7 minute read
Julie Turner-Crawford – We can all be ag teachers
by Eric Tietze
Across the Fence
By Julie Turner-Crawford
Advertisement
My soon-to-be-rookie-ag-teacher niece and I had a few minutes to hang out before a meeting we both attended recently, and I asked her how her classes were going. My typically happy-go-lucky niece replied they were going well, but she was concerned about being more creative in the classroom. She wants to engage her Julie Turner-Crawford is a native of Dallas County, Mo., where she grew up on her family’s future students to draw them into agriculture and enjoy the farm. She is a graduate learning process. There’s a good chance not all of the stu- of Missouri State dents will have backgrounds in agriculture, so her classroom University. To contact might be the first time they will be exposed to the industry. Julie, call 1-866-532-1960 That’s a pretty big burden for a fresh-from-college teacher, or by email at editor@ and not one I would want to undertake. I have great faith in ozarksfn.com. my young niece and know she will do an extraordinary job.
How do we engage the public, not just high school students, to learn more about agriculture? It’s not very glamorous and is pretty much devoid of paparazzi. It’s long hours in all types of weather, there’s no getting rich and there aren’t many extended vacations. The only time major news outlets pick up an agriculture-related story is when there’s a “crisis,” such as a drought or other disaster, a recall of a food product or an an-
— Continued on Next Page
Main Dish
Barbecue Beef Casserole
OFN Staff Favorite
Ingredients:
• 2 pounds ground beef • 1 large onion, diced • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced • 1 (10-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained • 1/2 C barbeque sauce • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained • 3 (8.5-ounce) packages corn bread mix
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Crumble the ground beef into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until evenly browned. Add the onion, bell pepper, corn and tomatoes. Cook and stir until vegetables are tender. Drain excess grease, and stir in the barbeque sauce. Spread the beef mixture in an even layer in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Prepare the cornbread batter mixes according to package directions. Spread the batter over the top of the beef mixture. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted into the center of the cornbread layer comes out clean.
Know a Good Recipe? Send in your favorite recipe to share with our readers. Mail them to: PO Box 1514, Lebanon, MO 65536; fax them to: 417-532-4721; or email them to: editor@ozarksfn.com Free Portable Corral Use for Customers • Hauling Available • Covered Pens
Decatur
On Farm Appraisal
Livestock Auction Inc.
Serving the Tri-State Area
Receiving:
Mon.: 8 a.m.-10:00 p.m. Sale: Tues., 12 p.m.
Owners:
Chris Buffer 479-531-2962 Shawn Sperry 479-957-1387 479-752-8499 • Hwy. 59 South • Decatur, AR
Selling 40 Charolais & 5 Angus Bulls
including 20 Fall Coming Two-Year Old Bulls
TENTH ANNUAL BULL SALE MARCH 6, 2021
1 p.m. At the Farm Evening Shade, Arkansas
SAT GRIDMAKER 0203 P M940446 DOB: 1-26-20 BW: 86 lbs. AWW/R: 834 lbs./106 SAT GRIDMAKER 6306 X PATRIOT X ELVIRA 696S
CE: 4.6 BW: 1.3 WW: 41 YW: 80 Milk: 14 TSI: 227.09
SAT YELLOWSTONE 0301 P ET EM940417 DOB: 2-1-20 BW: 75 lbs. AWW/R: 833 lbs./ET LT AUTHORITY X LT BRENDA 2184
CE: 10.0 BW: -2.4 WW: 35 YW: 63 Milk: 11 TSI: 209.14
SAT RAINDANCE 9219 19795950 DOB: 9-3-19 BW: 65 lbs. AWW: 713 lbs. SAV RAINDANCE X SYDGEN STACKED DECK X LADY LUCK
CED: +7 BW: +1.4 WW: +63 YW: +115 Milk: +18 $B: +141
Co-Sale Managers: Greg Hubert P.O. Box 100 Oakley, KS 67748 785-672-3195 (office) 785-672-7449 (cell)
Wes Chism 281-761-5952 PO Box 1368 Platte City, MO 64079 wes@jwcmarketing.com
Contact us for catalogs!
169 Satterfield Farm Rd • Norfork, AR 72658 Mark & Nancy Loyd & Joanne (501) 944-9274 (870) 499-7151 satterfieldfarms@icloud.com www.satterfieldcharolais-angus.com
LIVESTOCK, FLATBED AND DUMP TRAILERS
NEW Gooseneck™
Livestock Trailers, 16’-40’ In Stock FRYE FARMS
SENECA, MO 417-438-0146
Over 30 More NEW Flatbed, Dump & Cargo 8’-40’ Trailers In Stock
$9,600 $10,400
$12,800 $15,500 $8,200
ANNUAL CATTLE MINERAL SALE
FEBRUARY 1 - APRIL 30, 2021
Across the Fence
Continued from Previous Page
imal abuse claim. Those things don’t exactly give that warm-fuzzy feel to most folks when they look at the industry.
To expand the appeal to agriculture, farmers and ranchers first need to broaden their own appeal. Producers in the Ozarks are starting to see that engaging one-on-one with consumers about their farm, farming practices and products from their farm creates a positive relationship. Look at the ever-growing popularity of farmers markets and the farmto-plate movement. Folks flock to those vendors for everything from apples to zucchini, eggs to meat, and jams and jellies to honey.
I know not all producers can’t meet everyone who benefits from their farm or ranch, but it is possible to share the story of your operation or the industry and to be an advocate for agriculture. If we are not advocates for our industry, who will be? Agriculture has many groups advocating against it, so we need to toot our own horn a little. Explain to consumers that animals are not pumped full of antibiotics or tortured, there’s no puss in milk and farmers are not responsible for destroying the environment. If we can draw them into agriculture in a positive and educational way, they will learn about the industry and become agricultural advocates themselves.
“Yeah, yeah,” I replied. “That’s the same thing my last doctor said, and I out-lived him.”
Then, yesterday, all the subtle little signs, as well as the not-so-subtle warnings, from people I care for and respect, came to fruition in a life-changing event.
I was on my way back from the creek place, where I had finished feeding hay for the morning. I was driving the tractor on a straight, level, paved county road, when all of a sudden there was a huge POP!, then a WHAM!, followed by an immediate drop of my posterior, of about eight inches, and it felt like my spine had suffered a compression fracture. Immediately, I stopped the tractor and got out to see what the problem might be. Upon exiting the tractor, I quickly discovered that one of the two springs that keep the tractor seat suspended, had broken in half.
I start my diet tomorrow.
I tend to take for granted that most people in the Ozarks have a general understanding of agriculture, but that’s not the case. It’s not just “big city people” who think food comes from a grocery store. Many of the residents in our rural communities may live outside the city limits, but they are still multiple generations removed from agriculture, and the distance continues to grow with each day.
We don’t have to sugarcoat the industry when sharing the story of ag. Folks need to know it’s hard work, that there are physical and mental challenges daily, and Mother Nature is either your best friend or worst enemy, but it’s still a pretty good way of life. It’s also more than a job for many; it’s a family tradition and a passion.
Find your own creative and educational way to share the story of agriculture; become an ag teacher to those who express an interest in the industry. I’m sure our ag education pros will appreciate the help.
SAVE ON PURINA® CATTLE MINERAL PRODUCTS $1 Off Purina Wind & Rain and Rangeland Bagged Mineral $2 Off Purina Wind & Rain and Rangeland Bagged Mineral with Altosid or Availa®️4
Offer Good February 1 - April 30, 2021 at all 18 Farmers Coop Locations in the River Valley, Northwest Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma.
