affects the prion proteins that are only located in the brain, spinal column, and ileum of the small intestine, the meat and milk from an animal would not contain any harmful pathogen caused by BSE. However, if an animal is diagnosed with BSE, no product from that animal enters into the food chain.

So is every animal tested before being harvested?
No. Approximately 1 in every 5 animals that enters a harvesting plant is tested. According to the USDA, approximately 40,000 cows are tested for BSE each year. However, as a safeguard, none of the high risk parts of the animal (brain, spinal cord, and small intestine of animals 30 months of age or older) are ever allowed to enter the food chain.
Those high risk parts have historically been used to make meat and bone meal (a protein source fed to livestock animals and pets). Since the research conducted on BSE and the discovery of ruminant to ruminant transmission, it is now illegal for producers to feed any meat and bone meal to ruminant animals. Today meat and bone meal is most commonly found in pet food because it is not harmful to your non-ruminant pets.

Is BSE a growing problem?
On the contrary, new regulations and awareness about the issue has decreased the number of instanced drastically. In 1992, there were over 37,000 cases of BSE discovered worldwide. Last year, that number was 29... and none of those cases were in the US. In fact, the case discovered this week puts the total number of diagnosed BSE cases in the US at 4.

At the end of the day, BSE is an issue that the cattle industry has dealt with in the past, and learned how to prevent. The case in California this week was atypical, meaning that cow did not ingest any infected material, it simply came down with the disease spontaneously. This is not a very likely occurrence, but it does happen. The number of cases show that the threat of BSE on our food supply has been diminishing and continues to get smaller. Even with the present threat, the USDA and FDA have regulations in order that prevent any infected material from entering our food supply even if an infected cow were to enter the harvesting plant without being detected.
So BSE is something that the industry keeps a constant eye on, but nothing that should be a major concern to you as a consumer. There are many measures in place ensuring you a safe, TSE-free product.

NAMA: Experience for Ag Students

As you have heard me say before, being an agriculture major means you are getting more than just a classroom education. Last week, I was in Kansis City attending the National Agri-Marketing Conference with other members of my university's Student NAMA chapter. For the past year, our chapter has been working on a marketing project that we presented at this year's conference in Kansas City.
Each school that competes comes up with an innovative product directly related to the agriculture industry and designs a marketing plan for that product. This experience allows students to not only learn about marketing in a classroom setting, but to actually implement strategies and ideas. An experience like this prepares students to enter the work force with a better understanding of what it takes to implement a marketing strategy like the one we spent a year working on.

This year, our team made it to semi-finals with our marketing project. NAMA isn't just about working on a presentation, though. Our chapter was also recognized as the Outstanding Student NAMA Chapter and presented with a John Deere Signature Award. This award is presented to chapters who "excel in encouraging student opportunities for increased business knowledge, academic excellence, leadership development and community citizenship."
Working on the marketing project gives students useful experience, but it doesn't stop there. The opportunities and networking that an organization like this can offer a student are limitless and extremely valuable. Through NAMA I have had job shadowing opportunities, networking opportunities with countless professionals in the industry, and the opportunity to learn about marketing hands on and gain experience in public speaking through our presentation.
"The proof is in the pudding," and the pudding here proves that being an agriculture major offers students a learning experience that extends beyond the classroom, and into real-world experience. In my opinion, ag students are some of the most well prepared and sought after students upon graduation (take that Terence Loose, author of Most Useless Degrees)!

Friday Farm Photo: Conservation Award

In 2010, my family was recognized by the state of Illinois for our efforts in soil and water conservation on our farm. Strip tillage, rock dams in the creek, and CRP (conservation reserve program) land that is set aside on the farm all contributed to my family being recognized for conservation efforts. Environmental integrity is important to farmers because our livelihood and success depends on things like soil fertility, water quality, and other resources our crops and animals need to stay healthy and grow. 

I am very proud of my family and the steps they have taken to conserve the environment!

April Showers Bring May Flowers... and Baby Calves!

Spring is here! That means April showers, May flowers... and baby calves! Just like humans, cows have a gestation period that is approximately 9 months long. So if we want to have calves in the spring, we breed our cows in late summer/early fall. These calves will stay on pasture with their mothers until they are weaned at about 6 months of age. 

On our farm, we use the fence-line weaning method. This simply means that rather than abruptly separating the pair, the calves are moved to a pasture right next to the cows. This way, they can still see each other and socialize, but the calves will no longer be nursing from the cows. We choose this method because research has shown that this method puts less stress on the animals; lower levels of stress = healthier animals = happier farmers.

Spring time on the farm is one of my favorite times of year. The leaves and grass are getting green, flowers are blooming, and new babies are being born on the farm! It doesn't get much better than that!