Rules to Live By.  

Posted by Wyatt

A friend shared this note with me and it really hit home. 


Business will continue to go where invited and remain where appreciated

Reputations will continue to be made by many acts and lost by one

People will go right on preferring to do business with friends

Go-givers will become the best go-getters

The extra mile of personal effort will be free of traffic jams

Performance will continue to out-sell promises

Enthusiasm will be as contagious as ever

Know-how will out-perform guess-how

Trust, not tricks, will keep customers loyal

Quality will be prized as a precious possession



Jonathan Fox, Jr. of Lloydminster


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We Waste Ton of Food each Year  

Posted by Wyatt

The United Nations says one-third of all the food produced around the world each year is wasted.  In rich developed countries an average consumer throws away 100 Kg of perfectly edible fruits and vegetables. However in poorer countries food is lost by lack of refrigeration, in transport and the lack of infrastructure. Some people are bringing awareness to this issue by using ingredients that would have otherwise been thrown away. Like blood, brain, cauliflower root and leaf that would have been otherwise tossed in the trash.  Not to mention the the UN has 1.3 billion tonnes of food waste. When people are talking of world food production needing to be raised to 70% by 2050 perhaps if we addressed the ways food was stored and could reduces the waste we might only have to increase by 50%.  People are blaming the low cost of food for the large amount of waste. "We're just coming to a point now in our history I think where the cheap food era is finished. Farmers are going to have to get paid more for it. " said John Chudleigh. I think that it is important to in times were uncertainty is about to look at our past. The indigenous people of Canada used all of the buffalo or seal with that in mind perhaps we are going to be eating cauliflower root with a sautéed in cow blood in a few years.

1 comments

Spring has Sprung!  

Posted by Wyatt

   


Yesterday was a beautiful day, I was out and I seen farmers in the field getting the crops in order. Our grass has really grown, I bet if you watched it closely you could have seen it grow. Moms flowers have proven that even the cold long winter wasn't a problem, as may of the tulips are almost ready to bloom. The calves seem to be playing in the field running and jumping. It is days like these were farmers realize that ranching and working the land is more then just a job but a life style. It is important to stay optimistic even when the weather is cold, prices are down, and things are not going our way.  In these situations I think that it is important to remember the time that were bad and worked out just fine. This morning I woke up to the birds chirping and I know that this year is going to be the best one yet.

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Sustainable Agriculture  

Posted by Wyatt



While I was eating a homemade hamburger I saw the stock market report on the TV. I looked down at my hamburger and I thought how much of this uses oil to be produced. I have broken it down for you to see.  
First off we have the bread, some farmer around the world would have to plant the cereal,  This would be put in using a diesel run tractor. First the farmer would have to plow the fields, harrow the fields , finally we can plant the seeds using the drill. After that we have to worry about applying chemicals like pesticides which are composed of petroleum based products. And chemical fertilizers derived from natural gas. Once the cereal is ready it needs to be harvested. Then it is shipped off using big trucks using even more diesel. It then is processed in a large automated building that is powered by oil and natural gas. 
Then we have the beef that requires even more energy.  Cattle are feed on grain, requiring vehicles to feed them and move them. 
Lastly we have salad that was either shipped in, flown in or grown in green houses.

All in all you can easily see the farmers and the worlds food supply is dependent on fossil fuels. It is important to realize that we cannot continue to depend on fossil fuels because of the increase in price and the decrease in availability.  Until the farmer can control the price of oil or the price of product he sells it will be hard for him make a decent profit. 






  

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Artificial Insemination  

Posted by Wyatt

Artificial insemination has the potential to increase calf crop uniformity and weaning weight, reduce birth weight and calving difficulty, shorten the calving season and even produce calves of a known sex. On Saturday I bread my heifers using  artificial insemination, the neat part about this method is, you have the ability to use cattle from all over the world. I think that science has made our industry a better place, and has given us the opportunity to advance our herds very quickly. Sometimes you may not have access to a bull or you have too many cows for one bull to breed and in these cases it would be more practical to use artificial insemination. For example when the border was closed, it offered US ranchers the ability to get Canadian genetics even though cattle were not actually moving. 

And I think you will like this picture from toonpool.com

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Organic Agriculture, is it Worth it?  

Posted by Wyatt

According to public perception, organic food is the healthy option. Sales of organic produce have rocketed over the past few years with the organics industry sending out messages of safer, healthier food created by farming practices which are better for the environment. But is it really as good as we think? Critics argue that organic farming leads to the risk of contamination with potentially dangerous bacteria and mould toxins, and increased levels of 'natural pesticide' found in organic produce could even be as dangerous as synthetic chemicals.  I think that it is important to reduces the chemicals and other nonessential farming practices that could be harmful to our environment. For example we have implemented some things of our own we  pioneered "swath-grazing" in 1961. Since then, we have eliminated 70 per cent of fertilizer costs with their swath-grazing practice and do not have to harvest grain, I say it is a win win. It is important to use technology to protect food but also to protect the environment. 

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Mothers Day  

Posted by Wyatt

Anna Jervis founded Mother’s Day more than 100 years ago, she envisioned a day to honour mothers and motherhood, I think that it would be a perfect time to buy local.  For example instead of buying flowers from your local super centre check out a local green house. This is a great way to give back and give to your mother at the same time. I guess we have to thank Bessy in the field too.   .   

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