Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Burgers

It's no secret, I love pork. Pork steaks, pork sausage, pork and beans, bacon, ham, the list goes on but nothing says summer like a nice, big, juicy, hand slapped, grill marked pork burger.

Pork burgers meet Proscuitto...

Proscuitto meet Pork burgers...

That's right, embrace the pork...

Love the pork...

Be grilled with the pork...

I'm sorry Mina, this is people food.

Phantom, you don't get any either.

Now, add a bun, some fresh tomatoes, a little lettuce, and some home grown corn...wait, let me wipe my mouth, I'm drooling.

Supper is served.

Oh, yes, I'm inspired how about you?

Your Vote Counts but do Rural Votes Count?

The "Your Vote Counts" campaign--backed by HSUS among others--is currently collecting signatures to place a constitutional amendment on the November 2012 ballot that would change the required vote to amend a law to 3/4 votes. This means that out of 197 legislators it would take only 9 to overturn a proposed amendment--a near impossible voting standard. This is another way that HSUS is swinging their pocket book around to buy laws for their own radical pursuits.

Back in 2010, Prop B was passed by a slim margin of 3.2 percent. After the law was passed it was amended to make it a workable law because in its original form it was unrealistic. Now, HSUS is trying yet again to manipulate Missouri voters and gain more control to buy laws and inevitably buy you and their tactics are very sneaky.

Their campaign slogan is "Respect the Will of the People." However, if we take a look at the map from the 2010 Prop B results it begs the question:

Did Missouri respect the will of the people or the will of the money?

Prop B failed in every county except the cities of St. Louis and Kansas City, where HSUS campaigned the heaviest and spent the most money. The amendment made the law workable and realistic, that is not what HSUS wanted. They wanted to shut down dog breeding in Missouri and attack animal agriculture next.

If you recall, the term "pet" was redefined in the original Prop B proposal to a vague description of pretty much any domesticated animal that lives close to the home. This is one thing that the Prop B amendment changed and for good reason. However, other changes were made to make it workable. The point is, Prop B was a "bought law" and since Missouri legislatures actual did listen to Missouri voters (look at the map!) it really ticked off HSUS.

Your vote does count and the amendment of Prop B proves that; however, Pacelle and his posse want their money to count more than your vote. If you want to keep your rights then don't fall victim to the HSUS trap. Don't sign any petition that supports the "Your Vote Counts" initiative!

Prop B & "Your Vote Counts" Campaign

Here we go again! Wayne Pacelle, CEO of HSUS is at it again with another smear campaign to manipulate Missouri voters. As you'll recall, in 2010, HSUS and other animal rights groups like ASPCA spent more than $5 million on the Prop B campaign. However, the bulk of that funding came from outside Missouri. Similarly, HSUS has thus far spent nearly $165,000 on the "Your Vote Counts" campaign of which only $150 came from Missouri supporters. This is a classic case of "bought laws" and "bought legislature."

What does this mean to Missourians? It means that HSUS is buying Missouri legislature and in turn trying to buy you. I'm not for sale and I hope you aren't either. By giving in to these people you are not only helping aide in their efferts to irradicate animal agriculture and sport hunting but you are also allowing them the power to control your civil rights.

Image from HumaneWatch.org

Prop B in its original form was unconstiutional, unreasonable, and unrealistic--just like their new campaign. Prop B was never just thrown out! It was only amended to make it workable and realistic. However, Wayne Pacelle and HSUS supporters will have you think that your vote didn't matter and the law was thrown out, which is UNTRUE! Prop B stands, however, common sense was added by our Missouri elected officials.

The "Your Vote Counts" campaign is an attempt to make a constitutional amendment in Missouri to change the required vote to amend a law from 2/3 to 3/4. This means that out of 197 officials it would take only 9 to overturn any proposed amendments, which is a near impossible voting standard. This proposed amendment also gives groups like HSUS more power to buy laws and piece by piece chip away your constitutional rights in the name of their extremist ideas.

Please keep in mind that HSUS is a propaganda machine and only gives 1 percent of that $19 a month that they beg for with their simpathetic ads. Their millions do not go toward shelters, they line the pockets of people like Wayne Pacelle and buy radical laws. If you really want to support animals then support your local shelter NOT HSUS! Put that $19 a month toward the shelter in your county, give a few bags of dog food every month to the shelter in your town, or volunteer to help every month. HSUS is not about helping animals, they are about propaganda and animal rights, which is NOT the same as animal welfare. Farmers, breeders, veteranarians, and pet owners are the real animal welfare advocates NOT HSUS supporters.

Vote for common sense not extremists' propaganda. Please do NOT sign any patition relating to the "Your Vote Counts" campaign and if it makes it to the ballot please VOTE NO!

CAFO Quotes & Simple Rants

"The problem isn't a lack of food, it is poor distribution."

"We don't need CAFOs, we need better farmers."

"CAFO farmers are nothing more than pig Nazis."

"Pasture pigs taste better and are better for you."

"All CAFO farmers are the worst kind of big business farming. They put small farmers out of business and are not real farmers, just investors."

Do you feel this way? Do you agree with any of these statements? Do you find it hard to believe that anyone would think this way? Or, that any one wouldn't?

I have heard them all and then some. I’m not here to change anyone’s mind, just speak of that which I know. I know that we have an abundance of food and there is an inadequate distribution system. However, I also know that as long as we have greed, welfare dependence, obesity, foreign dictators, incompetent government officials, and ignorance we will always have a hunger issue. Yes, farmers do feed the world. Yes, we need better distribution of our food resources. However, unless you have a way of fixing all those other problems then pointing fingers at CAFO owners and distributors really starts looking asinine when you get right down to it.

Now, the claim that better farming techniques are the way to go I have to say I agree. By utilizing new technology, innovative medical know-how, and better understanding of animal husbandry….wait, we’re already doing that. Well, I’ll be dogged. The problem is misunderstanding. Most people love the idea of 1940’s and 50’s farming. It’s a great image but reality doesn’t live in great imagery. To put this in perspective, one farmer in 1940 produced enough to feed 19 people. Today, one farmer can feed 155 people. 155! That is a huge difference and we didn’t accomplish this by sitting idly by and hoping for change. We did it through technological advances and sheer determination. Let us not forget the many technological advances that were waved away by a skeptical society that now serve as a lifeline that we could not live without. Some inventions that come to mind are cars, planes, and tractors.

As far as pasture pigs tasting better and being better for you; well, the first is entirely opinion based and the latter…well, I’d like to see documentation proving that pork is healthier than pork.

As for CAFO owners being nothing more than investors and this image of big business and fat, suit clad men smoking cigars and pocketing thousands of dollars while paying minimum wage to foreign workers is the falsest claim I have ever heard. I say this with first hand experience. I am not just saying, “I heard from…” or “Well, this commercial said…” I live here and I know because we own it, live it, work it, and we are not rich. I wish the latter was otherwise but the facts are that we are owner operators. Sure, we are investors but what business owner isn’t an investor? I'd also like to know if we aren't "real" farmers than what the hell have we been doing for the past several generations?

I’d like to take this time to mention that while I feel the Nazi reference doesn’t deserve to be dignified by a comment, I have to say the ignorance shines through in any such reference. First, to compare anything to the Holocaust is disrespectful to those that suffered through it. Furthermore, to compare farming pigs—an animal—to the mass murders of thousands of innocent people seems too boorish to even put into words. Furthermore, it shows an utter lack of perspective. That is all I will say about that.

I rant for this reason:

·         98% of Americans are several generations removed from farming yet those are the ones that feel they need to tell us how to do it.

·         In an Operation Main Street 2.0 seminar in Kansas State University, out of 100-plus veterinary students only two or three had any experience in swine production.

·         HSUS claims to be all about animal welfare however they only give $0.19 cents of that famous $19 they ask for in their ads--less than 1% of donated funds. While farmers spend tens of thousands of dollars on their animals to make sure they have a safe environment, food, shelter, water, and all their veterinary needs are met. 

·        We have the We Care program, Operation Main Street, PQA Plus, and many other programs, seminars, and mandatory training to ensure proper animal care and handling. How are we not advocates of animal welfare?

 

·         Finally, how else do we do it? If you know a better, more economical, more efficient means of raising these animals and feeding the world then why don’t you share it with the thousands of vets, engineers, scientists, nutritionists, farmers, etc. that are waiting to hear from you.

  I suppose the ultimate point is that of knowledge. Before you take the word of some commercial you saw or some conversation you overheard why don’t you get the facts for yourself. Ask a farmer. Talk to a vet. Question a butcher. Take a tour of a farm. Just don’t judge before you have all the facts and never jump to conclusions.

Factory Farming Exsposed

Learn the truth about animal handling practices in factory farms!

You'll be shocked by what you see!!

New Rule in Child Labor Laws Butts In on Ag Family Affairs

Once again government officials step in to help us poor dumb farm folk that just don't know no better.

Apparently, farmers are now no longer capable of deciding what our children can and cannot do on the farm. According to the proposed new rule, which updates current child labor laws, it would restrict minors working no the farm.

 This scene could soon be illegal.

As could this scene...

Depending on what the rule states as a "safe environment" and if the ruling passes kids and teens may not be able to work on the farm at all.

Just another way that the government and city officials are stepping in and stepping on the toes of farmers. Farm families have worked on the farm since birth and no government ruling is going to change that. Farm work is hard and sometimes dangerous but how else are future generations going to learn the family business? What's next? How much will we let the government control our everyday lives? My kids work on the farm and they are proud of it! That is one thing that will not change around here.

What do you think of this new proposal?

State Fair Update

A quick update on Miss Kylee Jo's ham that we took the Missouri State Fair. She placed 9th in her division. Not too shabby, top 10 her first year out. We couldn't be prouder and we are all looking forward to next years country cured ham.

City Folk Friends

Recently, Aaron and I had one of our city folk friends over for some BBQ and other assorted victuals. After some quality chit chattin' we decided to take her and her daughter on a mini-tour of the farm.

Down the deserted black top, past the old white church...

Beyond the big barn...

We arrive at the hog house.

She had to take pictures and text them to her husband...."Look where I am, Honey..."

This is Denise and the short blond is her daughter Alli. Shortly after arriving we ventured into the barn to show them the ins and outs of piggin'. She was thrilled but her daughter was very disappointed that they were not little teacup piglets. Nope, these are 100 pound snouts.

"Hey, what's up?"

My dear friend Denise has a thing for pig snouts. She can't get enough of them. She had to rub every snout that came up to sniff her dainty little hand. With a giggle and a smile she rubbed snouts until we finally cut her off. Enough is enough. 

My big farmer man explained how we care for the pigs....oh, and my husband did some explaining too.

Needless to say, Alli prefers teacup piglets to 100 pound snouts and wanted no part of her mother's snout rubbing fetish.

The Pooboy taught his new friend a thing or two about pigs. "Yep, I help my dad with these pigs. I'm a farmer." 

The explanation grows intense.

After we toured both inside and out, after all the questions were answered, after all the snouts were rubbed away we drove. Home again, home again, jiggety jog.

I hope we haven't scared them off with our country ways. I'm sure Denise will be back but Alli's thoughts on the whole farming/country business thing is still in question. Pooboy plays hard and I'm hoping he didn't rough up Alli too much. He isn't use to little girls.

Have you ever been on a farm tour? I'd love to hear about it.

 

Disappointed, Down But Not Out

The big fair sale was yesterday and all the livestock and hams were auctioned off, one by one. Before the sale each child lined up to have their picture taken with their show animal/ham. It was a day of preparation, mild chaos, and disappointment followed by confusion, anger, and one very sad little girl.

This was some one's idea of a practical joke. You see that ham with the Grand Champion ribbon on it, well, that is Kylee's ham. However, she didn't get Grand Champion...someone switched the ribbons.

We were congratulated by family, friends, and even our own club leader. I also spoke to the head of the livestock division from the Extension office about our winning the Grand Champion ribbon and no one said anything to us or Kylee until picture time--four days later.The sad part is that the head of the livestock division is also in charge of hams but apparently knows nothing about them. I asked simple questions like, "What paper work do we need to fill out to reserve the ham for state?" Her answer: "I don't know." Great leadership and organization.

The really sad part is that they knew about the ribbon switching and didn't fix it or tell us until we confronted them. Nice, right. Get a kid's hopes up, let them believe, then, rip it away. The fact that she didn't get Grand Champion isn't the real issue. Sure, we wanted to win it but she still has a blue ribbon ham and that is just fine by us. The real issue comes from the fact that they made my little girl cry and then had the "well, this stuff happens so just get over it" attitude toward her (one lady actually said that). It wasn't their fault, somehow it was our fault. Please explain that one to me. This is her first year in 4-H and her first time competing in anything--great first experience. Needless to say, my husband marched over to the Extension office and gave them a piece of his mind. They just argued with him. Go figure.

Oh, well. We know we don't have the clout, social status, or the elbow rubbing techniques to turn any heads and get a fair shake in 4-H but we still get the last laugh. No matter what the local yokels say we are still taking that ham to state and my baby still did a fantastic job on her very first country cured ham. We are also the only people taking a ham to state from Audrain county. Now that says something. I'm not sure what it says just yet but it says something.

State fair, here come the Windmann's and we are out for blood.