The Farmer's Daughter USA

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

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Work with Me
    • Speaking
    • Giveaways
    • Social Media Consulting
    • Sponsored and Guest Posts
  • Gift Shop
    • Cart
    • Checkout
  • About Me
    • Media
    • Terms of Use

Ask TFD: Who Are You?

November 5, 2014

Do you have any scientific education? Have you taken chemistry? Even one year in high school? A college degree? Your GPA? What makes you think being a farmer’s daughter qualifies you to defend an industry you really now little about aside from being a farmer’s daughter? The only people you will influence are those, like you, unable to discern truth from lies because you don’t have a grasp of scientific reasoning. Are you healthy and well? Do you go to an MD and take toxic drugs for medicine? Glad you are singing to the choir of the ignorant and really don’t matter – spreading false information is not real cool – you know? Of course not. Disgraceful.

                                                      Chuck Meece

Hi Chuck,

Thanks so much for your questions and interest in my educational and work background!

Yes, I do have scientific education. I took 4 whole years of science classes in high school. I even took AP Biology and passed the examination, which (at least at that time) granted you a certain number of college credits. I was fascinated with the genetics lessons and nitty gritty details of photosynthesis. By the way, I graduated as one of the top 5 students in my class.

When I started college, my major was Cellular and Molecular Biology. I wanted to be a genetic counselor. I took 3 chemistry courses (and passed with a B average, by the way). However, I quickly realized that my interests and passions lay in a different area. I still graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree with a History major and a Political Science minor. The Bachelor of Science was a hold over from my biology majoring days, but I’m glad I kept it. I had to take statistics classes and a social studies class. For the latter, we read the work of Thomas Kuhn The Structure of Scientific Revolution (which is a fascinating take on how the scientific community evolves and changes).

Then I went to law school. I wasn’t taking science classes, but I did take an agriculture law classes and completed internships related to ag. I wrote my third year scholar paper on the intersection of science and the new food production laws. Have you ever heard of Daubert?

But none of that compares to the experience I had and the knowledge I obtained while being a farmer’s daughter. 
Planting
Spring 2014

I suppose if my parents had been lawyers or dentists or bankers I might have some residual knowledge of those professions. But the difference with farming is that even as kids we lived it. We were in the fields tilling, laying plastic and tunnels, planting, transplanting, weeding, harvesting, and clean up. I worked 25 years of my life at our farm market interacting with consumers and selling our products. We came home every day and had to help pick produce for the next day. I’ve ridden and driven all sorts of tractors. I even drilled soybeans all by myself. I know how to run the combine and I’ve been in the field at 2 am with the rest of my family trying to finish up. 

Growing up on the farm taught me a lot about hard work, preparation, and dedication. But that’s only because I’ve lived it. 
My family still lives it every single day. I may have a full time job now off the farm, but that doesn’t mean I don’t spend my weekends and evening helping out or doing what I can to support our operation. 
They don’t call it a “family farm” for nothing.
Maybe that all doesn’t mean very much to you, but it means the world to me (and I’m pretty sure there are a lot of people that agree with me).
I realize that I’m not a scientist and I fully acknowledge that there are some things I really don’t understand. That’s the thing though – unlike the people pushing agendas of fear and pseudo-science, I know that I’m not an expert on everything. I don’t have to be. There are lots of people that have dedicated their time and lives to improving agriculture and the world around us. My goal is to take the awesome things they do and share them with people. I want to bridge the gap between foodie fears and the real deal. My background and my talents allow me to do that in a way that is entertaining, simple, and clear.

And it’s obviously resonating with people.

Combining
Fall 2014

You can see that reflected in every single one of my articles. I do research, more research, and even more research. I always cite to relevant and legitimate sources. I collaborate with people that are experts or have loads of experience on the given topic. I follow the work of people that are leaders in the industry. I ask (a lot of) questions. I have learned so much while running my blog and interacting with other ag-vocates and I appreciate every single person that has engaged with me. 
Yes, that includes the people that have made ridiculous claims and rude remarks. I’ve had fun debunking the junk science and staying classy while doing it.

(You apparently have some type of misconstrued fear regarding the medical profession and prescription medications. I won’t touch on that except to say that I’m thankful for the technological and scientific achievements we’ve reached in those areas as well.)

And all the while you failed to point out a single thing that I’ve written that you think is wrong, and you certainly haven’t provided anything to support your rude and irrelevant remarks. 

Every single week I offer a look into agriculture that I know and support. Every single week you’re welcome to read it or not. While you’re busying calling people names and attempting to discredit farm kids (probably not your best idea…), I’m out connecting with consumers and other farmers on an industry and issues I’m passionate about. I’m certainly not going to apologize to you or anyone else for that.
I’m proud to be the farmer’s daughter.

[If you have an agriculture question you’d like The Farmer’s Daughter USA to answer, click here to fill out the form and ask!]

signature
Share this:
«
»

Filed Under: AskTFD Tagged With: askTFD, education, family farms, science, truth

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    November 5, 2014 at 12:59 pm

    What exactly qualifies Chuck to be an expert on agriculture?

  2. Anonymous says

    November 5, 2014 at 2:34 pm

    I love how average consumers assume that farmers have no higher education (or their daughters for that matter). Successful farmers today deal with extensive technology in all areas of production. I would like to see an average consumer try to run the equipment my family has on the farm.

  3. Anonymous says

    November 5, 2014 at 2:49 pm

    ATTA GIRL!

    • Anonymous says

      November 5, 2014 at 5:46 pm

      Haha chuck just got owned. Well done.

  4. 4Gitfts4Lisa says

    November 5, 2014 at 3:29 pm

    Love your well-written, polite response. And love your blog!

  5. Anonymous says

    November 5, 2014 at 3:36 pm

    Keep up all your hard work and research. There are a lot of "educated" folk out there that have no idea where their food comes from. You are educated (in more ways than any sheet of paper can show). Stay strong in your beliefs and true to what you feel is right. It's not easy being a farmer's daughter (or a farmer yourself!)

  6. DG says

    November 5, 2014 at 4:20 pm

    Chuck will have to clean off his boots after stepping onto that cow patty of his own ignorance.

  7. farminstoltzfus says

    November 5, 2014 at 5:31 pm

    I'm a bit disappointed Chuck left out the "SHILLLLL!!!" in his rant. ๐Ÿ™ Maybe next time. ๐Ÿ˜‰

  8. Laura Gutile says

    November 5, 2014 at 6:52 pm

    Thanks for standing up for us "farm kids"! My siblings and I all have college degrees that have helped keep us on top of the latest technologies. Keep being classy!!

  9. Windsun33 says

    November 5, 2014 at 8:16 pm

    Whenever people ask "questions" in that tone, you can be sure they are not really questions – they are attempts to discredit. And almost without fail, they never state what their own qualifications are (or in a couple of cases that I bothered to track down, they lie about them).

  10. Jennifer Dewey Rohri says

    November 5, 2014 at 10:46 pm

    Since I wrote my fear post on the Huffington Post, this guy regularly emails me 1x a week. He has no desire to have a conversation or hear another point of view. In fact, he tells me regularly "he wants to help me" all while calling me fat as well as telling me I am a hypocrite. Sounds like a real winner to me! ๐Ÿ˜‰ Personally, it sort of creeps me out this same guy has nothing better to do than prey on young women online. Either way, nice post you've written here out of a truly horrible message!

  11. Anonymous says

    November 6, 2014 at 1:09 pm

    I am also proud to be a farmer's daughter. A farmer who was the most talented engineer I've ever met, and I've worked with many professional engineers. I could ask my father about an advanced math problem when we started milking, and before we finished, he could explain how to solve the problem, what variables to explore and be ready to check my work because he had the answer but he wanted me to work through it on paper so that I would learn to work on that type of a problem. How qualified have I been to champion agriculture throughout my career? Does a BSc in Agriculture, major Dairy Science from The Ohio State University help? What about my MS and PhD from Kansas State in Adult Education? Have you traveled the country, as a volunteer, talking with many groups about modern agriculture? Have you actually farmed, helping to make sure that we have enough food in the US to feed all of our citizens and sell enough to the rest of the world to make agriculture our top export item? Until you've gotten your hands in the soil, your hands on the steering wheel of a harvester, or your feet into manure and not flinched at the experience, then you have little to say as long as your mouth is full of food you have chosen from the bounty provided by America's amazing farmers.

  12. Curt Hannah says

    November 6, 2014 at 7:02 pm

    What a beautiful response!!! I hope this fellow responds with his credentials. I suppose he is from the organic vegetable industry.

  13. Anonymous says

    November 8, 2014 at 5:25 am

    Love your response!

    • Curt Hannah says

      November 8, 2014 at 4:03 pm

      Professor of Plant Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Florida and a family member of a large hog farm in Indiana

  14. Jay says

    October 2, 2015 at 12:56 pm

    Well done! This guy was owned by a person of superior intellect and done with such grace. I just found your blog and wanted to thank you for taking time to set people straight. I did a paper on GMOs in school and it drives me nuts that people have the guts to slam an industry that produces food when there is so much starvation going on in the world. Most of the idiots have no clue what they have been eating for years was modified.
    I live in SW Michigan and am happy to be represented by you.

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

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Subscribe via Email

Archives

Latest on Twitter

May 1, 2023
Farmers Daughter's Twitter avatar
Farmers Daughter
@farmdaughterusa

Healthy Soilโ€™s Bigย Impact t.co/xBO5tCKP17

  • Reply
  • Retweet 0
  • Like 2
March 29, 2023
Farmers Daughter's Twitter avatar
Farmers Daughter
@farmdaughterusa

The Silver Lining in This Yearโ€™s Dirty Dozenย List t.co/qD3kFSYmtE

  • Reply
  • Retweet 0
  • Like 1
March 2, 2023
Farmers Daughter's Twitter avatar
Farmers Daughter
@farmdaughterusa

Right-to-Repair Challenges Continue t.co/sOTL8t7fPx

  • Reply
  • Retweet 3
  • Like 4

Latest on Facebook

The Farmer's Daughter

2 days ago

The Farmer's Daughter

Another big decision from the Supreme Court impacting agriculture.

... See MoreSee Less

SCOTUS' Big Decision on WOTUS - The Farmer's Daughter USA

thefarmersdaughterusa.com

SCOTUS just published a major opinion on the Clean Water Act and its understanding of WOTUS. Here's how it will impact farmers.

View on Facebook

·
Share



Share on Facebook



Share on Twitter



Share on Linked In



Share by Email

The Farmer's Daughter

4 days ago

The Farmer's Daughter

We're finished with #plant23 ! ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿ™Œ Now we just need some rain!

... See MoreSee Less

View on Facebook

·
Share



Share on Facebook



Share on Twitter



Share on Linked In



Share by Email

The Farmer's Daughter

5 days ago

The Farmer's Daughter

We won't finish #plant23 today. But we'll be really, really close. So what happens then? My latest on AGDAILY

... See MoreSee Less

6 ways crop farmers stay busy throughout the summer | AGDAILY

www.agdaily.com

Crop farmers have plenty to keep them busy during the summer months, though it's true that they may not be working every single day.

View on Facebook

·
Share



Share on Facebook



Share on Twitter



Share on Linked In



Share by Email

The Farmer's Daughter

1 week ago

The Farmer's Daughter

The floor is lava. Except now we're adults and it's actually poison ivy. ๐Ÿ˜‚

... See MoreSee Less


Photo

View on Facebook

·
Share



Share on Facebook



Share on Twitter



Share on Linked In



Share by Email

The Farmer's Daughter

2 weeks ago

The Farmer's Daughter

We're done planting corn!! ๐Ÿฅณ๐Ÿฅณ I haven't posted many updates about #plant23 because it's been a little rough. ๐Ÿซฃ But we're getting there!

... See MoreSee Less


Photo

View on Facebook

·
Share



Share on Facebook



Share on Twitter



Share on Linked In



Share by Email

Latest on Instagram

thefarmersdaughterusa

I'm Amanda. My family farms corn and soybeans in Southwest Michigan. I'm an attorney by day, and "agvocate" at night.

Amanda Zaluckyj
Head over to my blog to find out more about this i Head over to my blog to find out more about this important decision! 

#agriculture #modernagriculture #sustainableagriculture
The floor is lava. Except now we're adults ans it' The floor is lava. Except now we're adults ans it's actually poison ivy. ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚

#floorislava #poisonivy
Consumers are feeling the pinch, and so are farmer Consumers are feeling the pinch, and so are farmers. The increased costs for #plant23 stem from higher seed, fertilizer, chemical, and land costs. Farmers are also paying higher interest rates. And keep in mind that #plant22 was also more costly than pre-COVID times.

#agriculture #hardtimes #plant23 #plant2023 #sustainableag #economicsustainabilty #usagriculture #usfarms #usfarmers
I don't know who needs this today, but here's Misc I don't know who needs this today, but here's Mischa with the sadest puppy-dog eyes and adorable belly rolls. ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜

#Mischa #dogsofinstagram #dogs #bellyrubs
Food labeling matters. Here's why. #food #foodlab Food labeling matters. Here's why.

#food #foodlabels #foodlabelsmatter #knowyourfarmer #knowyourfood
Just in case you're not sure why I miss my straigh Just in case you're not sure why I miss my straight hair. It randomly failed to curl last week. This was the beautiful result. ๐Ÿ˜

#cancersurvivor #chemocurls #farmersdaughterstrong #bebrave
Don't let anyone tell you that farmers (yes, even Don't let anyone tell you that farmers (yes, even conventional farmers) don't care about soil health. The truth is, farmers are *obsessed* with it.

#farming #agriculture #healthysoil #soilhealth #sustainableag #sustainableagriculture #modernagriculture #modernag
Modern planting is a lot more sophisticated than j Modern planting is a lot more sophisticated than just placing seeds in the ground. Our equipment actually allows us to control how many plants we want per acre, precisely spaces each corn seed in the rows, and controls how deep the seed is planted. It's all part of precision agriculture that employs high-tech sensors and data to improve efficiency and yields.

#farming #modernagriculture #corn #cornplanting #plant23 #plant2023 #plant #farms #sustainable #sustainableagriclture #themoreyouknow๐Ÿ’ซ #usagriculture
Perspective. Last week I was in the cancer center Perspective.

Last week I was in the cancer center for routine labs and a port flush. Unfortunately, my port wasn't working. There's al these little "tricks" the nurse tries to open it up. One of those was putting different pressure on it. Needless to say, it hurt! And it didn't work. So she had to get something called TPA, put it in the line, and let it work--something that takes at least a half hour.

So there I sat for half an hour. In pain. A bit nauseous. And missing a work meeting. As you can imagine, I wasn't super happy about any of it.

But then came a voice over the hospital's intercom system (something that NEVER happens). There was a Code Blue in the neo-natal center. I asked my nurse what that meant. She said a baby was born without breathing. The doctors would do everything they could to resuscitate, and the Code Blue meant everyone who was available to help was supposed to report there immediately. ๐Ÿ’”

Perspective. 

I was still in pain, nauseous, and missing my meeting. But at least I wasn't facing what those parents were facing. So I said a prayer for them and adjusted my attitude. My port started working, the nurse did her job, and I was on my way. 

A little reminder to keep things in perspective. ๐Ÿ’œ

#perspective #cancersucks #cancersurvior #farmersdaughterstrong #bekind
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 ยท Website Design By Jumping Jax Designs

Go to mobile version