“Begin each day with a grateful heart.” This has been my theme for the past several months. You don’t need me to outline the challenges our world faces – in 2020 and every other year. As a world, we may all be in the same storm, but everyone is in a different boat. It’s certainly not my place to say how easy or difficult these challenges are to overcome. However, no matter … [Read more...]
The Father of the Green Revolution
You’ve maybe heard his name, and certainly been impacted by his work. Norman Borlaug was 19 and in Minneapolis when a man asked him for pocket change to buy food, while people were dumping milk in the streets to protest low food prices. As a college student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Norman himself knew what it was like to be hungry. Some of us may know what … [Read more...]
Living to serve
How do you find a few ducks that weigh a single pound full grown? Well, I didn’t know the answer to that until I asked a friendly neighbor for help. I had been raising poultry for a few years, and I wanted to raise call ducks – a breed of ducks that weighs 16 ounces full-grown. Darrell Ray, our neighbor, gave me the contact information for a man named Chuck Rector, who raised … [Read more...]
The power of an internship
It’s a common story: schools close down, office employees work from home, and internships are canceled. Last spring, most plans went out the window. As a college student, I was preparing to intern either at an orphanage in Mexico or with a policy group in Washington D.C. The last thing that I expected to spend my summer doing was live in a trailer and work on a potato farm in … [Read more...]
Valerie (Earley) Luhman: Fillmore County roots, agricultural success
National FFA Officer Candidate Deep roots and strong wings: being equipped with these two things can take you anywhere. There’s one Fillmore County native who exemplifies this philosophy. Valerie Luhman (maiden name Earley) has used her roots in Fillmore County to soar to new heights as an agricultural entrepreneur. Valerien Luhman, daughter of James and Rachel Earley, has … [Read more...]
3 Cricketeers: An emerging form of urban agriculture
National FFA Officer Candidate Add in the butter, scramble the eggs, pour in the sugar, don’t forget to add the cricket flour, and of course the — wait…crickets? In BROWNIES? Whether the idea of crickets in your brownies excites you or sends tingles down your spine, it’s a real food. Crickets likely aren’t the first thing we think of when we talk about agriculture, but … [Read more...]
The ratio for career success through higher education
By Maddie Smith National FFA Officer Candidate Think about your senior year of high school. As graduation approaches, what is the one thing most people talk about? Aside from senior pranks and graduation parties, most high school students are probably worrying about what’s next. For me, it hasn’t been too long since I was a high school senior. Two of the biggest things I … [Read more...]
The community impact of agricultural education
By Maddie Smith National FFA Officer Candidate When we talk about education, we usually think about the students and teachers, but what about the community? How do we make classroom content applicable to the “real world”? What does it take to promote a town’s economy and culture? Can certain classes make a difference? Yes — certain classes can make a difference! … [Read more...]
The food supply chain: getting food from farm to fork
By Maddie Smith National FFA Officer Candidate Milk is expensive yet farmers are dumping it... How does this happen!? When we think about essential workers during the pandemic, we most often think about healthcare workers and grocery store workers. Looking at our grocery stores, however, there are plenty more heroes to add to that list. When we grab food off of the … [Read more...]
A conversation about rural mental health in youth
By Maddie Smith National FFA Officer Candidate ATV training, grain bin safety, rural resilience… These were a few topics discussed during the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH) virtual expo last week. One topic was more frequently discussed than any other, however: mental health. Stress levels on the farm are higher than ever. Those of us … [Read more...]
Agriculture literacy in our communities
By Maddie Smith National FFA Officer Candidate Think about the last time you filled up at the pump. What fuel did you use? Why? Thinkabout the labels on the food you buy. What do they mean? Think about the news stories you hear. What do we do to keep our water clean and the environment healthy? How do trade agreements impact our communities? Why do we see healthy livestock … [Read more...]