Congress Cuts Horse Slaughter Funding... Again

Friday is #notimpressed with Congress' poor decision

Just when I was starting to think that we might actually see horse slaughter in full-swing in the U.S., a process with many benefits, Congress actually works together to pass a bill. Go figure.

Yesterday, Congress passed a spending measure which contains wording to eliminate funding for horse slaughter inspection. As you may remember from recent posts, if there is no inspection from USDA, slaughter and meat processing cannot take place. The final step is for Obama to sign his name and it's official.

This is frustrating on so many levels - a process that is safe, humane and benefits our economy is being restricted, again, after being delayed for 2+ years. I'm not a political expert but the only way around this one, I believe, is for individual states to fund inspections. I would welcome hard facts on that topic. Readers who are lawyers, please chime in. Updated: Please refer to the first comment on this post from 'Tuck' who is a third-year law student. He's been very helpful!

So for the time being, there will be no horse slaughter in the United States which is a crying shame considering the meat can be used for zoo animals and exported to other countries (just because we don't eat it, doesn't mean other countries don't consider it a delicacy), the plants provide local job creation and thousands of neglected horses could be humanely euthanized.

I guess I should be thankful that Congress actually agreed on something, for once.

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.

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 ~

How Useless would Agriculture Be if You Went Hungry?

The agriculture world has been abuzz today with the recent posting of an article titled, College Majors That Are Useless, where the generic terms "Agriculture Majors" sits at #1. Sitting at #4 was Animal Sciences and #5 was Horticulture. Oh, where shall I begin?

First off, one cannot major in agriculture. For example at my alma mater, Kansas State University, and most other land grant univerisities, you enroll in a degree program within the College of Ag. Degree programs may include Animal Sciences & Industry, Horticulture, Ag Communications etc. Upon graduation, you may have earned a degree in Agriculture but it is concentrated in a specific area of study.

Does this journalist (I use that term loosely here, because this was horrible, horrible journalism) have any idea who produces his food and fiber or the science behind creating those products? Obviously not. Agriculture produces more than just food - check out this list of ag prodcuts:

-- chewing gum
-- detergents
-- candles
-- photofilm
-- shampoo and conditioner
-- deoderant
-- emery boards
-- cotton clothing (got those cotton commericials stuck in your head now?)
-- glass
-- charcoal
-- medicine
-- wallpaper
-- chalk
-- cake mix

I'd be willing to bet that Mr. Loose (so-called journalist) uses one or more of those items on a regular basis. In addition to all those non-food products, let's not forget that if it weren't for AGRICULTURE, ANIMAL SCIENCE and HORTICULTURE, there would not be a food supply.
Agriculture graduates, regardless of their specific major, are employable in thousands of different job settings. A degree in agriculture is not necessarily indicative of a career as a farm manager. What about agriculture education, academia, meat industry, research, the thousands of veterinary clinics in the U.S., feed processing, ag sales - I could go on and on. Think about the number of agriculture jobs that there isn't even a need for yet? As our population continues to grow, so will our need for producers and people to develop new ways to feed so many people. I would be willing to bet that Terence wouldn't be saying agriculture degrees were useless if he was starving and naked.

There have been a multitude of blog posts and tweets circulate because of this outrageous article. Anna-Lisa Giannini has even created a Facebook group called "I Studied Agriculture and I Have a Job", which already has over 2500 likes. You can also check out these links to other blog posts on the topic:

-- Allen Levine, Dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota wrote a piece of The Huffington Post
-- Food For Thought colleague, Tera Rooney, on the Food For Thought blog
-- An Open Letter to Terence Loose by Rebekah Bowen
-- Greg Henderson of Drover's CattleNetwork, wrote Yahoo! Please Don't Mess with the Goat Ropers

Also, if you want to send your own response to Terence Loose, you can do so by emailing him at tloose7@gmail.com

Let agriculture's voice be heard!

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~