How to Celebrate National 4-H Week as Alumni

Spending every day in a tractor seat gives me a lot of "thinking time" (think of driving your car for 10 hours a day every day).  So today since it is Sunday, I thought it'd be fun to share a little "Sunday Funday" post about some things going on in my life besides driving a tractor.

The initial reason why I joined 4-H...

4-H is a youth organization that I was involved in that I feel truly helped shape me to the person I am today.  When I joined the Clear Lake Sailors 4-H Club in Hamilton County, Iowa as a 4th grader (so I could show at the County Fair) I had no idea the amount of leadership, citizenship and communication skills it'd give me by the time I finished my 9-year career, or how it'd help shape my core values and teach me responsibility.  I had no idea that I'd make life-long friends while being on the State 4-H Council, or that I'd be the national secretary of Collegiate 4-H someday and meet amazing professional from across the United States.  And the greatest thing I gained through 4-H was My Farmer.  When I was a freshman in college the first people I made contact with when I got to Ames were people I had gotten to know through 4-H.  I spent a lot of time on 5th floor Maple dormitory with   4-H friends and was lucky to meet the guy down at the end of the hallway and fall in love.  The connections and networking that are made through 4-H are amazing and unimaginable as a 4th grader.

Today is the first day of National 4-H Week, an annual celebration that showcases the great things 4-H offers today's youth and highlights the amazing 4-H youth in the community.  I loved driving to church this morning to see that one of the local 4-H clubs had decorated main-street windows, and hearing on the radio about a recruitment event happening this weekend.  When I was in 4-H I loved promoting 4-H all year long, and always made a special effort during National 4-H Week.  So as an alumni of 4-H, what can I do now?  I've came up with a list of ideas for all 4-H alumni to do during National 4-H Week, as a way of giving back:

• Volunteer - This is the obvious one, get involved an volunteer with your local 4-H club or your local county program.  I am personally my local county's Communications project leader and have chaperoned 4-H trips as a way of volunteering locally.
• Become a Judge - There is always a need for more judges.  Contact your state 4-H office and find out the procedure and trainings available so you can judge at area county events and fairs and even at the State Fair.  I have been judging for 10 years! And I am always so impressed with the presentations and projects I see every year.
• Share your 4-H Story through Social Media - I just shared a little bit about my 4-H story here on my blog, but it can be as easy as sharing a photo on Facebook or tweeting about 4-H.  If you are an Iowa 4-H supporter, the Iowa 4-H Foundation has created a great graphic that you can share (located below this list of ideas) and save as your Facebook profile for the week.  Also, be sure to follow your local 4-H organization through their various social media outlets - Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.
• Modify your Email Signature - To include a National 4-H Week message to the bottom of all your emails.  It can be as simple as "Celebrate National 4-H Week October 5-11" and include a link to your local county or state 4-H program.
• Write a Letter to the Editor - And share your 4-H story and why 4-H is such a great youth organization.  As an alumni, you can give a complementing view of 4-H to those youth members also contacting their local newspapers.
• Share your 4-H Story through your Workplace - Wear green this week, or ask to put up a 4-H flier or poster in your workplace's break-room to increase awareness about 4-H.  If your workplace has a marquee or lighted sign, display a National 4-H Week message.
• and of course Donate!

And one easy way for you to donate is by commenting to this post.  All month long, for every comment on my blog, I'll be donating $0.50 through my Comments for a Cause program to the Iowa 4-H Foundation.  So share what   4-H club you were a member of, or how you are going to celebrate National   4-H Week, and make a donation through me!

(This post is a part of a 31 Days from a Tractor Seat series.  The best way to keep up with this series is to follow via email on the right sidebar of this post and by liking the Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids Facebook page.)

First-Time Combine Rides for #FranklinCoHarvest Bloggers

It isn't everyday that we have visitors on the farm, so it was a lot of fun to have several bloggers from the #FranklinCoHarvest Bloggers tour visit us in the field this afternoon.  My Farmer and I were able to share our experiences and knowledge about farming and answer questions they had about our farming and technology practices.  Plus, the highlight for all of them was that My Farmer took them all on their first combine rides.

The Walking Tourists, It's Just Life, Jeni Eats and DonnaHup.com
after their combine rides with myself, MP, My Farmer and Musings of a Pig Farmer
and LP is up in the combine waiting for his turn :)
(Thank you Donna Hup for the photo!)

After everyone got a chance in the combine, I took them to visit our hog barn site.  They were able to take a look at our auto-sort set-up in our buildings and understand how we keep the pigs in the perfect environment all year long.  For some, it was the first time they'd ever seen a pig.  I loved how enthusiastic all the bloggers were for both their combine rides and pig encounters.  I'm excited to see what all the participants of this year's #FranklinCoHarvest Bloggers Tour share about on their blogs in the coming weeks - not only their experience in the field with us, but about all the other activities they've participated in all weekend long.

Have you ever been on a combine ride?  I loved how today LP couldn't believe it when Donna from DonnaHup.com said she'd never been in a combine.  But I think LP (and the rest of our family) would be surprised how true that is for so many people, even right here in Iowa.  Giving combine rides today was a great experience for everyone involved!  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

(This post is a part of a 31 Days from a Tractor Seat series.  The best way to keep up with this series is to follow via email on the right sidebar of this post and by liking the Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids Facebook page.)

Tractor Seat Update

October is a busy month for harvesting corn and soybeans on our farm.  Usually in North Central Iowa harvest starts around mid-September and our goal is always to be done by mid-November (or at least by Thanksgiving!).  This year we didn't get started with harvest until this week, so we are starting a couple weeks late.

Why did we start a couple weeks late?  Well, it all goes back to when we planted the corn and soybeans in May and June.  This spring was very wet so we ended up planting our crops late.  We don't harvest our crops until they are mature and then we like to have them dry in the field.

My Farmer unloading corn to go into our dryer

Why do the crops need to dry in the field?  We like to have our crops dry in the field as much as possible, because the corn and soybean processors we sell our crops to have moisture standards they are looking for.  They need to crops to be dry so they can then turn them into feed for animals or ethanol for your vehicle.  The longer the crops dry in the field, the less amount or time and money we need to dry them through our grain dryer system on our farm.

This week has been moving a little slowly but we're just happy to be making progress.  We've combined around 10% of our soybean acres and 5% of our corn acres as of today.

What questions do you have about corn and soybean harvest?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

(This post is a part of a 31 Days from a Tractor Seat series.  The best way to keep up with this series is to follow via email on the right sidebar of this post and by liking the Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids Facebook page.)

Explore Franklin County This Weekend #FranklinCoHarvest

I love being involved with my community, and one exciting program that I've enjoyed being a part of the organizing team for in my county is happening this weekend!  Franklin County Farm Bureau and Franklin County Tourism have partnered together to bring in several bloggers this weekend to explore Franklin County, Iowa for the 3rd Annual Franklin County Harvest Bloggers Tour.  Starting tonight, the bloggers will experience a little of everything that Franklin County, Iowa has to offer, from a wine tasting from our local TownsEnd Winery, to combine rides, to seats at our community's vaudeville show.  The whole weekend is on Franklin County and our citizens are excited for these bloggers to be our guests:

Beth Ann Chiles (@bachiles) - It's Just Life: Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary
Jeni Flaa (@JeniEats) - Jeni Eats
Donna Hup (@donnahup) - DonnaHup.com
Bethany SyWassink (@SawdustEmbryos) - Sawdust and Embryos
Lisa & Time Trudell (@WalkingTourists) - The Walking Tourists

Be sure to follow all of these bloggers to see what they are doing throughout the weekend and check out their blogs next week for recap posts.  You can also follow the excitement through the #FranklinCoHarvest hashtag.

If you were to host a bloggers tour in your community, where would you have the bloggers go?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

We are a FAMILY farm

What better way to start off my 31 Days From A Tractor Seat series than to give you a little background of our family farm!

My Farmer and I farm in North Central Iowa (where the land is flat and the dirt is black) where we raise, as my blog title shares - corn, (soy)beans, pigs and kids.  We primarily rent fields from landlords that we rotate corn and soybeans on from year to year and we own two hog barns that we raise pigs in for my Father-in-law.  Speaking of my Father-in-law, he is an important part to our family farm.  We share equipment and labor with him when it comes to our cropland and pigs.  Our partnership really has helped My Farmer and I get started and establish ourselves in farming.

My Father-in-law, LP and My Farmer
counting a new group of pigs as they enter the barn

It is a privilege to have three generations working together on our family farm.  My Farmer and I are proud to be 5th generation farmers and we work hard every day so our kids can be the 6^th.  I think it is really neat that the business of farming is so family focused.

The truth is our family is not the only ones who have made farming a family tradition.  In the United States 98% of all farms are family-owned.  So why do families make farming their heritage?  Farmers pride themselves on putting food on the table and preserving the land.  Through these goals, generations have learned a powerful work ethic and respect.  Because of this, the next generation feels a purpose to engage in farming and continue their family’s farming legacy.  Both my husband and I have always wanted to farm since we were little kids.  We are both so proud of farming today and feel fortunate to be doing so.  I can already see this sense of purpose to farm with our 3 year old son LP and 16 month old daughter MP.  They love helping on the farm!

MP, My Farmer, LP and me - continuing our family's farming legacy

What questions do you have about being a FAMILY farm?  If you are interested in learning about some of my family's farming heritage check out my Farming - A Family Tradition post.  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

(This post is a part of a 31 Days from a Tractor Seat series.  The best way to keep up with this series is to follow via email on the right sidebar of this post and by liking the Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids Facebook page.)

October Comments for a Cause - Iowa 4-H Foundation

Temperatures are cooling and harvest has started.  Sounds like it is October 1st to me and time to talk Comments for a Cause!  In the month of September I had a total of 41 comments, equaling a $20.50 donation to the Hampton Public Library.

In the month of October I'm excited to be donating $0.50 for every comment to the Iowa 4-H Foundation.  I'm also planning on sharing more about 4-H next week during National 4-H Week (October 5-11) through my 31 Days from a Tractor Seat series.

I was involved in 4-H as a youth and I credit this activity for helping me explore my interests and ultimately helped me choose the major of agricultural communications for college.  Because 4-H gave me so much, I wanted to give back immediately.  I began judging 4-H projects and contest at the age of 19 and have volunteered with my county 4-H program for the past six years.  For my local county Extension program I am the Communications Project Leader, chaperon conferences, help during the County Fair, serve on the Extension Council Nominating Committee, and have been a 4-H Club Leader.

And I'm excited to give back one more way this month, by highlighting 4-H as my Comments for a Cause organization.  Help me give back by commenting all month long.  Were you in 4-H?  What does 4-H mean to you?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

31 Days from a Tractor Seat

I'll be the first to admit that I have neglected my blog lately (I guess that's what happens when you're pregnant with baby #3 and all you want to do is take naps whenever possible...), but that is all going to stop because I have signed up for the #31Days blogging challenge, that encourages bloggers to write a post every day in the month of October.

The first thing to do after I accepted this challenge was to come up with a topic to blog about for 31 days.  Many things came to mind such as family, food, and agriculture.  So as I pondered more about my topic from the comfort of my tractor during our fall corn and soybean harvest, I got to thinking, why not blog about:  

I always tell everyone that fall harvest gives me a lot of "thinking time" while I'm in the tractor and I always come up with lots of ideas.  So this fall I'm challenging myself to actually act upon those ideas and share my thoughts with you all through this series about things like agriculture facts, harvest fundamentals, "tractor approved" recipes, and of course some fun photos from the field.

And we might as well start by sharing a couple photos from harvest this week!

Soybean Harvest

Combining Soybeans

A look at soybean seed with dried soybean plants in the background

My first harvest felfie (farmer selfie) of the season :)

So what do you want to hear about during my "31 Days from a Tractor Seat"?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

Check out these other 31 Days from a Tractor Seat series posts:
We are a FAMILY farm
Tractor Seat Update (October 3, 2014)
First-Time Combine Rides for #FranklinCoHarvest Bloggers
How to Celebrate National 4-H Week as an Alumni
Why we choose to raise GMOs
Six Week Muffins - Tractor Approved Breakfast
Wordless Wednesday - Views from my Tractor Seat
Take a Tech Timeout in 3 Easy Steps
Tractor Seat Update (October 10, 2014)
Guide to Help your Local Food Bank this Harvest
#SelfieSunday
Can We Feed 9 Billion People by 2050
Wordless Wednesday - Sometimes You've got to Stay Up for a Homecoming
World Food Day Addresses World Hunger
Tractor Seat Update (October 17, 2014)
The Best Tuna Salad - Tractor Approved Sandwich
31 Days from a Tractor Seat Questions Answered
Learn about where your food comes from by watching Farmland for Free on Hulu
Sweet & Salty Corn Chips - Tractor Approved Snack
Wordless Wednesday - My Favorite Buddy Seat Riders Through The Years
A Little Dirt Never Hurt
All Purpose Pork Rub - Tractor Approved Recipe
Wordless Wednesday - Harvest Sky
Farming - Lifestyle vs Business
Tractor Seat Update (October 31, 2014)