The Scoop on COOL

Today I have a special guest blog post from my husband Jeff! As I've mentioned in my weekly reviews, he is now on the Board of Directors for Montana Farmers Union, and is working on MFU's legislative efforts for the current Montana session. One of the issues he's become particularly endeared to is Country of Origin Labeling, or COOL, especially as it pertains to beef. Jeff is actually headed to Helena today to lobby and testify on behalf of Montana ranchers, in favor of better labeling for our beef. Please read on for more information!

Hi folks, this will be either a rare treat or a fiasco, as I attempt a guest blog for the first time. I know Katie has built a substantial and discerning readership, so I’ll do my best to live up to that!

As you no doubt know from reading this blog over the years, we’re cattle producers in addition to being grain farmers. We are proud of the way our animals are raised, and proud of the product they ultimately turn out to be: US Beef. Born, Raised, and Processed in the United States.

As you also may remember, Katie and I have been active members of Montana Farmers Union for the last 7 or 8 years. One of the issues we became most engaged with, due to our pride as Montana cattle producers, is Country-Of-Origin Labeling of meat products. National Farmers Union fought alongside several other industry groups for years to label meat, both to give consumers a choice in what they purchased at the meat counter, and to aid US producers, because when given the choice, consumers in this country will buy US Beef and not think twice. 

However, the meat packing industry has always fought against COOL, stating basically that consumers didn’t really NEED to know what country their meat came from, and that it was just too hard to keep all those animals separate anyway, and we should just forget the whole thing. Quite a bunch of nonsense, but nonsense backed by a ton of lobbying clout and $$$$. We finally prevailed, and we had national COOL as law in 2013, 2014, and 2015, but other countries were battling the law at the World Trade Organization (WTO), on the grounds that our product being labeled and differentiated from theirs was negatively impacting their producers, violating the provisions of various free trade agreements. The law was tweaked twice and re-submitted to the WTO, but in 2015 Congress decided to give up on that fight and repealed COOL.

Here’s the thing, though: Those meat packing companies, the ones who always said COOL was an impossible, over-bearing regulation, never stopped labeling meat when the law was repealed! But, the law was gone, and replaced by a Food Safety Information Service rule. That rule says basically: Any meat product that comes into a USDA-inspected processing facility and undergoes a change in its structure can be labeled “Product of the USA.” Key word: any. A box of side of beef cutouts from Brazil, Australia, Mexico, or anywhere else can come into the country, be processed into your chuck roasts, rib steaks, sirloins, etc., and be labeled “Product of the USA.” They’ve taken all the work that those of us in the industry did on behalf of US producers and consumers, and basically turned it into a method to mislead consumers. Why? $$$.

So, you ask, what can be done? Several states have tried to create state-level COOL, by passing laws that require a placard in the grocery store to accurately describe a meat product’s origin, either by saying Product of the USA, or Country of Origin Unknown, processed in the USA (or some variation of that language). This year, there are a couple of attempts to create a law like this in Montana, and MFU is monitoring them closely, so stay tuned.

So why is it important? Well, for one, consumers want to know what they’re buying and eating, and the current rule is an active impediment to that pursuit. Certainly most beef consumed in this country is domestically produced, but that’s the point, isn’t it? You, Joe and Jane Consumer, want to know what you’re getting, and you currently don’t know. 

Second, the beef industry is consolidating and globalizing to the point where producers are at risk of losing their independence, and their ability to discover a fair price for their product. The US hog and chicken industries are basically run by the meat-packing industry, with no competitive marketing available to producers even if they want any. The largest meat company in the world, JBS, is now Brazilian-owned. You can see how this system could lead both to producers being squeezed into a system of dependence on the packers, and to consumers being sold product which has no verifiable information about where it may have come from.

Whew, that was long. I guess that’s why she keeps me away from here most of the time! I hope you learned a little something, anyway, and that it kept your interest. Thanks for reading, talk to you again sometime!

Wow! Thanks Jeff for that super informative post! I hope everyone learned something. What can you do as an individual consumer who cares about where their meat and food comes from? 

• Buy and eat locally, especially in places that work with local and small scale producers.
• Get to know some farmers. You may be able to purchase beef or other food directly from them. If nothing else, you'll learn a whole lot more about food production!
• Join farm/food advocacy groups, such as Montana Farmers Union. You don't have to be a farmer to care about where your food comes from and groups like MFU are working to keep farmers on the farm and keep good information in the hands of consumers.
• Contact your local representative and let them know your thoughts on COOL or any other issues you may have a "beef" with! (See what I did there?!?! haha!)

Product of the USA! (Or should we say Siberia?!?!)

Weekly Review through February 3

Here's my weekly review of last week, recapping fitness, farm, and life!

This week was full of excitement as we took a weekend getaway to Canada (sort of!) and also began Shape Up Montana! Read on!

Fitness
Jeff and I have made a commitment to trying to get in a bunch of days on skis this year. We don't live super close to any ski resorts, so it takes some effort. This week, we notched two more days on skis!

One nice thing about skiing, is that it seems to be having a positive impact on my injuries. My hip has been feeling better and better, which I'm grateful for! I *may* even start trying out some light jogging again soon!  Here's the lowdown. I'm planning a separate post with more info and pictures from our weekend trip, so stay tuned for that soon!

Check out this awesome Bird Mail package I received from a Montana Volee friend!
Flyte Gaiter, chapstick, and a sweet custom travel mug/wine cup!

January 28- Rest. Received a sweet Bird Mail package today!!!
January 29- 30 minutes treadmill walking with some incline
January 30- 20 minutes early morning yoga before school
January 31- Rest. Drive to Canada!
February 1- Skiing at Fernie Mountain Resort in Fernie, BC!

Selfie in Fernie!

February 2- Skiing at Whitefish! (yes, back in the states!)
February 3- Superbowl Workout/Treadmill crossfit activity from Shape Up Montana

February 1 also marked the first day of Shape Up Montana. I think this is the 5th year or so that we have done Shape Up Montana. We really like it for setting up and reinforcing healthy habits! I'm a team captain again this year, but our team makeup is a little different from years past. This year, we have a little bit bigger team including a few family members and lots of friends. Most of our team lives nearby, so we're hoping to have a few get-togethers throughout the entire 3-month program, too.

Farm
Jeff continues to feed cows and do chores daily. As I mentioned last week, he is on the Board of Directors for Montana Farmers Union. As part of that, he is on the Legislative Committee, which helps steer the lobbying efforts of MFU, particularly during the Montana legislative session, which is happening right now.  One of the specific legislative efforts Jeff has been spending a lot of time on is COOL, or Country of Origin Labeling for beef and meat products. I'd love to convince him to do a guest post about this, because it's really interesting and affects everyone who raises or eats meat!  The big idea of the bill Jeff and others are supporting is to legislate how meat is labeled, and that it should be labeled in a more transparent way so that consumers know where their meat is coming from.  I think it's really great that he is so passionate about these things, and he's incredibly knowledgeable on policy. It's a great fit for him, and I think it's meaningful work for the people of Montana!

Life
Our trip to Canada was brief but really fun!  I'll write up a separate post about that soon.

Did anyone watch the Superbowl?  I sort of watched it, but not with my full attention. Honestly, it was a pretty boring game. Jeff told me it had some of the lowest viewership in years. Even the commercials weren't very exciting. Snoozefest all the way around. If you watched it, what did you think?

I redid my big bulletin board in the foyer at school:


Lastly, an update on Genevieve's transition to toddler bed.  For the past three nights now, we've put her to bed and she hasn't gotten up at all. She's rolled around some, or talked to herself a bit, things like that, but she hasn't gotten out of bed, and she's put herself to sleep all on her own. Granted, she's had a bit of a cold and has been really tired, so it's hard to say if that trend will continue going forward, but we're hopeful!

MFU Women's Conference 2016 Recap

First of all, let's acknowledge the obvious. I have a totally new blog design! What do you all think?!? 

I am IN LOVE with this design, which was created by my very talented friend, Joellyn. If you need any graphic design work done for your blog or website, definitely think about asking her! You can view her own blog by CLICKING HERE! She also does really fabulous interior design. Basically, if you need design help of any sort, ask Joellyn! 

With the new re-design and new name, I'm planning on doing a re-launch of the blog with a new URL very soon. But, I want to take a little time to plan up something special... like maybe a giveaway or two?? hmmm? yes? STAY TUNED!

Now, on to the true subject of this post: the 2016 Montana Farmers Union Women's Conference! 

The Conference was held a few weeks ago, February 5-7, at Quinn's Hot Springs Resort in Southwest Montana. This was the Fourth Annual MFU Women's Conference, and I'm happy to say that I've made it to all four so far! The past couple years, I've also been fortunate enough to be a member of the MFU Women's Committee, which helps plan the annual conference. Here's a photo of our committee of powerful, strong women:

Lindsey, Me, Delisa, Lisa, Mary, and Kathy.
Audra is also on our committee, but she couldn't make it to the conference.

I can't remember if we had officially decided on a theme for the conference during our planning sessions or not, but to me, the definite theme of the weekend was "Community." Many of our speakers talked about building and strengthening community, particularly in rural areas, and how strong communities can help us all reach our goals. We also grew the community of Farmers Union Women by getting to know each other better and meeting new people over the weekend. The conference did end up selling out, with quite a few registrants attending for the first time ever, and at least 2/3 of all attendees were not already Farmers Union members. I know I met some new people this year that I'm really looking forward to keeping in touch with. 

I also enjoyed having around some familiar faces. My friend Adria joined me again this year, for her third Women's Conference. This year, we were also accompanied by both our mothers-in-law, Carol and Lynn, and a few other friends- Glenda and Mary. With six of us making the 5+ hour drive, Rudyard made a very strong showing at Quinn's! 

Quinn's Hot Springs Resort is situated in a lovely canyon along the Clark Fork River, North of Missoula, near Plains, MT.
All the cabins on this side of the highway are brand new. It would be a wonderful venue for a wedding or reunion, if you ask me!

I think the success of this conference every year lies in simply bringing women together. As Delisa always says, "When you bring women together, magic happens." Magic happened again this year, too. There is a yearning for women to build community-- one that I think is lacking sometimes in our day-to-day lives. This year's group was very diverse, both in age and background. While most all women in attendance were involved in agriculture somehow, that wasn't true of everyone. We had many, many positive comments on our evaluation sheets, both from farmers and non-farmers. The conference held something for everyone, and community was indeed built in Quinn's.

The lovely Kriss Marion of Wisconsin Farmers Union and Soil Sisters spoke about community organizing and the snowflake model. She advocated for building community one pot-luck at a time, and bring cookies!

I believe that one of the greatest strengths that Montana Farmers Union possesses is its ability to bring people together from diverse backgrounds. We often find that we have much more in common than we have apart and when it comes down to it, we're all in this together and we need each other more than we need to divide one another. 

MFU Women's Committee Member Lisa Schmidt speaks about, well, public speaking.

Justene Sweet, an herbalist, spoke about native Montana plants in the context of how the plants are part of our community, and how we can use some of these plants to build our own communities. Lovely presentations!

And yes... I even led a session at the Conference. Something I've never done before! 

My session was a "Hack-a-thon" wherein we were "hacking" out solutions and ideas to grow/enhance/create vibrant rural communities. I began with about a 10 minute presentation in which I attempted to explain what a Hackathon is and how we were going to go about doing it, and also discussed Creativity and how it is necessary and useful when talking about building community. Basically, I described Creativity as being sort of like a muscle. Take the bicep muscle, for example. Everyone has a bicep-- some of us have stronger biceps than others, but we can all strengthen that muscle. Creativity is the same way. Each of us has the capacity to be creative-- we just may have to work out that "muscle" a bit. I led the group through a few Creativity exercises, then everyone split off into small groups of 4-6 people and strategized ideas that could help in rural communities. Groups presented their ideas the next day in a sort of show and tell session. Man, were there some excellent ideas!!! I hope people actually follow through on some of them! For example, a "Tour de Montana" style bike ride with stops at farms all across the state! How cool would that be?!

All in all, even though I was nervous for the hackathon, I think it was a success. It got people thinking in a different way, and mingling with people they maybe didn't already know, which were my goals at the outset. I am satisfied with that.

This is the Event Center- where the Conference was held.

Now, I just want to write down a few notes that I had jotted down during the convention. Things that got me thinking...

• Build your capacity through people and connections. Be leaders and make leaders of those around you.
• "I really think it's all about the food!" ~ Kriss Marion, on the importance of food and potlucks!
• "I want my farm to be loud and alive!" ~ Kriss Marion, when discussing keeping our farms and lands healthy and sustainable for future generations.
• Gather in diversity- with that comes wisdom. Gather to cultivate community.
• "What's growing in your own backyard?" ~ Justene Sweet, during herbalism presentation
• "I build confidence in others." (My own elevator speech-- thanks Lisa Schmidt!)
• "Feel the fear and do it anyway." ~ ??? Not sure who said this during the conference, but I wrote it down!

Above is a photo of all the attendees of the conference. That's a lot of powerful people and WISDOM in one place!!! I hope everyone took something back to their own community, or that everyone was affected in some way, and will make a positive impact.

If you missed the conference this year but may have wanted to attend, next year we will be back at Chico Hot Springs, near Yellowstone National Park. The weekend will be the weekend after the Superbowl this time, but before Valentine's Day. It should be another fantastic event to look forward to!

Speaking of Community and organizing, a friend of mine linked to this article on his Facebook page recently--
Where Have All the Members Gone?
If you're a farmer, or married to a farmer, or if you like farmers, or like food, or live in a rural area, or live in a city but appreciate farmers and food, than you should consider joining a farm organization. If you are a farmer, then you DEFINITELY should join one. Our voice is small, but it is important. If we want our voice to be heard on a national level, it needs to be done through farm organizations, such as Montana Farmers Union/National Farmers Union. Please consider joining. If for no other reason, then to get on the mailing list for the next Women's Conference! ;)

NFU Convention in Wichita, KS

Did you have to take U.S. Government when you were in high school? I distinctly remember struggling to sit through that class my senior year, interjecting the occasional eyeroll into my teacher's boring spiel about different branches of government or whatever the topic of the day may have been. I was probably thinking ahead to my next track meet, or what I would be doing with friends over the weekend. Anything but considering how our government operated. I didn't enjoy that class and I struggled to see how I fit in to the success of the American political system as a seventeen year old in Iowa. 

Now, I wish I could go back to high school government class and re-learn everything I've forgotten! Now, I'm witnessing how government and political process works first-hand. 

For about four days earlier this week, I was in Wichita, KS at the National Farmers Union Convention. I was representing Montana Farmers Union as a Delegate, elected at our own state convention last fall. If you want to read the speech I delivered at our State convention, you can read it HERE.   I gave the speech as sort of a wrap up to the experience Jeff and I had with the FUE program we participated in, but it had the unintended result of working as somewhat of a campaign speech that got me elected as a Delegate to the National convention. 

In fact, our chief lobbyist for Montana Farmers Union had approached my husband to ask if he would consider being a delegate. He declined, as the trip is always in the middle of calving, and said that I would probably be interested, which I was. So that's how I got my name in the ring. There were five of us who ran and we each stood up and told a bit about ourselves and why we thought we would be a good Delegate. Out of the five of us who ran, three of us were elected to attend National along with two of our MFU Board members, our State President, and a Youth Delegate. Our State Membership Director was also present for the trip. It was an awesome group! 

Group photo of the Montana Delegation, taken at the Evening for Education Gala.
Pretty good looking bunch!

I had attended the previous year's NFU Convention in Santa Fe as part of the FUE Leadership Training agenda, but it was completely different to attend as a Delegate. The main responsibility I held as a Delegate was to participate in the adoption of National Farmers Union Policy. The Montana Delegation as a whole, held the task of ensuring our state policies were concurrent with national policy and recommend changes if need be. We were able to stand up to the microphone and voice our own opinions as we saw fit, and also voted on key issues throughout the proceedings. 

Laura Ginsburg was a member of the Rules and Credentials Committee in addition to serving as a Delegate.

Several of our Montana Delegation approached the mike and stated a few words here and there, whether in favor or opposition of a particular change or section of policy. It was really cool to be part of democracy happening, and truly from a grassroots level. I also found that I really enjoyed utilizing Parliamentary Procedure, and observing how that works. 

My dear friend, Bryan Klabunde of Minnesota, takes to the mic to discuss issues pertaining to raw and unpasteurized milk.
Way to go, Bryan!

Another Montanan, Jake Fagan, and I also met with the Next Generation Advisory Council for the first time while in Whichita. We were both selected to be on this national committee that will advise the NFU board on how to attract new, young, and beginning farmers to Farmers Union, train them for leadership, and keep them involved, etc. It was the very first meeting of a brand new committee, so the first meeting was spent largely going over logistics. We are still refining exactly what we as a committee will do and we're even planning on changing the name of the group. Nevertheless, it was so exciting to be in a room of creative, passionate people who really have a thing for farming and working together! Totally inspiring. I can't wait for this group to continue moving forward. 

The biggest takeaway I had from this past week was simply that when focusing on what we all have in common, we can do great things. Bringing people together who are passionate about agriculture and Rural America is a good thing.  It was also simply wonderful to see some of the people who I have gotten to know through FUE and Farmers Union, who have become very dear friends, and also to get to know some new friends even better- Laura and Jake, for example. I literally have not laughed so much in a long, long time as I did while in Wichita, and that's due to spending quality time with some funny, amazing, intelligent people. I returned home feeling charged up and empowered to continue moving forward within this organization, and knowing that I have a strong network of friends throughout the country who feel the same way. 

NFU President Roger Johnson addresses the Delegation before proceedings began.
The other people are members of the National Policy Committee.
The Montana Delegation was seated in the front row, so this was my view for the entirety of policy debate! Awesome to be right in the action!!

When I got back to school on Wednesday afternoon, just in time for track practice, I was feeling excited about how the previous four days had gone but also very tired from travel. It also turned out that I would be the only coach available to coach about 20 high school kids at practice that day. I began practice by apologizing for having missed so many days of practice and explained where I had been. One kid asked me, incredulously, "You mean you were, like, doing government stuff?" And I replied by explaining that at the time, Government was not a class I enjoyed, but now I was sure glad I had that background because it gave me the framework to make this convention the success that it was. 

What can I say-- I'm kind of a big deal. ;)

Next Generation Advisory Council

I have some exciting news to start this post: I applied for and was selected to be on a committee through National Farmers Union called the Next Generation Advisory Council. My friend Jennifer encouraged me to apply along with her and we both made the cut! The two of us, along with five others from around the country will be serving on the council. The mission of the council is as follows:

(The council) will serve in an advisory capacity. They will be called upon as a focus group to provide feedback on current programs and outreach, as well as proposed ideas for the future. For example, the Council could offer feedback on convention speakers, breakout sessions, brochure content, etc. to ensure that we are speaking to the "next generation" of Farmers Union members. 

So, with that brief explanation, I now enlist YOUR HELP, dear readers! I would love input from YOU as to what this Next Generation Advisory Council should try to accomplish, in your opinion. If you are involved in farming or agriculture, please consider what you would be looking for in an advocacy organization. If you're not involved directly in agriculture, but, say, you love food and you love supporting people who grow food, think about how you as a consumer could better interface with people who produce food. Here are a few questions to get you thinking and hopefully responding:

What are the best ways an organization can communicate with you?

What do you want an organization, particularly an Ag organization, to do for you?

What are some ways that people involved in agriculture can better connect with consumers?

As a consumer, what do you want to know about your food and your farmer?

When considering joining a new organization (of any kind), what are the biggest draws? biggest deterrents? 

What do you feel is the "next generation" of agriculture?

What do you think is the future of food and food advocacy?  Who are the producers and who are the consumers?

What is your overall opinion of farmers and agriculture? 

Where do you get information about farmers and agriculture?

Thinking specifically about National Farmers Union or Montana Farmers Union, what are some reasons you like the organization? What are some reasons you dislike the organization?

I would really LOVE to hear from any of you on these topics! Or, if you have anything else to say that I didn't specifically address above, please let me know! Feel free to comment here on the blog, comment in Facebook, or even email me at katie (dot) r (dot) adam (at) gmail (dot) com. My first meeting with this group is this Sunday morning as part of the National Farmers Union Convention in Wichita, KS. I can't wait to read your feedback!

Thankful Thursday ~ MFU Women's Conference 2015

If you've read my blog this week, then you will not be surprised to read that this week's Thankful Thursday post is all about the Montana Farmers Union Women's Convention that I attended this past weekend. I am thankful for the entire experience and humbled by the amazing women I met or got to know better over the short weekend. In today's post, I am going to call out some of the women specifically and thank them for something I learned from or shared with them over the weekend.

Adria- Thank you for again this year joining me on this weekend adventure! You are truly a great friend, filled with empathy and kindness. You are as loyal as they come! I also really admire you for the mother you are. Love you!

Stephanie- What a great compliment to me and MFU as an organization that you would want to start your visit to Montana early and kick it off with this crazy weekend at the convention! Thanks for travelling so far to see me and my farm, and meet some of my friends! Your continued friendship means so much to me.

Stephanie, Me and Adria.

Lisa- As our first speaker of the weekend, I need to thank you for your reminders to cut through the distortion. Your advice of "learn to receive a compliment," "everything you want is on the other side of fear," and "I am going to be courageous for this moment," all rang true for me and were all part of a message I needed to hear! Thank you!

Lorrie- Thanks for the reminder to put my bloomers on! You have no idea how timely your message was. Thanks also for encouraging me and all of us to find our passion and make goals to achieve it. My passion is encouraging confidence and leadership in myself and others, and one of my goals is to start a 5K on the Farm Fun Run! 

Kyla- I met you for the first time when I sat next to you as a speaker on our speakers panel! I was immediately impressed and humbled to be seated next to you. You are so powerful and intelligent, and possess some of the same passions as I do- exercise, teaching children, rural life. You helped show me that the three can go together! 

Mary is moderating a panel discussion, with Courtney, Me, and Kyla as speakers.

Courtney- Thank you for all your writing and marketing tips. I plan to put them to great use! More than that, to echo what I wrote next to Kyla's name, I was honored and humbled to be part of a speaker panel with you! I was so impressed with you this weekend and you made a definite impact on me, and others, too, I'm sure! You are so brave and strong and I thank you for sharing your story with all of us.

Courtney is giving us pointers on sharing our stories using writing.

Kim- As always, thank you for wearing your emotions boldly! Your smile truly does light up a room and I always know that I will enjoy every moment that you are in that room with me! Your advice "lean in. get down. let your light shine. life. simply. real." is true on so many levels and I thank you for sharing your wisdom!

Kim and Kyla presenting, Adria looking on.

Christy- Thank you, thank you, thank you for running with me on Sunday morning! You are so strong and lovely, and a wonderful advocate for running and ranching! Your encouragement during our run was just what I needed. I thank you for your conversation and friendship throughout the weekend!

Kim shares her story and some of her work.

Mary- Thank you for continuing to share of yourself with me and everyone you meet. I know that whenever I see you, I'll have a friendly hello and a conversation with someone who knows what it is like to move into the small towns we live in! 

Elaine was my partner in our photography workshop. 

Delisa- You are our fearless leader and a constant source of amazement and inspiration to so many of us! Thanks for starting the first MFU Women's Conference three years ago and for keeping the tradition going. You are changing peoples lives for the better by doing so!

Audrey and Keay.

So many others that I could thank or call out-- Audrey, Keay, Jami, Maren, Quinn, Maggie, Pamala, Joan, Elaine, Laura, Laura, Connie... the list could go on and on!

Lorrie reminds us to put our bloomers on!

If you are thankful for someone in your life, take time to tell them. It only takes a moment or two to spread joy, practice gratitude, and tell someone how much you appreciate them, but the rewards will last a long time for both of you! Never let a moment pass without telling someone what you feel. 

Stephanie, deep in contemplation. :)

I'm Not Sorry

As I mentioned in my previous post, the weekend I had at Chico Hot Springs with all the wonderful ladies the Montana Farmers Union Women's Conference, was nothing short of outstanding. It was a weekend of emotions. In fact, when I got home and was debriefing a bit with my husband, I told him that the estrogen ocean ran deep! And it was AWESOME! We laughed, we cried, we leaned on each other, and encouraged one another.

One of our speakers, Lisa Schmidt, brought up something she referred to as "distortion." Lisa is a pretty cool lady and she and I have something in common which, again, deserves its own post, so I'll get into that on another day. What she meant by distortion was that fogginess we get about ourselves when our lives get busy and we get away from staying true to who we are. It's the voice inside our head that pops up when we have ideas and says, "I"m not so sure you can really do that..." It's our own self doubt and everything that gets in the way of letting our own light shine. That's what she meant by distortion.

Lisa asked the question, "How do we undistort our distortion?" and many audience members raised their hands with excellent ideas. My contribution to the discussion was, "Stop saying I'm sorry." What I mean by that is don't apologize for being who you are. I find that so often I am saying "I'm sorry," when I have done absolutely nothing wrong. Another good example (or bad, depending on how you look at it) is when I begin a statement of sharing my opinion with the phrase "I'm sorry." For example, "I'm sorry, but I really think that this dinner would have been better with some chocolate cake!" Why should I be sorry for my opinions? I shouldn't be. Does anyone else fall into the trap of apologizing needlessly?

I just found this great video on YouTube that sums up exactly what I'm talking about. It's about a minute long and it's definitely worth a view!

So, after submitting to the group that we all stop saying sorry, I had to put it into practice for myself. Easier said than done! The first real challenge for me came when I was out for a run on Sunday morning.

Now, let me give a bit more background information. Many of you who read my blog or know me know that I love to run, and that I'm also a member of Team Beef Montana. Through the (sometimes) miracle of connectivity that is the internet, I had met a fellow Team Beef runner, Christy. Christy has been an active member of Team Beef for about four years and has a really great blog, too, called My Dirt Road Anthem at www.christyruns.com.  One day in the not so distant past, I read on Christy's blog that she, too, had signed up for the MFU Women's Conference! Awesome! I was so stoked to meet her in person!

Here's an awesome photo of Christy I snuck during the very last session of the conference! 

In addition to being a wonderful, kind, beautiful inside-and-out person, Christy is also a really good runner. And by good I mean much faster than me. Ha! Somewhere in the back of my mind when packing for the weekend, I thought to myself that it would be really cool to go for a morning run sometime with Christy while at Chico. Sure enough, on Saturday we made a plan to do just that. We decided to meet at 6:15 the next morning for a brief run.

I did mention to Christy when we were making our plans that I knew my pace was slower than hers. I also knew in my mind that she had been following my blog long enough to have a pretty good idea of what my pace was, and she had asked me to run anyway! Plus, for me, it was about getting outside, running with someone (for once!), feeling the fresh air, enjoying the scenery, and getting to know Christy better, all while getting some exercise.

When my alarm went off at 6, I foolishly looked up the temperature on my phone and found that it was a brisk 2 degrees outside. I hastily bundled up in pretty much all of the clothing I had packed that could pass as running clothes and stepped outside right at 6:15. There was Christy's smiling face waiting for me! I know that if I hadn't made a concrete plan with her, I likely would have convinced myself that 2 is too cold and just rolled over and stayed in bed. Accountability is a wonderfully effective motivator.

This was the view on our running route! Lovely, no?

I made it a mental goal when getting dressed and starting out on the run that I was not going to apologize during the run. I knew I'd be slow, and I was. My goal was to not say something like, "Christy, I'm so sorry that I'm so slow!" It would have been easy to say. The excuses I could have made were plentiful: It's really cold. I'm not used to altitude. I'm slow. I'm tired. I haven't eaten. I'm used to running on flat land, not mountains. I have a sideache. But not once did I say, "I'm sorry I'm so slow." Not once did I say, "I'm sorry I'm holding you back." What I did tell myself was, here is someone who wants to run with me, I am enjoying her company, and that's what this is about.

A bit blurry due to the settings not being quite right on my phone, not due to the photographer! 

I ignored the call-outs from Christy's phone that told us the pace we were running (slow), and focused on the conversation, the scenery, starting a new friendship, and the feeling of power that arises within me when I am running, even at a slow pace. I focused on distance covered, getting to the top of the hill, and having fun. I didn't say I'm sorry. Not once.

Later, when I saw Christy back at the conference, I said thanks again for the run and I told her that I had really needed that run that morning. It was true. I needed it for the exercise (it's hard to get a lot of movement in at conventions- lots of sitting!) and I needed it for the mental break. I also needed it to practice not being sorry for who I am. I have the pace that I have. I have the opinions that I have. I have the personality that I have. I am me, and I'm not sorry. That run that morning was exactly what I needed to show myself that it can be done. So, thanks Christy, for helping me achieve that!

I know that I will still slip and say sorry when it doesn't need to be said, but I am going to keep trying to get better at cutting through the distortion. Will you do the same? 

Registration is Open for MFU Women's Conference!

What do all of the following have in common?

• Cheesemaking
• Wine tasting
• Hot springs
• Yoga
• Photography
• Live Music
• Networking
• Goal setting
• Blogging
• Girl Time

These are all GUARANTEED  to happen at this year's Montana Farmers Union Women's Conference!

This is the third year of the Women's Conference and I am more excited about this one than ever! We have a really great agenda planned for everyone in attendance, beginning with the cheesemaking event on Friday evening, and it just keeps getting better through Sunday morning! There will also be a panel discussion about blogging and social media, which I was asked to participate on as a speaker. The conference is put on by Montana Farmers Union, of which I am a member, but I think we have a broad range of topics that could apply to anyone, whether they are in agriculture or not.  

I know several people who will be attending and/or helped in the planning of this conference, and it is going to be a blast! There are some seriously smart, dynamic, strong, beautiful, fun-loving, and funny women who will be there, and I'm also so, so excited to meet more people while there! 

Plus... HOT SPRINGS! Helllloooooooo! 

If you're interested in signing up, the cost for the ENTIRE WEEKEND is only $50! That includes lodging, meals, and conference seminars. And use of the hot springs. Once again... HOT SPRINGS, people! Are you sold yet? It's a smokin' deal, folks! 

You can register for the conference by clicking HERE!  The registration is, again, *only $50.00* and is going through active.com. But don't worry, it's not a boot camp or anything. Active.com just offered an easy platform to get registrations done completely online. There are only about ten rooms left, so sign up quickly if you're interested. If nothing else, you'll have a great time with some awesome, strong women! Hope to see some of you there!! Rural Women Rock, Ya'll!

Miss February

I can't believe I've gone this long since the Montana Farmers Union Annual Convention to talk about the MFU Women in Agriculture Calendars!

Remember that calendar project I participated in? I've written about it a few times:

Here: Pre-Order Your Calendar Today!

And, Here: Agricultural Calendar Girls.  <==== One of my most popular posts!

The calendars are DONE and they were unveiled at the MFU convention. All of us calendar girls who could attend the convention were called up in front of the audience and given a copy of the calendar. We were also surprised with a beautiful canvas print of our calendar image, courtesy of MFU.

The calendars turned out FANTASTIC! Kim Owen, the photographer for the project, was fantastic to work with at my photo shoot last spring, and the images turned out simply beautiful. Kudos to Kim!

If you click on this link, you can see some of the images from the photo shoot. When prompted, type in the password " mfu " to gain access.
http://www.kraecreations.com/montana-farmers-union-women-of-agriculture/
There is a really fabulous photo that Kim took of my dog, Harvey, during my photo shoot that I would love to get my hands on somehow as a print or canvas or something. He's a pretty handsome guy, that Harvey!

I picked up some calendars at the convention for family and close friends, but if you'd like one for yourself, you can order one. The calendars are available for $20 to order through the Montana Farmers Union website, here: www.montanafarmersunion.com. When you see the banner show info on the Women in Ag calendar, click on it to be directed to PayPal to check out. Proceeds from calendar sales will help fund our MFU women's leadership education and programs, including the next Women's Conference, to be held likely sometime in January or February.

Plus, did I mention that I am Miss February?! Me and a mama cow, that is! Oh, and her calf.What a little cutie he is! :) Those two really steal the show.  Let's face it-- it's the animals, not the person that makes this photo shine!

The best part of this project was being associated with eleven months' worth of intelligent, dynamic, and beautiful-inside-and-out women who are passionate about their piece of the agricultural puzzle in Montana. The finished product really showcases the widely diverse agricultural pursuits our state hosts, and the wonderful women who do their part to keep a hungry world fed, clothed, and fueled. Kudos to everyone who participated!

Jeff's Farmers Union Convention Speech

Jeff and I attended the Montana Farmers Union Annual Convention over the weekend and co-delivered a speech about our experience in the FUE program. I published my speech in the previous post, and below is Jeff's speech. 

Photo courtesy of Carol Bangs. 

Good morning, I’m Jeff Bangs, and as you can tell, I lost the coin flip to see which of us was going to talk first, so now I have the very difficult task of following my wife at the podium.

As I was walking down here this morning, a thought occurred to me. I wondered if we were the first FUE couple from Montana to have to speak about our experience in the FUE couples program with next year’s group of couples, as well as Harley and Irene Danielson, the program’s coordinators, in the audience?

I actually wish I’d thought of that sooner, because up until just a little while ago, I’d not taken into account that Harley and Irene would be here, so bear with me now, I’ve got to take a minute and take all of my “North Dakotan” jokes out of my speech (cross out with pen). Wow, honey you might have to come back up here, I don’t have enough material left to talk for very long!

In all seriousness, Harley and Irene do a fantastic job organizing this program, bringing in a variety of great speakers and trainers, and helping all of us couples get the most out of this great program as possible. So if I could get Harley and Irene to stand for just a moment, I’d like everybody here to help me thank them for all that they do for Farmer’s Union.

While I’m at it, we need to thank Farmer’s Union Enterprises for continuing to provide funding for the Couples Leadership Program. One of the stated goals of the program is to foster leadership among these couples, with the goal that those folks will then take on an active role both in their local communities, and within Farmer’s Union either in their local, state, or the National organization. 

Looking around the room over the past day of the convention, I’ve seen many of the Montana couples that have gone through the program, from the first year 8 years ago up until now. That group of people now includes board members, national convention delegates, committee members, and folks who are very involved in shaping the policies and direction of Montana Farmers Union. I’d say the program is doing exactly what it was created to do, so thank you again to FUE for having the foresight to create this program, and to keep it going with annual funding.

On to our year and a half in the couples program. Katie and I weren’t sure what to expect from a program that promised “leadership training,” but we knew we were interested in getting involved in Montana Farmers Union, and saw this as a great avenue to do so. As we got into our first meeting in Bozeman last summer, and got to know the couples we’d be training with for the upcoming year, we were a little taken aback, to be honest.

The couple from Minnesota, Bryan and Jennifer Klabunde, are a very well-dressed, well-spoken, very sharp couple of people, and Bryan was already very active in his state Farmers Union organization as the president of his home county. Jennifer has been very involved in helping to grow Minnesota’s membership, and has served on several committees relating to their state organization.

The couple from North Dakota, Mark and Mindy Heinz, have a very large operation and are also very involved with their local county chapter of North Dakota Farmers Union, and Mark already had a few years of service on his local co-op elevator board, and Mindy is the education director for the Rolette county local organization.

The Wisconsin couple, Jim and Lisa Soyring, have a good-sized cow-calf ranch that they’d basically built on their own, and Jim is a long-time union organizer and leader at his other full-time job off the farm, while Lisa, in addition to being very involved in their local 4-H organization, also performs the lions share of the day to day operations on their farm.  

So we definitely had a moment of “Holy cow, what are we doing in a group that includes this group of impressive people?”

However, as we went along through the year, it became clear that we all share the same concerns, regardless of our experience level or the size of our operations. We all think about land costs, the cost of our inputs, getting a fair price for what we produce, getting our products shipped in a timely and reasonably-priced fashion, and taking care of our land in a responsible manner.

As a bit of an aside, probably the most satisfying part of this experience for me was getting to know these impressive people, all involved in family farming in their various states, and emerging from our year of training with not only a network of colleagues that we feel like we can discuss farm issues with, but with a bunch of people who we’ll be friends with for the rest of our lives.

The fact that we all basically shared the same concerns, as I’m sure most of us in this room do, led us to many discussions about the importance of an organization like Farmer’s Union to stand up for family agriculture, and to help keep family farming as a viable option as a lifestyle and career.

Every person in our group has passion for the issues that we as an organization have chosen to advocate for, from COOL to the Renewable Fuel Standard to ensuring fair treatment from the railroads that ship our products, and many others.

I think that’s the true value in this Young Couples Leadership program, taking a group of people who are passionate about family agriculture, and giving them some tools to articulate that passion to those in positions of power, be it at the local, state, or national level.

The culmination of our year in the program was getting to participate in the National Farmers Union legislative fly-in in Washington, DC in September. The fly-in actually clarified and helped me to answer a question I’ve had about Farmers Union. I’ve always believed in the values and positions that this organization takes, our commitment to education, and our leadership in cooperatives throughout our ag communities. But when someone would ask me “why Farmer’s Union” or “What can Farmer’s union do for me?” I could never come up with the short, bumper-sticker answer that I sought.

However, at the fly-in, we took policies written by members at the state and county level, and lobbied for them at the USDA and in congress. And the folks back there were interested in what National Farmers Union had to say. So there’s an answer, to the “why farmer’s union?” question: We take policies, written by our membership, and take them to the highest levels of government, where those ideas and policies are heard by those in power. A bit long for a bumper sticker maybe, but it brought home for me what a great grassroots organization this truly is, and what a valuable job we as an organization do for family farmers across the country.

So please, everyone here, stay involved, because what we are all doing here as members of Farmers Union is making a difference in family agriculture all across the country.

I’ll close by saying thank you again to Farmer’s Union Enterprises and to Harley and Irene Danielson for this opportunity, and thanks to all of you for allowing us to share our experience with you this morning. 

Farmers Union Convention Speech

This morning, Jeff and I had the great honor of speaking at the annual Montana Farmers Union Convention. We spoke about the FUE Leadership Couples experience we partook in over the past eighteen months, culminating in the Legislative Fly-In this past September. Following is the written copy of my portion of the speech we presented to the gathering. 

Photo courtesy of Carol Bangs.

When I look around this room, I see smiling and welcoming faces of family and friends. I see a room full of farmers, representing Montana’s very diverse Agricultural system looking back at me. But I’m willing to bet that some of us in this room haven’t always been farmers. Personally, I fall into that category. Despite growing up in one of our nation’s top agriculture states, Iowa, and attending one of the best Agriculture Universities, Iowa State University, I knew almost nothing about farming. Even though both my parents grew up on farms, and I had memories of visiting the family farm when I was a very young kid, I had little appreciation for food source. Speaking of my college days, you could argue that during those four-and-a-half years, I was actively trying to avoid farm life, in all its various iterations.

So how did I get to where I am today? That’s what I’m going to speak about this morning. How I went from being a citified Midwesterner to an Agriculture Proud Montanan, and how friends, my husband, family, and Montana Farmers Union helped me along the way.

Even though I grew up in an Ag state, I was more or less a city-kid. I had little connection to family farms on either side of my family. My school contained no FFA or 4-H—I had never even heard of either of those programs until I went to college. The extent of my knowledge of food supply was that my family got food from the grocery store and occasionally the farmers market. In college, I studied Apparel Design and French. My majors had much more to do with an urban way of life, which was reinforced by my internship in New York City and study abroad in Lyon, France—both big cities. I thought my future would be in a metropolis somewhere. 

Later in my college years, I started dating a nice guy from rural Iowa. He had grown up on a sheep farm and had the life-goal of being a mixed-animal vet, living on a farm somewhere away from the city, and also tending a small livestock operation of some sort himself. We stayed together longer than we should have but when we eventually called it off for good, one of the main reasons was because I could not see myself living in the country. By this time, I had spent lots more time in cities. I thought I was a city girl. I wanted absolutely nothing to do with living rurally.

Those of you who know where I live now, should be laughing.

In terms of Agriculture, my life has taken a complete turnaround since my college days. I am now married to Jeff Bangs, and we farm and ranch in about as rural of a place you could imagine. We’re about a half-hour drive from the nearest town, and an hour from the nearest WalMart. (Why proximity to WalMart is a metric for rural living is another societal indication I’m not getting into today!) But I had to learn, over time, how to be OK with letting myself live in such a rural place.

I had decided early in my relationship to Jeff that if I was going to give this farming thing a go, I had better learn what the heck I was getting myself into. Over the years we dated, I visited the farm where I would eventually live many times. We talked at length about what life would be like for us together on the northern Montana prairie. On my visits, I participated in whatever farm-related task he was up to, as often as it was practical (and probably some times when it wasn’t practical—Sorry, Tom!). Jeff was always so very patient in explaining to me why they do the things they do on the farm. Tom and Carol, who are now my in-laws, have answered the same questions from me over and over and over, but always with grace and a smile.The more I learned about farming and the way the Bangs family farmed, and the more I grew to love Jeff, the easier it was to move from acceptance into appreciation of farm life for myself.

Through this family, I learned that farming is never easy. It’s seldom convenient. It’s often messy. Farming can be very dull, sometimes tedious, and always a lot of hard work. But farming is also self-directed. It is liberating, rewarding, and beautiful. Farming is a legacy, and most of all, it is essential. As farmers, we have the privilege of providing food for an expanding world, and we’re lucky enough to do this while also providing for our own families.

This leads me to one of the reasons why I have grown to find another home of sorts in Montana Farmers Union. 

Shortly after that, I heard about the very first ever Montana Farmers Union Women’s Conference. My in-laws had been active members of MFU for many years, so when the pamphlet for this conference came, Carol encouraged me to attend. I am so glad I did. I walked in the doors to the conference having no idea what to expect, but left feeling empowered and encouraged by the other attendees and by Delisa, who had run the show. These people were so warm and inviting, it felt like family already. I promptly signed Jeff and myself up for a two-year membership to MFU.

Shortly after that, Jeff and I received a phone call from MFU President Allan Merrill about something called FUE Leadership Couples. Wanting more information before committing Jeff and I to this year-and-a-half-long shindig, I had talked to Harley Danielson, who’s in charge of the FUE Leadership program (and there’s no saying No to Harley!)Shortly thereafter, we found ourselves undertaking this great FUE experience, which has only solidified our place among the Farmers Union community. 

You may have already noticed that this year’s FUE group is here, attending our Convention for their fall get-together. WE had the great pleasure of meeting and interacting with this group earlier this summer at our combined meeting in Bayfield, WI. They are certainly a memorable group and I encourage everyone to say hello to them, and of course to Harley and Irene.

Our FUE experience has been nothing short of outstanding. We learned so much about Farmers Union, about all three legs of the Triangle—Education, Cooperation, and Legislation. We traveled to some pretty outstanding places, including Bayfield, WI, Bozeman, MT, Santa Fe, NM… and Minot, ND. At each place we visited, we were able to take in some of the local culture and also gained a greater understanding of Agriculture in that area.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention specifically the capstone of the FUE experience, the DC Fly-In. We spent most of a week in Washington, learning about and lobbying for Farmers Union causes. One thing I will always remember about this trip is that almost every person we met in Washington who was involved with Farmers Union wanted to know who we were, where we were from, and what we did before proceeding on with business. They asked us these things and genuinely seemed to care about our responses. Whether it was Education Director Maria Miller or President Roger Johnson or anyone else we met, I felt that they wanted to know who we were, that they cared about us and were truly happy we were there. This to me truly embodies part of what the spirit of Farmers Union is about. 

I won’t forget the time we spent in Washington D.C.  It was this trip that culminated the training we had received, and truly opened our eyes to what we could do for this organization and how we fit into its future.

What truly made the entire FUE experience special was the people. We sometimes refer to our Farmers Union friends as feeling like family. I think Jeff and I agree that the other couples we met in our FUE group do feel like family in many ways. We have a lot in common with the other couples in our group and found right away that we can spend hours in deep discussion after a day of meetings and training. We know that even though we may not see these couples and their families often, we will always have a special connection, will always be a phonecall away to bounce ideas off one another.

Needless to say, we were hooked into Montana Farmers Union, and we’re happy with that. The more events we attend, the more we are affirmed that this is the organization for us, beginning with the first ever MFU Women’s Conference and now having completed the FUE experience. The people we have met through our experiences with MFU feel like family, and in some cases they are family.  I believe there is truly no greater organization advocating for the family farmer in Montana. Even someone who grew up with only a vague sense of Agriculture can come around to the bright side, through a little help from friends, family, and Farmers Union.