Let’s see, it seems like last year I heard that the greatest threat to the livestock industry wasn’t input costs, ethanol or market prices but wacko animal rights activists. Yeah. There are a lot of them and they sure seem to have lots of money behind them. The latest, besides the post I did this morning, is from LetsActNow.org. These people are seriously drinking some weird koolaid. Who are they? I dunno. All it says on their website is that they’re “a group of people.” That explains it.
So here’s their new “national psa.” Should I leave it in the post or take it out?
Their news release quotes some idiotic NASA scientist named Dr. James Hansen. Here’s an excerpt:
“Because if you eat further down on the food chain rather than animals which have produced many greenhouse gases, and used much energy in the process of growing that meat, you can actually make a bigger contribution in that way than just about anything. So in terms of individual actions, it is the best thing you can do.”
Animal agriculture, including “sustainable,” locally-raised animals, is a huge cause of global warming, creating nearly one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. It also uses up most of our water, is responsible for the majority of rainforest destruction in the Amazon, and is a direct cause of global hunger. Changing our diet to a meat-free, dairy-free, egg-free vegan diet can significantly and rapidly reverse global warming, lower emissions, reduce deforestation, avoid drought, and help feed the hungry.
Global warming? Yeah, right. Cows causing it? Okay . . . It’s time to get these folks some straight jackets and get them back on their medication.
Here’s one of the photos from this afternoon’s end of day photo shoot along the river bank near my hotel. I shot a lot of birds too (digital photos) and there’s a couple of them that came out okay. I really didn’t have all my gear here and I was shooting hand held too so it could have gone better.
Whether or not you’re a fan of football, I’m sure that many of you took part in a Super Bowl party last night. I met up with some college friends to watch the game, laugh at the commercials and eat lots of food! Although I’m not an avid football guru (I always cheer for the underdog), I LOVE watching the commercials because I feel there is something to learn from corporate business that have millions of dollars to utilize their creativity and market their products. I heard that one commercial during the Super Bowl costs $3 million for 30 seconds! Amazingly, I heard that Budweiser had seven minutes of commercials.
After spending a week at the 2009 Cattle Industry Convention, I’m pretty excited about the new focus on the youth in agriculture. 2008 NCBA President Andy Groseta was incredibly driven to invest in the cattle industry’s youth, and he accomplished those goals in three ways: NCBA’s Young Producers Council (YPC) and NCBA Youth Public Speaking Contest and the Team Marketing Contest.
This is rodeo action at its best. It’s the 
It looks like there’s new life being breathed into the 
Childress, TX is home to one great photographer and that would be Russell Graves, 
I know that a lot of AgWired fans are pro photographers themselves or at least have a real interest in taking pictures so I hope you’ll really enjoy getting to know Russell and listening to our conversation about his work. Russell also teaches high school ag technology classes. He has a passion for his home state and looks at his work as a way to chronicle the rural lifestyle he grew up in so that current and future generations will still be able to enjoy it captured in pictures. If you take time to look through his pictures I’m sure you’ll see many that will make you think, “I’ve seen that same picture before (in your own life).” He could probably live anywhere he wants but he chooses to raise his children in a country environment and I applaud him for that decision.
When you think of Texas, you think cowboys and cattle but . . .