First it was Facebook, then Twitter.  Now, Pinterest is latest online social media craze.

I was an early adopter of Pinterest. Since I love food and decorating, it was an online heaven to me. Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. It let’s you organize and share photos, videos, images or articles you find online. Instead of bookmarking a page you “pin” it to a virtual bulletin board. It also allows you to follow other people, so you can find someone who has the same interest or taste you do, even if you don’t know them in person.

I’ve used it to find stylish ideas for my home office, collected ideas to solve a problem in the laundry room and find delicious, easy recipes. Along the way I’ve also found unique pig items and cool red tractor stuff. With 4 million people visiting the site each day, there is bound to be someone else out there that likes the same things as me.

One thing I’ve started to notice is more and more men are joining the site. In fact, as of March, Pinterest reported that 28% of their users are men.

No, the men are not pinning decorations and food. Remember, you can pin anything you find online that interest you, that you may want to go back to. So, men are pinning cars, trucks, tractors, hunting items, sports stuff, etc.

About a month or so ago I did a search for tractors to see what would come up. There were only a handful of results. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve continued to do this, seeing more and better results each time.

It’s not just farm folks that are pinning. Several ag organizations have gotten into Pinterest as well. You might be surprised to learn you can follow the boards of the National FFA Organization and South Dakota Corn.

I wasn’t surprised at all when the National Pork Board joined. Pinterst is the perfect audience for all the great recipes from Pork. Be Inspired. I have to say, they did a great job organizing their recipe boards so people can easily find the type of recipe they’re looking for. The Ohio Farm Bureau’s Our Ohio also pins food.

Tarter Farm & Ranch uses the site as a marketing tool. They have a board set up with photos to show all the ways you can use their galvanized water tank. As far as I know Titan Outlet Store  is the first farm equipment entity to join. You can also connect with other farmers. Yes, there are actual farmers who use it like Greg Chambers and Brian Scott.

Agvocates are slowly moving into Pinterest sharing ag facts through images, such as those from Erin Ehnle from Keeping it Real: Through the Lens of a Farm Girl.

For more things ag, RFD TV has boards  and World Dairy Expo shares lots and lots of pictures of cows!

One of my favorite finds on Pinterest:

I may or may not show up to the Ohio State Fair with my nails done like this….

It was just starting to appear that everyone was, well, not exactly getting along, but at least cooperating with each other and finding some common ground. After all, Issue 2 was behind us and that war between Humane Society of the United States and the agriculture industry in Ohio ended somewhat peacefully with the creation of the  Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board.

Then, HSUS goes and files a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission against the National Pork Producers Council. It alleges that NPPC is engaging in deceptive advertising related to animal well-being with the “We Care” and Pork Quality Assurance Plus programs.

That, I believe, changes everything.

You see, the Pork Quality Assurance Plus Program is the pork industry standard for pork quality and animal welfare. With this claim HSUS is now saying, ‘Your standards are no good.’ They’re also throwing science right out the window. They are not even trying to play nicely on the subject. (Now personally, I think this is  also HSUS’s way at getting revenge for NPPC not supporting their agreement with the United Egg Producers on cage size).

We were warned they wouldn’t stop and that they didn’t want better standards for livestock. They wanted to end livestock production all together. I think this certainly proves that’s the agenda here.

The question is though, how does this effect the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board that was built with HSUS permission, participation and cooperation, yet is centered around the industry welfare programs including Pork Quality Assurance Plus?

The main issues stated in the FTC complaint are sow housing and tail docking. The Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board has addressed sow housing, but currently tail docking is a permitted practice. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see for how long though.

With this latest act, HSUS is now criticizing the national program standards that they are already on the record supporting in Ohio. Does that mean they now condemn the other standards put in place by the Livestock Care Board in which they participated?

Now that they have attacked the pork industry’s program, who’s next? And, how will this all play out in Ohio?

While at charity auction, the folks at Swenson Investments and Commodities purchased a unique item. It was to have a song of their choice written by country artist Steve Azar for a charity organization. They decided they wanted to use it to raise money for the South Dakota FFA Foundation and chose to have the a song written about farmers.

Azar wrote the song “American Farmer” and it quickly became popular in the South Dakota area. The song was officially launched at the South Dakota FFA Convention yesterday. Swenson Investments & Commodities made 2,000 limited edition CD singles of the song that they sold at the convention for $5.00 with all the proceeds going to the foundation. Azar even made an appearance at the South Dakota Convention (how cool is that?) and signed autographs.

For a limited time you can purchase the American Farmer song at steveazar.com.  The proceeds from this will also be donated to the South Dakota FFA Foundation.

A video was made by the radio station KIKN with photos submitted by local farm families.

There are so many better options than just making a plain, ole ham sandwich out it.  Here are three of my favorite ways to take the leftover ham and make three entirely new meals:

Ham & Cheese Crescents

My niece Emma, helping me make the ham crescents with ham lunch meat. Please note you shouldn't have this much cheese on the pan, it should be on the crescents....

Open each crescent on a cookie sheet. Place 2-3 slice of ham on it, then sprinkle with cheese. Roll it up and then sprinkle the top with a little bit of cheese. Repeat for each piece of dough. Place in oven at 350F for 10 minutes or until crescent rolls are very lightly browned.

Their delicious with macaroni and cheese…..

Ham Rigatoni Casserole

The casserole moments before I put it in the oven.

• 1 1/2 cups cubed ham
• 8 ounces dry rigatoni pasta (or other short tube-shaped pasta)
• 2 to 2 1/2 ounce white sauce or country gravy mix
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
• 10 ounce frozen leaf spinach, thawed and roughly chopped

Cook rigatoni according to package directions; set aside. Prepare white sauce or country gravy mix; stir in ham, cheese, mustard and spinach. Pour over pasta, toss gently to blend well. Pour into shallow 2-quart casserole; cover and bake in 350 degrees F. oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more.

 

You see my nephew loves farm equipment and is really good at knowing his colors! When I play farm equipment with him we talk about the make, the parts of the equipment and what its used for (I’m a cool aunt like that. I not only play Barbies and babies, but farm equipment too).

Last month we were playing, uh, I mean harvesting on the living room floor when I talked to him about the New Holland tractor. In this instance the New Holland tractor broke down. So, Uncle Zach had to load it on the truck (he was our hired guy and apparently the only one with a CDL) and take it to Apple, our local New Holland dealer.

Tyson quickly took to the New Holland, it being the only blue tractor in our toy collection. So, I told him, in two days I’ll take you to Apple Farm Service and we will go look at the New Hollands!

‘Crying’ to See the New Hollands

I get a call from my brother, Ryan, Tyson’s dad, the next day. Tyson is crying because he wants to go see New Holland tractors.

Uh oh….

I explained to my brother I had told him in two days we’d go see the New Holland tractors. Tell Tyson it has only been one (like that was going to help).  Apparently my name must have come up in all the crying, because Ryan at least knew who to blame.

The next day, after the crying episode just to be clear, I take Tyson to Apple Farm Service, which is just around corner from my parents’ farm. Tyson absolutely loved driving through the lot shouting out from his car seat what each piece of equipment was. Then he got a little bossy. He started telling me where to drive, because he wanted to see specific pieces…

We went inside and visited with the folks at Apple and then I let Tyson pick out a toy. Who knew a tractor and implement could be harder to get out of a box than a Barbie doll on Christmas? I couldn’t get the dang thing out of the box, so he sat in his car seat holding the box with his first New Holland tractor in it.

Then he said, “Hey Header.”

Me, “what Tyson?”

Tyson, “New Holland.”

Ten seconds later.

Tyson, “Hey Header.”

Me, “what Tyson?”

Tyson, “New Holland.”

This went on for 45 minutes on our trip to the airport to pick up my husband.

The Lost Tractor

A week later we were having a party at our house. Tyson comes up to me, “Header, New Holland?” with shoulders shrugged and his palms in the air. He couldn’t find the New Holland tractor. (Heather sounds just like header, so sometimes there is confusion of whether he is talking about Aunt Heather or the header to the combine).

I look through all the farm toys, I don’t see it. The entire group of farm equipment enthusiast at our house, actually just the ones seven and under, scour the house looking for the lost New Holland. Tyson repeatedly keeps coming up and asking for the New Holland, quite distraught that its gone. We never found it that night. He was so upset and so was I.

The next day while packing in my master closest I move a piece of luggage and there is the priceless blue tractor. It appears his little sister was to blame for this one. I’ve never been so relieved to see a tractor in my life.

Bribing with a visit to the implement dealer

Tyson is known for not liking to go home. A couple of weeks ago, he and grandpa seamlessly get out of the car and into the house. No crying. No screaming.

My mom asked my dad, “How did you get him to go into his house so easily?”

My dad, ” Um, well, I made some promises.”

Mom, “Oh really, like what?”

Dad, “I told him that if he didn’t cry and went in the house I’d take him to Apple this week and look at the New Hollands. They’re having an open house this week and toys are 10% off ” (like he wouldn’t have bought him one if they were full price. Give me a break).

So now we’re at the level of bribing the child with trips to the New Holland dealer.

I asked him about his sweater and he told me it was his New Holland sweater.

We get on Skype with him Sunday and the first thing he does is hold up his four-wheel-drive New Holland and say, “Hey Header, New Holland!”

This wouldn’t be so bad, but my family bleeds green and my husband works for CASE IH. See the problem?

I first met Dale Minyo when I was a senior in high school serving as a state FFA officer. Even though it would be seven years before we would begin to work together I ran into him quite a bit in the interim.

One such time was when he was filming one of the last segments for the Agri County TV show. He was doing a story at the Shelby County Quality Assurance event that took place after our county fair. I was there also because my brother’s barrow won grand champion that year and its carcass was on display.

Dale was waiting to interview my dad when I overheard a conversation he was having with another man. He was talking about his Roth IRA. He told the guy how he invested in that and how the money would be tax-free when he took it out. He went on to share how his money in that fund had doubled. Frankly, he spoke very highly of this Roth IRA thing.

That got me thinking……

The next week I went to my local bank and asked how do I get one of those Roth IRA’s?

Now, that is not a question often asked by a broke, 20-year-old college student headed into their junior year. They set me up with a financial adviser who helped me set aside a few thousands dollars into a Roth IRA and thus begin my retirement saving.

My mother thought I was nuts and that was the last thing I needed to be doing with what little money I had. Hey, Dale Minyo did it, so I thought I should too!

Each year since then I have diligently contributed to the account and the last several years I’ve made it a point to max out my contribution.

It was funny when a while back when my boss, Bart, sought to give me some advice. He told me I should take some of my money and put it into this thing called a Roth IRA. I informed him I already had one of those and max it out. I failed to mention the source of financial wisdom. He had no idea I had got second-hand financial advice from Dale of all people a decade ago.

I’ve learned so much from Dale over the years. The most important thing though he never meant to teach me — the importance of saving for retirement and doing it while I’m young.

The Sidney-Shelby County Narcotics Task Force confiscated a wide array of equipment when they arrested Gregory Barlow for growing marijuana.

In lieu of destroying the equipment Shelby County Sheriff, John Lenhart, who is also a farmer and Sidney Police Chief Kevin Gessler had a better idea.

They donated the confiscated items to the new FFA program that is set to begin at Sidney High School for the 2013-2014 school year.

The new program will receive more than $10,000 worth of equipment including:

• Hooded heat lamp
• Four regulators
• Two florescent lamps
• Three heat lamps
• Multiple potting pots
• Black grow box
• Two carbon dioxide tanks
• Centrigual fan
• Exhaust fan
• Two floor fans
• Portable air conditions system

It’s always exciting to hear about a new FFA chapter forming. It’s even better when they can get off to a great start with the right resources and equipment. In this case it just came from an unlikely source.

Everything else in my home is neatly organized in plastic containers and precisely labeled, but this one box doesn’t need a label. Zach and I discussed getting a bigger or nicer box, but decided it would take away from the aura of the special box.

It’s well worn, brown, with a hinged top, which is good since it bulging contents won’t quite allow it to close. It’s large, because my husband wears a size 15 shoe.

Most people would expect the contents to be all red, but it’s filled with my husband’s lifelong love of farm equipment and his colored past in the industry.

Little boys who visit know exactly where we keep it and what’s inside.

In a world full of fancy toys, video games and electronic devices there is still something about having control of the miniature version of such powerful machines and farming the carpet of the living room.

Last month we decided it was time to introduce my two-year-old nephew Tyson to the box.

Zach is amazed by the fact that Tyson gets just as much enjoyment out of his old beat up equipment he played with in the 80’s as he does the newest additions to the box. In his mind, the beat up John Deere gator that is missing the whole back end is just as fun to pretend drive as is the new Rogater sprayer.

To children’s delight the box continues to grow. Last year we added a New Holland tractor that was given to me by New Holland at the NAFB Convention. There is the CASE IH Magnum we received when we toured the plant. We can’t seem to figure out where the New Holland combine came from, but hey, who doesn’t want to have two combines?

What we find interesting is all the children that play with the machinery have their own at home. For some reason because the toys are Zach’s they are somehow special or better than theirs at home. Our buddy Keaton calls them Zach’s dealer toys. I think he is under the impression that Zach get toys from farm equipment dealers that can’t be bought by the public…..

The two-year-old gives the 30-something an excuse to get out his old machinery and the 50-something a reason to tell them both how to use it.

Maybe that’s the draw of toy farm equipment. Young and old get the chance to have the iron they always wanted, or dreamed of having.

When he grows up will he use a red or a green baler? Tyson’s still deciding.

They have a video out  from another one of their infamous undercover videos. This one is from what they call a semen collection facility in Shannon, North Carolina.

According to the MFA website-

Following the investigation, MFA immediately went to law enforcement with extensive video footage and a detailed legal complaint outlining the routine violence and cruelty documented by the investigator at this Butterball facility. On Thursday, December 29, state law enforcement officials obtained a warrant and raided the facility on grounds of cruelty to animals.

In a statement, the company said it was taking the allegations seriously. In addition to working with authorities, Butterball said it was performing its own internal and third-party audits.

“Butterball has a zero tolerance policy for any mistreatment of our birds or the failure to immediately report mistreatment of our birds by any associates,” the company said.

“Employees found in violation of Butterball’s animal welfare policies will be subject to immediate termination.”

There is an ongoing investigation by the company.

Festivities usually began in early afternoon with all five us trying to get ready, with only one bathroom, for the children’s mass held at 4:00 p.m.

When we returned home over an hour later mom would always order supper from the Inn Between (same place I had to broadcast from when my internet went out a while back). Don’t judge us. We all liked fried chicken. If I had it my way I’d still eat their fried chicken on Christmas Eve.

Then we had to wait on dad to return from doing the feeding, which on Christmas Eve, always felt like it took him three times longer than usual.

Once we were all back in the house we would open our gifts from mom and dad. Because my brother always got some fabulous farm implement toy, we’d eventually end up in his room upstairs. It would never fail that while we were playing, and with one parent with us, the door bell would ring.

That was usually followed by hooping and hollering from my dad and exclamations of, ” it’s Santa! Santa is here.” We’d run to the door not to find santa or wrapped presents, but three garbage bags. We’d excitedly drag them into the living room and rip into them to find the gifts Santa had left for us.

One year I opened my big, black bag to the strong scent of hogs. Not only did the bag smell like hogs, but pretty much each item inside it did too. I recognized the smell to be that of the farrowing house in particular.

Apparently Santa had hidden the gifts for us in the farrowing house….

This system went on for several years. One year when I was a teenager my parents apparently felt the need to exaggerate the production. My brother and I were non-believers at this point, but if there was any doubt in my little sister’s mind this certainly made her a believer.

All three of us kids, along with both my mom and dad, were gathered in the living room. We had just opened our gifts from them and snow was falling outside. All of the sudden the metal detector in our driveway that we refer to as the ‘beeper’ went off.

Mom went to the door, my brother ran to peer out the picture window. Who would be stopping by at this time on Christmas Eve?

At the door sat three, big, black garage bags. Apparently it had been Santa. We looked around, but there was no sign of anyone. Just a silent, cold, dark barnyard. Dad said his sled must have set off our beeper. But, how in the world?

I never asked. They never told.

Then in my twenties that story came up. My older cousins who always worked for us explained how my parents had asked them to set out our gifts that year. Apparently they took it seriously. Come to find out they parked down the road and walked to house. They felt the need to find a piece of metal big enough they could throw to set off the beeper, but small enough that we wouldn’t notice. They set our gifts by the door, took the bagger off our push mower and threw it over the beeper to set it off. They ran and hid behind the barn across from the house. Then they ran and hid behind the grain bins until the coast was clear and walked to their car.

These days we work to surprise our parents with cool gifts. Though sometimes the gifts are some sort of hog or for use with the livestock, none of them smell like hogs.