I've Been Shooting Farming in the Foot: Three Things I Wish We'd Stop Saying in Agriculture.

Hello, I'm a farmer. I've been shooting myself in the foot.

Here's how.

For years, we in agriculture, have raved about the redeeming qualities of "family farms".


Don't get me wrong, I loved growing up working with my family on our farm.

That's me, part-time grain cart driver, full-time Mama.

Today, I love farming with my husband and children, but what if you were not born into a "family farm"? How would that make you feel about farming? Is there some club that you didn't get invited to? Do you somehow not belong unless you have "blood" in farming?

What if your farm is experiencing success and is growing and you need to hire help?
How does this make non-family employees on farms feel? Like they're less important than the family members on the farm team? Not so. I care for our non-family team members (and their dogs) as much as I care about my own flesh and blood.


Every member of our farm team is important. Large, small, K9, I care about them all.

What if you exited a family farming partnership?  What kind of guilt would you carry for "breaking up the family farm", even if it was the right thing to do? Not all families work together in businesses in town. Not all families are meant to farm together either.

Worst of all, the term "family farm" has been hijacked and is being used in the media as a whiny, pity-filled, political pawn.

Don't feel sorry for me. I love my vocation. I'm happy with my choice.

As just 2% of the U.S. population (Source: American Farm Bureau Federation), we farmers better get really excited about recruiting future farmers and agribusiness professionals to support us and our peers, and we better do it quickly.

I say bring on the first generation agriculturalists! Celebrate them! Mentor them!

So, please, STOP SAYING "FAMILY FARM", just call it a "FARM".

PERIOD.

The second way I've been shooting farming in the foot is calling what we do an "industry".

For years we've called ourselves an "industry". Rolls right off the tongue. Yes, we grow things and make things. Yes, we use lots of mechanization, but "industry" sounds cold. It doesn't sound enjoyable. It sounds inhuman.  What I love most about agriculture is the culture, our people.

We are a "community".  Even those we bid against for land rental contracts, we stop and help if they're stuck in the mud or broken down, and they do the same for us.  We go to church, 4-H, and school together.  In my opinion, rural communities are the best communities. Let's start talking about why we love living where we live. Afterall, most farms are rural and immobile. If we're going to recruit first-generation farmers (or convince our own kids to come back to our farms), we'd better start talking up why we love living where we live and the communities we are thriving in.

The third, and final, term, I'm guilty of using, that is further alienating those who choose to invest in what we grow; "Consumers".

This one is tough. It's been engrained since my Dairy Princess days.

1996-97 Maryland Dairy Princess.
A life changing experience and my first opportunity to hear what the public really thinks about agriculture.

However, these days I am a parent. I do most (but not all) of the grocery shopping. I'm on the production end of agriculture as well as the retail end and I don't like being called a "consumer".  That makes me feel like I am mowing through life like a Hungry Hungry Hippo.

This is Hungry Hungry Hippos, in case you weren't a child in the 1980's :)

Call me a "parent". Call me a "customer". Call me a "food decision maker" because I am important and with every trip I take to the grocery store, I am voting with my dollars. Better yet, call me a "food choice Mom",  but please don't call me a "consumer".

Thank you for hearing me out.  If you, like me, are going to try to change the way you talk about farming, which hopefully changes how people perceive farming, THANK YOU.

God Bless,
Sarah :)

"Then he (Christ) said to his disciples. "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Matthew 9:37-38, NIV

Farmer Style (Gangnam Style Parody) is another hit for Peterson Farm Bros!

The "Peterson Farm Bros" who brought the world "I'm Farming and I Grow It", which has now hit over 7,700,000 views, have struck video gold again with their latest parody video, which is an entertaining and educational tour of how food gets from the farm to our plates.

This time, they do "Farmer Style", which parodies "Gangnam Style", a pop song by South Korean artist PSY. Of course, this is according to Wikipedia, because honestly, I hadn't heard of the song until the Peterson Farm Bros parodied it.  Let's just say Gangnam Style isn't exactly played on K-LOVE or our local AM radio station, so I had missed the memo on how hugely popular it was :)

Watch "Farmer Style" here...

http://youtu.be/LX153eYcVrY

And if you want to see Greg Peterson, the elder Peterson Farm Bro, in person, be sure to attend the 2013 North Dakota Farm Bureau Leadership Conference in Bismarck, February 1-3 as he'll be a featured guest and performer.  You can print a registration form HERE.

This guy has some SERIOUS talent, so be sure to check out his YouTube channel as well:

http://www.youtube.com/user/gregpetersonmusic

 Now be sure to SHARE this video with your friends! Let's help these boys make Farmer Style viral!

Sarah :)

p.s. Fun random fact: The Peterson family is from Salina County, Kansas, where my husband's great-grandparents, J.Harry and Susan Wilson, once farmed in the early 1900's. Small world!

Farming: "We Do It For You"

Last month I was asked by one of our Jamestown City Council members to write the "We Do It For You" column for our Main Street/Downtown Association Newsletter. (THANKS for the opportunity, Charlie!)
Thought you all might like to read it too! Enjoy! Sarah :)

"Agriculture is the backbone of our economy, making up almost 25 percent of our state’s economic base (Source: ND Department of Agriculture).   To reinforce this fact, I recently compiled a list of local businesses our farm and our family patronized in one year- there were FIFTY!  There were the obvious- our local implement dealers, tire repair service, seed, fuel, fertilizer and crop protection product suppliers, but many more were on Main Street and in Downtown Jamestown- our bank, grocer, office supply store, dry cleaning service, restaurants, gift shops, etc.

Main Street, Jamestown, North Dakota (Source: ScenicDakotas.com)

Along with having such a positive economic impact, the values that have carried farms and ranches through the generations are the heart of our community.  Every day farmers and ranchers are working hard to provide safe, wholesome, consistent, affordable products, in an environmentally conscience manner, for all of us to enjoy.

Harvesting soybeans with a combine.

With some help from Stutsman County Extension Agent, Lance Brower, I discovered that according to the National Ag Statistics Service and US Census, there are 1,043 farmers in Stutsman County.  According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, back in 1940, each farmer fed just 19 people.  Today, the average American farm consists of 446 acres and each farmer feeds 154 people.  However, Mr. Brower and I found that in Stutsman County, our average farm is 1,144 acres and each of our local farmers feeds 398 people!

Jeremy Wilson. One of 1,043 farmers in Stutsman County, each feeding 398 people each year!

While farmers and ranchers have increased our overall productivity, we have significantly increased our efficiency as well.  For example, Dr. Jude Capper, Washington State animal scientist, writes “Modern dairy practices require considerably fewer resources than dairying in 1944 with 21% of animals, 23% of feedstuffs, 35% of the water, and only 10% of the land required to produce the same 1 billion kg of milk. Waste outputs were similarly reduced, with modern dairy systems producing 24% of the manure… The carbon footprint per billion kilograms of milk produced in 2007 was 37% of equivalent milk production in 1944.”  Thanks to technology, the same trend of making more with less is happening in every sector of agriculture.

Dumping soybeans from the combines into the semi.

 Jeremy and I farm because we want to have successful business that will provide for our family for generations to come and we certainly love the work that we do, but at the end of the day, we farm because God has called us to help feed His people.  Truly, we do it for you."

Jeremy and Sarah Wilson own and operate J.S. Wilson Farm in Jamestown, North Dakota.  They have three children who are the fifth generation on the Wilson Farm. They are the winners of the 2011 Stutsman County Soil Conservation Achievement Award.  Sarah is also a professional speaker and blogger at http://farmeronamission.blogspot.com

Another Reason to Drink Milk!

One of my favorite publications is Disney's Family Fun Magazine.  There are TONS of ideas for, well, family fun....crafts, activities, recipes, etc.  Our local library has a subscription, so I get it read it for FREE!

In the past I have been disappointed in other family/parenting magazines for regurgitating misinformation and scare tactics from environmental and animal rights activist groups about food and agriculture.

That's why I nearly jumped for joy when I saw this recent article called "Another Reason to Drink Milk"!

THANK YOU Family Fun Magazine for sharing a POSITIVE story about milk! 

My family "back home" in Maryland raises dairy cattle and we graze dairy cattle here on our farm in North Dakota, so I know how hard dairy farmers work to get that milk from the cow to the kitchen table and how dedicated they are to making high quality products.

Featured on page 47 of the February 2012 issue of Family Fun Magazine!

JP Loves Cotton!

I am often reminded of how diverse agriculture really is.  I am generally focused on the production of food, but there is SO much more to agriculture, including, fuel, pharmaceuticals, and fiber.  One of those wonderful fibers is COTTON.  I LOVE COTTON!  I love wearing it, I love how easily it washes, I love that it comes from farm fields right here in the good old USA.  But noone I ever met loves cotton as much as JP loves cotton. 

I met JP at the 2010 Ag Chat 2.0 training in Chicago.  I think she smiled the entire weekend.  She's my kind of gal. 

If you like my blog and following my random adventures raising kids, corn, wheat, soybeans, pinto beans and cover crops, but would be interested in slightly more urban flair, and array of different agricultural products (like rice) you've GOT to check out JP's blog:

http://jplovescotton.com/

Special THANKS to JP for mentioning me as one of the "Farm Mom Blogs" she reads (I'm a latecomer in the comments section).

http://jplovescotton.com/blogs-i-read/blogging-home-family-farm/


Oh, and special thanks to JP for snapping this rare footage of the elusive Val Wagner and I in the wild :)

A Story of Christian Farmers

During this season of Lent, as we turn our hearts and minds to the appreciation of the greatest gift God has given us: His son, Jesus Christ, so that we may spend our eternal life in heaven, I thought it appropriate at this time to share this story of two incredible people with you.

My Grandparents have always been an inspiration to me, in their faith, in farming, in their marriage, and in the way they have taken my husband, Jeremy, under their wing and loved him as one of their own.

They are a blessing in so many ways, yet they are so very humble.

They have been involved with the Christian Farmers Outreach (http://www.christianfarmers.com/) for a number of years. In 2006 this article was written about them. I hope you find my Grandparents' story as much of an inspiration as I have.

God bless,

Sarah :)

Happy National Agriculture Day!

In 1920, J. Harry and Susan Wilson, Jeremy's great grandparents (below), settled where we still farm today.

We are busy raising not only the fifth generation on the Wilson Farm, but also food (corn, wheat, soybeans) and fuel (ethanol) for YOUR family.

(photo by www.paulyjamesphotography.com)

Happy National Agriculture Day!

If you did the following today...

- Ate food

-Used ethanol to fuel your vehicle

-Wore cotton or wool clothing

-Or used one of the thousands of household, pharmaceutical, or health products derived from livestock and plants that a farmer has raised

...remember to THANK a farmer!

Take a few minutes to learn more about the History of Agriculture in the United States and take a gander at these videos to learn how far agriculture has come:

One Hungry Planet

Some Food For Thought

Thank You, America's Farmers

Have a great day!

Sarah :)

Velkommen til Kobenhavn!

Velkommen til Kovenhavn! (Welcome to Copenhagen!)

(check out http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/)

Yesterday/today (it's all running together now) I travelled from Jamestown, North Dakota to Minneapolis, Minnesota (airport tram ride with MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty- cool!) to Amsterdam (capital of the Netherlands) to Copenhagan, Denmark. No real issues until we arrived and learned that there are not one, but SEVEN "Scandic Hotels" in Copenhagan. The first one we went to was NOT the one we needed to be at, so we investigated and then traveled 5 minutes to the correct hotel :)

Dropping off my bags in my tidy little room with the traditional clean lines of Danish design was SUCH a relief!

The view from my hotel room window:

My travelling companions at this point are Jim Boyd, representing the Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corporation (JSDC), Randy Neva, Jamestown-area farmer/rancher, and Jamestown Mayor, Katie Andersen.

Tomorrow we'll be joined by a host of others including local legislators, the ND Agriculture Commissioner, ND Attorney General, and representatives from Great River Energy, The Bank of North Dakota, Great Plains Institute, ND Dept. of Commerce, ND Corn Growers Association, ND Corn Utilization Council, and the ND Grain Growers Association. We'll total 22 when everyone arrives.

I was honored to be invited to be part of this delegation by the JSDC and am charged with the responsibility of representing the interests of our farm and other Jamestown area farmers. See http://www.growingjamestown.com/ for more information on the work of the JSDC.

So, WHY, you ask is our group in Denmark?

Great River Energy and Inbicon, the cellulosic biomass refinery technology subsidiary of the Danish utility company, DONG Energy, are working together to develop and build a cellulosic biomass refinery in North Dakota. The biomass refinery, Dakota Spirit Ag Energy (DSA) will be located in Spiritwood, North Dakota.

Eventually, the goal is to have DSA converting biomass (wheat straw and parts of corn plants other than corn grain called "corn stover") into a variety of energy products including ethanol, molasses, and lignin pellets. DSA would utilize approximately 480,000 tons/year of biomass.

Here in Denmark, Inbicon has a demonstration biomass facility in Kalundborn (about an hour and a half bus ride from Copenhagen).

We're going to take a gander at that plant tomorrow.

So will this work in North Dakota? The jury is still out. We've got a lot to analyze. What are the logistics? How will we grow and harvest the biomass crops and deliver them to the plant? What are the effects on soil health? Most importantly, will this be profitable for local farmers and other parties involved?

My list of questions to answer this week is long, but I'm excited to get learning tomorrow. Stay tuned!

One last note. I sat down with my fellow Jamestownians tonight and enjoyed a delicious supper of chicken cordon bleu. I was entertained by the fact that the menu at our hotel restaurant had a "CLIMATE" section. In this section, plant-based, organic, locally produced foods were proclaimed as superior to other foods, and the production of cod (fish) fillet was even compared to a liter of milk, based on it's carbon emission.

Oh boy, am I ever back in Europe. Don't get me wrong, I really love European farmers, but they are subjected to the whims of a public (and resulting legislators/legislation) that have bought into the "climate change" gimic hook, line, and sinker. (groan).

I happily and gratefully enjoyed my dinner that included pork and chicken and cheese (dairy), along with an array of fresh vegetables, and gave thanks for ALL farmers (not just the organic folks), including my family, who are working hard everyday to raise food using sustainable, environmentally-friendly methods.

Food for thought: If it weren't for the initiative of farmers and the agriculture industry to constantly pursue innovations in efficient and effective methods of feeding and fueling our world, I would be at home in North Dakota, content with the status quo, instead of doing research in Denmark.

THANKS for taking the time to visit my little place in cyberspace,

Sarah :)

Wordless Wednesday- Life on the Funny Farm- You Write the Caption

I'm giving my first "Wordless Wednesday" post a shot.

These are simply a bunch of random pics from our home and farm. We're just like every other family in America. We're quirky and downright ridiculous at times, but we love each other "no matter what", as my four year old will tell you.

It just so happens that the vocation we have been called to is feeding YOUR family.

This post is so wordless that YOU get to write the captions!

Have fun! And keep it clean, this is a family show :)


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Enjoy the rest of your week! THANKS for stopping by!

Sarah :)

One lovely meal caps off one long day in Germany

Sunset last night over the Atlantic Ocean.

My ride to Frankfurt.

I arrived in Frankfurt at 6:30 a.m. this morning. I spent the day at the airport people-watching and being reminded how much I am NOT into the skinny jean fad.

At long last, I met my travelling companions on our 4 o´clock train to Bonn.

The trip was lovely as our group chatted it up about our varying interests in agriculture and the scenery was breath-taking. The tracks wound along the Rhine River for the two hour trip. Perched on nearly every vineyard-covered hilltop was a "schloss" or castle, reminding me of how new North Dakota is as a state how much longer Germany has been "developed"...hmm...going to have to think more on that one another day.

We arrived in Bonn, the former capitol of Western Germany, and checked into our hotel, the Andreas Hermes Akademie. What a neat and tidy place, with very gracious hosts that handed each of us a pack of sheep-shaped gummy bears as we signed in. A big bonus to a weary traveller. Will have to find some more to take home to my kiddos.

The view from our hotel room.

Mr. Willi Kampmann, Director of International Affairs for the Deutscher Bauernverband (German Farmers Assn.) picked us up and all five of us piled into his car, quite smaller than the `Hi-Ho Diesel` or `Silver´, our family pick-ups. We went to a restaurant called `Bastei`, where we met Willi`s predecessor, Dr. Klaus Lotz.

View of the Rhine from the restaurant.

L to R: Herr Kampmann, Herr Lotz, Frau Connecticut, Herr Maryland ö

Over an amazing meal of a crisp salad with smoked salmon and lemon-caviar, we sipped Reisling, we discussed many of today´s agricultural issues while looking out over the sunset on the Rhine River and a ferry shuttling cars back and forth across the quickly flowing waters.

Lots of ideas were exchanged on farmer´s organization structure, risk management tools in agriculture, the animal rights movement, financial challenges for farmers, politics, and last but certainly not least, our shared passion for FOOD- producing it and eating it!

One LONG day, with a perfect happy ending....

A dessert menu in ENGLISH!!! Ö

oh, and did I mention the ice cream? Simply delectable!

I have now been awake since 7:00 a.m., yesterday. Good night world!

Germany-bound to Study International Agriculture!

Today is a VERY busy day of errands and packing, packing, and some more packing.





I depart at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning for the trip of a lifetime- the McCloy Fellowship in Agriculture. I am honored and extremely grateful to have been awarded this opportunity through the American Farm Bureau Federation. I am also grateful that my family "out east" has agreed to take care of my children while I'm gone so that Jeremy can focus on harvest here on the Wilson Farm.




I will do my best to update my blog with my experiences abroad, but I'm not quite sure about the access I will have to the internet over there, so stay tuned.

I am also excited to get united with my "fellow Fellow's" from Kansas, Maryland and Connecticut! From what I've already gotten to know about these folks through phone, email, and Facebook convo's, they are stellar people, and we're going to have a great time!

Please say a little prayer for safe travels for myself and my girls, and for a safe and abundant harvest here on the farm.



Well, I'm off, toting the following:





2 children. (One of which has been asking me as soon as her eyes opened EVERY day for a week "where are we going tomorrow?", hoping for "on an airplane!" as my response. Today she got her wish!)





1 portable DVD player (so I can maintain my sanity on the flights with one wriggling 1 year old on my lap, and 1 uber-independent 3 year old in the seat next to me).





2 suitcases





1 diaper bag





1 backpack





1 double stroller (Freshly scrubbed to rid the corners of the seats from an accumulation of dismembered Teddy Grahams, and a small rock collection I found in one of the pockets).





2 car seats. (Didn't scrub them...whoops. It's okay, if we are struck by famine, we could live for a week off of the Goldfish wedged under the cushions.)

1 Lightning McQueen backpack. (We can't go anywhere without the Lightning McQueen backpack. Thanks Santa. GREAT idea Santa. Santa, you maybe should have thought of dragging that thing everywhere before you decided to leave it at our house.)

Oh, and let's not forget...1 partridge in a pear tree.



Here's what I will look like at the airport :)








We'll return in about 25 days, my children having had some quality time with family they don't often get to see and myself having filled my brain with all sorts of new knowledge about international agriculture and having made a gaggle of new friends.

What I will miss while I'm gone:
1. My beautiful girls and my sweet, hard-working husband, in no particular order.
2. My pickup and the general independence of being able to drive.
3. The prairie.

Auf wiedersehen! Uh, that's about all I know in German. It's going to be an interesting couple of weeks :)

Change the Price of Food?

On a flight to Chicago this past week I experienced a bit of divine intervention. I was seated right next to a gal, Kate, who was about my age. She appeared to be well-traveled, educated, and friendly. Having recently watched Food Inc., once she found out I was a farmer, she was full of REALLY GREAT questions and one in particular has got me thinking.

"When you go into a grocery store, do you wish you could change the price of food?"

My response was "yes...er...no...er...well, maybe...uh...no."

I fumbled over my answer a bit because that is one loaded question, but then a great conversation ensued about the following points:

1. If increasing the price of food in the grocery store meant that as a farmer I would make more money, then, well sure that would be nice. Wouldn't any business person trying to make an honest living want to increase their profit margin? YES, but it's not that simple.

2. Here in the United States, we enjoy the LOWEST food costs in the WORLD. Only about 10% of our disposable income is spent on food. In some countries that percentage can be as high as 55%. Can you imagine what you would have to chop out of your household budget these days if you had 45% less money to spend? Say goodbye to your SUV, electronic gadgets, vacations, nights out on the town, even "spendy trendy food". You'd just be trying to get the biggest bang for your food buck. So in that respect, NO, I would not want the price of food at the retail level to go up. Our entire economy benefits from our current food affordability.

3. The price farmers receive for what we produce really doesn't change retail food prices very much. As you can see from the illustration below, farmers only receive about 19 cents of every dollar you spend on food (Source: Corner posts at http://www.ageducate.org/).

4. I'm a shopper too. On our farm this year we are raising corn, wheat, soybeans and pinto beans. I do cook quite often with our pinto beans straight from the field. This just involves picking out small stones, rinsing off some dust/dirt, and they're good to go. They make GREAT soups/stews. However, everything else has to be processed before it is in human edible form. So, in that respect, NO, I do not want food prices to increase, because I'm just like every other Mom out there trying to stretch the family dollar.

5. Now this point I stewed on after my flight had landed and I had bid Kate farewell and I hope the good Lord will forgive me for this one. Some part of me wants to say YES, if I could change the price of food, I would charge an arm and a leg for the food my family produces, but only to those who are leading anti-agriculture activist groups that are making millions of dollars by selling fear of modern farming to the American public and duping people out of their hard-earned dollars. Ironically, people have so many of those hard-earned dollars to donate to the anti-agriculture fundraising machine because innovative farmers have kept our food so affordable...Hmmm...

I know that might sound mean, but please hear me out. It takes a pretty thick skin to take a verbal lashing from the media every single day, where farmers are blamed for everything from obesity, cancer, diabetes, health care costs, the price of food and fuel, etc. We're doing our best to stay focused on the task at hand- producing safe food in the most environmentally sound and efficient manner possible. My family works so very hard to raise our crops and to make sure our soil is healthy for generations to come. Even tonight, Saturday night of Labor Day weekend, my husband is working long past sunset, seeding cover crops to protect our recently harvested wheat fields.

PLEASE be like my new friend, Kate, and ASK A FARMER next time you're wondering about how your food is produced.

If you have seen Food Inc. and have questions/concerns and don't personally know a farmer, the American AgriWomen put together a GREAT document to set the record straight about the myths in Food Inc.

http://americanagriwomen.org/files/response%20to%20food%20inc.pdf

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend everyone. I hope you'll remember to THANK A FARMER when you're sitting down to eat with your family and friends.