Monday Night Movie Night, 5th edition!

Monday Night Movie Night is back... and it looks like it's here to stay! I've enjoyed all the feedback and video suggestions. Keep it coming!

A couple weeks ago at a Student Federation for Agriculture meeting we had a mini media night. After regular meeting business, we wrote letters to the editor, posted on social media, and watched agricultural videos. I'm kind of a nerd for tidbits and factoids so this clip was one of my favorites. You can always pick up a few interesting pieces of trivia in this sort of thing so watch closely!

I learn more about the pork industry every day. This video taught me how and what farmers feed pigs as they grow and mature. Specifically, I learned why feed is made into pellets. Watch this video and see if you can catch a couple reasons yourself.

In the last year or so, I've had a growing interest in dairy goats. Fortunately, I've been able to tour a few farms and taste some delicious goat cheeses. This video is from one of the dairies I follow on Facebook and hope to visit one day. It does a great job of explaining the business in a brief clip.

Ag facts, pig food, and dairy goats! Hope you've learned as much as I did researching these! Thanks for reading!

Wordless Wednesday: Highlights

Being a student at Iowa State University has given me so many unique opportunities! I wish I could write a blog post explaining each one. For now, here are a few photo highlights. Since school started I've had the chance to play the campanile, mentor Ag Business freshmen, and attend several picnics welcoming back all the students to campus. Meetings and homework fill my schedule, but every once in a while I get the chance to enjoy the beautiful fall weather. 

I'm so thankful for all I've been able to do so far this school year and that I can share a glimpse of it through these photos. Stay tuned for details of all my adventures. Thanks for reading!

Monday Night Movie Night, 4th Edition!

Monday Night Movie Night seems to be a hit and I love the excuse to geek out and watch YouTube videos, so keep reading for the 4th edition!

I know this is a promotion for AgPhD's YouTube channel, and unless you are a serious farmer or researcher some of their videos may not appeal to you, but I thought this clip was pretty neat. You can see many of the major steps in an entire crop year reduced to less than 30 second. This one definitely made me think about all the effort that is put into each kernel of corn that is produced here in Iowa. (Click on the picture below for the link.)

Here's a homemade music video from Huitt Farms, Inc. out of Perry, Iowa. It's getting to be about harvest time so this clip seemed appropriate. For all you country music lovers, take a peek at their YouTube channel for more harvest and planting videos set to some toe tapping tunes. 

Here in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State, we here about the 9 billion people that will populate the world by 2050 almost daily. All those people will need food and fuel. The demands on the agricultural industry and the need for leaders has never been greater. This short clip from Dupont Pioneer was particularly inspiring to me as a reminder that there are lots of people my own age already engaged in finding a solution. It certainly encourages me, and hopefully you, to be among the ranks of those working to achieve food security for the entire globe. 

That's all folks! Hope you enjoyed this week's Monday Night Movie Night as much as I enjoyed creating it. Thanks for reading!

Wordless Wednesday: ISU Campus

Yesterday, my English class got out a little early and it was the perfect opportunity to break out my camera again. For a long time I've been wanting to explore some of the art on campus and buildings where I don't have class. My friend Dan and I got so caught up in exploring the new bio systems building we only made it through a small section of the campus, so I'm sure there will be a part two to this post in the near future. If you're in the Ames area see if you can find some of these pieces for yourself. 

I'm so thankful for the beautiful weather yesterday and such a gorgeous campus to enjoy. If you've never seen the sculptures or other artwork around Iowa State, take advantage of the nice fall weather while it lasts! Thanks for reading! 

Monday Night Movie Night, 3rd Edition!

It's been a while since I've posted a Monday Night Movie Night, but I ran across a few videos I want to share with you this past week. 

At Farm Progress Show last week the Beck's Hybrids Why I Farm campaign greeted me as I approached the gates. Here's another one of my favorites from them. As always, let me highly recommend their Youtube channel for more heart warming videos.

I hope you've had a chance to read about my experience at the Iowa Corn Indy 300 this past July. (If not you can catch up here.) Even if you're not a big race fan, check out this short clip from Indy Car of some of the highlights. Notice how incredibly fast the cars are going... even though the video doesn't really do it justice. I've said it a bunch already, but I am so thankful to see the performance of ethanol powered racing, and so many other things through my Market Development Internship with Iowa Corn. 

The GMO/organic discussion is all over the news, social media, and editorials today and has been a hot topic for several years. Last year I was fortunate enough to attend the Food Dialogues Event at Iowa State University. Even though this isn't a short clip, let me encourage you to watch and learn the science behind the debate. Katie Olthoff and Wayne Humphreys, who've been featured in my blog before are on the panel. 

Hope you've enjoyed these videos and learned something new! As always, I'd love to hear about any new clips you find! Thanks for reading!