All good things must come to an end, and such was the case this Tuesday as over 700 young agriculturalists said goodbye to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the 2010 Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Conference. The theme and goal of the conference was to encourage and empower the attendees to "Stand Up, Speak Out", and it didn't take long for that to happen.

Somewhere between 20-30 YF&Rs happened to all be on the same flight from Tulsa to Atlanta, accounting for about 1/3 of the flight's passengers. Sometime after we had reached our cruising altitude and the captain had turned off the seat belt sign, one of our members started walking up the aisle to the front of the cabin with one of the flight attendants. With her permission, he proceeded to address the passengers over the PA about our conference and our organization. He even lightened the mood further by playing the song "Brickhouse" over the system, which got one of the flight attendants and several YF&Rs up and dancing in the aisle. After returning to his seat to a rousing round of applause from the whole cabin, he successfully lobbied to have another YF&R member go to the front and sing an agriculturally-themed song to the crowd. The cockpit crew even got in the act before it was all over and played cow and horse sounds over the PA.

I won't mention the names of those involved just in case the FAA has a problem with it, but they all did a great job of representing agriculture and creating a positive memory for their fellow passengers. It just goes to show that you should always be prepared to share your story...you never know when or where you'll get the opportunity!

Today kicks off the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture's Silent Auction at the YF&R Conference located in the International Foyer. Over 122 items were donated by various states and individuals to be placed in the silent auction that runs from 10am-5pm on Saturday and 8am-2pm on Sunday. All of the money raised in the auction goes towards the Foundation. Nationwide graciously offered to match all money raised at the auction up to $5000! This is a fantastic opportunity to help the Foundation educate countless students and educators. So remember bid early and bid often!

Congratulations to the following Sweet Sixteen contestants in the 2010 Collegiate Discussion Meet:

Alena Ogg of Montana

Jacob Herman of Tennessee

Cassi Jo Schriefer of North Dakota

Ashley Lambrich fo Illinois

Christopher Seglehurst of New York

Becky Berkebile of West Virginia

Ann Miron of Minnesota

Olivia Gonazles of California

Holly Kennedy of Wyoming

Dianna Fisher of Texas

Issac Blue of Illinois

Laura Donaldson of Indiana

Justin Price of South Carolina

Amber Feerman of Oklahoma

Andrew Cagle of North Carolina

Joel Zwainz of Idaho

The Sweet Sixteen Discussion is happening right now and the Final Four will be announced tomorrow at 12pm. Stay tuned for more details.....

The 2010 YF&R Leadership Conference is about to kick off in Tulsa. With so many of our young farmers and ranchers using social media to educate people about how food gets on their plate, we decided to host an online contest. For those who are attending the conference, we want them to get on the AFBF YF&R Facebook page and leave a message. It can be about the conference itself, why you are attending, or maybe something new you learned. Everyone who puts a post on the page will be entered into a drawing for numerous prizes, including Carhartt jackets.

We will be announcing the winners at the end of the conference. So follow the link and help us spread the message of the young farmers and ranchers!

Do you remember the day after an important exam while in school? The anticipation and excitement you may have felt as the teacher returned the test papers. January 12, 2010 a test was returned to the US grain farmers. Some farmers passed while others may have fallen short. The January report is always one of the most important quarterly reports because it gives the past year's total production. This year's report has set the stage for a major downward spiral in the market. This free fall has allowed livestock producers the opportunity to lock in grain for feed at more profitable levels while grain producers have seen their profits quickly erode over the last few weeks.

Last year's grain production could easily be characterized in one word, tardy. Spring rains delayed planting and a cooler than normal growing season delayed maturity in many major crops. These circumstances forced many farmers to harvest crops at higher moisture levels than are acceptable. Here in Tennessee, we were not immune to Mother Nature as our planting and harvest dates ran a month behind normal. The upper mid-west is currently home to over 180 million bushels of corn which remains in the field waiting to be harvested. Concerns over grain quality have been reported which were not mentioned in the January report. All of these circumstances make it difficult to understand how the 2009 corn and soybean crop could be the largest on record.

In an attempt to better understand the report I have considered many different scenarios. The January report is conveniently released one month before the average price for crop insurance is set. The near dollar decline in corn and soybean prices will lower the average price farmers are guaranteed with their purchase of crop insurance. This adds risk to the farmer's bottom line while lowering the risk of the insurance company in the instance of a bad year. Farmers could easily invest more in this year's crop than can be insured. Could this be an attempt by the USDA to lower the financial exposure of their big business? The data gathered to formulate the USDA report was collected by NASS (National Agricultural Statistics Service) which employs a large number of college students. Shouldn't a report of this magnitude been conducted by more qualified personnel? Have we as a society become so consumed with new records that the data was manipulated to achieve this? These questions arrive as a result of the disclaimer at the end of the report. It stated all corn in the US had yet to be harvested and the results were estimates that would need to be reviewed once harvest is completed in the spring. Reverting back to my school analogy, in my 17 years of education if a teacher did not have ample time to grade an exam they would take the time required to release the grades. If only the authors of this report had the accountability of my former educators.

Perhaps I am taking the USDA report too personally and it actually is correct. Technological advancements in agronomy are increasing the amount of bushels that can be harvested from an acre annually. American farmers continue to addopt better farming practices that translate to higher yields and this past year's growing conditions were favorable in many areas. With this said, I continue to doubt the current method of determining US production and feel we should be able to build a better 'mouse trap.' Concerned farmers must work together and become more vocal an issues that affect our livelihood.

It has been interesting to hear some of the responses I have received from my initial blog post.

One of the more troubling responses I received was posted on Vegan.com, which gives some insight into the type of people and organizations that agriculture is up against.

“MFA’s [Mercy For Animals] 2009 budget wasn’t $100 million, but more like half a million dollars.* Put another way, MFA’s budget is only half-of-one percent of what Eisele claims. But I could see how Eisele could assume that MFA has deep pockets, given how the group has been kicking animal agriculture’s ass around the block by releasing one high-profile undercover investigation after another.”

Although I stand corrected that Mercy For Animals does not have a $100 million dollar budget, I can almost guarantee that their seed money and/or financial contributors have strong ties to the Humane Society of the United States or one of their many affiliates. As the old saying goes, “The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

More worrisome is the fact that the author of the Vegan blog thinks that this is just a big game. He fails to recognize that many farmer’s livelihoods are at stake, and that his actions are hurting real people and farm families across the country.

It should be of huge concern to all who read this blog, that most of the individuals and groups who are attacking agriculture are doing it for the mere fun of it and because they can. Yes, they may want to fight for animal welfare, but they also want to make a name for themselves by assuming roles that are rancorous and vindictive.

One difference (among many) between the animal activists and myself is that I can admit when I make a mistake or when I’m wrong. Animal activists, on the other hand, could care less about the misinformation, facts, and propaganda that they release to the public. For them, at the end of the day, it's all about fun and games.

My wife and I have taken on the daunting task of building a new home. Currently we live in a sprawling two-bedroom 1200 square foot house. Two years ago we decided to have another baby. We thought we could manage in our small home with two children and that we would build a new home sometime in the distant future. A few months after we decided to have the baby we found out that we were going to have two babies. Two babies plus a three year old equals a house full. Our distant future plans had to be put into motion sooner than expected. After a year of searching we have finally found a house to build that we both can agree on.

We met with a prospective builder this past Sunday. I really liked the guy until we started talking about agriculture. He made the comment that "farmers don't do anything in the winter." I had to bite my tongue to keep from letting him have it. Instead of giving him a tongue lashing, I replied that we do enjoy the winter because it cuts hours down to about 40 per week depending on the unexpected. After he left I began to reflect back on our conversation and try to figure out what would make him think that farmers do not work in the winter.

I am from rural West Tennessee where row crop farms are most prevalent. My family and I have a diversified farming operation for the area. We raise corn, soybeans, vegetables, hogs, and cattle. I think that my builder associates warm weather with farm work. He needs to visit my hogs, cattle, and equipment shed for a few days this winter. Here on our farm we spend about three hours a day caring for our livestock. It has been an unusually cold winter this year so that number is very conservative. The barns that house my hogs are older structures and require maintenance daily. We have close to two hundred thousand bushels of grain housed in our grain bins that we are delivering currently. In our spare time we are preparing our equipment for the upcoming season. This preparation includes cleaning equipment (wash and wax all tractors and planters), planter preperation (instalation of specialty attachments for no-till and callibration of seed meters) and general maintenance (oil changes, fluid checks, removal and replacement of worn parts).

I spend a lot of money in the winter. This is the time when our farm purchases inputs such as fertilizer, seed, and crop protection agents. I usually spend a week or two negotiating the best deals for these inputs with different companies. During this time I deliberate on which variety of seed I will place on each farm and how much fertilizer we will use. We farm 3,000 acres and there are close to 100 different varieties of seed to choose from. Usually when I come in for lunch I will get a sandwich and sit in front of the computer screen to see what the grain and fuel markets are doing. I also use this lunch 'break' to catch up on missied calls and text messages.

I do not punch a time clock or keep up with the hours I work. I have often thought about keeping up with them to calculate how much I make per hour but decided that this would be depressing and I have elected not to do so. The work that we do on our farm is ever changing, often difficult, but always enjoyable. I enjoy being a farmer and producing food for a hungry world in the winter, spring, summer, and fall. I often wonder if this enjoyment is translated by non-farmers as 'not working;' if so then I am guilty as charged in that I never work.

[A Letter to the Editor that will be delivered tomorrow to my local newspaper. I challenge all agricultural leaders to do the same.]

If you like to eat, then please continue reading. In the last few weeks, agriculture has been routinely under attack from groups such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and Mercy For Animals (MFA). These groups are corporate, lobbyist organizations that have $100 million dollar budgets aimed at removing meat, dairy and eggs from our dinner tables.

Last week, the HSUS received a $100,000 donation from a winery that supplies the Yellow Tail brand of wine. Most people recognize the Australian made product by the prominently displayed yellow-footed wallaby icon, sometimes mistaken for a kangaroo.

According to a post on Yellow Tails Facebook site, the company decided to direct the $100,000 to HSUS to celebrate animals and for animal rescue. By conducting a simple internet search, Yellow Tail would have surfaced HSUS’ questionable financial records and the fact that HSUS does not own or operate a single animal shelter in the United States.

If they would have continued their search, they would have also found that the organization is led by radical animal activists such as J.P. Goodwin, who is not ashamed to admit his hatred toward agriculture, “My goal is the abolition of all animal agriculture.” Another employee on HSUS’ payroll, Leana Stormont, is currently being investigated for her ties to the terrorist Animal Liberation Front (ALF).

It’s time that we as consumers take a stand for agriculture, and send a clear message to those who financially support groups that work to put farms out of business. If you sell Yellow Tail at your store, I encourage you to remove it from your shelves. If you sell the Yellow Tail brand in your restaurant, I urge you to strike it from your menus. If you purchase Yellow Tail wine on an individual basis, look for an alternative U.S. brand, or better yet a brand made in New York State.

As consumers we have the choice to vote with our wallets. By not purchasing Yellow Tail wine products, we are telling the company to high-tail it back to Australia. We are also telling our local farmers that we appreciate the hard work and long hours that they sacrifice, so that we may enjoy a safe, affordable, and abundant food supply.

It’s your plate. Don’t let someone else decide what you can put on it.

I recently watched a report by Brian Ross on ABC’s Nightline. The report was titled “The Disturbing Reality of Dairy Land” and featured video footage from an “Undercover Investigator” at a large “Factory Farm” in New York. As a dairyman watching this report I quickly realized that this was not an investigative report as had been advertised but simply a propaganda piece by radical animal rights groups (Mercy for Animals and HSUS).

The video of the cows that was shown was not taken by ABC, rather it was shot by the “Undercover Investigator” who certainly had his agenda to prove. I began wondering if some of the clips were staged to enhance the shock value. For instance, I know of no dairyman who docks tails in the manner shown in the report. All the dairies I know use rubber bands that cut off circulation, and the tail just falls off in a few weeks. There seems to be very little pain and no blood involved with this method – not very shocking.

While I immediately saw this report for what it truly is, I realized that people unfamiliar with modern dairies would likely believe the fallacy of the report and believe that cows are abused and mistreated by dairy farmers; this could not be farther from the truth. In an attempt to counter the claims in the Nightline report I will attempt to compare cows to people, only because the term “humane” is used so frequently to describe the way farm animals should be treated, although they are not human and should not be confused as such.

The cows in the report were shown standing in a crowded holding pen with no room to move. The assumption was made that cows are kept in this condition all day, every day, when in reality those cows were there only for a few minutes while waiting for their turn to go into the barn to be milked. This is much like stepping into a crowded elevator or crowded subway car. We would not want to be there all day, but we tolerate it long enough to get where we are going. After being milked all the cows return to their pen where they have access to fresh feed, water, and a dry comfortable stall to lay down in (not shown in the report).

During stormy weather people like to be inside where it is warm and dry, these cows have a warm dry barn to protect them from stormy weather. Likewise, when it is hot outside people like to stay inside an air-conditioned building, these cows have a shaded barn with fans and misters to keep them cool and comfortable.

These cows have their home cleaned at least once, probably twice a day. I know the report shows cows in several inches of manure, however since no reasonable explanation was given; I will assume that the corrals were in the process of being cleaned. The manure had been pushed to one end of the coral, but had not yet been pushed all the way out of the coral (video footage being taken out of context for shock value). Some cows seek out dirty spots to lie in and seem to be able to find one regardless of the care taken to prevent it. We all know people whose personal hygiene is less than perfect; these people are the exception not the rule.

These cows have their beds made for them at least daily (raked out with clean fresh bedding applied as needed).

Every day these cows are fed a diet that is specially formulated to meet their nutritional requirements. This diet is formulated by a trained professional dairy nutritionist in order to provide the best health and comfort to the cow. These cows are also provided with all the fresh clean water they can drink (water being the beverage of choice for cows).

I hope you are beginning to see that these cows may be treated more “humanely” than a lot of people. They are also provided with a pedicurist (hoof trimmer) and a doctor (veterinarian) when ever needed without having to worry about paying the bill.

There seems to be much concern about the pain involved with certain management practices such as dehorning. While there is some pain involved with dehorning the animals are better off without their horns. People undergo medical procedures that are painful knowing that it is for their own good. Who enjoys having their wisdom teeth pulled? It is painful and can cause discomfort for several days, yet we still pull wisdom teeth. Similarly, we must dehorn calves for their own good. Dehorning methods have improved greatly over the years, we used to take a saw and cut the horns off (talk about a bloody mess). Today we simply burn them for a few seconds while the horns are still very small.

The report concludes with an attack on the ethics of America’s dairy farmers. I would say the ethics are with the people who get up early every morning 365 days of the years (weekends and holidays included) to place the care and well being of their cows above their own comfort and often that of their family.

America’s dairy farmers take pride in caring for our animals and producing a safe wholesome product for you and your family. In the future if people have questions about farming don’t ask ABC – ask a farmer.

For more information on animal care go to www.conversationsoncare.com.

I believe very much in the use of antibiotics in livestock and I also believe very much that the use of antibiotics is safe. I have no problem feeding my family an animal that had been given antibiotics. Let me tell you why I feel that strongly.

The antibiotics used in livestock production have been tested and deemed safe. They go through rigorous testing and do not contribute to anti-biotic resistance in any way, shape or form. Mandatory doses, treatment regimens and withdrawal periods are in place to make their use even safer. But that is not all.

I regularly consult with my veterinarian on the use of those antibiotics. I understand the symptoms I am treating and use the right medicine in the right dose and observe the withdrawal period. I understand that antibiotics are absolutely necessary to insure the health of my animals, and I also understand the necessity to protect the health of those eating the food I produce. I also believe the uses of antibiotics are necessary to ethically produce livestock and here is an example.

Last week I noticed one of my week old lambs was not acting right. On closer inspection, the lamb had I discovered that the lamb had developed pneumonia. Pneumonia, untreated, will kill a lamb in a matter of just a couple of hours. I treated the lamb with an anti-biotic prescribed by my veterinarian and in a couple of hours he was back on the road to good health. We made note of the treatment and the withdrawal time will easily be attained. I would have no problem with my family, my children, consuming meat from this lamb.

I also have no doubt that without this powerful antibiotic the lamb would have died. I feel it is my duty to my livestock to provide them with the best care possible. I also ask that you, the consumer, trust the professionals charged with the development and use of such medicines. The protection and safety of the consumer is our first priority with the animal’s health and well-being a close second. That is the truth about the antibiotics I use on my farm and ranch and ultimately the meat I feed my family.

Did you know?

February is “Beef Lover's Month." In a recent survey 50% of people think beef tenderloin is the best way to say, "I love you." Forty-three percent said they would choose a steak meal to kick off a romantic evening of hot tub time, back rubs and champagne. 36% say beef is more often associated with "magnetism." This is more than fish (22 percent), pork (21 percent) and chicken (21 percent).

Are you looking for a recipes for Valentine’s Day give one of these recipes from the Beef Check Off Program a try.

T-Bone Steak for Two is a delicious meal to celebrate perfect pairs.

Filet Mignon with Herb-Butter Sauce and Mushrooms is a great recipe for the more than half of Americans (53%) who prefer filet mignon to accompany candlelight, red wine, linen tablecloths and romance.