How To…

Want to know how to make an easy craft?? Look no further! Here’s a wonderful How To video of How To… Mod Podge Letters for Your Bedroom.

What’s the Value??

All across the country farmers are thrilled! The Federal Reserve Banks of Chicago and Kansas City released data indicating that there has been a huge increase in farmland values that hasn’t happened in a few decades. Who knew the land that looks the same year in and year out could have such a great increase in value! While the major value jumps are in the Corn Belt, there is an increase in Oklahoma as well. I know the men at home are so thrilled to see things get back “to the way they used to be.”

I think the greatest thing about this increase is that it gives hope to the farmers. I know how discouraging it is sometimes to work hard for your crops to produce, but instead they burn up in a drought or get pounded away by rain and storms. This increase will keep some people going, and give them their drive back.

This is not only helping farmers, it’s helping ranchers as well. Ranch land is increasing in value as well. It’s not making the leaps and bounds that farmland is, but it’s getting there. Since my family does both, I understand how much this increase helps the agriculture community. With all the trouble and heartbreak that many farmers and ranchers were forced to endure because of the drought throughout Oklahoma this summer, this news is like a breath of fresh air.

Orange….I don’t know about this….

Eggs are not my favorite thing in the world. However, being raised in a small town has forced me to eat them on more than one occasion. Through the years, I’ve grown to like different types of eggs, but I rarely crave them. When I do want eggs, I make sure they’re farm fresh eggs. Some people don’t care for them as much because of the bright yellow yolks, but I think they taste so much better. The first time I saw my mom crack them, I kinda freaked out! At home we use store eggs for cooking, and farm eggs for eating. What some people don’t realize is the benefits of eating fresh eggs. The dark yellow or orange yolks are a good thing that are said to provide you with a lot more omega-3 than commercial eggs give you.

Eggs are just good for you all around. They not only taste good (to most people anyway), but provide you with a lot of nutrients.  The thing that we think of the most when eating eggs is the amount of protein you are able to get. Eggs are also a great source of Choline, which is a key component in fatty structures of cell membranes and helps with various body functions.

The price of farm fresh eggs are sometimes a concern for many people. While it may be cheaper to buy commercial eggs from the store, the extra dollar for farm fresh eggs totally wins the battle. I know from experience that farm fresh eggs taste and make anything you eat so much better. If my mom makes eggs for breakfast on Saturdays when I’m home, I can always tell if we’ve ran out of “real eggs” as they’re called in my house.  If you have never tried farm fresh eggs, better known as “organic eggs” to some, I strongly suggest you try them! You’ll be in for a pleasant surprise!

Do I or Don’t I??

Do I or don’t I? That is the question that many farmers ask themselves every time it’s time to plant again. Using fertilizer on a farmers crops can be a huge financial strain on farmers because fertilizer prices keep going up. There has been a huge increase in price over the past year. If a farmer uses fertilizer on his or her crops, the benefits may not outweigh the costs at the current time.

Just like with anything, there are pros and cons to using fertilizer. One of the pros of fertilizer is it gives extra nutrients to the crops to hopefully make them produce more. There are many reasons that farmers use fertilizers, but the main reason is for them to gain the advantage financially. Fertilizer helps crops grow. The better the crop brought in, the more money a farmer will make. One new way many farmers are fertilizing is using manure. It’s a great way to be eco-friendly and save some money in the process.

One of the cons of fertilizer besides the cost is the way fertilizer is how it can effect the environment. There are many chemicals in fertilizer, so many people are trying to go to a more organic way. However, many times, people get fooled by fertilizers that claim to be organic but are not.

Whether you are pro or con fertilizers, think about the economic restrictions that come with fertilizers. Fertilizers are expensive, but produce more crops. If you want to be organic, it costs even more to produce. It becomes a  matter of having a surplus of food vs. the costs of fertilizers.

3rd Grade Life

Here’s a look into how third graders and third grade teachers go about their life at school!

What’s So Important About Corn Anyway??

Corn is important because it is in so many things that we eat and use everyday! Everything animal feed to the things we eat everyday like cereal have corn in it! Even the pop we drink has corn as one of the ingredients!

The good news is the Department of Agriculture came out with new estimated numbers showing 206 million more bushels of corn in surplus than they previously thought! Everyone was concerned earlier in the season that we would not have enough corn stores, but things are looking up!

This is not only good for farmers who thought their crops were not going to produce as well as they need to, but also to the average person because it will drive prices down for food eventually. There’s about a six month lead time so initially prices might seem a little higher, but eventually they will drop.

Be thankful for the increased numbers in surplus! The price of crops, especially crops like corn, effect us in more ways than we can count! Keep up with the markets, they effect your future and how much money you’re gonna end up spending.

The Way By Which We View The Flag

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There are many different ways people view the flags that we see everyday. Some view flags from a close, personal view. Some view them from a distance. However you look at them, flags should be viewed with complete respect.

And That Effects Me Because…..???

It is important, especially in today’s farming/ranching economy, not to waste anything, ESPECIALLY a hot commodity like feed! With the way parts of the country has been dealin’ with drought lately, it’s so important to be conscious of what is used, how it is used, and when it is used.

A big concern right now is not having enough seed to be able to afford to plant next year to even make feed. I don’t know if ya’ll realize, but we have a shortage in plantin’ seed. If we can’t figure out a way to get the seed we need, we might have to import the seed from outside the country, which would raise our prices. I don’t know about ya’ll, but I think prices are enough as it is.

Just because we have an excess of world supplies of seed and prices are trendin’ down in markets for things like wheat, does not mean that as the United States, we are where we need to be. So watch what you use, be conscious of what will happen if we waste too much, and pray that the drought doesn’t cause too many shortages in seed so our prices won’t raise too much more!

Opportunities in the Greek Community

Hey ya’ll!! This is just a little bit about the wonderful leadership opportunities the greek community can offer you! Even this small town girl can go to the big city to get trained on how to be a better leader!

Rain Boots, Norts or Both??

Whether we know it or not, we’ve all been greatly affected by the temperamental weather that plagues our country.  In many places, especially central Oklahoma, we’ve been experiencing a drought. Some areas in the country, however, have had flooding or even frost. We know mother nature sometimes likes to have her fun and play tricks on us.

The recent weather has certainly taken it’s toll on soybean production.  In places like Minnesota, soybeans have been hit because of long boughts of late season drought. Recently however, soybeans have been hit by frosts.  Soybean production is suffering from both ends of the spectrum of weather patterns. This could cause a huge problem for people in the United States and around the world.

Soybeans are important to our country. We use soybeans for everything from livestock food to food humans eat.  It is a great source of protein, so it’s used a lot by people who don’t eat meat.  Frosts and droughts greatly effect the way soybeans mature, grow and are harvested. While we may not always pay attention how the weather effects us more than if we need rain boots, norts or both, we all need to watch how the weather affects agriculture because agriculture effects us all.