Dirt Road Charm

Motherhood, Agriculture, and everything in between

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Greatest Parody EVER!! I'm Farming and I Grow It

So if you are in agriculture and maybe even not I'm sure you have seen the youtube video that went viral from Peterson Farm Bros. "I'm Farming and I Grow It".  This video has got to be one of the greatest videos on youtube thus far!!!  This video has really put them on the map.  One of the greatest aspects of them being recognized is that they really have a passion for what they do and want to inform the public of what they do and why. 

These talented and creative young men are from a cattle ranch in Kansas and I would encourage you to check out this video and the many others that they have posted to promote agriculture and tell their story! 


Also check out some of their other videos : Feeding Cattle on a Livestock Farm, Wheat Harvest on a Family Farm in Kansas
                                                     
Enjoy!  Ps.....I'm headed to Napa Valley tomorrow so be waiting for some awesome pics and great wine info!!!           

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

CNN: Eatocracy....what farmers want you to know about your beef!

Through social media I have had the opportunity to meet many amazing people that have the same passion for agriculture as I do.  Recently one of the people I follow Ryan Goodman wrote an article for CNN's Eatocracy Series about what a farmer wants you to know about how beef gets to your plate.

Ryan is a rancher from Arkansas that has a deep passion for agvocating the agriculture industry.  He does an amazing job of trying to connect producers and consumers and encourage people to ask questions about agriculture and get involved.

I encourage all of you to to check out his article and at the end there is a poll you should take.  It is amazing to me to see the results coming from a rural town where farmers/ranchers are a way of life!
Check out the article, take the poll, and give Ryan a follow because you are sure to learn a ton from him!!!

Friday, June 15, 2012

Favorite thing Friday!

Good morning!!!! I am attempting a blog post from my iPhone blogger app! We shall see how well this works!

I have recently turned our spare bedroom into my closet. My clothes were starting to overtake the bedroom and I had no where to put my jewelry do I though turning the spare room into a walk in closet was genius!!

My color scheme was obviously turquoise and I found a cowhide rug to incorporate as well. Looks pretty sharp if I do say so myself! Recently was perusing on Etsy and found this awesome treasure and had to have it!

If you go to Etsy and find the store White Faux Taxidermy they will hook you up with any colors you want!!

Have a great weekend!!

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Rachel Ray......please get your facts straight

I recently heard that Rachel Ray was on The View and may have made a not so factual statement.  This is very frustrating because so many people look up to celebrities for the truth and when they make a false statement people seem to run with it without getting the facts.

Whoopi was about to bite into one of Rachel's Cuban patty melts when she asked if it was ok to eat burgers with a red center.  The burger looked a little pink and she was concerned if it would make her sick.  Rachel responded that if it was organic or grass fed then it was safe from E.coli and the recent food recalls were from mass produced meat.  Well this really got me thinking because I couldn't wrap my head around how it could really make a difference in the diet.  Don't get me wrong, I am not about to say that a certain way or raising and feeding cattle is better than another.  That is the best part about America is that we have a choice and everyone is entitled to their own choice.

I was out to find if a forage diet was resistant to E.coli compared to a grain fed diet as she referred to as mass produced.  Now the organic part confuses me because you can feed an organic grain based diet and an organic forage based diet so........not sure what she was insinuating there.  After much investigating of research it seemed to be the consensus that with cattle being fed different diets of grain or forage both had the capability to produce or did produce E.coli.  Both diets have shown to have no resistance to E.coli.  One of the best papers I found that explained this in easy to read format was that of Washington State University-College of Veterinary Medicine.

With that being said I would just like to say to all of you consumers out there to please get the facts before you make a decision instead of listening to celebrities or high profile people that may not speak the whole truth.   The safest way to ensure that you won't get E.coli from your burgers is to make sure they are cooked thoroughly.  So go out and grill yourself some delish summer beef!!!!

Thursday, June 7, 2012

June is Dairy Month!!!!!

With June being dairy month I find myself justifying ice cream more often than I probably should be.  However I suppose I'm going to have to let it slide and support my local dairy farmers!!  I interact with dairymen on a daily basis with my job and they definitely have a job that most of us take for granted.  Many people don't have the slightest idea of what is all involved in getting that gallon of milk to your table.

One of my customers recently got a large rotating cow brush.  It reminds me of a large car wash brush.  They are really fun to watch because the cows absolutely love them and it is like a massage for us.  Here is a little clip of what one of these look like and how they run.  They are really neat and the cows love them......now this is cow comfort!!!


Join in and celebrate dairy month and treat yourself to some ice cream or purchase an extra gallon of milk!!!

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Scott Shelby...take a listen to this guy!!!

So most of you may know by now that I love music and love anything that may not be mainstream.  Texas country is my absolute favorite and I love finding new bands and singers that are trying to make it big.  Most of them write their own music and you can just feel the passion in their songs because most of them tell a story of real life circumstances. 

I was recently introduced to the music of Scott Shelby who is an aspiring singer and animal enthusiast.  I was slightly skeptical because I have heard music from many aspiring singers that has been amazing and really bad.   Well let me just say I was blown away.  His voice is amazing and there definitely is a big future ahead for this guy.  I want you all to take a listen....


Another cool thing about Scott Shelby is that his love for cattle definitely shines through.  All exhibitors that are showing at any Junior National show gets a free CD!! How cool is that!

Take a listen and have a great weekend!!