Sustainability - A Global Buzzword...Part 3

This is the final post in the three-part series on sustainability. I hope you have enjoyed learning about agriculture and sustainability in Ireland as much as I have enjoyed sharing my thoughts with you. To conclude this series I want to leave you with my main takeaways from my travels in Ireland.

• Sustainability is a global buzzword, especially in the agriculture industry.
• Ireland and the U.S. have very different approaches to dealing with sustainability in agriculture.
• The agriculture industry, on a global scale, believes it is crucial to demonstrate their sustainability; however, countries have different ways of doing this.
• Farmers around the world work hard every day to be more sustainable than they have been before. 
• Farmers care deeply for the land and animals in their care and are proud to produce food for families around the world.
• Farmers and agriculturalists are working to be more transparent with consumers about their production practices.

Although this concludes this mini-series on sustainability, below you will find more pictures from my adventures in Ireland.

Until next time,

Sustainability - A Global Buzzword

Today I'm launching the first of three posts about agriculture in Ireland, specifically agricultural sustainability in Ireland. Those of you who know me know that I'm extremely passionate about sustainability, especially in the agriculture industry. For those of you that didn't know, let me explain.

In January 2013 I had the amazing opportunity to attend a Bayer CropScience Sustainability in Agriculture Executive Course on behalf of the Red River Farm Network. This course brought together agricultural stakeholders from across the country to talk about sustainability in agriculture. This course both challenged and excited me and, at the time, I didn't realize the profound impact the course would have on my life. To learn more about that course check out the blog post I wrote.

This course sparked my interested in the concept of sustainability and how farmers are sharing their sustainability stories with consumers. I am passionate about every aspect of sustainability: how it is defined, how it is measured, how consumers view the sustainability of agriculture, how businesses practice sustainability, and so much more. My passion for this topic led me to basing my thesis on sustainability along the agricultural supply chain. In addition, I am working on a project with some colleagues aimed at understanding how consumers and agriculturalists perceive sustainability at the farm-level.

Last spring I signed up for a short-term study abroad in Ireland. As part of the course I was instructed to identify a topic of interest that I wanted to investigate while in Ireland. Any guesses on what topic I selected? Of course, it was sustainability! I couldn't wait to learn about agricultural sustainability in Ireland. After a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to Ireland and learn about agriculture and agricultural communications, I wanted to share what I learned. I learned so much that I'm breaking it into a three-part series. This first post is focused on the key takeaways about agricultural sustainability in Ireland.

• The word sustainability has certainly become a buzzword in the U.S. and it has also become a popular term in Ireland in recent years.
• Just like in the U.S. there is no universal definition of sustainability. While many of the people I visited with had similar definitions, each definition was unique.
• Sustainability is affecting the lives of consumers. It's what they want to hear about and what they want farmers to practice.
• The concept of sustainability is changing the way farmers farm. A majority of Irish farmers are involved in some sort of program to help them demonstrate their environmental sustainability.
• Ireland has sustainability programs for every area of ag/food production.

In my next post, I will be introducing you to some of the farmers and agriculturalists I visited with while in Ireland and sharing their views of sustainability. I hope you come back to check it out!

Until next time,

2013- A Year Filled with Change

Let me begin by apologizing for neglecting my blog. I hope when you read this post you understand why I haven't written a post for a long time. My goal for 2014 is to blog at least once a month (I'm hoping it's more than that though!)

Change is the word that I would use to describe 2013. Let me tell you why:

• K-State Graduate Student- Last spring I began to consider furthering my education with an online master's program. However, as I began to look more deeply in to graduate programs and visit with various faculty members, I realized that completing my degree on-campus would provide me with a greater learning opportunity. I received my letter of acceptance in the mail, but took a couple of weeks to think and pray about my decision. Going back to school would mean leaving the farm, my family and friends, and I would have to leave a job that I really enjoyed. I decided to take a giant leap of faith and moved to Manhattan, Kansas on August 18th. I just started my second semester towards a master's degree in agricultural communications at Kansas State University!
  
  For someone who rushed to complete my bachelor's degree in three years, most people are shocked that I went back to school. But in all honesty, I'm enjoying my time back in the classroom. I am being pushed and challenged more than ever before, and I'm loving it! The faculty and other graduate students in the program make it a great place to be. Living 12 hours from the farm has been extremely difficult, but I am thankful for supportive friends and family who continually encourage and support me.

  

  Special thanks to Scott Stebner for taking this photo!

• Said Goodbye to RRFN- One of the major drawbacks to deciding to go to school in Kansas was having to leave a job that I enjoyed and say goodbye to the incredible Red River Farm Network team. I started interning for RRFN during the summer of 2010, and I will forever be grateful to Don and Mike for agreeing to take a chance and hire me. During my time as an intern and full-time employee I had the incredible opportunity to "Report Agriculture's Business" on a daily business. I am thankful for the support of Mike, Don, Randy, Jay and Karen as I made this difficult decision. The lessons I learned during my time at RRFN are ones I will never forget.
  
  

  

  First year at Big Iron with RRFN.

• Promoted to Aunt- Perhaps the most exciting change this past year happened on November 26, when I became an aunt for the first time! The Topp team grew to 7 when Jackson arrived, and we couldn't be happier. I am so excited to teach Jackson as he grows, and I can already envision him out in the field and in the calving barn with his dad, grandpa and uncle. Being 12 hours away is even more difficult now that he is here, but I am so thankful for frequent picture updates and FaceTime. I spent every spare second with Jackson when I was home for Christmas break, and I can hardly wait to spend the entire summer with him. 

  

  So blessed to be Jackson's aunt

As you can see, the last few months have been busy and I've been trying to adjust to life as a college student again. January is often a time to reflect on the previous year and look forward to a new year filled with opportunities. Change can be a scary thing, but I speak from firsthand experience when I say it's worth it! In 2014 I encourage you to take chances, try something new, travel somewhere you have never been- I promise you won't regret it!

Making a big life CHANGE is pretty scary. But, know what's even scarier? Regret.

Until next time,