The American Farm Bureau Federation hopes so.

To address consumer concerns about the care provided to farm animals, the American Farm Bureau Federation has launched the Conversations on Animal Care initiative. The goal? Engage consumers in a positive dialogue about animal care.

The initiative also helps livestock producers share personal insights on the care they provide farm animals, and puts the faces of farmers and ranchers on our nation’s livestock care issues.

According to AFBF Public Relations Director Don Lipton, the national farm group knew it was time to act when they received the findings from a survey it commissioned earlier this year.

Agree or disagree

The national online survey, conducted in January by Harris Interactive, asked nearly 3,500 individuals if they agreed or disagreed with the following statement: “Farmers and ranchers in your state treat their animals humanely.”

A majority of voters, 57 percent, said they agreed or strongly agreed with the statement. However, 34 percent of those surveyed responded “not sure.”

Not good enough

“While a majority of consumers who participated in the research believe farmers are doing a good job, one-third of those surveyed didn’t have enough information to even have an opinion,” Lipton said.

Survey participants were then exposed to a series of educational statements and messages about food-animal production. At the conclusion of the survey, participants again were asked if they agreed or disagreed that farmers and ranchers in their state treat animals humanely.

This time, 72 percent agreed or strongly agreed — a jump of 15 points.

“This tells us that, when presented with basic information about the practical and ethical standards farmers and ranchers maintain, consumers respond positively,” Lipton said.

Training producers

A major component of the Conversations on Animal Care initiative is a training program that teaches producers to share their stories.

During two days of training, participants hone skills in sharing their personal stories with local audiences, the media and in one-on-one opportunities. They also learn of the important role online tools play in communicating to consumers.

“As producers, we don’t have to be experts on the whole livestock industry,” said Chris Chinn, a Missouri pork producer. “But we are experts on the care we provide to the livestock on our own farms. That’s a story we can and need to tell.”

So far, the Farm Bureau, working with professionals from Osborn & Barr Communications, has trained teams of farmers and ranchers from Alabama, California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Tennessee, to date.

At the meeting, members volunteered to help move benches for the upcoming Cold Creek festival. Members then had a chance to sign up and assist with a kiddie tractor pull at the festival.

Advisers were there to help members with various project questions before judging. Members also discussed ideas for the upcoming school year.

Members also put together care packages for overseas troops.

The club will meet again after the fair.

Members discussed livestock knowledge judging and 4-H camp. Julie Davis informed members about the make-up judging and important fair dates. Members also worked on the fair booth and trash barrel.

Demonstrations were given by Andrew Weals, how to show a pig; Austin Weary, how to get a fingerprint; Tyler Moore, how to keep your rabbit cool; and Stephanie Woods, how to show a goat.

Health and safety talks were given by Ashleigh Johnson, safety in the kitchen; Andrew Weals, how to care for a pig; Austin Weary, how to make a game; and Jacob Lovejoy, bowhunting safety.

For its August meeting, the club will play laser tag.

Members also made plans to visit Waldemere Park July 9, and to meet for a regular meeting July 10.

The barrel painting contest for the Stark County Fair was discussed. Jackie Gallo and Chad Thouvenin will co-chair the committee.
Members brought their project books to be checked by advisers.

Members giving demonstrations about their projects included: Rebecca Maurer, bicycle safety; Brittany Gibson, pygmy goat hoof trimming; and Serena Thomas, photography.

The next meeting will be Aug. 7 at 7 p.m. at the adviser’s home.

The club has elected new officers, including Olivia Paul, president; Stephanie Ord, vice president; Katelynn Kaiser, secretary; Matt Ord, treasurer; Olivia Doraski, news reporter; Ashley Kaiser, scrapbook keeper.

Members have been going to riding meetings with their horses at the Randolph Fairgrounds to prepare for upcoming horse shows and the fair that is held the third week in August.

Old business concerns were the benefit sale and petting zoo at the Alum Creek Friends Church in Marengo. This sale is being used to raise funds for a health trust fund for a recently hospitalized child at Children’s Hospital in Columbus.

The annual fair before the fair at Bennington Glen Nursing Home is set for Aug. 20 at 10 a.m.

The following members will represent Morrow County at this year’s Ohio State Fair: Andrews (Veterinarian I), Jordan Blanton (Time for Clothing and Scrapbooking), Brandon Mayer (Teen Boardmanship), Elizabeth-Anne Mayer (Genealogy), Nick Snyder (One on One), Valerie Tolle (Lounging Wear) and Brenna Wagoner (Tobacco and You).

The club was also selected to participate in the club category on Service Day, Aug. 3. Members receiving Outstanding on their projects were Andrews (Cats II), Blanton (Growing in Communities), Faith Manders (Let’s Explore the Outdoors I), Mayer (Set the Stage), Elizabeth-Anne Mayer (Mini Meal Magic) and Tolle (Money Management).

Demonstrations were given by Randy Norwich on how to bait a hook, Jacob Norwich on identification of non-poisonous and poisonous snakes and Tasia Elencovf on her pet rat.

The next meeting will be Aug. 1 at 7 p.m.

Participating in two projects will be Megan Day and Blake Algarin; and for one project will be Shannon Marshburn, Jacob Timmins, Delorean Jones, Amanda Moore, Cheyenne Rowbotham, Richie Hedrick, Krista Hornberger, Robert Voland, Max Timmins, Katherine Pitcairn, Presley Cummings and Ian Hames.

The following county award winners were also congratulated: three projects, Sarah Hernan; for two projects were Robert Voland and Ashley Algarin; and for one project were Alexx Hames, Katherine Pitcairn, Amanda Joerndt, Julia Miglets, Delorean Jones, Tiffany Voland, Kayla Vega, Hannah Shrader, Richie Hedrick, Erin Styka, Haylee Shasteen, and Nickolas Marinescu.

Outstanding county project awards were presented to Bailey Hornberger, Tiffany Voland and Jena Styka.

Representing Mahoning County at the Ohio State Fair in the public speaking competition will be Ashley Algarin, Blake Algarin, Katherine Pitcairn and Cheyenne Rowbotham. Cheyenne also represented Mahoning County in the North East Regional Health and Safety Speaking Contest in Wooster, Ohio.

State ambassadors-in-training Hannah Shrader and Blake Algarin shared details about the regional public speaking event they and Delorean Jones assisted with on the ATI Campus in Wooster, Ohio.

Hannah Shrader reported on the Canfield Fourth of July parade.

Amelia Shrader shared information about State 4-H Leadership Camp where she will be a counselor for the second year. Megan Day, who will be a counselor at Mahoning County’s 4-H Junior Camp later this month, encouraged the members to come and enjoy the “007 Spy Week” at camp.

Thirteen club members were selected to represent Mahoning County at the Ohio State Fair 4-H Style Revue: Shannon Marshburn, Gabriella Marinescu, Amelia Shrader, Emily Schors, Hannah Shrader, Krista Hornberger, Gina Roberts, Megan Day, Sara Cummings, Bailey Hornberger, Cheyenne Rowbotham, Kayla Vega and Delorean Jones.

Amanda Majirsky, Jena Styka and Delorean Jones were selected as first alternates.

Several members also received County Ribbon Awards: Natalie Ettinger, Amy Milo, Haylee Shasteen, Ashley Algarin (two awards), Elizabeth Marinescu, Kayla Vega, Shannon Marshburn and Krista Hornberger.

The Rangers will meet again Aug. 14. Each family is asked to bring a snack or dessert to share and the 4-H’ers will share their favorite 4-H project.

The 14 youths will be lauded for their excellence in 4-H project work, leadership and community service.

The outstanding seniors are: Jonathan Brietkrenz, Katelin Everhard, Beth Joseph, Caci-Lane Lewandowski, Heidi Santelmann, Adam Sniff, Jacob Sniff, Rachel Sniff, Kelsey Stoll, Kimberly Tekus, Jacob Tyree, Malory Vereb, Jessie Witschey and Michael Woolsteen.

The senior recognition event replaces the former Outstanding Court that awarded top 4-H’ers each year.

A 20-member Extension 4-H committee that helps guide the county’s programs declared a change after saluting court members for more than 25 years.

Three 4-H families are hosting youth from July 24 through Aug. 19.

The Labo Foundation is a Japanese organization devoted to teaching Japanese youth about the English language and American culture. Each summer, close to 600 Japanese boys and girls and their adult leaders travel to America for a one-month home stay. Ohio 4-H hosts a large portion of these visitors; this year, families around the state are hosting 80 Japanese youth and their five adult chaperones.

Other programs sponsored by Ohio 4-H and Labo include a year-long hosting opportunity for Ohio families and Japanese youth, and an outbound program which sends Ohio youth to Japan for one month.

Ohio 4-H also organizes other exchange opportunities with numerous areas of the world. If you are interested in more information about these programs, contact Mary Lynn Thalheimer at the state 4-H office, 614-292-6941.

My mild obsessive, compulsive disorder forces me to eat the cream centers first. At least the first tier afforded me a chance at some nutty, chewy varieties before I was back at the task of ridding myself of the creams. I am committed to nutty, chewy varieties.

Not only do I have a cream/ nut/chew dilemma, my daughter caught me counting the milks and the darks. I explained to her I had to even up their numbers, early on, in order to alternate eating them, night to night. Yes, I’m OCD serious about my chocolate.

With some brands of chocolates, I don’t bother with the creamy ones. I eat the pieces that appeal to me and send the rest to work with Mark. It’s amazing the things that are gobbled up in the lunch room of his workplace.

I suppose the fact that they are … well, Daffin’s, in the first place, compels me to eat them all. A two-pound gift like this one is an investment to be appreciated and not to be taken lightly.

Nearly 100 years and three generations of experience has earned Daffin’s a national reputation in the world of fine chocolate. Let me quote a famous witch, “Oh, what a world! What a world!”

Boxed chocolates didn’t catch on until the 1920s, a fact due not to a question of taste, but that coincides with the development of air conditioning (according to Daffin’s Web site*) which made chocolate sales possible year-round.

Daffin’s, located in Farrell, Pennsylvania, offers a chocolate factory tour, which would be much closer to me than traveling to Hershey. For years, I’ve thought about making a trip there. Before a holiday, I might find special decorations … but more customers; after a holiday, I might find special reduced prices … but more customers.

I want my first visit to be a calm experience so I can take it all in on my terms. If I go there, I’ll buy something chocolate, anything chocolate. I don’t need more chocolate, not now; not yet.

The quality of the Daffin’s chocolates, despite my dislike of overly sugary cream centers, makes it necessary for me to eat the lot of my two-pound box. The smooth, quality chocolate surrounding each piece usually compensates for a second rate center.

So I wait for the evening when I open the box, lift the protective liner above the glistening milk and dark delicacies and discover that only square and lumpy, nutty shapes remain. Mmmmm.

(I must tell you, I do brush my teeth after my nighttime candy indulgences. Very important.)

Let’s hear your spiels for turning the U.S. economy around. (more…)

During these times, which number in the “many” category, you could find me doing one of the following: freaking out, crying, freaking out some more, feeling sorry for myself, getting mad, getting even and singing along with bad disco songs at ridiculous levels.

I have finally reached that point in adulthood I thought I never would. That point where the evening news (and morning news and midday news and pretty much all the news in between — just ticks me off).

It seems all we have are ceaseless reminders that as bad as things seem now, they are going to get much, much worse.

Prices are rising while values are falling. Investment statements are likely worth more as kindling than any real barometer of your retirement fund.

It’s starting to feel almost impossible to be able to afford to drive to work — if you have a job.

News

At dinner, I was reading the daily newspaper (I know, it’s a bad habit this reading during dinner — what ever happened to conversations?).

I, however, am weak and unable to resist hard-hitting “news” articles such as “Gas is expensive!,” and helpful advice we can’t get anywhere else such as “Combine errands to save fuel.”

Amidst this I read that despite the crashing housing markets we should generally be prepared to see our property taxes rise.

Apparently, if you hope to sell your house for anything approaching a decent value you should forget calling a real estate agent and just market it to the taxman first.

Mind you, if I get tired of worrying about my finances I can hyperventilate over health for a while. Will too much exposure to plastics cause cancer? Will too little exposure to sunscreen do the same? Is the sun good for me today or bad?

On one hand I read that sunlight helps cure depression. On the flip side, it definitely causes skin cancer, which is kind of a downer.

Speaking of a housing crisis, if you live in an old home the lead paint and rampant energy inefficiency is, apparently, going to ruin you. If you live in a new home it’s the off gassing from the chemicals in the plywood, paint and carpets combined with hermetically sealed windows that will do you in.

I can only surmise that if you live in an old home but add new paint, carpet and windows you probably won’t make it through to the end of this column.

Hope

It’s so easy to get lured into thinking there is no hope. So tempting to believe the good old days are all behind us now. Life is just a struggle to get by.

Sometimes, I just need something other than a large metal object to fall from the sky and knock some perspective into me. So here is some perspective.

Our ancestors (and some of us) survived the Great Depression. They survived world wars. They survived the 1970s. For that last one which I dimly remember, we lined up for gas, paid too much for everything, and put on sweaters — and solar panels, too.

Remember: with disco all things are possible.

Believe

It will be okay. I believe this. Our paths may not go the way we thought. Dreamt. Planned. Yet, I truly believe that for most of us we will hold on, make do, make changes, roll with the punches (and yes, there are punches) and focus on what really matters while letting the “stuff” fall away.

Sure, tighter belts may pinch a little but there’s a certain pride in being able to tighten too. As you do so, be kind to those who are struggling. There but for the grace of God go you and I (or yours and mine).

Let’s remind ourselves that you do not have to own a house to make a home. If you have a home, however humble, be it rented or owned, fill it with love and dreams and laughter. Even the smallest house can hold the greatest love.

It is the size of the family’s heart — not the family room — that matters.

Finally, if you have people you love who love you back — you are rich. And if you continue to have hope for a brighter tomorrow — you are blessed.

 
(Kymberly Foster Seabolt believes in brighter tomorrows. She welcomes comments c/o lifeoutloud@comcast.net; P.O. Box 38, Salem, Ohio 44460; or http://http://kymberly.typepad.com/life.)

While we can’t control the weather, there are several things we can control that will improve the chances for successful forage stand establishment.

First, apply lime and fertilizer according to a recent soil test. Also, control problem perennial weeds ahead of seeding.

Be careful with herbicide selection because some have residual soil activity and will harm new forage seedings if proper waiting periods are not observed.

Be sure to read the labels for details.

If you are going to use tillage, prepare a firm seedbed. Loose seedbeds dry out very quickly. Deep tillage is not ideal for late summer seedings.

Cultipacker or cultimulchers are excellent last-pass tillage tools. The soil should be firm enough for the heal of your boot to sink no deeper than 3/8 to 1/2 inch.

No-till seedings conserve moisture and can be very successful provided weeds are controlled prior to seeding. Remove all straw from fields previously planted to small grains. Any remaining stubble should either be left standing, or clipped and removed.

Alfalfa

Do not leave clipped stubble in fields because it will form a dense mat that prevents good emergence. If you plan to seed alfalfa, don’t plant new alfalfa immediately after an older established alfalfa stand.

Autotoxic compounds are released by old alfalfa plants, which inhibit growth and productivity of new alfalfa seedlings. You can seed in alfalfa in late summer to thicken up a new alfalfa seeding that was made this spring.

The autotoxic compounds are not present in young alfalfa plants. They are released from older, established alfalfa plants.

Weather

Seed when soil moisture is adequate or a good rain system is in the forecast. Soil moisture conditions in Ohio have been favorable this summer, and hopefully will continue through the remainder of the year. But do keep in mind that it is risky to place seeds into dry soil — there may be just enough moisture to germinate the seed but not enough to get the seeding established.

Plant new perennial forages in August. Seedlings require at least 6 to 8 weeks of growth after emergence to have adequate vigor to survive the winter.

Plant during the first two weeks of August in northern Ohio, and by Aug. 30 in southern Ohio.

Planting later than those dates may work, but there is more risk for establishment failure and the stand may have lower yield potential next year.

Slow establishing species should be planted in as early August as possible.

Fast establishing species like red clover, alfalfa, and orchardgrass can be seeded up to the dates listed above if moisture is present.

Kentucky bluegrass and timothy can actually be seeded 15 days later than the dates listed above.

Seed depth

Plant the seed shallow (1/4 to 1/2 inches deep) and in firm contact with the soil.

Carefully check seeding depth, especially when using a no-till drill. Use a drill with press wheels for greatest success with summer seeding. Broadcasting seed on the surface without good soil coverage and without firm packing is usually a recipe for failure in the summer.

Use high quality seed of known forage-type varieties from reputable dealers. Cheap seed often results in lower yield and shorter stand life.

Make sure legume seed has fresh inoculum of the proper rhizobium to ensure nitrogen fixation. As the stand develops this fall, do not be tempted to harvest it.
No matter how much growth accumulates, it is usually best to let the cover protect the new crowns during the winter.

The only exception to the no fall harvest rule for late summer seedings is perennial ryegrass. If perennial ryegrass has tillered and has more than 6 inches of growth in late fall, clip it back to 3 to 4 inches in November or early December.

Finally, scout new seedings for winter annual weeds in October. Apply herbicides as needed. Winter annual weeds are much easier to control in late fall than they will be next spring.

By following these guidelines, and with a little cooperation from the weather, I trust you will have a vigorous and productive new forage stand next year.

(The author is an associate professor in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science at Ohio State University. Questions and comments can be sent in care of Farm and Dairy, P.O. Box 38, Salem, OH 44460.)

I remember hearing it once said that as much as we all think we would like to have the power to create our own weather, it is a very good thing that humans have no such capacity.

The golfer would pull for constant sunshine while the farmer would reach for rain during the dry spells, and we would find ourselves on one very jumbled-up planet.

One thing I have wished for recently, however, is something along these same lines. It is not a new wish, but it is a dream that has come to light once again as America goes through economic struggles.

As I watched the nightly news carrying reports of the airline industry struggling during this fuel crisis, I kept thinking of the enormous differences between the world of industry and the state of agriculture.

The news focused on one man who is considered a giant in the airline industry. He has brought enormous changes in the travel world, including such mundane things as removing banners from airplanes, replacing them with paint to lighten the weight.

The list of things went on: cutting down on the amount of fuel the planes each carry in order to lighten the load, much less unnecessary cargo which had once but put in place to cater to the traveling masses, no more freebies of any kind.

Surcharges

What struck me the most, I guess, is that the airline industry has increased the price of tickets, obviously, but it has also attached a surcharge to all sorts of things. Those traveling with certain airlines now pay to check each piece of luggage in to the cargo section of the plane, while other airlines allow one suitcase free but charge for additional items.

The weight is checked and cannot surpass whatever magic number has been pulled out of a hat, or there will be a fairly high additional charge.

Most of the travelers just shrugged their shoulders and basically all said, “Well, what are ya gonna do? They’ve got us over a barrel!”

Oh, if only farmers could run the world of agriculture for a season in this way! Imagine the raised eyebrows in the dairy aisle of the grocery store when a surcharge showed up for a gallon of milk based solely on the fact that the seed and fertilizer to produce the hay that fed the cow to produce the milk went through the roof.

Farm tax

Farmers could easily add their own form of “gas tax” based on how much diesel fuel drains their profit margins. Farmers could easily place a whopping fee on every single item produced, regardless of their farming specialty, based on tough working conditions — slaving through intense heat, extreme cold, rain, snow, sleet, hail.

An additional tax could be levied based on the stress of dealing with the unknown factors that will surely be thrown in to the mix during a particular growing season.

Yes, people would revolt, but they would still buy the burger, the sausage, milk, corn flakes, multi-grain breads, cheese, eggs, all the fruits and vegetables. While the surcharges added up, people would say, “Well, those farmers have us over a barrel, don’t they?”

Imagine the disbelief when pork chops, chicken and eggs carried a whopping tax for the unpleasant odor factor involved in working in the hog barns and chicken buildings.

“Oh, it’s the stinky tax,” the consumer could whine while writing the high-dollar check for chicken, eggs and chops. Ah, if only farmers could run the world, just for one season!

Drive across the Ohio countryside and you’ll see these are no longer the stuff dreams are made of.

Despite sky-high feed and fuel costs, farmers across the region are pulling out the stops to upgrade facilities this year, allowing growth both on the farm and for the suppliers who are helping them.

Barns

Dan Miller, who owns K & M Builders at Kidron, said his company has been working day after day on “a lot of dairy barns” going up this year.

So many, in fact, he’s been hiring other building crews to help build the structures.

“We’ve never been booked out this far this time of year,” Miller noted, saying he’s had jobs scheduled since early spring that will keep his 34 employees building well into November.

What will high feed prices mean for dairies in the next year?

Miller cited recent and upcoming jobs, including a 64-by-300-foot freestall barn, a 115-by-352 barn, and two 240-foot freestall barns on the books.

Jobs are stretching K & M crews from the home base in Kidron toward Willard in Huron County and up into Ashtabula County in extreme northeast Ohio.

“We’ve got so much, we’re not sure we can get it all done. They keep calling, and we hate to turn them away, so we’re figuring a way to get help and get things accomplished.”

More and more

Hill’s Farm Supply, headquartered in Canal Fulton, Ohio, is seeing growth, too.

Dolores Hill, matriarch of the business, said she’s seeing dairies getting bigger and brand new dairies going in, both of which create demand for the business’ products.

“We’ve been very busy this year, including several big, new installations,” she said. And Hill estimates sales on bulk tanks, lines, and barn fans have been up at least 25 percent over last year.

“Farms in general are getting larger, adding more cows, switching to milking three times a day,” she said. One dairyman the firm deals with even milks four times a day, she said.

To service their products, the Hills have added seven service trucks to their fleet this year, she said, but they’re still challenged to get tanks and suppliers from the manufacturers quickly enough to keep up with the demand.

“Overall it’s been a very good year. Everybody’s busy all the time,” Hill said.

Behind the growth

Both companies attribute the demand to dairies getting bigger and upgrading their facilities in light of “good” milk prices.

“Last year was a very, very good year,” said Dianne Shoemaker, an OSU Extension dairy specialist.

“Prices are letting dairies that had gotten behind catch up on feed, spray and fertilizer bills they hadn’t been able to finish from 2006, and also have allowed farms to recapitalize” on machinery, equipment and buildings, she said.

The Class III statistical uniform price average in 2007 was $18.83 per hundredweight, the highest price ever paid to farmers, according to Shoemaker.

By contrast, the second-highest ever was $15.39 in 2004, and in 2006, dairymen averaged only $11.89 per hundredweight.

Current milk prices are $18.26 per hundredweight, but that price is tempered by extreme operational costs, according to Shoemaker.

“Feed prices are out of control, and the [milk] price has to stay higher to have a reasonably profitable dairy industry,” she said, noting producers are seeing feed costs up 25-35 percent over last year.

“We can resoundingly say last year was a good year, especially with feed locked in at those prices. Looking ahead, if corn is $7 at harvest, it could be pretty ugly next year.”