Farm~School~Life

Showing posts with label farm food. Show all posts

So I realized at the end of 2013 that a good portion of my blog had become a mommy blog.

And don't get me wrong that's OK, because that is what season of life I am in however I wanted to be sure that in 2014 I made an effort to concentrate on farming and agriculture as well.

Agriculture is my passion, it runs deep in me. I mean really deep! William & I are the 10th generation in each family to be involved in production agriculture. I started this blog to help others understand how our food is grown and to connect with a farm family. I also wanted a place to share my views and opinions on current issues facing American farmers and ranchers.

So each Friday on the blog I am going to focus on farming or an issue dealing with agriculture.

This week's issue...GMO's & Cheerios.

Waylon & Wyatt love Cheerios. They don't care what the Cheerios are made of...they love the simple taste. In our house they are eaten more as a snack than as a breakfast cereal. I was caught off guard recently when General Mills announced that Cheerios will no longer contain GMO ingredients. Some folk think they have won a revolution of sorts. I personally am chuckling. Why would I chuckle? I have 3 reasons why I am chuckling over this...

1. because the number one ingredient in Cheerios is oats and there are NO GMO oats!

2. the fact that General Mill's VP of global communications, Tom Forsythe, stated that ”It’s simple. We did it because we think consumers may embrace it.” That comment tells me that marketing played a roll in their decision as well.

3. Margaret Smith, professor at Cornell University stated the product will be nutritionally and chemically the same as it was prior.

So what are we gaining by using non-GMO crops?

Nothing... in my opinion. General Mills is feeding the hype and creating more questions than answers for consumers, especially since they have no plans to make any other cereals GMO-Free. Supermarket shelves are already full of misinformation leading shoppers to believe that this product is nutritionally better than that one and so on.

Now let's look a little closer at GMO's or genetically modified organisms. Below is an infographic from CommonGround that does a great job of explaining the talk vs. the truth.

So do we grow GMO's on our farm? Yes, many of the crops we grow are from GM seed. Why do we choose to use GM seed? For us using GM seed allows us to increase our harvest amounts without increasing our farm size, spray & fertilize our fields less and utilize no till or low till planting methods.

Do you have more questions about GMO's? Please feel free to ask them! I will be happy to help you understand when, where, how & why farmers may choose to use GM seeds.

For our family Cheerios will still be a staple but not because they are labeled "Non-GMOs" but because we like the taste.

Caci

William checking cows

Many times people are confused when I talk about our dairy farm. They want to know what type of farm are we? Where do we sell our milk? How are our cows treated? Well over the next couple of weeks I am going to take the time to answer those questions.

Early mornings in the milking parlor...it's a family affair

Our farm is a family owned operation. Meaning that our family does the work. We do have a couple of high school and college students that help out on nights and weekends however the majority of the work is done by family members. To give we an idea we milk roughly 100 cows. We have Holsteins (Black & White Cows), Jersey (Smaller brown cows) , Brown Swiss (larger brown cows everything from gray to chocolate colored), Ayrshire (smaller sized red and white cows) and Guernsey (larger sized Red & White cows) all represented but we mainly have Holsteins and Holstein/Jersey crosses.

Feeding heifers after church

The cows are milked twice a day. We milk in a double 8 which means we milk 8 cows on each side at one time, so if both lines are full we are milking 16 cows. I will explain more about the milking process at another time. Today we are focusing on what we produce...that is the product that you purchase...MILK!

The milk from our cows is shipped to a local processing plant and pasteurized to be used in all types of dairy products (mainly fluid milk products). You can check out where your milk came from here: Where is My Milk From?

An udder view

You can go to the grocery store and purchase our milk usually found under the Pet or Dean's food brand. My son loves to go to McDonald's and get milk with his Happy Meals because our McD's uses Dean food milk (at least in our area).

Now to say we drink a lot of milk is probably the understatement of the year! We go through a ton of milk a week. Below is an info-graphic on milk that does a great job of sharing how milk is cared for, nutrition facts and more!

So there you have it...a little about our farm and about Milk. Next week we will talk more about the cows and how they are cared for!

Until then...

Caci

Amanda from Beef Daily wrote a post last week about a city boy visiting their farm and asking tons of questions. She listed 20 of them and I thought I would take a moment and answer some of them from my perspective….as a farm wife.

1. Are farmers rich? Is it easy to make a living off ranching? Or, do you just like the lifestyle?

There is an old saying “Farmers are land rich and money poor.” Farmers like the rest of the country do their best to make ends meet. We put up with high risk, low returns, and a very volatile market. People see farmers & ranchers and assume because of the amount of land, equipment, and possibly livestock that they have lots of money; however most of their money is tied into that operation. You don’t see many farmers/ranchers out shopping each week for new clothes or electronics. Farmers have to work hard for their money; it’s not easy to make your living off a farm or ranch. Most farm families have at least one person that works off farm to supply a steady income just in case prices drop, a drought happens, or your crop is destroyed. To be a farmer or a rancher you have to enjoy the lifestyle.

2. Why do ranchers feed corn?

Ranchers feed corn to help cattle grow and develop just like parents feed their children nourishing food to help them grow and develop. Corn is a wonderful source of protein and many other nutrients that cattle need.

3. Doesn’t beef make you fat?

Beef doesn’t make you fat it is actually a naturally-nutrient rich food that is an important part of a well balanced diet. There are 29 cuts of beef that meet government labeling guidelines for lean! The nutrients in beef help you maintain a healthy metabolism, which helps maintain a healthy weight, build muscle and gives fuel for physical activity.

4. Do you keep the cows inside during the winter?

We live in South Carolina so our winters aren’t very cold. Actually many people come to vacation in our area in the winter because of our climate. So no our cows are not kept inside during the winter, but at all times our cattle have access to shelter, clean water, and hay during the winter months.

8. Why aren’t you an organic farm?

We chose not to be an organic farm. Studies have shown there is no nutritional benefit to organics. We chose to raise our livestock in the way we feel is the safest and healthiest for them and us. My son receives vaccines against harmful diseases and antibiotics when he is sick so I feel that we should treat our cattle with the same respect. We give them vaccines to protect from harmful diseases and antibiotics when needed if they are sick.

18. Why do ranchers give cattle antibiotics?

We give our cattle antibiotics when they are sick just like we give our son antibiotics when he is sick. To keep our cattle healthy we must care for them in the best possible way.

Fourth of July means many things to me. I celebrate our freedoms and the men and women who fought for those freedoms and the ones still fighting. This time of year also brings something else to mind...grilling! There is nothing better than grilling up a wonderful steak or a tasty hamburger.

Red meat, particularly beef, is a staple on my family's menu. We enjoy hamburger steak, meatloaf, spaghetti, fajitas, chuck roast and yes the occasional ribeye. This is the way I know my family is getting enough Z.I.P- zinc, iron, and protein that is! However, with the price of beef increasing will consumers like myself be able to afford to put beef on the table?

I know some of you are thinking she doesn't get it....her backyard is full of beef!

But that's not entirely correct...yes we do raise cattle and we do harvest some of our own for meat however the majority of our meat (excluding ground beef) comes from the grocery store. So when beef prices go up it affects my pocketbook as well. And I know when prices go up you (and me) start looking for cheaper ways to provide for your family.

But before you walk past the meat counter keep- reading...

there are many reasons you should

continue purchasing beef as a protein source for your family here are 4!

1) A 3 oz serving of lean beef provides 10 nutrients your body needs such as protein, iron, zinc and B-vitamins for an average of 154 calories. In fact, it takes two to three times more calories to get the same amount of protein from many plant-based alternatives than from lean beef.

2) The surprising fact is that Americans, on average, eat 1.7 oz of beef every day, well within the 5-7 oz recommended from this Group for a healthy diet. Americans can feel good about choosing lean beef because the science shows beef's high-quality protein and essential nutrients make good diets better - improving overall nutrient intake and diet quality, and contributing to positive health outcomes like weight management.

3) Because of the commitment of America's cattle farmers and ranchers, many popular beef cuts meet government guidelines for lean, including favorites such as Sirloin, Flank steak, Tenderloin, T-Bone steak and 95 percent lean Ground Beef. With more than 29 lean beef cuts, it's easy to build great-tasting and healthy meals that include America's favorite protein - beef - with vegetables, fruits and whole grains.

4) Given today's focus on obesity, the Committee uncovered a striking finding: Over the last four decades, Americans have consumed nearly 200 calories more each day from flour and cereal products while calories from meat, eggs and nuts have remained virtually unchanged. At a time when calories really matter, lean beef is a solution that satisfies our appetites and provides more nutrients for fewer calories than many other foods.

So there you go...4 simple reasons why beef will remain on my family's menu. But let's not forget that Americans the safest and cheapest food supply in the world, thanks to farmers and ranchers who have done their best to improve farming & ranching practices!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July weekend and God Bless!