Well, I wasn't so far off

I listened to a radio interview yesterday about this whole ag dust decision by the court, and I have to tell you, I was not far off in my concerns. According to the interview with American Farm Bureau Federation Regulatory Specialist Paul Schlegel, each state is going to have to write some rules on controlling ag dust.

"We frankly don't know what the states could impose," he said. "Could they require that you only operate your vehicles at a certain time of day or at times when the dust will be less likely to affect people, or after precipitation? Bottom line, for farmers, we're going to see more regulation."

He said his biggest concern was that people would start suing because the state wasn't doing enough and then the courts would be making the decisions, instead of the states.

So now, in addition to having to work within the confines of what Mother Nature throws at them, farmers and ranchers would now have to limit their activities even more so it would be more convenient for those who don't like ag dust? Never mind that the farmer was probably there long before the person who doesn't like the dust got there.

Sounds like a case of biting the hand that feeds you. Didn't their mothers ever tell them it wasn't a very good thing to do?

Happy deregulation!

Dawn

I'm thinking again

I was looking at a "Marketbasket" survey from AFBF this afternoon, thinking that, since I end up going to the store just about every day for this, that or the other thing ('tis true, I'm not as good at making grocery lists as my mother), I should just do the survey and send it to AFBF, so North Dakota would be represented. But THEN I started thinking some more (which is when stuff gets dangerous), and I thought, "Hey! Why don't you put together a survey for the North Dakota Values folks to participate in and we can do our own little --albeit informal -- survey right here?

So I went to surveymonkey.com and put together a short survey. It's called the N.D. staples survey because I picked 9 things that I figured were found in just about every North Dakota home and in every North Dakota grocery store.

So, if you have the inclination to participate, the survey asks that you list the price you paid for the following 9 items:

1 lb. of Red Delicious apples
5 lbs. of Russet potatoes
1 lb. of ground chuck (or 80-85 percent lean ground beef)
1 lb. bacon
1 gallon 2% milk
1 dozen Grade A large eggs
5 lbs. all-purpose flour
32 oz. vegetable oil
1 8.9 oz. box of Cheerios (that's an 8.9 oz. box, not an 18.9 oz. box)

Then we also ask the city where grocery prices were checked. That one is required, so we can see how prices vary statewide.

The catch is, it can't be a sale price or any two-for-ones or anything like that. Just regular price. We'll keep the survey open until March 12, then report back on North Dakota Values what the average prices were for the 9 items. Sound like fun?

Click here to take survey.

Happy pricing!

Dawn

This dust thing bothers me

I read the news about the court ruling upholding the Environmental Protection Agency's regulatory standards related to rural dust. The first I heard of it was a statement from AFBF this morning. In the statement, AFBF President Bob Stallman said, "EPA’s own studies had failed to demonstrate adverse health effects associated with rural dust, which comes mostly from naturally occurring organic materials such as plants, sand and soil. Most disappointing is that the court suggested industry had the burden of proving that dust from agricultural sources was safe, rather than EPA proving within a margin of safety that the emissions caused harm."

So my question is, "Does that mean that planting and harvesting or any other activity that creates ag dust is going to be regulated?" And then, of course, my next question is, "How in the world is that going to work?" Are farmers going to have to equip their tractors and combines with "dust" reducing devices that haven't even been invented yet? Or are they going to have to pay fees when their actions create dust?

To read more, go to cattlenetwork.com or even the New York Times. They both have stories on it today.

As for me, all I can say is "Let's get real." I've seen the dust my husband creates just from mowing two acres of lawn. And this whole ag dust thing seems pretty unrealistic to me.

Happy dusting!

Dawn

The ever-changing seasons

You may think I'm crazy for admitting this, but I enjoy winter. I also enjoy spring, and summer and fall. Although I've never lived anywhere other than North Dakota, I'm guessing that I'm where I should be, because the seasons change at just about the right pace. Okay, maybe we do have a FEW extra months of winter that I could do without, but I'm not sure where they should go. I like spring, but there are only so many "Will they bud or won't they?" days that I can handle. Then I want the trees and my flowers and the grass to get green. But toward the end of the summer, when the hot days take their toll, I would rather see everything turn red and gold, rather than brown and yucky. And after spending several days clearing and burning all the refuse from my gardens, I figure that a nice blanket of snow could help hide the stuff I didn't get cut down.

But right now I'm eyeing all those "Your Best Garden Ever" magazines in the checkout line of the grocery store, so my internal season indicator must be in the, "Time for spring, already!" position.

So Spring, anytime you're ready to make your appearance, I'll be ready with some handy-dandy garden improvement plans.

Happy thinking-about-spring day!

Dawn

Misconceptions about agriculture

I was redesigning an informational place mat for Farm Bureau Week today and needed a couple of interesting questions. So I pulled out my "Addressing misconceptions about agriculture" book that American Farm Bureau Federation's Foundation for Agriculture put together a few years ago.

One of the statements in the book that I had kind of forgotten was how misconceptions come not only from superficial reporting in the media or advertising, but sometimes misinformation is even taught in schools. "Our textbooks, curricula, and even standardized tests have a great many misconceptions about agriculture in their contents," the book states.

Unfortunately, once something is in print, it can be repeated over and over as factual, when in fact, it may not be at all.

I remember reading a blog posted by a young farmer not too long ago about how their children were subjected to some misinformation in their school and how they took it upon themselves to contact the school and provide them with another side of the story. The school was more than happy to provide more information.

And that's a good thing. If nothing else, it teaches our kids to think critically, and provides them with the ability to think through a situation rationally, instead of accepting things blindly.

Happy educating!

Dawn

Cuts of beef

Does anyone still have those metal meat tenderizing mallets around their houses? I don't own one. But man, oh man do I remember my mom pounding beef with one of those metal mallets when I was a kid.

It seems like a weird thing to even think about, but I was going through some information on cuts of beef, and it brought back that memory.

And you know, even though I grew up on a farm and ate a lot of beef, I still don't know much about cuts of beef. So I usually end up buying the ones I know best: sirloin, round steak and ground beef.

A while back, we put a page up on the NDFB website in the Information Center section called Know your cuts of beef. It has an illustration that shows, for example, just where the Porterhouse and Round steaks come from.

But the granddaddy of awesome beef information is, natch, the "Beef, it's what's for dinner" website. There you will find tips and recipes and just about everything you've ever wanted to know about beef. I didn't know if I could provide a direct link to the site without permission, but all you have to do is type in all the words in quotes above in your search engine, and the site will be right up at the top.

Oooh, I think I hear a steak calling me. Gotta run!!!

Happy beef-eating!!!

Dawn

Sustainability

I picked up American Farm Bureau Federation's FBNews this afternoon and was reading the articles on ag sustainability. It's a good read, because it brings up some important points about how sustainability means different things to different people.

And right now, there are a bunch of groups out there trying to set standards for "sustainable agriculture."

If defined correctly, it could be a very positive step. If done incorrectly, it could be very bad for American agriculture.

A quote from one of the articles:

"Russell Williams, director of regulatory relations for AFBF, has been monitoring efforts to define the term. He says agriculture can't allow the concept of 'sustainability' to be hijacked by interest groups with an agenda of requiring all agriculture to be organic, or restricting the use of fertilizer, pesticides, biotechnology or other tools in agriculture's toolbox."

Farm Bureau members indicated at the national convention in January that, "There is only one constant and that is agriculture is only sustainable when it is profitable."

I think it's a very insightful, key point. One worth remembering.

To read the sustainability stories, go to the AFBF website's FBNews page.

Happy reading!

Dawn

The science fair project

I enjoy science. It was one of my favorite subjects in high school. But for some reason, my interest in science doesn't translate into an insatiable inquisitiveness into why "stuff" works the way it does.

Needless to say, my school science fair projects were highly unscientific. In fact, if the projects would have been a substantial part of our grade, I would have been in serious trouble.

I remember two projects. One had to do with demonstrating static electricity using a glass jug, a cork with a nail or something stuck in it, and a piece of aluminum foil. I demonstrated that static electricity can be produced, but when the judge asked me to explain why, I stammered and stuttered. Didn't think about that part, which in hindsight was probably the whole point of the exercise. The second project was a demonstration of soil erosion by water. Same deal -- the demonstration was good but the ability to explain why things happen the way they do was sorely lacking.

So, when I had a chance to write a paper instead of examining the transport of viruses during artificial recharge with recycled water, I took it. Big time.

I chose to write a paper on the evolution of man and what we might look like thousands of years in the future. (Think the bigheaded people in the first Star Trek television series.) I even had illustration overlays. If I remember, I got an "A" on that paper.

Many, many years later, it all makes sense as to why I'm in communications instead of engineering.

Needless to say, I'm not a great help to my son as he prepares his first science fair project. But I am married to an engineer, and he has a logical mind that questions why things are the way they are. So I fully expect my son's project about the magnetic field will not only be a good demonstration, but there will be a good explanation as to why it all works the way it does.

Happy projecting!

Dawn

Get the dirt

For years, a photo of me in a little blue dress, kneeling on the floor, "strangling" a black cat adorned my grandmother's wall. I was probably about three at the time the picture was taken. I was always curious about what I was thinking at the time. Apparently, at least this is what I've been told, I was getting ready to kiss the cat as only a three-year-old can do. But I had this bug-eyed expression on my face that was pretty funny. While I don't condone "cat strangling" it always made me laugh. (And my parents assured me that no animal was harmed in the shot.)

I bring this up because I'm putting in my personal plug for our North Dakota Values "Get the dirt on ag kids" photo contest.

There are a few photos up there, but I would love it if there were so many photos submitted that we had a heck of a time picking just one. There is nothing more fun than viewing pictures of cute kids doing cute things.

So please, if you haven't submitted a photo, please do so. And, if you know of anyone who might be interested in joining North Dakota Values and entering a cute ag kid photo contest, please invite them to join and to participate. It's worth $250 to the winner, which is a pretty nice chunk of change.

Happy snapping!

Dawn

What's in a serving?

You know, I missed lunch today, so I really shouldn't be writing about serving sizes or anything related to food, but since all I can think about right now is a big plate of nachos (yeah, healthy food too, eh?) we're going to talk portions.

Generally speaking, Americans tend to get over-sized portions at restaurants. And we probably oversize most of our servings at home too. To be honest, the plate of nachos I'm thinking about right now is way bigger than a "serving." Actually it's more like could-feed-a small-country sized.

A serving should fit in the palm of your hand, which is a good way to remember what a serving is when you don't have measuring cups or scales to be your guide.

I was just reading today that, according to a new public opinion survey conducted by the American Dietetic Association, 52 percent of consumers are looking for practical tips to help them eat right. However, more than 70 percent of American adults don’t do more to achieve a balanced diet because they are satisfied with how they eat and don’t want to give up foods they like.

One thing that I found is that a visual representation works well for me. I received this hand-dandy poster that shows a series of healthy foods in the palms of a hand; things like 3 broccoli florets, 1 egg, 4 whole-wheat crackers, 1 small banana, 2-3 ounces of cooked meat, 6 baby carrots. And the hands are lined up according to the five basic food groups too; whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meat/beans/nuts and dairy.

They do not have palms filled with cookies or chocolate, or nachos for that matter, but that just goes to show you that you shouldn't skip lunch, so you crave all that bad stuff, doesn't it?

Happy snarfing!

Dawn

Beneficial bat blabber

I'm on a roll! Yesterday, I learned about Crisco. Today, I learned about bats. And I learned it from the United States Department of Agriculture. Who knew USDA had a bat department? Oh, okay, I made that part up. They actually don't have a bat department, but they ARE cooperating in the protection of bats and bat habitat. Why? Because not only do bats eat a lot of insects, they also pollinate.

Now, I knew bats ate mosquitos and I always figured that was a very good thing. But I didn't know they were pollinators. So I did some more checking, and I found out on the Wind Cave National Park Service site that plants like "bananas, mangoes, cashews, dates and figs rely on bats for pollination and seed dispersal." Furthermore, the site says, "Nectar-feeding bats are primary pollinators of giant cacti such as the organ pipe and saguaro."

The most common species in North Dakota is the brown bat, and while I don't think they are pollinating any bananas or mangoes here, I know they're absolutely great insect eaters. Go to www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/mammals/mammals/brownbat.htm to learn more about those little brown bats. And....

Happy beneficial bat blabbering!

Dawn

What's in a name?

I learned something very -- if not important in its use -- interesting.

Crisco, that ubiquitous baking staple, is short for "Crystallized Cottonseed Oil." Learned it on the new Web site, Your Agriculture, www.fb.org/yourag, from American Farm Bureau Federation. It was actually a little "Did You Know?" fact at the end of a video story about a Texas cotton farm.

But that got me to thinking about how those products we use every day get their names. So I did a little searching.

If you use PAM cooking spray, you might be interested to know that it stands for a "Product of Arthur Meyerhoff."

And while I'm not sure how Band-Aids got their brand name, a lot of people regularly use the term generically instead of "adhesive bandages." Same for the "Kleenex" brand. How many people actually say the words "tissue?" Come to think of it, I have noticed my kids say, "Mom, I need a tissue." Maybe its a generational thing and people who are "older than dirt," like me, still call tissue "Kleenex."

But the point of all this, is that, while the PAM brand may be a "Product of Arthur Meyerhoff" even Arthur's product had to start somewhere, and chances are it was on some type of farm, somewhere.

And hopefully, the new AFBF Web site for consumers will provide non-farmers with a more-informed "connection" to those who provide the food and fiber that we use every day. Check out the site, then tell your non-farm friends about it: Your Agriculture.

Happy surfing!

Dawn

Wildflowers around MY neck

Yesterday, I told you my daughter now had wildflowers around her neck because we made her a new seed packet necklace. Well, today, I'm the lucky one. That little cherub has a mind like a steel trap, I tell you.

You see, shortly after she lost her first seed packet necklace, she fretted about what she would do with the new seed packet necklace on the days she had gym at school. Because, after all, it has to stay warm and she really can't wear it in gym, and if she's not wearing it, it won't stay warm and the seeds won't grow. I vaguely remember saying, "Oh, don't worry. I'll wear it on those days."

I forgot. She didn't.

"Remember, Mom," she said matter-of-factly as she took off the necklace and handed it to me this morning. "You were going to wear the necklace when I have gym."

She's absolutely right. And a promise is a promise.

So today, and each Tuesday and Thursday until these seeds sprout, I will be wearing wildflowers around my neck.

Happy sprouting!

Dawn

Wildflowers around her neck

Remember how my daughter, the farmer, was so crushed when she lost her seed necklace that she had made at the Farm Bureau Leadership Conference? Well, this weekend, we finally made her a new seed necklace. I'm not sure how it will work, because we used wildflower seeds, instead of the big soybean seeds she had before, but we'll give it a try, anyway. She was very happy, although she wasn't sure I knew what I was doing. Well, I may not have really known what I was doing, but I had the recipe, so I just followed it. And I actually do have a little common sense. Not like, a bunch, but a little.

It's really pretty cool. You buy those -- and for the life of me I've forgotten the name of them again -- little clear crystal thingies that you put at the bottom of your potted plants to help them retain moisture. 1/4 tsp. of those. Then you add a tablespoon of water, and a couple of seeds. You put them in one of those little clear, zip bags that you can buy at the craft store to put beads in and then you punch a little hole in the top of the bag (above the zip-loc part) and run a pretty ribbon through it and you have a seed-growing necklace. The idea is you wear it under your shirt, next to your body, to keep the seeds warm so they'll germinate.

I told my daughter that once they sprouted, we'd put the seeds in a pot and grow the wildflowers inside until spring. Then we could plant them out in the wildflower patch next to her playstructure.

So now, we're just waiting for spring. Grow, little seeds, grow!

Happy "thinking about spring."

Dawn

Shopping smart

My mother was a very, very good food shopper when I was a kid. I remember her getting the local paper every Thursday and combing through the grocery store sales ad to see what items she could buy on sale. She also made a list and very rarely did she deviate from it.

I also remember how, once we got all the groceries home, she went through all the items and checked them against the slip to make sure she hadn't been over-charged. And there were a few occasions when she called up the store to tell them she had been overcharged.

Me? I'm a bad food shopper. I make a list, but half the time I forget to buy some of the items that are on my list. Yet I almost ALWAYS end up with way more stuff in my cart than I had on my list. That's because while I'm passing something in an aisle, I remember that I forgot to include that on the list.

I have also been known to get the entirely wrong item because I'm not paying enough attention and I grab the thing right next to the thing I had on my list. I still have a 12-pack of non-diet cola that I accidentally grabbed instead of the diet cola I wanted. It's going on three years old. We've had it longer than we've had our dog.

If you are anything like me (heaven forbid) in the food-buying department, Farm Bureau just came out with a bunch of food purchasing and preparing tips for consumers. We will feature them on our northdakotavalues.com network in the Food IQ section. Check them out. Hey, maybe I'll learn something too!

Happy shopping!

Dawn

Driving a tractor, I did not do

My husband asked me the other day, being from a farm and all, if I ever drove a tractor. You know what? I never did. I'm not sure why. I have two younger brothers and maybe by the time they needed farmhands, my brothers were old enough to do it. Maybe after my uncle taught me how to drive, they decided that it would just be best to keep me away from heavy equipment. I don't know. I guess I'll have to ask, sometime. It was so long ago, however, that no one probably remembers.

Or maybe it was the fact that I ran over one too many trees with the riding lawnmower, and they didn't want to see me running over cows and cars and other things in the barnyard with the tractor.

What I do remember was dish-washing and floor-vacuuming and bean-picking and all those other "domestic goddess" chores. I also made a mean potato salad and lots of chocolate chip cookies. And I do have to admit that I played in the silage pile and in the haystacks and in the back of grain trucks filled with grain. You know, all those unsafe things that kids aren't supposed to do, but we didn't know any better at the time.

But driving a tractor, I did not do.

Happy reminiscing!

Dawn

More farms

I have to admit the news caught me by surprise. According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, there are 4 percent more farms now than there were when they did the 2002 Census. According to the release I read from USDA, "The 2007 Census counted 2,204,792 farms in the United States, a net increase of 75,810 farms. Nearly 300,000 new farms have begun operation since the last census in 2002. Compared to all farms nationwide, these new farms tend to have more diversified production, fewer acres, lower sales and younger operators who also work off-farm."

In fact, it would seem that a lot more people are starting smaller "residential/lifestyle" farms. The Census stats show that more than 36 percent of the farms are classified as residential/lifestyle and have less than $250,000 in sales. Another 21 percent are retirement farms (my mom and dad have one of those).

Fad or trend? I guess time will tell, but for right now, it would seem agriculture is more important to people than we thought.

Happy planting!

Dawn

Why do we call it the farm bill?

You know, I'm just as guilty of it as the next person. We call that big package of items in the federal budget that includes everything from food stamps and school lunch programs to rural development the "Farm Bill." It started out as a farm bill, but over the years, more stuff has been added than you can shake a stick at. (I know, never end a sentence with a preposition.)

The last number I heard was that about 67 percent of the "farm bill" goes for food and nutrition programs. Tradingmarkets.com says that, over the next decade, 73 percent of the funds in the "farm bill" will go for food stamp and nutrition programs.

Unfortunately, when people hear the words "farm bill," they equate it with payments to farmers. And when they hear how much is being spent on the "farm bill" they think that it's all going to farmers, and they're getting rich. It just isn't so.

I mean, the official name of the latest act is the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008. "Farm" didn't even make it into the title. I'm thinking we should start calling it the food bill. That's really more to the point, isn't it?

Something to think about.

Happy random thoughts!

Dawn

This peanut recall is a bummer

Why is it you crave something more when you can't have it? I'm talking, of course, about this whole peanut recall thing. The last update I saw was that SuperValu stores were recalling tin roof sundae ice cream. Man, I shop at SuperValu. And I LOVE tin roof sundae ice cream. And now that I know they're pulling it off shelves, I'm craving it even more.

Although there have been no reported illnesses, SuperValu is voluntarily pulling the ice cream for consumer safety.

Here's a link to the release that was issued:www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/supervalu01_09.html

And I don't even want to think about how tough this is going to be for peanut farmers. According to a Reuters article I read, they had a huge crop last year and even before the outbreak, peanut shellers were calling for 20 percent less production.

And me? I'm going to keep eating my beloved peanut-butter toast with a little sprinkle of sugar on top. And just as soon as they put the tin roof sundae back in stores, I'm going out and buying some.

Happy "sundae"ing!

Dawn