Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Wordless Wednesday

I was going to take some pictures of the wheat and look who else wanted their pictures.
 


A few more weeks and it will be ready for harvest.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Why we grow GMOs?

 
So GMO? What does that mean?
If you had asked me 3 years ago I probably couldn't tell you. Even though I had been living on the farm for a few years. These terms are second nature around here and just understood. Big C and I were chosen to represent KY in a nationwide program for young farm leaders. While we were in the program we visited a seed breeding facility in Iowa. The tour guide showed us a visual of how they add traits to the seed to produce the plant they need for certain growing conditions. A gene can be inserted to help a corn plant grow in a drought conditions. Or a gene can be inserted to fight a certain bug. We saw the testing room where they looked at each corn plant each day and took a picture to record the growing process. This was a very eye opening experience for me. It was not a careless process but a well thought out and researched process.

So what is GMO? It is a Genetically Modified Organism.
I'm not sure I even realized I had witnessed this process until sometime later. I just thought it was neat how science came alive on the tour. I have never enjoyed science.

It's not until recently I've become aware of how much of a hot topic this actually is. Due to social media and food marketing there is so much info out there, but who is right? Thanks to social media and the internet this has become a big topic when farmers have been planting genetically modified crops for about 20 years.

So why do we grow GMO corn and soybeans?
 We grow genetically engineered crops to help us produce a better crop and be more efficient with the land we farm. Genetically engineered crops help us produce more food with less acres for a growing world. Let's face it; the world isn't getting any bigger but babies are still being born. Having a genetically engineered crop we use less chemicals in the growing process.

Are genetically engineered foods safe?
Yes, there has not been a case reported where genetically engineered foods cause a negative health problem. These seeds go through 10-13 years of testing in various facilities before they are on the market for farmers to plant. It's also expensive for all this testing about 130 million dollars. (Joe Blow off the street isn't creating our food.) The seeds are also tested with Food and Drug Administration (FDA), The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Seed research is a continuous process.

This picture is from the University of Georgia. The top ear of corn was grown from a genetically modified seed to keep Asian corn borer worm away. The bottom was not. I know which one I want to feed my pigs or cows.

I'll give an example of this process in a not so scientific terminology for those non-science people like me. The iPhone is a phone but add apps to it and it becomes a better device. The iPhone doesn't change you just improved it. People have been mixing and crossing plants for many years this process is safer and more reliable. The strawberry is a result of this process because it did not exist in nature before modifying plants. I'm glad they created this fruit which is one of my personal favorites.

One final note; I believe God gave us great minds to have the abilities to help the create ideas. I'm glad people aren't wasting these great gifts. Whether that's a doctor curing a disease or a plant breeder making a better plant. I know I'm not the science one; but I can trust the scientists are doing a good job.

I, as a mom of young boys, and a farmer's wife can feed my family GMO's and plant them on our farm with a clear conscience. I know enough farmers throughout the country to say that farmers are good people and we wouldn't be doing what we are doing if we didn't believe in what we do. I wouldn't feed my family what we grow if I had doubts.
If you want to explore more on this topic check out www.factsaboutgmos.org
Or ask a farmer.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Wordless Wednesday

The corn is starting to grow. This was planted a few weeks ago.

Monday, May 19, 2014

2 years!

2 years and a week later Little C2 came along.
birth May 2012
 
1 year May 2013




2 years! May 2014
 
This big boy is starting to get quite a personality and saying new words each day. He's living up to being a funny second born. 

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Wordless Wednesday

 
Too wet and rainy today for planting corn but this is some planting from a few weeks ago.
 

Monday, May 12, 2014

4 years

4 years of high school, 4 years of college, and I have a 4 year old son.
When you are younger 4 years seems like an eternity but where did the last 4 years go? Oh yeah! I've been running the last 4 years to keep up with a very active boy.
Little C1 keeps us all busy and can make you tired just answering his questions. He keeps life exciting though. He can be a great help when he wants to. He loves his little brother even though they fight over tractors. Its a fight to keep him inside. He tells people he's a farmer and knows no stranger.
This birthday has been especially fun for him because he understands more this year.
Here's a look back at the past 4 years.
 
newborn 5/2010

One year! 5/2011
2 years! 5/2012

3 years! 5/2013
4 years! 5/12/14
This year he wanted to go eat Mexican and have whipped cream put on his face. I'm not sure many people actually request to have that done. 
brothers

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Do you forget what day it is?

Oops. I will start by apologizing about Wordless Wednesday; I didn't even think about it yesterday. We are in full swing for planting season. Some farm wives call this season being a planting widow. Very true for me. Big C is putting in long hours into the night and early mornings. Rain is coming so there is a big push to get the corn in the ground tonight. It's fun to see some of the first corn planted is starting to pop out of the ground.

I was able to have a girl's night away last weekend in Chattanooga, TN for a college friend's baby shower. We had a fun weekend reminiscing and helping her prepare for her first baby. The boys had a fun weekend at the grandparents.

The boys are enjoying being outside and would rather be out than inside.  The busyness and spring blooms have gotten to the boys. We've been at the doctor twice in one week. Why couldn't they develop their sickness at the same time. Thanks to some antibiotics everyone is feeling good now.
 
This picture is of Little C2 from yesterday's playtime outside.
 
We took supper to Daddy tonight and Mickey ears made it to the field; at least he has on some kind of shoe. He ended up taking them off at some point to walk in the dirt.
 
Meanwhile, Little C2 doesn't like getting anything into his sandal. I then changed him into tennis shoes. Children are so different.
 
Coming up next week is Birthday week for the little C's. They will be turning 2 and 4 right in the middle of this busy season. Stay tuned for some birthday posts.