I am a sucker for interesting and unusual art, and this morning I saw grain silo art (on the internet that is). In Brim, Victoria, Australia an artist, Guido van Helten, just completed a massive undertaking by painting four portraits of farmers on decommissioned wheat silos, making a rather large and impressive mural.
Brim’s silos have been dubbed Australia’s Mt. Rushmore
For more information and photos of this project check out their Facebook page, and articles here and here.
I have followed Brandon at Lift Big Eat Big (LBEB) on Instagram for awhile now. His Instagram channel will delight foodies, agriculturalists, health and fitness buffs of all levels… well basically everyone! Brandon asked me to write up an article for his website on myths in agriculture, so I did. In turn, I have asked Brandon to answer a few questions for me – stay tuned, you will see more from him.
Until then, head over to the LBEB webpage and check out my article, as well as all of the other great information. Like what you see? Sign up to receive the newsletter.
Last week Miss Colorado represented her state in the Miss America pageant. Kelley Johnson performed a monologue on why she became a nurse and how a patient, Joe, told her she was more than JUST a nurse.
The following day, co-hosts on The View made flippant comments about her scrubs (her “costume”) and the doctor’s stethoscope she had around her neck.
Nurses and supporters of nurses across the country took to social media to defend Miss Colorado and the nursing profession. The View co-hosts did issue an apology after receiving so much backlash.
It was amazing to see so much support on my social media pages for nurses. As I watched this story develop and thought about the times in my life where a nurse helped make a bad situation better, it made me think about agriculture. Agriculture and nursing? Yes, it made me think… when will more farmers, ranchers, and their supporters rally around their industry like nurses did this past week? When people mock agriculture and the farmers and ranchers who work everyday to provide one of the safest and most economical food supplies in the world, why don’t we rally around those farmers and ranchers? When lies are told about farmers and ranchers why don’t we rally around them? After all, we ALL have to eat to survive, who do we think grows and raises that food? Farmers and ranchers!
Just like in nursing (or any profession) there are some bad eggs, some people that are an embarrassment to the entire profession, those bad eggs exist in agriculture too. Does the nursing profession let those bad eggs dictate how the other nurses are perceived? No, not from what I saw this past week when nurses across America united. In agriculture, why do the bad eggs determine what people think of agriculture? The negative images and negative stereotypes of American agriculture are what most people believe to be the norm.
The people who have chosen to raise food as their profession are more than JUST farmers and ranchers too. The farmers and ranchers I know have some of the same qualities of nurses… they provide the best care they can to the animal/patient in their care, they try to quickly and accurately diagnose a health problem so the animal/patient can begin recovery, they provide compassion when others may not be able to, they work on weekends, holidays, and nights, and they are some of the most selfless and humble people you will ever meet.
It is time to #agunite and to stand up for the farmers and ranchers who have taken a beating about their profession, the profession of growing and raising food. What do you say, will you #agunite and show your support?
BuzzFeed has come up with a great list of 10 Things Farmers are Tired of Hearing – and it is pretty spot on.
If you are reading this and would like more information about any of the points discussed in the article, please let me know, I would be glad to send resources to you or to visit with you more about agriculture.
If you are reading this article and would like to visit a farm or ranch in person, instead of looking at what is portrayed on your computer screen (not always true or accurate), please let me know – I would be more than happy to find someone across the country that can accommodate your needs.
#plant15 is underway. However, in Nebraska we are less than a 1/2 inch of rain away from breaking ALL-time-records (in the history of recording!) of precipitation in the month of May. So #plant15 has been a little slow in Eastern Nebraska…
This morning I saw the news article that Chipotle had announced they would now be sourcing all of their beef from Australia, instead of from Texas (or any other state that produces beef). I was confused and still am. So I thought I would throw it out for a Feedback Friday post. Now before you think this is a personal attack on Chipotle, it is not. This is an attack on any USA based company that isn’t even giving the USA a chance to produce the product. I love that consumers (myself included) have choices on where they eat and they type of food they eat. We get choices on what to watch on tv, what to wear, who to spend time with, and of course with our food – a huge perk of living in America. From what I understand, Chipotle sources its product from sustainable, humanely raised, no antibiotics, no additional hormones sources – correct? Well, we produce beef just like that in the United States of America. And with so many young persons/women/minorities wanting to become involved in agriculture, a specialty or niche product like what Chipotle wants could be perfect for their start in ag. So what I need help with understanding, and where I would like your thoughts: – Is shipping beef 8000 miles still sustainable? At what point does “sustainable” become unsustainable? – When a product is coming from another country how confident are we that the product was raised and grown to the same high standards we have in the US? What about federal inspections ensuring the safety? – Are there concerns over the potential food safety issues that may arise from a journey like that? The west coast is having shipping port issues at this time – will that impact these beef imports? – The price? I am sure a premium price is already being paid for this beef, will that price skyrocket with the addition of these shipping costs? What is the breaking point on the cost of the beef items for consumers? – Why does Chipotle not think American farmers/ranchers can provide the beef they need? Please help me try to understand… ——————- Dr. Lindsay can also be found on: – Website (http://food.unl.edu/ag-and-food) – Twitter/Instagram (agwithdrlindsay) – Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/agwithdrlindsay) – Pinterest (Lindsay Chichester-Medahunsi)
Agricultural with Dr. Lindsay 