I recently attended the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s 14th Annual Stakeholders Summit. It was a great summit with top-notch speakers, important and relevant topics, and great networking opportunities (you can find the agenda and full details here). This year the theme was the Journey to Extraordinary, focusing on transparency and opening the barn doors.
I wanted to share some of the messages that resonated with me, via my twitter account that was blowing up last week. These are just a few of the messages, to follow the entire conversation check out #aaa15. Also, you can listen to the presentation recordings here.
– Rising global temps will make it a challenge to provide a stable environment to grow food in the future.
– Hunger and food availability are very real issues in America!
– The average U.S. family of four waste every 1 in 3 calories – Wow!
– 1 in 8 people suffer from hunger. Yet we still fight over safe Ag technologies (ie GMO).
– Retailers don’t like Ag to use a technology that they can’t defend to consumers.
– Mandatory GM labeling would add approx $500/yr/family in grocery costs!
– All food is local, it is just globally dispersed.
– Personable, passionate, and transparent people are good for Ag.
– Don’t throw your fellow producers under the bus for personal gain.
– Most animals get a perfect diet, they prob eat better than most people!
– Social media doesn’t replace one-on-one conversations with people – engage in person too.
– In order for teams to have a lot of innovation, they embrace the risk that comes with it!
– Stay calm and keep messages consistent! Good advice for a daunting interview.
– Start planning today if you don’t have a crisis management plan yet.
– Your employees are your best brand investors in the communities and at home.
As you can see the speakers, topics, and conversations were varied and diverse. There was some great information I can use instantly, and there is some stuff I will have to think on some more.
I enjoy sitting by the window on an airplane, it is fun to see the landscape and get a sneak preview of where you are going. Today’s Wordless Wednesday is a photo I took over Iowa somewhere. I love seeing the farmed soil ready for planting, how everything is geening up, and the effect the clouds have. It is amazing how different it looks from 30,000 feet.
As the majority of our county is enveloped in extremely cold temperatures, which are plummeting into many degrees BELOW zero, you may be wondering how ranchers and farmers care for their livestock.
The temperature in Lincoln, Nebraska this morning.
As temperatures drop it is important to remember that not all livestock need or want to be indoors! Unlike us or even our pets, they have extremely thick hair and wool coats that are very warm (sometimes water resistant), enabling them to withstand cold temperatures. Additionally, it is usually not feasible to provide shelter for all the animals on a ranch or farm (some animals like pigs, poultry, or rabbits may need shelter), as that could be for hundreds of animals, and providing enough space for them all to lay down and clean bedding would be quite the task!
And animals are interesting, even if you provide them with shelter, they do not always go into it. It is like that saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink”‘ you can provide shelter, but you can’t make livestock use it.
Animal Barn – Many people believe this is how livestock animals are housed. But let me share more feasible alternatives with you.
Have you ever seen a row of trees in a pasture? These are called windbreaks. Windbreaks vary from a single row of trees to multiple rows of various trees and shrubs. It may look random, but they are usually strategically placed to be in an area that blocks the winds and blowing snow. Pastured animals quickly learn that if they stand on the opposite side of the windbreak they will get a break from the weather! Additionally, farmers and ranchers will move livestock to more protected pastures (such as the one in the photo below) in the winter where they can be fed and have their offspring in the best possible location.
Cows being fed near a windbreak
Windbreaks are also used to protect homes and other buildings from blowing winds, snow, and even dust.
A home with a windbreak
Windbreaks do not always have to be in the form of trees and/or shrubs. They can also be wooden or metal fence/panels to provide a weather break for livestock.
A permanent wooden windbreakA portable wooden windbreakA metal windbreak
Sometimes windbreaks may be just a roof and no sides, which offers a place to get out of wet weather, and also provides shade on hot days.
An above-head windbreakA windscreenPortable shelter
BEDDING
Livestock may be provided straw, corn stalks, wood chips, or other types of bedding to lay on in the cold winter months. If animals are sheltered indoors, these are great and warm for just a couple of days until they become soiled with feces and urine, and need to be changed (which can be very labor intensive and expensive). If these are provided outdoors they may get wet and stomped into the ground, and fresh bedding would need to be provided as needed. If no bedding is provided, livestock will generally lay on any leftover forage feedstuffs they waste during the eating process.
An example of cattle laying the hay they wasted
Livestock will most commonly be brought in from pasture and put on bedding when they are about to give birth. This helps the babies stay warm and dry and get off to a good start in life. When the babies have nursed and are strong, they will be moved back out to the pasture (which may be anywhere from one to four days – or more if needed).
Lambs in strawA newborn calf on wood-chips from my friend Tracy
SHELTER
As I mentioned, it is usually not feasible to offer shelter to all livestock animals. But sometimes ranchers and farmers will make a shelter for just the babies to get out of the weather. This gives them a warm, dry place to go when the weather gets really bad. These structures are usually just small enough for the babies to go into, leaving the mamas outside, where they are more equipped to handle the colder temperatures.
Calves enjoying a warm shelter
Remember, in the cold winter months livestock have very thick hair coats (that is why they looks so fuzzy) and wool pelts to keep them warm!
FEED AND WATER
When temperatures drop and it stays cold for long periods of time, or if rain or snow events occur, livestock may need to be given additional feed. Some sort of forage (hay) that was put up in the summer months with the intentions of being used during the winter months is an excellent option. When it is cold, livestock use more energy to keep and stay warm, if they cannot get enough feed during this time you may see them drop condition or become thinner. You may see ranchers and farmers feeding their livestock at least once a day, and maybe twice a day when weather gets really bad. During winter months the quality of the grass in a pasture is not very good, so additional hay during those times is important.
Here is a picture of me feeding hay to some hungry cows
Livestock always need access to fresh, clean water – regardless of the time of year or weather conditions. In the winter this may mean that ranchers and farmers will need to break a lot of ice, deal with frozen pipes, or haul water. Livestock cannot get enough of their daily water requirements from just eating snow, and if forced to do so will become dehydrated.
Chopping ice – The Pioneer Woman provides a great blog post on it
So on these very cold days, be thankful that the ranchers and farmers raising livestock for our consumption are such good stewards of their animals and the land. And know that the livestock in their care are being taken care of properly. Being outside all day, everyday in these elements is not for the faint of heart!
Disclaimer: I am not promoting a company or product, the photos used are meant to only provide an example or illustration of a specific event and provide an example.
During the holiday season we reflect on the past year, spend time with family and loved ones, and prepare for a new and fresh year.
Speaking of families, did you know that of approximately 2.2 million farms in America, 97% are operated by families, family partnerships, or family corporations! (Source: American Farm Bureau Federation).
It is a common misconception that many American farms are “factory farms” – which is simply untrue. Personally, every single farm and ranch I know is family operated and/or owned (by some very fine people I might add).
This a photo from my wedding day of my immediate family. Both my Mom and Dad’s families were ranchers, and my sister and I are the 4th generation born and raised on our family’s ranch.
I wanted to share some of the messages that resonated with me, via my twitter account that was blowing up last week. These are just a few of the messages, to follow the entire conversation check out #aaa15. Also, you can listen to the presentation recordings here. 
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