Ryan got my comments posted on the farm tour blog in I am ag proud. here is a link to it if you can't find it anywhere else. I'm excited to see the comments and hopefully get some new followers through it.
http://agricultureproud.com/2011/01/25/farm-tour-clark-county-ohio/
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Reflections: A Weekend Back Home
I went home this weekend to spend time with my family, friends, girlfriend and on the farm. I miss it so much when I 'm up at school. So, from the short amount of time I was home I have good news and bad news. like always, being the optimist I am I'll share the good news first and try not to dwell on the bad news.
GOOD NEWS!
1. I wrote a guest commentary for the "I am ag proud" blog and my acquaintances at ag proud are posting my short blog on their own blog so that other agvocates and followers of their popular blog can see a bit more about how things work in Ohio and on our hog farm. (I'm extremely excited about the opportunity this gives me to connect with many other agvocates) Here's a link to "I am ag proud's" facebook page so you can find out more about this great organization!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=119069578103530
2. I still feel confident about the work I'm doing towards a club for animal advacates here at OSU-ATI and I hope that I can find time to finally start my outreach of that program this week.
3. I linked up with a group on facebook known as " I love farmers...they feed my soul" and I am hoping to begin being active in their online discussions and help spread the word of how great agriculture is in Ohio!!! I highly recomend that you look at this group. Here is a link to their facebook page which is a great way to contact them.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=131504830174
4. I didn't freeze this weekend!!! We saw the coldest temperatures before wind chill that I think I have ever seen at home in my short 20 year lifespan. I can thank my extra warm columbia coat for keeping me toasty this weekend.
Now I'll fill you in on the bad news...(it's not to bad)
BAD NEWS (KINDA)
1. I got a chance to go out to the farrowing unit and work Saturday with some of the workers their and I realized, I have been in college to long!!! I was worn out and ready for a break after a short 4 hours of feeding, walking sows, filling farrowing stalls and such.
2. The weather is supposed to stay cold for quite a while if I understand it right, which means that we can expect everything on the farm to take longer by virtue of patience. (good news is the pigs all stay wamr thanks to our high powered furnaces and temperature controlled rooms. I don't think it was below 65 degrees in any of the barns. Which is great news)
3. As a college student, the worst part of the weekend was having to leave. I miss being out on the farm and with the family. I hope that things continue to move smoothly and I cna help in any way that they need me to.
That about wraps up my reflections of the weekend of January 21st. Oh, my parents celebrated their 26th? wedding anniversary this weekend and got a chance to take a "romantic night" which is great because they both deserve it!!! They work so had to provide for my family. Congratulations Mom and Dad.
GOOD NEWS!
1. I wrote a guest commentary for the "I am ag proud" blog and my acquaintances at ag proud are posting my short blog on their own blog so that other agvocates and followers of their popular blog can see a bit more about how things work in Ohio and on our hog farm. (I'm extremely excited about the opportunity this gives me to connect with many other agvocates) Here's a link to "I am ag proud's" facebook page so you can find out more about this great organization!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=119069578103530
2. I still feel confident about the work I'm doing towards a club for animal advacates here at OSU-ATI and I hope that I can find time to finally start my outreach of that program this week.
3. I linked up with a group on facebook known as " I love farmers...they feed my soul" and I am hoping to begin being active in their online discussions and help spread the word of how great agriculture is in Ohio!!! I highly recomend that you look at this group. Here is a link to their facebook page which is a great way to contact them.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=131504830174
4. I didn't freeze this weekend!!! We saw the coldest temperatures before wind chill that I think I have ever seen at home in my short 20 year lifespan. I can thank my extra warm columbia coat for keeping me toasty this weekend.
Now I'll fill you in on the bad news...(it's not to bad)
BAD NEWS (KINDA)
1. I got a chance to go out to the farrowing unit and work Saturday with some of the workers their and I realized, I have been in college to long!!! I was worn out and ready for a break after a short 4 hours of feeding, walking sows, filling farrowing stalls and such.
2. The weather is supposed to stay cold for quite a while if I understand it right, which means that we can expect everything on the farm to take longer by virtue of patience. (good news is the pigs all stay wamr thanks to our high powered furnaces and temperature controlled rooms. I don't think it was below 65 degrees in any of the barns. Which is great news)
3. As a college student, the worst part of the weekend was having to leave. I miss being out on the farm and with the family. I hope that things continue to move smoothly and I cna help in any way that they need me to.
That about wraps up my reflections of the weekend of January 21st. Oh, my parents celebrated their 26th? wedding anniversary this weekend and got a chance to take a "romantic night" which is great because they both deserve it!!! They work so had to provide for my family. Congratulations Mom and Dad.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Online Farming, What a Resource (Not Farmville)
Farming has changed so much in the past 100, 50, even ten years! I can't believe how much knowledge has been gained through science and technology in my lifetime alone (20 years). As the speed of change increases and life shifts to the next generation (my generation), we see many changes in agriculture. I see almost every day the "older" farmers meeting up in town at the gas station (local watering hole) to talk about farming, sports, weather, women and who knows what else. Although there is a huge trend growing in America for coffee shops, you don't see my generation meeting up and spending time sitting around drinking coffee and talking.
You might already know why this is. We have grown to be a technological society, by that I mean that we can spend hours on the internet using online social networks to talk to others. In a way, we are cultivating the internet, farming online. and no, I'm not talking about farmville.
Our ability to plant information, spread information & knowledge and harvest or gather information is a great thing. It's almost as if the internet and use of online social networks is a "natural resource" for us. The best part, it doesn't cost to farm the internet!!!!! if you're reading this blog then you are capable of being a successful online farmer.
So what can we do with our online fields??? We can plant information for anyone to harvest. As producers that use the internet we are kind of pulling double duty. We produce ag products for consumption but when we plant information online we can plant so much more than just the product.
What would be the end result of our online farming? by planting information into the internet we have built a connection with the consumers of our products. We have built a bridge over the gap of misunderstanding our industry and we have hopefully put some trust into the lives of our consumers.
This idea is kind of scattered across the map but I think that it is a valid point that makes sense. So as agvocates, producers, consumers and human beings let's be sure to use our online farming to provide a good product (accurate information) as well as strengthen our products (meat, crops, byproducts, bio-products) so that everyone can understand and connect with the farmer once again.
So hopefully, instead of waking up and going to the gas station for coffee with the farmers I grew up with, hopefully I can drink some coffee and read the thoughts & ideas of my fellow farmers and friends here. Maybe this will open a new conversation point with other people in different social groups than my own. In any event I know that I am going to work my hardest to raise the best products I can for ALL consumers.
You might already know why this is. We have grown to be a technological society, by that I mean that we can spend hours on the internet using online social networks to talk to others. In a way, we are cultivating the internet, farming online. and no, I'm not talking about farmville.
Our ability to plant information, spread information & knowledge and harvest or gather information is a great thing. It's almost as if the internet and use of online social networks is a "natural resource" for us. The best part, it doesn't cost to farm the internet!!!!! if you're reading this blog then you are capable of being a successful online farmer.
So what can we do with our online fields??? We can plant information for anyone to harvest. As producers that use the internet we are kind of pulling double duty. We produce ag products for consumption but when we plant information online we can plant so much more than just the product.
What would be the end result of our online farming? by planting information into the internet we have built a connection with the consumers of our products. We have built a bridge over the gap of misunderstanding our industry and we have hopefully put some trust into the lives of our consumers.
This idea is kind of scattered across the map but I think that it is a valid point that makes sense. So as agvocates, producers, consumers and human beings let's be sure to use our online farming to provide a good product (accurate information) as well as strengthen our products (meat, crops, byproducts, bio-products) so that everyone can understand and connect with the farmer once again.
So hopefully, instead of waking up and going to the gas station for coffee with the farmers I grew up with, hopefully I can drink some coffee and read the thoughts & ideas of my fellow farmers and friends here. Maybe this will open a new conversation point with other people in different social groups than my own. In any event I know that I am going to work my hardest to raise the best products I can for ALL consumers.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Update from Wooster
Nothing much to write today. The truth is my brain is a bit fried from all of my homework. which I suppose is a good thing because it shows I'm actually studying and learning. But it hasn't been just another boring week since my last post. Here's some of whats been going on lately.
I went down to Columbus for a formal dinner at the Alpha Gamma Rho Beta house (AGR) on main campus and I'm expressing my interest to rush for AGR next fall when I transfer to main campus. I think I have a good chance to get in to the house and I plan on living their while in Columbus. I've never been down there, man that place is big! and a lot more like what I thought college would be like. I look forward to getting in there and building connections with the brothers their and making friends for a lifetime. The best part is that theyre all ag major (obviously) and I can relate to and get help with school from almost anyone there because surely someone has taken some of my classes. The thing that surprised me the most about AGR was the amount of farm boys that can play Call Of Duty: Black Ops. man they're a lot better than I am lol.
I'm working on putting together a service learning project for my ag communications class. I plan on working with horses at the Steps To Your Dreams Foundation, a group that uses horses and hippology for physical therapy and alo has a classroom for working with special needs children. The foundation is in my hometown of South Charleston so I look forward to going back home and do some of that community work.
I'm also still working on developing a plan of action for the animal advocate club here at ATI. Its a long, slow process that I am trying to do as well as get all of my schoolwork done. Scholarship deadlines have absorbed my free time as well, I have written four essays and multiple emails for letters of recommendation for scholarships and I appreciate all the help I have received from professors and my business associates.
So as I continue into the winter quarter, my main goal is to stay on top of school and stay warm as we continue to get more snow and cold winds each day.
I went down to Columbus for a formal dinner at the Alpha Gamma Rho Beta house (AGR) on main campus and I'm expressing my interest to rush for AGR next fall when I transfer to main campus. I think I have a good chance to get in to the house and I plan on living their while in Columbus. I've never been down there, man that place is big! and a lot more like what I thought college would be like. I look forward to getting in there and building connections with the brothers their and making friends for a lifetime. The best part is that theyre all ag major (obviously) and I can relate to and get help with school from almost anyone there because surely someone has taken some of my classes. The thing that surprised me the most about AGR was the amount of farm boys that can play Call Of Duty: Black Ops. man they're a lot better than I am lol.
I'm working on putting together a service learning project for my ag communications class. I plan on working with horses at the Steps To Your Dreams Foundation, a group that uses horses and hippology for physical therapy and alo has a classroom for working with special needs children. The foundation is in my hometown of South Charleston so I look forward to going back home and do some of that community work.
I'm also still working on developing a plan of action for the animal advocate club here at ATI. Its a long, slow process that I am trying to do as well as get all of my schoolwork done. Scholarship deadlines have absorbed my free time as well, I have written four essays and multiple emails for letters of recommendation for scholarships and I appreciate all the help I have received from professors and my business associates.
So as I continue into the winter quarter, my main goal is to stay on top of school and stay warm as we continue to get more snow and cold winds each day.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Optimizing in a Knowledge Economy
I've returned to Wooster, Ohio for winter quarter of school at OSU-ATI and I am FINALLY taking some business courses that I feel might be practical to my life someday...like my principles of economics in food, agriculture and environmental sciences course. The whole point of this course focuses on microeconomics (individual thinking) but we have brushed over topics of macroeconomics (big business or government point of view) as well.
The key point that we have discovered in microeconomics is that every one has one thing in common, we all optimize. Optimizing or optimal decisions are simply "what is best for you"? Well when everyone optimizes at the same time is that good or bad? The truth is it can be both, but whether its good or bad it brings us to the BIG QUESTION in microeconomics, "under what circumstances, does individual optimization lead to outcomes that are good for the whole group"?
Leaving that thought for a moment, we also established that we live in a "knowledge economy". this means that knowledge is scarce, and if someone can eliminate part of that scarcity than they are providing an economic benefit to you and everyone else. now connect these thoughts to my industry (pork production).
Holy cow someone hit the switch in my brain! I now can make a connection from this interesting (although slightly boring) economics class to my life and my industry because if you think about it, knowledge is extremely scarce in livestock production in this country wouldn't you agree?
What economic benefits can I provide to people by spreading the knowledge that NEEDS TO BE SPREAD to those who are "scarce"? Just a few benefits off the top of my head are; people benefit from understanding the truth to the nutrition, they gradually lose the fear that meat is bad for them, they gain time with their families because they're now making sit down meals with wholesome, nutritional, SAFE food, They live healthier lifestyles because they're receiving better nutrients and in turn being healthier and of course, they're spreading the KNOWLEDGE they've gained to all of their friends and families.
Now think back to the optimizing thought. I just used my knowledge of a product, service or industry to ultimately benefit a whole group of people. WOW! Optimizing is supposed to be "what is best for me"? But as a producer it is my duty to take into consideration "what is best for you" because the ratio of producers to consumers in America I'm sure is a very steep number. So by optimizing my time, thoughts, actions and services I can eliminate scarcity (part of all economics) by providing knowledge to consumers so that they can make their own optimizing decisions on "what is best for them".
We've been in class for a week and I am already seeing how this course could start to change, or at least help me acknowledge many new ideas and parts of business life. I'm glad I'm in college because these things are important and when we look at our economy (micro) what are you going to make your decisions based off of? Which leads into the idea of "sunk costs" which i'm not going ot cover today.
So as producers, let us optimize ourselves so that we can BENEFIT our economy by removing scarcity of knowledge in our industry. I hope that we, as an industry, can work together to change our knowledge economy. After all isn't it part of our moral contract to do well for others and help them better their own lives? I think it is, and I think it is achievable.
The key point that we have discovered in microeconomics is that every one has one thing in common, we all optimize. Optimizing or optimal decisions are simply "what is best for you"? Well when everyone optimizes at the same time is that good or bad? The truth is it can be both, but whether its good or bad it brings us to the BIG QUESTION in microeconomics, "under what circumstances, does individual optimization lead to outcomes that are good for the whole group"?
Leaving that thought for a moment, we also established that we live in a "knowledge economy". this means that knowledge is scarce, and if someone can eliminate part of that scarcity than they are providing an economic benefit to you and everyone else. now connect these thoughts to my industry (pork production).
Holy cow someone hit the switch in my brain! I now can make a connection from this interesting (although slightly boring) economics class to my life and my industry because if you think about it, knowledge is extremely scarce in livestock production in this country wouldn't you agree?
What economic benefits can I provide to people by spreading the knowledge that NEEDS TO BE SPREAD to those who are "scarce"? Just a few benefits off the top of my head are; people benefit from understanding the truth to the nutrition, they gradually lose the fear that meat is bad for them, they gain time with their families because they're now making sit down meals with wholesome, nutritional, SAFE food, They live healthier lifestyles because they're receiving better nutrients and in turn being healthier and of course, they're spreading the KNOWLEDGE they've gained to all of their friends and families.
Now think back to the optimizing thought. I just used my knowledge of a product, service or industry to ultimately benefit a whole group of people. WOW! Optimizing is supposed to be "what is best for me"? But as a producer it is my duty to take into consideration "what is best for you" because the ratio of producers to consumers in America I'm sure is a very steep number. So by optimizing my time, thoughts, actions and services I can eliminate scarcity (part of all economics) by providing knowledge to consumers so that they can make their own optimizing decisions on "what is best for them".
We've been in class for a week and I am already seeing how this course could start to change, or at least help me acknowledge many new ideas and parts of business life. I'm glad I'm in college because these things are important and when we look at our economy (micro) what are you going to make your decisions based off of? Which leads into the idea of "sunk costs" which i'm not going ot cover today.
So as producers, let us optimize ourselves so that we can BENEFIT our economy by removing scarcity of knowledge in our industry. I hope that we, as an industry, can work together to change our knowledge economy. After all isn't it part of our moral contract to do well for others and help them better their own lives? I think it is, and I think it is achievable.
Monday, January 3, 2011
What A Great First Day Of Class.
Today was the first day of class for Winter quarter 2011 at The Ohio State University Agriculture Technical Institute (ATI) and man was it a full day! I woke up to my roommates alarm going off at 7:00am which I can completely handle because it gave me time to refresh myself and get caught up on a few days of tweeting and blogging.
I was reading a friends facebook page and I got an invite to meet with a professor about my goal of starting up an animal advocate club here at ATI. We spent thirty minutes talking briefly about what requirements have to be met in order to begin a new club through the university and its exciting to think that I might be able to help build something here that is important to so much that we do in agriculture.
We talked about developing a curriculum and beginning an independent study program for myself and a friend who is starting to get really into the animal advocating as well. I am extremely excited about the potential of my studies through that curriculum. I plan on continuing to build my objectives and plans for the independent study this quarter and then will be actively working in it spring quarter.
To me this is some very exciting information because I have some serious potential to reach people about the great things we do in the industry and I'm starting to find more and more people here at ATI and at OSU who are passionate about agvocating.
So hopefully this will help me reach my goals for 2011 even quicker! I hope that everything goas as good as I want it to. Another important thing I ask for fromanyone who reads my blogs is to supportt me on my goals by communicating with me and leaving me some comments about how to make things better or what to change. I would love some ideas about what to talk about this year as I continue to write my blogs.
Thanks for all the time you've taken to read this and hopefully enjoy my exciting news.
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