We got started just a little later than Jim thought we might today. Tieing up loose ends takes longer than you might think – especially when you know the two pieces going first won’t have a service truck full of tools following them. Jim does a good job of knowing what tools he “might” need on the road and usually, if we need something, he’s got it. It certainly would be nice to have the full inventory to choose from, should the need arise. But, that’s how we’ve done it most of our years of being on the road.
Tag Archives: food
It’s ALMOST time!!
I was searching for something else this morning and came across the following video. This was put together by someone who apparently worked for Frederick Harvesting (Kansas) – members of U.S. Custom Harvesters, Inc. A perfect example of what we do! After watching…I’m ready to head south!
Unfortunately, the number of people who have no idea where their food comes from is growing. If we don’t begin realizing the importance of teaching the next generation about the farm and agriculture, we could be in for a “whole heap of trouble”. After being to the East Coast and talking custom harvesting and combines (DC), I realize there are a lot of people who just assume their bread comes from a grocery store. In 10 more years, the average age of the American farmer will be nearly 70. Have we done too good of a job of pushing our younger generation away from the farm or will they step up and take over the job? It’s time we start preparing for the future!
Unexpected Part 2 of “Leaving A Mark on His World”
It appears something happened with the video that I had copied to my previous post. It was THE reason I wrote that post. So, here it is and it’s worth your time watching!
Leaving A Mark On His World
WOW! I just watched a video produced for the USDA about Norman Borlaug and what he did for our world. I had no idea!
In 1923, Borlaug witnessed a demonstration in the streets of Minneapolis, MN where starving people were chasing a cart while men were dumping milk in protest of high prices. These starving people were just hoping to be given a portion of what was being thrown away. “Extreme hunger had more than just the stomach in its clutches…it strongly influenced the mind”. Norman knew he HAD to do something. And he DID.
While learning how he genetically changed the way wheat was grown and produced, all I could think about was the uneducated people of this country crying out about the GMO’s of today. If Norman had lived in this time, his research would be criticized to no end. An interesting statement that I read recently on another internet site stated the wheat that’s grown today “is not real wheat”. What the heck is it? The wheat that Mr. Borlaug “engineered” must not be “real” wheat either. At what point does wheat go from “real” wheat to “unreal” wheat?
“By 2050 the world’s population will reach 9.1 billion, 34 percent higher than today. Nearly all of this population increase will occur in developing countries. Urbanization will continue at an accelerated pace, and about 70 percent of the world’s population will be urban (compared to 49 percent today). Income levels will be many multiples of what they are now. In order to feed this larger, more urban and richer population, food production (net of food used for biofuels) must increase by 70 percent. Annual cereal production will need to rise to about 3 billion tonnes from 2.1 billion today and annual meat production will need to rise by over 200 million tonnes to reach 470 million tonnes.” (How to Feed the world in 2050)
How will this happen? By itself? No, it will take the same kind of passion and caring that was displayed by Norman Borlaug after he realized what hunger was doing to the people of this great country. Hunger…is it something that we’ll be witnessing yet in our generation? What about our children’s?
In 1970, Mr. Borlaug was presented with the Nobel Peach Prize. The Committee Chairman said, while handing him his award, “More than any other single person of his age he has helped to provide bread to a hungry world”. He left the world a better place than what he found it. What’s your story? How will YOU make a difference?
Wheat Harvest Preps
Well, as I’ve mentioned in prior posts, our family seems to view the year by events rather than days on the calendar. The harvest convention is nearly a month ago and Easter is right around the corner. The weather has been stupendous and our little piece of the world is beginning to take on colors – green trees and grass…yellow/red/pink and purple flowers are in the mix throughout the yard. My very FAVORITE season!! I love driving through the countryside and watching the baby calves run, jump and play with each other. The winter world is waking up in full force this year – about a month early.
The past couple of days I’ve heard a noise that I haven’t heard since last fall…lawn mowers. Jim’s mowing our yard as we “speak”. USUALLY, we don’t even think about mowing until Jenna’s birthday (April 23). The last sign of spring that I am oh so anxiously awaiting is the distinct sound of the house wren. When I hear her shrill song (which sounds more like scolding than singing) I know spring has arrived!
Along with this kind of weather comes the beginnings of the wheat harvest preparations. Jim is done working his “real” job and is now spending time thinking about what needs to be done to the trucks and combine in preparation of the 2012 harvest season. Trucks will start showing up in the yard and it will become a “mini” farm/equipment dealership. We don’t farm and we don’t own a shed of our own so it’s a lot easier for Jim if his equipment is right outside the backdoor. Unfortunately, when it rains, there’s not much he can do and the day is spent doing other things. How I wish we would have just bought some land and built a shed 20 years ago. Life happens too fast!
Our “summer cottage on wheels” has been purchased and is in the process of being built. It should be coming off the line around April 10… hopefully. Somehow, I have a feeling we’ll still be biting our nails wondering when it’s going to be in the driveway so we can get it packed. Am I anxious? YES! Harvest is always something our family looks forward to each year. We’re ready to go – but for now, the daily preparations and the beginnings of pre-harvest stress are about to begin. Stay tuned…
When Community Comes Together
Last night was THE social event of our area and was due to the love of one person by so many!
On November 19, 2011, Jim and I attended Marcy and Eric’s wedding. It was a beautiful evening and attended by many of their family and friends. Exactly two months to the day, Marcy found out she was about to begin a battle with stage 4 cancer. Tests revealed malignant masses in her colon and a spot on her liver. Marcy will celebrate her 36th birthday on April 2. Through all that she’s been through, Marcy has remained positive and her outlook on life is simply amazing and something we could all learn from. Marcy’s journey has been recorded through her Caringbridge.org website (marcyjamesonplautz) which allows the reader to keep up with her progress.
Last night, I was honored to be a part of an event that was organized by Mark and Candi Rathe and several of Marcy’s and Eric’s friends. The many hours they lovingly poured into this fundraiser paid off! The Weeping Water and surrounding communities came together to help support one of their own and I was blown away by the number of attendees! There were more members of our surrounding communities together in one place than I have ever experienced – EVER! (The pictures will tell the story) The food was amazing, the bands outstanding (and local), and the raffle, silent auction and live auction were eagerly participated by all. The result? Approximately $50,000 was donated to Marcy and Eric to help cover some of the huge medical expenses they’ll be staring at before Marcy WINS this battle! This example of small town living and community is THE BEST reason to live in the Midwest!
If you are a part of my community and weren’t able to participate in last night’s event or would simply like to help with Marcy’s expenses, please email me at jz45239@windstream.net I’ll make sure you’re pointed in the right direction as to how to make it happen. With that, I will leave you with a few pictures of the evening:
Some of the many donated desserts.
The Roger Roberts’ Three Piece Blue Grass band. LOVED them!!
Hours of usage for a brand new New Holland tractor was auctioned during the live auction.
Selling raffle tickets.
The food lines.
The busy workers in the kitchen!
Jillian helping draw numbers for the raffle.
Taylor and Evan.
Dave and Dolly Crandall during the live auction.
Nick & Taylor.
Callie, Jamie and Curt.
Brooklyn and her friend dancing the night away to the music of “The Legends” – the same band that played at Curt and Jamie’s party in October. Gee it’s nice having great local music!
What in the world I’ve been up to
It’s been quite some time since I posted. Been a LITTLE BIT busy! The US Custom Harvesters convention was last week (March 1, 2, & 3) and turned out to be an exceptional event! Hmmm….was I really there or was it just a dream? What an OUTSTANDING bunch of people involved in making everything happen – from the volunteers, to members of the Board of Directors, to the vendors, to all the members of the association! If you were there, you know what I’m talking about – if you weren’t…there’s always next year! Go to the website www.uschi.com to view the pictures and some video (actually, I don’t know if the 2012 pictures have been uploaded yet). There are pictures on the USCHI Facebook page.
I got really excited when I walked outside just a couple of minutes ago and wanted to share that excitement with you. Spring is here!!!!
See what I found:
I’ve always said, “The best part of winter is spring”! It’s all uphill from here (don’t forget to set your clocks and watches and “spring” ahead tonight) There’s a daffodil that is nearly ready to bloom, too. This just makes me smile!
Now, on to something a little more serious. Jim and I don’t have to hire employees so what I’m about to talk about next doesn’t apply to us. The country has a Temporary Guest Worker program – H-2A, H-2B and J-1 – which is in dire need of a fix! Last month, I went to DC along with other members of U.S. Custom Harvesters to attend the National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE) annual meeting. Sometimes, the best way to learn about something or how something works is to jump into it head first. When you do this, expect to learn way more than you really want to.
Agriculture and the custom harvesting industry are being regulated more and more all the time. This scares me. Why? Because the government and the government agencies are going to regulate us all right out of a job. When this happens, where will your food come from? How will you know how your food is planted, grown and harvested? Frank Gasperini, Executive Vice President of NCAE says this:
“Our food WILL be grown, harvested, processed and prepared by immigrant’s hands – the important question for the future of America is whether we will find ways for this to be done LEGALLY in America or whether we will allow our food to be supplied from foreign countries? It is distressing that a federal program designed to assure American farmers sufficient and timely labor to plant, tend, and harvest seasonal and perishable crops; many of which feed the American people each day, has become so complicated, confusing, and unpredictable that farmers and even professional H-2A agents are routinely forced to hire lawyers to help them get through the process successfully. This is not what Congress intended when the program was instituted.”
Could this really happen, you ask? Yes, it could! H-2A, H-2B and J-1 visas allow foreign employees to come to America and fill the seasonal jobs that most people in this country either don’t want to fill or can’t. Employers submit applications and pay high fees to bring these foreign employees to do the jobs that can’t be filled. The government is working overtime at denying applications and making it nearly impossible to allow these workers to come to this Country. They reason that because of the high unemployment rate agriculture should be able to find suitable labor. Great idea – but it’s not working so well. “State work force agencies referred 36,000 domestic workers to H-2A employers. Only 5% worked through the contract period. Of the 20% of domestic workers who began work but did not work through the entire contract period, 59% quit, 15% were terminated for cause, 7% failed to produce acceptable work authorization documents and 16% left for misc. reasons. Only 3% left because there was no more work to be performed”. (This was taken directly from NCAE’s 2010 survey of H-2A employers)
No workers means food is left rotting in fields and on trees and custom harvesters are unable to find enough qualified employees to run their equipment.
Don’t get me wrong – I am NOT a believer of illegal workers or amnesty!!! As a matter of fact, that just “torks” me! Being here illegally is a crime and as far as I’m concerned everyone who crosses the border illegally needs to be caught and sent back. This country needs a Temporary Guest Worker program that works and will allow all guest workers to work in America legally. “Without dependable, predictable, and willing agricultural labor, there will be little domestic food production; leaving our nation’s food supply in the hands of a merciless global marketplace. Sound agricultural labor policy benefits growers, workers and the American public”. (NCAE)
Tomorrow afternoon, I will be packing my bag again and heading back to DC with two other members of the US Custom Harvesters’ Board of Directors. Our purpose for going this time will be to TRY to make our Legislative members on “the hill” understand how the deterioration of the H-2A program is affecting the custom harvesting industry. The USCHI motto currently is “We Harvest the Crops that Feed the World”. We’re hoping that it remains that way and won’t have to be changed to, “We Used to Harvest the Crops that Fed a Now Starving World”. Wish us luck!
Boredom produces old harvest picture gallery
Grandpa & Grandma Hancock (not sure of the date)
I finished getting my numbers together for the tax man. It was too early to go to bed, I didn’t want to clean my house (yet), and it was too early to pack for the US Custom Harvesters convention. So…now what? Hmmm, let’s go through this “old memory” drawer. The “old memory” drawer holds little keepsakes my Grandma gave me before she passed away. I found some loose old pictures and decided it would be fun to go through them. These were pictures she had saved in a wooden cigar box. When I started looking, it made the ‘ole tears start. The first few I saw were of Grandma as a young woman. She did so many things and went so many places! I am in awe of all she did. She was definitely not scared to go on her own. She was 19 in the following pictures. She took a train by herself to California to stay with her Uncle in San Diego. While there, she visited Tijuana, Old Mexico. This was in 1938
Now I know where my love for fishing came from.
Then I started seeing old harvest pictures and decided I needed to share.
It was in this combine and in the corn field that I remember standing in the cab with Grandpa and “helping”. I was little enough I would take a nap on the ledge behind the seat.
Notice who’s “helping” on the header? Yep, that’s me. 🙂
And this very skinny young man is the guy I later married.
Me and Grandma posing for a newspaper article while in Lodgepole, NE. She looks a whole lot more excited about doing it than I do!
In 1989, Jamie, Jenna and I visited the harvesters in Lodgepole, NE. Jamie would have been 3 and Jenna 16 mos.
Our first year on the road as Zeorian Harvesting & Trucking. 1990 – Lodgepole, NE
Jenna helping her Daddy.
Another yearly event is about to come and go. The US Custom Harvesters convention is next week. As I’ve said before, our family counts down events ’til harvest rather than months and days. So, we’re nearly through them all. After we’ve celebrated Jenna’s birthday, the next thing to do will be pack the trailer to get ready to head south. When the convention is here, harvest is right around the corner! Are you ready to follow the adventure?
The things you learn from Saturday morning tv
This past week, I have been “babysitting”. I’m not sure it’s really considered babysitting when you’re with kids who are part of the family. Mom and Dad are in the Bahamas… I told them I think the scenario is backwards. I should be in the Bahamas and they should be home 🙂
At the start of this adventure, it was a little more stressful not knowing schedules, etc. However, it’s all good now and I’m relearning what it’s like to be with and “in charge” of 5 and 8 year old girls. I’m LOVING it! The hardest part is keeping two households in order and getting the little girls in bed by 8:00. After they get on the bus in the morning, I close up their house and head for home for the rest of the day. It’s working and we’re finally into a routine – just in time for mom and dad to get home (Tuesday).
This morning, Brook woke up and decided she needed to make us scrambled eggs. Her dad has done a great job of teaching her to throw things together. She made them herself and included bacon bits, cheddar cheese, and black olives. They were really tastey! And above all else, she knew where the coffee was.
Brook and her special recipe.
Jilllian wanted her picture taken too.
After breakfast, Jillian and I were watching Disney. The following came on during a commercial break. If it doesn’t inspire you to do something to change your world, nothing will!
Happy Saturday!