Texas Fires

For weeks Texas has watched, waited and worried about raging fires spreading across the Lone-star state. So far this season, wildfires have charred 1.65 million acres across the state That is twice as much as last year! People are traumatized, most of the fires are taking place on prairies, around ranches.

Police have arrested a 60 year old man who is connected to the Austin fires. He will be charged with the felony of arson. The man claims he left a campfire unattended. “We’ve had rates of spread here … up to 8 miles an hour,” Webb said. “That’s two football fields a minute.” - USA Today. With high winds and hot dry weather is becoming really hard to control the fires. Keep Texas in your prayers, because some of these people are losing their livelihood. Texas is the leading state in cattle production...

Have you ever heard of a...

The world’s total meat supply was 71 million tons in 1961. In 2007, it was estimated to be 284 million tons. As the meat industry grows so are the jobs, and awareness! A meat scientist has a very important job!  

"Meat scientists and technologists usually work in the food processing industry, at universities, or for the Federal Government. Their job is to help meet consumer demands for food products that are healthful, safe, palatable, and convenient.
Some meat scientists engage in basic research by discovering new food sources. Others analyze meat content to determine levels of vitamins, fat, sugar, or protein. Meat scientists also develop ways to process, preserve, package, or store meat according to industry and government regulations.  " (meat science 2) .

Its pretty important don't you think? There are 22 million people working in a ag related job, so many choices, so may pathways...what have you or will pick?


By the way!! ITS FRIDAY FRIDAY :)

Ball State University Redifined (journalism) ..I think so!

Yesterday, I got to be excused from school to attend High School Journalism Day! With happy intentions, my brain gearing up to learn I was very concerned and a little outraged of my experiences. This is not against Ball State at all! What a beautiful campus, nice smiling people, lots of energy and things going on! Over all a VERY nice school full of my favorite color... RED! Anyhow, as we stepped off the bus and headed into a auditorium waiting for the key not speaker I sorta began to fidget. All around me sat kids in North Face Sweatshirts and coats. North Face is a supporter of the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) and the HSUS is trying to basically end the livestock industry all together! All together I just took a deep breath and began to make a goal that day to tell 5 kids about North Face. My thoughts where interrupted by a very up beat man our key not speaker. To be honest I don't remember his name and I never will. He starts being a very great speaker I was so in zone listening to him until this was said..." Your generation is going to haft to decided if its okay that the president can have a finger print on the Internet (naked pictures, sexting ect ect), your generations also is going to decided weather or not its okay that a dude and another dude can get married and love one another...TRUST ME WE CAN! Also, your generation is going to have the conscious to stand up against people killing animals." How was I suppose to react to that?

As the rest of the day on, I started a conversation with anyone I came in-contact to about agriculture, North Face and the HSUS. Sharing my agriculture story, people seemed soaking up what I was telling them! I hope I impacted people yesterday. But my plan for you is take a awkward situation and run with it. Be out there and tell other about you ag story! I was in awe as I talked to adults from Ball State about North Face, a man I talked to dad owns around 300 acres and about 50 head of cattle. He said he was disgusted that North Face supports the HSUS. I told him about the Humanewatch.org which is a website that watches HSUS activity and breaking news. As I keep striving...you should to! God gave you a mouth to speak the truth and ears to listen. Have a great day!

Dirt Road Anthem

"I know the joys and discomforts of agricultural life and hold an inborn fondness for those associations which, even in hours of discouragement I can not deny." - FFA Creed 2nd paragraph.

Cowboy is his name!

There's a hundred years of history,
and a hundred before that

All gathered in the thinkin'
Goin' on beneath this hat.

The cold flame burns within him
'Til his skin's as cold as ice

And the dues he paid to get here
Are worth every sacrifice.

All the miles spend sleepy drivin'
All the money down the drain,

All the 'if I's' and 'nearly's, '
All the bandages and pain,

All the female tears left dryin',
All the fever and the fight

Are just a small down payment
On the ride he makes tonight.

It's guts and love and glory,
One mortal's chance at fame.

His legacy is rodeo
And cowboy is his name.

AG DAY!!

Wednesday was Kosciusko County Ag Day!! I was glad to see the community come out, eat some yummy free food, learn a little and become educated in my favorite topic of agriculture. I was blessed Thursday to be able to walk 4th graders around the fairgrounds to learn about agriculture. What makes me happy was a certain question that little boy asked me, "If ducks lay chicken eggs, that means that chickens lay duck eggs...right?". Extremely excited I told him no, but they both laid eggs and explained to him the difference. Also a little tid bit of info or you, it takes 28 days for a duck embryo to hatch and only 22 days for a chick embryo to hatch!! While observing I notice how smart some of the children where about parts of agriculture. Just amazing to hear the ooo's and awww's of the kids, they said that we had awesome jackets by the way!! Wednesday made me a little bit stronger on my adventure to educate and inform people about agriculture!! Thank you much 4th graders!! 

A story of a Ag student!

I was in the FFA in the 80's when Ag classes and FFA was about agriculture and not credits, we had 30 kids in FFA in a high school with 2000 students. The town we lived in had about 100,000 pepole in it. (3 High schools) We had 2 AG teachers/FFA advisers, the senior adviser had started the first FFA program in county in the 60's. I played sports and was active in school, but the only pepole I still calls friends were from the FFA, that is 25 years later.


I went to my Ag teachers grandsons wedding this year, 300 miles from home, sadly I went to that sames Ag teachers funeral the year before, 300 miles from home. More than a 1/3 of the 300 people at the funeral were his old Ag students and their families some drove over a 1200 miles to be there. The other Ag teacher (now retired) still shows up at the fair every year to support our kids, He lives 2 states away. Now these men may have just been unique, but if more Ag teachers where like them, teachers like in the other post would think twice before they berated one of the FFA members and called Ag or something involved with Ag stupid.



I would say if you let it, FFA and the pepole in it will help shape your life and be a part of you forever.

Happiness comes with rain! !

It has stormed two days in a row here in Indiana and I couldn't be more happier! When i worked all last week I noticed that my bosses alfalfa has sprouted and with the good weather coming up, he will sure have a good field this year. Good Luck farmers and producers!! Eat up this beautiful sunshine and weather!

Spring break is over...time to finish strong!!

Spring break is over...time to finish strong!!  Here we go 9 weeks left until school is over!!