Food Facts

          It's DEAD WEEK at UNL which means it's cram time for this gal! I have 3 final test next week and I also have a research paper due. Oh, and I am in Reno, NV for the Western Nugget Dec. 5-9th! Now, my paper is what I am going to talk about. ALEC 417 Issues Manangement and Crisis Communications was one of my favorite classes and what the paper is for. I enjoy the communications field and this helped me get some insight to what a communications person may do. Our professor was great too! It is a class required for my Nebraska Beef Industry Scholars Program to help us understand how to communicate as well as learn about what issues face our industry and how organizations montitor these issues and create a plan to prevent them from happening or to lessen the impact. Pretty cool in my mind!
          So my paper is called an issues brief. An issue brief is a concise document that summarizes an issue for of concern for management of an organization. For this project I chose Monsanto as my organization and the issue....can you guess an issue currently has Monsanto in the news a lot? Well it's an issue for several other organizations but I chose Monsanto for the purpose of its currency and media coverage.

The issue in my opinion: The development and use of genetically modified seeds in the food supply could potentially be dangerous to the health and well-being of peopel, animals, and the planet. Consumers' concerns are wrapped around five topics: what is a GMO, safety, nutrional value, environmental impact, and food labeling.

          While conducting my extensive research needed to find numerous sides of the issue and data to back up everything, I ran across some pretty helpful videos created by Best Food Facts who wants to "give you the opportunity to connect with food system experts around the country who have done the research, checked their work and want to share the results."

They created a 5 video series asking consumers the question "What Do You Want to Know About GMO Food?" Check them out below! I learned a lot by watching them and I know that there are plenty of consumers, especially mothers, who would like some answers to their questions pertaining to the food they feed their children.

GMO Safety

GMO 101

Nutrion

Environmental Impact

Labeling

Thank a Farmer Day

          Well, I realize I am a couple days late and it's not an official day yet, but the folks at Thank a Farmer are working on that. But November 20th is the day they want to make the official "Thank a Farmer" Day!

          So in recognition of the day, here is a great video to tribute our food providers from Farms.com with amazing narration from Paul Harvey (one of my family's favorites)!

Here's another great video!

Wordless Wednesday

So this isn't THE exact mule deer buck I saw this morning
as I was running gates for Ronny on the ranch but this guy
looks pretty similar to the buck I saw walk through the
feedlot, up over the hill, and disappear off in the distance.
Quite a pretty site to see such a magnificent creature!

2012 NBIS Beef Summit

            I have been looking forward to attending the 2012 Nebraska Beef Industry Scholars (NBIS) Beef Summit for awhile. The reason I wanted to attend was so I would understand how the event ran and get ideas for topics and speakers as I am a junior in the NBIS program and will be one of the students helping put on the 2013 NBIS Beef Summit.

            The event agenda looked interesting with several industry leaders along with different perspectives coming from the “Bridging the Gap Between Industry to Consumer Panel” with Mr. Glyn Lacy, owner/operator of Skeeter Barnes, Mrs. Taryn Vanderford, KOLN/KGIN Co-Anchor First at Four Newscast, and Dr. Chris Ashworth, Chairman of the Board of the Animal Agriculture Alliance. I attended the first half of the event so was unable to hear the panel. I did have the privilege to hear from Mr. Collin Woodall, the Vice President of Government Affairs for National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and Mr. Paul Clayton, the Senior Vice President of Export Service of the United States Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

            Mr. Woodall was the first speaker and discussed how the 2012 election results will impact the cattle industry. The election did not turn out the way the polls had predicted. Our nation’s heartland and rural communities are very conservative but the way our nation is run seems to be decided by the liberal metropolitans. The maps shown were eye opening! It may become difficult for NCBA to work with congress since the support is not there. He went on to discuss some of the legislative “wins.” These included dust regulations, GIPSA rule, Free Trade Agreements, no CDL required for tractors and private transportation, DOL Child Labor Laws, and dietary guidelines to continue to include red meat proteins. I remember a lot of these especially the child labor laws. That was one issue I voiced my opinion on. Next, he mentioned the challenges we are and will face. The number one fight priority is the death tax. We also will continue to work on the 2012 Farm Bill, Clean Water Act Guidance, Antibiotics and other tools/procedure, ethanol, Animal Disease Traceability (ADT), and trade with Japan and China. NCBA holds a Beef 101 session for congressional members to explain to them what antibiotics and beta agonists are and why they are important to our industry, which is something I found very interesting. As he wrapped things up he covered our top two “enemies” or regulators. Wayne Pacelle of Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took those positions. Mr. Woodall encouraged everyone to be engaged, stay informed, and talk with your congressional members. If you ever have a complaint, just call 1-877-SOB-USOB (this is literally the number to the switch board on Capitol Hill).

            Our second speaker was Mr. Paul Clayton. I was able to visit the USMEF office and speak with Mr. Clayton this summer on our NBIS summer tour. Mr. Clayton discussed the international perspective on beef industry opportunities. We currently have a $5 billion international beef market in 100 countries where the best seller is variety meats. We live in globalization where sustainability is the key. United States beef is seen internationally with high quality, consistency, versatility, and affordability. He made an interesting comment that the largest ship holds 11 cranes and only runs the Los Angeles-Hong Kong route. It ships food out of the U.S. and brings back electronics. He went on to say that the purchasing power of the dollar bill is the driving force of trade; determining whether we export more or import more. Some of the other challenges facing our trade include animal disease control, ID traceability, drug residues, food safety, and animal welfare. Some countries have very strict regulations like Japan does not allow anything over 21 months of age to be imported making it a challenge but yet an opportunity that is in the workings with 21 being raised to 30 months in the near future.

            These two speakers were very interesting and helped me understand the issues our industry is facing and what my generation will have to face as the leaders of our industry.

A.I. School

          This past week, I had the awesome opportunity to attend A.I. School through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as a student and work with ABS Global. A.I. stands for artificial insemination "is the deliberate introduction of semen in a female for the purpose of fertilization, by means other than ejaculation directly into the vagina or oviduct," as defined by Wikipedia.

          A.I. is utilized in several livestock industries. On my families cattle operation J&J Hanson Herefords we utilize A.I. to improve our genetics and use calving ease bulls on our heifers so the birthing process of their first calf can be easier.

          There were 11 of us UNL students who attended A.I. School in the Animal Science building Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 6-10 pm and Saturday morning from 7-11 am; so as you can see it was brief but also made for long evenings and an early morning for a group of college students. We enjoyed it though and had a lot of fun by learning a skill that several of us will take back and use in our own operations while others may utilize the skill as future veterinarians.

          A.I. is more than just getting the syringe through the cervix and depositing the semen in the uterus. The way you manage your heard has a lot to do with whether or not the female we conceive a calf. Nutrition plays a huge role as well as sanitation. We also learned about synchronization protocols which is a practice used to artificially bring a female into "heat" in order to have a uniform/shortened calving season. There is a lot more than I could go into detail on but if you are more interested in learning the steps of A.I. and so forth check out Reproduction Management and ABS Global.

         My family and friends were very proud of me to take the initiative to get certified. My mother also now thinks that she can retire from A.I.ing and I don't think so! I'll need to keep practicing obviously as it is a skill that continually develops with practice, practice, practice!

Learning to breed cows!

Alec, Lauren, and Evan

Bailey, my lovely roommate

I'M OFFICIAL!!!

What better way to celebrate than a good Kobe beef steak!

National 4-H Week

HAPPY NATIONAL 4-H WEEK!!!

TO ME, 4-H WASN'T ABOUT WINNING.

IT WAS ABOUT THE FAMILY TRADITION.

IT WAS LEARNING LIFE LESSONS AT A YOUNG AGE.

IT WAS THE FRIENDSHIPS.

IT WAS HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE
YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH SOMEONE ELSE.

IT IS ABOUT BUILDING OUR YOUTH.

"TO MAKE THE BEST BETTER!"

A Day Never to Be Forgotten



Photo courtesy of Katie Nolles


          Today marks the 11th anniversary of that horrid day; September 11, 2001. I can remember that day quite clear. It seemed like a normal day at school when the somber voice of our principal comes over the loud speaker, "Attention faculty, staff, and students. I am distreesed to say that our nation has been attacked. Planes were just crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City." I instantly began to cry since I knew that my aunt June worked just across the river and I was scared for her life. Every TV in our small school of 160 students K-12 was instantly turned on. Within 10 minutes my Grandma Hanson arrived to comfort my sister Jody and I and assure us that June was safe and was going to be fine.

         It seemed like minutes turned into hours turned into days and then weeks went by with nothing but coverage of this attack on our nation.  That is ALL that was on. At home it was heartbreaking to continue to watch it over and over, day after day that we simple would turn the TV off and find something else to keep out mind off of it. I don't think we accomplished a single thing in school for at least 3-5 days. All we would do is arrive to our classroom, sit at our desk, and watch the TV. We were all shocked and I was at that time only a 4th grader. People these days jokingly ask if I even remember 9/11 since I was so young, but as I mentioned, it is an event in my life that will forever be REMEMBERED.

          For my age, I was lucky enough to have had the chance to see the towering twin towers. Growing up, my sister and I would visit our aunt June with our grandparents practically on a yearly basis. The last time and first time after the tragedy that I returned to NYC was in April of 2008. At that time, the area was called Ground Zero and it was simply devastating to see then 7 years after. Still in the cleaning up stages. But what I really remember about that trip other than the fact that my sister had the bright idea of tossing our house cat on me the morning we left home for the trip causing "Maggie" to freak out and stick her claws in my face giving me a gorgeously scratched face during the trip was walking through memory lane and just getting a sense of all the fear but yet comfort as we walked through the church that was nearby and which was used as a control center. It was a place where so many people came together to help each other through those dark days. There were so many artifacts, posters of support, and pictures, pictures, and pictures! I cannot wait to go back someday soon to see the new 9/11 Memorial!





“Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. It’s a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It’s also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend – even a friend whose name it never knew.“
          - President George W. Bush, December 11, 2001

          My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the familes and friends affected by this day 11 years ago. I know that they are still grieving today! As President George W. Bush said that day 11 years ago:

 "Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.”

A father, who lost his son in the attacks at the World Trade Center,

pauses at his son's name at the North Pool of the 9/11 Memorial before

the 10th anniversary ceremony at the site Sept. 11, 2011, in NYC.

Courtesy of Justin Lane/AP Photo/ABC News

GOB BLESS AMERICA!
                                      GOD BLESS AMERICA!
                                                                             GOD BLESS AMERICA!
                                                                                                                    GOD BLESS AMERICA!

MAY YOU NEVER, EVER FORGET!

College Year #3

Welp, its my junior year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln! Love this place! It feels great to be back in the big city even though I definitely love the country way more!

I am into my second week already which just seems crazy that school has already started, but the outlook for the semester looks pretty good. I am fairly excited about all of my classes as they definitely interst me.

Fall 2012 Classes:
AECN 201- Farm and Ranch Management with Dr. Hanson
ASCI 330- Animal Breeding with Dr. Nielsen
ASCI 300B- Livestock Judging with Mr. Ellicott and Mr. Nordhausen
ACCT 200- Survey of Accounting with Dr. Riley-Schultz
ALEC 417- Crisis Communications and Issues Management with Dr. Cannon

I have 16 credit hours this semester so I will stay fairly busy with that plus all of my extra curriculars:

Sigma Alpha Sorority- Treasurer/Fundraising Chair
UNL Collegiate Farm Bureau- Collegiate Ambassador
Block & Bridle Club- Member
National Junior Hereford Association Board of Directors- Communications Chair

I also have a job again this year! I am working in the Animal Science Recruitment office as office assistant!

Things I am looking forward to this semester:
- Sigma Alpha National Convention in Omaha, NE middle of October
- Preparing for becoming a part of the UNL 2013 Livestock Judging Team
- Networking more with professors and industry leaders
- Goal is to make the Dean's List (I have made the CASNR Dean's List in Fall 2010&Spring 2012)
- Traveling to cattle shows/sales/other events

I am proud to be a student at the great land grant University of Nebraska-Lincoln as we celebrate the 150th anniversity of the Morrill Act and look to Growing the Future. The Morrill Act created land-grant universities, making education more affordable to all people, educating them in agriculture, home economics, mechanical arts and other professions practical at the time of its passage in 1862. The Morrill Act successfully opened higher education for Americans who previously could not afford to go to college. Each day daily themes and events at UNL and across the state will help tell the land-grant story during the week of September 23rd through the 29th.

And lastly, just to show how wonderful being a Husker is and where it can take you, here is a wonderful video that will air as the UNL TV ad this year:

Plus to celebrate the opening Husker Football Game this Saturday, here is the 2012 Husker Football Game Day video:

Last Day...

It is bittersweet as I finish my final day as a UNL Extension Intern located in the Brown-Keya Paha-Rock Counties (Ainsworth, Nebraska). I have been so fortunate to have had this opportunity this summer. Being located in North Central Nebraska, Sandhills, and Cattle Country are truly a dream come true. I have been surrounded by wonderful people and great hospitality all summer long. Pam and Denny Bauer have been wonderful "bosses" while I've enjoyed being in the office with Mary Jo McCall and Pat Jones as well.

All of the BKR 4-H families are so gracious and took me in with open arms. I enjoyed working closely with the Beel families and Linse family with cattle, horses, cookie jars, computer presentations, and everything else.

I can't even come close to saying thank you enough to everyone I've dealt with this summer! I have been blessed with many new experiences and some that were a bit frightening, hence the wildfires.

Today, I am finishing up some things on the computer and then headed to the Ainsworth Conference Center to help serve lunch during the Brown County Showcase. We brought back all of the Brown County 4-H exhibits from Bassett for the town of Ainsworth to come and enjoy the brilliant work of their areas youth and trust me some of their projects were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

I've got my car all packed and ready to head back to college. My first stop though will be home in Minnesota for a couple of days since I haven't been HOME since June 16th!

THANKS FOR A GREAT SUMMER INTERNSHIP!

2012 Hereford P.R.I.D.E. Leadership Conference

          Every other year, the National Junior Hereford Association hosts a leadership conference called P.R.I.D.E which stands for Program Reaching Individuals Determined to Excel. The 2012 P.R.I.D.E. conference was held in East Lansing, Michigan in conjunction with Michigan State University. There were 60 attendees from 23 states and 2 participants from Canada. It was a fun filled three days!
          The 12 NJHA Board Members, our fearless leader Amy, the greatest NJHA intern Bailey, and our mascot "Scotch" came early to Michigan for a Board Retreat. Getting to Michigan was an interesting trip for all of us. I do believe that all of us were delayed at least some amount of time, some flights overbooked which caused members to have long lay-overs, and some not arriving till the next day so the week had an interesting start. I was gone for one week for my adventure to Michigan. The Board Retreat took place near Leland, Michigan on the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan. We are priveleged to have such wonderful and kind folks in the Hereford industry. We stayed at the Edmund F. Ball family cabin which is the family of Tim and Nancy Keilty of Cottonwood Springs Farm.

Before heading south to East Lansing,
we visited Keilty's farm

The cabin we stayed at was the Ball family. You know
those great Ball mason jars? Yes, that is the family we
were so graciously associated with.

           The weekend retreat is exactly what ALL of us were needing! The weather was perfect, the hospitality was wonderful, and the bonding time was unbelievable. The weekend was not all play as we did have a meetings regarding the workshops for P.R.I.D.E (Mastering Your Agvocacy, Robert's Rules of Order, and Do's and Don'ts of Your Wardrobe), revamping our By-Laws and Code of Conduct, and writing many Thank Yous for the 2012 Junior National Hereford Expo.
          But to discuss our play time! There was a lot of it but it was so relaxing on our private beach, an adorable historic fishtown nearby for food, gifts, and ICE CREAM! I think we rode our bikes into town about 3 times a day just so Jason could get his Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream from the Dam Candy Store.

Biked to town on a daily basis. Automatic shifting
bikes were a new experience for a lot of us causing
injuries to our ankles and Brady's face!

We also played a lot of football on the beach, kayaked, attempted the paddle board, swam, jumped off the cans, soaked up the sun, buried Matt in the sand, ferry ride on the water around the area, jet skiied and tubed, ate a lot of scrumptious food, more bike rides, sat in the sauna even though it was 90* outside, nightly campfires on the beach, and became a much closer group of friends that we are definitely more like a family. I think that most of us would say that is was the best weekend we've had in a long time!!!

Intense games of football were had

Buried Matt on the sandy beaches of Lake Michigan

Scotch made a new friend while at the cabin as the entire
cabin had several cheetahs, leopards, water buffalo,
gazelle, and several other animals mounted.

Kayaks were a hit! Even used to pull us around on floaties!

Ferry ride with our advisors Bob & Jamie Goble

Breath taking sunsets every evening

#TeamLegendary
Matt, Tamar, Jaime, Austin

Nightly beach campfires where stories were told
and memories were made



2012-2013 NJHA Board
Elise, Matt, Tamar, Keysto, Courtney, Austin
Jaime, Krissi, Jason, Kristin, Brady, Shleby



The weekend at the lake was simply wonderful, none of us wanted to leave! We contemplated just having the rest of the P.R.I.D.E. attendees join us at the cabin, but we did pack our bags, loaded Scotch up, took in the view one last time and headed 4 hours south to East Lansing to prepare for the leadership conference.

                       Sunday evening we enjoyed some pizza from one of the local favoirtes, Leo's Lodge, where we met up with the Junior Maine Association members that were just going to be leaving their leadership conference.
           Monday arrived and so did other Hereford enthusiasts! Monday evening was kicked off by some ice breakers, a keynote speech from Justin Ransom, a delicious steak dinner, followed by game night!

Justin Ransom from Chicago.

Mr. Ransom left me with several take away messages. He talked about how we need to adapt to change and that change is not a bad thing but takes a lot of work to get there through the right path.

"Hard work trumps talent"

"Out work everyone else"

"Don't worry about who gets the credit"

"Live with the end in mind"

"Find the one thing that drive YOU"

"The most risky decision is not making one" - as the future of the agriculture industry, we are faced with a lot of decisions

"The most powerful tool for succes is Failure" because you learn from your mistakes

NJHA Board with Justin Ransom

GAME NIGHT

Apples to Apples

Apples to Apples

Wii and Xbox

Guestures

Spoons

          Tuesday was a busy day at Michigan State University where we heard from several knowledgeable faculty members on topics of form to function in beef cattle, food safety, meat science, herd health programs, proper processing, tagging, tattooing, and body scoring of cattle, and we also talked about evaluating cattle and judged a couple of classes while at the Purebred Beef Cattle unit.

          A huge THANK YOU to all of the MSU faculty members that helped put this event together and shared their knowledge with us: Dr. Dave Hawkins, Dr. John Shelle, Ms. Sara Wells, Ms. Jennifer Dominguez, Dr. Dan Grooms, Dr. Dan Buskirk, and Cody Sankey.

Dr. Dave Hawkins
Campus Tour Guide
Retired Professor

Dr. John Shelle
Form to Function in Beef Cattle

Ms. Sara Wells
Food Safety and Meat Science

Dr. Dan Grooms
Herd Health



Dr. Dan Buskirk
Body Condition Scoring



Cody Sankey
Proper tagging, tattooing, and branding

Livestock Judging and Evaluation
with Cody Sankey



The entire P.R.I.D.E group outside of the
Purebred Beef Cattle Unit barn



After a day full of activities on MSU campus
we headed to a water park to cool off and have FUN!

Wednesday was our last full day together as everyone would load up and head home Thursday morning. The morning started with an amazing motivational speaker, Heather Schultz of Georgia. We have used Mrs. Schultz at past P.R.I.D.E. conferences but felt it was a good time to invite her back. She was wonderful and got everyone involved while touching our hearts and making us think about our attitudes and where we want our future paths to take us. She truly believes in us as youth and encourages us to believe in ourselves and that we the youth which is 26% of the population but 100% of the future, have the power to change the world. She also left me with a couple of take away messages and I also bought her book for future inspiration!

Belive. Truth. Hope. ForGIFTness.

"You are either a contaminator or a contributor

in this world so choose your attitude."

"There is a price attached to every decision; decide wisely."

"Like, love, and respect yourself first."

                "I AM NOT AVERAGE, BUT I AM EXTRAORDINARY!"

          Mrs. Schultz did a couple team building workshops with us and then we split up and the NJHA Board did their own workshops. I was a part of the Mastering your Agvocacy. We discussed the Masters of Beef Advocacy program through the NCBA. Several of us already have obtained this degree but we encouraged the others to look into this 6 part program on the facts of the beef industry and how to talk to consumers about industry issues. We gave them two scenarios to think about how they would react. We dicussed how to use the facts, tell your story/experiences, share photos, and use emotions when talking to individuals. It is also important to stay calm, cool, and collected even if it boils you or they are upset and attacking you. As Matt said, "you can't fight fire with fire."

Scenario #1: An animal rights activist approaches you at he Jr. National Hereford Expo and asks, "how can you keep your animal tied up like that all day long?"

Scenario #2: Your school cafeteria is proposing to move to a Meatless Monday menu. Howdo you present your idea to oppose the situation?

How would you react in such situations???

          After the morning workshop sessions were finsihed, we loaded the bus and headed to Grand Haven State Park along Lake Michigan to going swimming, play volleyball, and visit one of the 115 lighthouses in the state of Michigan. Then, we loaded up again to visit two of our nations prestigious Hereford Breeders- Grand Meadows Farm of the Bielema Family and Ridgeview Farms of the Goble Family. After the tour of Goble's, everyone enjoyed a steak dinner and a barn dance. I was sadden that I had to leave shortly after arriving at Bielema's to catch my flight back to Sioux Falls in order to make it back to work Thursday morning for Keya Paha County Achievement day and BKR Fashion Revue.

The group at Ridgeview Farms
Last stop on the P.R.I.D.E. tour

As the week came to an end it was a 'mega fun' P.R.I.D.E. where we all made new friends or grew closer, took in a lot of beautiful sites, learned a lot about the beef industry and how to become a better leader, and were priveliged to see some wonderful Hereford cattle.

Again, a huge THANK YOU to the faculty at Michigan State University, The Bielema Family, The Goble Family, the rest of the NJHA Board, AHA Field Representative John Ments, Youth Director Amy Cowan, and Youth Director Intern Bailey Clanton on making the 2012 P.R.I.D.E. Leadership Conference a SUCCESS!!!

North Central Nebraska Fire

          Ever since Friday, July 20th North Central Nebraska has been in a blaze. As the clouds rolled in that night we all were thinking...FINALLY RAIN! But as I was sitting in the garage watching the sprinkles of rain come down and the clouds continuing to roll over I saw a low lying brown cloud and thought, "hmmm...that is a weird cloud." It wasn't more than 2 minutes later I heard the fire sirens blaring from town. I got up and walked to the edge of the house and then I could see the smoke and flames of a fire. The numerous fires started in Cherry/Brown/Keya Paha counties were due to lightning strikes. I had just talked to my father on the phone and was telling him how nice it felt and smelt to have some rain. It wasn't a couple seconds later that I texted him and said, "remember how I said it was raining? Well I am now enjoying the sprinkles while watching a fire = TOO DARN DRY!!!"

          Remember how I said that this summer has been filled with new experiences? Well this is another one to be added to the list. I can remember some dry summers but nothing compared to this. I seriously do not remember the last time we had a substantial rain at my summer home, its maybe 10 one hundreths here and there but add that too days over 100* doesn't get you too far. Oh and to talk about the temperatures, I think we've had maybe two days in the month of July where it's been under 90*....oh wait now three since today is only 87*!!!! Great to have some relief.

          This past week has been an eye opening experience for not only me but for sooo many people. When disaster hits, like the Fairfield Creek Fire, it's amazing how a town, surrounding communities, and a state can come together. As I drive to and from work I meet numerous fire trucks from around the state and even surrounding states. And on Facebook, seeing all of the pictures, the donation list on North Central Development Center as well as a PayPal link to help fire victims is just unbelieveable. I have never been in a situation with a wildfire like this that has burned tens of thousands of acres along the Niobrara River, cattle ranches, and hay fields. Thankfully NOBODY has died and there have been only a few injuries. I am still wondering on livestock numbers but the efforts of sooo many volunteers have been able to evacute not only homes but pastures of cattle to move everyone out of harms way.

Photo courtesy of Laurie Olsen

Smoke as it rises creates thunderheads that generate
dry lightning; another factor that they firefighters
have to go up against.

          It is eerie to look north and see billowing clouds of smoke, an orange glow at night, and this morning we were able to smell the smoke since the wind direction had switched over night. That is the scary thing about these fires; with a switch of the wind a new game has been created. They had some of the fires in southeast Keya Paha county contained to the canyons the other day but then the wind switched and BAM! it was back out of the canyon. It is hard for me to phathom too that I was just on the Niobrara River two weekends ago on a tube trip with college friends where now the river is closed to all recreational activities from Valentine on east. I was just on that area of the river which will never look the same so I guess I can also say that I was blessed to see the "scenic Niobrara River" before devastation hit.



College Friends and I on the Niobrara
2 weeks ago


 

The fire as it reaches the Niobrara River

 

          It has been a little chaotic in the office this week with the fire and county fair fast approaching. We have cancelled some workshops and drought meetings due to the fire and last night we had the small animal show in Ainsworth in which we questioned canceling due to a heat index of 110* while we also had our dog show judge call in a tell us he would be unable to judge as they were preparing to evacute due to the Hall Ranch fire. Our 4-H Horse show was supposed to be tomorrow at the Keya Paha County Fairgrounds in Norden but that has been rescheduled due to fire damage to the grounds. But through it all the area continues to work to defeat this fire and keep everyone fed, cool, and keep a smile on each others faces.

Monday's Food Workshop's curriculum was changed to
make cookies and trail mix for the volunteers at the
Ainsworth Fire Hall. Here some fo the 4-Hers are offering
the snacks to some of the helpers.
They felt good after doing this, something several of them
have never done before.

 
 I volunteered at the
Ainsworth School with the American Red Cross this morning. We made 305 meals for the firefighters and volunteers. The cafeteria room is FILLED with  donations from across the nation. 

Signs like these are on almost every
store in town!

            We all need your help in continuing to pray for the safety of our firefighters and please pray for rain. We had a short shower this morning and still and chance this afternoon. We ask that the good Lord will just let it open up and give these men and women some relief. As my dad always said, "the good Lord will bless us just when we think it's 10 minutes too late."

A picture says a thousand words
Photo courtesy of Becky Sawyer

Near Norden, NE
Photo courtesy of Laurie Olsen



Hwy 12
Photo courtesy of Nebraska Central News



Bammerlin Home
Photo courtesy of Emily Estes

The beautiful sandhills now scorched
Photo courtesy of Omaha World Herald

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FIREFIGHTERS AND VOLUNTEERS HELPING WITH THE FIRES IN NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA!

If interested in helping the fire victims, please see North Central Development Center for a PayPay account or address for the general fund.

Calling all of my farming and ranching families, if interested in helping the local farmers and ranchers who have lost their homes, acres upon acres of pasture, fence lines burned up, etc. checks can be made out to NCDC but sent to the BKR Extension office for a fund to buy hay, feed, fence posts and wire, etc for the farm and ranch families.

UNL Extension
148 W. 4th Street
Ainsworth, NE 69210

Phone: 1-800-634-8951 or 402-387-2213