PETA Uses Kids as Pawns

I think we can all agree that exploiting children to get ahead is pretty low-down and dirty. I figure only the most conniving, manipulative organizations would be willing to target children with propaganda in an effort to create a whole generation of like-minded individuals. 

Would you be surprised to find out that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has been targeting children with animal rights propaganda for more than a decade? I didn't think so.



PETA is targeting their kids and they don't care if you like it or not
Source: Center for Consumer Freedom

The second edition of the Center for Consumer Freedom's (CCF) report, "Your Kids, PETA's Pawns," explores the tactics that extreme animal rights groups use to indoctrinate children using violent and sexualized animal-rights propaganda and protests outside of elementary schools.

Additionally, and this is probably the most sickening, is the blatant use of children as props for their shocking campaigns. The runny icing on this burnt cake is that psychologists and school officials have denounced PETA's actions as "despicable," "traumatizing," "beyond insensitive," and "an absolute atrocity." Does that stop PETA from exploiting children? Not at all. You may recall, I have blogged about their atrocious actions in the past and they appear to have no remorse.

Picture this - you're an average height adult viewing an ad on the side of a bus. All appears normal until your five-year old starts crying saying that the images on the bus are scary. You can't imagine why your child is upset, until you lean down to his/her point of view and find that the imaging on the bus at a child's height level is violent, graphic images of animal abuse. Not cool, PETA. Not freaking cool.

I'm not a parent and I'm furious that PETA is doing this to kids. I can't imagine how parents of children who have encountered this propaganda may feel.

If you want to read the whole report, feel free to check it out here. Thanks to the Center for Consumer Freedom for investigating the shady dealings of manipulative animal rights organizations.

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 ~

Avoid Eye Contact

This past weekend I got to check and feed cattle with my dad. In the rain. and mud. with no raincoat. on a horse that has two speeds: fast and flying.

and it was downright glorious.

prior to blazing across the pasture

The silent man and his introverted daughter; talking only when necessary and communicating mostly with the wave of an arm to signal "move up", "get around 'em" and "whoa." I enjoyed the entire experience, even when we had to fix a five-strand barbed wire fence that broke because of my poor judgement. oops

Growing up, I made a lot of mistakes. I'm relatively clumsy and I like to ride fast horses - not the best combo when moving heifers. So I learned quickly that if I made a mistake, making eye contact would only bring about the lecture I was going to get much more quickly. Avoid eye contact, prolong the lecture; if only a few minutes.

Head down and shoulders slouched, I got the wire stretchers, pliers and extra roll of wire from the back of the truck.

"Sorry - I didn't mean to."

"It's alright darlin' - I should have told you better."

Not the response I was expecting. No lecture, just understanding.

Make no mistakes, tough love and quick lessons were my childhood. Lessons I wouldn't have learned had I not been able to work on the farm with our 4-H livestock, horses and roping cattle. Lessons that are learned quickly and after only one mistake. You only let the steers get out once before you remember to ALWAYS shut the gate, even though you're only going to be in the lot for a few minutes. Responsibility - check. Additionally, you only get frapped once by a mean-spirited steer before you learn not to stand beside them. Cow-kicking is not a laughing matter, especially when you're seven. Attentiveness - check.

On a highly related note - I'm thankful that the Department of Labor withdrew their proposed regulations regarding children working on the farm. I know that my husband and I can raise our kids on the farm while instilling in them the values that we gleaned from our upbringings. We can throw them on a gentle giant and turn them loose in the arena or pasture to bring up the calves. Send them out the door with a bottle of milk replacer to nurse a new baby. Trust them to drive the feed truck when they're only 12. Memories and lessons, hand-in-hand.

"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man" - I reckon that's just about right Mr. Churchill. Sometimes what the heart needs is some time in the saddle.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

p.s. Thanks to EVERYONE for the birthday cards, texts, messages, phone calls and tweets. You are all too kind!

also - I'm not a photographer and don't claim to be, but I'm hopelessly addicted to the wonderful things that Instagram can do and that's what I used to take the pictures in this post. I take a lot of pointless pictures that you can see by following me (@brandibuzzard)!

Keep Families Farming

We all know that 4-H and FFA are fantastic outlets to get involved with agriculture at a young age, develop skills and find our passions. But most of us developed our interests for 4-H and FFA long before we memorized the creed or participated at our first state fair.

I, along with several hundreds of thousands of young people in the U.S., grew up helping my family on the ranch. Feeding horses, filling water troughs, grooming animals - these tasks were all a daily aspect of my life and through those chores I learned responsibility, discipline and developed my love of the land and animals.

As many of you are aware, the U.S. Department of Labor is trying to pass a law that would prevent children under 18 from participating in or completing the following activities on a farm:

• Paid workers age 15 and younger would be barred from operating tractors, combines, ATVs and almost all power-driven equipment, unless they obtain special certification.
• Youths under the age of 18 would not be allowed to work at grain elevators, silos, feed lots, livestock auctions or in the transporting of raw farm materials.
• Tobacco fields would be off-limits to workers under age 16 due to concerns about a problem called green-tobacco sickness, caused by the exposure to nicotine.
• Children in both agricultural and non-farm work would be restricted from using personal electronic devices, including walkie-talkies, while operating equipment.

Anyone who has ever been on a farm knows that parents' #1 priority is safety for their children around livestock and machinery. This law would not only cripple the ability of children to get involved in agriculture at an early age but would also cause difficulty to those families who depend on teenagers to help haul hay, run the combines etc to get their work done on time.

There was a comment period for this legislation but unfortunately, it expired on Dec 31, 2011. However, Kansas Senator Jerry Moran (R), is collecting comments to continue to capture the ag community's concern with this issue. Voice and opinion is critical if we are going to stop this action.

Want to share your story? Head on over to http://moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/keep-families-farming and help keep our traditions of hard work and family in place on the farm.

Additionally, a YouTube video has been produced to help spread the message about Keeping Families Farming.


 If you'd like to read the Kansas City Star article about this topic click here.

Help get the word out and share your comments and stories and hopefully we can Keep Families Farming! Tweet, blog and Facebook about it - this is a rather important issue!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~