Illinois Farm Families Blog

February buzzed by, literally and figuratively.   Granted it has three less days than other months and it’s usually plagued by clouds, snow or rain and chilly winds, so I suppose if it buzzes by there’s not much to miss.

But this February started buzzing for me from the beginning.  It must be all this focus on food and farming that has my senses on high alert for buzz words.  There is no shortage of them in food advertising as I mused on in my blog post “When Buzzwords Stop Buzzing”. 

The second week of February I flew to NYC and joined celebrity chef Danny Boome on a satellite media tour. We talked with television and radio morning show hosts about buzzwords, the ones we see most often on restaurant menus and on grocery shelves – organic, hormone-free, grass-fed, local and natural. Click here to watch the video.

A week later, I got an email asking me if these buzz words mean different things to a farmer than a consumer. I think that’s part of our problem in attempting to converse about food and farming. Definitions can be so ambiguous and seem to change depending on the person doing the defining.

As a farmer and a consumer I define organic, hormone-free and grass-fed as the how of raising a crop or caring for livestock. I think some people use them to define the nutritional content of food, however as Chef Danny said in our interviews the nutritional value of food depends largely on how it is prepared versus how it is grown.

Local, to me, is my community, my little niche in Northern Illinois.  It is the farms, the towns, the neighbors (who live on the other side of our square mile country block).  It is the businesses we patronize and organizations we support.  Locally grown for me is what I’ve found in my backyard garden or my mother’s garden and locally grown meat comes from farms of other family members.  But, local can also mean purchasing food that has been raised in a certain mile radius of a store or restaurant.  What’s the magic radius?  I don’t think anyone can say for sure.

Natural is probably the hardest to define.  Webster says “existing in or produced by nature” and to me that is farming.  We exist in nature; have learned how to reap its rewards, survive its challenges and how to make our lives better by caring for the environment better.  Are we perfect in this relationship? Absolutely not.  Are we improving every day?  Most certainly.

So, are the definitions of buzz words even clearer than mud now?  Yea, for me too.  I guess this is why this movement to converse, to respectfully listen to the opposite opinion, ask questions and broaden our scope of understanding is so important. 

This year’s group of Field Moms has already tackled some buzz words. I can’t wait to read more about their adventures and the buzzwords they try to define.

Katie Pratt

Grand Prairie Farms

A New Orleans newspaper reported an average of 108.4 million viewers watched this year’s Super Bowl. At one time, 164.1 million viewers were watching the broadcast. You can bet most of those viewers were also watching the commercials and not skipping over them with their DVR systems. During the fourth quarter, Dodge ran a two minute commercial for their Ram line of trucks. This ad, during the largest televised event of the year, gave America’s farmers a shout out and a very impressionable one at that evidenced by ranking the most popular commercial in the polls.

The Dodge Ram commercial began with one of many shots of America’s farmland: a cow standing in a snowy pasture and Paul Harvey’s name in blank type across the screen. Then, the voice of Harvey, the late radio broadcaster, began. What continued was his “God Made a Farmer” speech from the 1978 Future Farmers of America convention.  During the two minute spot, Harvey’s speech was set to brilliant photos of America’s hardworking farmers (men, women, and children), their land, livestock, equipment, and aspects of their lives.

His speech began with an allusion to the story of Genesis: “And on the eighth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, ‘I need a caretaker.’ So God made a farmer.”  

Harvey continued to describe God’s desires for the type of person he needed to take care of the land, crops, animals, and communities. Harvey followed with “So God made a farmer,” as an answer.

Even though the speech was from 1978, I truly believe that the “farmer” Harvey describes can be found on today’s farms and in rural communities. Both sides of my husband’s family are a testament to Harvey’s speech, as well as the many Illinois farm families I have come to know over the years.

I didn’t have the pleasure of seeing the commercial air live since I was busying putting my little ones to bed, and I really wish I would have. My husband, who is a full-time farmer, caught the commercial and watched it a few times until I returned downstairs to watch it with him.

From the start, I was captivated by Harvey’s smooth tone set against the backdrop of a slideshow of awesome photographs of God’s country.  I listened to the “God Made a Farmer” recording and thought to myself, ‘Yes, he’s got it right, that’s America’s farmers, and that’s my husband and his family!’ I could clearly put family members’ faces to Harvey’s descriptions of farmers. And I wanted to call my family members, who are not farmers, and proudly shout, ‘Did you see that farmer commercial? That’s my husband!’

I’ve viewed the commercial multiple times, and every time I tear up at the end of the speech when Harvey talks about a son wanting to farm just like his father. Those are the men in my husband’s family who, generation after generation, have chosen to farm.  And one day, that son will hopefully be our son, if he chooses to farm alongside his own father and grandfather.  

The commercial ended with silence as the last pictures came on screen. Ram dedicate the aid “To the farmer in all of us” which was printed on the last photo of a Ram truck.

Thank you, Dodge, for highlighting the time, dedication, patience, strength, “guts,” and “glory” it takes to be a farmer and feed America.

And, thank you, God, for making farmers.

Kristen Strom

Brimfield, IL

Kristen is a city-gone-country girl after her marriage to her husband, Grant, who is a full-time farmer.  You can follow her stories and adventures on her blog at http://farmnoteslittledahinda.blogspot.com.

 

I was debating what blog topic to write for the Illinois Farm Families website this week.  While I was out helping Chad feed the cattle on one of the unusually warm days we’ve had, I thought about how much easier it is to care for all the critters when the weather is warm.  But, then I got to thinking about the terrible heat of the past summer and decided that each season has it pros and cons.  My preferences are spring and fall!  For winter things would go a little smoother when if we didn’t have to worry about frozen waters, cold calves, heaters not working, etc.  In the summer things would go smoother if we didn’t have to haul water, worry about overheated animals, or storms that cause power outages.

Our hogs are raised in climate controlled buildings.  There are sensors that we set to control the temperature, air flow, fans, and ventilation.  We make adjustments as the hogs grow. We are raising a group of wean to finish pigs right now.  They require a little bit more TLC at the beginning.  They were started with special feed mats and heat lamps to get them growing well.  As they have matured, the mats and lamps have been removed and they are eating out of the regular feeder in each pen.  This winter we have not had to worry about frozen pigs, bedding them down, slopping through the mud to feed them or trying to keep them cool in the summer.  Hogs can’t sweat and can get overheated easily. It has been 15 years since we switched to feeding out all our hogs inside.  It was an excellent choice for us and the hogs are all the more comfortable for it.

Our cattle are pretty easy to care for, but there are challenges in the winter and the summer.  In the winter we deal with frozen automatic waters and hydrants, the cattle require extra bedding in their shelters and extra feed to keep them warm and full.  Newborn calves can have a harder time keeping warm and when the weather yo-yo’s it is harder to keep everyone healthy – cattle and people included.  We are still hauling water to the wells in the winter and we have to keep our water trucks unfrozen to do that.  The summer months we need to keep the cattle cool.  The bulls don’t always breed as well when it is hot – just too hot to do their business.  The summer drought kept the grass from growing much.  We started feeding hay a lot earlier, feed prices went up, and we hauled water to the wells.

We love what we do, even with all the challenges that are faced.  Raising livestock is rewarding.  There is nothing like seeing a newborn spring calf running and bucking through the pasture, or sitting in pen with little piglets chewing on your boots.  The pros definitely outweigh the cons in raising livestock.

Stacy Schutz is a farmer, wife, and mother of two daughters located in central Illinois. She farms with her family; raising corn, cattle and hogs. She loves her animals, food and is happy that they go hand in hand!  You can find out more about her at her blog, From Our Farm to You.

Last Saturday, we hosted the winners of the Illinois Farm Families Farmtastic Food Trek on our farm. The Farmtastic Food Trek was a grocery store scavenger hunt. The clues came from Illinois Farm Families who described their farms, crops and livestock and asked questions about which food products were related to their farm. When scavenger hunt participants found the bacon, cheese or other items, they used Instagram™ to take a picture with that item and submit their entry.
  

The three winning families received a farm tour at our farm, a $500 grocery gift card and a gift bag of farm toys, games, books and activities. 

The winners include Kristen Baker, Elgin, Ill.; Marilyn Alam, Hyde Park, Ill.; and Amy Parille, Aurora, Ill.

We met on this crisp fall morning at my parents’ farm in Amboy, Ill. Here families met April, my mom’s paint horse, and helped feed and water her.

Then we headed to the hog house and talked about the improvements we have made in raising pigs to ensure their comfort and care. Finally, the group boarded the hayrack, bundled in blankets and headed down the road to the cattle pasture.  

We talked about our beef cattle herd and how we care for the cows and calves differently, and how we manage the pasture they graze. The families saw how our families still work together on the farm to raise animals and grow crops that feed our family and yours. 

It was our pleasure to share our home, our farm, good food and good conversation with these families.  

Have you been on a local farm tour? Illinois farmers have their doors open and welcome your questions about food and farming. Ask your questions and share your comments below.

Katie Pratt
Grand Prairie Farms

I think most of the moms out there will agree with me.                                                                                                            Grocery shopping with your kids is challenging.  I have three kids:  Bella, 6 years; Mae, 4 years; and Nolan, 3 years.  Walking through the aisles is a coordinated dance to avoid other carts, continuously apologize for the kids being in the middle of the aisle, and grabbing teeny-tiny hands away from the shelves of endless goodies.  Whew, I’m exhausted just writing that. 

Here’s what I am absolutely grateful for at the grocery store:  knowing that I can walk up to the butchers counter and order meat that is 100% safe for my family.  I am confident in purchasing chicken, pork, and beef for my family.  Farmers today are very concerned with providing your families (and their own families) with a very healthy and safe product.  I don’t have to look for those labels touting “Antibiotic Free”.  Farmers today do not routinely use antibiotics in their animals.  Plus, the FDA has strict guidelines to review and approve all antibiotics used in meat.  The US Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) monitors and tests meat to ensure there are no harmful residues, as laid out by the FDA, entering the food supply.

I can speak mainly on the pork side of the story, since we raise hogs.  We only use antibiotics to protect our animals’ health and welfare.  Those antibiotics are used under strict guidance from our veterinary team.  Pig farmers are also taking our commitment to the next level through programs like We Care® and Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) Plus certifications.  The We Care® initiative shows our commitment to practices that protect human health, which includes careful management of antibiotic use.  The PQA Plus certification is designed to help farmers develop good production practices, especially in relation to responsible antibiotic use and animal well-being.  Today, over 55,000 farmers have achieved PQA Plus certification, including my husband and myself.

Remember US and Illinois farmers support responsible use of antibiotics (in both humans and animals), and seek out specific, professional guidance from veterinarians before using any antibiotics.  We are continuously updating our research to ensure that we are only getting better at growing a healthy, well-balanced, and safe diet for our families and yours.  So, to my fellow mommies, don’t stress about the labels on meat in the grocery store.  Worry only about whether or not your kid is running over other shoppers with your cart. 

Kate Hagenbuch
Hagenbuch Farms
Utica, IL

 Indeed, over the next several days, "mad cow disease" dominated the airwaves. Cattle markets closed limit down every day – meaning, they dropped as far as they could until an artificial floor stopped them. This is very bad if you are a cattle producer, about to sell your crop. But miracle of all miracles, by the time our calves sold some three weeks later, the markets recovered. We sold calves at pre-scare price levels. Whew.

 This is, of course, the scenario that came to mind yesterday as news of the most recent BSE outbreak spread. It feels different this time, though. We seem a little more educated, a little more reasonable.

 I have noticed in the past 24-48 hours, the news cycle has been remarkably even and unbiased. News reports have stuck to the facts, quoting USDA officials, epidemiologists and food safety experts. As a journalist, little makes me more frustrated with my reporting brethren than a sensationalized news report (pink slime, anyone?!). And as a farmer, little makes me more disappointed in our society and their reaction to the food supply than a sensationalized news report.

 But I digress.

 I think there is much we can keep in mind here, including some really heartening facts:

 1.  A single dairy cow in California was discovered by a renderer to have an "atypical" presentation of BSE on Tuesday, April 24.

2.  This atypical presentation does not occur in animals that have been fed bone meal from infected animals. The practice of feeding bone meal was banned in 1997 with the full support of cattle producers, and in 2011 there were only 20 worldwide cases of BSE – a 99% reduction since the peak in 1992 of 37,311 cases. Essentially, the government and the industry took steps to control the disease before it became a real problem in the United States. This is good news. 

3.  The carcass never entered the food chain. It didn't even come close. The carcass was routinely tested at a renderer and discovered to be positive for BSE. Officials were immediately notified, and the carcass will be further tested and then destroyed.

4.  BSE is not transmitted through milk, says USDA Chief Veterinarian John Clifford.

5.  The system worked! If there's one thing we can take away from this entire situation, it's that the testing systems we have in place to protect our food supply worked. Amen and hallelujah.

So what does it all mean on our farm tonight? We will continue on with our normal veterinary care, and – I'm not gonna lie - we will rejoice that we don't have calves to sell in three weeks. Livestock marketing experts predict that markets will recover, but we can still be grateful to not have that kind of stress. We've got enough to worry about right now, what with planting a corn crop and all.

 But most importantly, we'll have steak tonight. And we'll drink a glass of milk. And we'll give thanks that we are part of the safest and most abundant food supply chain in the world.

 You should, too.

Holly Spangler
Marietta, Illinois

 

Ingredients:

1-1/4 pounds boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut 3/4 inch thick
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, divided
2 tablespoons water
3 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach
1/2 cup sliced green onions
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 cups hot cooked rice, prepared without butter or salt

Instructions:

1.    Cut beef steak lengthwise in half and then crosswise into 1/4 inch strips. Toss with sesame oil and garlic.
2.    Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add beef (1/2 at a time); stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until outside surface is no longer pink. Remove from skillet.
3.    In same skillet, add bell pepper, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and water; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until pepper is crisp-tender. Add spinach and green onions; cook until spinach is just wilted. Stir in ketchup, remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce and beef; heat through. Serve over rice.

Lynn Martz
Larson Farms
Maple Park, Illinois

 

Recipe from Beef It's What's For Dinner.