Category Archives: Agvocacy

Looking to the future

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Maybe I should actually title this post, “Looking FOR the future.” What do I mean? Well, once again, I was reading in a farm publication. (I think I need to quit doing that.) It was a very, very, very small brief. It was buried back in the regional news section on page 36 of AgWeek. And it stated that North Dakota is down 100 farms last year from the year before. (Statistics from the USDA’s Agricultural Statistics Service.)

Now, 100 farms doesn’t seem like a whole lot, but since agriculture IS North Dakota’s No. 1 industry, it should mean something to someone…and it should mean a lot more than a three-sentence blip in the back of a publication.

Again, I get that statistics get skewed in the whole picture. Some of the farms could have been non-existent for years, but were missed in the whole red-tape, paper-shuffle mess that we call government. But 100 farms is 100 farms. (To be fair, percentage-wise, that’s less than 1/2 of 1%.)

If you aren’t aware of the problem facing our world, we are gaining more and more people, and losing more and more farms and farmers. Any good statistician will tell you that those statistics don’t factor well for the future.

Perhaps the story of farm numbers dwindling should rank a little higher than page 36.

Only if you like to eat.

We have a ways to go

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Well, once again my blog stats have amazed me. Today one of the search terms that directed someone to my blog was, “Where does ground beef come from?”

Really?

Well, this is where they were led, but I’m hoping they followed a long a bit and maybe learned a thing or two about raising beef. Although, I’m OK with them knowing where I stand on Taco Bell as well! 😉

To me, this just goes to prove that we have a long ways to go yet, before we can consider our jobs successful. Yes, social media is reaching the consumer, and yes, we are finally opening up the communication between the plate and the pasture, but we can improve.

And I can’t wait!

Oh, and to answer the question…this is where ground beef comes from:

The source of some of the world's best ground beef!

Post of destruction

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I’m not sure that words are necessary…so just watch the slide show.

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I didn’t take the picture of the Game and Fish official who stopped and had picked up a pick-up load of the carcasses. (He did give me permission to take a photo.) These were just the ones left behind, or the ones not picked up yet. It makes me sad, frustrated and wondering.

To quote the Game and Fish website, the department’s mission statement is:

“The mission of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department is to protect, conserve and enhance fish and wildlife populations and their habitat for sustained public consumptive and appreciative use.”

Well, they’re failing.

Come along on a calf check!

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So, I thought maybe today you would like to go on a little walk with me, and check out some cows, to see if any calved.

Here we go!

Unfortunately, it was a pretty uneventful check, but my next round out was a little more eventful…


I’ll take some pics of the new calf tomorrow, and post an update.

Blame game

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I’ve been trying to catch up on some reading, which isn’t an easy task with little ones suffering from cabin fever. But an article that ran on the front page of last week’s AgWeek really got me to thinking.

You see, I’ve been repeatedly told on numerous websites, blogs, article comments, etc., that part of the blame for our country becoming increasingly obese is the amount of meat that is consumed…namely, beef.

Yet, according to the cover article (and facts, stats from the USDA), beef consumption in the U.S. is down by almost 20 pounds per person since 1985. That’s right, our country may be becoming more obese, but the amount of beef consumed can’t possibly be the cause.

This is how our beef gets from pasture to plate.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not shocked by this information. I never bought into the argument that consuming beef is the issue with an ever-growing America. But it was interesting to actually see the numbers, right there, in black and white.

So, the next time someone tries to tell me that my family’s herd is part of the problem, not a solution, I’ll just kindly remind them of all the great-tasting, quickly-prepared cuts of lean meats available, and merrily go about my way.

You just can’t argue with ignorance.

Let the fun begin

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In honor of calving season starting in just a few short days (hopefully not sooner!), I’m going to share with you the first video I ever “made.” As in edited, etc.

There is no music, voiceover, etc. to the video, just the absolute silence of the moment. Much the same as every birth in the barn…at least, when things go as planned.

I will warn you, this video shows an actual live birth, minus the blood (since it was dark and color didn’t show up well). But for those of you who have never been on a farm, or in a real barn, or seen a calf shake its wet head for the first time…here you are! Enjoy!

Where’s the beef?

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So, if you’ve heard the news lately, Taco Bell is being sued because someone was reading labels and decided that having less than 35% beef in your “beef taco” meant that a certain company wasn’t being very truthful in their advertising.
 
In response to the lawsuit, Taco Bell ran an ad across the country. It was a very bold ad, and as far as I’m concerned the ad made sure that I will never, ever again step foot into a Taco Bell…unless it’s to use the bathroom.
 
The ad started with the bold headline, “Thank You for suing us.” It then went on to explain why they use additives in their taco product and what is used in their “special recipe.” So why would that bug me? Well, the second paragraph starts off with, “Plain ground beef tastes boring.” Excuse me?
 
Perhaps they should buy higher-quality meat if they think it tastes boring…or maybe they should take a cooking class or two. Now, granted, not a lot of people would eat browned ground beef without some spices, mainly salt, pepper, onions, etc. And when making tacos, I would think that using taco seasoning would make sense to most.
 
Here’s my beef: I make tacos regularly for my boys. They LOVE them. I use ground beef and taco seasoning. I use a little water. It tastes GREAT, and in the process I have never used oats, or any other additive that would add a large amount of substance to my meat. And to claim that you have to, in order for tacos to taste good…I have problems with that.
 
The ad goes on to say: “The only reason we add anything to our beef is to give our meat flavor and quality. Otherwise we’d end up with nothing more than the bland flavor of ground beef, and that doesn’t make for great-tasting tacos.”
 
What???
 
Are you kidding me? Seriously? OK, I get that in order to make taco filling in large quantities, they probably add in a little extra here and there to help it stretch. I get that, I do. But don’t blame the beef. Be honest and tell your public that higher-quality beef costs more. That you’re adding other things so that your costs stay lower. Tell them the truth, not some spin.
 
I’d offer to show Taco Bell how to make a mean taco…without using anything but taco seasoning, some water and some really great-tasting ground beef. But I don’t think they’re very interested in actually improving their recipe.
 
Well, I didn’t stop at Taco Bell very often, but I will never stop there again. And my suggestion to other businesses in the food service industry…if you find yourself in a bind, don’t blame the ingredients. It makes you look like a fool. And whatever you do…
 
don’t blame the beef.

New perspective

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We are entering a new ballgame here at the Wagner Farm. One I never expected to have to face, but can’t wait to see the results!

Our youngest son seems to have a condition that doesn’t allow him to breakdown proteins. The solution to this problem, at this time, is to limit his protein intake. Quite an interesting situation for a cattle family, to say the least. But, in the true sense of making lemonade out of lemons, I look forward to the road we’re going down. I can’t wait to see what I can learn!

Don’t get me wrong, my family will not become vegans, and I have no intention of changing our way of life, but everything will be done from a whole new perspective.

Now, I have always been one to understand that there are people in this world who make choices based on true science, medical advice and thorough research. I respect and admire those people and understand completely why they make the choices that they make.

On the other hand, there is an even larger group of people that prey on fear, sling mud and use emotion and distorted information to support their cause, and feel free to spread their misinformation around the cyberworld. Those are the people that I hope to refute.

We raise cattle…and we do a good job, if I do say so myself. We also raise corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa/grass hay. (And for the moment, we appear to be raising a pretty darn good crop of deer…much to our dismay.) Having a child that cannot consume these products, or at least only in extremely limited quantities, changes my perspective quite a bit…and that’s a good thing.

I find no fault with someone who makes a decision to elminate a product that I raise out of their diet for the benefit and well-being of their health, or in this case, a child’s health. When that decision is made based on the argument that I’m not caring enough for my animals…that’s where we part ways.

Care to join me on this new adventure? It’s gonna be a wild ride!

Preparations

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We head to Mayo tomorrow. It’s hopefully time to finally get to some answers. Poor kid has been through the ringer, and all before he turns 2. I’d complain about the fairness of it all, but we all know that fairness doesn’t play into these things.

Anyway, while all this is going on, we’re still at the mercy of winter, still have cattle to care for and still have chores that need to be done. Which means we start planning now, preparing for the worst, hoping for the best, making sure that everything is in place, so that if (I should say when) it snows while we’re gone, it’s not a lot of extra work for whomever is helping us out.

So Boss Man is off, getting things ready. I’m packing bags for all of us, arranging staying places for the other three kids, arranging back ups, in case someone is sick, and the back ups for the back ups, just because we roll that way! Planning out time of departure, time of arrival, places to stay in Rochester, what mode of transportation to take, etc., etc. Like planning a great vacation, minus the fun and vacation!

And just when I thought I had it all planned out, up pops another problem. Our deer situation has gone from kinda crazy, to absolutely unbelievable. It’s hard to even imagine saddling someone else with this issue while we’re gone, so we’re trying to do what we can to help the situation out.

Here’s my latest shots, without any voiceover. I think it speaks for itself:

I’ve contacted the proper authorities (probably even a few that could care less), shot footage and sent e-mails. I’m not sure what will happen from here on out, but I know we’re working on it.

I will try to keep everyone posted on how things are going. And we’ll hopefully be home before we know it. I’m also wishing that maybe we’ll be a few hundred deer shorter than where we are now!

Ever increasing problem

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We have a “small” problem on our farm. I call it a small problem, because the animals themselves aren’t all that large, but the number in which they are here…that’s where the issue lies.

Last year it started as a nuisance. I warned Boss Man that I thought the deer around our house seemed to be getting closer and closer, and seemed to bring their extended families with them. At first, he kind of brushed off my concerns, saying that they had never really bothered the hay before and that they would probably move on shortly.

They didn’t.

In fact, they seemed to rather enjoy themselves, and made themselves right at home. As you can see here: (Warning, this is the first video I had ever shot, so please excuse the nausea-inducing zooming and movement…I’ve learned…well, at least a little.)

This year is a whole new ballgame. We have already enrolled the help of our state Game and Fish, who have come up with some interesting tactics. (For instance, a really neat gun-looking, bottle-rocket-on-steroids type thing!)

To explain it from my husband’s point of view, I’ll just give you the run-down of a conversation we had:

“It’s a double-edged sword. If they eat my hay, they won’t starve. They’ll be stronger and healthier, but then they’ll also survive winter and there will be more next year.

“If they don’t eat my hay, they’ll starve. But they’ll be weak and more susceptible to disease, exposing my herd to who-knows-what.”

And this is what we’re talking about for this year:

So, you see, we’re in a tough spot. If we don’t feed the deer, they will get sick and die. But may expose our cows to all sorts of unwanted stuff.

If we feed the deer, they won’t leave, and could still get sick and die. And we will still have exposure to whatever it is they are carrying.

We have already spent money on buying panels to place all around our feed, such as the silage that we cut and the freshly-ground hay. Game and Fish suggest that we space our hay stacks closer together, but our insurance insists that our hay stays further apart. I personally don’t believe that where our hay is located would make much difference to this large number of animals.

The amount of money that has been lost through the hay and feed that has been destroyed is almost nauseating. But the danger to the health of our herd is what has us the most concerned. We are doing all we can to protect our livestock, but it would be nice if there was a better system in place to assist producers that come across these issues.

Trust me, this is something that Boss Man and I will be working on.