Tag Archives: agvocacy

Welcome to our herd

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A few weeks back, I promised to explain the history of our herd…and I thought today would be a great time to do that!

As I had mentioned a few weeks back, our herd is what would be considered a closed herd. My husband explains it this way: “Well, the only new women on this farm were you and Mom.” Yeah, he has a way with words.

Basically, every cow on this farm is traced back to another cow on this farm…all the way back to the original herd started in the 1950’s. The only new blood (necessary, to prevent in-breeding and defects) on our farm are bulls that are bought periodically. We also use artificial insemination…but I’ll get into that in the future.

Now, this type of ranching may not work for others, but it works for us. We are able to trace back any genetic issues, match up heifers to better bulls for their ease of calving, and have a very detailed history of each calf that is born on our farm.

So, our herd started out as polled Herefords…and now we are Red Angus with Simmental cross. We changed things up when we needed to, made careful choices throughout our history and were able to survive through today. That, in itself, is something to be proud of!

 

This is an example of a polled Hereford.

 

It also goes to show that agriculture isn’t just about setting a goal and being strict in your path to get there. Sometimes along the way you need to be willing to veer off the path and try something new, be willing to be flexible and willing to work with whatever is thrown your way.

 

This is our herd today.

 

And with four boys coming up, I’m hoping that there will be at least one new woman coming my way!

Land of the free?

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I love my country. I love everything about it. I would not want to live anywhere else…ever. Saying the Pledge of Allegiance chokes me up. Hearing the National Anthem brings tears to my eyes. Yeah, I’m a sap, but I’m a patriotic sap!

One of the greatest freedoms we take for granted in our country is the freedom of choice. We have choices every day. You choose to go to work, you choose how you get to work, you choose what you eat, you choose where you get your food from…our choices are abundant and overwhelming if you think about it.

And yet there are people out there wanting to take those choices away. There’s a movement trying to dictate where your food comes from…taking the choice away from the one person who should make it…YOU! There are groups and organizations trying to pass legislation and regulations that would determine where your food would come from, or whether or not you should have to raise the majority of your own food. And that should disturb you…actually, that should shake you to the core.

Agriculture is under attack, and in the end, what is being demanded is a lack of choice for the consumer…creating an even larger problem then the one we are currently facing.

My example for today is a call for people to be raising their own food…namely chickens. There has been a great uproar over the egg recall and people are being pushed into thinking that the only safe egg is one they pick out of their backyard. And although I understand the thought process, the follow through is a tad ridiculous.

For me, my eggs will come from someone who knows what they’re doing, and who enjoys doing it. My chicken will come from the same types of places. I have no desire to raise chickens…in fact, the thought sends chills down my spine. (And for those of you that know me personally, I’m sure you’ve heard me say it time and time again!)

But, you know what? That’s MY decision, and since I live in this country, I get to make it…so far.

Until there is not one single person in this country that goes to bed hungry, there is room for all types of agriculture. Small, large, in-between, organic, “natural,” conventional, etc., etc. Whatever buzz word you want to use, we need all the food we can get. And somewhere, there’s someone who went without a meal today who will agree with me completely.

Who gets to decide?

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I was trying to catch up on some reading this weekend. I read through old papers that have been stacking up, some farm magazines (a few Us Weekly’s, I’ll admit!) and something started bothering me.

I was reading through old Letters to the Editor, editorial pieces and other information regarding the split between technology-reliant and nostalgia-driven agriculture. I kept reading about supposed scientific studies regarding the dangers of certain technology, the caution of genetically enhanced foods, etc., etc. when a thought hit me…who gets to decide who goes hungry?

What I mean is that as the number of farmers dwindles, and the number of people in our world rises, something has to give. (According to http://www.farmersfeedus.org/fun-farm-facts/ the avg. farmer feeds 155 people, as opposed to just 25 in 1960) As fewer acres are available for actual agriculture production, the production of your daily feed, fuel and fiber, without the use of technological advances, how will the world be fed? Clothed?

For those that use the argument that we use technology at the risk of “playing God” and committing some sort of sin, I think back to the parable about the drowning man. Every time someone offered to help him, the man replied the same, “No, God will save me.” When his energy finally gave and he drowned, the man asked God why it was that he did not save him. God basically replied that all the help he needed was sent, but the man ignored it. Perhaps we’re doing the same thing?

We sit and talk of the evils of advancement and the down-fall of modern agriculture, yet the hands that came across such discoveries were created the same as those that built the ark, brought children into the world, created your evening meal. Perhaps these hands have been guided to find these advances that will help an ever-decreasing percentage of the population to feed an ever-increasing total population?

Isn’t God’s endless allowance of miracles enough to give us reason to believe that such a thing could happen?

I fear that some day, as we sit at the feet of our Father and recount the days that we were on this Earth, that perhaps He too will say, “I sent you the answers to ease the hunger of the world, and yet you chose to ignore them.”

The Father that I know and praise for each gift that has been brought to my life would bless us with the tools that it would take to ensure that each of His children would have enough food to eat, clothing to keep warm and shelter to take comfort in. His gifts and grace are immeasurable in that way.

He’s the same Creator that gives the gift of life. Who creates a being in His image, and then allows for growth and prosperity where “modern” medicine proclaims that none are possible. I know, I see it each and every day in the eyes of my child.

So, yes, I believe that we CAN feed the world. And each gift we are given plays a part in it, no matter how big, or small.

Going out on a limb

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They said it couldn’t be done…they said it wouldn’t matter…they said we had to keep doing things the way we had in the past. Well, guess what, we didn’t…

The Dickey County Farm Bureau (of which, I am a board member), decided to hold its annual meeting a little differently this year. We called it “Pigs, Pits and Pistols.”

We roasted a whole pig (as in the whole thing, directly in a “pit”), had inflatable games for kids, had shooting sports for the bigger kids, had a Marksmen Quadrathlon and an archery demonstration. There were laser shooting games for kids of all ages, a keg of root beer and ice cream on the deck, sodas for all and room for about 150. Oh, and it was all free…well, except for the Quadrathlon, but the two top scorers took home all the cash.

Guess what? We ran out of room.

That’s right…we had an annual meeting (of which our yearly attendance averages right at 30) and we served over 160 at supper. We planned for 150, but figured it was a pipe dream. It was amazing! We had to open up the other section of the lodge…we had to have people eat outside!

We had teenage boys there on a Saturday afternoon! And they were having fun! At an annual meeting!

I didn’t include video of the meeting part, but the grassroots movement is definitely alive and well. And we were able to initiate some interest and excitement about becoming more involved in our organization. What more could we possibly ask for?

I don’t know how we’ll top this next year…but we better start planning now! 😉 Hmmm…wonder if Siegfried and Roy would come out of retirement…

And the tag means???

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I had a question asked of me on Twitter today, or should I say I answered one that was being discussed. Someone was wondering how we decide what tags go on which cows. I had never thought of it before. Sometimes, when you’re on the inside, things seem so obvious that you forget that others don’t know why you’re doing it…it’s an epidemic in agriculture, and one we’re working on fixing.

To answer the question, yes the tag does mean something. When calves are first born (or at least soon after), they get a tag in their ear with the same number their cow has. The white tags mean that the calf is a bull, the yellow tag means that it’s a heifer (a female that hasn’t had a calf yet).

Separating the two sexes of calves helps make giving the calves their vaccinations easier. Plus, you don’t have to worry about trying to castrate a heifer! 🙂

Purple cow

This cow has a purple tag, you can see the one in the background has a blue tag.

Now the cow tags are different colors for a different reason. Each year the cows get a different color ear tag. Tags come in tons of different colors, so it works pretty well. Cows are normally only on the farm for 10-12 years, as long as they have a calf, they stay. You can look at the cows tag and know which year she was born in. (We have a closed herd, which means every cow that’s on our farm was born and raised here…I’ll explain that more in another post some time.)

Another benefit of having different colors is so that you can easily determine which cow you need to bring in (sometimes looking at a sea of red faces is confusing, but the color of the ear tag helps), during calving season…or any other time of the year, if there is a health issue.

There’s a lot more to it then that, but that’ll do for now. I don’t want to overwhelm you with cow information!

If you have any questions, please, feel free to ask. I love talking about our farm…and I’ll gladly take a video or some photos to help out the process! 🙂

Entering a new era

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Guess what??? I’m laying in my bed right now.

Now, before you go going all sicko on me, I’m not trying to be one of those 900-number blogs (do such a thing exist?)…I’m just excited to share the news that I have finally entered the 21st century. I have a laptop!

Now for most people, that wouldn’t mean much, but to me, this is monumental. Not only can I blog from the comfort of my room, while rocking a stubborn 3-year-old to sleep, but I can also stay connected while on the road.

The opportunities are endless, and I plan on taking advantage of them!

So be prepared world…Val Wagner is now unplugged…

There’s always a why

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I was aked to write a few words about why I started blogging. After thinking about it a bit, I decided that I should probably write this in my blog, so that when I think I’m too tired to write, or feel that no one is paying any attention anyways, I can come back and read this letter:

Dear blogworld,

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to step into your world for just a minute…and in return, I’m asking you to step into mine. I want to explain to you why it is that I’m writing and why it is that you should care.

I could give you a thousand reasons why I shouldn’t be here. I have 4 boys for pete’s sake, that should be enough right there! I have a house to clean, laundry to do, rooms to straighten, errands to run, cows to check on, calf replacer to retrieve out of a washing machine, etc., etc. Yeah, I’m really that busy.

But I have four main reasons why I’m taking this time…the first was born in June, 2002, and the fourth was born in April, 2009.

Right now the world is being run by those who are in the media, spinning stories to their liking and making the general population afraid of things that they never thought about before. People are doubting the safety of their food, questioning the practices that my family has been using for generations and using a magnifying glass to determine if I’m doing a good enough job raising their food. That scares me. I don’t doubt for a minute the safety of the food we are raising, but I’m scared that those who want to see me out of business are out there telling everyone what it is I’m doing, instead of me telling them.

Laws and regulations are being passed and forced upon society without thought as to the science behind the practices. Emotions are being played with and people are being forced into questioning one of the world’s safest food sources…my farm.

I have a story to tell, and I don’t want it ending with me. I want my boys to have their own stories to tell. I want them to have the freedom and opportunities to pursue whatever careers their hearts decide on…and if the world is lucky enough, one of them may decide to be a farmer.

So, long story short, why am I here? Well, I’m hoping that if someone has a question as to why I do what I do…perhaps I’ll be lucky enough for them to actually ask me, instead of a reporter in New York. And if that luck holds out, perhaps my boys will too.