I am an Agriculturist and I am human

I am a person. I am human. And I have great advice. 
My graduation ceremony of highschool was the 4th of June, and unbearingly cold. It was windy. It was long for 190 students to graduate. And little did I know, it was the last time I would ever see a lot of those people. My principal made a speech before resigning from public education for good. It was a goodbye for all of us. 

This is not his words, and they are not mine either. But they are great. 

The Speech

The Working Man, My Father

Every day I thank God for the things he has given us. I am thankful for he gave me my father. 

I have never met such a hard working, understanding, loving man that compares to my father. 

My father is my hero. 

I have never met such a loyal, passionate, respectable man like my father. 

My father is strong.

I have never met such a down to earth, humble, sacraficing man anywhere close to my father.

My father is my friend. 

I have never met such a knowledgable, inventive, determined man that is anything like my father.

My father is incredible. 

I have never met such an ambitious, reverent, faithful man that will ever be similar to my father

My father is unyielding.

And out of all of the wonderful things in this world God made for me, God made a farmer. 

Annual Walnut Harvest at Lang Farms

A holiday favorite: the walnut. Find out how the hard working farmers of California bring them to your table.
I interviewed several farmers across the Salinas Valley of California. But one in particular, located in the San Joaquin Valley, caught my attention. Listen to what he has to say.

Use of Antibiotics Interview

NAFB Interview with Nikki Putman

My interview with Nikki Putnam, registered dietition with Alltech, has been posted on the AgNet West website, I have included the link below.

It's my first interview to air, so go check it out!

Antibiotic Use- Interview with Nikki Putnam

National Association of Farm Broadcasting Convention

National Association of Farm Broadcasting Convention

Held in Kansas City, Missouri on November 11th-14th

Last week I was given the amazing opportunity to attend the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) Convention in Kansas City Missouri. 

I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but boy was it a treat. The first day I was there I attended 3 workshops, and one of them was about blogging. The speaker of this workshop was from AgNet West Network out of Sanger, California; her name is Sabrina Hill. While giving her speech she mentioned traveling back to the Valley from the coast in California. During her trip back she saw rolling hills of vineyards and tractors creating little dust clouds up on the hill. The photographer inside her head told her she must pull over to document this picture perfect scene. 

I immediately knew what area of California she was speaking of. It was my hometown. 

I absolutely had to go talk to her about her experience in San Luis Obispo, so I introduced myself. We got to talking and I walked away from that conversation with a shadowing and an interview scheduled and the opportunity to get interviewed myself. 

The next day was the Trade Talk show, where I shadowed Sabrina. It was at that time that I conducted my first interview with Luther Markwart, Vice President of the American Sugarbeet Growers Association. After I had done that first interview, I caught some "interview fever" where I not only passed my goal of interviewing 5 people, but where I impressed even myself with finishing with 9 interviews that day.

 I will be posting those interviews weekly on my blog, so watch out for them!

Pictured above is Allie, Sabrina's intern, Sabrina Hill herself, and then me.

This was while we were taking a break from the very busy Trade Talk. 

How to process Goats

Processing Goats

Form of Castration: Banding

What is it? 

Banding Goats is a form of castration that does not require an open wound. Castration by banding is placing the scrotum of the animal in a bander (pictured below) and placing a thick rubber band around the scrotum. 

 Photo Credit to Egypt Creek Ranch

This cuts off blood circulation to the organs and within hours to a day the animal stops feeling anything in the scrotum. 

Photo Credit to Egypt Creek Ranch

After a few days to a week the scrotum will begin to shrivel up and eventually it will drop off. 

Photo credit to A Family Cow blog

Attack on Harris Ranch

Arsen at Harris Ranch Feedlot

2012 fire proves that violent aggression towards Agriculture is their main goal; over the actual welfare of animals.

Animal rights activists are taking responsibility for setting 14 cattle trucks on fire in the San Joaquin Valley in California. This type of aggression is one of many examples of the hypocritical acts of animal rights activists. It is thought to be PETA behind this horrid tragedy.

Picture by ABC News

Officials say the fire started at about 3:45 am. An anonymous email was sent to the North American Liberation Press Office, with specific details about the fire.

While researching this incident, I found an article on the Harris Ranch incident . In this article it states that in the email it said "Containers of accelerant were placed beneath a row of 14 trucks with four digital timers used to light four of the containers and kerosene soaked rope carrying the fire to the other 10.

"We were extremely pleased to see all 14 trucks 'were a total loss,' " the message said.

"We're not delusional enough to believe that this action will shut down the Harris feeding company, let alone have any effect on factory farming as a whole," the e-mail said. "But we maintain that this type of action still has worth, if not solely for the participant's peace of mind, then to show that despite guards, a constant worker presence and razor wire fence, the enemy is still vulnerable."
The e-mail ended with, "Until next time."

 What do you think about this? Comment below!

The Bundy Ranch Standoff

The Bundy Ranch Standoff: April of 2014

Bureau of Land Management fueds with Bundy family over unpaid dues

 

In April of 2014 the Bundy Ranch in Mesquite, Nevada had a run in with the federal government. The Bureau of Land Management claimed Cliven Bundy owed taxpayers over $1 million dollars in grazing fees. Bundy paid these fees until 1993, where he claimed he didn’t owe the government anything because his family had been using the land since the 1800s. The BLM took action to enforce a court order and seize nearly 1,000 head of Bundy’s cattle. The officers were then met by a united group of family, friends and armed militia from all over the country, attempting to protect the land. That is when the BLM used helicopters and other means of force to “round up” the cattle, ending in a gruesome scene with several cattle dead, including bulls, cows, calves and aborted unborn calves. This incident raised eyebrows and concerns about whether the government overstepped its boundaries, and whether they were inhumane to the animals.

As a livestock producer and an individual who practices good animal husbandry, I  have a few concerns on the events of that day in April of 2014. 

Did the BLM know how to handle the cattle? Why were so many cattle killed? Why were some cattle buried in shallow graves? Was evidence of animal cruelty being hidden by the government officials? Many of my questions remain unanswered. 

When a bank forecloses on a house, they don’t destroy the property inside the house or the house itself. There is enough supporting evidence to conclude that the BLM did not know what they were doing, and should have had animal husbandry experts come in and remove the cattle safely and calmly. But instead they shot bulls down from helicopters, ran pregnant  cows in 90 degree heat until they collapsed and aborted, and left wet calves in corrals separated from their mothers while they were ran down. The events of the Bundy Ranch Standoff were inhumane, aggressive and too emotional. This story died out without the answers known to the public. That story has a lot more to it than just some dues owed to the government.

More information on the Bundy Ranch Standoff can be found at the links below: 

 RT Question More
St. George News
NPR

Processing Piglets

Earlier this month I posted about why piglets are ear notched and how it is done, so here is the rest of the procedures done for a piglet after being ear notched:

 

 

Iron shots are iron injections given to piglets in confinement that do not have access to the natural iron in the soil, thus those pigs are given supplemental iron to prevent or correct iron deficiency that creates anemia. They are born with very low levels of iron which makes them very weak and vulnerable to deadly sickness. Giving them this medication acts as a booster for great health and strength to fight off illness.

Needle-teeth clipping is a necessary part of processing because the needle teeth are actually the tusks that grow very quickly, which promotes brutal fighting. Clipping the teeth slows aggression and prevents damage to the body when the pig is alive and when it gets in a fight.

Tail docking is optional, but still part of processing. If the tails are too long, the dominant piglet will chew the end of the tails off the runts and non-dominant piglets. It also keeps the pig’s back end clean when defecating, urinating and breeding.

Castration is done only to the male piglets that will be used for non-breeding purposes. Castration is a permanent procedure that cannot be reversed. It is the complete removal of the male reproductive testicles. Castration is done in some countries to eliminate fighting in non-productive males. It also eliminates "Boar-taint", a foul tasting and smelling chemical in the meat that renders it un-consumable.

5 Reasons Why Halloween is a Healthy Holiday

5 Reasons Why Halloween is a Healthy Holiday

Halloween is well known for being unhealthy. Although those Twix, Snickers and 100 Grand bars are awfully good, they aren't healthy. That's why moms have come to fear Halloween and the sugar pumped monster that candy creates out of their child, as well as the several cavities to follow. Good news; Halloween falls in the month of October, which is a month packed full of great harvests!
Here are five reasons why Halloween is actually a healthy holiday:

1. Pumpkins

Pumpkins are great vegetables that can be used for more than carving a funny face out of! Here are some great recipes for all of the wonderful and healthy goodies that can be made from those orange gourds! 
 Pumpkin Pancakes
Pumpkin Pie

2. Carrots

Not only are carrots good for the tummy, they are also good for your eyes. So if you want to steer away from the deserts this spooky holiday, turn towards another orange vegetable called the Carrot.
Here I have attached a couple outlets to make for dinner and send in the lunch box this fall.
Hidden Valley Carrot Dinner
Carrot Soup

3. Apples

Apples are a long loved fruit that provides a quick and hearty snack. Bite into these great recipe ideas for a 2 pm snack.
 Apple Pie
Cinnamon Baked Apples

4. Walnuts 

Walnuts are fabulous for topping sweet snacks with a little healthy kick.  Walnuts are a good snack idea because of how easy is it to make these sweet snacks and throw them in a ziplock bag; popping them in your mouth between classes and meetings.
Attached below are recipes for some great walnut snacks.
 Banana Split Trail Mix
Walnut Bread with Blueberry and Lemon

5. Potatoes 

This is especially exciting for me, because who doesn't love a good ol' baked potato after a long rainy day, right at that cloudy sunset? As the wind blows those autumn leaves off the trees outside, you can sit down with a warm potato treat with your family or roommates with these recipes.
 Baked Potato
Baked Potato Casserole

Why do pigs have ear notches?

Many wonder why pigs have notches or triangular cut outs in their ears. It is not a form of abuse but rather a form of identification that actually saves pain later on in life. 

When ear notching pigs, the farmer doing it creates a permanent form of identification that won’t be ripped out like you can a tag placed in the ear. 

Ear notching is a form of Processing, a word used to describe the whole process of iron shots, ear notching, needle -teeth clipping, castration and tail docking done to a piglet at about two weeks old to ensure great health for the growing animal. 

Ear notching is simply stated above as a form of permanent identification for a pig. This operation is done with a very sharp notcher that simulates an ear piercing for humans, which ensure a very quick heal-time for the piglets. Put simply, if you are looking at the pig in the face, where you can see the snout in the middle of its face, the left ear is the number of litters that particular sow has had, nicknamed the “Litter number.” The right ear is the number order that particular piglet came out as. The first pig born out of the litter is marked as 1. The tenth pig to come out is marked as 10. To mark these larger numbers, I have provided a very artistic picture I created on Windows Paint to show you the placement of the ear notches represents a number. If the pig was the first, it would have one notch in the bottom corner in the “1” section. If it is pig two, it will have two notches in the bottom corner in the “1” section. If it is pig four, it will have a notch in the “1” section and a notch in the “3” section and so on.