Farming and singing

I've written about the Peterson Farm Bros before - they are Kansas beef and crop farmers that make song parodies about farming. They're very popular in ag circles.  What I love about them is that:

1) They're educational.  They talk about farming process, they show actual farm footage, and they share facts.  Plus, they're the real farmers talking about it.

2) They actually do it.  They take the time to write, sing, and film these parodies.  This is how they're promoting ag!  They don't take themselves too seriously, their videos are entertaining, and I admire these young guys (and occasionally their little sister) for choosing to promote farming this way.

3) They're clever.  The line in here that kills me is "I put ag in swagger."  Maybe farmers have been saying this for years - maybe it's on every farming fraternity shirt? - but it's the first time I've heard it.

So here it is!  An educational, fun medley about farming - full of swAGger ... and a little Disney touch for the girl.

I'm one of eight finalists for the Faces of Farming & Ranching nationwide competition!  There's an online voting portion which counts for 25% of the final score.  If you think I'd make a good ag spokesperson, please vote daily here:  http://faces.pgtb.me/w2Sg4d

For more about the competition, you can read the Lansing State Journal article here: 
Vote for Carla Wardin to be National Voice of Farming

Eight days to vote, and Farm Fashion

There are eight more days (and eight more times) you can vote for the Face of Farming & Ranching here:

http://faces.pgtb.me/w2Sg4d

This summer I wrote a post called: Farm fashion: 6 classic styles for the farm.  In it, I showed what I see real people wearing when they work on farms.

One of these pictures featured one of our team members who wears this 'U MAD BRO?' tank top. My boys love this tank top more than anything, and they all want one.

Recently, my dad turned 70!  He farmed here for many years, and even though he's now retired, he helps out whenever we need him.  (When he's not flying a plane, traveling, or doing things more fun than working.)

And when it's warm enough, he can wear our gift to the farm.

And let's hope the answer around here is always no.


Thanks again for taking the time to help me represent agriculture at a national level.  Again, you can vote HERE. 

Asking for your vote! Up for Faces of Farming & Ranching

I’m honored to be one of eight finalists in the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance® Faces of Farming & Ranching nationwide search!  (I don’t like asking for votes.)

So what does that mean?  It means that to help put a real face on agriculture, USFRA selected people who are proud of what they do, eager to share their stories, and are actively involved in sharing their experiences in public and on social media.  (But I’m going to anyway.)

If I’m selected, I’ll spend the next year representing farmers at different events around the country. (Here it comes.)

From today until Nov 2, you can vote for me on USFRA’s Facebook page:

• http://faces.pgtb.me/w2Sg4d

Scroll down until you see my name and video and select the Place My Vote button.  You must have a Facebook account to vote.  If you don't, you can register for one right there.  Votes will be factored into the final decision to pick the next Faces of Farming & Ranching. (That’s ten days, and you can vote once a day.)

If you think I’ll do a good job representing Michigan and agriculture, please take the time to vote for me once a day.  (If you want to share this with others, that’d be great, too.)

So far ... there was an extensive application process.  Essay questions, a video, recommendation letters, and references - it was sort of like applying to college!  

Then, a video crew came out to do the video you're going to see on the USFRA page.  They told me they would be there from 8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. to shoot the video.  I thought, it can't possibly take that long.  They were there exactly those minutes!  They did a great job.  (I loved how the crew was always trying to make my hair not stand straight up, or tell me to fix my shirt because it was crooked.  I need people like that in regular life.)   

After that, I had a phone interview with the four Faces of Farming & Ranching from last year, plus USFRA staff.  Now, it's the online voting!  The winners will be announced on Nov 12.  Thank you for taking the time to vote - I appreciate it.  If you see my hair sticking up straight in the video, it wasn't the crew's fault.  They did all they could.

For the next ten days of voting, I'm going to highlight ten of my favorite (and most popular) blog posts. 

Number 10:  

Five myths about farmers: a tongue-in-cheek look at our industry.

Please take the time to vote (today and for the next 10 days!) HERE.  Thank you!  

Faces of Farming & Ranching

Today the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance announced the eight finalists for their Faces of Farming and Ranching ... and I'm one of them!

They wrote, "To help put a real face on agriculture, USFRA has selected these standout farmers and ranchers who are proud of what they do, eager to share their stories of continuous improvement and who are actively involved in sharing those stories in public and on social media." The article is here.

This is the second year that they've held the nationwide competition, and the four winners last year spent the year representing agriculture at various events around the country.

This year, there was an extensive application process, a video requirement, references, and even letters of recommendation from agricultural organizations of which I'm a member - it was like college all over again!  They're coming in a few weeks to film me on our farm.  They'll then take that video ... and this is where my dear readers come in.

Yes, there's an online vote!  A quarter of the judging counts on how many votes our videos garner.  So on Oct 24-Nov 2, you'll be able to help me win the chance to represent agriculture at a national level.  I'll post the details then!

Thank you, as always, for reading about our farm.  I'm so happy to be able to share what we do on this little farm with the neighbors, the township, the country, and the world.  That's fun stuff for a farmer's daughter, farmer's wife, and dairy farmer like me.