17 Mar
CFB and other Colorado Ag groups celebrated National Ag Day on Wednesday at the state Capitol in Denver. The Colorado House also passed a resolution supporting and celebrating Colorado Agriculture. The Colorado Ag Council donated $65,000 in cash and in-kind donations of food the the Food Bank of the Rockies.
15 Mar
Mike Barnett of Texas Agriculure Talks, the Texas Farm Bureau blog, wrote today about some important aspects of the agriculture industry that consumers need to know. His comments are apropos of March 15, National Agriculture Day.
Mike says that while there is no shortage of safe and wholesome food in this country, there are those who would bite the hand that feeds them. He says that there are 5 things that may be hard truths for ag critics to stomach, but they are truths nonetheless.
America is a lucky nation.
Our food is abundant. Our food is safe. Our food is affordable.
From this little corner of cyberspace, I salute farmers and ranchers. They are the reason America enjoys food security. They are the reason we celebrate National Agriculture Day.
We would agree.
15 Mar
Today is National Ag Day. Ag Day is about recognizing and celebrating the abundance provided by agriculture. Every year, producers, agricultural associations, corporations, universities, government agencies and others across America join to recognize the contributions of agriculture.
National Ag Day falls during National Ag Week that runs through Saturday.
The Agriculture Council of America hosts the campaign on a national level. However, the awareness efforts in communities across America are as influential—if not more—than the broad-scale effort. AFB Women’s Chair Terry Gilbert serves as vice chair of ACA.
Click here to find who America’s MVPs are by reading the winning essay in the Ag Day essay contest and watching the winning video.
11 Mar
The Colorado General Assembly will present a House Joint Resolution, sponsored by Rep. Sonnenberg and Sen. Schwartz, on Wednesday, March 16th, in recognition of National Ag Week and in celebrating National Ag Day in Colorado.
At Noon there will be a press conference on the West Steps of the State Capitol followed by a sandwich lunch prepared by members of the Colorado Ag Council.
Press Conference Agenda
11 Mar
Alistair Polson (center right) and Terry Meikle (far right) met with CFB leadership this week to discuss trade.
Yesterday, Don Shawcroft and Troy Bredenkamp met with Alistair Polson, New Zealand’s Special Agricultural Trade Envoy and Terry Meikle, the New Zealand Embassy’s Secretary for Trade and Agriculture. The meeting was an informal way to share about agriculture issues from two countries across the Pacific Ocean from each other. Mr. Shawcroft and Mr. Bredenkamp provided a survey of Colorado agriculture and the issues we face. Mr. Polson was particularly interested in Colorado’s water administration system and how water is balanced between ag and urban needs.
Mr. Polson, himself a sheep and cattle rancher in New Zealand, spoke about his countries support for the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and asked that Colorado farmers and ranchers support the effort. The TPP is a trade agreement between 9 Pacific Rim nations. Is is currently in the negotiation stage and the 6th round will take place at the end of this month.
The TPP could open up many Pacific nations to U.S. goods, services and agricultural products.
Mr. Polson met with the Commissioner John Stulp, Leprino Cheese, JBS Swift, and other ag groups during his two day tour of Colorado.
3 Mar
CFB member and former CFB communications intern Elisa Sagehorn was recently profiled in the Holyoke Enterprise over her involvement with ag education and promotion. Elisa is a National Collegiate Ag ambassador and member of the Colorado Young Farmers Education Association. As part of both organizations Sagehorn educates 
the public in Colorado about agriculture and the rural lifestyle.
Sagehorn said as a presenter, spokesperson and ambassador for agriculture, she absolutely loves working with individuals across the state of Colorado and beyond.
“It’s given me the key to switch over my career,” said the 2008 HHS grad, noting she is now an ag education major at CSU.
With Sagehorn’s new role as an Ag Ambassador, she is excited to take on this “challenge” of agricultural literacy. She mentioned the road is going to be a long one, but programs like USDA’s Agriculture in the Classroom and National FFA’s Food for America are great starting points.
Read the entire piece at the Holyoke Enterprise online.
25 Feb
In an upbeat and optimistic Governor’s Forum on Colorado Agriculture, speakers weighed in on what Colorado agriculture producers can expect from their industry in the future. This year’s theme was “Today’s Vision for Tomorrow’s Food System.”
In his remarks to the gathering, Gov. Hickenlooper said that he has learned much about the importance of agriculture and rural Colorado over the course of his campaign.
“I realized that rural areas are what gives Colorado its identity,” he said. “It’s the rural areas that make Denver, Denver.”
19 Jan
The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture launched its new and enhanced version of “MyAmericanFarm.org,” a free online interactive gaming platform, that focuses on third- through fifth-grade students. The new version offers more agriculture-related games and activities for kids coupled with additional educator resources.
“My American Farm” was developed to engage millions of youth, teachers and parents through unique educational experiences, educator resources and fun family activities in an online environment.
“One of the main things we tried to do was not only provide these games, but also provide resources and ways to search the site so educators can find information easily by subject matter and agricultural themes and topics,” said Curtis Miller, director of education for the foundation. “We also have fun family activities for when kids come home from school and they have that time on the computer.”
7 Jan
The FarmWife Project is one of the most interesting collective voices in Colorado agriculture. The project consists of a collaborative weblog featuring writings from farm and ranch women across Colorado. These women come from many different sectors of the ag industry and give readers a glimpse into the lives of agriculturists in Colorado, from a feminine perspective of course!
The first FarmWife Project workshop will teach interested women about the opportunities available to share their stories with the general public. The workshop will concentrate on writing, telling the “iced tea tales”, blogging and advocating for agriculture. It will give participants all the tools necessary to be an effective online communicator and a star part of the FarmWife Project.
The event will be on Saturday Jan. 15, 2011, at the Colorado Farm Bureau Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is open to any woman interested in contributing to the project.
There will also be a live webcast of the event for those who cannot attend the event. Those interested in attending the webcast should contact Rachel Vermillion at Rachel@lincolncountyfb.com.
The FarmWife Project was founded by Rachel Vermillion, a Lincoln County FarmWife, ag teacher and agriculturist. She is a director on the Lincoln County Farm Bureau Federation Board and was the winner of the Colorado Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher Emerging Leader award and, with her husband, Jason, the winner of the Colorado Farm Bureau Excellence in Agriculture Award.
For more information about the FarmWife Project, visit http://vermillionfarms.wordpress.com
29 Dec
The first meeting of the FarmWife Project will be Saturday Jan. 15, 2011 at the Colorado Farm Bureau Center. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. and run to 3 p.m.
The workshop-style meeting will focus on writing, becoming an agvocate, and building relationships with women across Colorado agriculture.
If mountains stand in your way, let me know and we will arrange to have you join us via technology. The FarmWife Project is growing and a great way to get a jump on your New Year’s Resolutions. If you would like more information, please visit us at http://vermillionfarms.wordpress.com or email Rachel Vermillion at rachel@lincolncountyfb.com
See you in January!
28 Nov
The Farmwife Project is beginning to take shape and it may very well be one of the coolest projects around.
In the upcoming weeks, a group of agvocates are coming together right here on this site. They raise hogs, cattle, potatoes, bees, and children. They are farmwives, daughters, sisters, and mothers. And they are one of the most interesting collective voices of Colorado agriculture.
We are the Real Farmwives of Colorado and we will each be writing periodic blog entries that will appear on the Vermillion Farms blog. We will be agvocating and telling the stories that we would share with our sisters or our girlfriends at the kitchen table.
We will also have the opportunity to get together soon and the day will include chocolate, a photo shoot, a discussion about the issues we wish to address and…well, more chocolate.
You’ll be hearing more soon from The Real Farmwives of Colorado! If you’re interested in being a part of the Farmwife Project, please email me at rachel@lincolncountyfb.com for more information.
18 Nov
Agriculture awareness is becoming an ever critical component of our daily lives. Unfortunately, there some organizations are out to portray the most negative image of agriculture possible. The Humane Society of the United States released an undercover video today showing alleged animal abuse and food safety problems at Cal-Marine Foods, the nation’s largest egg producer.
For 28 days concluding this month, an HSUS undercover investigator was employed at one of Cal-Maine’s two egg farms in Waelder, Texas. The HSUS report details brutalities and conditions that would make anyone shudder. The Texas Farm Bureau commented, “the small number of producers who abuse the privilege of raising and caring for food animals give a black eye to those who do it right. There is no excuse for animal cruelty. Individual producers should adopt a zero tolerance policy and work to get those who abuse animals out of business.”
It is because of these blatant attempts to bully the agriculture industry that we as agriculturists must stand together and share our story. Sites like Conversation Care and Feedstuffs (to name a few) are taking a step in sharing the heartfelt stories of how we as agriculturists really care. Here at the Farm Bureau, we are dedicated to protecting and advocating agriculture. Now, we need you. Take a minute and write a letter to your editor, comment on a blog post or visit with someone at the gas station in town. Let’s stand together and share the real image of agriculture: an industry that cares and works hard for the consumer.
16 Nov
As an agriculture teacher, I get a number of requests throughout the course of the day. Last night, I answered a phone call and heard the sweet and slightly desperate voice of Patty.
Patty, a middle school teacher in Colorado Springs, organized a food drive at her school and the main attraction at the all-school assembly was a Kiss a Pig contest. She told me she had no idea it would be so difficult to locate a pig for said contest and someone had given her our phone number after a string of odd and unproductive phone calls.
She was desperate and I tried not to chuckle when she offered to “pay the pig for his or her time”.
10 Nov
USDA has submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission to support development of the National Broadband Plan based on USDA’s considerable experience in financing broadband projects in rural areas. The FCC is implementing the plan to guide broadband deployment nationwide.
“Robust economic growth and job creation in rural America depend on the quality and reach of broadband networks, where distance and density restrain economic activity,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Broadband networks create economic opportunity and open unparalleled access to health care, educational, cultural and public safety services essential for over 50 million Americans who live in rural areas.”
12 Oct
Th Beef Board says consumers increasingly see modern agriculture and cattle production as “factory farming” and are looking for strategies to counter this perception.
One of the tools activists use to denigrate modern agriculture is the term “factory farming,” which British writer Ruth Harrison first used in 1964 in her book Animal Machines to describe her perceptions of modern farming practices in Great Britain.
In recent years, the reference to “factory farming” has been used with increasing frequency in both conventional and online/social media to signify anything and everything that activists see as bad in livestock and poultry production, including animal suffering, excessive use of antibiotics and hormones and environmental and food safety problems, according to an analysis by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board.
In response, the board conducted a beef checkoff-funded study to determine the extent to which the term factory farming has infiltrated the public psyche. Noting that “it isn’t what people don’t know that causes problems; it’s what they do know that isn’t true,” the board explained that the objective of the study was to determine how linked the factory farming term is to beef production and how to counter negative associations.
8 Oct
USDA recently launched a school lunch recipe contest that excludes meat from the recipe categories. That move, along with the USDA Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s recommendation to move to a plant-based diet, is sending the wrong message to consumers, says Kristina Butts, director of legislative affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).
Butts encourages grassroots consumers and producers to submit recipes to USDA showcasing how lean beef compliments vegetables and fruits. “USDA never specified that they won’t accept meat recipes but failed to include a specific category for the protein,” she says. “We have plenty of well-balanced recipes that include beef, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. We encourage our members to step up and show beef working in a healthy diet.”
4 Oct
Animal welfare is a hot topic in agriculture news right now and Temple Grandin is on the forefront of animal behavior. After an award winning video release, Temple Grandin shares her thoughts on revolutionizing animal welfare in U.S. agriculture with Agri-Pulse. Her comments can be found at the Agri-Pulse.
24 Sep
Fans of farmers’ markets don’t always agree on the fine points of what defines the folksy bazaars, but they concur on what farmers’ markets aren’t: chain grocery stores selling fruits and vegetables on their supermarket doorsteps.
Some states have come up with legal definitions for farmers’ markets, and California even certifies farmers and markets that only sell growers’ own produce. But the state can’t prevent an event or store from using the term “farmers’ market.”
Farmers’ market supporters are also becoming concerned about chains that use the term in their names, even though the stores may promote fresh and healthy foods. Phoenix-based Sprouts Farmers Market, founded in 2002, has grown to 51 stores in Arizona, Texas, California and Colorado.
Cynthia Torres, director of the Colorado Farmers’ Market Association, said Sprouts isn’t a “bad organization” and she supports any purchases they make from Colorado farmers. But, she added, “I also want there to be some integrity” for the term “farmers’ market.”
22 Sep
A short bio describes Craig Colorado sheepman Yuri Chicovsky thusly:
You know when you’re driving along a desolate western highway, and you see one of those resilient plants, uprooted by the wind and blown between counties, come to rest in the embrace of a rusty old barbed wire fence? That’s Yuri Chicovsky. A tumbleweed. Who is, until the next big storm, stuck happily between a sagebrush and a strange place. He’s an artist and a teacher and now he’s making his first film.
The upcoming film, “Fortification” gets its name from Fortification Valley near Craig, CO and documents the lives of Northwestern Colorado sheepmen . Yuri describes the documentary film as the movie that will “Change the way you look at sheep, men with moustaches, and guts.” When asked, he also says the movie is about “the smell of sagebrush.” The film also features long time CFB member Albert Villard.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
To get the project off the ground Yuri needs your help. His film needs to raise $11,000 in short order. You can help make sure this documentary film about a unique aspect of Colorado agriculture is completed by helping to fund the project. Go to the film’s fundraising site on Kickstarter.com to contribute today!
17 Sep
Media attention to animal welfare issues corresponds to lower demands for meat both in that quarter and the following quarter, according to an economic analysis from Kansas State University.
The researchers created an index of stories about animal welfare presented in top U.S. newspapers and magazines from 1982 to 2008 for the analysis. All indices (pork, poultry and beef) have gone up in recent years. Media attention to pork and poultry welfare issues was linked to reduced pork and poultry demand in an economic model that included these indices.
Beef demand did not seem to be directly related to increased media attention, but the industry is not immune, the researchers wrote.
“In particular, this study found increased media attention caused a reallocation of expenditures to nonmeat food rather than reallocating expenditure across competing meat products,” the report says, adding that the pork, poultry and beef industries are at risk if consumers respond to increased media coverage by cutting back on their total meat purchases
10 Sep
The last two years have been nothing but hard hits on the national image of agriculture. Michael Pollan’s string of best-sellers and emotionally captivating movies like Food, Inc., and King Corn are feeding consumers with false negative images of modern agriculture and agriculturists have had enough! Farm and public relation groups are taking an initiative to put truth into the consumer’s image of modern agriculture.
Billboards and magazine advertisements were spotted with “milk mustaches” not very long ago. The successful campaign significantly promoted the dairy image. “Milk Mustache” mastermind Tip Tipton is on board to try and bring similar positive campaigning to the entire agriculture industry.
8 Sep
As part of its focus on ag education and promotion, Centennial Club funds were recently distributed to NJC Collegiate Farm Bureau member Pete Ambrose. The funds were part of a sponsorship effort to support Pete’s trip to an African orphanage to help teach them modern agricultural practices. The orphanage currently houses 150 children and operates a local school for elementary aged youth.
“After a quick visit on a mission trip two years ago, recently I was fortunate enough to spend two weeks living and working in an orphanage outside of Wukro, Ethiopia. At the time of my last visit the orphanage had a bare minimum of the food they needed to get by. We purchased dairy cattle for them in hopes that they would be better able to provide for themselves,” said Ambrose in a thank you letter to CFB.
They currently have an operating dairy with forty cows. They are also growing everything from corn to oranges and their school is large enough to educate 300 children. I was privileged to use some of the funds provided by Colorado Farm Bureau to purchase 800lbs of fertilizer and 5 beehives for the orphanage. Without your support I would not have had the opportunity to experience this amazing trip. Thank You!”
1 Sep
The annual Colorado’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Junior Livestock Sale at the Colorado State Fair is the largest event of its kind in Colorado and the championship event for the state’s 4-H and FFA youth. According to preliminary totals, the 2010 sale accumulated approximately $359,675 from the state’s most dedicated bidders.
31 Aug
Social media hasn’t just hit the mainstream. It’s also hit the back roads and the back forty. Farm Bureau member Jeff Fowle, a fourth-generation farmer and rancher from northern California, said social media has become an important part of his daily routine.
“On Twitter currently I am almost at 23,000 followers and on an average day I reach between 900,000 and 1.3 million individuals,” Fowle said. “Of those, I expect approximately 30 to 40 percent actually see at least one of my tweets per day. More people are getting involved creating a Facebook page, getting on Twitter, utilizing YouTube to explain why, what and how they put food on the plate. The growth has been amazing.”
California rancher and Farm Bureau member, Jeff Fowle
Fowle is president of the AgChat Foundation, a group that focuses on helping farmers and ranchers use social media technology to share their stories and make connections with people not involved with agriculture.
“We have relied too long on having others share our story and the face of the American farmer has been forgotten,” he said. “And I think it’s time to put a face back on the plate, and I think social media is one opportunity for us to make tremendous progress in overcoming that adversity. More farmers and ranchers are getting their stories out to the public and there’s beginning to be more understanding. It’s no longer an ‘us vs. them,’ but it’s a building of a bridge in the community between the farmers and the public that is getting stronger and stronger every day.”
20 Aug
#78 enters turn 4 of the Bristol Motor Speedway
Driving the Farm American Chevrolet for Furniture Row Racing, Regan Smith will start 29th in Saturday’s IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
In Friday’s Sprint Cup time trials, Smith covered the high-banked, half-mile oval in 15.822 seconds at 121.274 miles per hour.
“We obviously wanted more out of our lap, but going out third in the heat didn’t help the cause,” said Smith. “We’ve come from the back many times this year and plan on doing it again tomorrow night. We’ll tweak the Farm American Chevy and give it all we have for our farmers and ranchers.”
Grabbing the pole for the 500-lap race was Jimmie Johnson. Rounding out the top-five in order were: Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, Tony Stewart and David Reutimann.
Saturday night’s race will be televised on ESPN, beginning with a 30-minute prerace show at 5 p.m. MT.
18 Aug
NASCAR.com has posted a feature story about the Farm American Program on its front page. Driver Regan Smith spoke with reporter Joe Menzer about the goal of the Farm American program and did a great job raising awareness about farm and ranch families across America.
“I think the most important aspect of this whole program is pointing out the importance of the food chain. Even me, until we got going with this program and I started educating myself on it and trying to understand how important farming is to America, I didn’t have a true realization of it. I think it’s probably fair to say that a lot of Americans are that way. We see the food on the table, we see the food at the grocery store — but there is not always a connect as to how it gets there. … We need to make sure that it’s getting there safe and that the proper practices and so forth are being taken with it,” said driver Regan Smith in the interview.
“I think this whole thing came about because Barney and everybody at Furniture Row Racing said, ‘Man, this is something that needs to have attention drawn to it.'”
Read the entire interview and get more information about Saturday’s race at NASCAR.com
16 Aug
The paint scheme on Regan Smith’s No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet at this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Bristol, Tenn. will once again pay tribute to the American farmer and rancher.
The No. 78 Farm American Chevrolet during Saturday’s Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway is designed to promote the importance of U.S. agriculture, which is responsible for employing more than 22 million people in the American workforce.
The launch of Furniture Row Racing’s Farm American program in last month’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is being applauded by members of the American agriculture industry.
13 Aug
Furniture Row Racing driver Regan Smith will talk about his NASCAR team’s #78 Farm American Chevrolet tonight on the show Trackside on the SPEED TV channel. The show starts at 7 p.m. ET. The Farm American Chevrolet will hit the track once again in two weeks, during an Aug. 21 race at Tennessee’s Bristol Motor Speedway.
4 Aug
Agriculture producers will have the opportunity to get up-to-date on dry bean developments during the Colorado Dry Bean Field Day. Colorado State University and the Colorado Dry Bean Administrative Committee will hold a Dry Bean Field Day at three sites in eastern Colorado on Aug. 24.
The program starts at 8:30 a.m. on a farm near Lucerne. This site features one of the two Colorado dry bean trials featuring 36 different pinto bean varieties and experimental lines from the western United States. The varieties are from Colorado State University, University of Idaho, North Dakota State University and four private seed companies.
Participants will see the newest dry bean varieties, tour research plots and hear the most recent information on agronomic, disease and pest control practices for dry bean production in Colorado.
4 Aug
After twenty three years of rising costs, farmers finally get a taste of relief. Farm production expenditures decreased by nearly $20 billion last year according to the Farm Production Expenditures 2009 summary released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). After expenses set a record high in 2008, the decline is a welcomed change by farmers.
AFBF News & Info
Shawn Martini
Brent Boydston
Troy B
Chad Vorthmann
Crystal Frank
El Sagehorn
Garin Vorthmann
Rachel Gabel
The Pulse- of Colorado Farm Bureau 