March 10, 2015
A farmer’s heart skips a beat when he or she sees a newborn calf, the budding of fruit trees, and the sun rising higher each day. -Bob Stallman, President, National Farm Bureau
March 3, 2015
I love chores, I hate chores, I tolerate chores, I share my chores. But love them or hate them, it doesn’t really matter because, regardless, the chores will always be there. -Ryan Taylor, Write and North Dakota Rancher
February 24, 2015
We’re on the downhill slide of winter! -Gail Vanderpool, Alaskan
February 17, 2015
Chores are the foundation of the day to build from. First, get the chores done, and then tackle a bigger job or some special project, or go to town or save the world. I appreciate the foundation. I can count on chores to give me a few hours of rote responsibility and do some thinking about the rest of the day.
-Ryan Taylor, Writer and North Dakota Rancher
February 10, 2015
If there’s one thing to be said for life on a farm or a ranch,
it’s that everything has a season,and there’s a rhythm to things.
I know the rhythms of my ranch, and can keep the beat pretty decently.
-Ryan Taylor, Writer and North Dakota Rancher
January 27, 2015
“What I like to tell people is that the products that are on the market today, through the tools of biotechnology, are as safe or safer than any commodity you’ve ever eaten because no commodity has been put through such rigorous safety assessment.”
Thomas Clemente, Professor of Biotechnology,
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
January 20, 2015
Modern supercrops will be a big help. But agriculture can’t be fixed by biotech alone. Tim Folger, National Geographic
January 13, 2015
“We do feel a bit betrayed by the environmental movement, I can tell you that.” -Robert Zeigler, Director, International Rice Research Institute
January 6, 2015
“I prefer winter and fall when you feel the bone structure of the landscape – the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn’t show.” Andrew Wyeth, American Artist
December 30, 2014
Without stewards of the land like my ranching family, much of the vast, open west that we all love so well, would be lost forever. -Sarah Baker, Idaho Rancher
December 23, 2014
Christmas waves a magic wand over the world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. -Norman Vincent Peale
December 16, 2014
Christmas is not a time nor a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.
December 9, 2014
December 2, 2014
When I started counting my blessings, it turned my whole life around -Willie Nelson
November 27, 2014
For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
November 18, 2014
Whiskey is for drinkin’, and water is for fightin’. -Mark Twain
November 11, 2014
If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.
N0vember 4, 2014
Be exacting and thorough in your work. -Robin W. L.
October 28, 2014
Before the reward there must be labor.
You plant before you harvest.
You sow in tears before you reap joy.
-Ralph Ransom
October 21, 2014
“If you get up every day to watch the sunrise, you will eventually learn the secret of life – that no matter what happens, the sun will come up in the morning.” -Valentine Valera
October 14, 2014
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October 7, 2014
“The reality is that no single agricultural technology or farming practice will provide sufficient food for the world in 2050. Instead, we must advocate for and utilize a range of these technologies in order to maximize yields.”
Mark Rosegrant, Lead Author of an International Food Policy Research Institute report advocating that countries around the globe increase investment in agricultural research and farm-management practices.
September 30, 2014
“Those who make their living on the land show, time after time, that with proper land management practices, we protect and enhance the natural resources while producing food and fiber. We need to continue to develop relationships with those who are unfamiliar with our practices and demonstrate the importance of what we provide to the community, country and world.”
-Joe Pozzi, Sheep and Cattle Rancher
September 23, 2014
Weather Proverb: Thick and tight corn husks predict an early winter.
Successful Farming, September, 2013
September 16, 2014
From steers to cows, pigs to sows, and chicks to chickens, animal ag is our country’s number #1 customer for soy, eating 98% of U.S. soybean meal. Of course, in the end, we humans eat the milk, eggs and meat that these animals produce.
Soy checkoff, Beyond the Elevator, March, 2013
September 9, 2014
A farmer’s heart skips a beat when he sees
the harvest come safely in;
the grain fully stored in the silo,
the potatoes overflowing their bins,
the calf fully grown.
This is the fruit of his year’s labor,
the culmination of his plans and dreams,
and he aims for this, for harvest.
Robin W.L., Kiss My Tractor
September 2, 2014
Farmers know they are in a speculative business; they routinely bet on good weather and high prices.The difference between farmers and other speculators, however, is that society needs farmers to speculate in order to provide food and fiber to the entire population. -Steve Ford, Farm Futures, September 2013
August 26, 2014
“One of my greatest fears is that young people will lose interest in continuing one of the greatest American traditions: feeding ourselves and feeding the world.” -Howard G. Buffett, Ag. Advocate
August 19, 2014
“Don’t sweat the petty things, and don’t pet the sweaty things!” -Charlene Fink, Editor, Farm Journal
August 12, 2014
“The biggest challenge to food security in the U.S. is one of access, even more so than affordability.”Howard G. Buffett, Farmer and CEO of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation
August 5, 2014
Photo source
July 29, 2014
July 22, 2014
The dreaming hills with their precious rustling wheat
meant more than even a spirit could tell.
Where had the wheat come from, that had seeded these fields?
Whence the first and original seeds, and where were the sowers?
Back in the ages!
The stars, the night, the dark blue of heaven
hid the secret in their impenetrableness.
Beyond them surely was the answer….
-Zane Grey, The Desert of Wheat, 1919
photo source
July 15, 2014
“I trust that future leaders, such as myself, will play a major role in continuing the growth of agriculture in the global economy. I believe that my generation will continue to enhance agriculture and related technologies.”
-Max Mielke, WAWG Wheat Ambassador
July 8, 2014
“The U.S. exports more than $30 billion in agricultural goods each year. Imagine the issues that would arise if the U.S. was not a leading competitor. Our whole economy would be harmed, and our whole nation, along with the world, would suffer.”
-Mas Mielke, WAWG Wheat Ambassador
July 1, 2014
“Food is not something to waste, because there is a farmer behind everything you consume. That farmer is someone like my father. I’ve seen his hard work, and I’ve learned that food does not magically appear on the shelves at the supermarket.”-Maya Wahl, WAWG Wheat Ambassador
June 24, 2014
TRUTH Behind every single thing you eat is a farmer, growing your food for you.
June 17, 2014
“Growing up on a farm has let me develop a unique perspective on food, while kids who grow up in urban areas, or even those who just don’t work in an agricultural setting are not as lucky. We put hard work and valuable time into making quality food for our consumers.”
-Maya Wahl, WAWG Wheat Ambassador
June 10, 2014
“Although I’ve never witnessed it first hand, there are kids who do not know how their
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food gets to their family’s table.” -Maya Wahl, WAWG Wheat Ambassador
June 3, 2014
“There is an irreplaceable value to being educated about where your food comes from and an understanding of the countless hours that it takes to produce it. This allows you to be an educated consumer.” -Maya Wahl, WAWG Wheat Ambassador
May 27, 2014
“If I was given the opportunity to tell them (the public) something, it would be this: Your food is grown by a living person. Whether it is your bacon at breakfast, or the bread in your sandwich at lunch. There are agricultural producers behind every product you eat, organic and conventional. Food cannot be produced out of thin air.”
-Maya Wahl, WAWG Wheat Ambassador
May 20, 2014
“As an educated consumer, there are numerous benefits to be gained from shopping at the grocery store, and then preparing meals in the kitchen. I would encourage everyone to take the initiative to learn more about where their food come from.”
-Maya Wahl, WAWG Wheat Ambassador
Photo source
May 13, 2014
“You don’t get celiac disease by eating gluten; you have to have the gene which causes the disease. And during the same period that wheat consumption has declined, obesity has skyrocketed. Obesity is related to Americans eating 600 more calories per day now than they did in 1970, not wheat consumption.”
-Judi Adams, Director of the Wheat Foods Council
May 6, 2014
“Every bit of food people eat, somebody is behind that slice of bread or that steak they are eating. Somebody has put a lot of thought, money, care and time into that food.” -Maya Wahl, FFA Wheat Ambassador
April 29, 2014
“When we started using Roundup Ready sugar beet seed,
we reduced our herbicide use by 75%.”
-Russ Shroll, Farmer
April 22, 2014
“Living in this rural community, I am surrounded by agriculture. I’m so thankful that I understand where my food comes from and how agriculture works. I’m very fortunate.” -Maya Wahl, FFA Wheat Ambassador
Lovely photo found here
April 15, 2014
The farmer, if not absolutely rich, is at least independent.
April 8, 2014
More people study public relations than agriculture. The smart move for all those MBA graduates would be to get agriculture degrees. -Jim Rogers
April 1, 2014
A farmer’s days are long, but the office has a pretty sweet view. -Farm Bureau
March 25, 2014
Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are. -Anthelme Brillat Savarin
March 18, 2014
“Great difficulties may be surmounted by patience and perseverance.” -Abigail Adams
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March 11, 2014
“Work is like old age, the worst thing in the world except for the alternative.”
-Pig Farmer, Downton Abbey
March 4, 2014
“Live in each season as it passes;
breathe the air, drink the drink,
taste the fruit, and resign yourself
to the influence of the earth.”
-Henry David Thoreau
February 25, 2014
“You’ve achieved success in your field when you don’t know whether what you are doing is work or play.” – Warren Beatty
February 18, 2014″My grandfather used to say that once in your life you need a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman and a preacher, but every day, three times a day, you need a farmer.” Brenda Schoepp
February 11, 2014
February 4, 2014
Every farmer in America grows enough food to feed 155 people. That’s something to think about, the next time you eat. Thank you, America’s Farmers!
January 28, 2014
“I love dealing with farmers every day. They are the best people in the world. And I would say that even if I had not been raised on a wheat farm.” -Allen Hatley
January 21, 2014
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.”
-Robert Louis Stevenson
January 14, 2014
As long as people live on the earth, agriculture will be important. The students of today are the future produces and consumers of tomorrow.
-Idaho Ag in the Classroom
January 1, 2014
“We were taught that farming was important,
that farmers are special;
that to farm the land is a higher calling.”-Mary Hillebrecht, Farmer
December 31, 2013
December 24, 2013
“There has only been one Christmas; the rest are all anniversaries.”
-W. J. Cameron
December 17, 2013
The joy of brightening other lives,
bearing each others’ burdens,
easing others’ loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts,
becomes for us the magic of the holidays.
-W.C. Jones
December 9, 2013
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.
–Oren Arnold
December 3, 2013
When we recall Christmases past, we usually find that the simplest things, not the great occasions, give off the greatest glow of happiness. -Bob Hope
The First Thanksgiving, by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe 1850-1936
November 26, 2013
In seed time, learn
In harvest, teach,
In winter, enjoy
-William Blake
November 19, 2013
“The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few” Matthew 9:37
November 12, 2013
Farming needs a kind of toughness, doesn’t it?
There is room for sentiment, but not sentimentality.
Lady Lydia, Downton Abbey, Season 1
November 5, 2013
“And God took a handful of
southerly wind, blew His
breath over it and created
the horse.”
October 29, 2013
And the ripe harvest of the new mown hay
gives it a sweet and wholesome odour.
-Cibber, Richard III, Act V
October 22, 2013
“The invited neighbors to the husking come;
A frolic scene, where work and mirth and play
unite their charm to cheer the hours away.”
-Joel Barlow – The Hasty Pudding
October 15, 2013
“Man is most uniquely human when he turns obstacles into opportunities.” – Eric Hoffer
October 8, 2013
“Eating is an agricultural act.” – Wendell Berry
October 1, 2013
“I think that is an argument we need to make, that the stuff people want, the flavorful and the safe, we are doing that in production agriculture.” -Brad Issak, Washington Wheat Farmer
September 24, 2013
“Farmers are trying to provide for their families and others. They are passionate about what they are doing, work tirelessly and carry more risk than most businesses would be willing to carry. It is a great life, but not always a great living.”
–Jerry McReynolds, Kansas wheat farmer and stockman
September 17, 2013
“Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness.” – Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to George Washington (1787)
September 9, 2013
“If you want organic, then do buy it. However, organic will not feed the world. It’s just a fact. It’s not saying that it is any worse or any better, they are just two different things” –Dianne McKinley, Washington Association of Wheat Growers
September 3, 2013
“You must take the good with the bad, and be a caregiver of the land, not a taker. When Mother Earth deals you a bad hand, you must grit your teeth, bow your back, and move down the path.”-Hank Vogler, Old Time Sheep Rancher, Great Basin, Nevada
August 27, 2013
“Prosperous farmers mean more employment, more prosperity for the workers and the businessmen of every industrial area in the whole country.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
August 20, 2013
“It’s important to look closely at all opportunities, and once you have made a decision, to jump in with both feet.” -David Mirassou, grape grower and winemaker
August 13, 2013
“Nothing straightens your spine like having
your back against the wall”-Jan Current’s grandmother Edith
August 6, 2013
“Our nation’s farmers and ranchers, the men and women who grow our food and care for our land – they should be applauded, supported and protected. They are truly our National Treasures.” -Robin W.L.
July 30, 2013
“I begin now to think all time lost that is not employed in farming.”– John Adams
July 23, 2013
“I think our governments will remain virtuous for many centuries; as long as they are chiefly agricultural.” – Thomas Jefferson
July 16, 2013
“There seem to be but three ways for a nation to acquire wealth. The first is by war, as the Romans did, in plundering their conquered neighbors. This is robbery. The second by commerce, which is generally cheating. The third is by agriculture, the only honest way, wherein man receives a real increase of the seed thrown into the ground, in a kind of continual miracle, wrought by the hand of God in his favor, as a reward for his innocent life and his virtuous industry.”– Benjamin Franklin
July 9, 2013
“I had rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world.” -George Washington
July 2, 2013
“There isn’t anything about farming I don’t like. I like the planting, the irrigating, the harvest. I like the work and I like my chickens. It’s a good lifestyle.”
-Kathy Guido, Farmer
June 25, 2013
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” –Thomas Edison
June 18, 2013
Make hay when the sun shines!
June 11, 2013
“…there is a new trend with people-wanting to know where their food comes from, so they are becoming more interested in agriculture. Consumers are asking questions about their food. They want it local. They want to know where it was grown. They want it natural, and they want it safe.”-Marci Green, Farmer, Fairfield, Washington
June 4, 2013
The life of a farmer is a great life to live. Out on the farm, scratching in the dirt, inhaling the distinctive scent of the growing crops, and appreciating the fresh smell after a spring rain. Life on a farm is a blessing like no other.” –JD Rosman, Washington Wheat Ambassador
May 28, 2013
“We forever will be known by the tracks we leave behind us.” – Dakota proverb
May 21, 2013
Give fools their gold, and knaves their power;
let fortune’s bubble rise and fall;
who sows the field, or trails a flower, or plants a tree,
is more than all.
-John Greenleaf Whittier
May 14, 2013
“I have always said there is only one thing that can bring our nation down – our dependence on foreign countries for food and energy. Agriculture is the backbone of our economy.” -John Salazar
May 8, 2013
“Burrows left by worms are nature’s own system for collecting rainwater in the soil where plant roots can suck it up. This gives less water runoff to strip away valuable topsoil and deposit chemicals in waterways…” -Edwin Berry, National Soil Tilth Lab, Ames, Iowa
April 30, 2013
“Our farmers feed the WORLD, and it’s time we paid attention.”
April 23, 2013
“For America’s farmers and ranchers, every day is Earth Day!”
April 16, 2013 “Thank a farmer three times a day!”
April 9, 2013
“The person who has plenty of food to eat may have many problems. The person who has no food to eat has only one.
April 2, 2013
“Farming is sometimes like throwing fist-fulls of cash up into the air, and hoping to catch more than you threw.” – Robin W.L.
March 26, 2013
“If you’re using first-class land for biofuels, then you’re competing with the growing of food. And so you’re actually spiking food prices by moving energy production into agriculture.” –Bill Gates
March 19, 2013
“Agriculture was the first manufacturing industry in America and represents the best of all of us.” –Zack Wamp
March 13, 2013
“Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you’re a thousand miles from the cornfield.” –Dwight D. Eisenhower
March 5, 2013
“Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest wheat you haven’t planted.” –David Bly
February 26, 2013
“There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.”
–– Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac
February 20, 2013
Ways To Be Efficient and Happy:
Soak up some sunshine – spend some time outside each day
Give a compliment – it makes you feel good, too
Take some time for yourself – do something you enjoy
Challenge yourself physically – get some exercise
Think small – break down big projects into small pieces
February 12, 201
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“Our farmers deserve praise, not condemnation; and their efficiency should be cause for gratitude, not something for which they are penalized.” – President John F. Kennedy
Kiss My Tractor 