The Farmer's Daughter USA

Hi, I'm Amanda! My family farms corn and soybeans in Southwest Michigan. I'm also a practicing attorney.

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Animal Farmers Talk About Animal Care

October 26, 2016

Over my time of blogging, I’ve become very dismayed to see the poor perception that many people have about animal farmers and the care that animal farmers give those animals. In my 3-part series, I asked animal farmers about pertinent topics regarding animal welfare, animal care, and the intersection of those issues with profits. You can read the first part here.

If you have more questions about this topic, be sure to check out the links for each farmer, which will take you to their Facebook page so that you may ask questions and interact.

Where do you go to get the latest and most current information or technology on animal care and well-being for your farm?

Our veterinarians are the first place we go. They are experts on animal well-being and we consider their opinions to be one of the most important on the farm. We also read a lot of research done at universities across the globe. Through different publications we learn about the latest and greatest technology and information. Ashley Kennedy, Messy Kennedy, Michigan, Dairy

We have several places to get great information on animal care. Our farm uses a vet clinic with vets who are very knowledgable in their field, as well as involved in several veterinarian groups. This keeps them current and up to speed on new welfare issues. The dairy industry is fortunate in we have several quality publications where we can read up on new technologies/practices. Also, I don’t think social media and conversing with other farmers should be dismissed. Farmers are an innovative bunch! Jodi, Of Kids and Cows, Ohio, Dairy

We get our latest and most current information through multiple sources. We attend multiple continued education seminars and workshops, we learn from our veterinarian, we receive many different trade magazines that focus on pigs, we are members of farm trade organizations where there is a multitude of resources, we use university extension resources, we are PQA+ and TQA+ certified where these certifications focus on animal care. We also talk with fellow pig farmers about their personal experiences in regards to animal welfare. Wanda, Minnesota Farm Living, Minnesota, Hogs

We work with a nutritionist, a veterinarian and a variety of vendors who are always stopping out at the farm to check on us and bring us the latest and greatest technology.  If we have an issue or something we would like to improve on, they are there to help.  It is nice to be able to have conversations with folks outside of our farm who might have a different perspective or idea. Annaliese Wegner, Modern Day Farm Chick, Wisconsin, Dairy

On our small farm, our animals provide food, fun and a means to support themselves (by selling either the extra animals or the products from them).  Over the years (before internet) I have read many books on the types of animals that we have.  Now days, combined with my experience, I have dairy friends that I can call with and confer with and I have developed a relationship with our vet whom I consult on most issues.  The information provided by universities and educational sites have also proved to be quite helpful in understanding the newest data on feeding and health care. Angie, Douglas Falls Creamery, Washington, Assorted Animals

As a first generation dairy farm, we do not have the latest and greatest technology. We keep our farm very simple. While we may not have automatic calf feeders or robots to milk our cows, we would love to some day. We actually have a homemade milking parlor my husband designed and our local welding shop built. It was designed with cow comfort in mind. In the meantime, we do most of the work manually. We are constantly reading the latest studies to make sure we are using the best techniques to take care of girls or planning to add automation to the farm in the future. Krista, The Farmer’s Wifee, Washington, Dairy

Canadian dairy farmers follow a strict code of practice specific to dairy cattle (http://www.nfacc.ca/codes-of-practice/dairy-cattle) that is enforced through our Pro-action initiative (https://www.dairyfarmers.ca/proaction). We work very closely with veterinarians, equipment dealers  and nutritionists to keep up to date on the latest research and techniques to provide the best care, housing and feed rations for our cows. Tim May, Farmer Tim, Ontario, Canada, Dairy Farmer

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Filed Under: Animal Agriculture, Animal Care Tagged With: animal agriculture

Hi, I'm Amanda. My family farms corn and soybeans in Southwest Michigan. I'm an attorney and I'm passionate about agriculture!

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Amanda | The Farmer's Daughter USA
I'm a proud farmer's daughter & advocate for modern agriculture. U.S. farmers are leaders in sustainability.

Amanda Zaluckyj
Just a reminder. #agriculture #usagriculture #far Just a reminder.

#agriculture #usagriculture #farmers #usfarmers #farming #farmfamilies #sustainableag #sustainableagriculture #sustainable #sustainability #farmerscare #homegrown #localagriculture #knowyourfarmer #shoplocal #madeintheusa #madeintheus #americanagriculture
Happy Thanksgiving! I realized this morning that Happy Thanksgiving!

I realized this morning that it's been 20 years since I performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. What a trip!

I hope you and yours have a lovely day! 🦃
Honestly, what is she even doing?? #Mischa #dogsl Honestly, what is she even doing??

#Mischa
#dogslife
She's got me. #dogslife #onlyfurbaby #naptime She's got me. 

#dogslife #onlyfurbaby #naptime
Some of you see this picture and appreciate the vi Some of you see this picture and appreciate the view. Our grain cart driver (mom) just sees that scary hill to drive up. 🫣

 #farming #sustainableag #agriculture #sustainableagriculture #farmers #sustainableagriculturepractices #sustainable #agriculturelife #agricultureeducation #farm #farmer #harvest23🌾
Happy Halloween! I dressed up as an attorney today Happy Halloween! I dressed up as an attorney today. 🤣

Oh, lawyer jokes. Listen, if you can't make fun or yourself and have a little fun, what are you even doing?
It's true. My puppy. 💜💜 It's true. My puppy. 💜💜
The first 25 acres of soybeans are done! But the b The first 25 acres of soybeans are done! But the beans still have very high moisture content. It's so high the granary won't accept them. So we'll have to dry them.

The big concern with soybeans is that the pods won't pop open. If that happens, they'll be discarded  out the back of the combine with the other plant material. Obviously not what we want to happen. After testing a bit, enough were opening that we felt like we should just get started.

Slow going, but at least it's going!

 #farming #sustainableag #agriculture #sustainableagriculture #farmers #sustainableagriculturepractices #sustainable #agriculturelife #agricultureeducation #farm #farmer #fearfree #cleanfood #foodsafety #dietfads #FactsNotFear #cleaneatingdiet #foodlabels #truth #cleaneating #Harvest2023
We're still not harvesting yet. Why not? Moisture We're still not harvesting yet. Why not? Moisture content.

We're currently about 4 weeks behind. But we can't start because our crops are still too wet. The moisture content is the amount of water in each kernel or soybean. If there's too much, they can spoil in storage. If it's really too high, then combine has a hard time handling it.

For corn, the sweet spot is about 15%. We have a dryer system on the farm that can help finish the kernels to the correct moisture level. But the dryer takes a lot of energy to run, so its cost prohibitive if the moisture content is too high. And if we try to sell the crop when it's too wet, we'll take a price hit at the grain elevator. So either the granary dries it, we dry it, or Mother Nature dries it. Right now, it's still too wet for after-harvest drying.

The other complication is that IT. JUST. KEEPS. RAINING. That doesn't help because the corn doesn't have a chance to dry out, and it maintains that moisture. We need some warm, dry days to speed up the process.

So, for now, we're still waiting...

#harvest23
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