Thankful Tuesday: Motivation = Inspiration

The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed.

Richard Brinsley Sheridan  

It's been a while since I have posted for Thankful Tuesday's, but let me assure you there are things day in and day out that deserve more praise and thanks than I could ever write about. Today I would like to spend some discussing motivation and what has led me to the journey I am currently mapping.

If you would have told me in the spring of 2010 that I would be moving to BFE Kansas and starting the most important stepping stone to my career, an irreplaceable experience most could only dream of, I would have quite literally laughed. In your face to be exact. 

You see although I always had every intention of a career in the agriculture industry I was raised in a society that deemed agriculture as dead, that there was no room for some random girl to make a livin. Honest.  But, let me also tell you that these things were said with love and my best interest in their hearts. The people involved did not view agriculture as it's whole, and the variety of paths you could choose and neither did I. But, determined not to let my dreams die I did not settle and kept pressing on.

I may have gone about this backwards, not going to go college right out of high school, but how do you in your right mind rack up that kind of debt having no idea what you wanted to do only who you wanted to be? Unlike the majority of my peer group I opted out of being riddled with debt (and am actually on my way to being completely debt free) by working and then figuring out exactly what type of education I wanted to spend MY money on!

I started out at the very bottom, a harvest time scale girl. Amazingly I LOVED this job and every harvest a part of me wishes I could be back out there chatting up the locals as they delivered their hard earned grains. My love for this position translated into above average work ethic and job satisfaction so the company I was with decided to take me on full time at the main mill, which for Ohio is a pretty good sized operation. But, with this move I lost my motivation when I was trapped in an office all day never seeing anyone besides my co-workers and the glare of a computer screen. I wanted something more than to be a pencil pushing number cruncher. I wanted a career not a job. I wanted to be apart of something bigger than me and to know that at the end of the day the team I was working with was effecting peoples lives positively in the form of agriculture!  

I stuck it out though, and gleaned as much knowledge as they were willing to give me. Unfortunately some company's have no desire to grow certain positions, all they want is for you to come to work each day follow the rules and go home. You know that's fine if that's what your looking for but at that point in my life I was yearning for more. 

One day I was having an issue contacting one of our DDG (dried distillers grains) trucking company's and went to google the main office number when God intervened. I happened to click on a link with the exact name I was looking for but it was different, it was a Agriculture job placement agency based out of Kansas City. I immediately got out of the site in fear of my manager somehow finding out I was on a job hunting site even if it was by complete accident (or divine intervention as I like to see it.) All week long it tugged and tugged at me I looked at the site again, none of the job listings seemed like they would be a fit for me. I sucked it up and spent the next weekend perfecting my job resume for a what the heck all they can do is tell me no, and sent it in.  

 With strong prayer, faith and a stroke of good luck I stumbled upon my current company where I was offered a job as a risk manager. Yep me. A lil ole farmers daughter from southwest Ohio and they wanted ME. :) makes me smile and happy all over just remembering that call!

I guess the point is I was motivated by all the negative commentary on my life decisions that other people thought would get me no where. If I wouldn't have followed that yearning God placed in my soul from the time I was a very young girl I would have missed the inspiration to reach out and discover a world I had no idea existed. If your reading this don't give up on your dreams there is a reason your passionate about certain things and sometimes all you have to do is let go and enjoy the ride.

I know that this kind of jumped all over the place and there are so many other amazing details to this story that I left out, but I guess you'll have to wait for my book in ohhhh say 20ish years, you know once I've taken the cattle industry by storm.

I am thankful for the career path I have been given through hard work and determination to prove that my dreams WILL become reality.

Love to you all,

High Five For Friday!!

Hey y'all!
That was pretty forced. I'm not southern. I'll stop now.

Well it's fabulously Friday and I'm going to share with you my five favorite things I learned/liked from this past week. Seeing as how it's National AG Week they are all going to be AG related. Eeps! An entire WEEK and POST all about loving agriculture it's an agnerd paradise!

1. The Peanut Farmer. Check it out here. Hallelujah for Reese's and PB&J!!

For your enjoyment:

2. This Diagram say's it all, there's no such thing as a vegan!! Cattle make our world go 'round and support nearly every aspect of your life. Eat beef = support your community. 



3. Truth: Lettuce is a member of the sunflower family. Found here.

4. It takes a combine 9 seconds to harvest enough wheat to make 70 loaves of bread!

5.  I am Ag Proud because without agriculture where would I be? Not only does it affect my life in the way of food and other products but it affects me in my monthly income as well. I aspire to inform and educate the consumer and my community, hopefully through my light and silly personality, as to how relavent it is in their lives as well. 

Thank you to my parents for investing such strong values and appreciation in my life for the men and women who make my meals possible but also for giving me the education to pursue my dreams!

Why are you AG Proud this week?



Thankful Tuesday: Peanut Farmers

Well here we are again my little dumplings, it's Tuesday and that means we are 2/5's our way through the work week. 2 day's closer to Saturday. 3 day's away from coffee on the patio (weather permitting.) And 288 hours away from hogging my cattleman selfishly to myself for a precious little while. It will be our second weekend in a row with little to NO schedule *insert happy dance*!! Please tell me your as excited as I am?!!


Anywhoooo, it's time to get thankful and remember to find life's little glasses of lemonade. This week I am thankful for the peanut farmer. I'm sure your saying to yourself, that's random, but I'm Aly and I am random. My inspiration for agvocating the peanut farmer came to me last evening while I was happily munching away on a dozen couple peanut butter-chocolate chip cookies. They were delicious, obviously, and if you don't believe me just ask me. 


So here are a few facts about peanuts and there effect on your daily adventure.


Peanut Facts: Found at the National Peanut Board website located here


Farming:

• There are four types of peanuts grown in the USA — Runner, Virginia, Spanish and Valencia.
• Peanuts are planted after the last frost in April or early May and heaviest harvesting months are September and October.
• The peanut growth cycle from planting to harvest is 120 to 160 days or about five months.
• The peanut plant originated in South America.
• The peanut plant produces a small yellow flower.
• Peanuts flower above ground and then migrate underground to reach maturity.
• A mature peanut plant produces about 40 pods that then grow into peanuts.
• Most USA peanut farms are family-owned and -operated.
• The average peanut farm is 100 acres.

**Funny side note, I never knew peanuts were a root plant or honestly how they grew at all until a year ago. One of the guys I work with grew up on a peanut farm and explained this phenomenon to me. See even though I am in ag doesn't mean I can't learn new things too.

Peanut Plant Diagram

Nutrition:

• The peanut is not a nut, but a legume related to beans and lentils.
• Peanuts have more protein, niacin, folate and phytosterols than any nut.
• Peanuts have a higher antioxidant capacity over grapes, Concord grape juice, green tea, tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, carrots and many more. 
• Peanuts and peanut butter contain over 30 essential nutrients and phytonutrients.
• Peanuts are naturally cholesterol-free.

And just for kicks

Holiday's:

January 24 – National Peanut Butter Day 
March – National Peanut Month
March 1 – National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day
March 8 – National Peanut Cluster Day
April 2 – National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day 
May 18 – I love Reese’s Day 
June 12 – National Peanut Butter Cookie Day
September 13 – National Peanut Day 
November – National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month
November 20 – National Peanut Butter Fudge Day

If you ever wonder how life would be without the peanut, just ask someone that is alergic to them. They can't do anything fun...


Did you know that there are over 108 different products made with peanuts. They range from foods, to houshold products, beverages, medicines, cosmetics, dyes, paints, stains and other general products.


Products made from Peanuts found here


If you want to learn how relevant of a commodity this is challenge yourself to go for 2 day's without a single peanut influenced product. 


So thank you peanut farmers for Reese's, Snickers, Coke and most importantly peanut butter cookies! 

**Also, we have had two peanut farmer presidents, Thomas Jefferson and Jimmy Carter. So they are obv oober important.

Kansas Ag Week: Teaching the Younger generations

Were you aware that there were 8 MILLION members enrolled in 329 thousand 4-H clubs and 4-H sanctioned programs? That 33% were in grades K-3, 39% grades 4-6, 16 % grades 7-9 and 9% in grades 10-12. I attribute the dwindling percentages in the older kids to joining FFA (Future Farmers of America) when they are of high school age.

Were you also aware that there are 33 MILLION school age children in the United States? That puts 4-H enrollment at only 24% of kids, which means that only 2.4 out of every 10 kids has ever had any influence of agriculture in their lives. Granted, there are some "farm kids" that are never in 4-H but that is more the exception than the rule.

Wyatt shaking up his ice cream for one
activity during their meeting.

Friends, we have a lot of work to do to touch the lives of these children and teach them the actualities of the agriculture world. There are several groups out there, not naming any names *cough, cough* PETA, set out to convince them that we are wrong and inhumane, if we don't show them otherwise then who is left to blame the kids for believing them? We are. We can no longer just assume that they are being taught correctly about our industry, because that is simply not true. Most are even 2 to 3 generations removed from agriculture which means in some cases their parents and grandparents aren't even educated on what we do for a living. Like I've said before it's time to take a stand, pull our boots up and get to getting, after all that's what we are good at anyway's , isn't it?

A good place to start is by encouraging  the younger generations that are already interested, to pursue a life goal in AG by showing them what a diverse culture we are as an industry, that they actually have options, you don't just have to be a farmer or a rancher. Dream big and go for the gold!

 Wyatt Gigot, the son of Marc and Jackie Gigot (Circle Heifer Development,) invited TJ McClure of Circle Heifer Development, LLC in Garden City, Kansas  to represent him for career day in his 4-H club, The Happy Hustlers.

 TJ set out to inform them of the different options they would have in the heifer development industry. He also, explained to them what actually goes on at his facility.

TJ McClure speaking to the Happy Hustlers
4-H Club

At Circle Heifer, they receive female Holsteins at the age of 6 months. They raise these heifers on a silage/roughage diet, expertly care for them with the help of a veterinarian, breed them and when the time comes send them happily back to the dairy and herd to which they belong. Each heifer has an individual i.d. that can trace their entire record while in the care of TJ and his crew to be sure that she has the attention she needs. Their goal is to provide high quality care, full service development and expertly chosen genetics for breeding to encourage a returning customer.

Examples of careers at his company are:

• General Manager - usually requiring a Bachelors of Animal Science background
• Large Animal Veterinarian 
• Animal Nutritionists
• Commodity Re-seller
• Artificial Insemination Specialist
• Office and Computer help
• Human Resources
• Cowboys
• Feed truck Drivers
• Mill Operators

Heifer calves being trained in stanchions at
Circle Heifer Development

One of my favorite questions from a member to TJ was, "What is your favorite part of your job?" He answered with, "The fact that our organization impacts the entire circle of life in the dairy industry.  Raising the calves from 6 months of age through breeding, we will hopefully see many generations of the same herd through our facility." 

A large point that he really wanted to drive home was that there are many many options for a career field in agriculture. A lot of the time kids are only acquainted with area their parents work in and don't realize how much our industry really has to offer.

TJ is a great leader in agvocacy and truly cares to teach others about his field. What are you doing to teach the consumer about your part?

I of course have to add this picture of Wyatt's little sister, she's too darn cute!

Lauren wanted to take a "silly" picture :)

Until  next time...