Hurricane Irene and Agriculture

The powerful and oftentimes unpredictable force of the weather is something farmers are always dealing with, but for those on the East Coast this past weekend the weather became an even greater foe than usual. Hurricane Irene hit the East Coast, from North Carolina to Vermont Saturday morning covering an area of over 1100 miles and affecting millions of people.

The agriculturalists of North Carolina were especially hit hard. Flooding and high winds have caused a great deal of property and crop damage. Corn, cotton, and tobacco fields, along with buildings such as grain bins, greenhouses, and poultry houses, have been damaged by the wind, greatly affecting area farmers’ businesses.

In an address to the public after touring affected areas, North Carolina Governor Bev Purdue spoke about the difficulties facing citizens, including farmers, who were greatly touched by the storm. She described the farmlands as destroyed, but called citizens to remember that though these are difficult times they can get through them if they stick together. For now, citizens and governmental officials are trying to assess the damage and will work to rebuild. The state is hoping to get federal aid, and if it is declared a national agricultural disaster, farmers could receive low-interest loans. 

A New Perspective on Price Gouging

My first week here at Mizzou is coming to an end. It's been an interesting, fast-paced week full of walking around campus and trying to figure things out. One thing I've noticed, and I know others have too, is that even though everything we need is on campus you might have to talk to people on opposite ends from time to time in order to accomplish something. In elementary school, I learned how to jump rope, but now I'm learning to jump through hoops. As bad as that sounds, it's life and it's a necessary skill to learn.

Something else I've learned is that there are so many different perspectives on different topics. Yesterday in my Microeconomics class we talked about price gouging. When I think of this process of increasing prices of necessary items, I immediately think of "evil" businessmen taking advantage of innocent people who just went through a traumatic experience. My view was questioned when our professor asked what we would do if we needed a flashlight and there were only two left in the store. Because price gouging is illegal, the flashlight costs only $5, the same price as it was before the storm. Most people said they would buy both flashlights, leaving none for anyone else. He then went on to ask what would happen if the flashlight was $20. Most people were willing to buy one flashlight at that price because they needed it, but would leave the other. That really made me think. Is it right to not allow prices to increase when the value of that item increases? Could increasing prices actually allow more people to acquire necessary supplies?

On the other hand, if you've just lost everything and have a very limited amount of money could you afford to spend the extra on what you need? Could having a limit on the number of items you could purchase be a better solution? Some interesting thoughts that may prove to be very relevant to current events with the recent earthquake in Virginia and the approaching Hurricane Irene off the east coast. 

It's Class Time!

It has begun! Classes start today, and yes I’ve already gotten a couple evil stares because my first class doesn’t start until two this afternoon. The question is will I regret it? Or will I be thankful for the extra study and quiet time? We'll see.

My morning has been spent printing syllabuses and looking over future reading and writing assignments. All I have to say is I’m sure glad I like to write! I can definitely tell that gone is the high school way of barely making it by; I am going to have to make an effort to keep up with my studies! This is going to be an experience, but I’m looking forward to it.

One of the things I’m most excited about is being introduced to developments in agriculture and different ideas about how we should best present ourselves. I’ve heard a few different thoughts from different people, and hopefully I’ll be able to write a little about them someday. They’re all pointed toward the same goal though, to increase agricultural awareness and educate consumers on the truth of how their food gets to their plate, they just utilize different strategies. I think the most important thing for us to do as an agricultural industry is to combine our ideas. Alone, we have some good thoughts, but together we can apply better solutions and work towards a better future for both producers and consumers.

An Adventure in Downtown Columbia: Country Meets City

The end of my first week in Columbia is coming to a close, and I must say that I believe these next four years here are definitely going to be an adventure! Before I came, I was terrified of living in a big city but now that I’m here I realize the city is whatever you make it. Just like I felt in St. Joe, there is a definite Mid-America country feel with an urban edge.

On the country side of things, my residence floor is predominately ag majors and so I’m surrounded by people with similar interests, goals, and priorities. It seems like we’re all in the same boat. We are intrigued by the city and all Columbia and Mizzou has to offer, yet we miss seeing grass and open fields. Some have already planned and executed trips home.

Of course Columbia is a city, and just a walk across campus into the downtown area makes you realize that you’re not at home anymore. Yesterday, some of us walked downtown and that was an experience!

The diversity in this city is overwhelmingly evident. Different clothing and hairstyles, different ethnicities and cultures, different modes of travel, different hobbies and activities, and even different foods are everywhere. For someone growing up in a place where pretty much everyone looks, acts, and thinks similarly, it was both refreshing and intimidating. I’m reminded that different isn’t always bad, and while I will never disregard my own roots I’m interested in understanding other views so that I can strengthen my own, and being able to connect with “different” people in the future.

A couple of my friends decided to get their hair cut, so we were on a mission to find a hair salon. Something about walking in downtown Columbia is that it’s widespread. There are so many shops along all the different streets, and it’s not like there’s a directory. So, we meandered up and down streets taking in the views, wandering into shops, and keeping our eyes peeled for a hair salon. Finally, we thought we’d caught wind of one and proceeded towards it, but what we found was overpriced, and as poor college students we left. We did eventually find a place, and my friends got their hair done while I read the Missouri Conservationist magazine, so we were all happy.

Our adventure reminded me that the speed of life here is different, and we’re going to have to try and make that work. Fortunately though, many of us are in the same situation and we can figure it out together. Of course, the way we tried to understand why prices were so high and why people had different attitudes may be a tad different from the way a non-farm girl tries to figure it out: we analyzed and discussed the economic situation in a logical and common sense manner. Yep, I’m in the right place!

Meats Lab and Buck's Ice Cream

Yesterday was an exciting day for us FIG students. Because it was the official move-in day for all other residence halls, the streets got a little crazy. Lucky for us, our leaders had planned a couple tours for us to see some of the ag school.

Our first stop took us to the meats lab where students learn the process of taking a live animal and butchering it, all the way to curing and processing the meat and then selling the final product in an on-site store. We were warned that the kill lab would smell, but most of us just smiled and reminisced that it just smelled like home. With that, I knew I was in good company. 

I couldn't help but notice that even though the kill-lab did smell like livestock, the rest of our tour smelled like bleach. I was reminded of when we butcher our chickens, bleach is our best friend of the day. Sanitation is very important in these sorts of labs, and the students take their job seriously. One even graciously handed us all hair nets as we walked into the processing part of the lab and told us to smile about it because we'd have to wear them a lot if we worked there. 

After eyeing the store with all the fresh meat and plotting with my hallmates to someday have a true home cooked meal, we left and headed for Buck's Ice Cream. If you love ice cream (and honestly, who doesn't?) then head to Buck's. The university's signature ice cream, Tiger Stripes, is made here along with others such as cookies and cream and butter pecan. 

As we walked through the store area, I noticed that though the dining area was small, it was also full. It wasn't just college students sitting at the tables either, there were people who looked like they had come from the community. I thought it was nice to see that community members could come in and support the workings of the students and also get a nice treat.

We went back to the lab section, and it seemed like a small-scale factory. The process of ice cream making was explained to us. There are two different ice cream machines, one is a smaller manually operated machine while the other is a larger commercialized machine. When the ice cream mix enters the machine and then comes out, it looks somewhat like soft serve. At this point, the ice cream is in the containers but only half frozen so they enter the freezer at -40 degrees F to harden. 

Meat and ice cream: two of my favorite foods. I enjoyed touring the plants and meeting students who were passionate about what they doing. It was also a great reminder that Mizzou has endless opportunities, and that anyone can find something they will love doing here. 

The Journey Continues

Rain, rain, rain, and more rain. We needed it, yes, but it came pouring as we were moving all of my stuff into my dorm room. Needless to say we, and everything I brought, got a little wet!

The move-in countdown clock has buzzed. I have officially been moved into Mizzou for about 14 hours. Right now even though it feels huge, I can tell there are opportunities to make campus smaller.

For example, I am enrolled into a FIG, or Freshman Interest Group. There are about 17 of us living here on the first floor, and we all have some sort of interest in agriculture. What’s nice is that we will have certain classes together, and so finding others to study with shouldn’t be too hard.

I feel like I am finally on my way in my journey as an ag journalist. I’ve been fortunate to have many experiences to help bring me here and to allow me the feeling that I am supposed to be here, but now it gets even more real. I’m excited about what the future has to offer and I'm very excited that the new leg of the journey begins right now.

Farm Rescue

The other morning I was flipping through magazines when I came across an article in Readers Digest. It was the first article I flipped to, and I had to smile when I saw that it had a man propped against a tractor. My kind of reading. 

As I read into the article, my smile couldn't help but grow larger. Of all the things I have learned in the past four years through my FFA and other life experiences, the most impactful lesson I’ve learned is that genuine leadership, living to serve others rather than yourself, is the key quality for any great club, organization, or society.

Bill Gross, the man in the picture I saw, is a prime example of genuine leadership. When Gross, a UPS Airlines pilot, noticed family farms were becoming few and far between he knew he wanted to do something. From that, he began Farm Rescue, a non-profit organization which helps farmers who are experiencing financial troubles because of a severe illness, accident, or natural disaster. The organization sends teams out to plant or harvest the family's crops for free. Since its beginning in 2005, the organization has helped over 140 families in the South Dakota, North Dakota, western Minnesota, and eastern Montana areas. 

Talk about genuine leadership. The people at Farm Rescue spend their time and energy by helping farmers stay afloat during times of crisis. The help they give may mean the difference between the family staying in business and the business going out. 

Watch this video, created by Kelly Gunning of Lansing, North Dakota, for more information on just how Farm Rescue impacts lives. 

I would encourage you to check out their website to learn more about what they're doing or to get involved. There are some really great products, such as hats, shirts, and prints of the poem "The Beautiful Hands of a Farmer," that you can buy. Proceeds go directly to financing Farm Rescue operations.

Bill Gross had the right idea about keeping the values of being good neighborly and serving others intact. Then he took that idea and made it a reality, which is helping families stay in business so that their farms will be able to continue through the generations. 

Talk...Who Me?

I’ve always loved to write, from the plays and short stories my cousins and I put together when we were younger to competing in essay contests. Writing is enjoyable and a great way to communicate thoughts and ideas, just some of the reasons I started this blog in the first place.

One thing I don’t do well at is talking. I have always been known as the “quiet girl” and I will admit my conversational skills are somewhat lacking. So why did I spend an hour this morning at KTTN, our local radio station, talking to owner John Anthony about opportunities for some radio experience? A couple reasons.

First off, I know that the ability to speak is very important in all career fields. According to the 2011 National Association of Colleges and Employers Job Outlook Survey, the ability to verbally communicate is in the top five most important skills employers look for. Going into a communications field means that this skill is not just important but essential. If in the future my job requires me to speak on the radio, I will have a little experience, and if not then my repertoire of skills will at least be a little more rounded. 

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, I see this venture as a way to push my comfort zone to a new level. A couple years ago I would have been shaking just going to the radio station. True, I’m still not completely confident in my speaking skills, but I can do it. And the more I do it, the more comfortable I’ll get. Plus, I realize that it’s easier to try to expand my comfort zone now while supportive people surround me rather than to wait until it’s just me.

Something I’ve learned from my experiences with Diane Lowrey at the Republican Times and now John Anthony at KTTN, as well as other community members, is that Trenton folk want Trenton folk to succeed, and they do whatever they can to help make it so. I’m excited about the new adventures up ahead, and I’m appreciative to all those who’ve made those adventures possible. It’ll be interesting to see where the future leads! Who knows, maybe I’ll find that I actually like to talk! 

City View

This past weekend, my family decided to take a trip to St. Joseph for some rest and relaxation before school starts up again. With it being tax-free weekend we were also able to get our last minute school supplies, and in my case last minute dorm supplies.

Shopping aside, St. Joe is an interesting little place. While there is a definite metropolitan feel, you can tell the city’s roots lie in its rich history, much of that history being agricultural.

Photo by Patrick King, from http://www.city-data.com/picfilesv/picv1977.php

One place that exemplifies this is the St. Joseph Stockyards, which opened in 1887. While St. Joe is better known as the birthplace of the Pony Express or the deathplace of Jesse James, the stockyards have played an important role in shaping the city. As we drove through the area, now pretty quiet though livestock auctions still take place, I could just imagine how it must have looked back in its heyday. History came alive as Dad explained what it was like when he came down here to sell hogs and cattle.

Just across the road from the old Exchange Building on the stockyards grounds was our first eating destination, and with one look at The Hoof and Horn Steakhouse I knew this history lesson wasn’t over. From the antique knick-knacks everywhere to the old bar in the back, the place looked interesting and had an old-timey atmosphere. Of course, any place that serves up good home cooking is a winner to me. Obviously others thought so too. The restaurant was packed with people laughing and enjoying good food with good company.

The country roots continued to follow me as we got deeper into the city. Pulling into the parking lot of Target I could hear a country music station blaring out of someone’s car. In another neighborhood, a man did the traditional drive-by hand wave from his car as we passed by, and gardens of sweet corn and tomatoes lined the road. Even in a more urbanized part of town we saw a man selling cantaloupes on the side of the street just like the people selling produce on the corner in my own town.

For a city with two Walmarts, a mall, and countless other businesses, there were elements of this place that reminded me of home- just in an overgrown kind of way. This trip was a testament to how deep agriculture goes. I was glad to see a reminder of just how diverse agriculture really is; it’s not just production, but also processing, packaging, and distributing, and it’s not confined to rural regions. No matter where you live or what you do, you are connected to agriculture. Sometimes these connections are obvious, sometimes not, but these connections are what make the welfare of the agricultural community so important to everyone. We all, agriculturalist or not, are dependent on one another.

A Fair Work Experience

The North Central Missouri Fair is in full swing in my normally quiet little town. We have a few other festivals throughout the year, but fair time, in my opinion, is always the highlight of the year. (Of course there is the fact that they sell cotton candy, which is perhaps my favorite food in the world.) 

Anyway... There is a lot that goes into putting the fair together. Showing is a way of life for some families, and they work with their animals long before the regular fair-goer starts thinking about any carnival ride or corn dog. Miss Haley Kidd (pictured above and below with her Hampshire hog) is just one of the many kids who show livestock. As you can see below, showing develops a bond between the animal and its show-er, but it can also develop relationships among the kids. For Haley, her time and dedication paid off as she won the Showmanship Award for ages 8-11. 

We all love to eat at the fair, but putting the FFA Cookshack, our fair's main food service and local FFA's major fundraiser of the year, together takes a lot of time and work too! It's been just a year since I spent nearly my whole fair week in the cookshack, and I must admit that while I didn't miss the stress of getting ready for it I have missed the busy atmosphere inside during a busy night. 

There's nothing better than working together to accomplish a goal, in this case to provide quality and inexpensive food to fellow fair-goers and to earn enough money to help support the doings of the chapter. The lessons I've learned in the cookshack in previous years are numerous, but even though it was a learning experience many of my fondest memories come from inside those walls.

This year the fair has brought back some great memories and has given me some new ones. Everywhere I look this week I see the evidence of some great people who work hard doing what they love. This is the week for them to shine. This is the week that is the epitome of the life I love- hard work paid off and just enjoying life with friends.

New Beginnings

We're nearing the end of summer, one that began with torrential rainfall and disastrous tornadoes and is ending in extreme heat and drought. Kids, from kindergarten all the way up, are making the most of these last few days before school starts again. 


As for me, there are only 12 days until I move into my new home-away-from-home at the University of Missouri. That's when my journey into the agricultural career field will officially begin. The first leg of my journey is as an agricultural journalism major at Mizzou. College will definitely be a change from what I'm used to but change isn't always bad, right? After all, without change we'd always get the same results and never improve.


Why am I on this journey? Agriculture is essential. Without it, we have no food, clothing, shelter... But for those living the agricultural life, it continually grows more difficult. With a growing population, demand continues to increase, as do challenges. Many of these challenges are rooted in an image given to agriculturalists by the misinformed. I hope to play a part in helping overcome this image because I believe this lifestyle I have always lived to be valuable, and I want to share the beauty of it with others.


As I am about to embark on this journey, I realize that I will learn and experience new things and ideas. I hope to use this blog as a way to share what I have learned and to express how I view the world- through an agricultural perspective. 


We're all on a journey. Whether yours is similar to mine or not, I hope we can learn from each other so that our own understandings and the impact of our journeys grow.