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!

In The Home Stretch!

So I am in my last few days as the "reigning" Senior Michigan Dairy Ambassador. I am trying to finish up some projects and get things squared away for the conference, all while carrying the load of my busy classes. I think that I am beginning to know what it is like to be an adult, or as my mom likes to say, "Welcome to adulthood."

Anyway, I figured that I should finally finish up writing about some of the activities I did over the fall/winter.

"Autumnfest"

Waaaayyyy back in November, the Great Lakes Regional Dairy Conference along with the Michigan Dairy Ambassadors sponsored a booth at the largest tailgate of the year - Autumnfest. Brittany Westendorp, Sara Long, Krista Beeker and myself (along with the help of my mom - Doreen and little sister - Kylie) had a booth featuring Earlene the cow and "Count Chocula". Earlene is a wooden life-like cow that offers a hands-on experience of milking a cow, but without the worry of being kicked. The idea behind "Count Chocula" was to promote chocolate milk and remind people of the healthy benefits of drinking it. Also, we wanted to remind people to be eating and or drinking at least 3-a-day of dairy.

We had a lot of positive feedback about the booth. I heard people saying that it was educational and fun. Everyone really like the chocolate milk as well. The chocolate milk came from our very own Brittany Westendorp's family farm and creamery - Moo-ville Creamery in Nashville, Michigan. We had such a great response that we were awarded the first-ever "People's Choice Award".


Chocolate Milk - Beverage of Champions

• "Chocolate milk contains both carbohydrates and protein that are important for an athlete's health; carbohydrates in milk fuels muscles after exercise, and protein helps maintain healthy muscles. From bone building to muscle strengthening, the nutrients in chocolate milk provide a variety of positive health benefits."

• "Chocolate milk provides important nutrients in a convenient great-tasting, relatively inexpenive package. According to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid recommendations, Americans of all activity levels should include 3 servings of low-fat or fat-free milk or milk products in their diet every day. Chocolate milk provides another option for meeting these recommendations."

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005. 6th Edition, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, January 2005.

• "The preliminary research on chocolate milk as a recovery beverage is promising. However, additional research needs to be done to help further support chocolate milk specifically as a post-exercise recovery beverage."

The End of an Era...Part II

Okay...so I left off last with the dairy show on Thursday morning.

Pretty much directly after the dairy show I had to set up the dairy area with dairy promotion items for Kiddies' Day. I brought some bull calves up for the day so kids could help bottle feed them and pet them. Also, some kids who came a little early were able to see us milking "old school" with the old pump and can milker. For a while we thought we would have to milk them out by hand! Once all the promo. items got put up and organized, we pulled out the ice cream freezer and made some soft-serve ice cream for the kids. I think that the kids really loved the ice cream because Thursday was unbearably hot! It was just the treat to cool you down!

I wish that more kids would have came out to the dairy tent, but by the time the show was over - a lot of kids were already on the carnival rides for their Kiddies' Day Special. Overall, I learned a lot from this event and it really taught me that I shouldn't take on more than I can handle. I was entirely exhausted from the show and the heat, that it was difficult for me to show the same amount of leadership as I usually would have. I also think that it would have went more smoothly if we would have been able more easily tie the two schedules together. Nevertheless, I am still glad that I did it, because I feel that the people I was able to talk to and that came over were able to have fun, cool down or learn something new about the dairy industry!

Friday was sale day at the Gratiot County Fair for Youth. All in all, I would have to say that we had a good livestock auction. A lot of the animals sold well, other than the occasional super high and low sellers. I love to see all the business and people from the community coming out to support our youth! I think that it is awesome, because in the long run, they are supporting Gratiot Counties future generation. Some kids will take their money and save it for college, others will just barely have enough to break even, but in the end, most kids have gained so much more by being in 4-H and being an exhibitor at the fair. I get a little discouraged when I see some of the power-house families in the county getting prices that are far higher than all the other exhibitors. Regardless on how hard they work compared with other kids, it isn't fair that they are getting higher prices because of their last name.

Brady Brecht is a 4-Her from my county and he is a great example of an honest, hard-working individual who is passionate about learning, serving and being a great example for other 4-her's. He was interviewed by Farm World and they wrote an awesome article about him. To read more about Brady and his passion for being supportive of everyone around him visit: http://www.farmworldonline.com/News/NewsArticle.asp?newsid=6427.

Saturday was finally a day for me to relax and just have fun. I was able to sleep in...do all that stuff that one should be able to do on your week off from work. Our county fair always has Ag. Olympics for the exhibitors and kids at the fair. This year was probably the first year that I actually went up to watch in a really long time. I ended up helping out with some of the interesting and hilarious games! The staff of the Gratiot County MSU Extension had come up with some truly unique games that were related to agriculture and the fair. They had relays like Sugar Beet Shomanship (they basically dragged a sugar beet down and around a cone with a rope halter and or a scoop shovel), Feed Bag/Three Legged Race, Wheel Barrel Races, Egg Relay on a spoon, picking up as many cucumbers as possible in a short amount of time and probably the grossest and yet funniest was the manure identification. They went around and collected manure samples from all the barns and the kids had to visit different stations and identify them. I was the lucky volunteer to be holding "chicken poop".

I am releived that the fair is finally over, but a little sad that I am no longer able to be an exhibitor. I am sure that I will be back again for years to come as a 4-H leader!

The End of One Era - The Start of a New One!

Every summer since I was the age of nine, mid to late July has always been the busiest time of the year - between harvesting wheat, playing sports and getting my 4-H projects ready for the fair. Whether it was putting the final stitches into my jumper I made for my sewing project or working with, washing and clipping my animals to perfection from dusk 'till dawn, 4-H wasn't just about exhibiting projects at the fair to see how much money I would make, not even about how well I was able to compete against the other exhibitors - I received much more by being in 4-H for 12 years! I have learned many lifelong skills and noble characteristics from my parents, 4-H leaders and other 4-Her's I've met along the way! Throughout my 12 years, I have learned to be a responsible, caring and enthusiastic individual - ready and eager to learn and serve! 4-H is an awesome way for kids to get involved in pretty much any area - if you can think of it, they probably have something out there for you!!

This summer had pretty much the same 'ring' to it - but maybe a little less involved at home (seeing as I am working during the day on campus). This year my 4-H projects consisted primarily on my Dairy cow and heifer, as well as my Holstein feeder calf. Although this year, I felt myself starting to be molded into a 4-H leader - as I was helping younger kids with their projects. They extended the fair week this year - which kind of was a little discouraging for many exhibitors and their parents - but by the grace of God I am pretty sure everyone survived! Tuesday was the beef and feeder judging and I truly felt blessed when I won the Reserve Grand Champion Feeder honors this year at the Gratiot County Fair for Youth. Wednesday was another long day - beef and feeder showmanship - here I didn't come out so lucky, or at least that is how I felt. I ended up getting 3rd in a super close call between the top three showman. Personally, I felt a little cheated from what I thought was a pretty awesome job by myself - but the judge had his own personal preferences. The judge gave us three showman opportunities to come to the microphone and he asked us questions on the spot - One of the major questions he talked about were issues facing the cattle industry: The first kid that went up to the microphone addressed the issue of feed prices (corn prices being at around $6 a bushel causes the feed prices to exponentially increase greatly) and how big or a role that will play on the producers in the industry as well as the quality of the product. I then proceeded to go to the microphone and I addressed the issue of Animal Welfare and certain ethical issues that the livestock industry is facing today! I also mentioned how important it was for me as a producers to make sure that I am promoting our industry as positively as possible. I thought I did a good job addressing the issue and stating my claim. Another issue that I think that could have been addressed was environmental restrictions (I should probably write a little more on that another time); however, the third person was asked a totally different question that isn't really relevant to the other questions we were asked above.

Finally Thursday rolled around - time for another exhausting day! The dairy show was bright and early and I rolled out of bed a good half hour before the sun crept over the horizon. First was showmanship, so I decided to take my cow out - big mistake. She didn't want to cooperate very well and because of my cow, I wound up getting third again while my brother Garrett took the 1st place honors!! My mom was just about in tears because Garrett felt so bad for beating me - because it was my last year and because he knew that I worked harder than he had. I came back though in judging and won my class with my heifer and ended up winning Reserve Champion Junior Holstein Female, Champion Senior Female and to top it off Supreme Champion Female! Now that is something I could smile about!

Wow, there is a lot to write about and its getting late...I will have to finish this story in another blog later!!!

Summer is Flying By So Fast!

Wow! I can't believe that it is already July! Happy Ice Cream Month!!

Sorry I haven't written anything in a long time, summer got super busy real fast. June was filled with working everyday, helping out on the farm and getting ready for the fair. Not to mention going to open houses, church softball and just enjoying the beautiful weather.

Here is a recap of some of the events that occurred through the month of June:

June 20 - Made an appearance at the First Congregational Christian Church in St. John's for their Auction Fest 2008. Helped serve ice cream and was able to test their knowledge of the dairy industry by asking them questions and handing out a few prizes.

June 23-27 - My little brother and sister were exhibitors this year at the Gratiot Ag. Society Fair. They both showed scramble animals - my brother with a steer and my sister with a pig. My brother Garrett won Grand Champion with his steer and my sister, well didn't come out that good. Then, Thursday after the sale, my brother caught another scramble steer! Then on friday one of my older brothers, Wade, was in the the first ever adult calf scramble. He and his partner had to rope the calf, halter it up and get it to the fence. There were men of all ages, from 18 on up. It was pretty entertaing to watch.

June 29 - I went to the Annual MMPA's OYDC Picnic with my family. My parents were the 1998 OYDC's and since then have attended almost every picnic all around the state. Fortunately this year we didn't have to travel very far. It makes for an enjoyable afternoon when all the farmers can sit around and eat and talk about each others families and farms. It was nice to hear current issues and news from MMPA top guns - Ken Nobis and John Dilland. They talked a bit about where the industry is going - the prices, bulk milk, etc. and also about the success of the farm bill.

Well, I probably better get going. I have a freakishly busy next few weeks. This week I am getting things around for the fair. I will be doing a promotional and education event this week at the fair for Kiddies' Day. I will also be exhibiting a dairy feeder as well as showing in a heifer and a cow in the dairy show. This year at the fair, I was given the opportunity to run the dairy judging clinic - that should be exciting!!
The week after that is Dairy Days down in East Lansing, Michigan! Youth from across the state will be meeting in the middle to compete with their animals, as well as against eachother in different activities such as dairy judging, quiz bowl, and showmanship. There will be a ton of cool activities going on. Be sure to be there on Wednesday, July 23 for The Great Dairy Adventure! If you want more information on that, check out my link to the UDIM page. I can't wait!!

I will be sure to post any or all picture from the next couple weeks!

I Scream, You Scream, We ALL Scream for Ice Cream!

Summer has arrived, or at least I hope it has. Dust off the summer gear and pull out the sun glasses. The days are getting longer and the sun is shining brighter. You know what that means? Ice Cream!!! Although it is also important to maintain a healthy diet - even when you have a craving for something cold and sweet! I thought that it would be cool to post some mouth watering, delicious and nutricious recipes to help you chill during the summer monthes.

1. I LOVE Ice Cream and it can be a healthy treat on a hot summer day! Here is something to cool you down - Double Chocolate Ice Cream.

Ingredients
1 1/3 cups sugar; 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa; 2 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk, divided; 3 large egg yolks; 1/2 cup half-and-half; 2 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped.
Preparation

Combine sugar and cocoa in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in 1/2 cup milk and egg yolks. Stir in remaining 2 cups milk. Cook 12 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
Place half-and-half in a microwave-safe dish; microwave at high 1 1/2 minutes or until half-and-half boils. Add chocolate to half-and-half; stir until smooth. Add half-and-half mixture to pan; stir until smooth. Place pan in an ice-filled bowl. Cool completely, stirring occasionally.
Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Spoon ice cream into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze 1 hour or until firm.
Yield
8 servings (serving size: about 2/3 cup)
writeNutrient();
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 255(30% from fat); FAT 8.4g (sat 4.3g,mono 1.4g,poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 5.6g; CHOLESTEROL 87mg; CALCIUM 38mg; SODIUM 51mg; FIBER 1.8g; IRON 0.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 44.5g

The recipe can be found at cookinglight.com - http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1206182&package_id=1214606

2. As a college student I have grown an affinity for coffee. Since it is summer, why not an Iced Coffee with MILK!

Ingredients
2 cups low-fat milk*; 2 cups freshly brewed coffee, cooled; sugar substitute, to taste
Preparations
Stir together 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of coffee. Pour into an ice cube tray and freeze overnight until frozen solid. Pour remaining milk and coffee into 2 tall glasses. Sweeten to taste with sugar substitute and add half of the prepared milk ice cubes** to each glass.
*Or, substitute with low-fat chocolate milk to create an iced mocha coffee.
**Size and amount of ice cubes may vary depending on ice cube tray.
Yield
2 servings
Nutritional Information
Calories: 100; Total Fat: 2.5 g; Saturated Fat: 1.5 g; Cholesterol: 10 mg; Sodium: 130 mg; Calcium: 30% Daily Value; Protein: 8 g (8 grams from dairy); Carbohydrate: 12 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g.

3. When I think of eating during the summer, grilling always comes to mind. Soft Chicken Tacos are bound to be a crowd pleaser for the patio dinners!

Ingredients
1 teaspoon chili powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs; Cooking spray; 12 (6-inch) white corn tortillas; 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage; 1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese (such as Tillamook);Low-fat sour cream (optional).

Preparation

Prepare Grill. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; rub spice mixture over chicken.
Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 10 minutes on each side or until done. Let stand 5 minutes; chop. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide chicken evenly among tortillas; top each tortilla with 2 tablespoons cabbage and 1 teaspoon cheese. Serve with sour cream, if desired.
Yield
4 servings (serving size: 3 tacos)
writeNutrient();
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 329(34% from fat); FAT 12.5g (sat 3.5g,mono 3.5g,poly 2.9g); PROTEIN 27.4g; CHOLESTEROL 86mg; CALCIUM 109mg; SODIUM 466mg; FIBER 3.9g; IRON 1.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 29.4g

The Recipe can be found at cookinglight.com - http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1227897.

To see some other great ideas for healthy and tasty dairy recipes visit: http://www.udim.org/Recipes.htm.

Animal Welfare... What is this All About?

HELLO! I am finally done with school for the summer and have another year of school under my belt! Over the year, I had the opportunity to discuss topics like animal welfare in some of my classes and how the way consumers products are handled and treated can effect the demand in the consumer market. Just within the last month, I have also had the opportunity to sit in on meetings and participate in educational events where I saw first hand both the concerns and views of producers and consumers. For example, Dairy producers are concerned that the public and media can help to portray a negative image on the way their farms are run. Likewise, concerned consumers have questions for the producers of their food, and tend to be misinformed primarily because of media hype.

Animal welfare and animal rights has been a hot topic thus far in 2008 across the animal agriculture industry. In February, the USDA ordered the largest meat recall in U.S. history after substantial evidence showing that the Westland/Hallmark Meat Packing company from Chino, California was not preventing unambulatory cows from entering the food supply. I was very frustrated when I saw videos posted and headlines around the U.S. bashing the animal ag. industry. The employees that worked for that meat packing company, which were fired, are to blame for this matter and people like them are helping the media by dragging the animal ag. industry through the mud.

As a producer, my goal is to help promote our industries in a positive way by educating and informing the public. Sometimes it could be as simple as letting them know that producers want to produce the best product possible, and in doing so must be responsible and take good care of their animals. I guess my takehome message would be for consumers is to ask question directly to the producers because that is where you are going to get factual answers; as for the producers, don't be afraid to get out there and inform the public of your business (i.e., farm tours and classroom education).

If you have any other of thoughts, comments or questions about this - feel free to add something in!

First Things First...

I am the 2008 Michigan Dairy Ambassador! Brittany Westendorp and I will be serving the dairy industry this year as Dairy Ambassador's. It is such an honor to be able to work with a great group of people throughout the years to come.

I have already started putting together some ideas and helping with activities. On Thursday, May 8, Ashley Messing and the Ambassador program will be putting on a field trip day called "Udderly Cool Field Day at Moo-ville" for 2nd-4th graders in the Lansing and Grand Rapids areas at the Moo-ville Creamery in Nashville, Michigan. The students will have a chance to tour the dairy barn and creamery, all while having fun learning about the delicious and nutritious dairy products that they eat! Hopefully we will get a good turnout and beautiful weather!

This is my very first blog - so I am still new to this. If you have any additional comments or topics that you would like me to write about, feel free to drop a comment or an e-mail.