“95% of Farms are Family Farms”

Setting a few facts straight....

…about the public’s perception of Farming/Agriculture        

Check out this recent blog post that will help set a few facts straight about farming:

Getting The Facts Right

http://nebraskacorn.blogspot.com/2011/07/getting-facts-right.html

I like this post because it is easy to read and paints a truer picture about farming. Family farms are still struggling to survive even with the decent prices being paid for commodities. Just because the prices have been good doesn’t mean that farmers have become instantly rich. Losses can take years to overcome.

If you know a farmer or even if you don’t, find one, or follow one or visit one and ask them your questions about agriculture and your food supply. A farmer is the most reliable resource if you want “educated” and “experienced” answers about food production. They will not only tell you about what effects them, based on public perception, but how agriculture affects you as well. Get the truth.

Some related blog posts you might find interesting:

Debunking The Myth Of Family Farms

http://corncorps.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/debunking-the-myth-of-family-farms/

Maricle Musings: Family, Food, & Farm

Blogging about the food my family grows on our farm and what your family and mine eat! If if relates to anything with food, family, or the farm, it might just be talked about here!

http://mariclemusings.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html

Backroads Garden Detour at BonnieVille

Backroads Garden Detour Pictures
http://photos1.walmart.com/walmart/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=5955495001/a=5390935_5390935/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=walmart/

In my garden there is a large place for sentiment.  My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams.  The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful.  ~Abram L. Urban

I recently hosted a garden party that was somewhat designed after a progressive type of party. A friend and I invited several of our friends. We started at my house with drinks and snacks, lots of socializing and we actually did go out and spend some time looking at my perennial flower beds while we sweated like crazy.

Then we loaded up and drove three miles over to a neighbor with lots of flowers and vegetable gardens on her place. They raise vegetables for a local grocery store and lots of melons and pumpkins, etc. to sell at a roadside stand nearby. She gave us a very detailed tour of her gardens. You could tell how proud she was and how much she enjoyed showing them off. I can relate to how much work it is and how good it feels when others are interested in checking it out. We have an open invitation now to stop by and if we want some of a plant she has and it's time to thin it she'll give us a slip.

After more sweat we loaded up and headed in to town to see my friend Peggy's beautiful perennial flower beds. She has lots of garden decor and pots. After looking over her gardens we enjoyed more drinks, snacks and socializing. I’ve been hosting garden parties and tours occasionally over the past 12 years or so.

Thought I would share a link to the pictures I took.

 I hope you can enjoy our party without being there.

No two gardens are the same.  No two days are the same in one garden.  ~Hugh Johnson

Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there.  ~Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732

Plants give us oxygen for the lungs and for the soul.  ~Linda Solegato

As a gardener, I'm among those who believe that much of the evidence of God's existence has been planted.  ~Robert Brault

Connecting and The Golden Rule

“Love they neighbor as thyself.”  Luke 10:25-28

There are many different ways to say the golden rule but the meaning no matter what the religion or culture is always the same. I was brought up on it, how about you?

Using the Golden Rule can save you from miscommunication, hurt feelings, etc… Remember most methods of communication do not allow body language, emotions, etc. and are misread. Texts, emails, online chatting, etc… do not show emotion and can easily be misinterpreted. It’s just words without facial expressions or body language.

For every communication method available there is a purpose. We have to decide which is most appropriate to deliver our message. I try to stop and think before I respond or post a message; who is it for, what is it for and is this method the most appropriate to deliver the message. Always keeping the Golden Rule in mind can be helpful.

A few of the many forms of The Golden Rule.:

"Treat others as you would want to be treated."

"Don’t tread on others if you would not have them tread on you"

Luke 10:25-28 Love thy neighbor as thyself.

²⁵And one day an authority on the law stood up to put Jesus to the test. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to receive eternal life?”

²⁶What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied. “How do you understand it?” ²⁷He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your strength and with all your mind.’(Deuteronomy 6:5) And, ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ ” ²⁸“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do that, and you will live.”.

I found some interesting information on the Golden Rule at Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Rule

Embracing Today’s Communication Methods

Embracing Today’s Communication Methods

“No problem can be solved by the same level of thinking that created it.” Albert Einstein

In 1999, I wrote a thesis titled: Email: “Taming the Paperless Tiger.” I formally presented it several times to different audiences over the next few years.  In a nutshell I argued both sides, proving it could be a productive tool in the workplace. Email at the time had been getting a very bad rap and still it was the number one reason people ever got started using the Internet.  In 2011, it’s still one of the top reasons why people start using the Internet.

Today, it’s Social Media. People of all ages are getting online just to use Social Media. I frequently find myself pushed to defend Social Media (Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Flickr, Blogging) and usually it’s to people that have formed an opinion before becoming educated on using it as a business communication tool, a lifelong learning tool, a personal communications tool…(the list goes on), or before actually using it themselves!

Could it really improve your life personally and professionally? In my humble opinion, the answer is, yes. Embracing today’s communication tools with a positive attitude I believe it can improve your life not only on a personal level but in your professional life as well.

Watch this video showing the popularity of Social Media in today’s society both personally and professionally:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SuNx0UrnEo&feature=player_embedded

Check out the two year old statistics in this video about Social Media:

http://youtu.be/6ILQrUrEWe8