Michigan Meatout Day, More From Trent Loos...

More on the "Michigan Meat-Out Day"...this is from Trent Loos, a 6th generation rancher from Nebraska, and Ag Advocate....(as printed on his blog page)

Friday, March 19, 2010



Thank you Governor Granholm
As our nation celebrated National Ag Week and Ag Day last week some interesting developments took place, particularly in the state of Michigan. If you missed it, Governor Jennifer Granholm signed a proclamation declaring National Ag Day as “Michigan Meat-out Day.” I fail to understand why so many of the elitists of this country want to apologize for the abundant food system we have created. Meat of all types contributes to a healthy lifestyle and the American consumer has access to meat items in the store at the most reasonable prices of any consumer worldwide.

At a time when so many people want to be “green” and efficient, we should be celebrating that we have a nutrient dense food substance such as meat. In fact, if you eat a 3 oz. serving of beef you get the most nutrient dense profile of any food substance. Calorie for calorie, nothing offers a greater balance and nutrient punch than meat. Vitamin B12, vitamin B6, zinc, iron and, of course, protein but I don’t want to forget the other nutrient that many Americans are short of today - healthy fats.


Americans are lacking most all of these ingredients, including good fats, in their diet. In fact, many in the scientific field are learning that every single one of those key nutrients mentioned above are also important for proper mental health. While often not discussed, depression continues to be a growing problem in the United States. Depression tends to occur even more often in more affluent families. Why?


I believe that affluent people are most often the individuals that reduce or eliminate meats and natural fats from their diet because they think that they are making a healthier choice while they fail to recognize the key nutrients that meat provides to human health.


A growing body of scientific evidence has shown that kids who do not eat meat often enough suffer in cognitive development and IQ scores. I point to the recent study from the University of North Carolina that suggests that all pregnant women should consume bacon and eggs every morning in order to improve the IQ of their unborn babies.


On one of my recent trips to California I learned that many farmers with grape vineyards are actually taking out acres of grapes and putting in olive trees. Olive oil is the new rage in health circles because it is the “heart healthy” fat thanks to the Omega 3 benefits. While I think olive oil is great and use it from time to time myself, the intramuscular fat from beef and the fat from bacon both contain the same exact monounsaturated fats found in olive oil. So if you really wanted to improve both your health and your intelligence you would fry your eggs in olive oil right next to the bacon every morning.


This should be a time in our culture that we truly celebrate the many benefits and opportunities for choice that we have as American consumers. No other country in the world has access to all of the nutritious foods that we do and we offer them so inexpensively. The fact that year after year we spend less that 10% of our disposable income on food is the primary reason that we take this bountiful food supply for granted. Not only is it inexpensive but the shelves are always full. Think about how panicked consumers are when they are stockpiling for an impending storm and they go the grocery store only to find that their neighbors have beat them to the punch. What if this were an every day occurrence and not just something that you might experience once in your lifetime? Most of us are so spoiled that we are disappointed if we go to the store and they don’t have our favorite style of bread or the milk we like best. So indeed, National Ag Day, a day set aside to bring a greater awareness to the importance of the efforts of farmers and ranchers toward human health, should come to the forefront. If it takes the ignorance of the Governor of Michigan to get it done and help it make a bigger splash in the media, perhaps that is even better. It seems that bacon and eggs may have been missing in the cognitive development of someone in the Great Lakes State!


Posted by Trent Loos at 8:11 AM
For your information, Trent, Governor Granholm hails from Canada.  Michiganders are equal opportunity employers, well, maybe not anymore!

Here is another story from Wood TV Channel 8,   Meatout-Day (click on)


Until next time,

Eat Meat!

Bittersweet Moments...

Sometimes in your life, you realize that there really are bittersweet moments. They may be the few times when you have worked hard to realize a goal and then it actually does become a reality. I'm not really sure whether a bittersweet moment has actually crossed my path, until now.
This past week I strived at achieving a goal. I wanted something and I went out and got it. I have no regrets. But I do have feelings. When achieving your dream also means ending someone else's, that is not a feeling of defeat...but rather an almost empty feeling. Remember that when one door closes, another door opens...and life does go on.
So the next stage of my life is to represent the members of Michigan Farm Bureau, as Director At-Large. I will not take this job lightly, I will do my best to promote agriculture and stand up for the thousands of farmers in Michigan who rely on a group of people that truly care about this industry. I will help to promote them, to educate them and to encourage them, because farming is not just a way of life, it is life!!
Until next time,
Jennifer

The Milk in Michigan is COLD today!!

Happy Thursday!

Today we have had our first "official" snow fall (meaning it has stuck to the ground just so you can see it.) Yep, you heard me - that dreaded 4 letter word!! SNOW. Oh Lord, I haven't even gotten all my fall work done yet. It's too early for this!! But the milk in Michigan is cold today!!

We just finished corn chopping- I will show you that later with pics-and still have to chop some sorghum sudan grass. All to feed the hungry cows!! Then it's full steam with harvesting soybeans and corn. And with the rainy weather every other day, it's been difficult to manage all this.

We will still pray for an "Indian Summer", you know when it actually warms up again! And if we're lucky, we'll get a long enough one to keep moving on the harvest and be done by Thanksgiving. That would definitely be a time for celebration!

So bear with me while I get my extra jobs done and I can move on to the next and get back to posting to keep all of you updated and informed.

Until next time,

Jennifer

The Last Fair in Michigan...for 2009!

What happens every year in Southern Michigan during the last weekend of September? The County Fair!! Yes, the smells of caramel corn, the sound of amusement rides, combine derby's and some "Famous Country Singer", and the sights of animals and kids!!


Oh how I love the county fair!! When I was a kid, my neighbors (the Nichols family) were the managers of the fair. They were also like my second family, and back then there were benefits of being "family" when the county fair started! I met "famous" people and rode all the rides for free (remember this was a long time ago-haha). It's great when you are ten years old and can stay late at the fairgrounds because you are doing the "rounds" with the "manager". I fell in love with the fair back then and still can't get enough of it today (just ask my husband).

I started my 4-H club when my oldest was 7 and now he's 20. My daughter's last year was in 2008 and I'm down to one last child showing at the fair, and he's 16. I'm already dreading the day when it will be his last fair. But maybe then I will start to take things to the fair for myself? I've wanted to enter photos for the last three years, but still haven't gotten that done. I will have more time to spend in the "Little Red Barn", the one our County Dairy Promoters sell milk and ice cream out of. And yes, much more time for chit-chat!!

So this fair was just as good as all the others. My 4-H kids did exceptionally well, as usual. Many blue ribbons were won, along with some Grand Champions and Best of Class awards, too.

Although my family raises cows, we don't take them to the fair. We have a strict policy of keeping our herd separate from other cows so as not to pick up any type of sickness that could lead to whole herd contamination. My children, instead, take other animals that don't come home, along with crop projects. We sell the animals at the end of the week and the "buyers" have the option to take them for meat or send them to the "market" where they will end up on someonelse's table. It is a win-win situation. The kids are able to use their money for next year's animal project and the buyers are supporting the "educational process" that took place over the past 3-12 months. We are very fortunate to have dedicated people support the youth in our county. My family, in turn, are supporters of the 4-H kids as well. We purchased some ducks and sheep this year.

My 4-H club members also take a wide variety of craft and food and crop projects along with educational exhibits. And so it goes, long months of preparation to display your "harvests" at the county fair, and in one week it is all over until next year. But what a great week it is!!

Until next time,

May the fair season Moo-ve your way!

Michigan Agriculture-What Does the Future Hold?

Check this out!! HSUS has infiltrated Michigan, and although a coalition of farm commodity groups and organizations was formed, the pressure got to some and a compromise was initiated.

Some say the future is uncertain for agriculture here. Please support your local farm families as this is their way of life. Feeding the world-that's what it's all about! But it may be the world feeding us-sooner than you think!


http://advocatesforag.blogspot.com/2009/09/michigan-caves-to-hsus-pressure.html