The ideal breakfast for all humans here this morning in Bismarck. Three eggs bacon sourdough toast and a glass of whole milk.

Todays Faces of Ag feature: Beth Bakke Stenehjem Executive Director of the North Dakota FFA Foundation. Beth joins me on Loos Tales.

My gilts that are bred to farrow this winter. If we are to be competitive next summer it will be dependent upon these gilts getting it done.

Just landed in Jackson, MS for two days with Mississippi Farm Bureau (bunch of Mule Headed Farmers). On my plane nice young lady sitting next to me with a 9 month old puppy. All other passengers stop and pet the little yapper and say 'oh she is so cute". I'll you money to marble's if she had a nine month old baby they would all be saying "keep that damn kid quiet." Why?
'

Sow crate ban will increase NZ pork price - Carter
The price of New Zealand-grown pork may rise as a result of a decision to ban sow crates for pigs.

The Government is phasing out the controversial crates so they will all be gone by the end of 2015 – five years away.

The industry says introducing the measures will cost $20 million.

“It will financially be very, very difficult, we need the support of the consumer to purchase local product," Mr Riordan says.

It may push up the price of pork products.

“I do acknowledge that New Zealand pork may now be marginally more expensive than imported pork," Mr Carter says.

New Zealand imports 700,000kg of pork every week from overseas countries where sow crates are still being used and

The reason is clear if you are of sound mind. The consumption of milk meat and eggs is vital.

Protein intake and intake of individual amino acids can affect brain functioning and mental health. Many of the neurotransmitters in the brain are made from amino acids. If the needed amino acid is not available, levels of that particular neurotransmitter in the brain will fall, and brain functioning and mood will be affected.

http://www.minddisorders.com/Kau-Nu/Nutrition-and-mental-health.html

Even though direct-to-market food sales grew 120 percent between 1997 and 2007, they still only accounts for .4 percent of total sales, $812 million in 2007, according to the USDA.

Attack on local food movement

Lindsi in pickup with Ice Cream sandwich envy

Thanksgiving weekend 2010 Macon, MO congratulations to the men bringing home the "doe"

How wonderful it was to spend two days last week with my friend and mentor Baxter Black in Billings at the Montana Association of Conservation Districts meeting.

The cost of not eating meat: According to WHO there are 10.8 million child deaths globally a year. The number attributed to zinc, vitamin A, and iron deficiencies is 2 082 000, or 19% of the total. Malaria, for comparison, causes less than one million child deaths a year. It also causes 2.7% of global DALYs, compared t...o the roughly 6% caused by iron, vitamin A and zinc deficiencies.

http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0042-96862003000200002

TEAM ZIP runners please note:

Nutrition for the Athlete
by J. Anderson, L. Young and S. Prior1
Quick Facts...

Athletes achieve peak performance by training and eating a variety of foods.

Athletes gain most from the amount of carbohydrates stored in the body.

Fat also provides body fuel; use of fat as fuel depends on the duration of the exercise and the condition of the athlete.

Exercise may increase the athlete's need for protein.

Water is a critical nutrient for athletes. Dehydration can cause muscle cramping and fatigue.

Becoming an elite athlete requires good genes, good training and conditioning and a sensible diet. Optimal nutrition is essential for peak performance. Nutritional misinformation can do as much harm to the ambitious athlete as good nutrition can help.

Link to Colorado State info

Congratulations to the Beach Family from Jackson, County Oklahoma for being recognized as the OK Farm Family of the year.

CDC reports

Iron deficiency is a condition resulting from too little iron in the body. Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency and the leading cause of anemia in the United States.

http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/vitamins/iron.html

Food Source Iron (mg)
Beef, liver 7.5
Beef, corned 2.5
Beef, lean ground; 10% fat 3.9
Beef, round 4.6
Beef, chuck 3.2
Beef, flank 4.3
Chicken, breast w/out bone 0.9
Chicken, leg w/bone 0.7
Chicken, liver 7.3
Chicken, thigh w/ bone 1.2
Cod, broiled 0.8
Flounder, baked 1.2
Pork, lean ham 1.9
Pork, loin chop 3.5
Salmon, pink canned 0.7
Shrimp, 10 - 2 1/2 inch 0.5
Tuna, canned in water 1.0
Turkey, dark meat 2.0
Turkey, white meat 1.2
Source: MCkinley Health center, University of Illinois

Twice this week the right person shows up in the Denver International Airport. Today it is CEO of National Association of Wheat Growers and I put her on radio live with Kyle Bauer,Duane Toews and myself on Rural Route. We were talking about the impact of a court ruling against GMO seed in the sugar beet industry. Funny how timing works Dana is always awesome though... In fact she finished the show in my spot as my plane left.

I have found a knew toy on my computer and have turned Loos Tales into a video with Bill Donald Melville MT talking about real sustainable beef production.

Bill Paxton Marshall, MO is a Korean War Veteran and a couple weeks ago decided it was time to ride his horse again. The Houston E. Mull Memorial FFA Scholorship Cattle Drive took place on his farm and he wanted to ride along. Here is the thing. Bill had not riden a horse in 15 years and the horse he is riding had not been riden for 15 years. Click here to listen to Bill and his wife Mary discuss the motivation.

Okay hardly the same as a Veteran serving his/her country but giving blood is desperately needed today by the American Red Cross. I was given my 1 gallon pin today. Find out where to sign up.

More photos of the bike of Jeremy Allan Crow's dedication to family and country.

I spent Thursday Nov 4, 2010 with Allan Crow and his Tri Tech Production Services family. It wasn't until we finished did I learn that in Feb 2010 the nation and the Crow family lost a true American Hero.

Click here to read about Special Warfare Boat Operator Senior Chief Petty Officer Jeremy Allan Crow

Pictured Allan with the bike detailed to tell the story of Jeremy's life. The photo just doesn't give justice to the memorial.

Thursday Nov 4, 2010 Daren Baumberger procurement manager for Morrell Packing in Sioux Falls, SD gives the Hutterite Colonies that produce pork in South Dakota the lay of the land when it comes to pig handling during transport and unloading at plant. It was part of Tri Tech Productions Services annual customer appreciation day. I myself can't believe how much this has changed since I delivered a pig to a plant.

A tribute a great man Dr. Stan Curtis a generation ahead of his time yet his impacts in American Agriculture will make a difference for generations to come. My thanks to Dr. Jim Pettigrew for sharing his thoughts.

Click here to listen.

To the Editor,

You might notice my HPJ ‘script number is in the lower 3 digits. I have read your paper for a long time.

Trent Loos , writer of Loos Tales, states in his bio that he’s a sixth generation United States farmer. I assume he offers that info to give credibility and patriotism to his opinion. Well, I had a grandfather Hyatt who fought with Ethan Allen in the War for Independence. And my wife is from a ranching family whose ancestors were in New Spain, now New Mexico, 400 years ago – what’s that, around 20 generations?

I’ll admit up front, I seldom read Loos Tales thoroughly and when I do, I almost always don’t agree with the crux of its message. Trent Loos’ writings gives me the impression that he would be a good fit politically with the Tea Baggers.

In his May 10, 2010 column about the oil patch in Western North Dakota which I did read, in the closing paragraph he wrote “… if politics and people would get out of the way … “ .

I’m willing to be corrected but I assume by “politics” he ‘s referring to consumer and environmental interests and by “people”, governmental regulators.

From the information that’s accumulating publicly on the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster and the explosion and blowout on the Deep Water Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico, it appears to me the coal and oil patch people have, by politics, bullying, sex and drugs, effectively precluded “politics and people” from having adequate public interest oversight of their operations. Per Loos’ desire, in those two human and ecological disasters, “politics and people” were pushed out of the way.

"How's that work’n out” for the mine and rig workers and their families, the fisherman, shrimpers, tourist operators and Gulf people in general? And even for BP?

Dale Hyatt

Las Animas, Colorado

May 15, 2010

Other than way too much wind all day it was a good cow day at the ranch. Began my rotational grazing program and moved cows into new paddock. Of course Apache had to help.

Wednesday and Thursday of this week I spent in St Joseph MO with the American Angus Association folks. We did run over to the old St. Joe Stockyard Livestock Exchange building and drove past the original Pony Express Stable. St Joe is loaded with history

The view from the podium while speaking at the Williston Basin Petroleum Association earlier today.

Earth Day 2050: Do you think eating is overrated?
Ron Cerri, President Nevada Cattlemen’s Association

Dr. J.J. Goicoechea, Vice President Nevada Cattlemen’s Association

Ron Torell, First Vice president Nevada Cattlemen’s Association First Vice president

Jon Griggs, Second Vice President Nevada Cattlemen’s Association

Gary McCuin, Executive Vice President Nevada Section for Society for Range Management

The American public has the highest quality of life in the world. A major reason for this is due to the “Green Revolution” that began in the 1950s which involved the development of crop rotation, the mass production and use of petroleum-based fertilizers and chemical pesticides, expanded irrigation, and the introduction of genetically superior, disease-resistant cultivars (cultivated crops). The Green Revolution reshaped the U.S. into a dense urban society. At present it is estimated that a mere 2% of the U.S. population feeds the nation and the average age of that 2% is over 55. As a result, the average American does not experience hunger and spends less than 9% of their total disposable income on food. Many American consumers have become complacent and take it for granted that food will always be plentiful at a low cost. The question becomes: Is U.S. agriculture capable of meeting future needs?

The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization recently stated that in just 40 years global food production must double. This doubling of food production is necessary in order to head off mass global hunger and feed the projected global population of nine billion by 2050. There is a general consensus that agriculture has the capability to meet the food needs of 8–10 billion people but there is little consensus on how this can be achieved by sustainable means. Sustainability implies that high yields can be maintained through agricultural practices that have acceptable environmental impacts.

Hindering our ability to feed the world in 2050 and beyond are the efforts of well-intended, public-funded special interest and radical environmental groups as they continue to push for unrealistic legislation that hinders agriculture’s ability to produce food and fiber in a supposedly environmentally friendly and sustainable manner. Much of this unrealistic legislation has been successful primarily because many of our county, state and national politicians are far removed from agriculture, as is the population base they represent. The tsunami that agriculture is facing threatens our ability to feed the world and meet those projected 2050 needs.
About half of the world’s land surface is suitable only for rangeland and not for growing food crops. More than two-thirds of land used for grazing in the United States is not suitable for raising crops. Rangelands do produce significant quantities of grasses, shrubs and forbs that only livestock can utilize. Livestock contributes 40% of the global value of agricultural production and supports the livelihoods and food security of almost 1 billion people. Globally, livestock contributes 15% of total food energy and 25% of dietary protein. Well-managed grazing of rangelands, grasslands, and pastures is the most sustainable form of agriculture known.

Nevada, the driest and one of the least populated states in the nation, supports a livestock industry that is very dependent on the state’s 87 % public-owned land. In addition to livestock grazing, other multiple uses include recreation, mining and wildlife. Additionally, it looks like Nevada rangelands may become key to meeting the nation’s energy needs through wind and solar energy generation. All of these tangible and intangible goods and services are important to the economic and social well being of the residents of Nevada.

How can agriculture feed the growing food supply needs? How much longer can society disregard the fundamental importance of our agriculture industry? When will it change? It is the opinion of the authors that this situation may only change after hunger pains are experienced by the general public similar to what occurred during the Great Depression of the 1930s. As long as the bulk of our population has access to a cheap, reliable and quality food source, and financially support radical anti-agriculture interests, we will continue to see erosion of our agriculture base and our ability to feed the world.

Agriculturists have one more job to do that has not been necessary in the past. Because of the general public’s huge disconnect to the land and agriculture, it is up to each and every agriculturist to educate the public (and themselves) about environmentally sound food and fiber production practices. We must reinforce the safety, wholesomeness and importance of our domestically produced food supply. We must defend only the production practices that are environmentally sound and not excuse those practices and producers who do not subscribe to these production methods. We must also listen to our detractors and consider that possibly they are not entirely wrong. We must not assume we are always right, and consider that other people may have something to contribute in reaching long term agricultural sustainability.

As a consumer, before you criticize agriculture, consider your full stomach and comfortable lifestyle. Keep in mind, in large part, production agriculture is to thank for these pleasures of life you have grown accustomed to enjoying. Agriculturists, first check the closet for any skeletons that may be hiding. Don't immediately assume that those who disagree with you are evil, stupid or greedy. And even when they are, that doesn't relieve you of the responsibility for making a constructive and convincing argument. It is our hope that through this article we may open a few eyes and minds as to the past and future of agriculture production in the great nation of the United States of America on this Earth day 2010 as we prepare for Earth Day 2050

"APACHE" the best hired hand I have ever had. 9 years and works for roam and board.

Allergies worse? Climate change could be culprit, study finds

"Climate change could allow highly allergenic trees like oaks and hickories to start replacing pines, spruces, and firs that generally don't cause allergies, exposing many more people to springtime allergy triggers," says lead author Amanda Staudt, a National Wildlife Federation climate scientist."

What a load of crap literally. I have just addressed this issue in the most recent issue of Feedstuffs. Click here to read

Here is highlight

In the late 1990s, Dr. Erika von Mutius, a health researcher, compared the rates of allergies and asthma in eastern and western Germany. Her hypothesis was that children growing up in the poorer, dirtier and generally less healthful cities of eastern Germany would suffer more from allergy and asthma than children in western Germany, with its cleaner and more modern environment.

When the two regions were reunified, von Mutius compared the disease rates. "What we found was exactly the opposite" of the hypothesis, she recalled.

Children in the polluted areas of eastern Germany had lower allergic reactions and fewer cases of asthma than children in the west. What was going on?

In Defense of Farming

Embracing Technology . Feeding the World

FACT #1: Over 98% of all farms in America are family farms. Family farms can be large, small or somewhere in between. Each farmer today feeds 150 people versus only 9 in 1940.

FACT #2: Recent study published in the Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics indicates Pollan’s view of food production would cause need for an additional 214 million acres of farmland. That is an area twice the size of California.

FACT #3: Dr. Jude Capper of Washington State University has found eggs purchased from a farmers market leave a carbon footprint 4.5 larger than those purchased at a supermarket.

FACT #4: Adrian Williams, agricultural researcher at Cranfield University in England, says “food miles” is a foolish concept that is provincial, damaging and simplistic. “The idea that a product travels a certain distance and is, therefore, worse than one you raised nearby – well, it’s just idiotic.”

FACT #5: Americans spend less than 10% of their income on food. In European countries it is over 16%.

FACT #6: CAFOs have reduced stress levels in food animals. Modern barns on dairy farms have contributed greatly to cows increasing milk production by 2.7 times annually in the past 60 years.

FACT #7: Grass-based organic beef requires more than 5 acre days to produce a pound of beef. Less than 1.7 acre days are needed in a grain-fed feedlot system using growth-enhancing technology.

FACT #8: Farm subsidies cost each American citizen only $25/year. While air travel and energy subsidies cost $50 and $250 per year respectively. Taxpayer investment in food is minimal.

FACT #9: Cornell University has proven per gallon of milk produced farmers use 35% of the water and 10% of the land mass and omit 63% less carbon than they did in 1945.

FACT #10: The global population is expected to be 9 billion by 2050 and that will require a doubling of food production in the next years. That can only be done through technological advancements as we can’t make more land.

Good news from Missouri

Court decision on Arrow Rock deals blow to opponents of factory farm

A Missouri appeals court Tuesday overturned a ruling that set up a buffer around the historic village of Arrow Rock to protect it from a proposed factory farm.

The appellate decision was a blow to environmentalists and parks supporters, who feared it would let factory farms ruin pristine areas in Missouri with odors and pollution.

Of course I will remind you that last year New Zealand revealed that manure may help people fight cancer

Manure might be the answer in kicking cancer

New Scientist magazine reported dairy farmers were five times less likely than the general population to develop the disease.

The beauty of farm/ranch life. Yesterday's work castrating bull calves turns into delicious lunch of mountain oysters today.

Iowa Cowboy Chuck Balvanz in his office. Click here to listen to Loos Tales and Chuck here

Thank you Governor Granholm

As our nation celebrated National Ag Week and Ag Day last week some interesting developments took place, particularly in the state of Michigan. If you missed it, Governor Jennifer Granholm signed a proclamation declaring National Ag Day as “Michigan Meat-out Day.” I fail to understand why so many of the elitists of this country want to apologize for the abundant food system we have created. Meat of all types contributes to a healthy lifestyle and the American consumer has access to meat items in the store at the most reasonable prices of any consumer worldwide.

At a time when so many people want to be “green” and efficient, we should be celebrating that we have a nutrient dense food substance such as meat. In fact, if you eat a 3 oz. serving of beef you get the most nutrient dense profile of any food substance. Calorie for calorie, nothing offers a greater balance and nutrient punch than meat. Vitamin B12, vitamin B6, zinc, iron and, of course, protein but I don’t want to forget the other nutrient that many Americans are short of today - healthy fats.

Americans are lacking most all of these ingredients, including good fats, in their diet. In fact, many in the scientific field are learning that every single one of those key nutrients mentioned above are also important for proper mental health. While often not discussed, depression continues to be a growing problem in the United States. Depression tends to occur even more often in more affluent families. Why?

I believe that affluent people are most often the individuals that reduce or eliminate meats and natural fats from their diet because they think that they are making a healthier choice while they fail to recognize the key nutrients that meat provides to human health.

A growing body of scientific evidence has shown that kids who do not eat meat often enough suffer in cognitive development and IQ scores. I point to the recent study from the University of North Carolina that suggests that all pregnant women should consume bacon and eggs every morning in order to improve the IQ of their unborn babies.

On one of my recent trips to California I learned that many farmers with grape vineyards are actually taking out acres of grapes and putting in olive trees. Olive oil is the new rage in health circles because it is the “heart healthy” fat thanks to the Omega 3 benefits. While I think olive oil is great and use it from time to time myself, the intramuscular fat from beef and the fat from bacon both contain the same exact monounsaturated fats found in olive oil. So if you really wanted to improve both your health and your intelligence you would fry your eggs in olive oil right next to the bacon every morning.

This should be a time in our culture that we truly celebrate the many benefits and opportunities for choice that we have as American consumers. No other country in the world has access to all of the nutritious foods that we do and we offer them so inexpensively. The fact that year after year we spend less that 10% of our disposable income on food is the primary reason that we take this bountiful food supply for granted. Not only is it inexpensive but the shelves are always full. Think about how panicked consumers are when they are stockpiling for an impending storm and they go the grocery store only to find that their neighbors have beat them to the punch. What if this were an every day occurrence and not just something that you might experience once in your lifetime? Most of us are so spoiled that we are disappointed if we go to the store and they don’t have our favorite style of bread or the milk we like best. So indeed, National Ag Day, a day set aside to bring a greater awareness to the importance of the efforts of farmers and ranchers toward human health, should come to the forefront. If it takes the ignorance of the Governor of Michigan to get it done and help it make a bigger splash in the media, perhaps that is even better. It seems that bacon and eggs may have been missing in the cognitive development of someone in the Great Lakes State!

My email Oprah today Friday March 12, 2010

I want to be on your show finally telling the real story about the American food system. I am a sixth generation United States Rancher from Central NE and struggle with the fact that you have constantly presented the "elitist" view of food production.

This is not just the “Pollan, self-promoting, I want to be a millionaire” booking selling tour. The Obama administration has begun a series of meetings around the country to plant the seed that our system of providing low cost, highly nutritious, safe, domestically grown food for people is wrong.

You need to do your viewers a favor and have someone explain why the U.S. food system has become the premier in the world. Honestly as the world population grows to 9 billion by 2050 it is a matter of humanity that this information gets out. Please give me the chance to make that happen on your show.

Trent Loos

Post your note by linking here

I tried to tell them

"Take a look at them. They're all nice guys, but they'll finish last. Nice guys. Finish last " Baseball manager Leo Durocher, 1939.

So was he talking about baseball players or the individuals in modern agriculture? I advocate that it applies today as it did in 1939. Michael Pollan is touring the country speaking in at least three Land Grant Institutions about how everything we have accomplished in the past fifty years was wrong. If someone opposes him and wants to tell the real story, there is a level of fear about looking too radical. Then of course there is his appearance recently on Oprah’s TV show. Are we going to roll over and give back everything we have worked so hard to create?

This is not just the “Pollan, self-promoting, I want to be a millionaire” booking selling tour. The Obama administration has begun a series of meetings around the country to plant the seed that our system of providing low cost, highly nutritious, safe, domestically grown food for people is wrong. This is coming at the same time that Land Grant Institutions around the country are announcing entire cuts to their Ag programs. A perfect example would be the University of Nevada-Reno. Another great example is Michigan State University where the Governor Jennifer Granholm has already indicated that she would like to do the same thing.

Why can’t we simply stand up and say, “If you want sustainable agriculture, we have sustainable agriculture and it started in our nation’s research centers.”
I reference a recent analysis out of Washington State University which found that buying 1 dozen eggs that has been transported several hundred miles to a grocery store in a tractor-trailer is a more fuel-efficient, eco-friendly option than purchasing 1 dozen eggs at a farmers market, which uses 4.5 times more fuel, or at a local farm, which would require 17.2 times more fuel.

In the comparison, total mileage in this example came to about 807 miles for the grocery store eggs, 93.2 miles for the farmers market example and 27.34 miles in the local farm example. The tractor-trailer transported 23,400 dozen eggs. The farmer’s market calculation was based on 1,074 eggs in a pickup truck and the local farm calculation was based on a consumer picking up one carton of eggs in a single trip. Not surprisingly, the study found the greatest fuel usage resulted from the consumer's car.

John Murlis, chief scientific adviser to the Carbon Neutral Co., recently expressed concern in The New Yorker about how, in our collective rush to make choices that display personal virtue, we may be losing sight of the larger problem. Murlis discusses how labeling food with carbon footprint data does not tell whole story. Organic potatoes bought from a nearby farm shows that half the emissions - and half the footprint – of those potatoes could come from the energy used to cook them. If you leave the lid off, boil them at a high heat and then mash your potatoes, from a carbon standpoint, Murlis says you might as well drive to McDonald's and spend your money buying an order of French fries.

Washington State also has shown that greenhouse gas emissions per gallon of milk produced using modern agricultural practices are 63% lower than those of the 1940s. In 2007, the U.S. dairy industry produced 8.3 billion more gallons of milk than in 1944, but due to improved productivity, the carbon footprint of the entire dairy farm industry dropped 41% during the same time period.

In the case of grass-fed beef the amount of time required to get an animal to harvest is doubled therefore energy use and greenhouse gas emissions per pound of beef are increased three-fold. In total, finishing only 9.8 million cattle on pasture, instead of in a feedlot, would require an extra 60 million acres of land.

Speaking of more land, my favorite study comes from the University of California-Davis by Steve Sexton. He has had a paper published discussing the real cost of local food production but refers to it as “pseudo-locavorism.” His research suggests that it will require more than 214 million additional acres in farm production to sustain this practice, an area twice the size of California.

The transition means 40 million additional acres will be required in California, 34 million in Texas and 26 million in Florida. The additional acreage and loss of efficiencies are calculated by Sexton to demand significant energy-intensive inputs that will likely overwhelm any carbon-emissions reductions coming from decreased transportation and monocropping. Don Curlee of the University of California-Berkeley, the very same institution where Pollan teaches journalism, is now studying Sexton’s work.

So my point is that if you appear to be a radical because you choose the truth behind the science and encourage sustainably produced food to feed an ever-growing population, so be it. We cannot continue to let a guy who is an author and a journalism professor, not a scientist or a farmer, continue to increase his carbon footprint by jet-setting around the country tearing down the Land Grant system and reverting technology in food production back to the stone ages. I would guess Leo Durocher is turning over in his grave now saying, “I tried to tell them.” If we don’t want to finish last, it times to turn up the heat!

So I am able to slip home for a beautiful spring like day in between the Oregon Dairy Farmers Convention and the Maryland Cattlemen's Association in Hagerstown. Look what I was able to witness at 10:30 am yesterday morning the first calf of the season. Yippie cavling has started.

I am sitting in Portland airport surrounded by REAL American Hero's. Here is one example "Soldier Sam" and his two sons. Thank you to all who have served to protect my freedom.

Jim Haslam joins me on the radio today to discuss the lessons learned from mistake made with HSUS. Thanks Jim for doing the right thing.

Click here to listen

Today my hat is off to Jim Haslam owner of Pilot Travel Centers. The minute he learned who HSUS truly was he said lets get this fixed. It is important we "communicate" with folks and not go around pointing fingers until they have the chance to do the right thing. Personally I will be fueling up at Pilot Travel Center every time I get the chance. Also my thanks to Chuck and Fred Bosselman for creating the opportunity for me to visit directly with the owner himself. No "Silver Bullet" but one day one person at a time we are making a difference. Don't let up now. Trent Loos

Link to story at Feedstuffs

Obama administration details Healthy Food Financing Initiative

The Obama administration is triple teaming the problem of food deserts in America’s urban core and rural regions with a planned $400 million Healthy Food Financing Initiative.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health and Human Services and Treasury Department are poised to play a role in providing resources for new outlets for fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthy food to America’s underserved populations.

The initiative was announced in Philadelphia Feb. 19 by Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and First Lady Michelle Obama.

The Healthy Food Financing Initiative seeks to eliminate food deserts — urban areas more than a mile from a supermarket — in the U.S. within seven years, according to a news release from the USDA. The goal for the $400 million for fiscal year 2011 is to expand healthy options in as many as one-fifth of the areas in need, the release said. The money will be used to provide financial and technical assistance to expand healthy food options, including tax credits, below-market rate loans, loan guarantees and grants to attract private sector capital.

Through a new tool, called the Food Environment Atlas the USDA has determined that 23.5 million people live in low-income areas that are more than a mile from a supermarket.

Question for the day. If you live within a mile of the grocery store would you buy morefuits and veggies?

RockyMountainJoe I spotted Trent Loos at LAX as I dashed to to the gate for my flight back to Denver. The hat probably caught my eye first, but the way he was focused on his machine, and his arm in a sling made for a great portrait.

He was editing an episode of his podcast, 'Loos Tales'. From his website: "Loos Tales is dedicated to e...xploring the interesting people and places of Rural America. It is the creation of Trent Loos, a sixth generation United States farmer with a passion for the rural lifestyle." Check it out:

http://www.loostales.com/

(And he had hurt is arm in a recent rodeo and expects a full recovery.)

Check out Rocky Mountain Joe.....Thanks Joe

What would you do? This fawn was crippled in the middle the road. If the law says it is illegal to do the right thing, would kill the deer anyway or drive off and never think about it again?

Click here to hear David Martosko tell the real story about HSUS financials

Action needed today

Johnny Weir should not be bullied by animal rights activist for going "Green"at Winter Olympics..

Johnny Weir staying in Olympic village due to 'threats' over fur costume

Please log on here an send him your kudo's for wearing rewenable environmently sustaintable fibers...Do it Today

"Harley" a coming two year old gelding at Paul Slayton's farm near Bedford, PA. He is sired by my stud To Hinto all Krogman bred. For record Paul is the one on left...Colt's dam is Blue Roan.

Globull warming

Ms. Ensler and Ms. Behar are airheads who think they're smart. They are -- alas -- typical of believers in anthropogenic global warming, particularly of those in journalism.

Recent events have tested the faith of true believers in AGW. In September 2008, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote an op-ed lamenting that, thanks to global warming, it would snow no more in Washington, D.C. The blizzard of 2010, which dumped record snow on the nation's capital, must have come as a shock.

Europe is experiencing its coldest winter in decades. During its winter (our summer), Australia experienced record cold.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10045/1035501-373.stm#ixzz0fX6AXHYf

My hat is off to Jack Kelly for this piece...

Okay here is a bit of irony for you. On recent trip to PA with Renaissance Nutrition my rental car for the first time ever was a Toyota Prius. I had never driven an electric car before. Yep I was driving the very car the day the massive recall issued for Prius. By was I glad to get back to my pickup....

BBC: Only 1-in-4 believe in man-made global warming

As the second 20-inch snowstorm hits Washington in 6 weeks (December’s snow was the 5th deepest in over 150 years), Americans wave goodbye to the idiotic theory of man-made global warming. The 21st century’s phrenology has collapsed under the weight of its own lies and well, these 20-inch snowstorms.

To anyone foolish enough to trot out the tired it’s-weather-not-climate argument, I recycle my 6-week-old response. Ever notice it is the rich heirs to political thrones — Al Gore Jr., Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Prince Charles — who are attracted to this myth?

Belief in man-made global warming is down to 26% in England, BBC News reported, citing a Populus poll of 1,001 Britons.

Troy Hadrick Vail, SD has done it... Awesome watch this video on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCR_J2fWsKA&feature=youtu.be

Loos Urges Farmers to Take Their Message to the Streets
Marilyn Hershey
Southeastern Pa. Correspondent
EAST EARL, Pa. — Trent Loos, a sixth-generation Nebraskan rancher and radio show host, challenged nearly 200 attendees to take a stand and defend agriculture.
Loos delivered his message Monday at a meeting sponsored by Renaissance Nutrition at Shady Maple Smorgasbord.

From his travels around the U.S., Loos said that most consumers “don’t have a clue that it takes a farm to make food.” He is often approached by people asking him if he is a “real cowboy.” He stressed the importance of our neighbors understanding that “everything lives, everything dies and death with a purpose gives full meaning to life.”

On the wake of an ABC broadcast that portrayed dairy farmers as cruel to their animals, Loos’s message held extra significance. He said that Americans have a distant view of farming but no understanding of agriculture as a business.

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As a cattle rancher I need to point out that a calf with a Yellow Tail needs to be treated or it will die. Join Facebook Yellow Fail today.

So what do you think the odds of this are? My "ole buddy" Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and I both spoke in Lewisburg, PA yesterday. I have not seen him for 5 years but we picked it up like it was just yesterday we were traveling the country together.

Click here to listen to how it went

After Renaissance Nutrition meeting in East Earl Dr. Tim Synder and I went over to New Holland Livestock to watch some goats sell. The premier goat market in the East.

I have hit the jackpot on eating joints in the past week this is Shady Maple Smorgasboard in East Earl, PA. Right next to New Holland and their one day record for number of people served is???????? 10,451 WOW

Okay getting caught up on pictures from this weeks trip. This is on Sunday and the only good thing about Chicago O'Hara airport

Pork better than Viagara? Argentina's President swears by it.

Argentina President Cristina Fernandez gave pork a hell of a plug, saying she knows from personal experience that the other white meat greatly enhances sexual activity, the Associated Press reported.

"I didn't know that eating pork improved sexual activity," Fernandez said in a meeting with representatives of the swine industry late Wednesday. "It is much more gratifying to eat some grilled pork than to take Viagra."

Okay this is no secret to me and is scientifically based. Link here to read my column last summer on the benefit to pork consumption to your sex life and overall blood health.

Article in Feedstuffs Foodlink

And you don't want to read the whole piece here is the important part..

“Nitric oxide or nitric oxcide was known for many years as a toxic air pollutant expelled from car exhaust. You can imagine the impact of the story when it was discovered that such a gaseous molecule is produced in our body. Even more remarkable is the fact that such a gas is produced within our body to serve as a signal for cell to cell communication or for the transduction of nerve impulses,” said Ignarro. Nitric oxcide regulates blood pressure, causes penile erection, and controls the action of almost every cell in our body, he said. The human immune system also uses nitric oxide in fighting viral, bacterial and parasitic infections, and tumors.

What a treat at the 2010 Cattle Industry Convention in San Antonio, TX my mentor Baxter Black stopped by the Cattlemen's Choice Loomix booth to say hello. He actually had a lot more to say but that is between me and him. Thanks for everything Baxter.

Okay I am a little bit behind on posting my daily photos but it was an incredible week. Tuesday and Wednesday I was in Jackson MS with the MS Farm Bureau and President David Waide at their livestock symposium. Click here to read my column in Feedstuffs about "Mule Headed Farmer"

Here is the committee responsible for such a tremendous event at the 2010 Utah Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers convention in Bryce Canyon UT on Jan 22 and 23, 2010

Wisconsin DNR allows major dairy expansion

Rosendale Dairy in Fond du Lac County wants to double in size, from 4,000 cows to 8,000 cows, which would make it the largest dairy operation in the state.

Neighbors and environmentalists have expressed fear that manure will harm groundwater supplies.

The DNR says language in the farm's water-protection permit is stronger than state law requires.

Nobody has worked harder at doing the right thing in producing America's Food supply than the individuals with Rosendale Dairy congratulations.....Trent

Feedstuffs Foodlink has printed my column about the Wild Horse situation and Madeleine Pickens plan.

Click here

to read

I spent this past weekend with the Utah Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers in Bryce Canyon UT. The three feet of snow that arrived just before the start of the meeting, the closed roads did not deter this group of committed farmers and ranchers from showing up 200 people in fact and it was an awesome meeting. This photo is the track hoe and how the parking lot of Ruby's Inn was cleared for our arrival. More about the meeting later.

My guest today on Rural Route really got into the spirit Denise Qualls from Pollination Connection joined me on very educational Almond Bee show.

Click here to listen

The discussion meet at the South Dakota Young Farmers and Ranchers meeting in Lead, SD on Saturday Jan 16, 2010. Chris Boggs from Vetal was named the winner. I was the true winner because I had a great weekend with everyone who attended. And if you can't figure this out you are dumb dumb dumb....