Always Improving

Here I am working on a research project
 to help increase growth rates of calves.

"Simply doing what the previous generation did will not keep the farm competitive in the long run." Nor will it produce enough to feed the world's growing population. To me, this quote, taken from my Farm and Ranch Management class book entitled Farm Management by Kay, Edwards, and Duffy, really speaks to todays generations, both on the farm and off.

On the farm, we sometimes like to get stuck in our ways, getting in the mindset that it has always worked so why wouldn't it keep working. But we must challenge ourselves to keep striving for better. To keep pushing the limits of what we know and the success of our farms. Agriculture as a whole has made huge improvements over the years and many farmers have taken great advantage of this. I just wanted to post this to remind us to keep striving and improving.

Off the farm, this can remind each person who eats or wears clothes, that farmers must keep improving, like the rest of our lives. Our cows can't walk out to the pasture each day like they did on my grandpa's farm, but our cows can produce 1/3 more milk per day in a comfy barn.

My take on the Chipotle Video.

The Scarecrow Commercial

Last week in my Argument and Debate class, my teacher showed us this commercial in the link above made by Chipotle. After just a few seconds of viewing it, I knew I was never going to eat at Chipotle ever again. The way they portray production agriculture is heart breaking and very disturbing. Although I was taken aback by this  commercial, I was glad my teacher showed it because I got to explain to the class why I was hurt and angry. I got to tell those twenty students that I am apart of the hard working farmers who take great care of their animals to produce the most nutritious product possible to feed the world. I really emphasized the feeding the world part, due to the fact that without modern agriculture practices, there would not be enough food for us to eat. I just wish that everyone could tour a farm and see with their own eyes what actually happens and that we have nothing to hide.

THANK YOU FARMERS!

So June Dairy Month is coming to an end, and I have made it everyday with posting a picture of the dairy industry I love. But now I'd like to take a moment to thank all of the dairy farmers for everything. If you eat today, thank a farmer. If you are wearing clothes, thank a farmer. They all work so hard to provide us with the things we need to live. I'd also like to thank the cows, they often get over looked, and these ladies (and gentlemen when it comes to meat) work so hard to provide us with nuticious food. And by working hard I mean sleeping 14 hours a day, eating 6 hours a day, and bumming around the other 4:) 1% of america feeds everyone, and they are often overlooked themselves. So THANK YOU FARMERS!!!

How I Know my Cows are Happy:)

A few weeks back I was letting the cows out of the barn for the afternoon, I came up to this one cow and when I reached for her collar, I realized she was loose. She was loose all day long, could have walked out of her spot and right out the door of the barn, but she didn't, she stayed there. Why would she leave, she has everything she could have ever asked for there? She has all the food she wants and the ingredients are fresh, the recipe, which has been created by her personal nutritionist, is strictly followed. It is put together by "Cow Chefs" as I like to call myself, who have at least 2 years of experience in feeding. If she was not on the farm she would have to scavenge for food and wonder where her next meal is coming from. She has all the fresh clean water she needs, even enough to play in. She has fans blowing when its warm outside, cooling her down, and the doors closed when it is cold outside, to keep her warm. If she was on her own, she would be exposed to the elements, which would be really hard on her. Also when her udder gets full, it is cleaned to keep her healthy and milked out, keeping her comfortable. If it didn't get milked out when it was full, it would just stay full, and that would hurt. She also would be more prone to getting an infection. Then most importantly, she was surrounded by all of her friends, why leave when you can hang out with your friends all the time? She has the perfect life. Its like how kids have to live with their parents, who feed, clothe and care for them. Yes kids have to obey their parents rules, like when to go to bed and when they can leave to go out and when they have to stay home, but without parents, kids would be in a world of trouble. And that is how I know my cows are happy, they have farmers to keep them happy and healthy. Sometimes I think they live better than I do.

So God Made a 4-Her

And on the 8th day God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need a leader!". So, God made a 4-Her! God said I need somebody to get up before dawn and milk cows and work all day with their show calves, milk cows again, eat supper and then go to into town and stay until 11 at a meeting for the county. So, God made a 4-Her!
I need somebody with strong arms. Strong enough to rustle a calf into a halter, yet gentle enough to tame that same calf to follow. Somebody to call hogs, fix cantankerous machinery, come home hungry and have to wait for lunch until her mom is done feeding and visiting with other 4-H moms about how busy and crazy her child is and mean it. So, God made a 4-Her!
God said "I need somebody that can shape a sculpture, make a project with a hunk of car tire, make an answer out of thin air, take pictures and edit video. And...who, at county fair time and show season, will finish her forty hour week by Tuesday noon. Then, pain'n from rope burn, put in another seventy two hours. So, God made a 4-Her!
God had to have somebody willing to tame to steers in double speed to get them ready by fair time and yet stop mid-halter breaking and race to volunteer at camp for the local kids. So, God made a 4-Her!
God said, "I need somebody strong enough to lose after working all summer, and see others win, yet gentle enough to win graciously and keep trying year after year and teach the younger kids...and who will stop everything for an hour to lend a hand to a friend who's cow won't walk. So, God made a 4-Her!
It had to be somebody who'd try hard and long...and not cut corners. Somebody to lead and pull, study and learn...and clip and brush and glue and cut and crochet the blanket and knit the sweater. Somebody to refinish a table and then finish a hard days work with a five mile drive to the neighbors to help them finish theirs. Somebody who'd grow a family together with the soft strong bonds of sharing and hard work, who'd laugh and then sigh...and then respond with smiling eyes, when her sister says she wants to spend her years "doing what her sister does". So, God made a 4-Her!

-edited by Maggie Stiles, from orginal by Paul Harvey

A Calf Story: Robert Joseph



Robert Joseph, just one day old.



This is the story of how Robert Joseph can to be in this world. It starts out the same as any story, a heifer who's just living her life to the fullest; eating, sleeping, training with her handler, and of course traveling the county going to shows, like any show heifer does. Until one day, the farmer thinks, "I bet she would make a great addition to my milking herd, I should breed her." So that night the farmer opens up her Stud Book, to pick out a very nice bull for her young star, Bobbie Jo. After looking through almost the entire book, she is about to give up, thinking that no bull is good enough for her hefier, when she stumbles across Man-O-Man. This bull has it all, the ease of calving, the high production of milk, and the looks; everything she was hoping for for her dazzling heifer. The next day, the breeder comes by with a straw of Man-O-Man for Bobbie Jo. And it must have been a match made in heaven because she took the first time, to the farmers delight.

Bobbie Jo at the county fair.

Over the next couple months, Bobbie started to put on some weight, was eating like a horse, and her udder started to form, her body was getting ready to join the milking force. Throughout the whole nine month gestation, everything was on track for Bobbie and things were looking great. But just like in humans, sometimes cows have trouble during labor, as was the case for Bobbie Jo. Lucky for Bobbie, farmers take amazing care of their cows, and the vet was called once the problems started to arise. Turns out Robert Joseph was just a little too big for his mother, but with a little help, he came out with no problem. After that, the farmer and vet noticed that Bobbie wasn't feeling well, she had an infection in her udder, called mastitis. But after a little medicine from the vet, she is feeling great and happy to be apart of the great milking team that is helping feed the nation, definitely worth giving up her crazy heifer ways.

As for Robert Joseph, he is in his own hutch, where he gets milk twice a day, and has grain and water all the time. Here he will live, until he is about a month old, then he gets to move in with others his age, like going to school. He as a very fun near future ahead of him.



Bobbie Jo at work, milking like the great cow she is!



My Hero: My Grandfather

I know this is not the best essay, but I wrote it as a freshman in high school, found it today and thought I'd share it. The topic was who is your hero:

"The rumble of the tractors engine, the crunching of the ground beneath the large tires, Johnny Cash's voice ringing form the radio, and Grandpa's rough yet gentle hands lightly gripping the black steering wheel. I was the little child that sat being bumped around in the giant, blue tractor's cab just so I could watch my grandfather control the great machine. Maybe it was these experiences with him that made him my hero. No, he did not wear a cape or spandex, nor did he have the power to fly, but he had a true faith in the Lord above, a passion for animals and farming, and a personality that would make anyone smile. He was a real role model for me as a young child and even now.

My grandfather and I at the kitchen table.

His knees were worn down and replaced, more than once, by the years of farming. Even through all of this pain, he got on those sore appendages every night by the side of the bed to pray to the Lord in which he held a lot of faith in. Also he had a rosary that he prayed each night and the beads were so worn they were almost not there anymore. Even as a young man in World War II, he went to church every chance that he had. This was a very admirable quality in my grandfather. He helped me to understand God. Then when it was his time to die, it was horribly sad, but the pain was eased with the thought of him being free of pain and with God. I hope now that he is looking down and happy with the way in which I hope to follow in his food steps.

"Your grandfather said he hated cats, but when he thought no one was looking you could find him holding and petting a kitten," my mom told me as we fed my sister's baby kittens. Grandpa loved the animals no matter what shape, size or even attitude. His dog Bandit was one of the smartest dogs ever. He would give her commands in full sentences as if he were talking to a human and she would obey. My grandfather also had a passion for farming. This was evident when he "retired." Basically he stopped milking and started a beef herd of 100 cows. Now because of him, I want to be a farmer when I grow up. The passion and love has been passed down through three generations.

Whether you were stuck in a snow bank along the road or in an accident, my grandpa was there to help. Him and my grandma had a routine. Grandpa would pull them out of the ditch and Grandma would feed them. He also could make me laugh no matter what mood I was in. Just a simple funny face or a joke, he had me rolling on the floor laughing. This personality help him stay strong and gives me a good laugh even now when  I think back.

The breaks came to a squeaky stop, the engine faded to a dull roar then nothing, the radio was clicked off, and my grandfather opened the tractor door to the hot late august air. We were done from a good days work in the field and ready for Grandma's fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. My grandfather was my hero, and in my eyes he wore that superman cape. With his faith, passion, and personality, he flew me away from danger of any kind."
-Maggie Stiles, 2009