Lambs in the Laundry Room

I grew up with lambs in my laundry room, chickens in my play house, checking cows and horses in the middle of the night and feeding animals in the morning before I fed myself. Agriculture has always been a part of who I am.

My family and I, from left to right:  Jesse, Erin, Colby, JoAnn and Tim.

Unfortunately this is not the case for everyone. Many kids these days have never seen livestock or had the opportunity to care for animals. Agriculture has truly shaped me into the person I am today. I grew up on a medium-sized, hobby farm in Southern Maryland where my family and I loved spending the weekend in the barn. My brother and I still show hogs, cattle, sheep, and goats at local shows.

My pig and I at the SMILE Show.

Being involved in livestock has taught me responsibility, sportsmanship, and the importance of livestock for feeding our growing population. Most importantly, I have developed a passion for the animal agriculture industry.

In these next 10 years, the food and fiber industry will continue to battle negative perceptions and misinformation given out by uneducated consumers and animal rights activists. Some examples of the problems that the industry faces are uneducated media, million dollar anti-agriculture groups, and misinformed consumers. Whether it is Katie Couric talking about antibiotics in the industry, or PETA and HSUS showing emotionally-charged yet not entirely accurate videos, it is essential that livestock producers spread the good word about agriculture.

Anyone who is involved in agriculture needs to be telling their story. While there are several negative videos floating around the Internet, as a person passionate about agriculture, I know that this is not an accurate representation of how we treat our animals. Mistreatment of animals should not be tolerated, but at the same time we must remember that they are the exception to the rule. There are also bad doctors, bad mothers, bad lawyers, and so on.

I know that I am not the only one out there that has let agriculture shape my life. I view the agriculture community as my extended family. The livestock industry is filled with caring farmers, ranchers, and families. These people do not think of farming as simply a job, it is their livelihood. Although these farmers are already busy putting crops in the ground and working cattle, they need to find a way to educate people about their way of life.

I am now a senior Animal Science major, with a minor in agriculture economics, at the University of Missouri. Yes, I made the leap from good ole’ Southern Maryland to the great state of Missouri. My family will one day be moving to Missouri for the sole reason of farm land and a different outlook on life.

At the University of Missouri I am on the University Livestock Judging Team, the president of Mizzou Collegiate CattleWomen and actively involved in the Sigma Alpha Professional Agriculture Sorority. My blog will be documentation of my weekly activities engaging in agriculture, traveling around the country with the livestock judging team, and general concepts about agriculture. I hope to grab readers who are interested in learning about agriculture as well as fellow agriculture enthusiasts who want to hear my perspective.

MIZ...ZOU!