Reflections on My First Farmers Market Season with VIP Pork

As our first farmers market season comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on what a rewarding experience it has been. While this side of our pork production is just a small percent of what we do on the farm, it has been so meaningful to connect with our community in a new way — by offering VIP Pork directly to customers.

From the Farm Field to the Softball Field

From the Farm Field to the Softball Field, it's the time of year that takes a lot of patience, innovation and heart as both a farmer and a coach.

Sustainable Farming Supporting Communities

Have you ever heard the phrase "it takes a village to to raise a child"? Well, when it comes to farming, it "takes a village" to support and create a sustainable community.

The view of my local community, Latimer, Iowa, from my front yard

How my Community Inspires Me

Community.  Community can mean a few things.  It can be tied to location or tied to common interests.  I'm lucky and get inspired by both realms of my community.

One of my communities - the women in agriculture of CommonGround

5 Reasons I'm Grateful to be Farming

Today is National Farmers Day and I went back and worth on what to do, what to say and how to celebrate, but last night as my Farmer and I laid in bed, tired of talking about the harvest that really has never gotten going, I made him think of five things he's grateful for, to appreciate the little things and the big things in his life.  So this morning I figured what better way to celebrate National Farmers Day than by writing down why I'm thankful to be farming.

What it means to be a Farm Mom

Last month I was honored to receive a phone call from the America's Farmers program to say that I had been nominated and selected as one of this year's National Farm Moms of the Year and today I can finally share it with all of you!

So what does it mean to be a Farm Mom?  I think a Farm Mom is a woman who is not only caring for her family, but also for the land, her livestock and her community.

Dear CAL,

I don't think it really hit me til today.  Today is the last day you will be a PK-12th grade program.  Despite having graduation two weeks ago, it really didn't get to me til today as I sent my kids off on the bus for their last day of school wearing their favorite blue Cadet t-shirts (and as I proudly wear one from home too).

The students of CAL Community School
Last Day of School - May 31, 2018
(Photo courtesy of CAL Community School)

Welcoming Bloggers to My Community

If you are a regular reader you've noticed things have been a little quiet on my blog.  We started soybean and corn harvest on September 22nd and have yet to have a rain day.  This is great, because harvest is coming along nicely and we should be done by mid-November.  But at the same time, this means long days, every day, which means I frankly want to go to bed when I'm at home.  Don't worry though, harvest hasn't been all work, work, work.  A couple weeks ago I got to be apart of the Franklin County Harvest Bloggers Tour, sponsored by the Franklin County Farm Bureau and Franklin County Tourism.  

Five years ago I was apart of a group of business owners, community leaders and our local Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce staff, called Franklin County Partnerships.  We got together to figure out 1.) how to bring people to Franklin County, and 2.) how to work off all of our strengths to create memorable experiences.  From these discussions, one idea we came up with was putting together theme based itineraries - girl's weekend, foodie lover, etc.  One of the themes revolved around our county's rich Agriculture roots and history.  Many people brought up that it'd be great if we could include in that theme an offer for people to go on tractor rides who never had the opportunity before.  So from all of these conversations, the Franklin County Harvest Bloggers Tour was created.

The 2015 Franklin County Harvest Bloggers Tour started on the evening of Friday, October 2nd and concluded with our community's annual Harriman-Nielsen Historic Farm Fall Festival in the afternoon of Sunday, October 4th.  Bloggers from across the country are invited to come, stay and explore our exquisite little community in return for a blog post(s).  They have to find their way to North Iowa, but once they get here, we take care of everything.  This year's tour included everything from a wine tasting, to exploring our local shops, going to a couple museums, getting entertained by our local talent at a vaudeville show, and of course going on combine rides.

This event couldn't be possible without all of the support of our community.  A special thanks to the Franklin County Farm Bureau, Franklin County Tourism, ABCM Corporation, Franklin County Historical Society, Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, North Central Iowa Ag in the Classroom, Rustic Brew, and La Frontera, just to name a few.

Also, a special thanks to this year's participants that came from Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska:

The Gingered Whisk

Her Heartland Soul

Midwest Wanderer

Oh My! Omaha

Simplify, Live, Love

It was great to meet you and your families!

And no true welcome to any community isn't complete without sharing our community's food heritage.  This year's tour included sampling local wines, coffee and beer, authentic Hispanic food, and some good, hearty farm table style food, including my Sweet & Spicy Hog Wild Baked Beans.

Sweet & Spicy Hog Wild Baked Beans

1 pound bacon, cut into bite sized pieces

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 - 28oz cans of Bush's Honey Baked Beans

1 can apple pie filling (chop up the big chunks)

1 pound crumbled cooked pork sausage

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup brown sugar

2-3 T chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

2 T worcestershire sauce

2 T prepared mustard

1 1/2 t cayenne pepper powder

Brown bacon and saute onion and green pepper in bacon grease.  Throw all of the ingredients in a crock pot on low for 2-4 hours.  This recipe makes a half gallon and feeds around 25 people.

This side dish is a memorable, crowd pleaser, that is always good down to the last spoonful!  It has also become a tradition for me to make for the Franklin County Harvest Bloggers Tours, and it always include some of our own bacon and pork sausage from our hogs that My Farmer makes.

If a group of bloggers came to your community, what would you want to share?  If you are a blogger and interested in being put on the 2016 invitee list, be sure to contact me!  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

Why I Choose to Live in Rural America

On Wednesday I had the opportunity and privilege to meet with Iowa's Lt. Governor, Kim Reynolds, and twelve other women in agriculture for a round table discussion as part of the Lt. Governor's state-wide tour with women leaders (#kimtours99).  The group talked about several issues including regulations, the importance of high speed internet for rural areas, and young farmer credits and programs.

One underlying theme of the luncheon's conversation was providing opportunities for young people to stay, work and live in rural Iowa.  I am proud that I grew up in rural Iowa and continue to live, work and play in rural Iowa.  But I acknowledge that not everyone is doing this, as we see school consolidations, abandoned store fronts, and fewer grocery stores.  So why do I choose to live in rural America?

The main and first reason is because My Farmer and I obviously farm, but we were encouraged to come back home.  I feel like a lot of high school seniors are advocated to leave their hometown and to find opportunity in the "big city".  Why do people do that?  We should be encouraging our youth to come back as doctors, to plumbers, to farmers.

People feel that there are limited jobs in rural America but I think because of the entrepreneurship spirit of its citizens, there are endless possibilities.  Rural America is the perfect place to get inspired to start your own business.  Since much of rural America has a strong agriculture sector - think of the potential businesses that are needed to help make agriculture more efficient.  In fact, there are a group of young men in Iowa that just won the Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge with their ScoutPro businesses, an electronic crop scouting program.  With quality internet (which is something the group talked to the Lt. Governor about) people are able to work and build their own businesses from home.

Lastly, the thing I probably like the most about rural America is the sense of community.  I have family members that live in larger cities, and yes, they know at least a couple of their neighbors and will attend the neighborhood block party (if there even is one), but rural America has a huge reach. I consider people that live miles away my neighbors.  We help each other out, even if we don't know each other that well.  I am so proud of my community so that is why I volunteer so much.  I also strive to support my local businesses.  Many people in rural America see volunteerism and supporting local as high priorities, so that just adds to the feeling of community.

Do you live in rural America?  What ideas do you have to support and grow rural America?  What advice do you have for young people who are living or want to live in rural America?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

Be sure to check out Shannon and Katie's takes on the meeting with Iowa's Lt. Governor too.

July Comments for a Cause - Little Free Library

It is the first of the month and time to give an update on my Comments for a Cause program.  In the month of June I couldn't get over the local support for La Luz Hispana.  During the month 258 comments were made, equaling a donation of $129 to this remarkable program that is helping and so many families and individuals in Franklin County.  I am very proud that my community provides these resources and support to our community members.

In the month of July I'm looking forward to donating $0.50 for every comment to the international Little Free Library program.  As some of you may know, I worked throughout this year to bring a Little Free Library to Latimer, Iowa and I'm happy to say that we installed the Little Free Library at the beginning of June.

"Take A Book, Leave A Book" today at the Latimer Little Free Library
You can even take a seat and enjoy a book while visiting our location

Latimer, Iowa's Little Free Library

So, what is a Little Free Library?  The Little Free Library movement began in Wisconsin five years ago and now has nearly 12,000 locations world-wide, over 100 of which are in Iowa.  I first read about Little Free Libraries through the "Parade" insert in our newspaper a few years ago and in the last couple of years I have started seeing them in the communities of a couple of my family members.  The traditional Little Free Library is a free-standing structure that kind of looks like an over-sized bird house that is then filled with a collection of books for members of the community or neighborhood to access.  The Little Free Library works by the "take a book, leave a book" philosophy.  When someone goes to the Library and picks out a book, they are asked to replace it with another book.

My love for my community and passion for childhood literacy is what drove me to set up a Little Free Library in the community of Latimer.  Reading is really important to me and raising my kids.  My kids and I read every day and always have books around.  The town of Latimer doesn't have a library and I know there are many kids in town that don't have an opportunity to go to a library, especially in the summer.  So I thought bringing a Little Free Library to Latimer would be great for all the youth of the community, and for the adults who love to read too.

And through this month's Comment for a Cause program I hope to help other small communities that don't have libraries of their own bring a Little Free Library to their town through the Little Free Library Small Town Initiative.  I was very fortunate to receive support from Post Alpha-Bits cereal and the Latimer City Council when setting up my Little Free Library, but I know every small community might not have access to those resources.  So that is why I'm supporting the Small Town Initiative this month.

If you are ever in the Latimer, Iowa, stop by and visit our community's Little Free Library.  It is located in Downtown Latimer on the west-side of Akir Street.  Do you have a Little Free Library in your community?  Be sure to Comment for a Cause all month long to help out this world-wide cause!

May Comments for a Cause - Team Red, White & Blue

Happy May Day everyone!  It is the first of the month and time to report my Comments for a Cause results for the previous month and announce the new month's cause!  So first thing, in the month of April I had 30 comments while equals a $15 contribution to the Wennerstrom Family Mission Trip to Honduras with Prairie Ridge Church.  I'm happy to support the Wennerstrom Family's Mission Trip and pray that they have a safe trip to Honduras and that each of their faiths is enriched by the experience.

Now onto May's cause!  I'm proud to be donating $0.50 for every comment during the month of May to Team Red, White and Blue.  I talked about Team RWB last Veteran's Day and wanted to continue increasing awareness and support for this great organization that helps new Veterans after they re-enter civilian life by creating a positive community.  I thought what better way for you all to learn about Team RWB from other than Des Moines's Team RWB Chapter Captain, Brandon Holtan.  Here is what Holtan shared about Team RWB:

Team Red White and Blue also known as Team RWB is a national non-profit organization which strives to enrich the lives of America's veterans by connecting them to their community through physical and social activity.  The team is in place for veterans returning home from Iraq or Afghanistan who are transitioning back to their lives at home.  However you do not need to be a veteran to be part of the team.  We rely on our community members to help bridge the gap between the military lifestyle and the civilian world.  Team RWB is building strong communities across the country.  Team RWB Des Moines and Team RWB Cedar Rapids / Iowa City are growing communities right here in Iowa.

Members of Team RWB Des Moines at the Red Flannel Run this winter
Holtan is on the far left

We engage veterans and community members alike to workout together on a weekly basis.  We also encourage members to compete in local athletic events such as 5K's, mud runs, bike rides, Marathons, Triathlons, Crossfit games, GORUCK events, and several other challenging adventures.  The social aspect of Team RWB provides members with another opportunity to build strong relationships.  We meet up for BBQ's, tailgates, and we've started our own breakfast club to experience all that Des Moines' diners have to offer.  That's what we do, but the Eagle Ethos gives you an idea of why we do it.

Members of Team RWB Des Moines
running the Living History Farms race in 2013

The Eagle Ethos was crafted using six words that uniquely characterize Team RWB and distinguish our organization from others. While there are certain principles that all nonprofits should adhere to, these are the things that make our Team special. The Eagle Ethos can be clearly captured in an instant with a single snapshot or demonstrated over time. It can be displayed outwardly or held inside as fuel for action. But it is pervasive throughout Team RWB and known intimately by each team member who puts on that red shirt. The Eagle Ethos is passion, people, positivity, commitment, camaraderie, and community…and Team RWB lives it in action every day.

+ Passion – we care more, we work harder, and we share our story
+ People – veterans and community drive everything we do
+ Positivity – we don’t ignore the challenges, we just stay positive and attack them
+ Commitment – we are dedicated to each other, our mission, and our communities
+ Camaraderie – we improve lives through genuine, personal relationships
+ Community – this is what we are building…at every level

Let me start with a little background about myself.  I enlisted in the Marine Corps after graduating high school.  I was stationed 1,000 miles away from home for over 4 years and deployed to Iraq in 2006 and 2008.  After returning from deployment in 2008 I married my high school sweetheart and made the transition from living in the barracks on base with a few hundred Marines to an apartment in West Des Moines with my wife.  One day I was wearing a uniform familiar with my daily routine and the next day I was driving half way across the country finding my way back home.

I connect with the camaraderie within Team RWB and the effort to assist veterans during their transition from active service to civilian life.  I had a strong support network of family and friends to rely on, but I was the only veteran in my circle of friends.  I lost touch with the camaraderie of the military lifestyle.  After finishing my degree and being in the workforce for 3 years I had finally come to know a few dozen veterans who had similar life experiences and who I felt most comfortable around.  

Team RWB Des Moines members at their Bacon Sizzle social gathering

When I read about Team RWB in the Marine Corps Times I was inspired to build a community here in Des Moines.  I've reached out to everyone I know to spread the word about Team RWB and establish key relationships within supporting organizations.  We have a membership of approx 250 with about 150 veterans and 100 community members.  Des Moines has an awesome leadership team and we are taking steps to become a strong local resource for veterans.

For more information visit our website teamrwb.org.  If you want to join our team please visit http://teamrwb.org/get-involved/join-the-team and sign up or check out our Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/groups/TeamRWBDesMoines/ or

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/TeamRWB.CedarRapids.IowaCity/.

So lets be sure to Comment for a Cause a lot this month to support this growing organization helping so many veterans and communities across the United States!  I know how much this group means to my family members who are veterans.  Veterans are looking for this camaraderie and community when they return to civilian life and Team RWB is filling this need and a want to level that I don't think these veterans realized they needed and wanted.

Do you know a new Veteran looking for a community like this?  If so, share with them about Team RWB!

Little Free Library Coming to Latimer

Look what arrived at my door the other day:

Little Free Library

My Little Free Library!  For those that follow my blog's Facebook page, you know I have been working since the beginning of the year to bring a Little Free Library to my local community of Latimer, Iowa.  I've had to do some work to make this possible and after receiving the Little Free Library, it made it all more a reality!

My love for my community and passion for childhood literacy is what drove me to set up a Little Free Library in the community of Latimer.  Reading is really important to me and raising my kids.  My kids and I read every day and always have books around.  The town of Latimer doesn't have a library and I know there are many kids in town that don't have an opportunity to go to a library, especially in the summer.  So I thought bringing a Little Free Library to Latimer would be great for all the youth of the community, and for the adults who love to read too.

So how does it work?  After working with the Latimer City Council, I will now be installing the Little Free Library in Downtown Latimer sometime in the next month or so.  I got approval from the Council to use city property for the Little Free Library at their February meeting.  The Little Free Library will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year.  It will be filled with a collection of books for both children and adults.  The Little Free Library works by the "take a book, leave a book" philosophy.  When someone goes to the Library and picks out a book, they are asked to replace it with another book.

The Little Free Library movement began in Wisconsin five years ago and now has nearly 12,000 locations world-wide, over 100 of which are in Iowa.  I first read about Little Free Libraries through the "Parade" insert in our newspaper a few years ago and in the last couple of years I have started seeing them in the communities of a couple of my family members.  After finding out about an opportunity with Post Alpha-Bits cereal where I could apply to receive a Little Free Library and a starter book collection through them, I then put my love and passion together with this opportunity and decided that I should bring a Little Free Library to my local community.

How can you help?  I am still looking for some adult books to help fill the Little Free Library.  If you have any good, gently used books you are willing to share with the Library let me know!  I'd love to add them to our collection.  Also, I am planning on putting together a "ground breaking" party for the Little Free Library after it is installed.  I hope the Little Free Library is a resource for all the Latimer community and that it helps them connect with a neighbor they maybe wouldn't have met otherwise.

I would like to thank Post Alpha-Bits cereal for the Little Free Library and a starter collection of youth books for my Library.  I think what they are doing with the Little Free Library program, the Super Why! television show and other literacy programs is really great.  You can encourage literacy skills in your home too by eating Post Alpha-Bits cereal.  Here is a fun breakfast treat that I make at my home, which isn't only good to eat, but also helps LP recognize his letters:

Breakfast Banana Split

1 banana
1/2 cup yogurt (vanilla, strawberry, strawberry-banana are all great flavors)
1/4 cup halved grapes
1/4 cup sliced strawberries
1/2 cup Post Alpha-Bits cereal


Peel and split banana lengthwise.  Place in sundae dish or cereal bowl.  Top with yogurt.  Sprinkle with fruit and cereal.  Makes 1 serving.

And enjoy!

Do you have a Little Free Library in your community?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

When a Neighbor is More Than Just the Person Who Lives Down the Road

Last week a group of six tornadoes went through my neighborhood.  Luckily for my family and I, the tornadoes were not on the ground as they went over our house, but for some of our neighbors, they weren't as fortunate.

A picture that I took of one of the tornadoes that went by our home
(Don't worry, right after I took the photo I took everyone to the
basement for shelter for the duration of the storms)

Right after the storm had passed through, My Farmer hopped into his pick-up to check on his parents, our hogs and our new house to make sure everyone and everything was alright.  But as he was making his way to check on everything, he noticed trees across the road at our neighbors.  He drove over to find destruction everywhere.  He talked to the family to make sure they were okay and then looked around to see how he could help.  The night of the storm, My Farmer, along with other neighbors who made similar trips after the storm to check on things, all merged on our neighbor's place and got to work.  First thing that night was to board up the home.  Second thing done, plans were made for people to take time away from the fields the next day to help with clean-up.

A view of some of the damage the day after the tornadoes.
Our neighbors had trees uprooted, out buildings destroyed,
windows shattered and personal belonging thrown around the entire farm.

Neighbors brought over equipment to help with the clean-up

I couldn't help with the actual clean-up with two kids age two and under
but I could help with lunch for the work crew!
And the best part of helping with lunch, I had friends give me food
to help with lunch after they had heard what happened

Last week I was so proud of my community.  None of these people were asked, paid or told to come and help these neighbors in need.  Work and help was needed and everyone felt it was their job to come and work and help.  

Last week's events made me think of another time that my community came together to help a neighbor in need.  In 2011 one of our neighbors passed away in a car accident.  When it came time for his fields to be harvested, farmers from the entire neighborhood took a day off of harvesting their own fields to help this family in need.

Combine and catch carts at work in a field

Three combines working on the same field

A line-up of the combines and tractors used to help with the harvest

Neighbors that came to help a neighbor

Once again, why did these neighbors come together to help another neighbor in need?  Call it "Midwest Values" or being an Iowan, but everyone wanted to be there to help.  There was work that needed to be done and no one was just going to wait for someone or some government group to come and do the work.

I am so proud of my neighborhood and community.  We are always there for each other.  We truly care about each other and show concern for one another.  I realize that everyone in this world is not as fortunate as I am to have this sense of community or neighbors.  Some only get this feeling of support from family.  So I guess you could say I have two families - my biological relatives and my neighbors.  (And you know you are from the rural Midwest when you consider a person who lives many miles away still a neighbor...)

What makes you proud of your community or neighborhood?

Toilet Paper Impact

Last night LP and I watched our County Fair Parade and after the Fire Engines, Fair Queen Candidates and local businesses, the Greater Franklin County Chamber had an entry that reminded everyone to Shop Local, Dine Local and Bank Local.  The main focus of their campaign is to Buy One Product Locally - Toilet Paper.

I have to admit, before our local chamber started this campaign I didn't buy my toilet paper locally.  I went out of the county to buy it at a large discount store.  Why not buy something so simple as toilet paper to support businesses in my county!  Here are the numbers:

How much toilet paper is used in Franklin County?

• Number of people in Greater Franklin County = 14, 987
• Average number of rolls used per person each year = 105
• Total number of rolls used by the people of Franklin County = 1,573,635
• Average cost per roll = $1.25
• Total dollars spent on toilet paper per year = $1,967,043.75

How much toilet paper is bought in Franklin County?

• Estimate total rolls purchased locally per year = 268,640
• Average cost per roll = $1.25
• Total dollars spent in Greater Franklin County on toilet paper = $335,800

How much is Franklin County loosing in local sales just because people are buying their toilet paper out of county?  $1,631,244

I'm not one that usually shouts to the hill tops about "Buying Local" but really, what could you do with $1.6 million dollars for your community?

Community Pride

This week I have been thinking a lot about how much I am proud of my community.  People often ask My Farmer and I why we are involved in so much.  Our answer is that we get involved with our community because we are so proud of where we are from.  We want to continue to see our community grow and thrive.  By getting involved we can make decisions that are good for the future of our family and kids.

One of the reasons I have been so proud of my community this week is that on Monday night I was invited to join a Partnership Group with several community leaders and business owners from our county.  The group discussed ways to get more people to our community, create connections and build relationships.  One way of getting more people to our county we decided would be to create itineraries that people could use when visiting our county set up through our county chamber and tourism group.  One itinerary that the group came up with would be a farm/agriculture tour.  Several members of the Partnership Group said that people are just interested about farming and would love to just visit a family farm.  I agreed that My Farmer and I would be willing to host people depending on our schedule and that I'd line up several farmers from the county that would be willing to host a similar tour.  Here is a little of what the group came up with.