Yesterday was our County Fair's Livestock show. This was the first year our daughter was eligible to show hogs. It was an exciting day not only for Rachelle, but also for our son Conner (he was her official "gopher"). Adding to the excitement for the kids was their dad taking the entire day away from the farm to be with them at the fair.

Their day started with the hogs getting a bath, I think the kids were probably just as wet as the hogs. When they arrived at the fair, there were 59 hogs to be shown. Rachelle was intimidated to say the least. We got her hogs weighed in and settled in their pen. Rachelle took great pride in keeping her hogs cool, comfortable and well groomed. The kids stayed with the hogs all day, never leaving their side unless absolutely necessary. And if they did leave, they had a friend watch their hogs while they were gone. Of course they re-paid the favor several times by watching other kids' hogs too.

It was inspiring watching these kids help each other out. If one kid was doing something the hard way, it was nothing for a more expierenced kid or parent to step up and show the younger kids an easier way. These kids were working hard and loving every minute of it but they were also looking out for each other.

As I looked around the livestock barn it was encouraging to see so many young kids working together towards a goal. It reminded me once again how important it is to stick together and work as a team in agriculture. It was an important day for our kids, but I think it was also an important reminder for all the adults that we need to always stand UNITED in agriculture.

Has anyone else noticed how we have become a nation of "we can't" as of late.

We can't drill for oil in Alaska because it will destroy the land. We can't drill for oil off our coasts because it will pollute the water. We can't use wind energy because nobody wants to look at those turbines and they harm the birds. We can't use nuclear energy because they will blow up. We can't use coal because it releases plant food (CO2) into the air. We can't build pipelines and refineries to make gasoline because they will leak.

We can't use modern farming techniques because they destroy the soil. We can't use chemicals to protect our crops because it is bad for people. We can't grow enough food to feed our planet because of ethanol. We can't use commercial fertilizers because they are made from fossil fuels. We can't use animal waste to fertilize because it contaminates water sheds.

We can't raise cattle because they release methane into the air. We can't raise any animals too close together because they produce too much waste. We can't use antibiotics to treat our animals because it will produce super bugs. We can't feed cattle corn because people need to eat it. We can't graze cattle on grass because they destroy riparian areas. We can't graze on public lands because of some endangered species. We can't raise poultry in an environementally controlled facility because it is cruel. We can't harvest animals for human consumption because it is inhumane and unethical.

When did "We Can't" become our national motto? I have had people question why Stacy and I spend so much time and energy trying to tell the story of agriculture because we can't stop the likes of HSUS and PETA from destroying animal agriculture in this country. I, however, believe that we can. If we all work together in agriculture, we can stop this movement in it's tracks. All of us need to realize that we are in this together.

Many of us in agriculture have several generations of the land in our blood. This did not happen because our ancestors said "we can't". We are the product of people that said "we can". And that is the one thing that the anti-agriculture groups have failed to take into account.

The full implementation of a National Animal Identification System is not too far in the future. As with any program implemented by the government, it depends on funding.

One way to possibly cut costs is to use one tag for more than one purpose. For example, in Wyoming it is required to vaccinate all females for Brucellosis before 12 months of age. At the time of vaccination, the vet that administers the shot also places an orange metal tag in the right ear of the cow along with a tattoo. One idea that the Wyoming Livestock Board has explored is to replace the metal tag with an electronic ID tag so it can be read with a scanner. Thus, every cow in Wyoming would have an NAIS compatible tag serving more than one purpose.

Retention of these tags in the ear of a cow is sometimes a concern, but this issue is not impossible. Currently the metal tag (brucellosis tag) does provide trace back, however it is time consuming because of the recording process. The electronic tags are now possible and would bring us quicker results in our technology driven society. I think it is great to be able to discuss these issues and how they affect us whether positive or negative. What a great country we live in!

Hope you all have a wonderful and safe 4th of July!

"Hi, I'm from the government and I'm here to help you." This is not what a rancher 130 miles north of me wanted to hear two weeks ago. On June 17, two of his cows tested positive for brucellosis. This is a disease that causes abortion in cattle, elk and bison. To keep Wyoming's brucellosis-free status, in addition to the two positive reactors, the ranchers entire cattle herd has to be depopulated. The neighboring ranches to any of his cattle must also be bled and tested to prove their herds are free of brucellosis. Not an easy task considering that in June the cattle were turned out onto summer pastures that are measured in size by the section not just an acre. If Wyoming does lose it's brucellosis-free classification, all cattle that have reached puberty and are reproductively intact, have to be tested and have a negative result for any travel out of state.

State law requires us to vaccinate for this disease, but it still doesn't guarantee 100% resistance to it. Federal and state officials have worked decades to control the spread of this disease within the Greater Yellowstone National Park area.

So when it comes to animal I.D., I am willing to implement it if it will decrease animal disease and trace back to the source. But in this case the source is elk, owned by the state and living in the national forests owned by the government which would not be included in any animal I.D. system. So I advocate that we vaccinate and I.D. the elk and bison owned by the government-probably not a feasible idea, but a great show to watch!

When it comes to implementing a national I.D. system, it is beneficial as a producer, to be involved in the rule-making process so that the final rule works for us and not as a hindrance. The results should be solutions rather than just bureaucratic regulations. This would ensure a product for the consumer that is the safest possible and boosts consumer confidence.

Our county has been having much debate the past few months over CFOs and CAFOs, more specifically hog facilities. This evening we had a public hearing for a proposed 180-day moratorium against all new CFOs and CAFOs in our county. The debate the past few months has been very interesting with many facts and mistruths presented to our county officials. There definitely has been a lot of emotion on both sides; however, as most of us know in agriculture, we tend to stay away from the emotional side and only use our facts and science to back up our top notch operations. Thankfully, more recently, we have started to talk about the importance of telling our own personal stories.

I have told "my story" more in the past few months than I can count as I have spoken at the past two area plan commission meetings and sent several letters to our county commissioners and area plan commission members. Based on my past efforts, my original plan was to not speak at tonight's public hearing, because I really didn't know what more I could add. Additionally, our attorney wanted to try a facts approach at the hearing, but told us to be prepared for anything. Thankfully, my Farm Bureau experiences along with other life experiences have taught me to tell "my story" and be prepared for anything. After the attorney that proposed the moratorium on behalf of his clients spoke, a mother from our community talked from the emotional side. In fact, she said that was all she had to add. She talked about being a good citizen that had done nothing wrong and now her family's safety was being attacked in addition to her property values. She encouraged the area plan commission to look at the faces of the audience before they voted tonight and questioned the integrity of hog farmers. She talked as if as a hog producer, we weren't also a community member that valued our families' safety and our property values. I knew when she finished talking that my plan to not talk was not going to work. I had to stand up for my family and other hog producer families in our community. I had to show emotion for agriculture and tell "my story" one more time. I kept my part very brief, but just reminded the commission members that my most important job was being a mother and that there was no better place to raise my children. I also reminded them that we too were members of the community, paid taxes, and cared about our community. I asked them to look at our faces when they voted as well.

This situation just showed me once again how we can never tell our story too much and must always be prepared to explain why we do what we do and why we do it. I can't think of another business that is already worried about the next generation when they are only 5 and 2, but I can tell you that my 5 and 2 year old were the reason I knew I had to tell my story tonight. I hope that all of you continue to tell your story too. It is the best tool we have, even if we don't realize it.

The commission voted 7-1 tonight to recommend to the commissioners that a moratorium not be established. The commissioners will hear this topic on Monday morning and make the final decision in regards to the moratorium. I would like to think we are at the end of this issue, but I am afraid, it might only be the beginning which makes "my story" and "your story" even more important.