While in Baltimore several of the National Committee had the opportunity to take the Accurate Ag Book project to Grace & St. Peter’s Episcopal Church & Day School. This year’s book is titled, Farmers’ Market, written by Carmen Parks. Farmers’ Market shows in a simple, yet accurate manner the process a vegetable/fruit producer must follow to produce the food that we as consumers see at our local farmers market.

We were greeted by several eager 3- to 5-year-olds all wanting to learn from us! The book was read. Next we asked several questions such as, Do you like vegetables? Who likes potato chips? Then you like potatoes! After reading and asking questions the kids were ready to get active. Part of the goal of Accurate Ag Books, in addition to educating about agriculture, is to promote physical exercise. So off to "acting" out the book we went, including a spilled vegetable cart and then having to pick up all our vegetables! The last and final part of our visit included a short exercise in selling and buying the vegetables and fruits we had just "picked" in our previous activity.

This is a great activity to take into your local pre-k and kindergarten programs and help spread the news of agriculture. If you would like more information on this program please contact someone on the national committee or Betty Wolanyk at AFBF and help spread the knowledge of what we in production ag are doing to create a safe and wholesome food supply!

Last week as I wearily walked to my gate after attending the National Young Farmers and Ranchers Conference in Baltimore a newspaper headline caught my eye, "A gap in food safety,” scrolled across The Sun, Baltimore’s main newspaper. The article followed a weekend where a new record was set, one the beef industry wished never happened, 143 million pounds of ground beef was recalled. The result of a man carrying a hidden video camera as he poised as a hourly worker in then a little-known beef processing plant in Chino, California, Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co and documenting one of the worst cases of cow-abuse in recent history.

The news of such abuse sickened me. In no circumstances should ANY animal be treated in the manner in which these animals were treated. But after being involved in the beef industry since a child and currently being employed by an agribusiness company involved in beef processing a comment in the Baltimore Sun caused that feeling of anger to rise inside me.

Temple Grandin, an animal handling expert at Colorado State University who regularly visits processing plants throughout the industry helping them to improve on their animal handling practices, said “You go to one plant, and they do an excellent job.” She went on to say, “You go to another, and they don’t.” The article went on to say that based on Grandin’s observations that at least 10 percent of meat companies try to sidestep regulations. What about the 90% who are doing the RIGHT thing and the many that go ABOVE and BEYOND to ensure the welfare of the animal is at the forefront of everyone’s minds?

Many times those of us involved in production ag forget to "toot" our own horn about the safe and humane manners of animal handling. Maybe that is because we feel that is part of our job? Maybe we see it as expected? I know my personal experience has included going through and conducting training on animal handling not only to those working in a processing plant but to young children involved in livestock production.

Many companies today have animal handling statements that are communicated to their employees and have created comprehensive plans which include everything from powerpoints, video’s, online training, to exams to ensure their employees understand the importance of properly handling animals.

I am proud to say that I belong to the 90% of those who choose to do the RIGHT thing and ensure properly handling of livestock. The issue right now that I see is a small minority diminishing the efforts of a majority.

Click here to see the entire article and related editorials.

Yesterday was the conclusion of the AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Conference in Baltimore, MD where 837 Young Farmers and Ranchers gathered from all over the country.

Attendees had the opportunity to network with one another, sharpen their leadership skills, and learn how to become the voice and face of agricultuure. The attendees were challenged by Trent Loos, agriculture advocate, to keep their enthusiasm alive by going out and being an advocate for our industry.

Farming is Everone's Bread and Butter and it is our job to remind the nation that less than 2% of our population provides food and fiber for the other 98%. And we do it safely, effectively and efficiently.

A big thank you to all those in Nebraska who spoke up against a bill introduced in the Nebraska legislature that would have phased out the use of gestation stalls in the Cornhusker state. HSUS convinced Nebraska State Senator DiAnna Schimek to introduce a bill less than an hour before the deadline to introduce new bills. Fellow rural legislators and members of farm organizations contacted State Senator Schimek to educate her about the importance of the producer's right to choose how to properly house their animals. Five days later, Senator Schimek decided to withdraw the bill.

The battle is far from over. We need to continue to educate people about the importance of allowing producers to choose the best housing methods to ensure animals are safe and healthy. Who better to know these methods than us farmers and ranchers who work with our animals on a daily basis.

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The news media has decided to tell the American public that the price of their food is going up because the farmers in the United States want to make ethanol instead of food. I am hoping someone who is not a farmer will read this and tell their neighbors that the news is full of it! Any farmer can tell you that since the beginning of time, they (farmers) have not decided what to do with their products or the price they would receive; the market has ALWAYS decided the price and the use.

So, to help everyone understand: the market/public/government has decided that ethanol is a good use for corn. Farmers have listened to the market and have raised more corn. Farmers DID NOT make the prices do anything. If farmers had not raised more corn, and the ethanol plants would have been built, the price of corn would be a LOT HIGHER because of the simple economics of supply and demand.

In conclusion, if you want to know what is driving the price up on almost everything, look up at the sign in front of your local gas station at those prices. Ask yourself this: who is controlling how high those prices are and why are they not being scrutinized for raising the price of the food you are on your way to buy at the grocery store? Farmers have always been price takers and NOT price makers. AGRICULTURE ECONOMICS 101

As we get ready to travel to Baltimore, MD for the YF&R leadership conference, I am once again struck with how important this trip is to me. We started going to leadership conference when it was in Seattle and have only missed one since then. I am not sure how many years that has been, but it has been quite a few. This is one of my favorite trips as we get a chance to reconnect as a couple, and reconnect with old and new friends. This is also the trip where we have gotten polish for many of our leadership skills. I can't wait to see all the people and hear all the stories. I also use this time to get different project ideas from other states. So for both old and new friends, we'll see you in Baltimore.

We picked this story up at a A&W resturant a while ago and thought we would share it with you - its a little long, but good.

"The Farmer and the Wolf - A Parable"
By Yehoshua Mizrachi, Arutz Sheva

Once upon a time, a man and his family moved back to their long-abandoned ancestral farm. After much backbreaking work, the man reclaimed the fields from the overgrown weeds, and re-introduced the bleating of sheep and the mooing of cows to the lonely prairie. He patched up the roof of the stately old farmhouse and settled in to the bucolic life of the farmer.

One morning, he awoke to find his fields trampled and his lambs dead. "Who could have done this?" he asked aloud.

"I did," said a wolf standing not far away.

"Why?" the farmer asked the wolf.

"Because I destroy, that is how I survive. Before you returned, we wolves had the entire untamed prairie to ourselves."

"But my farm is only a small corner of the prairie. Surely we can find a way to live together in peace."

"We cannot live in peace. You have brought order and beauty to the land. You are not welcome here. Only when the prairie is chaotic and untamed can we rule."

As the farmer reached for his shotgun, Brother Simon, who was standing in the safety of the stately old farmhouse, said to his father, "The poor wolf is not our natural enemy. He is hungry and does not understand our ways. Let us bring him into the house, feed him and warm him by the fire. Then he will understand, and we will share the prairie in peace."

The farmer thought about this idea for a moment. He certainly didn’t want his crops ruined and his livestock murdered; after all, he had returned to the family farm to live the bucolic, peaceful life of a farmer.

The farmer said, "ein breirah (no alternative)," so they invited the wolf into the stately old farmhouse. They fed him their table scraps and more besides. At the end of the evening, they tucked him into a cozy dog bed by the warm stove and bid their new friend a good night.

The farmer awoke in the morning to find the furniture demolished, his table smashed and his porcelain shattered. "Who could have done this?" he asked aloud.

"I did," said the wolf, standing not far away.

"Why?" the farmer asked the wolf.

"Because I destroy, that is how I survive. Before you returned, we wolves had the entire untamed prairie to ourselves."

"But my farm is only a small corner of the prairie. I thought we were trying to find a way to live together in peace."

"You were trying, not me. We cannot live in peace. You have brought order and beauty to the land. Only when the prairie is chaotic and untamed can we rule."

"Then leave my house!" demanded the farmer.

"You have invited me in, so I am not leaving," said the wolf. "It is you who are not welcome here."

Brother Simon said to his father, "This destruction is really our fault, not his. We have failed to explain the clear advantages of our ways. Anyway, he will not leave and we cannot throw him out, for he will go back to killing our sheep. Our only choice is to domesticate him. Then he will understand, and we will share the prairie in peace."

"Ein breirah," the farmer sighed.

That night, they tried harder. They gave him a place at the table, served him their best food and warmed him by the big fireplace in the den. At the end of the evening, they tucked him into a beautiful four-poster bed with fine satin sheets and bid their new friend a good night.

The farmer awoke in the morning to find the wolf leaning over the baby’s crib. His snout was red with fresh blood. "How could you do this?" he shrieked at the wolf.

"Don’t you listen? I told you before: I destroy, that is how I survive. Before you returned, we wolves had the entire untamed prairie to ourselves."

"But my farm is only a small corner of the prairie. I thought we were trying to find a way to live together in peace."

"Don’t you listen? We cannot live in peace. You have brought order and beauty to the land. Only when the prairie is chaotic and untamed can we rule."

"Then leave my house!" demanded the farmer.

"I am now a domestic wolf," he said, "and this is now my house. It is you who are not welcome here."

So the farmer called the local game warden, who also happened to be his ol’ Uncle George, to come remove the wolf. When Uncle George arrived, the farmer explained, "We returned to the family farm to live the bucolic, peaceful life of farmers."

"I know," said ol’ Uncle George.

"Then this wolf arrived, trampled our fields and killed our lambs," continued the farmer.

"You’re right," said ol’ Uncle George.

"Then he destroyed my peaceful home and killed my child," said the farmer.

"Terrible," ol’ Uncle George said, slowly shaking his head.

"This is unreal! It must come to an end!" screamed the anguished farmer.

"You’re right again," nodded ol’ Uncle George.

"So you agree to kill the wolf, Uncle George?"

"Oh, no - can’t do that. State law’s against it. Besides, we’d have those PETA people on our backs. Nope, ‘ein breirah.’ What you need is a better class of wolf. The only way to resolve this is... to teach that wolf some manners, so that the two of you can share the house in peace. I can arrange for three lessons at Monsieur Jacques’ finishing school for wayward wolves...”

Dear friends, who will write the end of this story - the farmers or the wolves?

Yehoshua Mizrachi lives on the Farm.

Yesterday on the CBS local news I saw something very disturbing. Some of the Metro Denver Schools have put a hold on Beef due to a video released by HSUS about Cattle Production.

Once again the farmers and rancers have been shown in a negative light. This has really got to stop - we as farmers and ranchers know the ultimate goal of the HSUS, but the general public does not.

We have to get our story out there and this is the perfect time to start promoting our story especially since Food Check Out week is fast approaching. Your state Farm Bureaus will have media releases celebrating this event that you can access to put in your local papers, and on local radio stations.

Lets start spreading a positive story of agriculture to help combat these negative images HSUS is spreading around.

This week, February 3-9, we are celebrating Food Check-Out Week. You may be asking why we celebrate Food Check-Out Week? The reason for the celebration is most Americans have earned enough money to pay for all of the food they will eat at home, and away from home, for the entire year of 2008.

Food Check-Out Week also gives us another chance to tell our story and help American's realize how important farmers and rancers are to everyone. Farming is Everyone's Bread and Butter. Many people don't realize how farming impacts them personally; and Food Check-Out Week is another opportunity for farmers and ranchers to remind consumers where our food comes from.

We are blessed in this country to have an abundant, safe and affordable food supply. I encourage everyone to find some time this week to promote Food Check-Out Week, even if it's just a letter to the editor of your local paper.