A harvest in pictures

I don't claim or attempt to consider myself a photographer in any way.  I shoot with an iPhone and thanks to some apps my photos look slightly better than a toddlers. However I do love getting action shots of agriculture as I travel the countryside. 

Harvest has really picked up pace here the last couple days after a wonderful 4+ inches of rain and I wanted to share some of my wonderful better than a toddlers photos of the harvest happenings....Enjoy!

I might add according to all these photos we really like the green and yellow up here!

Fall Favorites......HELP!!!

Paleo friends, primal friends, healthy friends in general........I need your help!!!

So I have these cravings come fall that consists of pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice latte, apple crisp, apple cobbler, hot caramel apple cider......pretty much everything loaded with sugar.  Which is great and normal right?  Minus one glitch........apparently my thyroid has went on strike.

I know right?  What a useless piece of machinery up there.  How does it just stop working?  So with that comes a big problem.....fat.  Within the last year I have been working out multiple times a week even multiple times a day and.......nothing, like havent lost a pound or an inch. Ridiculous.  So I made an appt with an integrative doctor thanks to the advice of my badass trainer.  Apparently they are pretty legit and help to heal you as a whole instead of just the issue at hand like a regular doctor?  I don't know but I'm about to find out.....minus the fact that she is such a big deal she is booked out through October so I'm on a waiting list.

In the mean time I am on a paleo diet to help keep me from gaining 500 pounds until we figure out this thyroid thing.  I am supposed to limit sugars but fall and winter are the WORST times of the year!  So this is where all you foodies come in!

I need recipes!!!  I need good paleo healthy yummy recipes to curb these cravings of fall I'm having!!  I need tried and true recipes.  I have found some and tried them and they have tasted like ass so I want some that you all have tried and know are delicious!!!  Also what are some go to things that you eat when you are craving sweets that are a healthier alternative?

Any and all thoughts and recipes are greatly appreciated! 

Thanks friends!

Chipotle Ad Controversy.....the Parody is Spot On!!

I'm sure that many of you by now have seen or heard about the recent release of the "Scarecrow" ad by Chipotle.  This ad which is accompanied by a "cute"  (insert sarcasm and eye roll) little game that they created as well does a great job of sharing lies and false images of what the food industry is like today.  I'm not a fan of  the video nor would I want to send any more views their way so I will not be sharing the video.  I'm sure most of you are very capable of finding it yourselves.

However......I will share this video!  Funny or Die made this parody of the Chipotle ad and it couldn't have made me happier!  Check it out and I will explain why.

 

I love this because it shows that the audience isn't as naive as Chipotle would like to think they are.  The Huffington Post even wrote an article stating that this parody almost makes you feel guilty for believing their marketing gimmicks.  I love that they are bringing this to the attention of everyone and it's not only farmers and ranchers out there standing up it is the general public realizing this video just doesn't seem right!! That makes me smile and warms my heart!!

 My frustration arises when Chipotle tries to get away with bashing big Ag and make you believe that they bring you natural, antibiotic and hormone free meat; (Which might I add all meat is antibiotic free when it reaches the slaughter house, we were all born with hormones so it's hard to get rid of a naturally occurring thing), but with the size of the corporation we all know that just isn't possible.  They have even put out statements saying that they can not supply it all the time because of demand.  Now if you have to supplement with conventionally raised meat why in the world would you try to bash it?  You are willing to feed it to your customers so it must not be that bad right?  These are just my thoughts.

Have a great Friday and a great start to your weekend!!

AgChat, Youtility, and a lil Flatryan

This is what you come across when you get a group of agnerds together...epic genius my friends

This creative genius is compliments of my friend Nicole Small (Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom)  She told her husband she needed a portable phone charger so she can stay charged while out in the tractor working in the fields.......obviously this is what a man thinks of when you ask for a portable charger.  I feel Milwaukee's sales are going to increase quite substantially after this!

A couple weeks ago I had the amazing opportunity to again attend the great AgChat Foundation's annual conference in Charlotte, NC.  I wasn't initially going to attend this year but after being told to do so by the great Dairy Carrie and Ryan Goodman I obliged and am glad I did. 

For any of you that have never been it is a must do conference.  The first time I went last year I was just getting started on my agvocating adventure and this conference really got me to the next level.. Not only technology wise but the networking is bar none.  These are some of the best in the industry and to be able to learn one on one and ask questions is pretty much a great opportunity.

This year we got to hear from the great Jay Bear.  Pretty much a social media and marketing genius....hes pretty legit.

Everything that he said really hit home for me especially because I am in sales and the marketing advice he gave was dead on.  We need to quit selling our product and be more of a source of information.......nailed it!
I encourage all of you to check out his book youtility.  I mean he is a NY Times best selling author so you know it will be good!

One of the other perks of attending the conference is it is normally in a place where you can get bangin food. Last year it was in Kansas City and we had some of the best BBQ around and this year Charlotte didn't disappoint!

I am a sucker for BBQ and would eat it everyday.  If you are in Charlotte I would suggest McKoy's BBQ It was bangin!

On a side note.....while in NC at the Agchat conference the unveiling of #flatryan took place. Have you heard of the flatstanley series that went around many classrooms across the country last year?  If you haven't no worries....you can learn all about it HERE!  FlatRyan was lucky enough to come home with me and right when we got home we had to go breed some cows.....he was nothing but thrilled

So stay tuned for more adventures that #flatryan will be on.....he is pretty pumped that Michigan State kicks off the football season tonight!  Go Green!!!

And the winner is......

The winner of the painted leather cuff from the fabulous HD West is......

Courtney Bauer!!

Congrats!!  Email me your shipping address to dirtroadcharm@gmail.com!

I hope you all have a great Friday and if you didn't already know its National Cow Appreciation Day!!  If you are near a chick-fil-a and you dress up as a cow you get a free meal!!  Do it!

Enjoy!

Cowboy boot transformation + a Giveaway!!!!

Calling all boot fashionistas, boot obsessors, boot collectors, or anyone else out there that has a love for cowboy boots as big as I do!!  I am beyond excited to share this post with you because it is about one thing I am completely infatuated with......boots.  I had an old pair of boots sitting in my closet that I have only worn a handful of times but for some reason couldn't get rid of......well lets just say they got a face lift!!!

I have been following HD West for quite some time on facebook and even purchased a cuff from her and had a sign painted.  She recently was taking new orders to paint boots and I thought hey that would be the perfect thing for those old boots collecting dust in my closet!!  I cannot begin to explain how talented this lady is.  Words don't describe so take a look for yourself at my boot transformation!

 

 My boots before



 

And After!! 

 

 

 

Pretty amazing yeah?  Now for the best part.....A GIVEAWAY!!  Since I feel this lady is pretty legit I think it is only right to give you all a chance at a piece of her artwork!  I will be giving away one of her painted leather cuffs!  All you have to do is go like her page on facebook (click here) and then comment on this post that you liked her page and be sure to include your name!  I will draw a winner on Friday morning!!

 

This could be yours!!

 

Good luck and I hope you all have a great week!





No organic, grassfed, or gmo free?

This past weekend the Ohio Farm Bureau put on a summer tour for the Young Ag Professionals.  This event really intrigued me because they had many tour options and I felt it would be a great way to network with other members of farm bureau in the state as well as learn about some great places within the state.  Our tour stopped at Scioto Downs, North Market, and Watershed Distillery.

Our first stop was Scioto Downs race park.  This was pretty interesting to me as I really know little about horses, especially race horses but know a couple people that actually raise harness racing horses so it was neat to make the connection.  This is a very busy and dedicated sport.  It was very evident that these horses are treated like royalty.  Speaking with the trainers and Farrier they take great pride in the horses and the jobs that they do.

We also stopped at Watershed Distillery which is a craft distillery which makes vodka, gin, and bourbon.  It is neat to see these little craft distilleries in your home state that make their main focus to stay and support the state they originated.  These guys purchase all of their grains from within the state and do not push to sell a ton outside of the state as Ohio is their main focus. They have sold to markets in New York City and Chicago but only because they came to them!  That's pretty cool for a small operation!  They have unique tasting spirits and you all need to give them a try!!

My favorite stop of the day was at Columbus North Market.  This market is in the heart of Columbus and provides fresh local foods to the city and surrounding areas.  We had the opportunity to sit down with the owners of Bluescreek Farm Meats

Cheryl and David Smith

Photo courtesy of bluescreekfarmmeats.com

 

They’re a farm-raised, hardworking couple who have been selling their locally raised meats since 1993. They opened their mom-and-pop shop so they could sell directly to the consumer "because their meat is too good to sell any other way."  As you can tell they are very passionate about the meat that they are providing to their customers.  They raise their animals the "old fashioned way, like it should be" as they stated.  Their animals are raised on a rationed grain diet along with hay. This got the wheels turning in my head and made me wonder.....Do they get many people that come to them looking for organic, grassfed, or gmo free and walk away when they say no? 

 

I was surprised by her answer.  She said that over the last 3 years they have really seen an increase in the gmo free, organic, and grassfed question but 90%-95% will still purchase from them even though they don't carry those niche meats.  She said that most people just want to know how the animals are raised and that they care about the animals.  She commented that they looked into organic a few years ago and the price of grain and then the price they would have to charge their customers just wasn't worth it.  Plus the fact that they already feel they have a pretty superior product.  If it ain't broke why fix it?

 

I found this quite interesting.  I feel it goes to show that many people may have concerns because they read it on the Internet and hear all this negative info about conventionally raised animals but when it comes down to it, just being able to talk to the people that raise the animals and hearing about the operation is all that the consumer is really after.  This is why putting yourself out there for people to talk to you about why you do things they way you do and letting them see into your operation is crucial. 

 

There is a small but very vocal sector out there that is doing its best at fear mongering but I think this just shows that when you are willing to open your doors and show transparency and show you really are just wanting to provide the best quality product out there like the Smith's, people will trust you and your product and keep coming back for more!

 

Be sure to check out Bluescreeek Farms Meats both on facebook and their website as they offer classes to help you better understand cuts of meats and sharpen up on your meat knowledge!!

 

Have a safe and fun 4th of July holiday!!