5 Reasons Why Farmers Should Support Wendy's

Image courtesy: iSpot.Tv

More often than not, the only time we hear from fast-food restaurants is when they are making some groundbreaking announcement about their food safety procedures or their supply chain. In general, neither are a welcome message for consumers or producers alike.

However Wendy’s, the pro-ginger burger chain, is different than Subway, Panera and Chipotle – all of which have made headline-generating statements about their food supply. Wendy’s actually supports agriculture and wants to work together with farmers and ranchers to market delicious, safe and healthy food.

5 reasons why farmers and ranchers should support Wendy’s:

Wendy’s wants to Work WITH Beef Producers – not take away important technologies like antibiotics. In a press conference at Cattle Industry Convention, [reported on by BEEF Magazine], Wendy’s spokesperson Liliana Esposito said the chain wants to collaborate with producers to refine, reduce and replace antibiotics but they respect that when an animal is sick, it NEEDS treatment. Esposito added, “The best beef comes from healthy well-cared for animals. A sick animal needs to be treated and you won’t hear differently from us.”

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World Food Day 2014 - #wfd2014

Today is World Food Day and the theme is Family Farmers: Feeding the World, Caring for the Earth. Well ain't that the truth?!

Did you know that worldwide, family farmers account for 500 million farms (97% of US farms and ranches are family owned and operated)?! That is a load of families investing their time, passion and energy into feeding the world and making sure that the land can sustain the next generation.

Some other cool nuggets of information about family farming around the world:

• Family owned farms are responsible for at least 56% of agriculture production worldwide
• Family farms are the main source of rice production - especially in Asia (although rice is grown here in the US in states like Texas, California and Arkansas).
• Family farmers in the US produce 84% of all produce.
• Farmers and ranchers work everyday, worldwide, to sustain the land and natural resources for the next generation.

You can read more about World Food Day efforts to feed the world and end world hunger by looking at this inforgraphic or visiting www.worldfooddayusa.org.

Photo courtesy FAO

How are you celebrating World Food Day? Are you taking a farm tour? Are you going to #toastafarmer when you drink milk at supper tonight?

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

The thoughts and opinions of this blog post strictly represent that of Brandi Buzzard Frobose and are NOT representative of any other entity or organization.

Local or Organic Doesn't Matter - Chipotle Isn't Helping Your Diet

Disclaimer: I'm fully supportive of organic and natural producers. My in-laws produce and market natural beef and I have friends who raise organic/natural produce and/or livestock. To each their own - consumers have choices and so do producers. This post is focused on Chipotle's desire to disparage farmers instead of market their food.



Homemade burritos - no gimmicks, just food.

Chipotle wants you to eat "Food with Integrity" - meaning their food - which comes from local, organic farmers and ranchers. Except their food isn't always organic nor is it always locally sourced, as I've shared previously. But that's for a different day.

What I'm talking about is how Chipotle brandishes their "Food with Integrity" campaign and attacks conventional producers while pushing calorie-laden burritos down consumers' throats. And when I say attack, I'm not exaggerating. One need look no further than "Scarecrow" or "Farmed & Dangerous" to see that Chipotle has a vendetta against those who don't raise or produce food that is up to their standards.

However, while Chipotle heralds "Food with Integrity" ad nauseum, they have no problem marketing serving meals with such high caloric content that even the recently crowned Queen of American Food Decisions, Michelle Obama, should raise an eyebrow. Serving up a burrito that packs the caloric-punch of 1/2 of one's daily recommended intake is not exactly on the moral up and up since they tout their burritos as a superior product. Wouldn't that be sort of like Burger King promoting their chain as healthy and good for you while serving deep-fried-everything [I love BK by the way, so no offense intended].

For example, IF I ate at Chipotle [which I don't. EVER], I would get a steak burrito with rice and cheese and maybe some black beans because I'm [mostly] anti-vegetable. However, for argument's sake, let's say I was to order a steak burrito with white rice, black beans, fajita veggies, some salsa and cheese. Sounds fairly healthy, right? Protein, veggies, whole grains and no high-fat sour cream or guac - all very healthy things to consume, in moderation. Until you visit their nutritional calculator page and input that exact same order only to find out that you've just inhaled 935 calories. Do you know how many miles I have to run to burn 935 calories? I looked it up -- 10 MILES. That's a lot of running for a freakin' burrito. I should be honest here and say that 935 calories is about 75% of my RDI so it would wreck my diet more than most peoples'; however, even for a full-grown man whose daily RDI is ~2000 calories, 935 is still a lot for one meal.

So, instead of dragging down every producer who prefers to let pigs and chickens live inside climate controlled barns and outside of a coyote's mouth, or every beef producer who takes advantage of scientifically-proven safe technology that allows him to be efficient [during a time when the beef supply is the lowest it's been in 60 years], maybe Chipotle should focus on marketing their food instead of marketing their ideals.

McDonald's, Olive Garden, Red Lobster - all restaurants that I love that aren't trying to guilt me into eating their food. Which is why I still eat chicken nuggets, spaghetti and meatballs, and lobster tail platters.

Selling burritos must be super-hard when you play on a level playing field.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

The thoughts and opinions of this blog post strictly represent that of Brandi Buzzard Frobose and are NOT representative of any other entity or organization.

Why is Big Ag Bad?

As the great-grandchild of European immigrants, I am extremely proud of my ancestors’ ambitions to start a new life in America, the land of opportunity. My grandpa and grandma started their small family restaurant in Kansas City in the 1960s and with hard work eventually expanded to a larger venue. Before long they had two restaurants, the original in Kansas City and a new shop in Lake Ozark, Mo., and Ken Baker’s Restaurant became a hotspot for families and some of Kansas City’s best fried chicken.

It seems as if bigger is better, right? My grandparents, along with many other business owners, are heralded for managing their stores successfully, growing and changing with the times, and expanding their enterprise. However, it appears that farm and ranch families are not held to the same standards as many other industries and embracing technology, sustaining a livelihood and improving efficiency are only selectively celebrated. "Big Ag", the term anti-efficiency activists like to use, is bad.

For example, does society condemn Coca-Cola for being big? Or is Whole Foods publicly denigrated for commandeering the organic market? Michelin, Goodyear and Firestone, for their huge tire empires, are never reprimanded for their firm grasp on the tire industry. Why is it ok to be profitable, self-sufficient and efficient in nearly every other industry in the world but not food?

Bo Stone, one of the U.S.F.R.A. Faces of Farming of Ranching, recently shared his thoughts on this paradox on CNN’s Eatocracy blog and on World Food Day, October 24, the Food Dialogues panel focused on answering that very question. Panelists included the executive director of the Center for Science in Public Interest, a Bloomberg news reporter, food pundits and farmers.

In agriculture, the viewpoints are varied and information is commonly misconstrued but the efforts of MBA grads are often not unnoticed. I encourage all of those involved in agriculture to read Bo’s piece, watch the Food Dialogues video and critically evaluate how you can convey that "Big Ag" isn’t bad.

 

Until next time,

~ Buzzard ~

 

Disclaimer: I wrote this for the Masters of Beef Advocacy newsletter that went out earlier this week but I liked it so much I had to share it here too. It's applicable to more than just MBA grads!

Thanksgiving Safety 101

The holidays are upon us! The next six weeks are full of food, celebrations, family and fun. However, speaking from experience, food poisoning and several hours spent in misery are NOT the way you want to spend family time. Here is a great infographic from www.fightbac.org that preaches food safety as you shop, prepare and serve your Thanksgiving and holiday meals!



Food safety during the holidays for shopping, preparing, storing and serving your goodies. Click to enlarge - source

Wherever you are and however you choose to celebrate, be mindful of those who raised, harvested and prepared the food you are sharing with your family and friends.

And, while you're thanking people keep in mind those members of society who will be working on the Thanksgiving holiday:

• law enforcement
• firemen and women
• shop clerks
• restaurant servers
• turnpike operators
• 911 operators
• medical professionals

I'm sure there are many more but it's pertinent to remember that farmers aren't the only ones working hard to make the world go round and it sure would be bleak without them.

This year, and every day, I'm thankful for a supportive husband and family, a heaping passel of friends, my health, my amazing job [and fantastic colleagues] and a burning passion for agriculture.

Blessings to you and yours.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Wordless Wednesday: [Corn] Blowin in the Wind

A wet cornfield on a windy day in Ohio - harvest is upon us!

Chipotle: A World of Pure Imagination

About four years ago, I realized the extremely important role advocacy plays in agriculture and saw the limitless value of telling my story. I’m proud to share the stories about the small role I play in food production while working alongside my father, husband and in-laws. I do this because there are plenty of people out there that daily strive to push consumers towards niche products such as organic beef, cage-free eggs or vegan bacon (which is not really bacon, btw). While I’m all about choice, I don’t like it when we suggest that making one food choice is safer, more sustainable or better than another food choice—especially when it’s not true.

Inquiring minds want to know when they're going to be fed.....

While things like the latest Chipotle video may be successful at attracting press, blog hits and consumer interest, the one thing they fall extremely short of achieving is creating constructive conversation about food production and the wholesome goodies on our dinner plates.

Whether it’s this latest video or others like it, it reiterates to me the importance of sharing stories about how food is really raised today. I strongly urge all producers to continue to use your voice and tell the real story of farming – right now there are consumers around the nation, and the world, putting their Google skills to the test trying to find out information about how beef, chicken and pork are produced and how livestock are treated. This is a critical component of agriculture – while we may not all agree on the what is the ‘right’ way to do things, we can all agree that no one benefits from denigrating farmers and ranchers other than the marketers and businesses themselves.

Baby beef!

Do you have pictures of you or your family caring for your livestock? Put them online with a short story about the pride you have in providing high quality care and producing safe, healthy food.  That’s the real story of farming and you should be proud of it.

When they hear the dinner bell (it's actually a siren) they come runnin'! As they pass by, we make sure everyone is present and accounted for - if not, we ride around the pasture to look for escapees or sick cattle.

Farmers and ranchers have been sharing the story of agriculture for several years and should continue to do so! Here are some great examples of producers opening up the barn doors to all who wish to view inside.

·         Anne Burkholder – a feedlot owner from Nebraska

·         Debbie Lyons-Blythe – a cow/calf rancher in the Flint Hills of Kansas

·         Ryan Goodman – a farmer from Tennessee who talks about beef, food and ranch life

·         Bridget Coon – a ranch wife in Washington who raises beef with her family

Even if you aren’t a wizard of words, you can post a picture and short sentence about your daily practices – a la Wordless Wednesday (or in my case, Semi-wordless Wednesday). Again, it is up to you to make sure that American consumers know exactly how their food is produced and that they can be confident in farmers and ranchers to do the right thing.

Podge is my role model for many things -- horsemanship, cattle care and his dedication to doing the right thing, even when it's not easy, are just a few of his outstanding qualities.

Are you a supplier to Chipotle, do you raise naturally raised beef or meet the Chipotle specs or know someone who is? PLEASE comment below – I’d love to talk with you and hear your thoughts on this!

Until next time,

~ Buzzard ~

The thoughts and opinions of this blog post strictly represent that of Brandi Buzzard Frobose and are NOT representative of any other entity or organization.

Stella the Chicken(s) Update - Sad News on the FroBuzz Ranchero

A Barred Rock chick who survived the heinous attack

This post was going to start out very cheery with an update on nutrition and growth about my Barred Rock chicks who are all named Stella.

But tragic news has struck the ranch - three little Stellas have left this Earth. 

I was going into town for a meeting at 6 pm and the roof on the coop had been closed all day so I thought they might be getting hot since it was 83 degrees today. I opened the hatch and left.

When I returned at 8 pm, I started feeding the horses and went to check on the chickens and top off their feed pan. Sadly, two chickens were lying in the coop dead and one other was missing. The two that were dead in the coop looked like their necks had been broken and bitten but their wings and legs were intact. Basically, I think the killer was killing for sport and took the third away for dinner. I'm not impressed. The seven remaining chicks were understandably huddled together in the corner and probably traumatized.

So, we've closed the lid and set a live trap for the perpetrator. I have no problem seeking revenge on whatever varmint attacked my baby chickens. I will punish appropriately.

The obvious sadness of my chickens, even though they're small, is that I do care about them. They were in my care and it was my job to raise them and I couldn't protect them - I feel horrible. On top of that, it's also a financial loss. Not a huge one but down the road, that's three fewer chickens to lay eggs. If I want to boost the flock, I'll have to go buy three more chicks (which I'll probably do but maybe I'll get a different breed. Suggestions?).

The next update will hopefully feature me bragging about my varmint catching and a more upbeat post about nutrition and growth of the baby chickens.

In sadness,
~ Buzzard ~

Ranching Awesome - Thriftshop Parody

I love Kansas and I won't list all the reasons why but contributing to that long list is that all the best farm song parodies come from Kansas.

First there were the Peterson Farm Bros and their two big hits: I'm Farming and I Grow It & Working Farmer Style.

Then, the kids at Wallace County High School in western Kansas came up with this little diddy about the school lunch program and gained a ton of national attention - We Are Hungry.

And the next installment of Kansan farmer prides comes to us from Klingenberg Farms. Say hello to Ranching Awesome - a play on Thriftshop by Macklemore.

You guys have got to check this out - it's hilarious but oh so informative. The video shows a lot of cattle, pasture burning in the spring, K-State (holla!) and some cute little dancing farm girls! They talk about the different cuts of beef, Omega-3's, fixing farm equipment - seriously, you will die laughing but will also probably learn something too! And then you'll have it stuck in your head.

Enjoy!


Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Kings of the Farm

Great - now I have this song stuck in my head. Substitute 'farm' for 'road'. Capice?

If you don't already know, this week is NFR week. National Finals Rodeo. The Big Show. Super Bowl of rodeo.  You get the point. The NFR is shown exclusively on Great American Country (thank God, I was so tired of waiting up till midnight for it to start when ESPN had the rights to it) and on Saturday night, the guest hosts were two boys from the show Farm Kings.

Basically, the show follows a family (The Kings, get it?) as they do their daily farm chores. The Kings own and operate Freedom Farms where they strive to provide Pittsburgh with the freshest produce around. There are TEN KIDS and the mom who do all the work - I haven't seen an episode but I would be willing to bet that Mom is one tough cookie (seriously, ten kids).

I only found out about the series because I upped my DIRECTV subscription for 10 days so I could watch the NFR. After December 15th, it's sayonara GAC and Farm Kings, too. I'll have to DVR a few episodes so I can get the lo-down. For those of you who, like me, are cheap and have the bare bones cable package, here is a clip of Farm Kings you can watch. Maybe it will entice you to upgrade!



Has anyone out there seen a whole episode? What did you think?

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

p.s. My rodeo man crush, Trevor, is pursuing his 10th all-around title. For more info on his awesomeness, check out previous posts. I'm also a big fan of first time NFR qualifier Jared Keylon. Jared was my boyfriend's roommate when we were at Fort Scott Community College and lived next door. You'll never meet a more hard working, determined bareback rider than Jared. He's making a solid showing at this year's NFR and you can bet he'll be back for more in future years.

Other faves I am loving right now:
Cory Solomon - calf roping
Kelli Tolbert - barrel racing (that horse can eat up a third barrel)
Trevor Brazile and Patrick Smith - team roping
Chad Masters and Clay O'Brien Cooper - team roping
Tuf Cooper - calf roping 

Super Bowl Commercial Revealed!

We all know that the commercials that appear during the Super Bowl are supposed to be the best ones every year - they're the most expensive and are usually promoting products like Dr. Pepper, Doritos, Bud Light (which are the funniest in my opinion) and who can forget the E-Trade baby?

But this year there's going to be a new kid on the block in the form of a dairy commercial!

I don't want to spoil the fun so I'll only provide the link to the video here instead of embedding the video below. Or you can wait until Super Bowl Sunday to find out the 'dairy' good news!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Australia Day

Last year at this time, I wasn't yet in Australia but was hastily packing my house after being married only four days previous (post on our anniversary coming soon). Nonetheless, we still heard plenty of hype about Australia day, and many other Australian holidays, while we were abroad.

For those of you who don't know, Australia Day is on January 26th this year and is a celebration of the arrival of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships (Australia's first populants, besides Aboriginals, were convicts from Europe) and the flying of the Union Jack (flag) by that fleet's leader, Captain Phillip. In essence it's a celebration of the entire country's history, akin to our Independence Day. However, they also have an ANZAC Day which is akin to our Veteran's Day or Memorial Day holidays and is celebrated in April.

Back on track, if you want to read more about Australia Day click here.

The real reason for this post is to bring attention to the food movement for Australia Day that's taking place. Tweets and Facebook posts have been in my feed for a few weeks about 'eating Australian' on Australia Day. Know what that means? 

It means eat this:

 

or a better depiction, this:

 image from here

In order to boost lamb sales, producers want Australians to eat Australian lamb on Australia Day (that's a lot of Australia's in one sentence). It makes sense, it's the #1 consumed meat in the land down under and is becoming more affordable (or it was when we left a month ago) through 'price wars' between Coles and Woolies/Safeway which are the two biggest supermarket chains.

Eating products of their own country makes sense and I applaud the marketing efforts being made to promote a home-grown product. Maybe a few Americans should eat lamb to celebrate Australia Day, everyone should try it at least once.

Until next time,

~ Buzzard ~

Only in America do we say 'Git R Done'!

That is a phrase that has made several trips around the U.S. and has become the motto for NASCAR fans, camo-clad hunters, farm boys and several million other Americans who, like me, embrace their country upbringing. In fact, Git R Done was my class motto (there were only 7 girls and 11 boys; we got outvoted).

The twangy, plaid-wearing Larry the Cable Guy made the phrase famous on the Blue Collar Comedy tour and never looked back. His success has been astronomical, with two BCC videos, his own stand-up career, playing Tater in Cars 1 and 2 and most recently, a TV series the History Channel called "Only in America."  It debuted last year and just premiered its second season last week. Basically, Larry takes camera crews around to various rural outlets and gives viewers a firsthand look at American rural life. During this year's premiere episode, he visited Alaska to try to bust moose poachers and dropped in on Sarah Palin and her family.

The next episode, which is on tomorrow at 8 pm/C on the History Channel, will be in Wisconsin getting a better look at the dairy and beef industries. The online summary says that, "His first stop is the state's largest dairy farm, where he works every tough job that goes into each glass of milk." Additionally, I'm sure we can expect the usual LtCG antics and humor which will probably spice up the show.

I am not sure if I'll be able to tune in but I'm sure going to try! If ya'll watch, please leave me some comment love and let me know how it goes!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

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 ~

I Love McDonald's

For several reasons.

While in Australia, I ate a lot of McDonald's food. Not because I had cravings or anything (read: Buzzard is not pregnant) but because I generally didn't like the food in Australia (too many veggies and far too much lamb) so I took a lot of long walks to McD's (known as Macca's) for some world famous fries and 100% Australian beef (that's a topic for later discussion).

Australia's McDonald's did a great job reaching out to consumers and putting a face to their beef and potato producers. In fact, one of my first blog posts after arriving in Australia was about their great agvocacy on packaging.

That's why I'm super excited about the latest marketing campaign by U.S. McDonald's: commercials featuring beef, lettuce and potato producers for the chain. Steve Fogelsong, former NCBA President, is featured in the beef video and throughout the video he talks about passion, having experience and occasionally getting your "butt kicked." He also touches on the quality standards for McDonald's and states that "you can't get great taste without great quality."

In the other two videos, the producers talk about the hard work that goes into farming and how they are continuing a family farm for the 4th generation. The story about how iceberg lettuce got its name also comes up - you learn something everyday!

This is such a fantastic initiative and I am thrilled that McDonald's has stepped up to the plate to make the connection from farm to fork. Obviously, they are doing it for their own accord but the ripple effect that it could have for agriculture is monumental.

So for your viewing pleasure, here are the beef, potato and lettuce videos that are creating a firestorm of buzz among agriculturalists. I hope you enjoy them and share them with your friend!




Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

You know you're in a farm family when.....

Good morning and I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas filled with family, food and friends (and kept the reason for the season, baby Jesus, in mind).

Our Christmas at Frobose Farms was relatively normal - opened gifts (for two hours, geesh), Christmas brunch, play new Wii games etc. Of course there are some defining factors that set any farm family apart from their urban contemporaries this time of year.

1. The cattle and hogs are fed before 7 am (they need to eat on Christmas, too) - long before a single gift is touched/shaken/squealed over.

2. You jump out of your chair with pure excitement after you open a brand new pair of coveralls; perfect for bedding cattle, hauling hay, feeding livestock or riding horses through deep snow.


3. As equally exciting as #2, wearing those new coveralls with the new muck boots you bought yourself (on sale at Cabela's) is a primo feeling. Warm and cozy with dry feet. Perfection.


4. After presents and lunch, the hogs must be weighed, walked and rations tweaked in order to prepare for the National Western Stock Show.

5. You dart out to the barn a few times a day to check on these little guys (who arrived on December 23rd).

Simmi X Angus

Purebred Simmi

6. In the midst of all the chaos that's associated with farm life, you spend a few hours frantically rushing around the kitchen preparing side dishes and desserts for Christmas dinner that evening.

As you can tell, we had a pretty busy Christmas and were very blessed to be able to spend the day with each other and got some pretty cool stuff, too!

What was your favorite part of Christmas? Does your family have any special traditions? Did Santa bring you what you asked for?

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Practical People = Practical Solutions

While waiting to pick up cow manure at the Royal Melbourne Show yesterday, I was reading the newspaper. I ran across an article about farmers being upset with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for taking a more extreme stand on recent animal welfare issues in Australia. In the past, RSCPA has claimed to be the 'middle ground' but farmers have recently had their doubts. In an attempt to bring them back to that middle ground, farmers have started vying for positions within the organization.

There was a really great quote in the article that applies to animal welfare issues in the United States just as much, if not more, as it does in Australia.

"We need practical people who understand animal welfare and production agriculture. The fear is that if we're dictated to by people who don't understand producing food, we're living in the ideal world instead of the real world." -- Victorian Farmers Federation President Andrew Broad

As agriculture advocates, we need to be sure to voice our opinions and positive ideas to avoid allowing organizations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) from spearheading legislation that is harmful to America's hardworking farmers and ranchers.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Farm Aid Rocks n' Rolls in to Kansas City

Yep, you heard right. Farm Aid is rolling into Kansas this summer -- August 13 to be exact. Farm Aid was started in 1985 and historically has had the goal of raising money for American's family farmers and ranchers.

The annual event's founder, and main attraction, is the ever popular cannabis smoking, long hair sporting Willie Nelson. Nelson, along with his pals (and fellow board of directors members) John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Neil Young, will be raising money for family farmers at the new Livestrong Sporting Park in KCK.

I love that these high profile celebrities are continuing to embrace the farming way of life and are on board to help preserve agriculture. I found this statement on their website:

Independent family farmers are the pillars of their communities. They grow high quality food, are active in civic life, and are essential to the economic vitality of both their hometowns and the nation. As stewards of the land, family farmers work to protect the soil, air, water, and biodiversity in addition to producing high-quality, healthy food for everyone.

Below, you can hear Dave Matthews give testament to the importance of family farmers and healthy food from healthy land.

Favorite part: if you want healthy food, you go to the people who make healthy food from healthy land.

Tickets have already gone on sale and can be purchased at TicketMaster. For more information on Farm Aid, check out their website.

Will you be going to Farm Aid 2011? Do you think Nelson, Mellencamp, Young and Matthews are suitable spokespeople for agriculture?

Until next time
~ Buzzard ~

Wordless Wednesday (sort of)

Om nom nom nom nom nom

Rest assured that as on any farm, these guys were fed before any of us ate.

Until next time,

~Buzzard~



The Real Survivors: America's Farmers and Ranchers

I heard a great song last night on the radio when I was driving back to MHK from beautiful SEK - it's called "Real" and it's sung by newcomer James Wesley.  Check it out here - SUCH  a good song!



I'm getting married in 3 months so the first chorus about a couple being married for 57 years tugs at my heart but the second verse and chorus are purely written in tribute to America's farmers and ranchers - specifically it calls them 'survivors'.  Today's reality shows don't depict the real American way of life.  In fact, reality TV shows couldn't be more far off from the daily grind of being a farmer.  Wesley sounds like he may have logged a few hours in a tractor.....

And the survivors are farmers in John Deere hats

Our amazin' race is beatin' the check
Prayin' that the bank ain't ran it through yet


Real, like too much rain fallin' from the sky
Real, like the drought that came around here last July
It's the damn boll weevils and the market and the weeds, the prayer they're sayin' when they plant the seeds
And the chance they take to bring us our next meal

          I call that real

I love it when celebrities recognize how hard farmers and ranchers work to put safe, affordable food on our tables.  I can't wait to see what Mr. Wesley releases next.

Until next time,
~Buzzard~