I have been going hunting and fishing ever since my grandpa and dad started taking me when I was 3 or 4 so years old. We would hunt anything and everything from rabbits and quail to going elk hunting in Colorado two years ago. My grandpa used to tell me stories about all the places he used to hunt that were full of life but now when I drive by are cleared off crop fields. I have been lucky to grow up this way, but to experience these changes in the land first hand is sad to see.
Photo I took while goose hunting in the bottoms by Havana, Illinois.
Just in my lifetime I have noticed here in West Central Illinois it is now a rare sight to spot a fox while driving down the road, and if you were to kick up a covey of quail or a pheasant while hunting that would be something that may never occur again. With the rise in world population and the fall in crop prices the demand for more and more acres continues to grow. Sometimes it seems like some farmers like to run their bulldozers more than their combines. It is understandable why this is happening but surely there is another way to grow our food before the wildlife we are used to seeing is no longer here.
Agriculture Today
The majority of agriculture practices being industrial covers over one third of the earth’s surface. Everything around these industrial farms was all once where a diverse population of plants, insects, and animals used to call home. Today, farming is the number one threat to wildlife. These ecosystems have been disrupted and the fields are more comparable to that of barren wastelands. Enrolling property into Conservation Reserve programs (CRP) is a big contributor to helping restore natural habitat for wildlife. CRP is a land conservation program that is administered by Farm Service Agency (FSA). For a yearly rental payment, farmers enrolled in this program agree to remove land from current agricultural production and plant many different species of trees that will improve the environmental health and quality of the tract. Land contracts in CRP are usually 10-15 years long. The goal of the program is to help re-establish pre existing natural habitat to help improve the water quality, prevent erosion, and reduce loss of wildlife habitat. Farmers have the opportunity to get paid to let their land that probably isn’t that great for farming anyways sit idle and still get paid for it. Seems like a win-win right?
Save the Farm and Save the Wildlife
Regenerative or sustainable agriculture is an alternative to the current industrial agriculture process. It uses methods that are directly intended to increase the biodiversity within the soil, which will ultimately benefit the many species of animals facing displacement and endangerment from industrial agriculture. Regenerative grazing methods also help increase soil health in areas to more closely resemble natural habitats than more conventional approaches. Soil biodiversity is crucial for growing crops, it is also directly related to our plant biodiversity. Each level of the food chain relies on the health and diversity of plants and animals below it. When you think beyond just the birds and the bees the importance of species diversity becomes clear.
We can make a difference by reducing chemical use, stop clearing land for more farmable acres and intentionally creating habitat on our own property. We can use our power as consumers and producers by choosing how our food is produced with wildlife-friendly, regenerative agriculture. Save the wildlife and make a difference!
Hello everyone. My name is Jeb Benson. I am a senior majoring in Ag Business planning to graduate this coming spring. My future plans include securing a local job within the ag industry and continuing to pursue my passion for the outdoors with my friends and family.
Like most of my friends and people around me, I have been around showing stock since the day I was born. My first animal was a heifer named Darla that I showed at the age of 5. That was only the start of my showing career. After that, I continued to show throughout my childhood and high school throughout the west coast. I have had many successes and failures, but the things I remember the most is the lessons and memories.
When most people are done showing they hang up the halter and never go back again or try to raise stock just to sell and leave the young people on their own. Luckily, I was able to find a good one who wanted to show me the ropes and how to actually raise, feed, care and break my cattle. His name was Justin Click and I can’t thank him enough for the knowledge he instilled in me. One of the things he always told me though was to make sure to continue to teach the younger generation because that’s what his mentor always told him.
I understood this and always tried my best to teach other people in my local county, but it wasn’t until I got to WIU that I really understood what I really needed to do. One day in judging class Dr. Mark Hoge started talking about showing and what we needed to do to continue this and make sure when we get ready to sell stock we have people to sell too. I thought to myself “that is easy, we just need to teach the younger people showing how to do more and do more things by themselves.“ I was not prepared for what Dr. Hoge had to say next, everyone was saying how they help this person and that, but then he asked, “How many of you have gotten a kid who has never shown before started In showing?”, and the room became silent.
“We have all taught someone who has already shown stock, but how many of you have recruited someone new who has no idea what a barrow is.” – Dr. Mark Hoge
Photo courtesy of Brandy Thaler Evans
This got me thinking a lot after that class. It brought back memories about my show career and how someone really took me under their wing and went from just showing at county fair to eventually going to national shows. It also made me think about how we in the stock show industry really need to go out and recruit more people to come show and take them under our wing. This serves many different purposes like teaching agricultural literacy. It helps kids get out there and actually experience what raising an animal is all about and how agriculture is really done and it also helps the parents gain knowledge. Another is teaching young kids how to pick out stock and teaching them what you want and what you don’t, will put better stock in the ring. This is a big one for me because I hate seeing a kid that goes into the ring as a young showman with a real bad stock because someone didn’t teach them.
I am beyond thankful for everyone who has taught me about livestock and it has only made me a better person. I only wish I can follow in all their footsteps and be able to touch the youth of this industry because of what it taught me.
Meet the Author:
Photo taken by WIU Visual Production Center
My name is Stewart Andres and I am from Woodland, California. I am currently a senior at Western Illinois University pursuing a degree in Agricultural Science with a minor in Animal Science. At school I am involved in the livestock judging team, Hoof N Horn Club, and beef team. After I graduate I plan to pursue a job field in agriculture and continue to help and educate the youth. Thank you all for taking the time to read my blog.
Growing up in Florida, I always knew I wanted to hold a future position somewhere in the agricultural sector. Little did I know that my passion for the industry would take me thousands of miles away from home, and allow for me to build the friendships and connections that I will cherish for a lifetime.
My passion for the livestock industry is not your traditional “farm-kid” story. My dad came from a dairy cattle background in Maryland before moving to Florida when he was 18 and pursuing a degree in Aviation. My mom moved around quite a bit but settled in Florida during her high school years, and picked up a career in the beauty industry. My mom and dad both instilled in me a love for animals, and we always had them growing up. I specifically grew up showing and training horses, which would eventually lead to my love and passion for the livestock industry.
Fast forward to my freshman year of high school and I was given the opportunity to show a pig at my county fair. One of the most influential people in my life would be my high-school ag teacher Brett Brandner. After winning my county fair my first year of showing, my family dove head first into the competitive world that is show pigs. We travelled to numerous national shows throughout my junior show years and found some success. My sophomore year of high school, I tried out for the livestock judging team with no way of knowing how passionate I would become about it. The first year we competed at our state contest, my team won. To say that Brandner was surprised would be an understatement. This set the stage for what my future would look like. I attribute much of my success in college to the competitive nature and drive to never settle for less than greatness that was instilled in me by him.
“Never settle for mediocrity.”
Brett Brandner
My senior year of high school I made the decision to attend Lake Land college in Mattoon, Illinois, to pursue my Associates of Arts in agriculture and be a member of the junior collegiate livestock judging team. I did not know anyone in Illinois prior to making the 15 hour move from home, but I can honestly say that I made friendships that will last a lifetime. My coach Jordan Rauch and Department Chair Ryan Orrick not only believed in this Florida girl’s ability to be successful at the next level but they continuously pushed me to meet the very apex of my potential. Our team competed at every national contest throughout the fall and spring of my sophomore year. We found quite a bit of success, and were named Reserve National Champion Team at National Western Stock Show in Denver in 2019. Not only did I meet my closest friends while judging in Junior College but Lake Land opened so many doors for me. The memories that I made at Lake Land college will always be cherished and never forgotten.
Pictured from left to right. Top: Landon Tadich, Shannon Dehaan, Cole Wilcox, Keaton Stoller, Lauren Burgener, Ryan Orrick. Bottom: Micah Smock, Maddie Fugate, Jenna Girman, Lindsey Pugh, Tucker Schlipf. Photo by NWSS Media Team
At the end of my sophomore year of college and my time at Lake Land was coming to a close, and I decided to continue my collegiate judging career at Western Illinois University under the advisement of Dr. Mark Hoge. For me, making the decision to go to WIU was an easy one. A number of my previous teammates from Lake Land were attending to further their education, and I was excited to be able to learn from one of the most dominant multi-species judges in the industry. Our first year at Western, Mark pulled my team aside and discussed with us that he would be bringing in an assistant coach to aid in our coaching. Cooper Bounds joined the team at Western and worked diligently to push each and every one of us to be the best that we possibly could. Our first contest was Denver in 2020 and unfortunately our team was ninth. But what is so amazing about our story is that this only lit a fire underneath of us. Mark and Cooper never failed to see the potential that we had as a group, and this failure only pushed us harder to be successful.
As we continued to work hard to meet our goals, COVID threw a major wrench in our plans. The team was unrelenting from the time that Denver ended in January, to our second contest the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in March. Unfortunately, on our travels to Texas the contest was cancelled and thus began the new era of quarantine and shut downs. After a nearly five month hiatus from judging, the team reconvened in August to discuss how we would proceed for the rest of our season. We were unsure if the university would be allowed to travel, but we were still set to gear up for The National Barrow Show in Des Moines, Iowa. This contest holds so much value and tradition to WIU. The school is known to be dominant in the pig species, and we wanted to uphold this reputation. Fortunately for us, we were given the all clear to travel and ended up as Reserve Champion Team.
Pictured from left to right. Top: Tucker Schlipf, Stewart Andres, Mclayn Musick, Bailey Sigrist, Hannah Peterson, Nick Hamilton, Keaton Stoller, Cooper Bounds, Mark Hoge. Bottom: Lindsey Pugh, Jenna Girman, Bailey Irick, Kylee Myers. Photo by: Khyleigh North
With quite a few small contests in between, our next major was the American Royal in Kansas City, Missouri. For me, this contest was the one I truly wanted to prove myself at. After much preparation, we were yet again named the Reserve Champion Team and I stood as seventh high individual and second in the reasons division.
The most prestigious of the contests is the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Kentucky. This is one of the longest standing national contests and for senior college contestants marks the end of their judging career. Cooper and Mark discussed with us the night before the contest that we were ready for battle, and they expected nothing less than us to be successful at this one. Just like that, my judging career came to a close Monday the 16th of November and we were named Reserve National Champion Team at the North American.
Pictured from left to right. Top: Mark Hoge, Stewart Andres, Keaton Stoller, Mclayn Musick, Nick Hamilton, Tucker Schlipf. Bottom: Kylee Myers, Lindsey Pugh, Hannah Peterson, Jenna Girman, Bailey Sigrist, Bailey Irick, Cooper Bounds. Photo By: Linde’s Livestock Photography
I can not begin to describe the emotions that I feel while discussing ending something that has consumed my life for the entirety of my college experience. Livestock judging has opened so many windows of opportunity and allowed for me to meet some of my best friends along the way. I am so happy to have ended a successful judging career by accomplishing the goals that I set for myself. A huge thank you is in order for everyone that has helped me to achieve greatness in all facets.
To my family, thank you so much for never doubting my ability to pursue the passions that you knew I loved so much. I would not be where I am today without your love, support, and faith that I could accomplish anything that I set my mind to.
To my coaches, I can’t begin to describe just how grateful I am to have been taught by so many talented individuals. Thank you for never giving up on the girl from Florida, and believing in my abilities even when I didn’t. I truly could not have found the success that I have without your guidance and tough love.
To my teammates, JUCO or Senior College, each one of you has made an impact in my life in one way or another. I am unbelievably thankful that I can call each one of you a member of my crew. I know that our relationships and connections will truly last a lifetime, and I would not trade any one of you for the entire world.
To the industry that has made me the person that I am today. This is never a goodbye. Although this chapter of my life is coming to a close, the influence that this has made in my life will be seen for the entirety of it. I am so thankful for the opportunities that have arisen because I chose to pursue my true passions. I can’t wait to see what my future endeavors have in store.
You’re never done, your roles just change.
-Dan Hoge
About the Author:
Photo by: Bailey Sigrist
My name is Jenna Girman, I am currently a Senior attending Western Illinois University pursuing my Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with a minor in Animal Science. I plan on transferring to a university of my choice next fall to garner a Master’s in Swine Nutrition. I am originally from Ormond Beach, Florida, where I did not come from a traditional agricultural background. In high school, I showed pigs on a national level which instilled in me a passion for the industry. I am currently the secretary of the WIU Hoof and Horn club, and a former member of the Livestock Judging Team. Thank you for reading my blog!
The most successful sow farms understand the importance of a great gilt development unit. Gilt development units (GDU) are used for maintaining the productivity of the sow breeding herd. It’s important to pay attention to the growing gilts for these animals to progress through their growing period efficiently. Since growing gilts are the lifeline of a sow herd, it is important to maximize their performance potential and give the sow herd the best possible chance of improving genetic potential and overall production.
Photo Courtesy of Melissa Diericks
The Efficiency of Replacement Gilts
Nutrition is one of the biggest factors in a GDU. It not only affects their ability to reach puberty, but also affects their reproductive performance through later years and their physical soundness as they age. The main goal of gilt development programs is to prepare gilts to enter into the breeding herd at a younger age with a high level of productivity. This idea is where the importance of nutrition comes to play and getting the right amounts of supplements, vitamins, and minerals. Calcium and phosphorus are requirements for complete bone integrity that is better for optimal growth and feed efficiency. Increasing bone mineralization has been proven to increase the longevity of some sows. Proper ventilation of a GDU is essential to provide an adequate amount and quality of air to each pig. Barns should be kept between a range of 50-65 percent relative humidity, to have a sufficient amount of air quality. Setting up ventilation controllers and curves as gilts are placed in the rooms, it is important to have benchmarks of air volume and speed. This is to insure that you have the proper airspeed at minimum ventilation. Temperature and ventilation should be monitored daily and closely monitored.
Gilt Selection
The selection of replacement gilts is one of the most important tasks in the GDU. This involves individually evaluating each gilt to decide if it meets the farm’s standards before being entered into the breeding herd. The evaluation of gilts involves several key maternal traits that include: bone and muscle structure, skeleton confirmation, bone quality score, feet and leg quality, mammary gland quality, and overall walking ability. When evaluating these gilts, you always have to remember that a gilt with poor muscle structure at a bodyweight of 250 pounds will have an even worse structure at 500 pounds. Vulva structure and teat count also play a big role in gilt selection. Gilts should not have an abnormally small vulva and it should not be deformed in any way. Gilts should have seven functional teats on each side to make sure she is able to lactate well enough to be able to come back into heat after weaning more quickly. Isolation/acclamation programs are used to minimize health differences between replacement gilts and the rest of the sow herd. This is important so new diseases are not brought into the farm from the new gilts.
“…its about quality and defining our standards not just meeting the breed target.”- Dr. Ken Stalder
Photo Courtesy of Melissa Diericks
Most Fertile Gilts
Heat checking with vasectomized boars (teaser boars) should begin around 23 weeks of age. Boars should be turned out into the pens so that each gilt receives at least one minute of exposure per gilt. GDU technicians should be walking these pens and applying side and back pressure to gilts to mimic the boar’s natural movements. Stimulating gilts with teaser boars, at an early age, gives the best chance to hit the gilt breeding targets and maximize future gilt litters. Early puberty is crucial to sow productivity throughout life. The age at which the gilt has its first heat cycle is associated with other indicators of fertility and productivity. Gilts that cycle early produce more pigs and stay in the herd for a longer period. Gilts that are born in the spring, reach puberty later than those who were born in the fall. Many producers keep track of when gilts cycle before they are bred. The delayed age of the first mating can cause an increase of non-productive days, which affects the gilt’s reproductive performance. Pigs are short-day breeders and tend to struggle in the summer to be bred. Pigs are very sensitive to temperatures and can easily become overheated. Heat stress can result in decreased ovulation rate, embryo survival, and conception rate. Higher ambient temperature will reduce feed intake, thereby disrupting estrus behavior.
Successful pork producers will apply this to their farms to improve sow longevity. Gilt selection closely relates to how profitable the sows will be. Increasing litter size and lowering the overall parity age helps keep productivity at its maximum performance. Good gilt development units are the foundation of every great sow farm.
Photo taken by Taylor Veach
My name is Mickala Klay, I am from Dieterich, Illinois. I am currently a senior at Western Illinois University pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Agriculture. I am involved with the Hoof N Horn Club at Western Illinois University. I am very passionate about the agriculture industry and after graduation I plan to continue working in the swine industry. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.
When people think of what “ag” means, they often think of a grain or livestock farm somewhere off in the country. For some people, this may be some far-removed place that they rarely think about, and would never really think to visit. Truth is, most people don’t give a lot of thought to where food comes from, and most don’t have a good insight into what processes go into getting it on their table. However, for certain businesses in the industry, their goal is to do just that. Agritourism is a growing industry in the United States, and revenue for this industry has tripled since 2002, according to the USDA. It’s an industry that is seeing a lot of growth, and there are many people who are helping to contribute to that growth, while giving people a window into agriculture.
For the Funk family down in Funk’s Grove, IL, agritourism means that people come from all over to visit your place of business, even while production is in motion. Their specialty happens to be maple syrup, or “sirup”, as they prefer to write it, and they want the public to have a window into how they go about making this food commodity. During the busy season of spring, maple trees are flowing with sap as the nights bring freezing temperatures, followed by thawing in the morning. This cycle of freezing and thawing is what allows the Funks to collect around 100,000 gallons of sap a year. During this time, visitors to the shop are able to see the process in action, as trucks are bringing in tanks of freshly collected sap to be boiled down in the large evaporator machine, which often runs late into the night. They can then purchase syrup and other goods in the storefront, after just witnessing how the product was produced.
A sign outside the sirup shop welcomes visitors off of route 66 (photo courtesy of Jeff Hake)
As visitors mingle around the shop, operators Mike and Debby Funk are there to greet them and to answer their questions about maple syrup. Mike is often overseeing the evaporator, which boils the collected sap down into syrup. Debby runs the storefront, greeting visitors and showing them where to go. Their son, Jonathan, leads a crew of employees into the chilly woods, gathering buckets of sap as well as repairing collection tubing.
“It’s hard, frigid work, but I enjoy what I do.” says Jonathan, son of Mike and Debby Funk. “I like having the opportunity to give people a window into an industry that they may not have given a lot of thought to before.”
Since the shop is right off of old route 66, they get a lot of tourist traffic. Travelers from all over the globe have stopped in to sample their syrup, and they keep coming back for more. The Funks have continued to ship their products internationally for quite some time, as people who have visited from overseas put in orders annually. Visitors who stop in often spread the word to their friends, and business keeps booming. For the Funks, giving a window into their industry has helped to show the public all of the work that goes into maple syrup, and that alone makes the end result that much sweeter.
You can visit the Funk’s Grove Pure Maple Sirup website here
Jonathan Funk and his loyal companion repair maple tubing on a chilly winter morning (photo courtesy of Jeff Hake)
About the Author:
Hey everyone! My name is Grace Springer, and I’m a current WIU student. I’m from Delavan, IL, and I’m at WIU pursuing a degree in agricultural science. I one day hope to pursue a career in agronomy. Thank you for reading my post!
All my life I can remember being around cattle. My parents owned a 240 acre farm just outside of our small town. My sisters and I would always be outside playing with the bottle calves that we would take in or watching the other baby calves run around in the hay field. Rain or shine, we were outside playing in the mud or jumping on the round bales.
When my oldest sister turned eight, my dad bought her a show steer. That was when we really were able to get up close and personal to more calves than just the cows my dad raised. I was only three years old at the time, but I was still in the barn with my dad and sisters every time they would go work with them. Being so young, I never understood the time and responsibility it took to take care and work with the calves. As I got older and began showing, I then came to the realization how much it took to work with these animals.
I am pictured here with my show steer we took to the North American International Livestock Exposition in Kentucky. Picture was taken in 2014.
Showing cattle is the reason behind my strong work ethic and responsibility. I have been taught over and over again that these animals take a lot of time and patience, which is something I lacked at the time. Throughout the ten years that I showed, I came to realize that these 1,000 pound animals would become some of my best friends. I spent countless hours in the barn with them, in the freezing winter and in the hot summer months. It was the hardest thing to have to watch these animals that I spent more than half the year with be loaded up in the trailer in late August to never see them again. Just to then do it all over again with a new calf three months later, but I will never forget the bond I have made with each individual calf.
Knowing my animal was going to be able feed a family was one thing that I always told myself and this is what got me thorough saying my goodbyes every year. These animals never had a bad life, in fact, they were taken care of more than I took care of myself. On hot summer days, they were kept in a cool barn, were rinsed multiple times a day, and had the freedom to run and play in the hay field outside of the barn on the cool nights. They always ate the best feed and had an endless amount of hay to snack on throughout the day. This just taught me that life will never be fair, but you have to keep pushing every single day.
My high school best friend, Cassidy Barr and I giving our steers a kiss before the last time of going into the show ring. Picture was taken in 2017.
From what I have learned throughout the years I have shown and being involved on our family farm at such a young age, I knew this is something I wanted to continue to have in my life. This is why I chose to go to college and pursue a career in agriculture. I am so grateful to be able to attend college to hopefully one day in the near future have a lifelong career doing something I love. Being involved in the agriculture industry is such a rewarding feeling and having this feeling is something I want to have for the rest of my life.
Photo Taken by WIU Visual Production Center
Hi everyone, thank you for taking the time to read my blog post! My name is Abby Smith, I am from Lewistown, Illinois, and I am currently a senior at Western Illinois University. I am currently pursuing my Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Science with a minor in Agriculture Economics. After I graduate, I plan to pursue a career within the Ag Industry.
When I was first picking out colleges to attend when I was a senior in high school, I knew that I did not want to come to Western. I am from Macomb, so I tried to get out and experience new things. By coming to Western, I thought that I would be just like everyone else that I went to high school with. So I ended up going to a community college in Burlington, Iowa, called Southeastern Community College. Once it was time to decide what university I wanted to transfer to after I graduated from SCC, I had two options. My options were Iowa State and Western. I ended up picking Western after a few months of deciding which would be the best option. I chose Western because I knew deep down I would be happier. Living at home sounded better than moving four hours away, not knowing anybody.
What I wish I knew before I came to Western
I remember my very first day at Western last fall. I was told I needed to get on Western Online, so I knew where everything for the class was. I was baffled and did not know what my professor was talking about. Once that class was over, I rushed to my advisor Ember’s office and asked her what Western Online was. After Ember explained what it was, I felt better and started to explore Western Online. At first, I was confused because I was used to the old platform I used at SCC, which was Canvas. Once I got used to Western Online, I was able to navigate it with no problems.
Library Resources
When I had to request a book from the library for the first time, I was very lost. Most of the students in my class were lost, and it made my professor mad. She did not realize that most of us students did not know how to request books or navigate the library’s website. After we were taught how to do that, it became easier. Each semester I have had one class that is in the library for one day where we are taught how to request books, which is very helpful. To me, knowing how to use the library resources is one of the most important things. I have written a lot of papers for my classes, and learning how to navigate the library resources has been a tremendous help.
How to Navigate Campus
I did not have a campus tour before I started at Western, so I was very lost. I knew where the buildings on the north side of campus were but not the south side. I have only had classes in three buildings during my time here at Western, and those buildings are Waggoner, Knoblauch, and Tillman. The first time I had to go to my art class in Tillman, I had no idea where to go. I was incredibly lost and started to freak out a little bit because it seemed like every time I asked someone where Tillman was, they could not help me find it. Once I found Tillman, I was finally able to relax, and then finding the buildings on that side of campus was easier. I wish I was given a tour of campus because it would have been so helpful before I started classes last fall. A tour would have been very beneficial because even now, I don’t exactly know where I’m at when I walk around campus during some of my labs.
“Transfer students can stress the difference in experience obtained by being in a two year college and how it prepared them for transferring to a four year college.”
– Elizabeth Venturini
Pictured are two of my friends and I before we went out for a girls night last semester.
My thoughts on Western now
I am happy that I decided to come back home to finish my degree at Western. I have made so many new friends here, and I have had such a fun time. The horticulture classes have been my favorite part of my time here at Western. As someone who was so against Western, to begin with, I love it now. The memories that I have made are something that I would never trade for anything. Making homemade flower pots in Dr. Henning’s Sustainable Landscape class is by far one of my favorite memories. The entire time we made the pots, my classmates and I laughed and just had a fun time. The most important thing is always to speak up and ask for help when you need it. I have never really liked asking people for help, but I learned that it is the one thing that you can’t go without while in college. Without asking for help, I would not be where I am today. It has helped me become a better student because I can use the available resources.
About the Author
Hello everyone! My name is Emily Kitch, and I am a senior majoring in Agriculture Science with a minor in Horticulture. I was born and raised in Macomb, Illinois. After graduating in the spring of 2021, I plan to relocate to Ames, Iowa, to work for Country Landscapes. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog!
With a growing global population, and resource scarcity, consumers and producers will need to become more efficient. It is possible to produce more food with fewer inputs, and one way to do this is with urban farming. Simply put urban farming is the cultivation of fresh produce within a city or urban environment. This practice appeals to metropolitan consumers that want to eat fresh and high-quality foods. It also appeals to consumers that are concerned with conservation and sustainability for many reasons. Urban farming can take on many different forms, styles, and scales. This includes everything from plants grown in a downtown apartment window to a large vertical farm in a converted warehouse. As with many things our ability to create is only limited by our imaginations. As producers continue to develop urban farming techniques and methods the role of urban farming will continue to grow. I believe that urban farming will play a major role in agriculture in the future.
Urban Farming Defined
What exactly is urban farming you ask? While some might debate what should or should not be included in this topic, I personally believe that it is the cultivation of fruits and vegetables on any scale within an urban environment. This could be a family growing vegetables on the balcony of their apartment, or a community garden with like minded individuals that share garden plots. It could also be an apartment building with a rooftop garden, or a rooftop integrated greenhouse. A larger example would be an old warehouse that was converted into vertical farm. These are just a few ways metropolitan people have adapted farming to the urban environment. The concept of urban farming is often combined with other practices that can provide even more benefit. For example, hydroponics or aquaponics can be practiced in a small space in an apartment.
“We use 97% less land than conventional farms”
Viraj Puri, Co-Founder and CEO – Gotham Greens
These are plants I grew hydroponically in my kitchen. Here you can see I have grown lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and garden beans.
Examples of urban farming
Urban farming is a growing sector in agriculture. Companies like Gotham Greens are finding success commercializing urban farming by growing the produce where the consumers are. Gotham Greens has eight growing operations in six major U.S. cities. One of it’s locations, in New York City, is a rooftop greenhouse right above a Whole Foods Store. Here they grow, harvest, and package fresh vegetables for retail. They can literally bring it downstairs and place it on the shelf to be sold. There are other companies like this that are developing commercial urban farms. Another example of urban farming would be the various community farms that urban dwellers can join. Even a small city like Macomb, IL, has its own community garden. It is called the Macomb Community Gardens and is a division of Prairie Hills. With this community garden members sign up for plots, as well as volunteer to help maintain community plots. These are just two examples of how urban farming has evolved.
What are the benefits?
Now that we understand what urban farming is, we might want to consider the benefits. The global population continues to grow unchecked which strains our resources. Metropolitan areas also continue to expand infringing on already limited arable land, and the world seems smaller and smaller. Considering we all face resource scarcity one might be concerned with conservation and sustainability. While at first glance urban farming might not seem to be more conservative, but we should consider the inputs and final destination of the goods produced. With urban farming we save fuel by growing the produce where it is in demand thus eliminating the need for transportation across long distances. Additionally, if growing indoors, like in a greenhouse, there is less need for chemicals, because there are fewer pests in the controlled environment. If you combine that with hydroponics then you not only reduce the space needed to grow the produce, but you conserve water. If you add fish to the mix you get aquaponics and gain the production of protein while reducing the need for fertilizers. These are just some of the benefits that can be found with urban farming. While the benefits stack up there are some drawbacks as well. For example, growing indoors with artificial lighting increases the need for energy inputs. However, I believe the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages, and urban farming will be the future of commercial vegetable production.
If you would like to explore this topic further checkout these websites:
Hello, my name is Nathan Stufflebeam. I am an Army veteran of ten years. I am passionate about conservation and sustainability. I study agricultural business with a double minor at Western Illinois University.
Without going through the Boy Scouts Of America program I wouldn’t be the same as I am today. Now I know what you are thinking. How could a couple of campouts and some merit badges change a person? For me I ask how do they not change a person? Here is why.
My troop went on campouts monthly. With going camping monthly we are challenged with all different kinds of weather from those perfect weekends in April and May to scludring hot where you fight getting a sunburn or dehydration all the way to weekends in January when you are doing everything just to stay warm. Now looking back on those taxing, yet always a blast, weekends made me realize that if I can have breakfast where the main course of the meal is something with eggs and, I strongly dislike eggs then, I can get it together to walk through that door to get a job or go over to a girl and ask her out on a date. Challenging campout experiences aren’t the only thing that work in your advantage everyday. Merit Badges’ also you some relate first hand such as First Aid, Life Saving or personal finance. Other merit badges might come in as just little helpful ideas for you to implement into your life such as disability awareness, entrepreneurship and countless more. Through merit badges a scout is able to find a hobby, learn more about a topic or simply just to take it because it looks like fun.
“Do a good turn daily”
Slogan of BSA
Within scouts there are a couple sayings, the one I adhere to the most is the scout slogan. The scout slogan is to do a good turn daily. The reason this resonates with me is it doesn’t take much time out of your day to hold the door for someone, pick up a piece of trash or just give a loved one a call to just see how they are doing. I am not saying that if I hadn’t gone through scouts that I would be a horrible person. Im saying that if I didn’t go through scouts I would not have the experiences with my friends and family. I wouldn’t have challenged myself with eating foods I don’t like or helping a troop mate set up their tent in the dark. Being a part of Boy Scouts has made me realize that it’s good to do things we don’t always like to do. This is why being in scouts benefits you in your everyday life. If you are interested in find more out about Boy Scouts or you are looking to join check the BSA website. https://www.scouting.org/
Hello,
My name is Austin Martin, I am currently a senior as Western Illinois University majoring in Agricultural Sciences. I enjoy anything outdoors and look to make the world a better place.
I personally believe whether you are raising cattle or raising chickens, there are copious benefits of having a dog with you on the farm. There are two different styles of farm dog companions, herding dogs and livestock companion dogs and each style offers their own unique benefits to a farming program.
Having just entered the world of agriculture these past few years I have only seen and experienced so many things, but I have learned that having a properly trained dog with you on the farm can make a dramatic difference. Sorting heifers and calves for vaccines used to be a multi-man operation at the in-law family farm but my step-father in-law can now tackle this task with the assistance of their Australian Shepherd, Zoey. Not only has she made sorting a much easier thing to do but she has provided protection on the farm when the calves need to be checked out and the heifers want us nowhere near them. Zoey knows her training and knows when to intervene if mama is getting a little too close.
Helping in sorting is just a small benefit in using dogs on the farm. Currently there are over 25 different registered Livestock Guardian Dog breeds, such as Anatolian Shepherd, Kuvasz, Tibetan Mastiff and the more common breed in the Midwest is the Great Pyrenees. All over the world the dogs have been meticulously bred to produce dogs that will be gentle enough with the livestock to live among them but strong enough to protect them from predators. This gives many farmers the ability to sleep at night knowing their sheep, chickens, goats etc. won’t be killed off by coyotes or wolves or raccoons.
There is something special about the bond between a dog that loves doing it’s job and a farmer doing what he loves to do. In the words of Stan Miklis Caliper, a horticulturalist, “If dog is man’s best friend, then a farm dog is also his, or her, business partner, pest-control consultant, security guard.” No matter what you choose to get as a companion for you on the farm, the benefits of a lifelong friend and a worker who won’t complain when it’s cold or complain when it’s hot are worth the time and dedication it takes to raise a good four legged farm hand.
Photos pictured above:
All the owners of these photos have given me access to post these.
Central Asian Shepherd with livestock, (Chickens and goats) owned by Manda Thompson.
Armenian Gampr, standing next to calf, owned by Diane Rottstrength.
Australian Cattle Dog sitting on-top of pigs owned by Caitlyn Hartman.
Kelpie herding sheep owned by Chloe Owen.
Samoyed herding sheep owned by Taylor Kapphahn.
Catahoula owned by Katelyn Kurtz.
Meet The Author:
I’m Rachel Doolittle from Houston, Texas. I’m a senior at Western Illinois University, majoring in Agriculture Business. I don’t have a history in growing up in Agriculture, but I’ve got a passion and am learning more about it daily. Currently I show dogs and work closely with breed specific rescues. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog post!
Western Illinois University School of Agriculture 