Thoughts from an aggie and student. Taking full responsibility for my words printed here.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
New Blog Site
Followers, I am now over at friddlemas.wordpress.com for my new blog.
Why the change? I chose to switch it up a little bit because of the power a blogger has on Wordpress.com. The change was strange, but I wanted to share more about the life I have and the experiences I have been afforded. I encourage you to dance on over and check it out!
Mike
Thursday, October 27, 2011
A Losing Generation
Recently it was brought to my attention the Occupy movement. At the risk of sounding like some old, crazy Tea Party member, I think there is something to be taken away from this movement. It says a lot about the people that occupy my age range.
Thousands of people have left their responsibilities to protest something that they don't even understand. Is it so they feel like their existence is validated? Do they think that all this sitting around, yelling, and living in a filthy tent on the street will somehow get their message out? And what about their bills? How many of those people are defaulting on their credit cards, not paying rents owed, or providing for their dependents?
The current Occupy movement is the example of all that is wrong with kids in my generation, something I have seen for a large part of my life. While responsibilities await attention, my generation would rather fulfill desires and their attention first. I mean, what fun is there in taking care of your bills, working, and providing? I don't know, maybe personal growth? Who knows.
When I was a young boy, my grandfather took us under his wing to show us what hard work was about. I remember as a little trailer park ridden child (and that is not a joke)going out to the harvest field to "help" service the old 403 and 453 IH combines. This usually involved asking an insane amount of questions, fighting with my brothers, and getting stuck on the HAND crank fuel pump. All through my childhood my grandparents took us out to the farm and introduced us to the work required to make the farm work. Whether it was picking rocks by hand, spraying thistles with a 3 gallon backpack sprayer, or shoveling animal waste, we did it. We learned that hard work was the answer.
Since I was in my early teens, I have had a job. My first real paid job was hauling hay and shoveling sheep and pig manure for a local hog operation. You want to talk about uncomfortable? I remember filing taxes at age 14 just to be sure that it was done legally. Grandpa introduced me to truck driving in the old International single axle grain truck when I was really young as well. Since then, when we picked up a second combine, I took the wheel and drove truck for the family farm. Home storage is no picnic.
When I was involved in FFA I had a swine project that started out with market hogs and grew to a breeding project. At age 17 I was selling animals to FFA and 4-H members across Washington and Idaho. That project included cleaning pens weekly, learning how to build and maintain livestock facilities, and gaining knowledge of swine, genetics and artificial insemination, and business.
What did I learn through all this? Sure my family got a lot of free labor, but I got a free home, free meals, clothes when I needed them, and unlike most, got a car to drive the 7 miles to school, football, baseball, and FFA events. I got the freedom to be active in the school activities I wanted and travel with FFA. But none of that would have been possible if my grandparents made me contribute to the system, our family. I see that now today. If I do not contribute to the system, my bills pile up, I go hungry, and my stuff gets thrown out on the curb. My generation doesn't make that connection.
Here at college there are students who have mom and dad contribute 100% of their finances to get through school. They don't work, party every day, and consume anything and everything at an insane rate. Then they complain and blame if they lose. The same thing with these protesters.
These protesters are waving signs, yelling chants, cursing at authority, and using violence, all in hopes of getting the same treatment and level of life that the big wigs at Wall St have, even without working for it. THAT right there, is the issue. What happened to working hard? What happened to taking personal responsibility for your actions? Where is the accountability here? We have people running ragged doing drugs, driving drunk, partying till their teeth fall out, having sex and getting abortions, racking up limits on multiple credit cards. Here at my apartment complex they leave trash and dog waste everywhere.
I have seen many pictures of college kids holding up signs saying we are the losing generation. I agree, but not like they think I do. We are the losing generation because someone along the line didn't teach us how to work. They didn't teach our kids the value in responsibility (going to Disney Land when there is a $300,000 mortgage on the home). We are losing because we can get out of trouble when we put ourselves there.
It's time we take it like a man. Get off the couch, off the computer and cell phone, get a job (even if it is flipping burgers), work hard, keep track of your bills, stop blowing your money at the bar/club on the weekend, and then when you have aced your classes, developed an idea and started a business, lived on rice and beans, and done it the way grandma and grandpa did it, evaluate. I guarantee you that you will not be disappointed. You cannot loose if you worked hard because you gained new skills and new ideas. And that to me is how the successful people did it, so buck up and do it.
Stop whining if the next guy has more cheetos than you, it's the way it is. Do all you can to earn more.
Thousands of people have left their responsibilities to protest something that they don't even understand. Is it so they feel like their existence is validated? Do they think that all this sitting around, yelling, and living in a filthy tent on the street will somehow get their message out? And what about their bills? How many of those people are defaulting on their credit cards, not paying rents owed, or providing for their dependents?
The current Occupy movement is the example of all that is wrong with kids in my generation, something I have seen for a large part of my life. While responsibilities await attention, my generation would rather fulfill desires and their attention first. I mean, what fun is there in taking care of your bills, working, and providing? I don't know, maybe personal growth? Who knows.
When I was a young boy, my grandfather took us under his wing to show us what hard work was about. I remember as a little trailer park ridden child (and that is not a joke)going out to the harvest field to "help" service the old 403 and 453 IH combines. This usually involved asking an insane amount of questions, fighting with my brothers, and getting stuck on the HAND crank fuel pump. All through my childhood my grandparents took us out to the farm and introduced us to the work required to make the farm work. Whether it was picking rocks by hand, spraying thistles with a 3 gallon backpack sprayer, or shoveling animal waste, we did it. We learned that hard work was the answer.
Since I was in my early teens, I have had a job. My first real paid job was hauling hay and shoveling sheep and pig manure for a local hog operation. You want to talk about uncomfortable? I remember filing taxes at age 14 just to be sure that it was done legally. Grandpa introduced me to truck driving in the old International single axle grain truck when I was really young as well. Since then, when we picked up a second combine, I took the wheel and drove truck for the family farm. Home storage is no picnic.
When I was involved in FFA I had a swine project that started out with market hogs and grew to a breeding project. At age 17 I was selling animals to FFA and 4-H members across Washington and Idaho. That project included cleaning pens weekly, learning how to build and maintain livestock facilities, and gaining knowledge of swine, genetics and artificial insemination, and business.
What did I learn through all this? Sure my family got a lot of free labor, but I got a free home, free meals, clothes when I needed them, and unlike most, got a car to drive the 7 miles to school, football, baseball, and FFA events. I got the freedom to be active in the school activities I wanted and travel with FFA. But none of that would have been possible if my grandparents made me contribute to the system, our family. I see that now today. If I do not contribute to the system, my bills pile up, I go hungry, and my stuff gets thrown out on the curb. My generation doesn't make that connection.
Here at college there are students who have mom and dad contribute 100% of their finances to get through school. They don't work, party every day, and consume anything and everything at an insane rate. Then they complain and blame if they lose. The same thing with these protesters.
These protesters are waving signs, yelling chants, cursing at authority, and using violence, all in hopes of getting the same treatment and level of life that the big wigs at Wall St have, even without working for it. THAT right there, is the issue. What happened to working hard? What happened to taking personal responsibility for your actions? Where is the accountability here? We have people running ragged doing drugs, driving drunk, partying till their teeth fall out, having sex and getting abortions, racking up limits on multiple credit cards. Here at my apartment complex they leave trash and dog waste everywhere.
I have seen many pictures of college kids holding up signs saying we are the losing generation. I agree, but not like they think I do. We are the losing generation because someone along the line didn't teach us how to work. They didn't teach our kids the value in responsibility (going to Disney Land when there is a $300,000 mortgage on the home). We are losing because we can get out of trouble when we put ourselves there.
It's time we take it like a man. Get off the couch, off the computer and cell phone, get a job (even if it is flipping burgers), work hard, keep track of your bills, stop blowing your money at the bar/club on the weekend, and then when you have aced your classes, developed an idea and started a business, lived on rice and beans, and done it the way grandma and grandpa did it, evaluate. I guarantee you that you will not be disappointed. You cannot loose if you worked hard because you gained new skills and new ideas. And that to me is how the successful people did it, so buck up and do it.
Stop whining if the next guy has more cheetos than you, it's the way it is. Do all you can to earn more.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Defining The Future
It sure has been a long time since I have addressed anything on here, I give my apologies for that.
Last semester was a wild one, studying long hours and working hard at getting this whole education thing figured out. I am happy to report, though, my GPA for last semester was the highest I have obtained in all my schooling since 8th grade.
The focus of this blog will change as we move forward. Even though staying politically active is an important thing, I have come to realize that not many people in politics know a whole lot about issues facing agriculture, let alone the science and truth behind extremist accusations. With this in mind, I hope to share the life we know as farming here on the Palouse.
In hopes of sharing what it really is we are doing out here, why we do it, and what our end product is used in, you should see more stories about our crops, our methods, follow my involvement in getting involved with my Unlce's farm, and my own efforts in producing agriculture products of my own.
Thank you for being a loyal fan, here is to you and the new school year! Attending and completing school has never looked so good! MHF
Last semester was a wild one, studying long hours and working hard at getting this whole education thing figured out. I am happy to report, though, my GPA for last semester was the highest I have obtained in all my schooling since 8th grade.
The focus of this blog will change as we move forward. Even though staying politically active is an important thing, I have come to realize that not many people in politics know a whole lot about issues facing agriculture, let alone the science and truth behind extremist accusations. With this in mind, I hope to share the life we know as farming here on the Palouse.
In hopes of sharing what it really is we are doing out here, why we do it, and what our end product is used in, you should see more stories about our crops, our methods, follow my involvement in getting involved with my Unlce's farm, and my own efforts in producing agriculture products of my own.
Thank you for being a loyal fan, here is to you and the new school year! Attending and completing school has never looked so good! MHF
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Developing New Technology Is A Win For Ag
by Mike Friddle
If there is one thing I have learned as a plant breeder, it may just be that the more diverse traits you have available to your breeding program, the more you excel. Today more than ever, we are seeing a pallet of traits that can make any science nerd froth at the mouth.
This is extremely important to think about when we look at Round-Up Ready (RR) technology and Genetically Engineered (GE) crops. With the advancement of research and the undying quest to improve, Monsanto has opened our world to something that quite possibly could make, or break, agriculture.
These new sets of traits are harmless to human consumption, yet the straight fear of some alien product sweeps over the face of concerned consumers across the globe. With the unveiling of the RR Sugar Beets in 2005, the doors for science were blown open to positive alternatives. There have been great advances in this field, yet some set backs. If any reader can remember the scare of the fish gene in corn that was only approved for animal consumption, they remember the adverse affects of not keeping track of the crop and ending up in Taco Bell taco shells. It did not paint a positive picture for GE technology and painted a once positive advancement as evil.
The aftermath of the Taco Bell incident and the GE tomato that had unforeseen allergies in a few consumers directed the recent history of the engineering of new crop technologies. If my memory serves me right, it also changed the background of food labeling.
Today we have a choice presented before us. Round-Up Ready technology has been researched and the facts are there. We have not seen prominent diverse affects of RR Corn and Soybeans, at least as far as my research has shown. With this in mind, I direct you to the USDA’s proposed rule change to allow RR Sugar Beets to be opened back up for market/production in the United States. What is there to loose?
Eric McGilp, a Latah County, Idaho resident and Political Activist, says in his comment to the AgriAction post, that his first worry is changing DNA. He also is worried about the mislabeling of these crops and their impact on the world’s food supply. I tend to agree that these are valid points and hope that the proper officials have evaluated this.
There are certain reasons that the Palouse has not yet grown GE crops, labeling and fear being the main drivers. The company I work for full-time has a NO-GMO policy, stating that a cross contamination will kill our ability to market product. Yet, with recent drive to label both animal and plant products, this is covered if managers carried out a solid plan. An argument of labeling is not a technology issue, it’s a management issue.
I will be advocating for the choice that will be allowed to producers in this. I feel very strong for free-market principles if the situation is possible, and GE crops fit this bill. The EPA, USDA, and Monsanto have exercised every avenue in this new crop and there hasn’t been any sort of evidence that this specific crop, RR Sugar Beets, present an eminent threat to the ag industry. What are the benefits? Cleaner fields, more efficient management, and better information for the agronomy division of the farms that adopt this crop, which in turn will help farmers make better management decisions and apply less chemical to their fields.
Approving the production of GE crops that have been researched is a win-win for this country. We are facing a steep incline in population and this, among other technological advances, will allow for our producers to accomplish this task.
I encourage you all to check out the instructions on how to comment on the proposal. The more voices the USDA and the EPA hears, the better. I will be casting my vote to allow RR Sugar Beets into the market, I ask you to join me.
If there is one thing I have learned as a plant breeder, it may just be that the more diverse traits you have available to your breeding program, the more you excel. Today more than ever, we are seeing a pallet of traits that can make any science nerd froth at the mouth.
This is extremely important to think about when we look at Round-Up Ready (RR) technology and Genetically Engineered (GE) crops. With the advancement of research and the undying quest to improve, Monsanto has opened our world to something that quite possibly could make, or break, agriculture.
These new sets of traits are harmless to human consumption, yet the straight fear of some alien product sweeps over the face of concerned consumers across the globe. With the unveiling of the RR Sugar Beets in 2005, the doors for science were blown open to positive alternatives. There have been great advances in this field, yet some set backs. If any reader can remember the scare of the fish gene in corn that was only approved for animal consumption, they remember the adverse affects of not keeping track of the crop and ending up in Taco Bell taco shells. It did not paint a positive picture for GE technology and painted a once positive advancement as evil.
The aftermath of the Taco Bell incident and the GE tomato that had unforeseen allergies in a few consumers directed the recent history of the engineering of new crop technologies. If my memory serves me right, it also changed the background of food labeling.
Today we have a choice presented before us. Round-Up Ready technology has been researched and the facts are there. We have not seen prominent diverse affects of RR Corn and Soybeans, at least as far as my research has shown. With this in mind, I direct you to the USDA’s proposed rule change to allow RR Sugar Beets to be opened back up for market/production in the United States. What is there to loose?
Eric McGilp, a Latah County, Idaho resident and Political Activist, says in his comment to the AgriAction post, that his first worry is changing DNA. He also is worried about the mislabeling of these crops and their impact on the world’s food supply. I tend to agree that these are valid points and hope that the proper officials have evaluated this.
There are certain reasons that the Palouse has not yet grown GE crops, labeling and fear being the main drivers. The company I work for full-time has a NO-GMO policy, stating that a cross contamination will kill our ability to market product. Yet, with recent drive to label both animal and plant products, this is covered if managers carried out a solid plan. An argument of labeling is not a technology issue, it’s a management issue.
I will be advocating for the choice that will be allowed to producers in this. I feel very strong for free-market principles if the situation is possible, and GE crops fit this bill. The EPA, USDA, and Monsanto have exercised every avenue in this new crop and there hasn’t been any sort of evidence that this specific crop, RR Sugar Beets, present an eminent threat to the ag industry. What are the benefits? Cleaner fields, more efficient management, and better information for the agronomy division of the farms that adopt this crop, which in turn will help farmers make better management decisions and apply less chemical to their fields.
Approving the production of GE crops that have been researched is a win-win for this country. We are facing a steep incline in population and this, among other technological advances, will allow for our producers to accomplish this task.
I encourage you all to check out the instructions on how to comment on the proposal. The more voices the USDA and the EPA hears, the better. I will be casting my vote to allow RR Sugar Beets into the market, I ask you to join me.
Farm Subsidies: Are They Needed?
This guest blog is written by Robert Blair of Leland, ID. Robert has a 1500 acre farm where he and his wife, Rhonda, raise their two sons, Logan and Dillon. Robert is the Nez Perce County Farm Bureau President and the State Director for the Nez Perce County Grain Growers. Robert was the 2009 Precision Farmer of the year and is the 2011 Eisenhower Fellow in Agriculture. He is also a University of Idaho Grad.
It seems like there is a perennial discussion about farm subsidies, especially as we prepare for another Farm Bill. What seems to be a weed to some is a crop to others, depending upon which side of the fence you are on (and how green it is on your side.)
Subsidies for the most part are looked down upon by the public because of bad press and lack of understanding. There are also growers who feel that subsidies should be done away with similar to pull combines and stationary threshers. However, there are growers out there where subsidies are the difference between staying on the farm or finding a job in town.
In my experience, the farmers that want subsidies dropped like a hot branding iron are the ones that have plenty of money, usually from a source outside of the farm. They understand if subsidies are cut, their operation has the potential to grow in acres. They are greedy, capitalist, pigs - and as well they should be. God Bless America.
But what are subsidies? Farmers do not pay the full price for crop insurance; there are usually tax exemptions in fuel, personal property, and sales tax that could eat up money, and farm loans. Do the farmers that want them cut really understand the depth in which their operation is subsidized? Subsidies help the U.S. compete with other countries that put on tariffs or use subsidies to keep out U.S. products. To take it one more step, subsidies help to ensure a stable and reliable agricultural industry.
We Americans pay the lowest cost for food of any country in the world, thanks to subsidies and the strength of American agriculture. Everyone, from farmers to their city cousins, needs to realize what the future of agriculture is looking at. Most experts say that current global ag production needs to double by the year 2050. This is no small task.
How is a shrinking population segment in America, and the world, supposed to meet this new task? For generations, members of farm families have decided to give up the long hours and hard work for a more “secure” job in town or within agriculture. Agriculture is losing the youngest generations to the bright lights and bustle of town while the older generation, which grew up on a farm and knew how to do anything, is dying off. Who is going to fill their shoes? I don’t see any of the critics rushing out to a field near you any time soon.
As the fight for the next Farm Bill takes place, the same arguments will come out about subsidies. Do we need them or should we let them go? If we let them go, how many farmers will be lost in the following decade? I don’t know the answer, but I get chills thinking about it.
If we lose the number of farmers in America, who will, and how many will, be left to sign onto a letter fighting environmental activists and their ilk? I have yet to see any of the farmers that call for dropping subsidies serve on boards or committees in my area. What a shame for those farmers to be relying on subsidized farmers to do their dirty work in the halls of the Legislature or Congress.
Also, I have never heard of the farmers that criticize subsidies giving them back or donating them to charity. I have never heard of them paying extra fuel or sales taxes or paying the non-subsidized rate for crop insurance. If I am mistaken, please provide me with the proof of purchase.
For the time being I am for keeping farm subsidies until there are no trade barriers, real or artificial, left in the world. Ag needs everyone one out there to help keep the wolves and tree huggers from the door. Until everyone fully understands the ramifications of removing subsidies, they should thank all U.S. agriculture at every meal.
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