Consumer is a word

That I really don't like.

To me, it carries the same connotation as 'educate'. We don't need to 'educate' consumers, we need to engage, interact, talk to - anything but educate. And now I feel 'consumer' has joined the group of words that make me cringe when I hear them used during agvocate-speak. I don't even like to hear myself say it because I'm sure it inadvertently comes out as demeaning or degrading.

"I am a producer and you are a consumer - allow me to impress you with my agriculture knowledge." Bleh. If I was a 'consumer', I'd smack me.

Do I have a solution? No. I don't get paid to find solutions. Actually, I don't get paid at all. Anyhow, I'm not the only ag blogger/speaker/representative who feels this way. I've spoken with a few others who recognize the problem, but like me don't really have a solution.

What do you think aggies? Anyone else feel this way? What are your thoughts? I feel we could eventually alienate our employers i.e. 'consumers', to the point that they don't want to hear what we have to say. At that point, they'll turn to other sources for ag and food info - Mark Bittman, Oprah, Kathy Freston, Wayne Pacelle, Ingrid Newkirk; folks who will likely not represent ag truthfully or positively.

For those of you reading this who aren't agvocates, producers etc - what do you think? Am I just imagining that using the word 'consumer' in this setting comes across as hoity-toity? Maybe so - actually, I hope so.

Would love to hear some feedback on this. And since Google images didn't have an overly impressive selection of photos for this topic here is a picture of the wheat fields near my house that are nearly completely turned.

Amber waves of grain

Picture from my Instagram feed (@brandibuzzard)

Until next time,

~Buzzard~

Gaga's Meat Dress Encore

Yes, she has it done again. Lady Gaga has donned another, albeit different, meatdress. This time she revealed the meatdress at a concert in Tokyo, Japan.

Early reports haven't stated what Gaga's message is regarding this latest meat masterpiece. In fact, they're not even sure it's made of real meat this time but the picture below sure screams for attention. I guess that's pretty fitting considering the wearer.

Photo courtesy here (Lady Gaga)

Until next time - stay meaty!

~ Buzzard ~

I spent my birthday money on...

Yes, I still get birthday money.

Don't ask me why but I think only a crazy person would turn down checks that arrive in the mail. As long as they keep showing up, I'll keep using them.

Anyhow, maybe I bought a new pair of these....I've only been wanting them since last May

Or perhaps I spent my money on some new jeans... I've really been needing two or three new pairs. I'm particulary attached to Silver Jeans and would love to have a pair of Big Star, Miss Me or BKE (although they'd break my budget).

I've also been wanting a coral blazer and some cute new summer dresses (check out my Pinterest boards to see what I'm talking about).

So what did I buy with my birthday cash?

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I bought some of this...

to feed to him.

This is my "child" and his name is Doc. He really really wants to mess up those shavings but I had to snap a picture first (with my new favorite app, Instagram! Follow me @brandibuzzard)

Yes, I bought prairie hay, pine shavings, fly spray and feed for my horse because I needed all of those supplies and I'm not very good at splurging on myself. I'm horrible at it really. Hyatt hates that and tried to get me to buy new jeans or some Vera Bradley pieces that I adore. But how could I shirk my responsibilities to feed and care for an animal who has been my A-team rope horse for an entire decade? I can't.

And since I have your attention, I am going to brag on this fabulous steed. This is Buzzard's Zanadoc (Doc) and I at the Hays College Rodeo in 2008.

Look how he burys up - gives me chills.

Pratt College Rodeo in 2007 in the short round. He works so hard and is automatic. Same run every time - breaks hard, runs fast, stops hard. Doesn't get off track, doesn't stray and always gives me the money shot. I love him.

He's carried me a long way - I roped my first calf off him in October 2002 and have rarely roped calves without him. He's been lame off and on; roping is hard on the hocks and legs in general. He's also clumsier than all get out (sound familiar?) and could get hurt in a padded room but he's worth every frustration, cent and minute. We raised him on the Buzzard ranch, out of one of Papaw's mares and he's a nephew to our great Quarter Horse stud Take Care O' Neall. He's laid up right now with a very swollen deep digital flexor tendon and I may never rope off him again (crossing my fingers that the vets are wrong) but he'll never be sold or traded off to another home. I'll feed him, care for him and adore him until the day he dies. I'll continue to boast of him long after he's gone. He's paid his dues and now it's time I pay mine.

This post was supposed to be about responsibility and taking care of livestock but it turned into much more than that. I'll never have another horse like Doc and I hope that every roper who reads this is reminded of that first good horse they had which probably still holds a soft spot in their heart today.

Until next time,

~ Buzzard ~

Avoid Eye Contact

This past weekend I got to check and feed cattle with my dad. In the rain. and mud. with no raincoat. on a horse that has two speeds: fast and flying.

and it was downright glorious.

prior to blazing across the pasture

The silent man and his introverted daughter; talking only when necessary and communicating mostly with the wave of an arm to signal "move up", "get around 'em" and "whoa." I enjoyed the entire experience, even when we had to fix a five-strand barbed wire fence that broke because of my poor judgement. oops

Growing up, I made a lot of mistakes. I'm relatively clumsy and I like to ride fast horses - not the best combo when moving heifers. So I learned quickly that if I made a mistake, making eye contact would only bring about the lecture I was going to get much more quickly. Avoid eye contact, prolong the lecture; if only a few minutes.

Head down and shoulders slouched, I got the wire stretchers, pliers and extra roll of wire from the back of the truck.

"Sorry - I didn't mean to."

"It's alright darlin' - I should have told you better."

Not the response I was expecting. No lecture, just understanding.

Make no mistakes, tough love and quick lessons were my childhood. Lessons I wouldn't have learned had I not been able to work on the farm with our 4-H livestock, horses and roping cattle. Lessons that are learned quickly and after only one mistake. You only let the steers get out once before you remember to ALWAYS shut the gate, even though you're only going to be in the lot for a few minutes. Responsibility - check. Additionally, you only get frapped once by a mean-spirited steer before you learn not to stand beside them. Cow-kicking is not a laughing matter, especially when you're seven. Attentiveness - check.

On a highly related note - I'm thankful that the Department of Labor withdrew their proposed regulations regarding children working on the farm. I know that my husband and I can raise our kids on the farm while instilling in them the values that we gleaned from our upbringings. We can throw them on a gentle giant and turn them loose in the arena or pasture to bring up the calves. Send them out the door with a bottle of milk replacer to nurse a new baby. Trust them to drive the feed truck when they're only 12. Memories and lessons, hand-in-hand.

"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man" - I reckon that's just about right Mr. Churchill. Sometimes what the heart needs is some time in the saddle.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

p.s. Thanks to EVERYONE for the birthday cards, texts, messages, phone calls and tweets. You are all too kind!

also - I'm not a photographer and don't claim to be, but I'm hopelessly addicted to the wonderful things that Instagram can do and that's what I used to take the pictures in this post. I take a lot of pointless pictures that you can see by following me (@brandibuzzard)!

Another One Bites the Gestation Crate Dust

While the rest of the U.S. is abuzz about a case of BSE being found in California - something I am not scared about at all, since I know the safety of our food supply (more on that here) - I am more concerned about this recent piece of news.

Burger King becomes first US national chain to pledge cage-free pork, eggs

That's right, another chain has jumped on the bandwagon.

I recently wrote an article about the quickly disappearing use of gestation crates in the U.S. and worldwide on http://swineweb.com.  I won't paste that article here because I want you to visit the site so please do so by clicking on this link.

The state of our animal agriculture industry concerns me - I hope that I never live to see the day that a real live Hunger Games era exists.

Until next time (probably two weeks),
~ Buzzard ~

Pigs Raised Outdoors Have Lots of Room to Grow

BUT they also have tons of enemies that would love a tasty pork rind to munch on....

Yesterday, we brought home Ferdinand. That won't really be his name, most likely it will change when we give the pig to Hyatt's sisters but I like 'F' names; they're cute. Anyway, Ferdinand is very friendly. He likes to root around in the dirt and run in the straw. I'm sure he'd enjoy being out in the woods by our house.

Guess what else lives in the woods by our house? and surrounds us on all sides because we live in the middle of the glorious, rolling Flint Hills.

That's a canis latrans, more affectionately known as a coyote. And they are everywhere. Last night, they were howling, barking and yipping up a storm. The dogs were barking back - it was chaos.

And you can bet that lil ole 25 lb. Ferdinand wouldn't stand a chance against Wile E. Coyote if he was out roaming around.

Which is why we raise hogs indoors.

 Ferdinand has plenty of room to move around in his stall, can root in the dirt and play in the straw all the while being safe from the dangers of hungry predators. We take care of our animals because it's the right thing to do - leaving him outside to find for himself would be cruel.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Hyvee, Pink Slime (LFTB) and Stupidity

It's generally not common for shoppers to thank grocers for carrying certain products - we just expect them to be there and take for granted the different options available to us. There's usually two or three different brands/varieties of each product on our grocery list, which allows us to be selective based on price, brand loyalty and taste.

Unless you shop at Wal-Mart, Kroger, Safeway or Target and henceforth your ground beef options will have been slashed. Those retailers have chosen to cease utilizing lean, finely textured beef (LFTB) in their ground beef products which drastically reduces the options available to we, the shoppers. Even though the USDA, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and one of the producers of LFTB, Beef Products Inc., have affirmed its safety time and again. In fact just yesterday three governors (Iowa, Kansas, Texas) toured a BPI plant and chowed down on burgers made from LFTB after their tour. Governor Branstad (Iowa) stated in a press conference that boycotting LFB is bad for the econom and the public's health:

”The problem is, we take this off the market, then we end up with a fatter product that’s going to cost more and it’s going to increase the obesity problem in this country,” he said at the news conference. “It doesn’t make any sense, and it’s not caused any problems in terms of health — that’s the most important thing here, is protecting the health of the citizens of this country and making sure that they have product that’s safe.”

He also scolded the national media for permeating the ongoing discussion with a “poisonous tone,” which he warned was “detrimental to the beef industry and the jobs that support it.”

“It’s time to end the smear campaign and to stop the use of inaccurate, inappropriate and charged words designed to scare people,” he said.

To read more about the Governors' visit - check out these sources.

However, there is one grocery chain who has chosen to not jump on the uneducated bandwagon and will continue to offer LFTB choices. Know why? From the Hyvee website:

"Hy-Vee takes great pride in listening to the voices of our customers and offering them outstanding values on the quality products they want to buy," the company said in a statement published on its website. "Following our recent decision to stop purchasing ground beef containing Lean Finely Textured Beef, we heard from many customers who asked us to continue carrying this product.

"They've sent us a clear message: They want a choice when it comes to ground beef, and they want to support companies that provide thousands of jobs in our Midwest trade area. In response to this feedback, Hy-Vee has made a decision to offer both kinds of ground beef -- both with and without Lean Finely Textured Beef."

Bravo! It's so refreshing that our voices were actually heard and Hyvee responded. This is what agriculturalists and agvocates work for - empowering people to voice their need for choices and search out correct information. This is a superb example of a company standing up for what is right and making decisions based on facts and consumer demands.

Unfortunately, not all grocers are created equal and the aforementioned stores that have chosen to cease offering LFTB have, with the help of horrible reporting by ABC news, caused BPI to close its plants in Kansas, Texas and Iowa. This cease of production has left about 800 people out of work, which is a travesty since LFTB is safe for consumption and is comprised of 100% beef and only 95% lean. Thankfully, and contributing to the stand up values of BPI, the company will continue paying employees full salary until the situation has been resolved. Wow.

Oh by the way, did you know that since the bottom has fallen out of LFTB demand - DUE TO ATROCIOUS REPORTING BY ABC - beef producers will need to supply processing plants with an additional 1.5 million head of cattle in order to meet demand. This comes on the heels of one of the worst droughts in recent history this past summer which caused the national cow herd to drop to the lowest numbers since 1952. This is becoming the perfect storm for through the roof beef prices and a lot of additional stress on the cattle industry.

On the topic of poor ABC reporting - I know that getting people to read articles is sometimes difficult. Gold mines are found in sensational headlines with buzz words however, a biased slandering piece about a 100% safe process that provides millions of people with healthy, safe and affordable beef does not fall under responsible journalism. There will be likely be another post about journalism on this blog and how not to do it - I don't have a communications, English or journalism degree but I know how to check the facts.

This post has ended up a lot longer than I intended but the consequences of turning our backs on an economical, safe and healthy product are far reaching and sombering. If you appreciate choices, low-cost high-quality food, please please please call the renegade grocery stores that have suspended LFTB and let them know how you feel.

Look for more on this topic later because it's not going anywhere.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~