I wonder how many people have duct tape stockpiled in an effort to be prepared for a bio-terrorism incident in the United States? I know many people who have water and food stored in case of some sort of emergency. If it brings those who do a sense of security for themselves and their families, I say “good for them.”

Here in the Midwest, far from the “mean streets” of the big city, I often feel insulated from evil acts of terrorism. The chance that I or someone I know will fall victim to an attack of this nature is only a remote possibility, but it is a possibility, and that leaves a feeling of uneasiness in the pit of my stomach.

Along with the agricultural journalists that work for me, I have conducted interviews with representatives from state and national commodity groups, departments of agriculture, state and federal Environmental Protection Agencies, and departments of homeland security, asking them to help us help our listeners during times of heightened awareness for increased personal and farm security.

According to many of the experts we’ve interviewed, the greatest security risk to farms, greenhouses and nurseries where plants are grown is the unauthorized access to farm chemicals and application equipment. We all know that pesticides should be stored away from children and pets. Pesticides should also be secure from trespassers, vandals and thieves who may inadvertently or intentionally use these chemicals to harm themselves, other people, crop or non-crop lands and the environment. We are also encouraged to keep our eyes open for “suspicious activity.” What does that mean? Any activity “out of the ordinary” by your employees; signs of tampering with equipment or facilities; strangers showing an interest in your operation – authorized or not. For the most part, I’m told, I’ll recognize suspicious activity when I see it.

Experts tell us that good security and bio-security practices are important no matter what size of farm you have. Terrorism does occur in rural areas; on farms and ranches.

Last month, animal rights terrorists set digitally controlled incendiary devices (bombs on timers) beneath 14 cattle trucks and trailers at the Harris Ranch feed yard near Coalinga, California. All of the trucks were destroyed, but thank God no people were injured.

The cowards who committed this act of terrorism did so to protest what they called “the horrors and injustice of factory farming.”

By U.S. standards, the Harris Ranch feedlot is large. As a matter of fact, it is the 14th largest in the country with a capacity of 100-thousand head. But these animal rights terrorists don’t give a rip about size or species. They don’t care if yours is a small farm in the Midwest. They don’t care that you do not finish cattle in a feed yard. These criminals don’t care if your hens are cage free. They don’t care that you do not use gestation stalls for your sows.

They don’t eat meat and do not want you to eat meat. Many believe that an animal has the same rights as a human being.

We need to do more than stockpile duct tape, friends, because these terrorists have promised to attack again.

My husband and I took a quick trip to Denver recently where Jim entertained (played guitar and sang) prior to the Simmental breed embryo sale and prior to the national Simmental breed cattle sale held during the National Western Stock Show. In addition to tagging along to his “gigs” I wore my journalist cap and generated a story or two for Brownfield Ag News.

 For anyone who has been to the National Western, you know the thrill of walking through the historic Denver Union Stockyards on a crisp January morning where people from Ohio, North Dakota, Georgia, Alberta (Canada that is) and many other states are promoting their cattle. There are Shorthorns and Longhorns, Gelbviehs and Galloways, Simmentals and Salers, and every other breed imaginable. Some bring cattle to compete in the pen show in “the yards.” Others bring cattle to compete in the arena on “the hill.” Some bring cattle to sell while others bring bulls to promote semen sales.

 During the 16-day run, 15,000 head of horses, cattle, sheep, goats, swine, llamas, alpacas, bison, yak, poultry and rabbits were on the grounds at the National Western Stock Show. The show, which closed its 105th run on January 22, is often referred to as “the granddaddy of them all” when compared to other stock shows.

 People from around the world came as spectators and buyers of cattle, embryos and bull semen. The National Western Stock Show is noted for hosting the world’s only carload and pen cattle show, held in the Denver Union Stockyards.

 Despite the rich history of the show, the opportunity to catch up with many friends who have cattle at the show, and the chance to see some of the best cattle in our breed, it is something else that impresses me most about the National Western Stock Show. It is how almost every aspect of the National Western Stock Show is used as an opportunity to educate those not directly involved in the livestock business.

 At every turn, there is a sign or a banner that tells the story of a particular building, area, or event. The Denver community embraces the National Western. Those who live in the city, who have never set foot on a farm or ranch, come out each year with a sense of ownership for this very non-city event. Over the course of the 16-day show, nearly 20,000 school children from the Denver area will visit and participate in an educational tour.

 I talked with a friend from Illinois who with her husband and 10-year old son brought 3 head to compete in cattle shows on “the hill.” Not only, she explained to me, is this an opportunity for the “city visitors” to get an education. Her son, appalled that someone had run into a neighboring stall to pat a bull’s rump, complained that the person wasn’t very smart. The incident was the perfect opportunity for her to help her son understand how to communicate a positive story about animal agriculture to those who have not been exposed to it.

 My friend told her son that in this situation, he has the opportunity to explain to a visitor that the bull might not intentionally hurt them, but if spooked, an animal weighing in at nearly a ton, could indeed hurt someone.

 If, at every county and state fair and stock show, we would each reach just one consumer unfamiliar with animal agriculture, we could make a difference.

Commentary. 

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when a friend of mine recalled “roommate stories” from her years as an undergrad at University of California – Berkley. This friend, now a science teacher, moved from the Midwest to the West Coast in the early 90′s to pursue an education in the field of science. Her roommate, who came from the East Coast, had apparently come to U.C. Berkley with an interest in science, as well. The roommate had a penchant for chemistry. Or perhaps better stated, a penchant for chemicals.

The roommate greatly enjoyed experimenting with a variety of drugs. She was enthralled with the whole counter-culture movement of the 60′s and fancied herself a free thinker. The roommate’s antics are central to many of my friend’s memories from her first year at Berkley.

As a free thinker, the roommate, although already a practicing vegetarian, decided that she could not bear the thought of using animal products in any way.

I am a firm believer that it is an adult human’s right to choose what they eat and what they drink. And if they want to practice veganism, that is 100% their choice.

The roommate told my friend that as an ethical vegan, she saw veganism as more than a diet. Veganism, she explained, had become her lifestyle. It was her philosophy of choice.

My friend smiled as her roommate cleaned out her closet, tossing all clothing containing animal products. The roommate tossed her leather belts, bags and shoes. My friend noticed that the roommate kept a wool scarf that she would need for a winter visit back to the East Coast.

The roommate continued to burn beeswax candles that she lit with wooden matches. Although the roommate enjoyed chemistry/chemicals, she also loved photojournalism. In that time before digital cameras had taken over, many a roll of film was purchased and developed by the roommate. My friend didn’t mention to the roommate that beeswax, matches and camera film are all made of animal products.

Truly being a vegan cannot be easy. Many of you have probably seen the list of products made from cattle and hogs. From instrument strings, tennis racquet strings, hormones, enzymes and vitamins from the internal organs; to pasta, cake mixes, medicines, adhesive, dyes and inks from the blood; to emery boards, wallpaper, plywood, shampoo and conditioner, photo film and adhesives made from the hooves and horns; there are many products used every day that come from cattle that we do not eat.

Products made from swine are also abundant. There is the calcium used to fortify yogurt, hemoglobin from blood used in cigarette filters, bone ash in train brakes, heart valves to replace human heart valves, gelatin from the skin and bones used by a weapons manufacturer to help distribute powder to bullets, and fatty acids derived from pork fat used as a hardening agent in crayons which also gives them that distinctive smell.

Animal products are used in everything from porcelain to chewing gum; deodorant to bio diesel; and antifreeze to insulation.

As I said, I believe it is an adult’s right to choose. I just find it hard to believe that there are very many “true” vegans when there is a use as well as a need for everything except the oink and moo.

Commentary.  The Endangered Species Act will turn 40 years old in December. I learned during a couple of PBS documentaries aired recently, about a few species on our planet that have been rescued because of this legislation officially enacted in 1973. I’m glad to see the peregrine falcon and the small key deer that live in south Florida have not vanished from the face of the earth.

For the most part, I believe we all, at some level, appreciate the birds and the wildlife that share this planet with us. But like many of you, I cringe when I hear the horror stories of farmers in California fighting to keep their land because of the presence of an endangered mouse or salamander. Talk to anyone with farm land along the Missouri River and you’ll learn they feel less important to the U.S. Government than the pallid sturgeon, least tern and piping plover. Mention black prairie dog to cattlemen in Nebraska and you will learn what a nuisance these animals have become to those involved in livestock production. Mention spotted owl to those involved in the timber industry in the Pacific Northwest, and they will tell you those owls have plenty of habitats. Wolves in Yellowstone? Ask the shepherds and ranchers running livestock nearby how many lambs and calves they’ve lost to this endangered species.

Many years ago, when Clayton Yeutter was Secretary of Agriculture, I was interviewing him about what seemed at the time to be a very important agricultural issue. More than 2 decades have since passed, and the “critical issue” has long since been forgotten, but a comment he made stays with me to this day. The former secretary said “Cyndi, this issue is of great importance to all of us involved in agriculture, but it is a cup of tea compared to the plight of the spotted owl. Our issue will long be forgotten and the spotted owl will long be remembered in America’s history.”

I believe that most farmers are good stewards of the land. That means that you will leave the land in good condition when you go, and you do not set out to destroy the wildlife. Many of you have incorporated some sort of wildlife conservation plan on your farm or ranch. Perhaps it was more appealing because of the government payment that comes with it.

This is a topic that causes me great concern and consideration.

I like having plentiful game on my land so that we might enjoy turkey, quail, deer and rabbit hunting, and we have worked to provide food and cover for those birds that are currently few in number. We must remember though, in nature, when there is plentiful game, it will be hunted. We are not the only hunters here. It might be coyotes. It might be bobcat. It could even be mountain lions (which we are told are not present, yet we continue to hear of confirmed sightings not far away.) Many of the predators following the game we so desire will also take down a calf or a lamb.

Let us learn from our fellow farmers and ranchers in other areas of the United States of America. Maintain a dialogue with the conservation “community” and lawmakers at the local, state and national level. Show them what you are doing on your farm to be “wildlife-friendly” and if you are dissatisfied with their actions, vote them out of office.

Commentary.

What is your new year’s resolution? Or does the whole resolution concept send you spiraling into an oppressive mental state? I prefer to call them goals instead of resolutions and seek to make those goals attainable instead of setting myself up for failure.

Many people resolve to lose weight or stop smoking or commit to an exercise program. In recent years, my personal resolutions/goals have centered on how I treat other people. Generosity, compassion and humility are good examples of virtuous behaviors that can only improve the lives of those around us. I’m not always generous, compassionate and humble, but these are attainable goals that can be measured. I try, but like most of the rest of the human race, I’m a work in progress.

I am intrigued by a resolution made a couple of years ago by the founder of the company for which I work. Clyde Lear wrote in his blog “I resolve to carefully choose words and phrases I use.”

As a journalist by trade with a penchant for telling stories, I have always fancied myself a bit of a wordsmith. There are words I just love to roll around on my tongue before speaking them, and others I could choke on before spitting them out.

I like old words like prideful, whence and tarry. It is fun for me to sprinkle words like proby, which means apprentice; fulsome, which means rich and plentiful; and overmany, which means a lot into conversation.

There are plenty of new words that seep into mainstream conversation for one reason or another and sometimes, those made-up words are added to a dictionary.

Borne of the World Wide Web and mobile communication technologies are words like tweet, which is a post made on the Twitter online message service; m-commerce, which is a business transaction conducted with the use of a mobile electronic device; and social media, defined as web-based and mobile technologies used to turn communication into interactive dialogue.

Pop culture brought us flash mob, which I learned about through a television commercial. A flash mob is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place and perform some sort of unusual act for a brief time, then quickly disperse.

New words in the Oxford English Dictionary in 2011 include brain candy, which means broadly appealing, undemanding entertainment which is not intellectually stimulating, which for me would include Reality TV, another relatively new word/phrase. Along with blue collar workers, we now have green collar workers, who are workers employed in the “environmental sector” of the economy.

Earmark and carbon footprint, cyber bullying and sexting are words we heard a lot in 2011 and chances are pretty good we’ll hear more of them in 2012.

In 2011, FYI, LOL, and OMG were added to the Oxford English Dictionary.

I wonder if time travel brought 18th century Americans to their country today, would they think they had landed in a different country entirely if exposed only to our language.

Commentary. 

In recent months, I have come across many people who are firm believers that raw milk contains nutrients that are not present in the same milk, once pasteurized. These advocates of non-pasteurized milk come from all economic and social backgrounds.

I respect an adult individual’s decision to eat and drink what they want to eat and drink. I don’t like over-regulation and government trampling all over individual rights. However, I am afraid that many – perhaps most – of the people who drink raw milk are unaware of health risks associated with its consumption.

Most of the people that I know who drink raw milk truly believe it is somehow better for their children – including their unborn children – than pasteurized milk. The well-researched and scientifically documented truth of the matter is that these people are misinformed and are taking great risks with the health of their families.

Raw milk does not cure asthma or allergies. It does not cure lactose intolerance. Raw milk is not more effective in preventing osteoporosis than pasteurized milk. Raw milk does not help build a child’s immune system. Raw milk is not more nutritional than pasteurized milk. The Food and Drug Administration says that although the heating process slightly affects a few of the vitamins-thiamine, vitamin B6 and folic acid within the B-complex, and vitamin C, the changes are not significant.

Raw milk might contain disease-causing pathogens such as salmonella, E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Brucella speces and Campylobacter jejuni. Pregnant women, babies, young children, older folks and those with compromised immune systems are in the greatest danger of contracting an illness caused by these bacteria.

The Centers for Disease Control warns that pregnant women are 20 times more likely to become ill if exposed to listeria. The symptoms might be flu-like or she might have no symptoms, but listeria in pregnancy can cause a woman to miscarry, have a stillborn child, delivery prematurely or at the least, the baby might be born with an infection.

E.Coli 0157:H7 can cause vomiting, diarrhea, excruciating abdominal pain, fever, headache, overall body aches, acute renal failure, seizures and stroke. It can kill you.

Salmonella, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, excruciating abdominal pain, fever, headache, muscle pain and bloody stools can last four to seven days, but it could take months before your bowels return to normal. It, too, can kill you.

Most people in overall good health will recover from an illness caused by harmful bacteria in raw milk – or in foods made with raw milk – pretty quickly. But some individuals can develop symptoms that are chronic, severe, or even life threatening.

Pasteurization is a process during which raw milk is heated to 161 degrees and kept there for a few seconds, then cooled immediately. Pasteurization kills harmful bacteria that can contaminate milk.

Before pasteurization, many people suffered tuberculosis, diphtheria – even typhoid fever – brought on by bacteria in raw milk. In the early 1900’s, my great-grandmothers boiled milk from their cows before giving it to my then-infant grandparents because they knew the risks associated with drinking raw milk.

Not all raw milk and products made from it contain harmful bacteria. But for me, it’s just not worth the risk.

Commentary.

“I’m from Illinois, where our governors make our license plates.”

I have seen this statement posted on social media sites, had it emailed to me, and have heard it repeated by several people who live in the state. Sure, it makes most people chuckle, but how sad it is that many young people in Illinois do not remember a time when there was no former governor of their great state in prison.

I don’t care if you live in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Ohio or anywhere else in the Midwest, those you have elected and trust to represent your interests at the county, state or national level have not all always been ethical in their practices. Time and again, elected officials disappoint us. How many times have I heard it said that you can elect a great congressman who understands the needs of the people in the district, but once he or she gets to Washington, they catch “Potomac fever” and forget about those “outside the belt way.”

It doesn’t have to be that way. It shouldn’t be that way.

I think it is time to get involved. Get off the sidelines! Take a stand by voicing your support for those whose policies and actions are in line with values with which you want to see your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews and other young people raised. Take a stand by voicing your disapproval of those bad actors in office. Tell your county, state and U.S. elected officials to clean up their act. It’s time to end this culture of corruption!

In recent months, I have participated in an “Ethics in business” educational series with some of my co-workers. Central to the discussion is the economic collapse of 2008, and in a nutshell, what went wrong ethically to cause such a mess. We have listened to panelists from Harvard and Yale business schools and others in academia share their insight. I have listened as 20-somethings in my company complain about a lack of ethics training at the university where they studied, while other 20-somethings were required to take many hours of ethics classes before they could graduate.

It is my opinion that ethics training at the college level should only serve to reinforce that which was learned before you were 5 years old. I firmly believe that ethics training begins at home. By setting a good example, parents of children in this nation have the power to bring us back to the place we need to be.

Parents have the opportunity to instill in their children those values and simple good manners that we need our political leaders to possess: Be kind. Say please and thank you. Don’t talk with your mouth full. Take off your hat or cap when you sit down at the dinner table. Don’t lie. Don’t take something that doesn’t belong to you. Share. Make your bed. Work hard. Do your homework. Finish what you start. Play fair. Be polite. Do unto others as they would have them do unto you.

I don’t believe we can, nor should we, try to legislate morality. However, if our lawmakers are moral people, their work will be guided by those moral principles. The bills written, debated and passed by lawmakers will stand firmly on the side of right and just.

Commentary. 

From Smart Phones to tablet computers to GPS in our cars and our tractors, the availability of modern technology to communicate for personal and business reasons has changed. Boy has it changed!

The Internet revolution has, among other things, led people as well as businesses to send and receive a lot more email and a lot less – as some call it snail mail – or conventional mail.

The volume of mail that is processed through the post office is dropping every year. A lot of people pay their bills on line, read their local newspaper on line and instead of spending hours wrapped in a blanket reviewing the Sears Christmas catalog with a cup of hot chocolate, a bowl of popcorn and very, very excited children, they Google and surf and click their “mice.”

Remember shopping for just the right cards and setting aside an hour or two each evening in early to mid-December to write (with a real ink pen) a thoughtful note inside each one before putting the card in an envelope and sticking a festive holiday stamp in the corner? Many people this holiday season will send Christmas greetings in an email or text message to their friends and family.

The U.S. Postal Service is handling a lot less mail than it did just 5 years ago and that means it is generating a lot less revenue. One tactic that is being implemented to generate revenue came early this fall when the Postmaster General announced that postage stamps in the United States will now not only feature the deceased deserving recognition, but will open eligibility for living people to be featured on stamps.

It didn’t take long for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) long to get on board. According to a news release from the animal rights group, “It might be several more months before the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) issues official stamps honoring living people-but PETA is ahead of the curve with a new “Vegetarian Icons” postage sheet produced by Stamps.com, an approved licensed vendor of the USPS.”

The official roll-out of these stamps was held last week at a post office in Hollywood. Bob Barker and Pamela Anderson along with someone named Steve-O were there for the unveiling. Others featured on these stamps include Ellen DeGeneres, Paul McCartney, Natalie Portman, Woody Harrelson, Leonardo da Vinci (now wait a minute – he’s dead – as are several others picked by PETA for this honor.)

According to the PETA news release, “The VIPs featured on these unique postage sheets ditched meat from their diets either out of concern for their health, for the environment, or for animals and our world would not be the same without their accomplishments. Although the individuals featured in this series seem very different at first glance, they are united in their respect for animals.”

I guess if you aren’t going to get your face on a postage stamp for superb acting (Pamela Anderson) or for years hosting a day-time TV game show (Bob Barker) this is probably as good as it gets.