Monday Night Movie Night: Frank Doll

It's been a long time since I've shared a Monday Night Movie Night, but with all the exciting Why I Farm releases recently, I can't help myself today.

Today, I'm sharing Frank Doll's Why I Farm video. It's the first video released as Beck's Why I Farm campaign enters its third year. Unfortunately, I've never met Frank, but working on his video as part of my summer internship had an impact on me. 

Hearing friends and community members speak so highly of him really made me think. How would people respond if they were interviewed about me?

There's just something that warms my heart when I hear a mother speaking about her children. I love how Judy supports Frank's agvocacy!

I've always admired women in ag, farm moms and wives! It's pretty neat to hear how much raising their sons on the farm means to Pam, especially since she grew up outside the dairy industry.

I can really relate to Derrik's comments. Back home, there are a handful of farmers that welcomed me to learn from their operation and sparked my interest in agriculture. They are mentors, friends and role models. Like Derrik, I'm thankful for the influence these agvocates have had in my life.

I could talk to farmers like Homer all day. His smile projects his passion for the farm before you hear him say a word. I love his slow storytelling and vision for the future. You can just tell by the twinkle in his eye, he's proud of where his son is leading the farm.

All in all, I was most inspired by Frank himself. On top of working 14+ hours Sunday to Sunday, he never stops sharing his agricultural story. He cares about his cows and the consumers that enjoy the products that come from his farm. 

I hope you're touched by these stories as I have been. I can't wait to see what the Why I Farm campaign will release next! Thanks for reading!

#CowAppreciationDay 2015

Social media is awesome! Every time I log on I learn something new. This morning, #CowAppreciationDay posts filled my news feed. Who knew cows had their own special day?! 

After reading post after post, I thought of Angel. Angel was the big momma cow and boss of the herd at the farm where my 4-H calves were kept back in high school. She was big and gentle. Always the first to greet me when I came to do chores, and first in line for head scratches. We all knew she was a little spoiled, but you could hardly get mad at her when she learned how to lick open her gate. Angel was almost all white and was a great mom to my show calves Heaven and White Cloud. I looked and looked, but I don't have a picture of her to share.

This is Angel's daughter, Heaven. She was the first calf I showed at the fair. Working with her taught me a lot about responsibility and work ethic. Here's a picture from high school. I'm blow drying her after a bath. It didn't matter if I was hot or tired, she needed fed, walked, and washed everyday.

I'm so disappointed that's one of the few pictures I have of the cows I worked with. But it turns out there are lots of awesome Women in Agriculture in one of my Facebook groups who are willing to share their pictures. I hope you enjoy their stories as much as I did!

This is Crystal Wiese's momma cow, Star. She's a Jersey (a dairy breed) and about five years old. Last fall, Star had a calf that Crystal's son showed at the fair this summer. 

These adorable pictures come from Katee Pevler. Their family love of cattle has been passed through more than four generations and looks good for the future with these handsome little cowboys!

Meet Squirt! This dairy cow is Jennifer Donald Neumann's oldest cow. She's 18 and still going strong. The next picture, with the calf, is Squirt's grandson who was born this year.

These pretty ladies are Gretchen Allen's newest Dexter heifers. Heifers are young females that have never given birth.

Say hello to Annabelle who lives on A Dairyman's Wife's farm. Here's a little story about her:

"Tonight was a bittersweet night on the farm for me. My favorite heifer on the farm, which is really my favorite animal on the farm, she was 'kicked' out with the cows tonight. This means  when heifers get to breeding age, and a good size they are taken out of the big heifer pen and put out in the barnyard with the cows and our two bulls to be bred. Annabelle is a little over a year and a half old, and my first love on the farm! Sorry Farmer! ;)"

For more from A Dairyman's Wife, check out her blog.

I'm so thankful I stumbled across #CowAppreciationDay! These little stories really brightened my busy day. I'd love to hear what things you're learning on social media! Thanks for reading!

Summer 2015 Internship Update #1

By now, if you've been following the Roots Facbook page or Twitter, you know I've been interning in Atlanta, Indiana at Beck's Hybrids this summer. I began the Monday after my finals wrapped up in May and have been loving life "out east" ever since! Today is my 35th day on the job, so I'm way overdue (Imaging that! ;) ) for an update!

Part of my experience at Beck's is writing a weekly Intern Avenue blog post. It's great to have people holding me accountable to blog. I know down the road I'll be glad the stories of my summer have been saved. I'm also thankful for the opportunity this has given me to get more writing advice and critique. My supervisor has been great about kindly pointing out my weaknesses and helping me achieve my goal of being a more engaging/entertaining author.

I think my writing has improved, but check it out for yourself by reading the Intern Avenue blogs I've written so far:

First Impressions of the Beck Experience

Love For Stories

Blessed with the Best

The Road Less Traveled By

Who I Am: A Father's Day Tribute

What If and Why

I've also been able to contribute to the social media pages the Marketing Department manages. Below are all the links to their accounts, so be sure to like or follow them to see some of my work. Lately, I've been having a lot of fun adding to the Beck's Pinterest page!

Beck's Facebook

Beck's Twitter

Beck's Pinterest

Beck's YouTube

Beck's Instagram

This summer it's also been really cool to contribute to the #WhyIFarm movement Beck's started in 2013. You can read more in my first Intern Avenue, but Why I Farm is what got me hooked on the company in the first place. The Love for Stories post tells about my trip to Iowa filming a Why I Farm video. I can't share much on the subject yet because our work hasn't been released, but in the mean time visit WhyIFarm.com and enjoy some of the free download-ables. Keep your eyes peeled for exciting announcements later this summer on Why I Farm's Facebook and Twitter.

This will have to do for now, but I look forward to telling you more about all my experiences in Indiana. Meanwhile, keep a close eye on the Beck's Blog for my posts every Friday. Thanks for reading!

Wordless Wednesday: Wheat Harvest 2015

Growing up in Southeast Iowa, the only commodity crops I've had much exposure to are corn and soybeans. This summer, living in Indiana and interning in the marketing department for Beck's Hybrids, I've learned a tons about wheat in a short time. I still don't know enough to write a blog post about it yet, but I encourage you to check out information from my fellow ag blogger, Jenny (aka Prairie Californian). Meanwhile, enjoy these beautiful photos of #wheatharvest15!

Photo by Abby via Meteorologist Frank Waugh

Photo by Chris Harris via Meteorologist Frank Waugh

Photo by Chris Harris via Meteorologist Frank Waugh

 Photo by Chris Harris via Meteorologist Frank Waugh

Photo by Daniel Maier via Meteorologist Frank Waugh

Photo by DeeAnn Koehler-Nipper via Meteorologist Frank Waugh

Photo by Jill Simmerman via Meteorologist Frank Waugh

Photo by Marti Rene Pfaff via Meteorologist Frank Waugh 

Photo via Meteorologist Frank Waugh

 Photo via Meteorologist Frank Waugh

 Photo via Meteorologist Frank Waugh

Photo via Meteorologist Frank Waugh 

Photo via Meteorologist Frank Waugh 

Photo via Meteorologist Frank Waugh

Photo by Michael Bigley and Vaness Ann via Meteorologist Frank Waugh 

 Photo by Robin Johnson via Meteorologist Frank Waugh

 Photo by Robin Johnson via Meteorologist Frank Waugh

 

 Photo by Ross Stumpf via Meteorologist Frank Waugh

 Photo by Sounya Cornwell via Meteorologist Frank Waugh

I'm eager to learn more about wheat and it's role in feeding the world. I'll keep you updated with what I'm learning over the summer. Thanks for reading!

Confessions of a Bargain Lover

When I started this blog, I had no idea it would morph into what it is today. At that time the Roots journey was just a few wild dreams mixed with a crazy guess or two. Since then, it's become an outlet for me to write about the things I'm passionate about, and opened the door to some great relationships. The exciting part is, when it comes to what it looks like next year, just my imagination (...and time) is the limit. That's why, starting today, I'm blogging about another part of my "roots."

My mother has always been a bargain shopper. As I grew up, she was lovingly known as the "return queen" for making end of the season clothing hauls, letting us kids pick out a few of our favorites that fit, and returning the rest. I'm sure the shopping at home gig was much easier than dragging 3 small children to the store. Plus, as a kid I loved the surprise of what she'd bring home. When I did go to the store with her, I quickly learned to make a beeline for the clearance rack. Before we ever covered it in school, I learned to calculate 10, 20, and 50% off!

However, my love for a good deal goes even deeper than that. At Christmas, my Grandma would show up with neatly wrapped presents overflowing from the car. The treasures of her outlet mall adventures would fill the living room as we excitedly opened our presents on Christmas morning. Even when it wasn't Christmas, each time my grandparents visited, there would be a new book, doll clothes, or a truck she'd "just picked up for a quarter." When my brother and I would go stay with Opa and Grandma, a morning of garage sales was always on the agenda. Someone would give us a buck or two, and we'd spend hours strategizing the best way to stretch our little budget. Our parents were never as thrilled with the bang for our buck we were so proud of when it was time to pack and head back to Iowa.

They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and I suppose in my case this is true. You see, I'm a bargain lover too. After a crummy day on campus, I love to take some me time and head to the Goodwill a couple blocks from my house. I feel so much better after finding a cute shirt with the tags still on it, even if I did fail my pop quiz or struggled to stay awake during lecture. Until this past weekend, Ames was the best Goodwill I'd ever been to. I swear mothers send their kids to college with brand new dress pants, sweaters, you name it! Kids' styles change, mom doesn't get what's cool anymore, or they won't need dress up clothes (which is the biggest lie ever)... I don't know, but somehow it all ends up two blocks from my house, brand-spankin-new just the way mom dropped it off, calling my name. 

I didn't know Goodwill could get any better than that, but this week it did! In case you haven't read on the Roots Facebook page, I'm interning at Beck's Hybrids in Atlanta, Indiana. It's just north of Indianapolis, and I'm staying in a beautiful old farmhouse with four other girls. This past weekend, in celebration of payday, three of us decided to venture to the big city to see what the 50% off Saturday at Goodwill was all about. Boy, did we hit the jackpot! I got 15 items for a grand total of ....drumroll...please... $35.19! Sunday afternoon was spent doing laundry to get our purchases washed up just in time for the work week. 

Yesterday, it took forever to pick out what to wear, but I finally settled on this:

Don't mind the already worn look as this blog post was a post-dressed-daydream! And I promise I'll learn to take better outfit pictures! :)

Following in the steps of my mother and grandmother, I paid regular price for nothing. Just for fun, I decided to break down the cost of a few of my favorite outfits just to see how thrifty I really am. Here's yesterday's breakdown:

• Dark Red American Eagle Skinny Jeans: $3.15 - These were one of my weekend Goodwill finds. They fit well and are a bold color that I can wear with my large cardigan collection (...more on that later)
• White Target T-shirt (new): $8.00 - Just ask my mom, I love a fresh, bright white t-shirt! Come to think of it, I wear this with cardigans a lot too!
• Black and Gray Target 3/4 Sleeve Cardigan: $3.48 - This was one of my Ames Goodwill finds that still had the store tag on it! It's super soft and perfect for the chilly air conditioned office.
• Black Target Flats (new): $17ish - I got these shoes at Target last summer when I was working at the Iowa State Fair and needed a pair of cute flats that had some cushion. Their so comfortable I went back and got a brown pair too! They've gotten plenty of love!
• Black Leather Aeropostale Belt (new): <$5.00 - I remember this one of my first clothing purchases for myself way back in middle school when it was sooo cool to buy my own clothes. Ha! See, I was in to bargains even then!
• Silver Vanity Cross Necklace (new): $1.98 - These days I get all my cheap, faddy jewelry at Vanity after I wait for it to get to their lowest clearance price, $1.98. I don't feel as bad when I don't wear it much, it breaks, or it disappears after lending it to a friend if I only paid a couple bucks.

Grand Total: $38.91

That's right! Head to toe, my outfit cost less than $40! The best part is, this $38.91 was used to create job opportunities for individuals with disabilities or facing other barriers for employment. Stay tuned for the breakdown of more of my favorite outfits and tips for making the most of your thrifting trip. Thanks for reading!

Eeeek... All the Things I Should be Blogging About!

Sometimes it's really hard to keep up with all the things I should be blogging about. I get to attend so many amazing events through the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, that it's hard to catch a breath to write my thoughts down in between. Here's a summary of some of the things I've been wanting to share with you! (some for months...eeek!)

Back in February, I attended the National Farmers Union College Conference on Cooperatives in Minneapolis, MN. You may have seen my social media posts using #CCOC15 and wondered what I was up to. Maybe I'm just nerdy, but this conference was truly life changing. I've always known I'm motivated by my passions and interests in the community rather than huge profits or sales statistics, but didn't know how that perspective fit in the business world until this event. It was great to hear other people with similar thoughts talk about their successful organizations. This experience certainly has made me consider the business structure I want in a future employer. Over the course of the conference I got to hear speakers from Peace Coffee, Aynah, and the National Farmers Union. We even took a little field trip and visited a housing cooperative, REI, and Steward Coop. You can read more about the weekend here.



One of the highlights of being involved in extracurricular clubs, is packing your bags and heading out to learn about some place new. (...minus the packing part!) Earlier this semester I went on my 3rd NAMA industry tour. We headed up to Wisconsin and stopped to visit four awesome companies. First things first, we visited New Glarus Brewing Co. and learned how different varieties of grains are selected for their products. Their beer is only sold in Wisconsin, so as a marketing team, we were interested in their unique approach. Next up, we visited marketing agencies Bader Rutter and Morgan Myers, who both have several agricultural accounts. I've never had the chance to work for a marketing agency, but talking to them really made me want to try agency life. Finally, we met with CASE IH marketing folks. They shared a lot of interesting information, but there were a few thing that really surprised me. Did you know, it is someone's job to look at all the photos the company publishes to make sure all the equipment is the perfect shade of red?? I plan to write an entire post about the trip, but in the mean time, you can check out our club's Facebook page for photos.

Water has been a big issue lately here in Iowa, and a court case has a lot of people talking about farmer's nutrient management practices. The Iowa State University Corn Growers Association had expert, Ben Gleason come speak at our monthly meeting to explain what's going on. That night I learned a lot about cover crops, bio-reactors, reduced tillage, and buffer strips. I've taken agronomy classes for years, but it still amazes me how many different things farmers are doing to control the nitrogen and phosphorus on their farms. I really should write a blog post on that meeting too, it was pretty neat. Check out this website if you're interested in learning more.

The Ag Business Club also goes on an industry tour each fall and spring. You can read more about the fall trip here. Our spring trip is shorter and just a day trip to a few businesses in Iowa. This year we visited OSI, a company that makes processed meat and such, and AGP, a soybean processing facility. At OSI we saw how bacon and hot dogs are made, and got to taste several of their products! I learned OSI supplies most of the meat to McDonalds. At AGP we learned more about marketing grain, logistics, and processing soybeans. We ate dinner with several company representatives and they all had wisdom and stories to share with us students.

The most recent industry tour I attended was the AgEI trip. The Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative is one of my favorite organizations on campus, so I couldn't miss the opportunity. Our stops included Jasper Winery, La Quercia, Capital City Fruit, and Stine Seed. Each stop shared great advice for us as students, and I absolutely love listening to the stories of how each business began. I learned so much about wine and enjoyed a few samples at Jasper Winery. The whole time I was at La Quercia, all I could think about is how my Papa Tony would have loved to meet the owners and taste their prosciutto. The logistics and labels at Capital City Fruit blew my mind and Harry Stine is one of the most inspiring supporters of the program I have ever met. There will be a post about this trip too, eventually, but in the mean time stop by their Facebook pages to learn more.


Another great event the AgEI program hosts is Entrepreneurship Roundtable. Each semester, students get to sign up for a free meal and networking with 5 or 6 entrepreneurs. The business people share their stories and opportunities for student involvement and students ask questions and share their entrepreneurial dreams. I've met so many inspiring people at this event over the last three years. You can look forward to a post about Kinosol, a student business building mobile food dehydrators for third world countries, and the other guests soon. You can learn more about the Kinosol team, their travels, and progress on their website.

Just a few weeks ago, I toured the Dean's Gallery in Curtiss Hall with 3 other students and the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Wendy Wintersteen. I had always been intimidated by the hallway that holds so much beautiful artwork, because there are so many important offices in that wing. Dean Wintersteen took the time to explain several of the art pieces, including the Native American maiden cast for the fountain outside the Memorial Union. I'll post more about that experience this summer when the article comes out in STORIES, the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni magazine.





One of the biggest highlights of this semester has been traveling to Kansas City, MO for the NAMA National Conference. Iowa State took a competitive marketing team and I was able to serve on the Farm Credit Social Media Corps. It was the Corp's job to keep up conversation about the meetings on social media and promote each of the sessions. You may have noticed my social media blowing up with #NAMA15. While I was walking around doing my job, I met Texas Farm Girl, ran into the team I'll be working for at Beck's, and made lots of new friends from schools across the country. I even had the chance to sneak away and see the plaza with a friend. I can't wait to share the rest of the story in a later blog.

Finally, last week Iowa State University Corn Growers Association and Iowa State University Student Federation for Agriculture hosted a Farmland Screening and Panel complete with popcorn, a red carpet, and Captain Corn. We showed the documentary, Farmland, that tells the story of six young farmers and the trials and triumphs of their operations. Each featured farmer raises a different crop: corn and soybeans, poultry, pigs, cattle, vegetables, and organic crops. If you've never seen it, it's worth checking out on Netflix! After the film was over, six Iowa farmers came down to answer questions and share their ag stories. They each had such a unique perspective, but all of their comments fit together so perfectly. I'm working on a video summary of the night right now. Here's how you can learn more about the Iowa panelists:

• Larry Sailer - Iowa Pig Farmer - Blog: Musings of a Pig Farmer
• Bill Couser - Iowa Cattle Farmer - Article 1, Article 2, Article 3
• Katie Olthoff - Iowa Turkey Farmer - Blog: On the Banks of Squaw Creek
• Mitchell Roush - Iowa Produce Farmer - Facebook: Roush Produce
• Andrew Pittz - Iowa Organic Farmer - Website: Sawmill Hollow Family Farm
• Mark Kenney - Iowa Corn & Soybean Farmer - Article 1, Blog: Farm Eats, City Streets

Stay tuned for all the upcoming full length posts! Thanks for reading!

Wordless Wednesday: NAMA 2015

I'm on the road again, hanging out in Kansas City at the National Agri-Marketing Association National Conference this week. It's a great event, and I'm so inspired by the student and professional creativity on display. This year, I am blessed with the opportunity to serve on the Social Media Corps. Along with about 8 other young social media enthusiasts, I am using #NAMA15 across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to keep people in the loop with all the exciting contests, awards, and speaker sessions. This was my first day on the team, but I had a great opportunity to snap a few shots, which made for great timing on Wordless Wednesday.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's events, especially the finals of the Student Marketing Competition. Follow #NAMA15 to keep up with all we're up to! Thanks for reading!