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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Farming Fridays!

May 30, 2014

Corn vs Soybeans
First and foremost, I’m excited to announce that we have finally started planting soybeans! Soybean #Plant14 got underway on Memorial Day! We are definitely behind this year — normally everything is planted by June 1 — but the weather really held us back. 
So, have you ever wondered how farmers decide which crops they’re going to plan in which fields? Perhaps you’ve never considered it? Or, you may have noticed that farmers who tend produce corn, also plant soybeans and those producing soybeans also tend to produce corn – why is that? 
Of course, it isn’t just a coincidence! We “rotate” all of our fields between corn and soybeans. That means one year a field will have corn and the next year it will have soybeans. 
Rotation of crops actually helps increase yields, because it gives back to the soil. Corn uses nitrogen, while soybeans take nitrogen from the air and fix it into the soil. (Ok, I’ll admit, it’s a little more complicated than that, but you get the point!) The rotation then allows us to take care of and replenish the soil in our fields.
Crop rotation also cuts down the risk of weed resistance to herbicides, including Round-Up, reduces the need for tillage (which I’ll explain when we start planting the soybeans), and actually increases corn yields for the following year! (Source: Corn and Soybean Digest.)
No joke – corn yields can be 13% – 19% higher when planted a year after soybeans. 
2013: Corn
2014: Soybeans
Here’s proof of the fact that farmers don’t just farm in ways that maximize profits — it is generally the exception when soybeans are more profitable than corn. There would definitely be financial benefits to just planting corn year after year, no matter what the soil could handle. However, we don’t do that. When possible, we rotate corn and soybeans because this simple trick helps us be profitable and protect our soils.
Now, to be fair, it isn’t always possible for us to do this. We rent much of our farmland and some land owners prefer to have one crop over the other. And since they own the farm, they rule the roost. Of course, sometimes one crop will work better with a land owner’s overall scheme (especially if the land owner is farming other types of crops nearby). And, generally, a soybean field doesn’t make a very good maize in the fall.

But when we can rotate, we generally make the choice to do so. We are doing this in the field right here on our “home” farm. Land is legacy and we want to take care of it.
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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: corn, education, farming fridays, farming pictures, science, soybeans

Farming Fridays!

August 30, 2013

Dabre Dane!

(That means “good day” in Ukrainian.) 
This week I spent time in Lansing at the Michigan Farm Bureau headquarters. I’m excited to announce that they have chosen me to participate in their study tour of Ukraine. 
This is a very special opportunity for me because half of my family is Ukrainian and my paternal grandparents were both born there. The culture was very influential on our family while growing up and I can’t wait to experience the country itself!
More on the trip: 

Michigan Farm Bureau and GreenStone Farm Credit Services are jointly sponsoring a study mission to Ukraine from Sept. 7-16, 2013.

The mission will give Farm Bureau members a firsthand look at agricultural production in “the bread basket of the former Soviet Union” and reveal how Ukraine is transitioning to free market principles.

Participants will meet with government officials and agribusiness and farm leaders to discuss trade, production, marketing, infrastructure, credit, research, investments and environmental issues. Specifically, the group will learn how Ukraine is planning to align their resources and reform land ownership to expand production and exports to gain a larger share of global markets.

I look forward to getting back and sharing with all of you what I’ve learned and experienced!

And, of course, the corn is still doing well. It’s starting to look like fall!

Let’s also not forget that tonight is the kickoff football game for Michigan State! Go Green! 
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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: corn, farming fridays, farming pictures, MFB, travel, ukraine

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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May 1, 2023
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Healthy Soil’s Big Impact t.co/xBO5tCKP17

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March 29, 2023
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The Farmer's Daughter

5 days ago

The Farmer's Daughter

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

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The Farmer's Daughter

1 week ago

The Farmer's Daughter

And...go!

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2 weeks ago

The Farmer's Daughter

Reducing food waste is a goal we should all have. Vilifying a product that can help us do that with disinformation isn't helping. My latest for AGDAILY

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Social media is wrong to vilify Apeel's shelf-life technique | AGDAILY

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Apeel is a useful tool to safely and effectively extend the shelf life of fresh produce, yet activists aim to denigrate this remedy to food waste.

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2 weeks ago

The Farmer's Daughter

My biggest concern is one of the honorable mentions--gobbling up productive farmland and turning it into something else. What about you? What concerns you most as a threat to agriculture?

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The 6 biggest threats to farming on a global scale | AGDAILY

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As a society, we have a responsibility to understand the urgency of the “C’s” and act accordingly -- to think globally and act locally.

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The Farmer's Daughter

2 weeks ago

The Farmer's Daughter

Last week the Supreme Court dished out a blow by upholding California's Prop 12. I break down the opinion and what it all means here:

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Breaking down the SCOTUS opinion upholding Prop 12 | AGDAILY

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Given the recent SCOTUS appointments, it was hard to anticipate how it would rule on the challenge to California's Prop 12.

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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
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. 😍😍

#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. 😍

#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 #themoreyouknow💫 #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. 💔

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. 💜

#perspective #cancersucks #cancersurvior #farmersdaughterstrong #bekind
Seriously, there's no reason to worry about pestic Seriously, there's no reason to worry about pesticide residue on fresh produce. The EPA regulates the use of pesticides to make sure U.S. farmers use them safely. And the USDA takes annual samples to make sure what's on store shelves meets those safety standards. 

It's always recommended to wash produce before eating it though--because you never know who else touched it.

 Most importantly, eat and enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables! 🍐🍇🍌🥝🥦🫑🧅🍅

#agriculture #usagriculture #farmers #usfarmers #farming #farmfamilies #sustainableag #sustainableagriculture #sustainable #sustainability #farmerscare #homegrown #localagriculture #knowyourfarmer #shoplocal #madeintheusa #madeintheus #americanagriculture
Every kernel of corn, red tomato, and juicy peach Every kernel of corn, red tomato, and juicy peach that comes off our farm is part of us. 💜

#agriculture #usagriculture #farmers #usfarmers #farming #farmfamilies #sustainableag #sustainableagriculture #sustainable #sustainability #farmerscare #homegrown #localagriculture #knowyourfarmer #shoplocal #madeintheusa #madeintheus #americanagriculture
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