Photographs

I've been REALLY busy lately! I am coaching a 10 and under girls' softball team, heading the committee to publish a cookbook, and trying to help organize a BackPack Program in Henry County. I also finished my online class last week, so that's a relief!!

First, my softball team! These girls are awesome! They absolutely CRACK me up! We won our second game on Tuesday night, so I took them to Ace's. I thought the dug out was crazy with 11 10-year old girls saying, "Mrs. Brittany, Mrs. Brittany, um, can I . . ." That's NOTHING compared to getting them settled at a restaurant! What was awesome, though, is how they had such a fun time together. From the beginning, we've been meeting on the field, getting gloves on, and practicing. Then at games, it's game, game, game. It was fun to see them all be able to interact and have a good time together. Included is a picture of them all. It cracks me up because each of their personalities are so evident!

Next, is the cookbook project! Our Young Farmers & Ranchers group is putting together a cookbook. I am SUPER excited about this, as we have some really good recipes. I feel that this would/will be one of my very favorite cookbooks because of what we have in it! We ARE a bunch of Farmer and Rancher wives/daughters, after all! Contact me if you want to buy one. While searching for cover options, I have started taking some pictures. I've gotten some really good ones, so I thought I'd share. These were all taken in God's country (Cottage Grove) on or near my family's farm. I'm waiting for a day with a blue sky to go back and take this shot again so the top of the silo will stand out. This will do for now, though:

The next farm picture is of wheat. Plain and simple....but vital. I like it! I had fun with the other picture. I'm glad I snapped it. I pulled over on the side of the road to snap some of this guy and his buddies. I was in a hurry to get to softball practice, so I turned to run back down the fenceline to get to my car. Suddenly, I heard what sounded like a dog chasing me, so I turned back around to see him stop and watch me. He was following me! This is why I love cows...even boney old dairy breeds! I just want to kiss them on those big ol' snotty noses! (Don't do that, or you'll end up with a broken nose, I promise.) Anyway, I had to protect Tennessee from those silly "California" claims!

You'll have to excuse the spacing and order of the pictures...I haven't quite got this figured out yet!

The last big thing I've been working on has been the BackPack Program. I'll not get too much into this now because it is so moving to me. All I'll say is that God wanted this program to come together. He presented it to three of us at very different, but vital times. The last piece came in a couple months ago, so now we're all put together and working. As I was compiling survey information on Monday, it became even more evident to me that there is a great need for this program. I was eating lunch while reading the answers from teachers. I realized that I was treating myself to a chocolate chip cookie that I didn't need as some children were eating their first decent meal in 3 days.

I often take such little things for granted.

Spring Time!

Today was gorgeous, so I went out and snapped some shots of our calves. I had a wedding shower to attend this afternoon, so I missed out on pictures of an actual calving. When I took these pictures, I saw that one of our cows was showing signs that she would calve soon. As I left for the shower, I told Cody she was going to calve this evening...but I thought it would probably be 7 or 8. When I got in my car to leave the shower at 5:30, though, he had sent me a text and picture of her new bull calf. I was too late! It's ok, though...I'll take a easy calving anyday! We now have 6 baby calves and 2 older fall calves.

Anyway, here are the pictures from today!

This girl was adamant about getting into the feed box in the back of the Gator! What a COW!!!

These calves are about a month apart. (The smaller one is a really small calf, though!)

Num, num!

Oh yes! Momma is giving a spit bath!

Here's some mommy kisses!

AgStar

Currently, I'm participating in a wonderful leadership development program! It is designed to prepare future leaders in agriculture. There are four sessions and a trip to Nashville. It has opened my eyes to the challenges facing agriculture today. I was aware of most of the issues, but I now have a better understanding of the depth of those issues.

Our first session focused on Media. We were given tips and pointers on how to create a positive image of agriculture to the public using the media. We went in-depth in how to communicate to the media. We were interviewed on camera on controversial topics. This was a very grueling process. We were asked questions that were meant to lead us to use negative "buzz" words. I was reprimanded for using the word "chemical" instead of "crop protectant." (So, is it "Helena Chemical" or "Helena Crop Protectant?" ;-) )

The next session found us in front of the camera again. This time, we had been given a topic and we had to take 2-3 minutes to explain that topic to the general public. The video was put on YouTube. Going into the session, we were told that we could be the only POSITIVE voice for agriculture some people hear. We were told that we would be surprised at how many NEGATIVE agricultural videos there are on YouTube. I wasn't surprised....I was AMAZED! Not only are there several videos putting a negative spin on agriculture, but there are a great deal of well-meant videos that are misinterpretted!!

The third session was spent learning about the legislative process at the state level. Politicians have to make several people happy....not a fun job! That session was meant to prepare us for the last session and the legislative visit to Nashville. During that session, we met with political figures. There was a county mayor, a city mayor, a county commissioner, the field rep for a US Senator, and a state Representative and Senator. I REALLY enjoyed this! More than anything else, I realized that I am SUCH a Democrat! I just can't help it.

We finished the program by visiting the capitol in Nashville. We sat in on a meeting of the House Agriculture Committee. We also met with our senators and representatives, as well as Ron Ramsey and Kent Williams. It was very enlightening!

I highly recommend the AgStar Program in West Tennessee for any Young Farmer & Rancher who would be interested.