Category Archives: Farm

Gaining Ground – Saving the Family Farm (Book Review and Giveaway)


The family farm will continue as long as its existence is valued. There is strength in a family, and balance. The earth appears to respond to these things. And who is to say what defines a family? Certainly not I. My best attempt would suggest a congregation of like-minded hearts.

Saving the family farm will forever be a process, not a goal or a destination. Like any necessary chore, the work never ends. It only waits for us the following morning, or the following season. So I wake and enter the day.

Somewhere, another farm awaits its farmer. — Forrest Pritchard

Gaining Ground A Story of Farmers' Markets, Local Food, and Saving the Family Farm Forrest Pritchard BookThere’s something to be said about a person, fresh out of college, who can take a struggling business model, endure their critics, and change it into a successful, sustainable business. Forrest Pritchard did that with his family farm in Berryville, VA and writes his narrative in Gaining Ground, set to be released later this month!

Most material I have read in recent years from the local, grass-based farming movement is critical of more-conventional methods of farming embraced by most farmers and ranchers in this country. Pritchard’s words still paint a negative image of modern beef, pork, and poultry farming, but it’s an honest perspective and not what his message relies upon. And I can greatly appreciate that.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect from the book when Forrest offered me an opportunity to read a copy earlier this year. There’s a foreward written by Joel Salatin – a farmer I respect for taking the road less traveled and opening up the world of food production to urban dwellers, but I’m not always fond of how he describes other farming and ranching methods. I took the challenge and sat down to read the book on Spring Break. In two afternoons on the porch, I had read the entire book.

Forrest Pritchard came home after college to his family farm unsure of what he wanted to do. He was left in shock as his family’s entire corn crop brought home a sum of $18.16 in 1996. He undertook the challenge and shares his narrative in Gaining Ground. Forrest includes the realities of trying build a farming operation on his seventh-generation farm land in the Shenandoah Valley. The stories kept me laughing as I tried to picture Forrest’s encounter with pastured poultry escaping and a flock of Barbados Blackbelly sheep that wouldn’t stay put. My favorite event may have to be when a determined hog outwits Forrest and leaves him treed one morning instead of taking a trip to the slaughterhouse.

Gaining Ground gives a good glimpse of the challenges encountered by a young man making a go in the niche of local food production. Forrest is pretty lucky to have found his place in the Farmers’ Markets and local foods in the larger D.C. area. Instead of broadening sales with the enticement of internet buyers, Forrest encourages others to seek out farmers in their local areas for fresh food.

I hope his story encourages others within reasonable distance of a metro area to seek out opportunities to cater to the urban demand for fresh foods. Be sure to follow Forrest and his farming journey on the Smith Meadows website, Facebook, and Twitter. Don’t forget you can purchase a copy of Gaining Ground: A Story of Farmers’ Markets, Local Food, and Saving the Family Farm on Amazon.

Actually, I enjoyed the book so much, I want to give a copy to someone. Yeah, that’s right. Another giveaway for a lucky reader!

Giveaway – Gaining Ground by Forrest Pritchard

Enter to win your own copy of Gaining Ground by filling out the entry form below. Entries will be placed in a drawing and a winner will be chosen on Thursday, May 23, 2013.

Be sure to ‘Like’ the I am Agriculture Proud Facebook page for more updates.

Follow Forrest Pritchard on Facebook for more of his story.

Giveaway has closed.

Only one entry per person. Immediate family of Ryan Goodman or Smith Meadows Farming Family are not eligible to win. Entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Winner will be chosen by Random Number and notified via email. Winner has 24 hours to respond or prize will be forfeited.

Take your Child to Work Day – Every day in ranch life


It’s Take Your Child to Work Day!

Take Your Child to Work Day Farming Agriculture Ranch Life

Sometimes my dad asked me to do some pretty tough chores… But we still had fun.

Not everyone has the opportunity to take their kids to work on a daily basis. As a kid who worked daily with both parents, I didn’t realize that for a long time. My dad managed a ranch with over 1,200 mother cows, and we usually had over 2,000 yearling cattle at any given time. My mom kept him in line, managed the books, and outworked most of the cowboys at the chute. And every moment my brothers and I were not at school, we were working with them on the ranch.

Take your kid to work day milking cow ranch life

Every once in a while there was a little Wild Cow Milking involved in the job with dad…

I don’t regret that work one bit. My parents instilled my passion for ranching, working with cattle, and being a part of the agriculture community. There’s no way I’d take that back. I have learned so much in the pasture that I never would have had the opportunity to learn in the classroom.

Not everyone has the opportunity to work so closely with their family. I’m thankful that’s possible for many farming families. Were your parents able to bring you along to work? Will you take your kids to work today?

Winter Farm Chores: Not always time off for farmers


If we're not careful, winter storms can make a big mess for farmers trying to work in all types of weather,

If we’re not careful, winter storms can make a big mess for farmers trying to work in all types of weather,

Winter does not necessarily mean time off for farmers and ranchers across the country. Although, I do take advantage of the longer hours of dark to catch up on some of my favorite reading.

The hay may be in the barn and the crops may be out of the fields, but there are still plenty of chores to be done after harvest and in preparation for the 2013 growing season. For livestock farmers, the winter may even mean a busier time of work as animals never take a day off and newborns may be arriving any day.

Here is a collection of blog posts from farmers, ranchers, and members of the agriculture community from across the country describing their winter month activities.

Winter Chores for Farmers

  • Debbie Blythe, Kansas – This Kansas Flint Hills Cattlewoman does a great job of sharing her regular tasks and new events from the ranch. Be sure to check out her great images of Calving, and how she puts her kids to work on a Snow Day home from school.
  • Matthew Boucher, Illinois – Matthew shares with readers more about how farmers are working to repair and maintain their equipment during the winter months.
  • Marie Bowers, Oregon – Marie is a grass farmer in Oregon and the winter months are busy for this farm gal. Her family is busy making repairs to equipment, adding new features to a tractor, and checking fields for needed attention.
  • Trent Bown, Utah – Trent Bown provides a regular Farm Report on the activities around his family dairy farm, including the arrival of newborns, cleaning up after the cows, making sure everyone is fed, and showing us more about the steps of delivering a safe milk supply.
  • Ryan Bright, Tennessee – His kids are excited to see snow, but this dairy farmer realizes the extra work that comes along with it. Ryan even has a video included of feeding hay.
  • Anne Burkholder, Nebraska – Anne, her family, and employees are busy every day making sure the cattle in her feedlot are comfortable, healthy, and eating well.
  • Bill and Judi Graff, Illinois - Judi and her family spend the winter months feeding and caring for their Simmental cattle.
  • Patricia Grotenhuis, Ontario – This wife of a Canadian dairy farmer shares a look at the work to care for their cows and prepare for Spring planting.
  • David and Jennifer Heim, Kansas – The work doesn’t stop for this young couple on their dairy farm. In all types of weather, the Heim’s work hard to take care of the needs of their cows.
  • Jan Hoadley, Alabama – Jan is busy as always taking care of her animals, protecting them from the weather elements, and working to cater to her direct market customers.
  • Erika Holm, Wisconsin – Cows really do get stuck in the snow. A few years back, Erika caught a quick video of these dairy cows as the farmer was trying to dig them a path to the barn.
  • Carrie Mess, Wisconsin – Actually made time to get away on vacation, but that doesn’t mean she left the dairy with someone to take care of and milk the cows.
  • Greg, Nathan, and Kendall Peterson, Kansas – The Peterson Brothers take every opportunity to help the family on the farm when they are home from school. This year they have started documenting what life is like on the farm with a monthly video update.
  • Nicole Small, Kansas – Nicole’s family is busy catching up from the harvest season, hunting for food, and getting more involved in the community.
  • Val Wagner, North Dakota – A few years ago, Val described what it’s like to endure a blizzard in the middle of calving season. They are being hit by another large storm again this season. Val included a video of checking cows in the blizzard.
  • Suzie Wilde, Texas – Suzie’s husband is busy on the cotton farm repairing fields from heavy autumn rains and making preparations to harvest Spring rainfall.
  • Tim and Emily Zweber, Minnesota – Emily is looking for her husband Tim. He is busy during the winter months and keeps a full schedule on their Organic Dairy farm.

Winter Agriculture Industry Meetings

Many in the agriculture community attend educational and industry-wide meetings. Some of these are in warmer parts of the country, while others are just down the road in the same state. Here’s a list of blogs that feature winter-season Agriculture meetings. If you are close to one of the meetings coming up, try to attend and meet hundreds of farmers.

CNN Eatocracy: How has farming changed since 1978 and “So God Made a Farmer”?


Paul Harvey So God Made a Farmer compared with today's farmsThis week has been an exciting one for those discussing food and farming. Sunday’s airing of RAM Truck’s Super Bowl ad featuring the American Farmer has had online communities buzzing about the images and characteristics that defined our farmers in 1978.

Those characteristics and values still hold true today, despite what we commonly hear in mainstream media and reports from those who have a ‘beef’ with modern farming.

Also read this post and join the conversation on CNN Eatocracy

Paul Harvey first recited “So God Made a Farmer” at the 1978 Future Farmers of America annual convention. A few things have changed in the three and a half decades since. My dad was in Junior High (and still had a full head of hair). Since then, he has raised a few thousand cattle, has broken in a few new pickups, and harvested several crops of hay.

So how do things compare between 1978 and today?

Using the numbers from our most recent U.S. Agriculture Survey (2007, a new one is being conducted for 2012), here are some interesting comparisons:

In 1978, there were 2,257,775 farms, averaging 449 acres each. In 2007, those numbers reduced to 2,204,792 farms averaging 418 acres each. Farmers today are actually smaller by 31 acres.

Today the market value of farmland and buildings is $1,892 per acre. That is up from $619 per acre in 1978 - an increase of $1,273 per acre.

Continue reading more about how the stats compare between now and 1978 over on the CNN Eatocracy page. It’s a great place to join the conversation and share your experience on how things are different or the same.

More thoughts from farmers, ranchers, and the Agriculture community