National Agriculture Week

This past week was National Agriculture Week. It is a week in March, set aside to to draw attention to the importance of agriculture and provide consumers with a reminder to think about the nation's farm families.

Did you know that agriculture generates 20% of the United States Gross Domestic Product? The farther away Americans get away from direct ties to the family farm, it is easy for them to forget just how much farmers do in the way of providing food, fiber & fuel for the general public. At present, each farmer produces enough to provide for 144 people. Compare this to the 1960's when each farmer provided enough for 25 people.

Americans only spend 9% of their income on food, compared to 22% in the UK, 26% in Japan, and 55% in Indonesia. In Wisconsin, agriculture generates more than $51 billion in economic activity and provides jobs for 12% of the state's workforce.

Just a little food for thought...

Not all cows are "Cows"

People are surprised, when they come out to the farm, that we do not milk our "cows". That's because we don't have any. We raise steers. What's the difference? Well, here's a little Farming 101 for you. Let's start at the beginning.

1. Calves are either "bull" calves (boys) or "heifer" calves (girls).
2. Bull calves are either left alone and become full fledged "Bulls" or, they have their lifestyles "altered" (banded/castrated) and become "Steers". Steers are way less agressive and easier to handle than bulls.
3. Heifers when bred once, and pregnant are called "Spriging Heifers".
4. After a Springing Heifer has had her first calf she's called a "Cow".

It's not hard to understand why people get confused, what with movies for young viewers like "Barnyard"
where they stuck udders on the steers. What were those people thinking? We had the joy of sitting in a packed movie theater when our kids (not so quietly) asked, "Why do those steers have udders? They didn't put udders on the bull?" Thank you Paramount & Nickalodeon for introducing the notion of transgender cattle to the general population.
Anyway...to answer the question once and for all - this is why we don't milk our "cows". I think the boys would get a bit mad at us if we tried.