Monthly Archives: March 2012

AgProud: Nashville Certified Organic Farmer


If there’s any group of farmers that relies on independent and local marketing in today’s food trade, it’s organic and local farmers. Today I feature Delvin Farms, an organic producer from Nashville, Tennessee. One of the great things about agriculture and food in this country is that we are able to afford food choices. Although I personally can’t afford organic products in my budget, I think it’s great there are local food options for those who can. This is another great example of the diversity of agriculture highlighted in my month-long series. Why are YOU Agriculture Proud?

My two older brothers and I fled the farm as soon as we could upon graduation from high school! We all three went to the University of Tennessee and two of us have returned to the farm full time. It’s funny how you dream of leaving the farm and once you’re gone you dream of returning home to it.

Our farm is a certified organic produce farm outside Nashville, TN. We were lucky enough to have the best of both worlds growing up- the “city” life and the “country” life. We attended Catholic schools in Nashville and were very involved in 4-H and farming. I was the only one in my elementary and high school who lived on a farm, so I’ve spent my entire life educating others of what farm life is like.

Delvin Farms was not always certified organic. My parents started the business in 1972 and sold produce to distribution centers. In 1998, my “hippie” brother talked my parents into transitioning the farm to organic when it was looking like the outlets we were selling to were starting to close. They began a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) with 25 members and had the farm certified and today the CSA has 800 members. Because we direct market our produce, we stay connected to our customers and have a wonderful opportunity to educate others about agriculture.

I’m involved in the Young Farmers and Ranchers group and I think it’s important we stay connected to one another for support and for knowledge of agriculture issues. My farm is very small compared to most in the Farm Bureau group. Some of the farmers own thousands of acres, yet in our line of work we are considered a “large” produce farm of 220 acres. Sometimes we hear that people won’t shop from us at the markets because they consider us a “large, factory farm.” I think if a family farm is able to support three families it’s successful, and that’s not a bad thing! When I left the farm after graduation I certainly didn’t think I would one day be educating others about the value of agriculture or harvesting every day for markets and restaurants. I’ve always been proud to be the “farm girl,” I should’ve known I would one day return home.

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Delvin farms can be found online and on Facebook.

AgProud: Meat Producers part of Global Food


What is Agriculture? Who does it affect? David Hayden does a great job of explaining these things and more on his blog. Fellow Oklahoma State Cowboy, David joins me today and shares why he is proud to be a part of the community bringing us safe, quality meat products. It’s another part of my month-long series highlighting the diversity in Agriculture. Why are YOU Agriculture Proud?

What is Agriculture? Agriculture is defined as the science, art or occupation concerned with cultivating land, raising crops and feeding, breeding and raising livestock; farming. By definition agriculture encompasses everything that drives our economy, from the food we eat, the clothes that we wear to the shelter over our heads. Without this great industry we would have nothing to sustain us as a society. From the poorest countries in the world to the richest EVERYONE relies on agriculture.

These are just a few reasons why I’m proud to be involved in agriculture. The Ag industry isn’t just a standard 9-5 job; it’s a way of life. It’s big…… Real Big! It’s an industry that provides us with the safest, most abundant food supply in the world!

Did you know that the average American spends about 5.7% of their income on food? When we compare that to Denmark at 10.7% or Indonesia at 40.9% our measly 5.7% is really not so bad! But it doesn’t just stop there, shelter, fuel, and textiles are all driven by the Ag industry. Often times we forget to look at the world’s whole picture rather than our own. Having the chance to participate in an industry that drives people of all nations and races isn’t just an opportunity, it’s a privilege.

Throughout the years I’ve had a hand in commercial livestock production and now work in the meat industry. These experiences have only fueled my passion for the industry. I find myself striving to promote our industry through my AgBlog and face-to-face consumer contact. With a passion and love for the industry as big as mine, it’s had to hold it all in.

There are just a few reasons why I’m Agriculture Proud!

To learn more about where your food comes from and Ag industry issues check out my blog and Facebook page, or find me on Twitter.

AgProud: Alabama Peanut Farmers Share The Experience


Who doesn’t love a good peanut butter sandwich or some roasted peanuts in the shell? Unless of course you have an allergy, just about everyone consumes peanuts or their oil. So have you ever met a peanut farmer? I’m lucky to have Jillian Etress on my blog today. She and her husband Jared farm peanuts, along with cotton, soybeans, corn, and cattle in Southern Alabama. She does a great job of sharing many stories unique to their crops and helps others learn where their food comes from. It’s part of my month-long series featuring the diversity of Agriculture. Why are YOU Agriculture Proud?

Did you know that the average child will eat 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before he or she graduates high school? Or that Americans spend $800 million on peanut butter each year?

Peanuts are essential to the American diet as well as the diets of millions of people around the world who depend on this nutrient packed legume to provide protein, folate and hard-to-come-by minerals such as zinc, magnesium, copper and selenium.

In our little corner of the world peanuts are not hard to come by. In fact about half of the peanuts grown in the US are grown within a 100 mile radius of Dothan, Alabama. Also, the average US peanut farm is a mere 100 acres and most are family owned.

This is where our story begins. My husband and I were both born to non-farming parents but had grandparents that were very involved with our raising and care. Both of us spent the first five years of our lives “at day care” in a tractor cab. Our classroom was a field; our teachers were our grandpas.

Our passion for learning about agriculture continued through high school, college and into our careers. We are just starting out and farm peanuts, cotton, soybeans, oats, corn and raise a few cows. I love the life we live and how we were raised. I couldn’t imagine a better way to grow up than learning where your food comes from first hand and developing an understanding of the great role that farmers and ranchers play in keeping the public full, happy and healthy. I am proud of the agriculture community and the people that make it up. I am proud of the new innovations in agriculture that allow us to feed more people with less, of the agriculture teachers that work to teach trades to students that aren’t cut out for college and for regular ol’ farmers that work harder than most to make sure Americans around this country have food for their families. Agriculture works and that’s why I’m Ag Proud!

Links from the National Peanut Board: Classroom Funfacts, Nutrition, Commodity Information.

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Be sure to check out Jillian’s adventures on the farm through her blog and on Twitter

AgProud: The Farm Veterinarian


What does it take to care for the animals that will one day become food on our plates? This California veterinarian does a great job of sharing that story, and I am very glad to have them as a part of my month-long series highlighting the diversity of modern agriculture. Why are YOU Agriculture Proud?

The Farm Vet is Ag Proud!

Working with animals every day is not the dream job for everyone, but it is for the farm vet. People like the farm vet truly have a gift – to be able to handle animals, specifically those that are sick or injured – and care for them on a daily basis. The farm vet chose the professional route to work in production agriculture, rather than with companion animals. This choice, he says, was never a difficult one. Growing up, he always wanted to work with cows.

Some people, such as animal rights activists, cannot understand how someone might be such an animal lover and be able to watch that animal go for food for human consumption. Well, the argument the farm vet has for that is that we know we gave that animal the best and most comfortable life we could while it was here and that’s how we show them respect. Having an impact on how farm animals are cared for is quite an important job, and something to be proud of.

We also need to be proud of our food security. Where would we be as a nation without food security? That part of the farm vet’s profession is just as important as taking care of the animals. Disease control is extremely important in animal agriculture in a nation where less than two percent of the nation’s population is farmers and ranchers (which means not a whole lotta farms feed a WHOLE lotta people!).

So those are a few of the highlights of being a farm vet – and being proud of it!

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Check out our blog at www.thefarmvet.blogspot.com, our Facebook page The Farm Vet, and our Twitter feed @thefarmvet