Brownfield

The Grain Board Blog

The U.S. Grains Council communications department recently launched a new blog.  “The Grain Board”  was created to serve as an open forum to discuss the latest trade developments, U.S. agriculture, Council happenings and whatever else comes to mind.

Check it out: http://www.thegrainboard.com/.

All a-twitter

Twitter, FaceBook, blogging, podcasting, texting and a whole lot of other topics were part of a discussion at National AgriMarketing Conference in Atlanta, Georgia Friday morning. 

David Brazeal, General Manager of Learfield InterAction (part of the Brownfield team) was a panelist during a very insightful session Friday morning at NAMA.  Despite the fact that most people stayed up WAY too late at the Brownfield party the night before, there was not an empty seat in the room and the conversation was engaging. 

Modern day Space Cowboy

This is way cool.  The Missouri Farmers Union "policy guy" Richard Oswald blogs about being a Space Cowboy.

With GPS technology, today's farmers are monitoring yields better, spreading fertilizer more efficiently, and eating lunch on the job.

Thanks Richard for sharing this link with Julie Harker.

Another great website

Dairy Farming Today is without a doubt one of the most informative, educational, comprehensive websites out there.   The home page sets the stage for what you'll find:

 Dairy farmers work hard every day to bring you fresh, great tasting, wholesome milk products. Almost all dairies are family-owned, and as active members of their communities, farm families take pride in maintaining natural resources. That means preserving the land where they live and work, protecting the air and water they share with neighbors, and providing the best care for their cows—the lifeblood of their business.

There is a Farmer Spotlight section, a Myth vs. Fact section, a section onDairy Technology, and a Dairy Dictionary that features a definition of everything from ear tag to somatic cell count.

If I taught Kindergarten or College-level Dairy Science, I'd find something valuable on this site to use in my teaching plan.  From life on the farm to caring for the environment to quality and safety - it is all right there at your fingertips.

I give this site an A+.

Check it out!

-Cyndi Young

Another website and blog I like

I like farm blogs and websites.  Gilmer Dairy Farm in Lamar County, Alabama has a great website and Dairyman's Blog.

The website home page tells the farm story:

Gilmer Dairy Farm has been producing high quality, Grade-A milk for over fifty years in Lamar County, Alabama.  Spanning three generations of family ownership and management, the farm has grown to a present day herd size of 450 Holstein cows and heifers.  By focusing on sound management practices such as cow comfort and environmental stewardship, Gilmer Dairy Farm will continue to be a successful family farm for many years to come.  Our attention to detail and commitment to quality allows us to continually provide our friends and neighbors with a safe, flavorful, nutritious product.

The dairyman blogger is Will Gilmer:

I'm a 30 year old, third generation Alabama dairy farmer. I returned home to farm with my father in 2001 after graduating from Miss. State University. My wife is a 1st Grade teacher and we have a 3 year old son. I'm involved in several farming organizations and lead the young adults Sunday School class at my church.

You can follow Will on Twitter, too.

-Cyndi Young

Featured blog

I'm starting a new "feature" on the Brownfield Blog.  Every week (or more frequently if I see the need) I will share with you a link to a blog that I find interesting, informative, entertaining or for some other reason, I think it is worth your while to check it out.  This week the blog is Nebraska Corn Kernels. 

The "About this blog" description reads:

Welcome to Nebraska Corn Kernels, a blog that highlights information about Nebraska's most abundant crop.

Since there's more to Nebraska than corn, you'll find other things here, too. From the abundance of Nebraska's agriculture sector to renewable fuels like ethanol. Or something about life in Nebraska or American agriculture in general.

Posts on Nebraska Corn Kernel may written by several people, including David Buchholz (dave@teamdavid.com), who leads the charge at David & Associates, and Mike Howie (mike@teamdavid.com), a writer who works with Dave.

There are a LOT of blogs out there and no one who actually does anything other than read blogs has time to view them all, but this one is well worth checking out. 

In the Brownfield archives

What were you doing 4 years ago today?  I was in the air, flying to Brazil, the first stop on an amazing around-the-world tour.  I was invited along to record the trip, which was held to recognize Valmont Irrigation's 50th anniversary:

The Valley World Tour Sweepstakes was recently held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Valmont Irrigation's founding of center pivot irrigation. As winners of the sweepstakes, four Valley customers and their guests traveled to Brazil, South Africa and Australia.

I blogged my adventures on the Brownfield website.  It was without a doubt, one of the most amazing experiences in my broadcast career. The most surreal part of the trip was the visit to a game preserve in Zimbabwe.  We saw all types of wild animals, including zebra and cape buffalo. 

Here's a sample post from my blog:

February 21, 2005

Just passing through the airport on my way to Sydney

If you were wondering if I had fallen off the face of the earth, you were only half right. I was in Zimbabwe, near Victoria Falls, for the week-end and had no internet access. I had no telephone in my "hut."

To give you an idea of how far out in the bush I was, Security kept me from returning to my room after dinner "until the hippos passed through."

I have very little time to blog, as I am at the airport in South Africa, getting ready to board a flight for Sydney, Australia. Let me just say that farmers in Brazil, the U.S., Zimbabwe, and South Africa, share many similarities.

Topics of discussion on the way to the airport in Victoria Falls this morning: government farm subsidies, water rights, and biotechnology.

More later from Australia. . .