Limited Acres. Unlimited Opportunities.

Nebraska’s crop producers are among the most productive in the world, continually breaking yield records as they grow more corn, soybeans and other commodities with fewer and fewer inputs. The true opportunity for Nebraska’s economic future is to transform that abundance into added value.

“We only have so many available crop acres in the state, so the only way we can make significant gains in crop production is through continual improvements in yield, technology and innovation—and that is happening,” said Greg Ibach, director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. “But if we really want to create a new engine of wealth in our communities, we need to be talking about livestock expansion and value-added processing.”

Livestock expansion can be as simple as a farmer adding a hog or poultry barn on a pivot corner, an area of the field that typically does not produce high grain yields. A couple of those barns can generate enough income to support a son or daughter returning to the farm or be used as a strategy to mitigate risk.

“When you add livestock to a crop operation, you have two enterprises at work to determine farm profitability instead of just one,” Ibach added. “It adds diversity and improves the risk management and potential profitability for an individual farmer.”

Groups such as the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN), supported in part with Nebraska corn checkoff dollars, are working with farmers and ranchers to expand responsible livestock production in ways that are sustainable, environmentally sound and neighbor-friendly.

Farmers Feed US announces Nebraska winners

Omaha and Hastings residents have been selected as the two lucky grand prize winners of “Free Groceries for a Year” in the Nebraska Farmers Feed US sweepstakes. Nebraska farmers sponsored the grand prizes, which are valued at $5,000* – the average amount spent on groceries annually per person. The winners are:

· Jeff Dunn, Omaha, Neb., who was presented $5,000 in Super Saver gift cards by Nebraska farmers during an in-store presentation earlier this week

· Marcie Hendricks, Hastings, Neb., who was presented $5,000 in Russ’s Market gift cards by Nebraska farmers during an in-store presentation earlier this week

Following the three month sweepstakes, the names of the two winners were drawn at random from more than 131,000 online registrations submitted by Nebraskans from across the state.

Supporting Nebraska agriculture groups include the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN), Nebraska Soybean Board, Nebraska Pork Producers, Nebraska Corn Board, Midwest Dairy Association, and B&R Grocery.

*Based on Food Marketing Institute figures, a $5,000 value

Connecting college students to their food

The Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN) is dedicated to bridging the gap between the farm and dinner tables everywhere. A-FAN collaborated with agriculture-related student organizations at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to host the second annual Husker Food Connection event yesterday. 

Husker Food Connection helps urban students better understand where their food comes from. The theme of the Husker Food Connection was, "Know what we grow: Discovering Nebraska Agriculture."

Participants learned about where their food comes from and the importance of agriculture in Nebraska while engaging in several activities. Students received a free lunch featuring beef, pork and turkey sandwiches along with ice cream -- all products raised and made right here in Nebraska. During the event, approximately 2,000 lunches were served. The first 1,000 students to attend the event also received free t-shirts.

Numerous students were eager to take a closer look at the piglets, chicks and Holstein calf. For many of them, this was their first experience with livestock. Other attractions included milking a mechanical cow, touring the mobile beef lab, climbing up on a tractor, learning to rope, and competing in a hay bale stacking contest.

"This event was so interesting to me! I got to see the chicks, pigs, calf and fistulated steer. I learned the significance of what a cow does -- it eats plants that humans can't so it can produce food for us," said Nellie Logue, freshman in accounting & finance at UNL. 

Over 80 students volunteered at Tuesday’s event promoting agriculture on UNL's City Campus.

"Husker Food Connection is all about showing people that their food comes from the farm, not the grocery store," said Alissa Doerr, event coordinator and senior at UNL. "These agricultural student groups came together for the second year to promote agriculture on city campus. They saw the need to help tell our urban friends about where food comes from, and it has turned into a huge success." 

The success of the event would not have been possible without the support of the Nebraska's agriculture industry. Including the Nebraska Corn Board, 42 agriculture organizations, groups and businesses contributed to support the event. Find a full list of sponsors and contributors at becomeafan.org.

Farm Road Rally brings dietitians, farmers together

Get on the bus!

The Farm Road Rally II, hosted by the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture (A-FAN) and CommonGround Nebraska, took place this week as a farm bus tour for dieticians, grocery store managers and food influencers in the Omaha area.

The tour left from Omaha and first stopped at Scott Wagner’s family farm outside of Fremont, Nebraska. Scott is a row-crop farmer and shared about raising corn and soybeans and explained the importance of the crops in terms of a livestock feed, fuel and food. Scott showed his large tractor with GPS technology to explain how farmers are more efficient than ever, as well as his semi and grain bins to talk about grain handling and transportation.

On the bus ride after Scott's tour, his father, Virgil, rode with the group and talked about how farming has changed from when he started farming years ago. He even pulled out his smart phone to look up what the commodity markets were doing and to talk about technology.

After learning about the feed, we headed off to show the participants one of the users of that feed – pigs and cattle! We stopped first at Dan Kluthe’s hog farm near Hooper, Nebraska. Dan uses new technology to capture the pigs waste to eliminate his odor footprint and create fuel for his vehicles. Dan explained his animal welfare practices of taking good care of his pigs, so he can produce safe, tasty pork!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our last stop on the tour was for lunch and a visit to a CommonGround Nebraska volunteer, Joan Ruskamp. Joan and her husband, Steve, have a beef feelot near Dodge, Nebraska. Joan shared the healthful aspect of beef in your diet and then gave us a tour of the feedlot for the participants to see how records are kept, withdrawal periods for animals given antibiotics, feeding rations and overall animal care for the beef cattle.

On the bus ride back to Omaha, CommonGround volunteer, Chandra Horky from Sargent, Nebraska, shared to the participants about her family farm and raising cows and calves – the process of where cattle are raised before they come to a feedlot like Joan’s. Chandra talked about the time of year that their cows have calves, what they feed them, and even how they call them in to feed, “MAAAAASSSS!”. The cows come running when they hear that because they know they are going to get fed.

This was the second bus tour that A-FAN has put on. The first Farm Road Rally looked at a cow-calf farm and hog farm, but CommonGround volunteer, Joan Ruskamp, rode along with the tour to explain the feedlot side of the beef industry and answer questions about feeding, hormones and animal care.

Thanks again to A-FAN for shining a light on Nebraska agriculture to those who work on the food end of the industry and communicate those food issues to consumers themselves.

For answers to your food questions and to meet real farmers and ranchers, go to FindOurCommonGround.com!

Husker Food Connection!

It seems like food is a hot topic these days with many wanting to know who is growing our food and what production methods farmers and ranchers are using. To help solve some of these myths, students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources will be hosting a new event called Husker Food Connection!

The purpose of this new event is to help get the conversation started with young consumers, and what better way to get that conversation started than hosting it on UNL’s city campus.“There is a huge public disconnect about where our food comes from and how important Nebraska agriculture is to Nebraska’s economy. We wanted to start right here on campus to dispel myths about agriculture, answer questions and hopefully get a conversation started about our food and fiber system,” Kristin Witte, a student leader for the event that will take place on Tuesday, April 10th from 10:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. in front of the city campus union. Students from UNL’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources will spend the day answering questions their fellow peers may have about production agriculture.

Students can also indulge in food that comes from agriculture products as well as have some fun, such as riding the mechanical bull and seeing real livestock. Along with those things, students can also sign up to win a FREE ipad! “The cool thing about this event is that it is organized by students with a passion for agriculture. It is time for us to connect with other students and share our food stories. While we are talking about food and the importance agriculture has on our daily lives, we are also creating a fun atmosphere in the process. Those of us in CASNR ultimately want our fellow Huskers to know what we grow,” Witte said.

The event is co-sponsored by CASNR and the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska, a collaborative effort to support Nebraska Agriculture awareness.

A-FAN brings new face to agriculture

Nebraska farmers and ranchers have always been a trustworthy, hard-working and compassionate breed. They now enjoy more tools to help them do what's right. According to large animal veterinarians, advancements in technology and medicine are resulting in a higher level of animal care. As a result, the food we feed our families is safer and healthier than ever before.

A-FAN, the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska, has a great new video and TV commercial with such a veterinarian and great advocate for agriculture: Dr. Angela Baysinger.

Dr. Baysinger is a licensed large animal vet from Bruning, Nebraska. She's also a rancher and a mom.

Click to watch the video below to hear why she believes Nebraskans can be trusted to do the right thing when it comes to caring for animals. Dr. Baysinger discusses the advantages of modern science and technology, and a time when animals were far more vulnerable to disease, predators and the elements.



The new video coincides with an updated A-FAN website, which you can find at becomeafan.org.

“We believe it’s extremely important in this day and age that Nebraskans and others around the country have a true picture of how their food is produced and a chance to get to know the people that are producing it for them. This site will give people a chance to hear directly from Nebraska farmers/ranchers who work every day to provide the food and fiber that keeps Nebraska and America going,” said Willow Holoubek, A-FAN Organizational Director.

Proving ethanol and E15 at 200 mph

With the checkered flag signaling Trevor Bayne’s victory at the Daytona 500, a small group of farmers were in the stands with 180,000 other fans – and millions on TV – to witness more than just the unknown driver’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory.

They were there to mark the first race using Sunoco Green E15, a 15 percent homegrown corn ethanol blend adopted by NASCAR this year.

NASCAR announced last fall that it was taking its environmental commitment to the next level by using E15 across all three of its national touring series. The fuel switch created an opportunity for corn farmers via the National Corn Growers Association and ethanol producers via Growth Energy to come together and form American Ethanol – and become an Official Sponsor of NASCAR.

With the agreement finalized, American Ethanol is powering NASCAR – and Nebraska corn farmers are playing a key role thanks to the backing of American Ethanol by the Nebraska Corn Board.
The result means positive messages about ethanol and E15 are in front of millions of NASCAR fans every week and American Ethanol and Nebraska farmers are along for the ride.

The Nebraska Corn Board's latest CornsTALK newsletter (.pdf) goes into a details on the partnership and gives some information as to why Nebraska corn farmers support American Ethanol. Related ethanol industry updates are also included.

Other subjects in the latest edition include A-FAN and it's I'm A Fan campaign.

A-FAN to appear on RFD-TV 'LIVE'

You will be seeing some familiar faces on the television network, RFD-TV, this Thursday.

RFD-TV and A-FAN (Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska) are teaming up to do a special 90-minute RFD-TV “LIVE” prime-time broadcast tomorrow, Thursday, February 17 beginning at 9:30 p.m. Eastern.

"We’re pleased to be teaming up with RFD-TV and to be able to tell our story of what we’re doing in Nebraska to promote agriculture," said Willow Holoubek, spokesperson for A-FAN. "We’re in a real battle in rural America. There’s a lot of misinformation in the media about how food is produced. We want to show every consumer that Nebraska farmers and ranchers safely and responsibly provide food for our tables. We’re proud of Nebraska’s strong agricultural traditions and way of life, and we’re working hard to keep our family farms successful, while remaining environmentally responsible."

Patrick Gottsch, RFD-TV founder and president added, "What this organization has done in Nebraska should be done in every state. I hope every farmer and rancher in America tunes in Thursday night to hear the story of A-FAN. RFD-TV is ready to help any state that wants to do the same thing. I encourage viewers to call in that night and ask questions."

A panel of Nebraska farmers and ranchers will take part in his special broadcast, hosted by RFD-TV news director Mark Oppold. This panel will include:

Dawn Caldwell, A-FAN communications committee chairwoman and Common Ground spokeswoman:

Bart and Shana Beattie, family farmers and Common Ground spokeswoman from Sumner:

Anne Burkholder, feed lot owner and manager in Cozad:

Short videos will highlight Nebraska farm families and their dedication to food production and their way of life. You can see these videos on A-FAN's YouTube page.  

Nebraska Ag Classic confronts HSUS issues

The 6th Annual Nebraska Ag Classic was held in Kearney this week to help understand the growing challenges the agriculture industry is facing. The main discussion for Thursday’s general session was focused on animal rights groups, animal welfare in Nebraska and what lies ahead for the future of agriculture. David Martosko, from HumaneWatch.org, was the opening speaker, specifically addressing why the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) hates agriculture and what agriculture needs to be doing. Additionally, Martosko moderated a panel discussion with experts in the animal welfare activism arena: Jack Fisher from Ohio Farm Bureau, Chad Gregory from United Egg Producers and Craig Head from Nebraska Farm Bureau.

Martosko explained a harsh reality check to the ag producers in the audience. Animal rights activists are not like us and they will follow through on what they say, usually because they have the funds to do so. The philosophy, or as some consider it their religion, animal rights activists believe:
1. The purpose of human life is to reduce suffering
2. Animals and people have the same moral value
3. Using animals (every cow, pig, sheep, chicken, etc, ) always leads to suffering

Therefore, they view themselves as more virtuous than you, that humans were meant to save animals, and that the best outcome for food animals is just to use fewer and fewer of them. Josh Balk, outreach director of the “factory farming” campaign at HSUS said, “We just have to reduce the number of animals that are raised for food.” Or as Martosko put it, “HSUS is trying to eliminate suffering by eliminating the sufferer.” Doesn’t that say, destroy animal agriculture?

HSUS’s framework is basically a “communications campaign”. They make themselves sound good with their big crusades about saving animals. Their game is to be on the offense because they certainly are making agriculture play the defense. With their offense, they set an agenda, move the ball, score most all of the points, and determine the pace of the action, which results in an endless game that can only be defeated by its own errors and ineptitude. Like HSUS wants, those in animal agriculture have just gotten used to playing defense. Martosko made it blatantly clear that this needs to be a priority – ag needs to be on the offense!

Martosko also explained why HSUS is such a lobbying powerhouse. In 2008, they outspent Exxon Mobile, and this yearwill have a bigger payroll than the White House as well as more office space. Also, they outright lie about having 11 million members and constituents. Their documentation clearly shows that all people who sign-up to support HSUS receives the magazine subscription are technically allowed to vote – which makes them members. In 2009, they sent out no more than 450,000 magazines.

It all came to a summary when Martosko finished with this important immutable rule:

• “Public opinion is everything.”- Abraham Lincoln
• 82% of Americans whose overall impression of the HSUS is “favorable” 
• 71% of Americans believe HSUS is a pet shelter
• 59% of Americans believe HSUS contributes most of its money to pet shelters

The public simply thinks that HSUS is their local animal shelter, or that HSUS is giving money to their local shelter (which they give less than 1/2 of 1% to). It is a “common knowledge” fact that people don’t know when or where they heard it from – similar to the fact that most people know it is safer to travel in airplanes than in cars.

We need to step off of always being on the defense and be pro-active – play offense. Yet, Nebraska is trying. A coalition of agriculture supporters, the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN), is currently conducting a consumer education campaign that shows the true face of agriculture through commercials of Nebraska’s farmers – leading them to the becomeafan.org website where they can learn more and see more videos. Even the state Governor has taken a stand at a recent meeting when he said, “The Humane Society of the United States is anti-agriculture and they’re out to destroy animal agriculture—and if they want to come to Nebraska, we’re going to fight them and we’re going to beat them."

It’s important for the corn and grain industry to be proactive against animal rights groups like HSUS because we support our livestock producers. Now, let’s all take our turn and tell someone the truth about HSUS.

Nebraska pork a great choice here and abroad

Lean, nutritious and versatile, Nebraska pork stands superbly on its own at the center of the plate – and fits right in as a key ingredient in thousands of recipes enjoyed by Nebraskans and others across the country and around the world, the Nebraska Corn Board said in a news release acknowledging that October is National Pork Month.

“While October is an opportunity to celebrate the world’s most widely consumed meat, it is also an opportunity to recognize Nebraska hog farmers who care for their animals every day year round,” said Kelsey Pope, ag promotion coordinator for the Nebraska Corn Board. “Farmers provide shelter, quality feed and fresh water to raise healthy animals. They genuinely care about their animals and extend that care to the environment.”

David Merrell, a farmer from St. Edward who grows corn and raises hogs, said besides producing pork for Nebraskans and others across the country, pork producers see a lot of value in shipping pork to other countries. In fact, about 22 percent of pork produced in the United States goes to other countries, making the United States the world’s largest pork exporter.

Pork exports added about $38 per head of each hog processed in 2009, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), a trade association that helps create demand for U.S. pork and beef around the world. The Nebraska Corn Board has supported USMEF since 1979 – the year USMEF was founded.

“With 94 percent of the world’s population outside the United States and a growing number of those people looking to add protein to their diet, we have an opportunity to see Nebraska pork on more dinner plates around the world,” Pope said. “Pork exports help hog farmers, who in turn provide a boost to the state’s economy by generating millions of dollars in economic activity, from equipment to feed to the thousands of jobs in dozens of different sectors. It means a larger tax base for rural communities and important economic activity for the state as a whole.”

In addition to its support for USMEF, the Nebraska Corn Board supports the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN) and partners with the Nebraska Pork Producers Association to promote pork within the state.

The photo above is from the Very Berry Pork Chops recipe at TheOtherWhiteMeat.com.

Holoubek to serve as A-FAN's organizational director

The Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN) said today that it has named Willow Holoubek of David City as its organizational director, effective June 1. Click here for the news release.

Holoubek will succeed Roger Berry who has served as A-FAN’s field director since 2006. Berry recently accepted a position as vice president of member services for the Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation.

Holoubek (photo) joins A-FAN after working as a private consultant and project coordinator in the area of bioenergy development. Prior to her work in the bioenergy field, Holoubek served as the Executive Director of the Butler County Development Board from 2007 to 2009, where she worked to aid in the retention, expansion and development of new businesses in Butler County.

“Willow’s wealth of experience in helping build economic opportunities in rural communities and her passion for Nebraska agriculture make her a perfect fit for the A-FAN organization,” A-FAN president Lori Luebbe said. “She clearly understands the importance of Nebraska agriculture and she possesses a broad set of skills, which will aid A-FAN in its mission of promoting the importance of Nebraska agriculture and the role it plays in the economic well-being of our state.”

Holoubek has deep roots in agriculture, spending the last 20 plus years working with her husband Mark and four children on the family’s grain and livestock farm near David City where they raise purebred Angus cattle, corn, soybeans and dairy quality alfalfa. Willow is a past program technician for USDA’s Farm Service Agency, in addition to serving as a clerk in the Butler County Treasurer’s Office.

Holoubek has earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Nebraska, majoring in animal science, and is a past graduate of the Nebraska Leadership Education/Action Development (LEAD) Program (Class XXVI).

As Organizational Director for A-FAN, Holoubek is responsible for administering the day-to-day management of the organization, in addition to working with A-FAN’s various committees and Nebraska Agriculture Promotion and Education Projects. Holoubek will also serve as a resource for Nebraska farmers and ranchers looking to expand their livestock operations.

A-FAN adds videos on animal care, sow housing

The Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN) posted two more videos on its website and YouTube Channel today.

One video focuses on sow housing and the second another on beef cattle. Together they bring the total number of videos produced by the organization to more than a dozen.

“Many people have questions about why farmers do certain things when raising livestock. These new videos and the others we’ve produced let everyone hear directly from the farmers themselves and see what they are talking about,” said Roger Berry, A-FAN Field Director. (Find A-FAN on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/AFANpage.)

One of the new videos features Dorchester, Neb., beef producer Joel Weber who explains the importance of providing good care for cattle. He notes that well cared for cattle perform better and produce better beef. Weber is a fourth generation farmer.



The second video features Terry O’Neel, a hog farmer from Friend, Neb. O’Neel explains why he houses sows individually and how that individual care benefits the animals, maintains herd health and ultimately provides better pork.



Berry said A-FAN's video library offers insight into livestock operations and explains the importance of livestock production to Nebraska's economy.

“We hope these videos help answer some questions but also encourage a positive dialogue between farmers and those looking to learn more about what it takes to raise livestock and produce the high-quality products available today,” he said. “With modern communication tools it is easy to ask a farmer directly about livestock and food production. What consumers will learn is that today’s livestock producers share their values and strive to produce safe, wholesome food.”

Berry said there are farmers online writing blogs, maintaining Facebook pages and responding to questions via Twitter.

“People used to be able to ask their relatives about livestock production,” he said. “While that may not be the case anymore, people can instead use these communication tools to reach out and ask a farmer, ‘Why do you do that?’”

Become a fan of A-FAN

The Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska - known as A-FAN - has a Facebook page.

If you're on Facebook, be sure to check out A-FAN's page and become a fan. It's an easy way to keep up on what A-FAN is doing, as well as to keep abreast of issues that are important to agriculture.

You can find A-FAN's Facebook page here.

If you aren't on Facebook, perhaps this is a good time to give it a try.

It's a great way to stay in touch with family, friends and others who are important to you. Increasingly, it's also a great way to stay informed by and up-to-date with a number organizations and associations (like A-FAN!). Plus you can comment and counter some myths and misinformation you may hear or read about online. Those who follow you will be better off for the knowledge and experience you have.

Dairy opening its doors this Saturday

Some folks say farmers and food companies want to keep where our food comes from a secret. Not sure where they get those ideas, as YouTube has lots of videos made by farmers and about farming, and many farmers are happy to show people their place provided they know who the person is and have proper notice, which is a common courtesy, really.

There are also a lot of farmer-written blogs out there full of good information. There's Facebook pages, Twitter and more. Lots of places to connect and interact with farmers.

Plus the Discovery Channel is full of 'how's it made' type shows involving all sorts of foods. No great secrets there.

Perhaps the people saying everything is a "secret" or "hidden" have some ulterior motives - like trying to scare people into believing our food system isn't safe or that farmers and food companies are out to get us all.

Well, meet the good folks at Prairieland Dairy. They are having an open house this Saturday (June 27) - their sixth annual open house to be exact. If you want to know where milk and dairy products like cheese comes from, this is a great place to start. Click for details and directions.

Prairieland, like other dairies in Nebraska and across the country that have open houses, gives anyone who comes to the open house a tour of the barns, milking facilities, feed areas and more. Plus they answer questions people may have and talk about how hard they work to produce safe and wholesome milk (which you'll get to taste!).

It is an incredible experience that was documented in part with a series of videos produced by the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska last year. All those videos (and more) are on YouTube - www.YouTube.com/NebraskaAgriculture. I've embedded two of the four videos below.

(Here's a Brownfield blog post on Prairieland.)

This A-FAN video offers an introduction to Prairieland Dairy:


This A-FAN video capture's people's reactions at last year's open house:

Ag's economic impact - through the eyes of a senator from the city

Nebraska's economy is heavily dependent upon agriculture, which means there is an important interaction between rural and urban communities.

If agriculture is economically healthy, the state will be economically healthy, too, which is good for everyone.

The people in the video below, produced by the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN), ties all of this together perfectly.

In it you'll see Brenda Council, a Nebraska state senator from district 11 (inner city Omaha), and Willow Holoubek, executive director of Butler County Development.

Video: Ag important to state's economy, economic development

Here is the latest video from the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN). It adds to growing library of videos that highlight the importance of agriculture to Nebraska - and the country as a whole, really.

The videos also help dispel some myths about livestock production.

This video features a county planner, state senator and dairy farm founder.

They talk about the importance of agriculture to Nebraska's economy - from the eastern part of the state westward - and what a great place rural communities are to raise a family.

For more, visit A-FAN's channel on YouTub, NebraskaAgriculture, or check out its website.

Video: New dairy means jobs, increased tax base

The Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska has put out another good video that involves a dairy producer.

In this case, it highlights a major investment in a new Nebraska dairy operation that gave a big boost to the local tax base, created new spin-off businesses and many new jobs.

All in all, it was a $40 million project that grew from "a bare piece of dirt" and will have a $2 million payroll when fully operational.

Feed, hay and silage come from local farmers, further contributing to the local economy.

Enjoy!

Video provides some info on Nebraska egg industry

Did you know May is egg month? (It's also beef month - So by having steak and eggs for breakfast you can celebrate two things at once. And have a really good meal.)

There are quite a few eggs produced in Nebraska - but these are not the eggs you find in cartons at the grocery store. Instead, the eggs go to "breakers" - which do exactly as their name implies: they break the eggs. But that's a good thing in this case because those eggs end up in all sorts of higher value products - from cake mixes to mayonnaise.

The Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN) has posted a video about a Nebraska egg producer online. Check it out below.

A-FAN video highlights dairy's open house, people's reaction

The Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska posted a new dairy video this week. This time it is from Prairieland Dairy's annual open house - and it features several folks who were there that day and took the tour.

It helps people learn where there food comes from - that it just doesn't magically appear on the grocery store shelf.

Check it out below - and visit A-FAN's website for more.

A-FAN: It's important to tell the farmer's story

Roger Berry, field director for the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN), was in Washington, D.C., today to address the National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB) during their Washington Watch meeting.

Berry addressed the group over lunch - and Chuck Zimmerman did a blog post and audio interview with him. You can access both right here.

Berry and Zimmerman spoke about the use of social media to allow farmers to tell their own story even though it’s not really their nature to do so.

To see some videos A-FAN has produced, click here to visit its YouTube channel - NebraskaAgricultue. More videos are on their way, too.

To visit A-FAN's website, click here.