Celebrating National Ag Day!

We sincerely hope that you take some time today to celebrate National Ag Day!  Please join us in celebrating the agriculture industry that makes our country great and our food choices so rich and bountiful! 

How wonderful it is that we can go to the grocery store, and for a mininum percent of our wages, be able to purchase so many different types of fruits, vegetables, grains, meats and of course dairy foods! 

How wonderful is it that we are so blessed in our country to have choices as to how our food is raised, produced and cared for!

How great is it that we can purchase our foods knowing that 97% of all farms in our country are family owned and operated.  Families that also feed their own children what they raise!

How awesome is it that we can purchase food at the grocery store and know that it was inspected, tested and checked for quality before it even reached the shelves!

How amazing is it that our farmers each have a choice as to how they raise and produce food, but they know that those choices need to be made for the generations of farmers yet to come!

How awesome is it that we have the use of technology, which is abling farmers to use their resources of land and water even more wisely when they grow food!

How great is it to know that farmers, such as ourselves and many others, are still willing to work tirelessly to care for livestock in all weather conditions, raising healthy animals with the utmost respect for them!

How generous are our farmers, to often be the leaders in our communities and organizations in feeding the poor and starving of our own country and others!

How GREAT is Agriculture???  You ate today, right??? Help us celebrate an industry which helps feed the world!  http://dairygood.org/

Wordless Wednesday: Princess Kay

Our county dairy princess Kelsey Sellner, who will be running for Princess Kay of the Milky Way next Wednesday!  We wish her well as she represents the dairy farmers of our county!

Princess Kay....our calf !  Born on the same day that Kelsey was named a finalist...she's so big now!

Animal Activisits are an Important Part of our Future

Below was a comment recently posted on one of my previous blogs, and it really made me think about animal agriculture and how our relationships with consumers have evolved in the past few years thanks to HSUS and PETA.....check out the comment:

"I've been reading through this blog (is this called a thread?) with interest, and glad to see that after some initial emotional arguments, an intelligent exchanging of views was achieved - we don't all have to agree with each other, but we do need to stop branding every person the same way - not all dairy farmers are cruel, not all animal activists are raving vegan extremists. Good to have respect for someone elses point of view....


....I could go on and on, but in the end, I am not a vegetarian, well not full time anyway, I have my moments, but I do stand strongly for the ethical treatment of animals, and I do believe that animal activists are an important part of our future, as they help to keep improving our systems and educating the public, and work with us as producers to make the world a happier place for animals. All I would ask of animal activists is that they do actually do their homework before launching personal attacks on people - I think the wider population would actually take them more seriously if this was the case."

This reader really hit home on those 2 points...thanks to animal activists we have worked to make our farms and ranches better and we have a total industry of agriculture, really begun to educate consumers about where their food comes from.  I know on our own farm we work hard to give the best care to our animals, but I will admit there are probably places for improvement that an activist might be able to see, that we might miss.  In addition, I might not have this blog if it wasn't for activists who make consumers acknowledge that they really don't know where their food comes from anymore.  Thanks to activists I have the honor and privilege to share with consumers and readers alike about the daily happenings on our farm, and that's awesome!  So thank you animal activists for allowing me to have this great blog!

Happy Earth Day from Orange Patch Dairy!

Earth Day EVERY Day

Please check out our YouTube video highlighting just one of the many areas of our farm where we care for our planet Earth.  I know that popular media would have you believe that farmers abuse the planet, but we instead care for our resources just as much as we care for our animals.  We know that without healthy soils and safe water sources we would not be able to produce forage for our cows, so that they can be nurished and healthy.  Taking care of our planet is critical for our livelihoods and the future generations of farmers to come.

Planting Peas in MN

Appreciation for Rural Minnesota Culture

It's been a little while since I last blogged, but I have a good excuse. I was in Central Minnesota for the weekend, attending my future sister in law's bachelorette party as well as learning to appreciate the simple things of rural Minnesota. My future sister in law Erin is from a small town southwest of Little Falls Minnesota. This lovely town of Sobieski has all of the necessities of a rural community: church, co-op creamery, a couple handfuls of homes, even more farms, local restaurant, every one's favorite bar, no stop lights and no stop signs. It was filled with great people, all with an agricultural background (lived on a farm, lives on a farm or raised on a farm). I had a blast meeting all of the "locals" as well as learning more about their Polish roots.

I visited the local bar for the party, but ended up having an awesome conversation with the area farmers about their crops, the harvest, and their livestock. On Sunday I had the privilege of attending their church bazaar. Dinner was an AMAZINGLY delicious meal of chicken, real potatoes, Polish sausage, and haluski. Dessert was the best darn piece of pie I have had in a long time. Here you could see the values of a rural community. The value of hard work to put on a great event for a good cause. The value of community and social connections with your neighbors. The value of family and friends. The value of agriculture. Agriculture is a bond that binds all in rural communities in Minnesota. Here in Sobieski most were from farms and some work in other agriculture related jobs. It was truly awesome to wittiness people working together for a good cause, laughing and working hard.

Coming soon....the videos from corn silage season!!!

Some great comments from Sen. Johanns!!!

"Today is a good opportunity to urge the Administration not to let their fervor for organic production cloud their judgment regarding the production methods for traditional crops. Traditional farming and ranching operations are the backbone of agriculture in the United States. Fertilizers, pesticides, and modern plant and animal genetics help our farmers and ranchers fight disease, attack insects and pests, ensuring a safe and abundant food supply. These hard-working Americans literally feed the world, and play an increasing role in our energy security." Sen. Johanns, Nebraska

It's great to see Sen. Johanns supporting all of agriculture, in a fair way. I especially enjoy his comments about trade, the importance of conventional agriculture, and environmental issues.

"I'm as tempted as anyone to hearken back to the days of the farm I grew up on, a quarter section. A dozen sows farrowed at a time, thirty cows, bottled calves. Train them how to drink out of a bucket. I have a little statue on my coffee table in my office of a young farm boy feeding a calf with a bottle. Man, what a life. What a great way to grow up.
"But the world does change, and farming has gotten better, and better, and better. No-till farming, integrated pest management, and field buffers are not foreign concepts to our farmers. According to one report, farmers currently use reduced tillage practices to prevent soil erosion on 72 million acres, and they maintain over 1.3 million acres of grassland.

"We do agriculture the best of any place in the world, and I've been around the world many times. We cannot afford to enact policies or neglect agriculture in a way that minimizes the importance of this very important piece of our economy, and its importance in feeding the world.

"If you take any message home with you, take this: The agriculture community must pay attention. During these difficult economic times, costs matter. We must work to prevent policies that will cripple and crush agricultural producers with counterproductive, overreaching, and economically inhibiting policies and regulations.

Thanks again for your support Sen. Johanns, agriculture thanks you!