May 22, 2013

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February 2011 Archive for A Passionate Voice

Even at an early age, Cheryl Day was a passionate and practical advocate for agriculture. Check out her viewpoint on current agricultural topics.

The Maternity Ward is Open

Feb 20, 2011

This week our farm was blessed with brand new baby calf. Nothing can get two kids out of bed bright and early on a Saturday morning then announcing we have a new addition. This year, we are only half way through the calving season and continue the process of managing the on farm maternity ward. Bringing a live calf in the world is a gamble much like bringing in a newborn child.

I personally like this time of year when the newborn calves are bouncing around. It warms the soul and makes battling the elements worth it.

At the time of breeding last year, we work hard to coordinate the calving season to our busy lives with jobs off the farm. For our small cow-calf operation, we utilize 100 percent Artificial Insemination to increase genetic diversity. This year we are calving later than expected but hope to finish by the end of March. When the blizzard hit Illinois at the end of January, I was thankful -by sure luck or perhaps a little help from the man upstairs- that we had no calves due. These days we are battling mud but appreciate a barn with many pens providing a safe haven for both cow and calf.

The gestation period of cow averages 283 days. Predicting the timing of birth is much like predicting the birth of your own child. Once the expecting cow reaches 2 weeks before her due date, she is checked for signs of calving. Our goal is to be ready if assistance is necessary.

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As soon as the mother has brought the calf into the world, we spring into action and begin our normal newborn regimen. After mother has cleaned her calf, we immediately treat the umbilical cord with iodine in order to disinfect and protect in from attracting foreign bacteria. In addition, we clean and dry the calf off. Wet and cold calves are more prone to cold stress and sickness. At this point, we make sure the cow and calf is placed in their own clean and freshly bedded pen to assure the calf’s natural instinct kicks in and nurses the Colostrum milk of its mother. Colostrum contains immunoglobulin(s) that provides the first source of energy and builds the newborn’s immunity. Since it is essential for the newborn to absorb the immunoglobulin within the first 2-4 hours of life, we go on our way and give mom and calf some much needed (alone) bonding time.

Vaccination is crucial to the health of a newborn calf. Each calf receives and oral vaccination to increase its immune system and guard them from death –threatening diarrhea referred to as scours. The calf will also receive natural immunization of vitamin A,D, E and B-Complex. Each calf is weighed and properly identified with a tag and an unique identification number. All the information is recorded and documented.

Each cow and new calf is checked into a comfortable pen with a control environment of the barn enabling the pair to move around freely. Both cow and calf need healing time and lots of rest. For our operation, keeping the pair in a control environment-for several days- free from mud, extreme temperatures, and reduced exposure to dangerous bacteria is essential to the calf’s health and livelihood.

At Day Cattle Farm, every pair receives pampering. After all calves are brand new DAYs. Each cow receives room service provided with clean bedding, water, and nutrient-balanced meals of grain and forage essential for raising a healthy and strong calf. In addition cows are offered the chance for outside exercise but many will not leave the doorway afraid of leaving the calf’s side.

Here is the bonus-the love. My children will race to the barn when a newborn is present. At times that we need to separate the pair for exercising or caretaking, my kids will give the new addition a good rub down and entertaining story. In our experience, the one-on-one attention in the first few days of birth establishes a solid foundation between the animal and the caretakers.

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Twisted Farm Food

Feb 13, 2011

At the end of 2010, my husband strongly suggested we take a much need mini-vacation to escape the hamster wheel of life. So in the moment, we decided to go to Vegas. Why not – Right? While studying the nation’s water quantity issues, I have read much about the water woes of Vegas. It was my civic duty to check it out. So throwing that long list of "To-Do's" aside for five days, I grabbed caution to the wind and embraced the Vegas scene.

When the hotel staff suggested a restaurant across the street advertising “Twisted Farm Food”, I was in! As we approached the top of the escalator, we were greeted by very familiar farm décor

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A Hash House a go go-inspired from Indiana farm roots-specializes in keeping the fun in food while pulling from the experiences of farm fresh agriculture, livestock, and old recipes with a twist.

Taking agriculture to the lighter side, the Hash House inserts the farm flare with unique culinary creations.

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On the menu: Hash House featuring crispy potatoes combined with eggs and your choice of many meats and vegetables stacked in haystack formation; Tractor Driver combo with choice of HH signature flapjack like Snickers; or my personal choice Griddled French toast dipped in banana cinnamon cream w/ pecan maple syrup.

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Anyone can find a twist on your reminiscent favorite dish from your hometown café.

The Hash House also has a full menu of farm fresh goodies for both lunch and dinner. Bring your appetite the portions are large and the choices are many. The refreshing part in this tourist arena is the Hash House offers these culinary delights for a reasonable price.

What lesson did I learn from the Hash House a go go? In order to relate what we produce on the farm to the table sometimes we agriculturists need to be Ag Entertaining. So if you are in San Diego or Vegas, I encourage you to experience the Hash House a go go adventure.

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Go Red with Beef

Feb 04, 2011

Today, February 4 is National WEAR RED DAY to create awareness and gain support to educate women and fund research by the American Heart Association. Heart disease is still the No. 1 killer of women. The American Heart Association list Diabetes, Heart Disease and Stroke, High Blood Pressure, and Cholesterol as major health risk factors.

The most important dietary advice people can follow to reduce the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer is to follow the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommend a nutrient-rich, balanced diet from all five food groups.

Consuming beef is not a normal selection in getting fit but 29 naturally nutrient-rich lean cuts of beef, government approved, could change your mind. In the new 2010 Dietary Guidelines, a 5-7 oz daily is recommended from the Meat and Bean Group.

If you take a closer look at the actual nutritional value of beef, I think you will be pleasantly surprise the amount of essential nutrients you can receive from one serving of beef. In addition, beef can keep you on track when trying to manage your weight.

Vitamins and Mineral

Beef is enriched with essential Vitamins and Minerals including Zinc, Iron, and B Vitamins.

Zinc is key component in a healthy immune system, energy metabolism during physical activity, building muscles, and has been found to improve cognitive development. One serving of beef provides 38 percent of the daily recommended dose of zinc.

Iron helps carry oxygen form the lungs to vital organs and muscles. Iron is the third most abundant food source of iron and three ounces of lean beef provides almost 15 percent of the daily recommended value of iron.

B Vitamins are essential in converting food you eat into energy to fuel activity. One three-ounce serving can provide 37 percent of B₁₂ and 15 percent of B₆.

Protein

Beef is well known for it is excellent source of high-quality protein. Protein is fundamental for normal growth and development, building muscle mass, repairing wounds, and providing energy. In addition, Protein is necessary for weight management. Protein-rich food choices are more satisfying than carbohydrate-filled foods and increase metabolism while building muscles.

Beef a fatty food?

I know what you are thinking, Beef contains too much fat and I only consume a steak for a special treat. I would challenged you to look take a closer look at fat. Not all fat is created equally. There is good fat and bad fat.

Healthy fats	Harmful fats
Monounsaturated fat	Saturated Fats
Polyunsaturated fat	Trans Fats
Omega-3 fatty acids	Dietary cholesterol

Beef’s breakdown of fat

About half of the fatty acids in beef are monounsaturated fat
Only 40 percent of fat is saturated. One-third of beef’s saturated fat is “stearic” acid which has shown to have little impact of blood cholesterol levels in humans.

[Stearic acid is a saturated fat that's mainly in animal products. It's also in some plant foods like chocolate. It's very stable in storage and during frying. A relatively large percentage of stearic acid consumed is converted to oleic acid (a monounsaturated fat). Stearic acid is used to form margarines, shortenings, spreads, and as a cream base for baked products. Even though stearic acid is a saturated fat, studies have suggested that it has little effect on blood cholesterol levels, because such a high proportion is converted to oleic acid. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4747

Polyunsaturated fat, also found in beef, Is necessary for cell structure and producing hormones.

A great breakdown of the various fats in beef and other meat sources can be found on the Beef Nutrition's Website:

http://www.beefnutrition.org/CMDocs/BeefNutrition/29WaystoLoveLeanBeef.pdf

Beef and Chronic Diseases

I know, I know! You have heard from the media and other anti-animal groups that red meat can cause Cancer. An independent scientific review could not find any conclusive evidence to those claims.

“An independent scientific review of the existing epidemiological research found no conclusive evidence of a causal relationship between red meat and any of the cancers studied (breast cancer, prostate cancer, kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer and colorectal cancer). Furthermore, the findings and recent published studies are further evidence that the most important dietary advice people can follow to decrease cancer risk are the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, which recommend a nutrient-rich, balanced diet from all five food groups. A healthy diet as recommended by the Dietary Guidelines includes a variety of nutrient-rich foods within and among all food groups, such as: colorful fruits and vegetables; whole, fortified and enriched breads, pastas and cereals; low- and nonfat milk, cheese and yogurt; and lean meats, including lean beef, pork, poultry, eggs, fish and beans.”

Click to Learn More

Not into the Details?

Bottomline: A 3-ounce serving of lean beef (154 Calories) contributes less than 10 percent of calories to a 2,000-calorie diet yet it supplies more than 10% of the Daily Value:

48% Protein
41% Selenium
37% B_{123333hnjjkj33333 12}
33% Zinc
25% Niacin
20% B₆
19% Phosphorus
17% Chlorine
12% Iron
10% Riboflavin

Beef is a Powerhouse Food Source. Even if I did not produce beef, [as mom] I would serve it to my family just for the muscle building and cognitive development abilities alone. I proud to proclaim “I LOVE BEEF” and join my fellow beef producers in participating in I LOVE BEEF month.

I hope the evidence I unlocked will help you in making one of the 29 Lean Cuts of Beef a part of your balance diet. Remember portion control and everything in moderation is the key to a health lifestyle.

Sources: http://www.beefnutrition.org

http://www.goredforwomen.org

http://www.mypyramid.gov

www.mayoclinic.com

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The Oprah Show, missing the Farmers' Voice

Feb 02, 2011

In my previous blog post, I indicated that I was anticipating the February 1 episode of the Oprah show-Vegan Challenge. On the cattle farm in central Illinois, we were in the mist of a blizzard. All day, I anticipated the 4pm airing of the Oprah Show on my local station. When the 4 O'Clock hour struck; the wind picked up, ice pelted, and the local station feed died. After 20 minutes, it was clear the show was not going on in my household.

My family including the children bundled up to complete the evening chores. A task in this weather that requires all hands on deck. As the wind howls and the lights began to flicker, I was quite impressed with the teamwork.

After supper, our Internet was barely hanging in and I could see the many tweets, blogs, and facebook posting about the Oprah show. Anticipation still building and determined to watch the show on a sister station at 10:00pm.

Recap

378 Harpo Employees and Oprah agreed to Go Vegan for one week. For that week, the diets of the 379 individuals would include no meat, milk, cheese, eggs, and NO ANIMAL ANYTHING. Guest speakers on the show included Michael Pollan- author of Omnivore’s Dilemma and appearance in Food, Inc., Kathy Freston-Veganist, Nicole Johnson-Hoffman-Cargill Fort Morgan Plant Manager and Challenge takers.

My Disclaimer

I respect and fully support the diet choice of consumers. As a farmer who raises corn, soybeans, and beef cattle; I appreciate all consumers of agriculture products whether it is soybeans or meat.

My First Impression

The Vegan Challenge that was launched only addressed dietary selection. A true Vegan accepting the challenge for one-week would not use any animal products including non-eatable items. As I pointed out in my last blog post, many products in our everyday lives are made from animals. Unless you live in a cave, the challenge is mission impossible.

Oprah not only issued the challenge to her colleagues but to the world. Accepting a life-changing challenge from a celebrity based on an emotional plea and not facts is always a hefty personal concern of mine.

Agvocate and Rancher- Mike Haley, in his blog post immediately after the show, logically points out why an average person could not 100% fulfill the challenge:

“After watching the show I considered taking Oprah up on her challenge. How hard could it be? I have gone for a week before without eating steak, and I also like salad! So, I began by doing the logical thing and Googling “what does it take to be vegan?” Of course the answer is that a vegan must reject the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose.

In essence to fulfill Oprah’s challenge I began to make a list of things I would have to sacrifice for the week. I began with the logical answers of steak, chicken and milk. Then I started thinking about the definition of a vegan, I would have to give up all animal products, so I broadened my list to include gelatin, lanolin, rennet, whey, casein, beeswax, stearic acid, and broccoli.

So I know what you are thinking, “why can’t a vegan eat broccoli?” Well as I made out my list I noted stearic acid was a byproduct of animals, a byproduct that makes tires. Tires are used by the farmer that grows the broccoli, by the truck driver that delivers it to the grocer, and would require that I walk to the store in…. I guess bare feet as even rubber shoes have animal products in them. So in essence I could grow the broccoli in my garden using organic methods and fertilizing it with manure; oh wait that is an animal product as well.”

Read his entire blog post: http://haley-farms.com/blog/2011/02/01/oprah’s-one-week-challenge/

My Thoughts

Overall, I thought Oprah did a pleasant job facilitating the discussion. I would not call the episode a complete balance of all perspectives. An important element was missing, the farmer or ranchers’ point-of-view. However, I applaud Cargill-Fort Morgan Packing plant for opening their doors to Lisa Ling and accurately portraying the harvesting of animals.

I agree that everyone needs to make a conscious decision about his or her food. We should know where our food comes from and I invite everyone to consult an actual farmer or rancher not a celebrity.

In my book, Michael Pollan is not a superstar. The true Superstar was Nicole Johnson-Hoffman and the Cargill plant. As Lisa Ling was guided through the packing plant, I was impressed with the dialog. Lisa did not receive sugar-coated rehearsed script filled with emotions but the facts.

As a farmer, I can learn a few lessons from Nicole on communicating to the general public. I am thankful everyday that animals give their lives to feed us. As Nicole points out, “We never forget these are creatures of life..", "we treat them with dignity. “

My Concerns

In his appearance of Food, Inc. Pollan spread many myths about the farmer and rancher. I urge you to check out a well-documented article on the Myths of Food Inc on the American Agri-Women Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/AgriWomen?v=app_4949752878

Mr. Pollan I am quite concern that you think America is suddenly experiencing a “Renaissance of new farmers”. NEWS FLASH: Farmers and ranchers have been passionately caring for their animals for generations.

The feedback from the participants was interesting. The testimony of those who lost weight caught my attention. The Oprah Show forced the conclusion that meat was to blame. I concur with hog producer, Chris Chinn:

“The reason the Oprah employees are feeling better and losing weight could be from over indulgence of all foods or a lack of exercise. Don't blame the meat. MEAT PROVIDES ESSENTIAL VITAMINS AND MINERALS LIKE B12 AND IRON.”

Points to Take Home

If you do not remember anything else then please internalize the following points:

- If you have any questions about how your food is raise then ask a farmer or rancher.

- A healthy diet is well-balanced. Meat is a naturally nutrient-rich source of ten essential nutrients. The protein in meat helps strengthen and sustain your body. Evidence shows that protein plays an important role in maintaining healthy weight, building muscle, and fueling physical activity.

-Oprah visit a farm and walk in our shoes. Maybe you should accept Mike Haley's invitation.

A healthy diet is well-balanced. Meat is a naturally nutrient-rich source of ten essential nutrients. The protein in beef helps strengthen and sustain your body. Evidence shows that protein plays an important role in maintaining healthy weight, building muscle and fueling physical activity.

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