A Visit to Dairy Carrie's Farm and more!

We are getting ready for the Kansas State Fair this weekend and I just realized that I have not shared our trip to Wisconsin and their state fair.

The boys were very excited for our trip, because we were going to visit Dairy Carrie's farm.  If you aren't already following Dairy Carrie, you really should especially if you love pictures of cute baby calves in your newsfeed!  In case you don't know, the boys and Carrie have had a close bond ever since this cow experience brought the 3 of them together.

When in Wisconsin you have to buy cheese.  We stopped at the Alp and Dell Cheese factory and store in Monroe.  If you are looking for a great selection of cheeses, Tony will not disappoint you.  The Chipotle Gouda makes the most amazing nachos!

Of course when we got to the dairy we had to meet the girls.

 

We always try to make sure we eat just like the locals and apparently at the Wisconsin State Fair a Grilled Cheese is a must.

I mean people were waiting in line for a grilled cheese and there were 10 people manning grills making at least 8 sandwiches at a time.  They really LOVE their Grilled Cheese Sandwiches in Wisconsin.

I was told that having a Cream Puff was absolutely necessary by more than one person, so of course we had to go to the Cream Puff Pavilion.  That's right there is an entire building dedicated to the Cream Puff at the Wisconsin State Fair!

You can walk by the windows where they cut pastries all day long.

And the window into the room that must be chilly where they are filling the pastries with yummy filling.

Don't they look yummy?

My youngest thought they were the best breakfast food ever with the best Strawberry Milk ever in his opinion.  Apparently, he thought since we were surrounded by dairy cows that the milk had to be better in Wisconsin.  :)

I loved all the educational displays around the fair.  This was in the middle of all the 4-H dairy heifer stalls.  That my friends is a dried cow stomach.  Did you know that a cow stomach has 4 compartments?  Each compartment is totally different.  We could look into the cut out holes to look inside and see the differences.

 

The Natural Resources area was really cool with archery practice, education about the Emerald Ash Borer, Watersheds, Smoky Bear School and so much more.  We loved it!

Of course after the fair we had to go back to the dairy and work, well only one of us was really into becoming a dairy farmer.

Before we arrived Carrie told me that she was waiting on a calf to be born and the boys were quick to think that it could ride home in the back seat with them.  We quickly shot down that idea.  The boys and Carrie kept checking on the progress in the maternity pen.  While the farmer and I were packing the truck the boys went to check in the barn and she had finally had her new baby.  A Normandy bull calf and if you don't know about Normandy's you should be following Carrie this week has she visits the home of Normandy cattle.

We didn't go empty handed.  Here is about half of our hostess gift that we took to Carrie, Patrick (aka Mr. Dairy Carrie and his parents.  Our gardens were producing like crazy and it had been so cool in Wisconsin that they are just now getting an abundance of produce.

If you notice most of the pictures are of our younger son, the oldest son had an ear infection that started when we were leaving Iowa.  We definitely will have to go back to visit again as he is more of the cow lover.

We are working on our list of must have eats at the Kansas State Fair and I am considering opening a Cream Puff Booth when my kids are done showing out there...they still a few years ahead of them, so I can work on my business plan.  LOL

Be sure to follow along on Facebook as we graze our way across the fair and hopefully win a blue ribbon, too!

A Kansas Farm Mom

What's the Problem with Local Farmers?

I love it when someone puts into words the things that I would love to say.  This piece is written by Kate Lambert of Uptown Farms.  You can visit their website and be sure to give their Facebook page a like.-KFM

 

 

 

“Local Farmers”-- what a romantic buzz word. “Locally grown” from “local farmers” must be healthier, safer, and better for the environment than say… a “non-local” farmer?

For obvious reasons, food production typically occurs in rural areas (we need land…and a lot of it to feed the 313.9 million people in this country).

Meet my husband. He lives in Brookfield, MO, a town of about 4500 people, in Linn County, population roughly 12,484. (You read that number right…the entire county population is less than the average town size of the United States at 20,000.)

If we consider the county population to be local that means that my husband is a local farmer to 0.0039% of the population.

He goes to work every day on a family farm. There are no hired hands. It’s his Grandpa, who is 81 years old and still works at least 5 days a week and often 7 days a week during planting and harvest. It’s his father. And it’s him.

They work approximately 2,000 acres of row crop land, about 90 cows and 100 head of sheep. Throw in some hay ground, some custom chemical work, some shop work, and that keeps the three of them busy about 400 days a year.

The trio farms about 2,000 crop acres. Assume half of those are planted to corn on any given year. That equals 1,000 corn acres.
Estimate his yield at 140 bushels of corn per acre, making total production 140,000 bushels. Americans consume 28.4 pounds of corn product, per person, per year. This means each person is consuming roughly half a bushel.

If every one of the “local” consumers purchased their entire needed corn product from my husband – he would have a market for…. 4.6% of his corn or roughly 6500 bushels.

In fact, my husband’s corn production is enough to supply 70,000 people with their average consumption. (Recognize that corn goes into other products, not just for human consumption though.)

So does this mean that my husband (a non-local farmer to most of you) is growing food that is not safe, nutritious or good for the environment? Absolutely not! My husband is like most farmers all over rural America and is constantly educating himself on new farming practices such as cover crop rotations that allow us to use less chemical, less fertilizer and better preserve the soils.

My husband carries his chemical applicator license to be able to safely and responsibly utilize only the chemicals that are absolutely necessary. My husband studies new products, runs test plots, keeps detailed records in order to ensure they are doing everything they can to grow a safe product for his children to consume.

So what? This means that “locally grown” is a nice concept. But it also means that if you want to continue to live where most Americans do, with a Starbucks on every corner, than you have to face the facts that a lot of your food has to be grown by a 28 year old guy with a toddler at home, and baby on the way who also happens to be a “non-local” farmer (to you). Because suburban Chicago doesn’t have the land he needs to grow your food.

And by the way, the concept and math is exactly the same for our beef cattle operation.

 

Kate, Thank you so much for letting me share your thoughts.  I have been blessed to come in contact with some very talented writers like Rudy Taylor who let me share "Just A Farm Kid" and Larry Lankard who penned "Memories of a Farmer Dad."

Farmer/Rancher Gift Guide

Shopping for farmers and ranchers is not hard.  It is expensive.  The problem I find with most ag guys is that they really don’t have many hobbies other than the love of their life…agriculture.  

In case you didn’t know it, farming and ranching are expensive.  My husband has this wish list that would make many wives faint.  I usually look at it and roll my eyes.  :)  Here is what my husband usually gets.  I’m not putting what he’s getting, because amazingly he actually reads my blog whether I ask him to or not.  That’s true love ladies.  LOL

Milwaukee Cordless Impact Wrench

When we were dating I always bought him some pretty nifty tools to use when working on equipment.  There were the Robo Grip Pliers that he thought was goofy until the first time he used them.  The shop light that I bought last year that he decided about March was pretty awesome.

One big problem I have shopping for Randy is that he seems to just buy things when he sees them and doesn’t drop me any hints.   

His favorite find for the year has been the Milwaukee Cordless Impact Wrenches.  Yes, I did say wrenchES.  Yes, he has purchases TWO this year.  Yes, he likes them that much just like I like my Milwaukee “phone charger.”  

 Here is his product review:

“The big ½ inch wrench has not failed to take off an implement wheel or trailer tire and the battery seems to last quite a while on occasional use basis; however, it is heavy and does not have torque adjustment.  Caution must be used because it does have the capability of breaking bolts and causing grief.  My recommendation is not to give it to the “green” hired man instead give him the smaller version that is available in a 3/8” or ½” drive that does have adjustable torque settings and is much friendlier to the lighter jobs.”

 

Boots

Ok, boots can be expensive too, but remember he is on his feet almost every day and a good pair of shoes can make him feel so much better when he gets home at night.  My farmer has 3 brands that he really likes.  His favorite are White’s, but one look at their site you will know that these are not cheap boots.   

Here is what he has to say about them:

“If you have trouble with your arches and are considering going to a podiatrist, I suggest trying a pair of White’s first.  There are lots of different options for soles, heels and styles.  One of the few pairs of shoes I own that I am not looking to the end of the day when I can take them off my feet.  These are not throwaway shoes.  They take several days to get broken in and are completely rebuildable.  When a pair is rebuilt, everything gets replaced except the uppers for about half the cost of a new pair.  Even if you buy the stock boots, they want 10+ measurements of your feet to make sure they will fit properly.”  

He usually settles for a pair of Ariat shoe boots.  

 For wet conditions, Muck Boots are his choice.  He likes the Chore Boot that has minimal tread, is calf height, insulated and long lasting.

Approval

Give him the OK to buy that new piece of technology that seems over the top to you.  Things like autosteer and automatic shutoffs for the sprayer or planter.  I have found these things seem overpriced, but do pay for themselves in the end.

Farmer Attire

Like I said in my Farm Kid Gift Guide, we are proud to be farmers.  I love the shirts that promote agriculture.  Some of my favorites that I have found this year are from comedian Damian Mason.  Damian also has a good book called Farm Camp, some bumper stickers I absolutely love and my boys and I love listening to hisCD’s in the truck.

Multi-Tool

 And now the farmer is getting into making this longer, so here is what else he thought I needed to add.  “One of the few tools that is guaranteed for life and they really do actually replace them when they break.  The pliers are actually functional and the wire cutter work well.  The blade requires frequent sharpening as it is stainless steel.  A word to the wise: Insure all knives that you are returning to the factory as they have a tendency to disappear out of the envelope in shipping.  The downside is that TSA still considers it a knife and not a tool.” 

What are your favorite gifts give to the men in your life?  What should I give The Farmer for Christmas this year?

Did you check out my Farm and Ranch Wife Gift Guide and my Farm Boy Gift Guide?  How about my gift guide last year?

You might also like This Uncharted Rhoade's Farmer Gift Ideas.

-A Kansas Farm Mom