I'm Back =)

Hopefully the news that I'm back with Red River Farm Network excites you, I know I'm excited! So much has happened since my last post, so I think it would be appropriate if I updated you on some of the highlights.

1. 86th Little "I" Queen - You may be wondering what Little "I" is and why being the queen is such a big deal, let me explain. The Little International, better known as Little "I", is a longstanding tradition on the campus of NDSU. Saddle and Sirloin was started to develop an interest in animal husbandry on campus, and our biggest event of the year is the Little International. Individuals can show pigs, sheep, cattle, dairy and horses in a showmanship competition. They spend a little over a month working with their animals, so that they look good and behave well in the arena. Little "I" is similar to what you would see at any county or state fair. You can also cure a ham and give a speech as part of this event. We also put on a livestock judging contest for 4-H and FFA members and select an individual who has made an impact on agriculture in North Dakota and honor them as Agriculturist of the Year. It is a busy weekend that takes an entire year to plan. I was elected the 86th Little "I" Queen, which means that I was in charge of lining up media interviews, decorating Shepperd arena, organizing a coloring contest at the mall and lots of other fun activities. It was a great experience and a great way to round out my time at NDSU.

I had the privilege of serving with Little "I" princesses Sarah Schaaf and Katie Dressler

2. College Graduate - Speaking of NDSU, I am now an alumni...just saying that makes me feel old! I accomplished my goal of graduating in three years. To top it off I even graduated as a cum laude! My time at NDSU flew by so fast and even though I don't miss the all nighters spent studying for tests or having five papers due the same week, I miss my friends. One of the highlights of my college career was being involved in different organizations and meeting people I never knew before college. Given my job description, it's safe to say that I will likely run in to some of these individuals in the future, so it was fun getting to know them while at college. I've been back to Fargo a couple of times since graduation, but I am looking forward to many more trips to spend time with friends...in fact I'll be back this weekend cheering on the Bison football team!

My parents are glad all of their children have FINALLY graduated from college!

3. Bader Rutter & Associates Intern - If I graduated in May and it's October, you may be wondering what I have been up to. I had the opportunity to spend the summer in Milwaukee, where I interned for Bader Rutter & Associates, a public relations agency. I worked on the Dow AgroSciences and Mycogen Seeds accounts and had the opportunity to write news releases, newsletter articles, help plan some events, learn about social media monitoring and lots more! My colleagues were great and very willing to teach me new things and show me ways to improve my writing. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to intern for such a great organization. But my summer wasn't just about work. I got to see a lot of Milwaukee, met some great friends, went to several Brewer's games and went to Chicago for the first time. Living in Milwaukee was a great experience but there is no question that I am a farm girl! By the time my internship was over I couldn't wait to trade my office chair in for a tractor seat, my high heels for a pair of cowboy boots and my dress clothes for jeans and a t-shirt. When I got home I immediately started making up for lost time. There were calves to be halter broke for our sale, dry bean samples to grade, trucks to dump at the elevator and lots of combining to be done! Needless to say there wasn't much down time.

Enjoying some Brewers baseball!

4. Big Kid - People have been joking that I'm a big kid now, and I guess they are right. I started full-time with RRFN a week ago and I'm so excited for this opportunity. They are letting me work from Grace City, so I can still help on the farm after work and on weekends (I think my dad likes that!). Jason has graciously allowed me to have my office in his house and the view isn't too bad. Today I can watch the guys combining corn across the road. My daily commute is also shorter, my previous drive time to Grand Forks was about four hours round-trip  Driving to my office now takes less than 10 minutes, I'm not quite sure what to do with all that extra time! Just kidding, my job and my dad are having no problem finding things for me to do! It is such a privilege to work for such a great company, and I look forward to keeping you up to date on the latest happenings. You will also be able to read my writing in the pages of the Northarvest Bean Grower and North Dakota Soybean Grower magazine. And you can expect weekly blog posts, yes I said weekly!
I think that just about covers everything. I look forward to seeing you at a tradeshow or a meeting. As always, feel free to contact me: jessie@rrfn.com

Today's view from my office window

Until next week,

Hello Productivity...Nice to Meet You

When I was little my mom used to say “Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do.” I always hated when she would say that and prayed that eventually that saying would not be true. For those of you who don’t know me, let me fill you in on a little secret: I am very strong willed, or at least used to be. It’s not my best quality, but I hope that now that I am older that quality doesn’t appear quite as often. However, tonight that quality has most definitely surfaced…I am doing anything and everything but writing this paper.

I have a paper to write for my applied agricultural law class and to be honest I DON’T WANT TO! I spent a long but amazing day at Big Iron and would love nothing more than to read a book or watch some TV…but I can’t. This paper is due on Thursday and I am not ready for that deadline. 

It is interesting to me how even though there are things in life that we don’t want to do, we do them anyways. As a parent I'm sure you don’t always want to wake up at 6:30 in the morning to get your kids on the bus, as an employee I'm sure you don’t enjoy staying at the office until 10 working on a report…but you do it anyways. Why? Because it’s a part of life. As much as I hate to admit it, my mom was right…sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to. The good news: it won’t kill me to write this paper and the sooner I start the sooner I will be done. Goodbye procrastination…hello productivity!

Harvest 2011

Harvest started on T-T Ranch yesterday, and I was like a kid on Christmas morning. I know that seems a little far fetched, but, in my opinion, the first day of the harvest season should be considered a holiday. It’s the day that marks the end of a growing season, and is what farmers strive for all year. It isn’t easy, in fact some days it would seem easier to throw in the towel, but once again farmers show their dedication and get the job done. Despite the break downs, poor quality, and rain delays, they are out their making sure the crop gets harvested and in the bin. In the coming weeks, if I’m not at work at RRFN, you can bet I’m in the cab of the combine or in the scale room of the elevator. Call me a fanatic, call me weird, call me whatever you want, but I’m a farm kid and I wouldn’t want it any other way!

Speechless

Speechless…for once in my life I can honestly say I am speechless. While searching for the latest ag news I came across this article/blog and was absolutely blown away.

In the article the author writes: “To many, 4-H Clubs are all about nurturing sweet little calves, adorable children winning ribbons, urban garden patches and proud future farmers grooming prized pigs for show. To others, it's a calculated system for turning the youth of America into cold, unfeeling animal killers.” Others who agreed with the authors position made comments such as: “This group helps desensitize youngsters into having no emotional attachment to animals raised for food. Shame on you 4-H for what you do to animals and to children.” Thankfully there were supporters of agriculture who defended 4-H and the agricultural industry. “Desensitization is the wrong word–education is the right word. These kids (I was one) are not at all desensitized to the process–rather, they are educated about proper raising and care of these animals.”

I entered the 4-H Organization as a cloverbud when I was 7 years old, and although I am too old to be a member now, I currently serve as a leader for a club in Foster County. I learned valuable life skills during my years as a 4-H member. I learned how to bake, sew, take pictures, decorate cakes, keep accurate records, and how to prepare and exhibit livestock. I showed sheep and beef cattle during my many years as a 4-H member and learned a lot from the experiences I had…in and out of the show ring.

I learned how to select an animal that would be a good contender in the show ring, how to halter break, feed, groom, and exhibit the livestock. Contrary to what the article says, as a result of being a 4-H member, I did not become desensitized to the suffering of animals. In fact, I don’t know a current or former member who would say that is what happened as a result of being a 4-H member. 4-H members learn that animal husbandry is vital to providing people the food they need, and that we should be proud to be a part of the livestock industry.

To be honest, the animals on the show circuit are pampered. They lay in comfortable straw under fans that cool them on hot summer days, they get washed at least once a day, are fed the best feed, and have a roof over their head when it rains out…sounds like a life of luxury.

The fact is we live in a scary world. A world that thinks there needs to be more rules and regulations for the farmers and ranchers who produce the world’s food. We live in a place where anti-agriculture organizations are trying to punish organizations like 4-H and FFA for preparing future leaders, simply because they fail to see the good these programs are doing.

Unfortunately we are partially to blame. What do we do when articles like this are published attacking the ag industry…all to often, the answer is, nothing. We simply think that someone else will take care of giving our industry a good image, but that mentality is what put us here in the first place. I am just as much at blame as the next person…but that stops today. No longer will I keep quiet as our industry is attacked. We need to find our voice, and we needed to find it yesterday!

When I first read the article I was speechless…but I cannot allow my initial reaction to hold me back from speaking against the lies the world is hearing. I refuse to remain silent while our industry goes under attack time, after time, after time. And I would ask you to do the same. Find ways to put a positive light on our industry. Talk to young people about the importance of agriculture, make sure your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc. all understand where their food comes from, start a blog that highlights different aspects of agriculture, or write letters to the editor that talk about agriculture in a positive manner. I challenge you to think of one way to help spread the message of our industry. Find your voice and promote agriculture. We have to stop being…speechless.

Daddy's Girl

It’s no secret that yesterday was Father’s Day. When I think about Father’s Day I think about my dad and the impact that he has had on my life…and the only thing I can say is I am truly blessed.

I have no idea why God has blessed me with a dad who is passionate, hard working, and truly inspiring. Anyone who knows my dad could tell you that the three most important things to him are: faith-family-farming. My dad is my toughest critic and strongest supporter, and I don’t know where I would be without his constant love and support.

I think dads in agriculture are great examples for their children. They teach us the importance of working hard, being honest, pursuing our dreams, and never giving up. The one thing I would say that stands out for men in agriculture is their drive and determination. The forecast can look absolutely awful, markets can hit rock bottom, tractors can break down, and, to be honest, the sky could probably be falling down but they refuse to give up. They are determined that the crop will be planted, cows will be fed, grain will be hauled, hay will be put up…and nothing will stand in their way.

As a young person I am grateful to have grown up in an environment where I was able to learn these valuable lessons. Life is not always going to sunny with no rain in the forecast…sometimes it is going to be cloudy with a 90 percent chance of thunderstorms…but I’ve learned that’s okay. I’ve learned that regardless of the situation, I have the power to create my desired outcome…and I owe this to my dad and the other dads that have influenced my life.

Father’s Day is an excellent reminder to be thankful that we have men in our lives who set excellent examples for us to follow. I have and always will be a daddy’s girl, and I am so grateful that my dad pushes me to go above and beyond, and encourages me to pursue my dreams.

To all the dads out there: Thank you for your persistent dedication to the agricultural industry. Thank you for encouraging your children to pursue their dreams. Thank you for everything you do!

Mom of the Year

We all have those people in our life who are with us through thick and thin, the good times and the bad…and in my case each and every day of my life. I am fortunate to have a lot of people in my life who get me through, but one of the most prevalent is my mom. I can call her whenever I need to, which is typically four times a day, and she is always willing to talk me through my life or just listen as I rant about my day. Anyone who knows her knows that she will go above and beyond to help you out, and no matter how busy or stressed she may be there is always a smile on her face. My mom is my go-to person, editor, and best friend!

Usually I send my mom a copy of my blogs before I post them, so she can tell me if they are post worthy…but not this one! My mom never gets the recognition she deserves and there isn’t enough time to tell her how grateful I am for everything she does. I call her my editor because she literally takes the time to read everything I write before I turn it in or post it. Someday I plan to add her to the payroll…I just don’t know when that will be.

The intent of this blog is #1 to say thanks to my mom for everything she does and #2 to remind everyone of the importance of mothers in agriculture…and just in life.

In my opinion mom’s are the glue that hold the household (or farm) together. Their willingness to help wherever does not go unrecognized. Most of the time they are the first ones up and the last to go to bed; and their days are jammed packed trying to keep everything running smoothly. We could all learn a lot from a farm wife/mother. In my own case I honestly don’t know if I will ever learn everything that my mom could teach me, but it is my sincere hope that one day I can be half the wife/mother that she is.

If you are a mom and you are reading this let me just say THANK YOU! Thank you for your dedication to agriculture, and most importantly your family. There are no words to describe how much you contribute to the advancement of our industry.

To my mom, best friend, and editor- Thank you so much for everything you do. Your love and support mean the world. And the boys and I aren’t joking when we say you win the Mom of the Year Award every day of every year!

I know that Mother’s Day has already passed, but I think that our moms deserve to be thanked more than just one day a year. If you are able, call your mom and say “Thank you!” Without them our industry wouldn’t have a future!

A Bright Future

In my first week back at Red River Farm Network I have had the privilege of working on a special project for the ND FFA Foundation…and it has been a blast! I have had the opportunity to visit with industry professionals about the importance of encouraging today’s young people to pursue careers in agriculture. The conversations were each unique but there was a common message from all of them: the future of agriculture is bright! They all stressed how much agriculture has expanded and talked with much enthusiasm about their thoughts on where agriculture will go in the future.

As someone who grew up on a farm and was heavily involved with daily operations there was no question in my mind that I would pursue a degree in agriculture. I knew that the opportunities in agriculture were endless and, in my mind, the best part was that I could stay in North Dakota. The unfortunate thing is that many students don’t understand how diverse the Ag industry is. No longer is the industry made up of only farmers, ranchers, and elevator mangers. Today our industry also includes scientists, business people, mechanics, broadcasters, and a plethora of others. The best part is that the industry is rapidly expanding, and as long as there are people to feed there will always be jobs in agriculture!

If we want our industry to survive we have to be proactive in spreading the message of agriculture to young people. Agriculture is the nation’s largest employer with more than 24 million people involved in some aspect of the industry, so take time to talk with students about the various opportunities in the industry. The future of our industry is bright and it is our job to help spread the message!