I'm Moving!

Blog Followers,

I know it's been quiet some time since I've last posted, but be sure to follow me as I move to a new hosting site. Being the Farmer's Daughter has now moved to: www.beingthefarmersdaughter.wordpress.com Hope to see you following soon!

~Emily

Oprah and 378 Staff Members=Vegan for One Week

Vegan:'a strict vegetarian who consumes no animal food or dairy products; also one who abstains from using animal products (such as leather).' (source, Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary)

If you haven't heard by now, you should know that on Tue Feb. 1, 2011 Oprah and 378 staff members announced that they'd be going vegan for one week. Why such a fuss over some one's decision of how they'll be consuming their food for one week? Let me ask you this question, did you thoroughly read the Merriam-Webster's online dictionary definition that's written just before this paragraph? Let me remind you, it says not only will they be eating greens for a week but they'll also not be using or eating anything made by animal by-products. Since I'm a farmer's daughter and I do enjoy meat in my diet, I will admit that I do have a biased opinion. I'd like to take this opportunity to share with you how many items you'd have to live without if you did decide to go truly vegan.

Here's just a few items that include animal by-products in them (some are more obvious than others): ice cream, chewing gum, shoes, candles, deodorant, fabric softener, glue, insecticides, photographic film, plastics, shaving cream, toothpaste, jello, marshmallows, insulin (treat diabetes), thyrotopin (stimulates the thyroid gland), thrombin (promotes coagulation during surgery), steric acid which is found in rubber tires, asphalt and printing ink. (You can find a more complete list at: http://forces.si.edu/main/pdf/6-8-BeyondTheBeef.pdf)

Now, just to clarify a few things... I don't have anything against people who have chosen to be vegetarian or vegan. I may not agree with their choice but that's the beauty of living in the United States of America. The only thing I'd like to ask of those who make this choice is realize that it's their choice and only their choice. I ask that vegetarians/vegans respect others who do not want the same nutritional diet that they've chosen. It's like politics and religion, you can ask your friends their beliefs but typically after that you just let it be, because we have the right in this country to make our own unique decisions.

So those that have chosen to go vegan with Oprah, please think about what you're really taking on here. Without agriculture and animal by-products please be sure to walk barefoot to work, don't take the prescription medications you need, women please don't shave your legs before wearing that cute dress and remember without printing ink you can't print off your paper work or the O Magazine.

Just remember, if you're going to make a huge announcement and think you're doing something great for the planet, please step up to the plate and truly commit to what you're proposing.

-----------------------------------------

Oprah,

Please accept this invitation to visit my family farm and see how we humanly treat our livestock. Not only is agriculture a way of life for my family, but it's something that I enjoy doing with my brother, parents and grandparents. I'm the sixth generation on my family's farm in Northwest Ohio where we raise crops and beef cattle to meet the demands of America's hungry bellies. Many of the farmers and ranchers that produce food for this nation and world do take pride in properly caring for their livestock, unlike the few that have been seen in the media. Hope to see you soon!

Sincerely,
Emily Brinkman


P.S. Want to know where we'd be without farmers? Check out this YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joUggaD6Mr0

A fellow agriculture friend, Mike Haley, has a great blog post I think everyone should read because it goes in depth of how challenging of a task vegans have for this lifestyle they're choosing. (You can view his blog here: http://haley-farms.com/blog/2011/02/01/oprah%e2%80%99s-one-week-challenge/)

Tweeting on Twitter???

Greetings Blog Readers!





Maybe you've recognized some of these logos surfing the net? These are all linked to a somewhat new social networking site called Twitter. Before we get into a brief social networking discussion here's a recent update of my busy schedule!

Since Christmas I've left my family and close friends in Ohio to move to Stillwater, Oklahoma where I'll be continuing my education at Oklahoma State University! Now that I'm in my third week of the semester, life has slowed down a bit and I've really been meaning to get a new post out.





So here are some updates on recent events, to get you filled in :)


- We decided to exhibit a pen of three purebred Simmental females at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado (which I'll hopefully be blogging about soon). So when my Dad and I left Northwest Ohio on January 4, 2011; not only did we take my college stuff but also the truck and trailer with our heifers to exhibit in Denver.


- We made the 16 hour, 911 mile trip to Stillwater, Oklahoma in one day


- The heifers camped out under the stars at a nearby farm while we were in Stillwater for a few days


- Dad officially went on his Denver adventure on Thursday morning, January 7, 2011


- I moved into my on campus dorm at Oklahoma State on January 5, 2011


- I attended my first week of class and then met up with my Dad again in Denver to help him show our pen of heifers


- Came back to Stillwater on January 18th and I've been doing homework ever since; well until now of course!





So that's a brief run down of why my life has been fairly hectic lately.

Tweet, Tweet, Tweet!
I wanted to make a somewhat brief post about a social networking tool that can be useful in sharing your beef story or agriculture story with consumers! The National Cattlemen's Beef Association just released this helpful handbook of understanding Twitter (here's the link to the booklet: http://www.jdsupra.com/post/documentViewer.aspx?fid=32a09b9c-2320-46be-9cda-99ac5176419c) Twitter is a great social networking tool that many of my friends are using. I can't say that I've mastered it yet, but I've realized that it can be a great asset to sharing our story. So take time to check it out! If you decide to join Twitter be sure to follow me at: @farmerdaughter_ I'm hoping to use this handbook myself to help master this social networking tool!

Your Farmgirl,

~Emily

Never A Day Off, Even Holidays!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I hope Santa brought you the gifts on your wish list. I just wanted to take some time today to share what farmers and ranchers still have to do even though its a holiday.

Last night while feeding our cattle my Dad noticed one of our bred heifers (a young female that is pregnant and will be having a calf in 2011) wasn't feeling well. One of my Grandfathers live across the road and care for some of our livestock. Mostly he takes care of bred heifers and our open replacement heifers (females that were born in December 2009 and January through April 2010, that we'll breed to have a calf in 2012). One of my family members goes over to his farm sometime everyday for other tasks and briefly looks over the cattle. Last night my Dad noticed that this bred female was coughing and my Grandfather said that when he fed them she would continue laying down and then eventually get up and wait to eat instead of pushing away some of the other heifers to get a few bites to eat. My Grandfather said that she was being 'lazy' but in reality this is a sign to us that she isn't feeling well. My Dad realized that she had lost some weight like she hadn't been eating well in the past few days.

So this morning after opening gifts my Dad, brother and I went outside to feed our cattle and give the bred heifer a shot of medication to help make her feel better. Although we'd like to stay in our warm, cozy house we still have to put our livestock first, even on the holidays.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season!

~Emily

North American International Livestock Exposition Results

Greetings Blog Readers!

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season! I've finally finished up my last quarter at The Ohio State University ATI and I'm looking forward to transferring to Oklahoma State University in January 2011!

In my previous entry I promised the results from the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) which is held annually in Louisville, Kentucky. At the NAILE there are two types of shows. The first show is called the 'Junior Simmental Show'. This is for youth ages 9 through 21 as of January 1 of the current year showing Simmental females. No bull calves are allowed to be shown in the youth show unless they're a calf that is still nursing off of their mother. The other type of show is called the 'Open Simmental Show'. This show is open to anyone from anywhere. Showmen of any age can show and they can cattle can come from anywhere in the country or world to show in the open show.

So now that I've described the two shows you may be wondering why showing is important to me. Not everyone who has cattle brings some to a show. Some farms/ranches focus their herd on raising livestock that will later be sold to others to produce beef for consumers. Now don't jump to conclusions thinking that those who show cattle don't raise cattle for beef. The difference could be that the people who focus on raising cattle for beef are what I call 'commercial cattlemen'. Their cattle are bred for different traits then show cattle. Commercial cattlemen focus on breeding their cattle for traits such as: calving ease (meaning the calves are usually born smaller and they mother won't need assistance when giving birth), high weaning weight (calves that grow good and gain adequate amount of weight in a duration of six months when they're then separated from their mothers) and high yearling weights (meaning when they're a year old they should weigh an average weight). Show cattle on the other hand still breed for the same traits as commercial cattlemen but also breed for 'phenotype' (or also known as their appearance). I usually think that when showing the cattle that are there can represent what the commercial cattlemen will be using in their herd in the near future. Show cattle can represent changes in the beef industry, such items like hide color and size. Most commercial cattlemen do not have purebred cattle such as only Angus, Simmental, etc. They usually crossbreed two purebred breeds to create a better beef product; but this is a story for a different day. SO, back on track on why showing may be important is to exhibit changes in each breed and what trends the beef industry is going to have in the future.

NAILE Junior Show Results:

This is M-R Sunset Sensation 12X. In the Junior Show she placed 3rd in class out of 11 and was 1st Bred and Owned female (meaning that all of the youth ahead of me and Sunset were purchased and the youth didn't raise them on their farm).

Here is Sunset pictured at the Open Simmental show where she placed 7th out of 8. The female that won Sunset and Secret's class went on to be Division Champion and Reserve overall female. Talk about getting caught in some tough competition!

Birth Date: January 11, 2010

Sire: Wheatland Red Teddy 457P

Dam: Miss Sunshine HR U9150 (S101 HR (CNS Dream On L186))

ASA #: 2528078

This is M-R Perfect's Secret 11X. Since Secret and Sunset were both born in January they had to be shown in the same classes. In the Junior Show Secret was 8th out of 11 and was 3rd bred and owned.

Here is Secret pictured at the Open Show where she placed 8th out of 8. The female that won Secret's and Sunset's class went on to be Division Champion and Reserve Champion overall female. Talk about a tough class!

Birth Date: January 9, 2010

Sire: Wheatland Bull 680S

Dam: STF Perfect Timing M611 (PVF-BF BF26 Black Joker)
ASA #: 2528075

This is STF/HR Red Lady W1509. We purchased Lady from Silver Towne Farms and Hale Ranch last fall. We're excited to see how she's changed from a green calf to winning her class at the AJSA National Classic in July. Lady was 2nd out of 6 in the Junior Show.

Here is Lady pictured at the Open Simmental Show where she placed 9th out of 11. The class winner of Lady's class went on to be Division Champion and the Champion Overall Simmental Female. Although the judge didn't pick our females for Champions we're still happy with how they've progressed over the show season.

Birth Date: January 22, 2009

Sire: STF Dominance T171

Dam: Wheatland Red Lady 781T (Wheatland Bull 468P)

ASA #: 2494620

This is M-R Red Arsenal 16X. Since he is a bull we weren't allowed to show him in the Junior Show.

Here he is pictured with my Dad, Tim Brinkman at the Open Simmental Show. He placed 5th out of 5. The class winner went on to be Division Champion and Reserve Champion Overall Simmental Bull.

Birth Date: January 26, 2010

Sire: Remington Red Label HR

Dam: M-R Deja Vu (KSU Manhattan 38J)

Although we didn't have any class winners or champions we still continue to show. You can't expect to go to a show and win each time, that'll only happen to two people. The idea is for you to market your cattle to other breeders in the beef industry. I always go in with the mind set that if your cattle look well and people in the barn are talking and excited about your livestock then we must be doing something right. You can't go and think that if the judge doesn't pick your cattle then you should quit. Sometimes the cattle that win a show most breeders may not agree with the judge. So go to a show to strike interest in fellow breeders about your genetics and don't worry about the judges opinion; but if you win that's just the super sweet icing on the cake!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Hope to write soon!

~Emily

Show Preparations...

Have you ever attended a livestock show? Whether you've walked through the barns or have exhibited at the county, state or national level you realize that each event has it's own unique experience. Two and a half weeks ago I traveled home to get ready for the upcoming livestock show that we'd be attending, the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE). If you've ever shown livestock you realize the time and effort you have to put in to get your cattle ready. Although we didn't have to be on the fairgrounds in Louisville, Kentucky until Wednesday November 10th, preparation for this event started clear back in early August. A few things we had to do early was put the four cows we were going to take on a special feed ration so they would be in the right 'condition' for the show. We also had to do a few hair care things, one of our young heifers, 'Sunset' had all of her hair shaved off so that she would grow back a nice healthy coat of hair. Our bred heifer, 'Lady', had to go on a diet and just eat grass for almost two months with a few pasture buddies of hers'.

In mid-October we started working with our 'show team' more, by bringing them into the barn and giving them a bath every day. This helps manage their hair coat and gives them a chance to get some extra 'loving' from my family members. They really like being in the barn getting ready for a show. They get their own feed pan, instead of having to share with their friends, their poop is cleaned up after them and they have a fan on them all day to keep them cool. Some days I wish I was a show cow! :)

Over the weekend before the show I had to go home to give them all a hair cut. With some of the cold weather we've been having some of them had three to four inches of hair in some places! So after getting a bath and drying their hair I got my clippers out and started giving them each their own personal haircut. The first picture is of 'Secret', who is only eleven months old in this picture and weighs about 980 lbs, respectively, is before she got her hair cut. The other picture is of her with her hair cut, talk about a difference! This took about three hours of clipping to get her to look like she does now.

On Wednesday November 10th my Dad took our four cows, 'Lady', 'Sunset', 'Secret' and 'Arsenal' to Louisville, Kentucky for the NAILE. Be watching for my next blog post to see photos and results from the NAILE!

Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board

Wow, it's been a long time since I've had time to post! :) I just wanted to share with everyone something that I found through Amanda Radke's Beef Daily blog that really hit home. She shared a link that quickly touched on some of the Ohio Livestock Care Standard's board job, as they continue to improve Ohio's livestock care practices. As stated on the website, this is a very hard task because animal rights activist groups such as HSUS and PETA only have the animal mind and not the farmer.

As a beef producer myself I'm upset when these groups come into an area and tell livestock producers the best way to raise our animals. Now I'm not saying that there aren't people out there that don't care for their livestock by the given standards of say a veterinarian or USDA, but the large majority of those involved in agriculture do care for their livestock properly. As being a beef producer myself, I realize the importance of animal care, because why would I want to be surrounded by livestock that is ill? I strive to have a healthy herd of cattle because if one of my cows get ill then the rest of my livestock will also eventually become ill. Just like a class of elementary students. Once one student catches the flu, many students in the same class also catch the flu. As more livestock becomes ill then that's more medication and veterinary expense, and who wants a $100.00 veterinary bill multiplied by five or fifteen?? As my Dad has shared with me, the livestock here must be profitable enough to pay their expenses. If I have more expenses then what they're worth when I sell them to 4-H youth for their fair project or other ways that I can sell my livestock, how am I going to be able to continue and afford what I love doing the most, spending time with my family and beef cattle?

So to now bring all of these thoughts full circle; why is the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board important to me? This board is not only taking the ideas from animal rights groups, which in truth does keep the Ag industry on its toes to keep improving livestock care standards (but usually suggests extreme animal care measures that are unhealthy for our livestock), but also is keeping the farmer and rancher in mind. Producers of the livestock industry must have guidelines on how to care for our livestock properly, but also keep in mind that our operation has to be affordable and profitable. For those who complain about the food prices now, if we would even consider most of HSUS or PETA's animal care practices then the cost of meat or other livestock produce at the grocery would be through the roof! It'd be soo expensive that you may not be able to afford to eat products from livestock as frequently as you do now; suggesting you to turn to a vegetarian lifestyle, which is HSUS, PETA and other alike groups' goal.... to end animal agriculture and promote a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle.

My favorite quote about the online article is this: 'Where would we be without agriculture??? = naked and hungry!'

Have a great agriculture day!
~Emily