We're Mooving!!!

The Michigan Dairy Ambassador Blog site is changing!

Visit http://michigandairyambassador.wordpress.com/ for the new site. We have decided to move because Wordpress allow for more freedom to add information and have a community blog for the ambassadors. The site will be featuring posts from ambassadors, Tips and Tricks for ideas promoting dairy, ambassador profiles, calendar of activities and more!

What are you still doing here? Get a moo-ve on!

Greetings from Home

Schools out for the summer, the corn is being planted and I have been busy! Finally I have gotten a chance to join social media and start blogging. Since February, I have joined in the Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference Planning committee meetings, hosted educational events and will be soon boarding a plane to Australia for a month long study abroad program.

March was the time for colleges to have spring break and for Michigan FFA to host State Convention. As a past state officer, I am always filled with a sense of pride when those blue corduroy jackets take over MSU’s campus. During convention, my fellow ANR Commers produced the Convention Connection, the daily newsletter of convention. On the first day, I was a featured writer promoting the MI Dairy Ambassador program. Did you know six of the past eight ambassadors were members of FFA? Hopefully this article, sent out to the 2,000 attendees, will encourage others to apply in the future and extend the outreach of the program in the future. In true spring break fashion, I enjoyed my break in the sun. I, along with 10 other MSU students, went on a mission trip to Guatemala as an alternative spring break. The best part of my trip…teaching MSU students about agriculture, the different dairy breeds we saw and climbing a volcano!

For the last 30 years MSU has hosted Small Animals Day at the pavilion on the third weekend in April, this year was no different. Over 5,000 came through to visit the MSU pavilion, horse and poultry farms and learn about agriculture from MSU’s student groups. I could be found right next to the “Milk a Cow” area with Earlene the Dairy Queen. My booth was a pit stop to milk a fake cow and learn about what cows eat. Thanks to the MSU dairy farm for providing me with corn, hay and silage, and UDIM for fact sheets and recipe books – Lansing families learned about dairy diets for cows and humans.

Murphy Farm Days was April 30 where 120 elementary students from the Saginaw area came to the farm for a day to learn more about agriculture. With the help of some MI Dairy Diplomats and a Saginaw Valley student, we had the students become farm kids for the day and help us with the morning chores of feeding calves. We set up a relay course with the process of feeding calves which included measuring out water, milk replacer and grain. The kids were great sports, even continuing to race in the rain. This experience showed me it is important to create interactive educational workshops highlighting life on the farm, care farmers have for their livestock and nutritional components we gain from dairy. Throughout this year, I am going to try and create resources targeted toward the general public and farmers which have simple take-away messages and can be used at events like the ones I have participated in.

To learn more about the Murphy Farm, visit: http://www.sisd.cc/education/dept/dept.php?sectionid=109.

What’s in store for this summer? I will be traveling abroad, even visiting some dairies, to Australia until the middle of June. I hope to keep those interested posted with my dairy involvements. Breakfast on the Farm will be on June 20^th in St. Johns, Mich., inviting 1,000 from the area to free breakfast on the farm and tours (http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200905100400/DEWITTBATH01/905100544). I will be part of a nutritional exhibit showcasing the benefits of dairy in your diet. I also hope to extend this blog to all who have served as ambassadors to Michigan’s dairy industry and have them add, creating a community blog.

Check back to read up on my adventures down under and wishing you a happy springtime!

Support Animal Agriculture!!

This will be my last official blog post, as I will be handing the reigns over to Nicole Schaendorf, the 2009 Senior Michigan Dairy Ambassador! I have had a lot of fun sharing some of my experiences as well as my insights with you over the past year. I am confident that Nicole will have many great stories and information to share with you during her reign as the Michigan Dairy Ambassador. I will most likely still blog (when I get a chance), so you can still check out what's going on in my life! It has been a privelage and an honor serving as the 2008 Michigan Dairy Ambassador! Thank you!

Anyways...so as my last featured article on this blog, I thought I would write about something that has been very near and dear to my heart a lot lately. About a week ago the Vice President of PETA, Bruce Friedrich, came to the Michigan State University Campus to discuss animal protection. The discussion had representatives from both viewpoints and had a very respectful, and what I would like to think, successful discussion. The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources was well represented by their students and I believe that they may have impressed not only Mr. Friedrich, but also some of the other students from SPAR (Student Promoting Animal Rights). I thought that in light of the discussion, I would do a little looking on the web to find a little more information about them.

PETA’s goal is to bring complete liberation of animals which in turn would abolish animal agriculture. Total liberation of animals also means that they don’t believe in humans having pets – ALL animals would be free and in the wild. They claim that animals are the slaves of today. Now there are numerous problems that I can think of if this were to actually happen.

• Overpopulation of animals (not to mention that the human population is always increasing as well).
• Dangerous where animals could potentially harming one-another or harm humans.
• Some animals could starve to death.
  

PETA uses strong campaigns (sometimes offensive) and undercover videos and celebrities to make their agenda known and heard. They have used a campaign where they compared the “factory farming” practices to the Holocaust calling it “The Holocaust on Your Plate”.
PETA or People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, the name of the organization puzzles me in itself. First of all, what does ETHICAL mean? It is such a relative term. From dictionary.com the term means, “Pertaining to or dealing with morals or the principles of morality; pertaining to right and wrong in conduct.” They fight against people who are killing and persecuting animals, but they themselves euthanize animals. Confused yet?

There are so many animal rights/activists around these days; it is often hard to outrun them and their agenda. Another major group which may be well-known is the US Humane Society. The US Humane Society has Carrie Underwood a self-proclaimed vegetarian and a well-known female country singer. She claims to have grown up on a farm. She recently remade a song to perform as a guest on American Idol. She then stated that it would be for sale on iTunes, and that all of the proceeds would go towards the US Humane Society.
Personally, I have been recruited by animal rights groups to donate money towards the cause. I received in the mail a pocket-sized calendar book along with an informational pamphlet from the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association.
Now, I am not trying to say that the vegetarian lifestyle is wrong, because I have friends and know people that don’t like or eat meat. I don’t ridicule them for their dietary decisions, but I always try to show to them that I care for my animals and that animal agriculture is not harming the environment. However, I don’t believe in the overall goals and advertising tactics of groups like PETA. They are getting money from people who genuinely believe in the cause, but are using their funds incorrectly as they are attempting to ban any type of animal captivity (which includes dogs and cats) while doing this sometimes in a violent atmosphere.
To sum up what I am thinking and how I feel about this topic, I think that it is best to use a comment which I found on the State News website from a article written by Bruce Friedrich prior to coming to campus on Thursday, April 9:
“If you choose to be vegan based upon sound science and an informed decision, you are welcome to do so. However, please understand PETA is not about sound science; they are simply looking a headline and always play the sensationalism.
As very proud Spartan – and a graduate of both ANR Communications and Animal Science – it is disappointing that The State News gave PETA space. When will you provide agriculture with the opportunity share how they’ve worked diligently to keep food costs at an affordable level, provide nutrition for a population expected to double by 2050, or be the economic bright spot of Michigan – even in a dismal economy?
And, by the way, if your readers really want to know what happens in food production, take a look south of campus. Or, find a farmer and have a genuine conversation about why they do what they do (check with CANR or Michigan FB to find one in your area). Don’t believe the misinformation spouted by one sensationalist; agriculture has “shown up” since the beginning of this country – and will continue to do so at your next meal.”
- Michele Payn-Knoper

I guess to end this right, I will share with you a story that I found on Ms. Amanda Nolz' BEEF Blog that I read today from Cindi Young Puyear - a Simmental rancher in Missouri.

Calving season is wrapping up at Rocking P Ranch. Although breeding season has begun (through artificial insemination) we have two cows that for one reason or another were scheduled to calve later than the others. One of the cows was due to calve Monday, so my husband vigilantly watched for signs that the cow was nearing parturition.
As her time drew near Sunday morning, Jim knew by the cow’s behavior that something wasn’t quite right. He called our veterinarian with a “head’s up” that we might need his help if there were indeed complications with the birth. A friend who is also a cattleman came by to see if he could be of assistance. By 9:30am, it was time to stick an arm in to determine the position of the calf. When a tail was felt instead of front legs, it was obvious the calf was breech and we would need more help.Doc got the message on his cell phone as he left church. He arrived at our place minutes later with wife and kids along. Leaving a basketball game to make a farm call or making a farm call on the way home from church is not an unusual occurrence for this dedicated animal doctor and his family.
Three hours later when all was said and done, two stillborn calves lie in the walking alley of the barn and a cow with a torn uterus lie in the stall, barely hanging on to life. Despite valiant effort by three grown men, the calves were lost and the cow drew her final breath Monday night.
I am certain that any of you who raise or have raised livestock have similar experiences in your life story. You know that it makes no difference how closely you watch and tightly you manage, the man or woman responsible for the care and well-being of the livestock cannot control every situation.
Replaying the Sunday afternoon scene in my mind, I have some mixed emotions. While animal agriculture in the country is under attack and vigilante vegetarians with video cameras slither into livestock farms, hoping to expose abuse and mistreatment of animals, there are so many of us out here doing the right thing.
Where was the video camera when those three men fought to save the lives of the calves and the cow for three hours Sunday? No video camera captured the obvious disappointment in the eyes of all three men as they walked out of the barn, heads hanging in defeat, physically and emotionally exhausted.
No video cameras were rolling when Jim carried buckets of water to the cow, talking to her in the soothing voice of a man who truly cares for his livestock. There were no pictures taken as he stroked the cow’s rump and thanked her for all she had done for us, doing what he could to make her comfortable in her final hours.
While we mourn the loss of a good cow, we also take a sizeable economic hit. It adds up quickly when you figure in the cost of keeping the bred cow for a year, the cost of the drugs, the vet’s farm call and the loss of the cow and her future productivity. As a man of husbandry, Jim did not once consider just letting the cow die or ending its life when it was confirmed the calf was breech and big enough that it’s birth would probably take the cow’s life as well.
My husband is trained and experienced in animal husbandry, but he also has this innate knowledge and connection with livestock that simply amazes me. He can diagnose a cow’s condition from across the pasture and sense their needs as though they are talking to him. It is an awesome thing to see.
As HSUS and PETA spend millions of dollars to convince the unknowing public that those of us who raise livestock are irresponsible and barbaric, I ask again, where are the video cameras when we’re checking cows in ten below zero temperatures in the middle of the night?
How do you want the world to see animal agriculture in this country? If you want them to know the truth – to know your story – you’re going to have to tell it. Write a letter. Make a call. Take some pictures and shoot some of your own video.
We can’t let them win.

You can check out more of Amanda's great articles at: http://blog.beefmagazine.com/beef_daily/!

Agribusiness is thriving...and Michigan is looking to cut some of the sector?

Here is an article that I ran across this afternoon on my afternoon bus commute to my car. Normally, I don't always agree with The State News, but I really was excited and mad at the same time when I was reading this article. However, not because of what the article read, but because of what could possibly happen to some brilliant people in the agricultural sector funded by the State of Michigan.

Agribusiness stimulates struggling Mich. economy

By Pat Evans
The State News
Published: February 22, 2009

While Michigan’s overall economy stumbles, one sector is growing at an unprecedented pace.

An MSU study released this month found Michigan’s agribusiness sector increased 12 percent in 2007, the year the data was collected. The number represents more than double the amount of growth in the industry during the previous two years combined.

William Knudson, an MSU professor of agriculture, food and resource economics, said population growth and a resulting growth in food demand is the main reason for the rapid agri-food and agri-energy expansion.

“There are several little reasons for the expansion, but one primary,” he said. “Westernized Eastern countries like China and India have increased their calorie consumptions exponentially since the 1980s.”

The increase in calorie consumption has put added stress on the rest of the world to produce crops and meet increased food needs. Agriculturally rich states such as Michigan are prime places to increase production to meet those needs, Knudson said.

The industry growth in the state shows one of the few bright spots in Michigan’s economy as the auto industry has lost thousands of jobs in the past year.

Agri-foods make up 20 percent of the economy and 25 percent of the state’s work force, said Jennifer Holton, Michigan Department of Agriculture spokeswoman.

“It’s been a force of economic stability here,” she said. “Folks still need to eat. There will always be jobs to make food.”

MSU professor of labor and industrial relations John Beck said there are several in-state companies creating jobs and expanding operations, which will lead to opportunities for unemployed auto workers.

“Gerber, Minute Maid, Post and Kellogg’s, just to name a few staples,” he said. “They offer jobs all over, from farming to manufacturing to retail.”

Gerber recently made the decision to continue operations in Fremont, Mich., and undergo a $75 million expansion, Holton said. The expansion will keep 11,000 jobs in the state, while adding 200 new jobs and more from indirect sources, she said.

“They buy food from 200 Michigan growers and packaging from 11 Michigan suppliers,” she said. “With all these great things going on, the future is bright in Michigan’s agricultural industries.”

The idea of Michigan being an agricultural powerhouse goes back to Henry Ford’s belief that automobiles should be built using only Michigan resources, Beck said.

Other major food companies, like “JIFFY” Mix, Kellogg’s and Yoplait USA, along with beer and wine makers, are maintaining and expanding their holds in Michigan, Holton said.

“There are so many cutting-edge opportunities in this industry,” she said. “It should definitely help pick up some of the slack from the growing unemployment.”

Published on Sunday, February 22, 2009

By the numbers

Michigan’s Agribusiness

12 percent growth in 2007

5.9 percent growth from 2004-06

$71.3 billion investment in Michigan’s economy in 2007

20 percent of Michigan’s economic activity

25 percent of Michigan’s work force

1.05 million jobs

Source: MSU Product Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources

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Now, I know that many would argue that these are numbers from 2007 and that it was a different economy than the present day. True, but as you can see from another article I have below in response to the budget cuts on some of the state funded agricultural departments - these people not only help this industry thrive, but also have a major impact on the entire population. Also, there are projected figures pointing to job-growth in 2010, and population growth causes for an increase demand in food.

Cuts to Michigan's Ag Department Budget Put Public at Risk
Michigan Ag Connection - 02/23/2009

Think massive cuts to the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) budget don't affect the Average Joe? Think again, says the Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB).

A whopping 20 percent reduction in state funding for MDA stands to impact consumers and the general public just as much as the next farmer, according to the state's largest general farm organization.

"Whether or not people recognize it, MDA touches the lives of every single person every day in one way or another, whether it's inspecting the food we eat and milk we drink, measuring the gas we put in our car, or numerous other functions we take for granted," said MFB President Wayne H. Wood.

The Governor's budget recommends slashing $18 million from MDA's budget. The cuts extend across all MDA departments, not even sparing those charged with:

-- Food safety and quality.

-- Dairy inspections.

-- Plant and animal disease tracking, prevention and eradication.

-- Proactive environmental stewardship programs.

-- Water use and conservation.

"Farm Bureau understands that today's harsh economy demands tightening the reins on government spending, but we fear the reductions proposed for MDA come at too risky of a price for consumers," said Wood, noting that the national peanut recall that's under way reinforces the importance of food safety inspections and other agricultural programs in people's lives.

To add insult to injury, MDA's budget has been hacked repeatedly over the last several years to the point where the department accounts for less than 1 percent of the state's total general fund.
"To put this in perspective, MDA's total budget - and I emphasize total - is less than the overtime paid for Michigan's Corrections Department," said Wood. "It's astonishing how a department which impacts every single Michigan resident every single day can be given such low priority when it comes to state funding. With this approach the state truly is biting the hand which feeds it."

Farmers and non-farmers alike also lose out under a higher education recommendation to slice the budgets of Michigan State University (MSU) Extension and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station in half and merge the two service providers.

Research performed by the Agricultural Experiment Station and disseminated to farmers through Extension is essential to overcoming the challenge of how to feed a growing world population, said Wood.

"Food needs are never going to go away. They're only going to intensify," he said.

The budget activity could also jeopardize youth 4-H programs which are supported by MSU Extension. "4-H programs foster our state's future leaders. So any cutbacks here are a disinvestment in Michigan's children and the state's future," said Wood.
Farm Bureau is also concerned the budget cuts could stifle the economic momentum that's been building in Michigan's agriculture industry and end up costing the state desperately needed jobs.

Earlier this week Michigan State University and MDA released a study which reveals Michigan's agri-food industry represents almost 20 percent of the state's overall economic engine and employs a quarter of the state's work force. Updated job figures won't be available until 2010, but one of the study's authors says "signs point to job growth, putting Michigan jobs related to agri-food well over 1 million."

"At a time when Michigan's economy is struggling, we shouldn't be draining the MDA which supports one of the few industries in Michigan experiencing growth," said Wood.

Slavik Farms: New Additions

My first baby of the year was born February 6. I went home this weekend to see it. It is fuzzy and very healthy!! He was running around when I went out to the barn Saturday afternoon.

This is our new beef barn!! We have pens on the left side, and are able to store our farm machinery on the right half of the barn. It is really nice to have a barn separately for our beef cows.
This a picture of our new lagoon (aka poop pond). As our farm is increasing in size, we need a place to store the manure from the cows. We can't always apply manure to all of the fields all of the time over the course of the year, so we need to have a place to store it.

This is a picture of our new milking parlor. We converted our tie-stall barn into this system. We are able to milk, quicker and more efficiently while producing an even better quality product!

Things are rapidly changing at home - too bad I have to miss out on some of this, being at school most of the time :(

The Scoop from the big Grand Rapids! GLRDC 2009

So this year's Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference has come and gone! It was jam-packed of informative and exciting speakers.

Thursday
The opening session was all about the dairy industy and the new global environment by Jay Waldvogel. Then, an Wayne Humphrey an Iowa farmer gave an inspirational speech, "Leading with Your ACES."

• Attitude
• Communications
• Enthusiasm
• Sincerity

Later that afternoon, Dr. Gordon Atkins stressed the importance of cow conformation and breeding for cows that will live for a long time. Additionally, Dr. Nigel Cook took some time to discuss cow comfort, and how a comfortable cow will make a happy, healthy cow and in return a profitable cow.

Friday
I was all over the conference on friday, bouncing between some of the regular workshops, the Michigan Dairy Ambassador contest and some of the Partners' Program. There were a ton of excellent speakers there this weekend, it was difficult to pick only one!

I first sat in on Tom Earleywine's session on heifer calf management. He stressed that many farmers were underfeeding their calves and suggested feeding less per feeding, but increasing the feeding times to three (generally most feed two).

I then jumped over to the room where the Michigan Dairy Ambassador contests were to sit in on their discussion they had - after they listened to a presentation from Annie Link about farm tours that they have on their farm (Swissalane Dairy) and how people are able to discover how their dairy operation works. It was very interesting to hear their ideas. I know that the dairy industry has a bright future with people like them! These are bright students, who are passionate about this industry, willing to make a difference and show people that the animal ag. industry is all about producing a safe and quality product.

Later that afternoon I sat in on a discussion about a grazing farm in New York and the young women discussed how their family operated and worked together to be profitable and met their goals. It was very interesting to hear how different their farming techniques were from my own farming experiences. With their grazing farm, cows will start calving in March and they will milk them just about until the end of the year. They have two months where they aren't milking (or getting a milk check for that matter). I saw that their way of farming was much less stressful, however learning how to stay on a budget during those months with no income could result in stress.

After I went and picked up some Moo-ville ice cream, I went to listen to Amanda Nolz speak about the future of the ag. industry. She is a student at South Dakota State University and grew up on her family's Limosine farm. I could really relate to her speech, as I am also facing the dilemma on future plans: life after school. I know that I would love to have a 9-5 job with a steady income, but I also know that I love the farm and the animals in which that job is all about. Sometimes God's plan for our life is not always what we had in mind, but with trust and faith - his plans will endure.

Later in the evening at the Dairy Recognition Banquet, Brittany Westendorp and I had the pleasure of introducing the 2009 Michigan Dairy Ambassadors! This year's Junior Michigan Dairy Ambassador is Matt Mann from Hillsdale, Michigan. The 2009 Senior Michigan Dairy Ambassador is Nicole Schaendorf from Hopkins, Michigan. Congratualtions to both!


GLRDC 2009, was a huge success! Next year it will be back in Frankenmuth, Michigan and I hope to see an even better turn out again!

Dairy Days

Wow...this is pretty late! I had a crazy semester at school. I was working a lot of long hours at school and at home. Our family just finished putting in some new additions to the farm with a new double eight milking parlor and a barn for our beef cows and farm machinery. Hope everybody had a wonderful holiday season!!! I know that I have definitely enjoyed some time off from school.

I have yet to finish up writing about events from this summer!

"The Great Dairy Adventure"

I had a great time at "The Great Dairy Adventure". It is a fun filled day where day cares, summer schools and any children and adults can come to East Lansing and learn about dairy! There was ice cream, milk mustache's and really neat and fun things that can be learned about the dairy industry and the cows that make the milk.

I had the pleasure of helping with the milk mustache booth. We gave each child and willing adult a stick-on mustache and were able to have their picture taken with a professional athlete or celebrity Got Milk? poster. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed seeing how much fun all of the children had getting their picture with a mustache standing next to a giant cardboard cutout of Spongebob Squarepants. While many of the children and their chaperones were waiting in line, they had a chance to visit with and get autographs with some of the Michigan State athletes.

The Michigan State Dairy Club and its members were working the "I Milked a Cow" booth, where visitors had the opportunity to milk a real cow! There were other booths there that day to help the visitors to learn more about where milk comes from and how it gets to the carton.

Dairy Days

Also being held during the same week of "The Great Dairy Adventure" was the dairy youth and open shows. I personally did not exhibit any cattle myself, but had the opportunity to help the Michigan Holstein Association and the Michigan Jersey Association during the open show by lining exhibitors in order and getting them in the ring. I am not completely familiar with how the state dairy shows work, so it took a little while to get the hang of it, but I eventually did - what I thought - a good job and had a fun time chatting with some of the exhibitor and watching a great show. There were some beautiful females there that weekend!!

That week they also awarded the 4-H participants in the youth show and skills contests. To wrap up the week, they had a dinner and banquet. I had the pleasure in helping them celebrate in their hard work. Brittany Westendorp and I helped lead everybody in the "Pledge of Allegiance" and the "4-H Pledge". We also helped pass out the awards from each contest to the respected individual and team winners.

I still have a lot of events to catch up on from the fall...so be lookin' for them!