You Can't Have Your Corn and Eat it, Too.

As harvest gets underway, farmers are waiting to see how much damage this year’s drought has really done to their crops. We are not only hearing concern on the producer side of things, many consumers have also expressed concern regarding the higher corn prices and how it is going to affect their grocery store expenses.

With new drought resistant corn hybrids becoming available and expected to be more sought-after in years following this growing season, I am beginning to wonder: Are consumers more concerned with low yields driving the price of corn up or their qualms with GMO crops? If (heaven forbid) next year we have another drought, but farmers had all planted drought-resistant corn, would consumers be happy to see unwavering yields? Or would farmers get criticized for planting genetically modified organisms?

Of course, each consumer would have a different opinion on this matter, so I do not have the answers to these questions. But it’s an interesting thought. Some may say that farmers are caught in a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation here, but I see a learning opportunity for those concerned with how their food is grown. This year’s drought and the resulting drought-resistant hybrids are a perfect example of why the agriculture industry has been and continues to use GMO crops. There aren’t scientists sitting in a lab somewhere conjuring up different ways to mess with your food just for the fun of it. These crops give farmers a fighting chance against the many factors we cannot control (i.e. weather, pests, disease, etc.) They help to make your food supply safe and abundant.

So, to those consumers who want high crop yields to keep our economy strong and our food prices affordable without the use of technology on our farming operations… think about what you are asking farmers to do. We can’t compete with the weather, we simply have to use the tools we are given to help our crops along the best we can. So the more tools we have available to our farmers, the better!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: 2012 Corn Edition

The good: Most of Illinois got some rain this weekend! Nearly 2 inches reported in some parts of the state.

The bad: That storm also produced some brutal 50mph winds, knocking down many acres of corn in the southern part of the state.

The ugly: Corn after the storm.

A few farmers are beginning to harvest their corn already. So far, there have been reports of yields ranging from 0-130 bushels per acre at best. ICMB board member Jim Raben has been hearing of yields between 0 and 40 bushels per acre in non-irrigated fields and higher yields of about 130 bushel in irrigated fields. On average, most southern Illinois counties are expecting a 50 bu/acre yield.

Yield isn’t the only number farmers are keeping an eye on. Early harvest brings with it the threat of high moisture ratings. Of those farmers beginning harvest early, the current range is 18-30% moisture. Grain elevators want to see corn coming in at less than 15% moisture, so this means more drying cost and/or premium reduction for these farmers.

If nothing else, this year has been a prime example of the volatile nature of being a crop farmer. No matter how much time, money, and work a farmer puts into their crop, the weather gets the final say in how productive a field will be. Last year, farmers were celebrating yields approaching 200 bushels per acre, and this year most are just hoping for their average to be 50 bushels per acre! Calling this a “tough year for corn farmers” seems to be an understatement throughout most of the Midwest.

Photography Project

Social Media- Are you doing it right?

If you are reading this blog, you already know about and are participating in social media. Chances are you are also aware of how popular social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blogging (to name a few) have all become. But what can we do, as representatives of the agriculture industry, to make our use of social media more effective in reaching more diverse demographics and creating a positive image of the industry that we are all so passionate about?

Today, I watched a Ustream video on U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance’s website Food Dialogues. The live video stream today was called “Hollywood and “Vine”: The Intersection of Pop Culture and Food Production” and included representatives from both the agriculture and media industries. The discussion was largely based on how agriculture and the media need to work together to bring real facts and honest stories to the consumer. It was mentioned that the next generation of kids will be able to operate an iPad or laptop without any problem, but they won’t have a clue about where there food comes from. Examples from current “educational” cartoons were depictions of bulls with udders and an understanding that “if it has horns, it must be a bull.”

Most of you reading this (I hope) understand that those things are not true, but how are we ensuring that our kids know and understand these concepts? Another suggestion in the Food Dialogue was that agriculture needs to be a source for these materials. If we are making the cartoons and other informational outlets, we have control over the messages and information being presented to kids in our schools.

There is one thing in particular that stands out to me from the video stream: Social media is NOT a “magic cure-all” for agriculture’s challenges today. It is a tool, and if used correctly, it can make a big impact. When it comes to reaching a large and diverse audience and getting them to listen to your message, there is a right and a wrong way to use social media. Jeff Fowle, one of the panelists today, is a farmer/rancher who knows how to use social media effectively. He is one of the founders of the Ag Chat Foundation, which has this mission: “to empower farmers, ranchers and foresters to share their stories effectively through social media platforms.” More recently, he began the  Just Farmer blog with a few other colleagues. This is a social media platform for dialogue between consumers and producers that has seen a lot of success.

Check out some of these organizations and ideas to learn more about how you can make better use of you social media skills to start more discussions about food production! My generation has already accepted and flocked to social media, now all you have to do is find a way to keep their attention and tell them your side of the story!

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!