Women's Ag Program

Last night Theresa & I (along with several other women from the area) attended the annual Women's Ag Program put on by the Wells County Conservation District.

240 women gathered to have dinner and hear staff from the soil conservation district, Farm Service Agency and district health office speak. The featured presenter for the evening was Sarah Wilson from Jamestown, who gave her presentation "I've Got Sun in the Morning." She spoke on being a farm wife and mother and encouraging each other as women in agriculture.

It was a great message and a very appropriate one for the ladies who were gathered together last night. I've gone to this event for a few years now, and it's always a nice evening of fellowship. And as Sarah pointed out, if nothing else, it's always nice to have a night off from dinner & dishes :)

My Helper

B came with me to the office today to get a few things done.

So far he's slept the whole time :)

Chad's been working on trucks this week while our mechanic is gone. I can certainly tell by his laundry that he's been doing manual labor instead of working in his office.

And I saw this great photo and quote on Facebook this morning, so thought I'd share it here.

Welcoming Our Newest Little Farmer

Baby B. was born on March 8 (National Ag Day, as I mentioned in the last post), and we are so happy and relieved to have our healthy baby boy here.

Welcome to the world, B!

National Agriculture Week

It's National Agriculture Week! On Thursday, March 8 the Agriculture Council of America celebrates Ag Day as a way to raise awareness of agriculture's vital role in every American's life.

You can read more about Ag Day here. Or watch this video:



Agriculture Council of America believes that every American should:

*Understand how food and fiber products are produced.
*Appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products.
*Value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy.
*Acknowledge and consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food and fiber industry.

As producers, how can we help others understand, appreciate, value and acknowledge agriculture? Certainly sharing information about our own operation and the specific crops we grow might be a place to start. That might take place in an online format (sharing information on Facebook, Twitter, a blog), in person (talking to a consumer, an extended family member or maybe even a group of children), or via print (consider writing a letter to the editor or sharing a recipe using a crop grown on your farm).

At the North Dakota state capitol this week, an ag exhibit developed by the state Agriculture Department and local commodity groups will be on display at the Captiol's Memorial Hall.

The North Dakota Agri-Women will also be sponsoring the annual Ag Day Baby contest this week. The first baby born in the state on March 8, 2012 will be awarded the title of Ag Day Baby along with a savings bond and many North Dakota products and goodies. If he doesn't arrive before then, our own little ag baby is scheduled to arrive that day!

PSC Hearing Yesterday

Yesterday, the Public Service Commission (PSC) held what will most likely be the final hearing for the route of the Minnkota power line from Center, ND to Grand Forks, ND.

The meeting room was full, and Chad estimated that there were about eight landowners who testified. From here, the PSC will either approve or deny the route proposed by Minnkota, but it is likely it will be approved. The conversation will then be about compensation for the land and if Minnkota has the right to exercise eminent domain in obtaining land along the route.

Farmer Therapy...It's All Going to Be OK

Last night, Chad & I were watching AgPhD on RFD-TV. If you're not familiar with the show, it's hosted by Hefty brothers Brian and Darren. They were talking about upcoming spring planting and one of the brothers started talking about how sometimes farmers romanticize planting, thinking they're going to sail through with beautiful weather, no breakdowns, etc. and basically set themselves up for disappointment.

Of course, as we all know breakdowns and other equipment setbacks are as easily a part of spring as the snow melting on the prairie. Weather conditions likely won't be optimal every day you intend to set out for the field, and getting through it all often makes harvest all the sweeter. I think their point was while it's good to be optimistic, we need to anticipate that things will go wrong, and we need to roll with the punches.

It was at the point when he said, "don't worry, it's all going to be ok" that I had to turn to Chad and ask "what is this, farmer therapy?!"