Looking Sharp in His Square Toes!

About a month or so ago, Rachel from Boot Barn approached me about reviewing some boots and then giving away a pair on my blog. I am super pumped to have such a great product to promote for my first giveaway! I thought that since I had finished my Master's that I would be able to celebrate by giving away a pair of boots - woot! Ninja received a pair of Cody James boots and I reviewed a pair of the Shyanne (post next week) and we both love them! They're so comfortable and look really great with jeans and khakis. This post is the Ninja's review - read on to find out how they measured up and how you can enter to win!

I’ve always been the kind of guy who, when forced to dress up, is most comfortable in a tweed
jacket and khakis with a pair of brown boots. However, as I get older I am starting to realize I may need to branch out in the fashion world. My wife Brandi seems to think that colors beyond the Dwight inspired earth tones and mustard would be a good start, and she tells me I look particularly good in black. Having only brown boots is an issue when attempting to address this fashion situation, so when Boot Barn offered Brandi and I each a pair of boots, I jumped at the chance I could finally have some black boots as well. I picked a nice pair of Cody James Stockman square-toed boots and they just came in the mail last week, so I thought I would try them out for a few days.


Although I needed Brandi’s approving glance to know that they looked the part, I definitely liked
the white stitching, square heel, and simple pattern of the boots. After wearing them for a few days, I was surprised to find how comfortable they were and they didn’t take as long to ‘break in’ as other boots I’ve purchased in the past. I am particularly glad that while they still had the look of having a traditional leather sole, it seemed like there was more cushion in my step than in some other boots I’ve worn. All in all, I call these black boots a success, but now I just need to get a black belt and some other clothes to match them!

Thank you very much Boot Barn for your support!



Here's how to enter

1. Follow Buzzard's Beat and leave a comment including which pair of Cody James or Shyanne boots you'd choose if you won
2. Like Boot Barn on Facebook and leave a separate comment 
3. Follow Boot Barn on Twitter (@bootbarn) and leave a separate comment
4. Follow me on Twitter (@brandibuzzard) and leave a separate comment
5. Blog or tweet about the giveaway and leave a separate comment. (Make sure to include @brandibuzzard and @bootbarn in the tweet)!

You'll be able to do the same thing next week when I share my thoughts on the Shyanne boots! That's a total of up to ten entries! The winner will be chosen using a random number generator from www.mathgoodies.com

Good luck!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

I'm Farming and I Grow It - Kansas Boys Go Viral

I'm Farming and I Grow It

Really? Does it get much catchier than that? I bet you have the LMFAO song stuck in your head now but good luck remembering the old lyrics after you've heard the much funnier and pro-ag version.

This video has been shared by about every ag blogger on the face of the Earth but I was at a conference this whole week and am behind the times (as usual) and am just now getting to it. So without further ado, I give you I'm Farming and I Grow It.


Why is this video so awesome? Let me count the ways:

1. The  Peterson boys are from KANSAS. I don't need to remind you of my undying faith, love and support of all things Kansas. So proud of our rich, traditional heritage of agriculture and smart kids!

2. The video has over 800,000 views. Holy crap - can you say viral? UPDATE: THE VIDEO NOW HAS OVER 1,000,000 VIEWS!  Update again: 1.6 million views in three days!

3. It was featured on Good Morning America and also on http://www.cnn.com/!


4. There are over 1500 comments and from what I could tell, only one negative one. Surprise surprise making fun of their cut-off shirts. The rest are thanking the Peterson boys for bringing attention to farming and for their hard work producing food.

5. The Kansas City Star featured an article about them. Good work boys.

6. Another update: the Peterson Farm Bros are on Facebook so go like them and Greg Peterson is on Twitter (@GregPeterson33) - they are headed to New York for Fox News!

 Is it stuck in your head now? Good. I also hope that the visions of hard working farmers and ranchers is stuck there too.

Way to go Kansas boys!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~  

Quit sucking at blogging

Naturally, I'm talking about myself.

I don't have any excuses why I haven't blogged in almost 5 weeks. I've been busy but there are people out there who are far busier than I who blog regularly so I'll just shut up and get on with this post.

Today, I'm writing in the 5 Fact Friday model. This may or may not become a Friday custom but it seems appropriate today since I have a lot to include and don't want to write a novel since I literally just finished writing a freaking thesis. For real, y'all.

1. I passed my Master's defense two days ago.
 Actually, that's one of the primary reasons for me sucking at blogging because I was so busy losing my mind while preparing for this defense business. Ipso facto, when your mind is absent, it's hard to be creative and write.

But seriously, I am so overwhelmingly blessed and grateful for all of the love, support and encouragement I have received over the past week. My phone was blowing up Wednesday with people wanting to know how I did and the subsequently congratulating me. My office at work smells like a flower store because I was inundated with gorgeous arrangements. Here are a couple from some of my BA friends. The Ninja and my mom got me flowers, too. They're purple (Go Cats)!

My camera phone doesn't do a great job of capturing the vibrancy (word?) of those beautiful blooms but wow - I feel loved. So thanks again to everyone who Facebooked, called, texted, tweeted, email, g-chatted and came out to celebrate afterwards. I cannot tell you how thankful I am. Also, my mom and stepdad surprised me by coming to my defense so that was cool. Pretty sure they didn't have a clue what I was talking about but they were supportive nonetheless. Props.

2. The Farm Bill has been passed by the Senate and amendment #2252 did not make the cut.
In case you're wondering what that amendment is about, #2252 would have codified an agreement between HSUS and The United Egg Producers (UEP) that would have provided our federal government with the authority to mandate animal care - something which should rightfully be in the hands of farmers and ranchers. On his blog, Wayne Pacelle, CEO of HSUS, cites the failure to adopt this amendment to the persistence of pork and beef producers to contact their Senators and express distaste for #2252.  Pacelle cries "Waaah" and I cry, "Wahoo!" Bravo to all those who stepped up and made your Senators aware of the danger animal agriculture would have been in had the amendment been passed. The failure of this amendment, in addition to the Department of Labor dropping it's rules about on-farm child labor, are huge victories for grass-roots agriculture. It's fantastic to see our industry come together and stand up for itself!

3. Now that I have my life back there is a long list of things I've been wanting to do/work on.
 - Start running again. Yes, I said I actually want  to start running. Not because I love the high but because I want to ensure that I never have to buy larger jeans. And I watched Love & Basketball last night (I was/am a baller - especially in high school) and I miss having a six-pack. So running and crunches is how I will get my six-pack back.
- Golf. A lot.
- READ. I have so many books on my book list that I want to read and I have a ton more to add!
- Put all of the recipes on my Pinterest food board in my recipe book. Then use them.
- Do some of the DIY projects on my Pinterest board- headboard, refurbished dresser
- Watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
- Get back into the groove of riding and roping. I already bought my membership card for the year so it's time to get my Gadget up to Manhattan and enter some rodeos. For those of you who read this post, Doc is still lame. Not sure how this is going to turn out for us.
- Hang out by a pool/lake.
- Figure out how to put music on my new phone. I broke my Droid Bionic, which I really liked, and now have an LG Spectrum.
- We moved about 1.5 weeks ago but between FFA Convention (I coordinated Kansas' convention), Hyatt's defense, my defense and the KSU Livestock Judging camps we haven't had a chance to unpack and organize everything.

4. I have a new job!
With K-State Research Extension. Combining my love for Kansas, K-State, agriculture and Manhattan all into one. Whammy!

5. Did I mention I passed my Master's defense? Because I did. 
Still on that high :)

Blogging to commence more often starting next week!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~