not A merica, THE MERICA

Happy day-before-the-Forth-of-July! I want to take a moment to reflect on the glorious country that I call home. This blog is dedicated to the men and women who love this place enough to put it all on the line, and for that I am forever grateful. We so often take our freedom and liberties for granted, so I encourage everyone to revere this great nation and all that she stands for. Never forget the history this soil holds and all that it has overcome, and all that it continues to promise.

Two of my favorite quotes about life are about as equivalent to being American as it gets: “If you want to be happy, be” and “If you don’t like where you are, move” perfectly explain the majority of human problems as well as the solution. We are lucky enough to live in one country with 50 very different states- if you don’t like one, you’re sure to find one that you do. Though I have visited less than half of the states (so far), I still have an endless amount of respect and appreciation for each one for the depth and character they add to our “melting pot.” Here’s a list of the 50 things I personally love about our 50 states, even the one’s I haven’t been to yet…

Alabama- Football. And one smokin’ hot guy with manners! (aka, Alex)

Alaska- Deadliest Catch, dog mushing, and Mt. McKinley making the tallest point in the biggest state

Arizona- Grand Canyon

Arkansas- the LAKE

California- the pursuit of happiness and self always seem to be welcomed out there…and they have the huge trees in the Sequoia National Park

Colorado- Hiking, skiing, and the first place I ever saw a wild prairie dog

Connecticut- strangely entertaining hunting locations and nice homes

Delaware- the first of the great states, Fishers popcorn, and the lady bug being the state bug…

Florida- Disney World—so magical!

Georgia- Peaches, golf, and peanut festivals. It can keep the gnats, though.

Hawaii- Beaches everywhere…that’s a dead give away.

Idaho- Potato chips, hot springs, and the Nez Perce legends…they should have kept the Appaloosas…

Illinois- Chicago, the greatest rival to the Cards,…and the home of some of my best friends from college.

Indiana- Purdue. Agriculture forever.

Iowa- the crookedest street in the world, Snake Alley

Kansas- can’t say much because I was raised to hate a Jayhawk, but thank goodness for farm country

Kentucky- One word: Bourbon.

Louisiana- Cajun food and Swamp People

Maine- Lobster

Maryland- I read once that their Mcdonald’s offer crab rolls…

Massachusetts- Smarty pants schools that beat Asian math and science scores everytime.

Michigan- Detroit and vehicles- thanks, yall.

Minnesota- MALL OF AMERICA

Mississippi- Blues music, laid back lifestyles, Mugshots cheeseburgers, and Hail to Dear Ole State!

Missouri- The Bootheel and me, obviously. Although I should also mention the Sikeston rodeo, Lamberts, and the Cardinals.

Montana- the Horse Whisperer and the largest buffalo herd thanks to Ted Turner

Nebraska- corn, corn, corn, and the College World Series

Nevada- Sin City, baby

New Hampshire- first of the 13 colonies to declare independence from England- that’s FREE!

New Jersey- Jersey Shore and all of its awful, raunchy entertainment.

New Mexico- Hot Air Balloon Festival

New York- Sex and the City and the Freedom Tower, all 1776 feet of it

North Carolina- Nicholas Sparks and his fabulous romance novels

North Dakota- Cowboy Country, baby

Ohio- “Cleveland ROCKS!” oh, and so does Clark Gable…

Oklahoma- Oklahoma City, Still Water, Calf Fry, Corona Cartel, I could go on for days about this place…

Oregon- Carousel Horses and their ever-surprising football jerseys

Pennsylvania- HERSHEY’S CHOCOLATE

Rhode Island- home to the oldest operating tavern in the country, the White Horse Tavern, which opened in 1673

South Carolina- Hilton Head

South Dakota- the fact that this is referred to as the “Bad Lands” is just awesome…

Tennessee- itty bitty Paris spared my liquor habits in college and Nashville because, duh.

Texas- the “don’t tread on me” state of mind rules in the long horn state- and I love it!

Utah- Rainbow Bridge, the largest natural land bridge

Vermont- BEN AND JERRY’S ICE CREAMMMMM

Virginia- Gettysburg and the Pentagon, demonstrating the best defense for hundreds of years and counting…

Washington- I don’t remember much about Washington because I was young when we visited, but I did enjoy picking wild strawberries out of people’s front yards…and eating them.

West Virginia- 75 percent of this state is forest…because “mountaineers are always free”

Wisconsin- CHEESE

Wyoming- rodeos, frizz-free hair, and Yellow Stone.

And if you’re not singing “50 Nifty United States” yet………..I bet you are now….

“…each individual state contributes a quality that is great…”

But the greatest of all is knowing that no matter what state you’re in, you’re an American. And if you don’t like it, “man we’ll light up your world like the 4^th of July. Brought to your courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue.”

Here’s a list of a few more great things about ‘Merica:

1. We have the best “away colors”- camo

2. Back to back World War Champs

3. On a scale of one to America, how free do you feel right now?

4. No more prohibition means we can get “star spangled hammered” or “red, white, and boozed” anytime we want.

5. Flags a wavin’, guns a blazin’

6. Merica needed a nice vacation home, so she bought Hawaii.

Ok I’ll stop now. But on a serious note, always remember those that serve so we can call our home the Land of the Free. They sacrifice everything” not because they hate what’s in front of them, but because they love what’s behind them.” (quote from a friend that is currently serving for us)

I hope everyone has a fantastic 4^th filled with family, friends, BBQ, fireworks, and a body of water celebrating our heritage. Let’s put politics and differences aside for one day and revel in the complexities that keep us aware and give everyone a voice, and more importantly, a chance. This is our home, let’s be thankful.

“This Lady may have stumbled, but she never fell…From the sound up in Long Island out to San Francisco Bay, and ev’ry thing that’s in between them is our home. And we may have done a little bit of fighting amongst ourselves, but you outside people best leave us alone. Cause we’ll all stick together and you can take that to the bank. That’s the cowboys and the hippies and the rebels and the yanks. You just go and lay your hand on a Pittsburgh Steeler fan and I think you’re gonna finally understand.”- Charlie Daniels Band

Merica.

Love always,

Addie

“…meals are memorials that teach us how to move, history moves in us as we raise our voices and then our glasses to pour a little our for those who poured our everything for us, we pour ourselves our for them, so they can eat again.” –Jake Adam York, excerpt from his poem, “Grace”

pick a bale a day…

Happy Farming Thursday, y’all! I could tell you all about peanuts since I worked with over 30,000 tons of them this year, but instead I am gonna take it back to home-sweet-Triple-D-Farm’s-specialty-home: cotton.

Cotton, in my opinion, falls into the category of crops that are more difficult to grow. Even in the rich Delta soils, the “summer snow” requires much upkeep when it comes to weed and insect defense. (I’m probably just biased after multiple summers spent wading through the waves of cotton, chopping out the treacherous pig weeds while being eaten alive by mosquitos and the sun…)

In 1996, Biotech (Bt) cotton was introduced as a way to help farmers combat weeds. It altered the seed so that the plants could withstand shots of Roundup, while the weeds around them burned to the ground. This reduced the need for special equipment like hooded sprayers and gave farmers more freedom in their field applications. In the 16 years since its introduction, Bt cotton has taken command of a whopping 94 percent of the market. This shouldn’t seem surprising, yet, recently I have noticed more attention towards the transition back to conventional cotton.

Some farmers claim to have higher yields with conventional, but do the numbers really outweigh the increased labor and equipment cost? Charles Allen, Extension entomologist with Texas A&M AgriLife, says years of studies have proven both conventional and Bt cotton are profitable. There are also concerns with the Bt cotton infrastructure that is beginning to show some unintended consequences. The weeds in the Roundup Ready Bt fields have been growing more immune to Roundup over the last few years and researchers are afraid that we might have created a “super weed” through the adaptations.

While going back to conventional cotton may be an answer, therein lies another problem. Though this type of farming is not a long forgotten method, it is very rare. Likewise, many in the industry have no knowledge or skill of working with conventional cotton. With the declining market prices of cotton in recent years, the number of consultants, custom applicators, sales reps and entomologists that specialize in cotton have steadily dropped as well, leaving fewer and fewer people to assist in the switch back to conventional or to find new methods to defend against the “super weeds.”

“Every human resource in agriculture is a valuable one, with the world population expected to top 9 billion by 2050. Trying to build the agriculture infrastructure—not just in cotton— is as urgent as it has ever been in the past 30 years,” Allen says.

From a small farmer’s perspective, getting the “most bang for your buck” is the way of life, and thus, Bt may be the only way. But for more large scale farmers who have more access and funding, conventional may produce higher yields.

If Bt cotton continues to dominate the market, it is almost guaranteed that we will have super weeds that will continue to grow and change with whatever biotechnology throws at them, making the combat process nearly impossible in the future. On the other hand, if conventional cotton is encouraged, smaller farmers may be pushed out of the market altogether. Super weeds or super farmers?

This is just one view point on Bt vs. conventional cotton. There are many other things that play into cotton production that I didn’t even touch on, so before you make any assumptions, do your homework! (This is a prime example of why ag policy was one of my favorite classes and why the USDA has a LOT on their plate when putting together plans and laws. There are so many unforeseen and independent factors that affect agriculture and every option must be considered to make the best decision in “making the puzzle fit.”)

Is anyone else singing “jump down, turn around, pick a bale of cotton, gonna jump down, turn around, pick a bale a day!”? That’s been stuck in my head for the entirety this blog for some weird reason…hmm…

(Reference: Ben Potter’s article in Farm Journal for the interview of Mr. Allen.)

Until tomorrow, have a great one!

Thank a farmer. And remember: good things come to those who work their a$$es off.

Love always,

Addie

“I have not taken a serious task upon myself and I fear a greater one that is in the power of any man to perform in the given time- but it is too late to go back.” –Eli Whitney

may we be them

I try not to get too involved in politics. Which is weird since policy was one of my favorite classes in college. Regardless, I have never been right or left, blue or red. I basically just listen to the public knowledge and go with my gut when voting. Probably not the most responsible thing to do as a citizen with an opinion that actually counts, but at least I make my stand one way or another. I have my views that I stand by regardless of where this country is headed and I hope that everyone else has their own as well. That’s what this country is about- being a “melting pot”. But I think that some values should be upheld by everyone- like being nice, for instance. Who could seriously come up with an argument against that? Instead of getting up on my soapbox and preaching all about my views and my values and me, me, me, I’d just like to share two clips from recent media that I thoroughly enjoyed and firmly stand by.

“I didn’t just grow up. I was taught to speak when I enter a room, say ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’ to have respect for my elders and to get up off my lazy butt and let the elder in the room have my chair. Say ‘yes sir’ and ‘no sir’, lend a helping hand to those in need. Hold the door for the person behind me, say ‘excuse me’ when it’s needed and to love people for who they are and not for what I can get from them. I was also taught to treat people he way I want to be treated.” -Unknown

I am proud that I too was “raised.” All too often people give excuses to the way we treat one another. “Chivalry is dead.” “It’s a Southern thing.” Well I am here to tell you- chivalry is not dead and it does NOT only exist in the South. I will claim to be a Southern girl until the day that I die but regardless of my own upbringing, I am still a Missouri native…And most people don’t considered Missouri to be a part of the South. Guess what? My dad holds doors open. My brother says “yes mam.” And Lord knows my momma tried her damnedest to teach me some manners. The truth is that is doesn’t matter where you’re from or what year it is, we should still all have respect for one another.

Now for a more political stand point from the one and only, Bill Cosby:

“I’m 83. Except for brief period in the 50’s when I was doing my National
Service, I’ve worked hard since I was 17. Except for some serious
health challenges, I put in 50-hour weeks, and didn’t call in sick in nearly
40 years. I made a reasonable salary, but I didn’t inherit my job or my
income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, it looks as
though retirement was a bad idea, and I’m tired. Very tired.

I’m tired of being told that I have to “spread the wealth” to people who
don’t have my work ethic. I’m tired of being told the government will take
the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy
to earn it.

I’m tired of being told that Islam is a “Religion of Peace,” when every day I
can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and
daughters for their family “honor”; of Muslims rioting over some slight
offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren’t
“believers”; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning
teenage rape victims to death for “adultery”; of Muslims mutilating the
genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur’an and
Shari’a law tells them to.

I’m tired of being told that out of “tolerance for other cultures” we must let
Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries use our oil money to fund mosques
and Madrasa Islamic schools to preach hate in Australia , New Zealand ,
UK, America and Canada , while no one from these countries are allowed to
fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia or any other
Arab country to teach love and tolerance..

I’m tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global
warming, which no one is allowed to debate.

I’m tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help
support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ
rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses
or stick a needle in their arm while they tried to fight it off?

I’m tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of all
parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful
mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting
caught. I’m tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.

I’m really tired of people who don’t take responsibility for their lives and
actions. I’m tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination
or big-whatever for their problems.

I’m also tired and fed up with seeing young men and women in their teens and
early 20’s be-deck themselves in tattoos and face studs, thereby making
themselves unemployable and claiming money from the Government.

Yes, I’m damn tired. But I’m also glad to be 83.. Because, mostly, I’m not
going to have to see the world these people are making. I’m just sorry for
my granddaughters and their children. Thank God I’m on the way out and not
on the way in.”

I think this impacted me more because the topics I generally associate with Bill Cosby are funny…or Jello. I didn’t find anything about this funny, but rather saddening. Nevertheless, he covered it all pretty darn well.

Speaking of media, did anyone happen to see the football game that interrupted Beyonce’s concert on Sunday night?! Clearly New Orleans was in fact, not “ready for this jelly” cause Queen B shot out the lights. Whoa.

Favorite commercials? I will admit that I was a little busy stuffing my face and socializing to watch the entirety of the Super Bowl coverage but I do have two favorites. And you along with 15 million other Americans can probably guess which ones they are.
Drum roll please…..

Of course I would have to pick the horse one. It made me cry. Literally cry during one of the most testosterone-filled events of the year. And I loved it.

And of course I’m a sucker for anything agriculture related, given that it’s made my entire life revolve for the last (almost) 23 years. The 30-second commercial took my heart home to my family and made me proud…also made me pat dear ole Alex on the back to remind him of how proud I am of all that he does. May we know them, may we raise them, may we be them- God bless the farmers. And God bless Dodge for having the guts to proclaim their faith by repeating the word “God” in their paramount moment.

Dad, Spence, Alex and I had the pleasure of going on a luxe duck hunt two weekends ago thanks to HBK seed and Bayer Crop Science. It was a lot of cold an early, both of which I don’t typically fair well, but we had a great time at Wildlife Farms and would all highly recommend it to anyone. Because it was the end of the season, the ducks had gotten smart and were few and far between, but we did get a few kills. On the second morning out, while sitting in the blind, I realized something that I have heard before but never paid much attention to: silence. When you first get settled into the blind everything seems silent. Not a sound. But once your ears get adjusted to the quiet after the short boat ride and clatter of climbing into the floating lair, you begin to hear everything. Birds chirping, squirrels doing what I can only deem as screaming at one another, trees crackling, water lapping against the shore and rippling under the wind, the wind…things that I wasn’t initially paying attention to and had forgotten to notice. Once I was still enough, they made their presence known and it became almost loud again. It reminded me of Psalm 46:10, “be still and know that I am God.” Often we are moving so much in our lives and forget what’s really important. But if we sit still long enough and just listen, we can hear God through it all.

Everyone please say a quick prayer for Nan and Papa as they travel to Washington to visit Nan’s sister and her family. Fortunately, if they get lost we’ll know where to find them….

Nan and Papa do Mardi Gras!

Also, I have a Barron’s GRE study book if anyone is interested in buying it…message me for details. Just sayin.

Love always,

Addie

“I believe that Paul admonishes wives to respect their husbands because he knew that after years of mistakes, poor choices, wrong decisions, and smelly socks, respect may not come naturally for a wife. It may well take an act of obedience empowered by the Holy Spirit within.”- Girlfriends in God daily devotional (….was too funny not to share!)