The Great Food Debate

There are so many choices out there when it comes to what we put on our table to feed our families. With Thanksgiving coming up, I thought I would share what I think about food and its importance. First of all, I say thank you to all the farmers out there who help keep America's belly full!! There is not a more noble profession out there. Now I pose a question to you the consumer. Where does your food come from? Most Americans would probably answer the grocery store. That is the answer most 3rd graders give us at Farm-City Day when we ask them where their milk comes from. But there are several steps in the chain to get that food to the grocery store shelves. With all things, it begins with reproduction. We farmers choose the best genetics to grow the best quality product possible. The advances in genetics now allows us to look at the best gene combinations to breed for the best animals. We can look at things like marbling (fat streaks in the beef), milk production ( which cows will give the most milk), tenderness of the meat, etc. Once those choices are made and the calves are born, we work hard to give them the best chance at survival. We feed them, house them, watch them for diseases, vaccinate to prevent disease, and we love them. We love our animals and they become part of our family. If we didn't love them, we wouldn't be farmers. It takes a special kind of person to tend to animals.

 

There is a great debate even among farmers at what is the best way to grow food. Most farmers just go the conventional route. Calves are sold and go to a feed lot where they fatten until they are ready to go to slaughter. From there, the meat is packed and goes to the grocery store. Now, the meat in the grocery store is a safe product. It undergoes lots of rigorous testing to ensure there are no antibiotics. The same goes for milk you buy in the store. Samples are taken at each farm and if antibiotics are found in the milk, it goes down the drain. Some farmers prefer a special niche known as organic farming. They use no antibiotics, vaccines, or genetically modified organisms. My only issue with organic farming is that it would be impossible to feed all Americans with this method of farming.

 

As a farmer, my advice to everyone would be buy your food locally. There is a movement known as the Locavore movement. You buy food all locally grown or farm fresh. Know the farmer who grew it, see where that animal lives, see what kind of food the animal ate,  know if your animal was ever sick, if it had been given any antibiotics, know who handles the food you are eating,. That is a problem I see with conventional methods. By the time you buy something in the grocery store, it has passed through several different hands. If you buy directly from a farmer, you know exactly where that food has been. My family has raised our own beef for years. Jersey beef is some of the most tender meat you will ever put in your mouth. I know exactly how that beef was raised and handled. I encourage each of you to research farmer's markets and local farmers who sell farm fresh foods. I am working to make our family's farm less dependent on the grocery store. The milk you buy in the stores is marked way up. The only person making money on that milk is the processing plant not the hard working farmer.

I really just want to share my story and the wholesome products my family produces. I want to tell people how we raise our animals. The pride my family takes in our way of life and doing what we love. So the next time you see me, ask me any questions you might have about where your food comes from! I am a farmer which makes me an expert at answering those questions. The problem these days is there is so much misinformation out there and so many people removed from the farm. The wrong people are often telling our story(HSUS, PETA, etc). If we as farmers don't stand up and tell our story, I guarantee someone else will! And they will tell it all wrong.

Until next time, Sara

What Growing Up on a Farm Taught Me

Our most impressionable years are during childhood. We learn everything about the world around us and what is expected of us as children. We learn our morals and right from wrong. We learn about ourselves. Who we are and what we are made of. So I sat down and thought about how I grew up. As a small child, I didn't understand why my family had to be so different. We didn't take family vacations. Our lives revolved around the happenings on our farm. At the time, I was resentful. I wanted to be normal. We couldn't go spend the weekend on the beach because someone had to be their to milk the cows, feed the calves, and tend to the fields. In the summer, this was especially true as hay was needed to be mowed and baled, corn needed to planted and later harvested, and cattle had to be watched close due to the summer heat. Diseases like to sneak up on you when the temperatures rise. Now I realize how fortunate I am to have the upbringing I had. I learned so much from living on the farm.

1. Patience- A newborn calf is born on a cold January morning. Before the cow even cleans her off, we pick the calf up and bring it in to the basement next to the wood stove. Its 5 degrees outside. One of the coldest morning we have had in years. It would take a matter of minutes for a wet calf to loose ears and tail to frost bite. This was a heifers calf too. She took a little longer having the calf because she was new to the whole birthing process. These factors all contributed to a tuckered out little baby by the time I got her first milk called colostrum to her. She was weak, still couldn't stand, and was still shaking from being outside. I gently coaxed her into taking the first few drinks from a bottle. Then, she had to rest. We went on like this for 30-45 minutes until finally she finished the bottle. By noon she was up on her feet and ready to be a survivor. Had I not been diligent and patient in my endeavors to make sure she got this first milk, she likely would not have made it. Something we all have to learn at some point in our life is patience. Most people learn it once they have children. You have to be patient with little ones. I had the privilege of learning this at an early age long before I had a child of my own. This has helped me in my professional life as well. As a school teacher, you must be patient and know that all children learn at a different rate. Some need a little extra coaxing to get motivated and some just need a little extra attention to fully grasp a concept. I expect as a I get older patience is something I will get even better at. This is also something we are passing down to the next generation at LaLu. Here is my cousin Cain feeding a newborn calf.

2. Desperation- In life, not all things are rainbows and sunshine. Sometimes you work hard and want something so bad and still it doesn't come to you. In the summer of 2007, we had a drought here in Tennessee. I had just finished my junior year of college and was actually working on another farm that summer. It was so dusty and dry. The corn wasn't waist tall, the pastures were brown, and the cattle were hot. The rains never came that summer and something had to be sacrificed. My family discussed this at length until finally it was decided our beef herd of 50 cows would have to be sold. This was truly bittersweet especially for my Mom. My parents started our beef herd from a couple cows they bought off my Granny. They worked hard and bred for the best genetics. As I grew up, this beef herd was the foundation for all my show heifers. By the time we sold them, over half of the cows had been my show animals at some point in time. It was a desperate time but we couldn't afford to buy feed for them and we were not able to grow feed for them. We were at the mercy of mother nature. I learned a lot that summer. I learned what it meant to persevere, to keep fighting, to keep holding on. We would survive this drought as a family. Right now, there is a similar situation taking place in South Dakota. A freak blizzard came while most cattle were still out on summer pastures killing tens of thousands of livestock. I am sure they are feeling desperation right now. If I could say one thing about the farming community though, it would be that we will be ok. Maybe not next week or in a month, but it will be ok. The Summer of 07 was bad but its now a distant memory. I'm not saying I haven't learned from it but we as farmers are all the mercy of other forces. Its a part of life we accept and grow from.

3. Exhilaration- It's 6 am. I have been up and feeding calves since 5:15. I mixed the cows feed with the skid steer and mixer wagon while the sky was finally beginning to lighten. As I pull the tractor to the cows trough, the sun finally bursts over the horizon warming my face. It was a pretty crisp October morning. This is one of the most beautiful sights and I get to see it every morning. I am one of the lucky ones. I get to witness nature's miracles on a daily basis. A cow is struggling with having her calf. We get her up and check to see if there are any problems. Sure enough the calf's head is turned back not allowing the calf to be born. We push the calf back and reposition the head. After a few gentle tugs on the calf's feet, she slides right out. After all the struggle on the cow's part and the struggle on our part, the calf is here and is alive. The mother comes and begins her job of cleaning and loving on her baby. It is not always a happy ending like that. Sometimes you work hard and the calf is born dead. Assisting a birth can be an exhausting job. The mother is pushing against you doing what nature tells her to do but we need her to stop so we can reposition the calf or get chains on the feet. Once that calf is born, you wait for that first breath or the first shake of its head that never comes. In farming, we take the good with the bad. We accept that we can't save them all but we try our best to do what we can. Life is a beautiful thing and we get to witness that miracle on a daily basis.

4. Hard work and long hours- As farmers, our work is never done. There is always a pen that needs to be cleaned, hay that needs to be mowed, ground that needs to be tilled, and most importantly mouths to feed (our animals and the world!). Its our job to tend to the land to help feed the world. Whether its corn, wheat, beans, eggs, pork, beef, cheese, or milk, all farmers put food on the table of others. We serve the people and we serve the land. We are stewards of the land and do our best to preserve the Earth for the next generation. We get up before the sun and often work way past sunset. We do what it takes to get the job done. This is a cute picture below but the most important aspect is that it was taken on Christmas day. While others are at home with their families celebrating, farmers are out tending to their livestock.

 

5. Hope-I have hope in a better tomorrow because I am a farmer. I know we are going to get better and better at our job of feeding the world. Each farmer in America already feeds 155 people. I expect that number to continue to rise. I hope for a bright future and for Case to have the opportunity to be a farmer if he so chooses. I have hopes that he grows up to be a good young man that makes his own choices and sees the good in things. I hope he can learn from his Pa about driving a tractor and working the land. I hope he can learn from me about how to doctor a sick calf and the kindness you need to tend to sick animals. I hope he learns how to work hard and still have fun from his father. We all have hopes for our children.

6. Love- I love my way of life. I love that it showed me how to work and never give up. Growing up on a farm gave me a love and closeness to my family that few others know. Working side by side through the feast and the famine made us that way. I love my husband and know he is my soul mate. I am not saying it is easy or that there haven't been bumps in the road but I am saying it is worth it. More than that, I love him more now that he is Case's father. And then there is the love a mother towards her children. Something so deep and instinctual. I cannot imagine this world now without Case in it. He is my life, the reason for breathing, the sun on my face. Most importantly, I can't wait to see that bond grow even stronger as he grows up.

 

 

As farmers, we pass our way of life down from generation to generation. The picture above is of my cousin Cain helping me feed calves. A task all the children love to help with. Our lives revolve around our farms. We put the needs of it above our own needs. Not everyone agrees with it, but I feel it was a great way to grow up.

Until next time,

Sara LaFever  Halliburton

LaLu: A Farming Legacy

 In 1949, after going to Detroit to build airplanes for WWII, my grandparents returned to Tennessee. My family was originally from Cookeville but my grandparents decided to settle in a smaller town. They had also gotten used to the comforts of electricity while their stay up north so they purchased our farm that happened to be at the end of the electric line.

Now this pic is from 2010. It is a very different sight than it was when Granny and Pa decided to put down roots. There was a large barn with tie stalls that stood where they milked their first cow. In 1952, they purchased 3 jersey cows. Yes, that is the Mayfield cow or the little brown cow. They had 4 more children and built a fine home right across the road from the dairy. They named their farm LaLu farms. It is a combination of their two names LaFever and Luke (my Granny's maiden name). My Pa taught school, coached basketball, had a home improvement store, served on lots of different committees, was the President of the White County Fair Board, helped start artificial insemination in our area, and ran for a county office. My Granny was the epitome of a good farm house wife. She cooked, canned, gardened, raised 6 children and the baby calves, and ran the show basically. My dad was born late in Granny's life. She was 42 when he was born I believe. He was the baby of the family. I loved both my grandparents. My Granny died rather unexpected in 2001 and my Pa made it another 2 years before he joined her. They both lived to be in their late 80's. They left behind a great legacy.

This picture is from a few years ago. We have added 4 more great grand children since this picture was taken! We have lost some and we have gained some and we are still going strong. My family are the ones who still run the dairy farm that was my grandparents passion.

The four of us worked side by side through the ups and downs of the dairy industry until my Mom lost her battle with Colon Cancer in 2012. She was the book keeper, penny pincher,  and she had an uncanny way to choose the best bulls for our cows. She was the brains of the operation though shhh don't tell Dad. My parents are my heroes. I didn't know it growing up but I do now. They both worked hard to make sure we had food on the table and clothes on our backs. We could sit around the dinner table and talk about the farm or what cows need to go dry or what medicines we should use on a sick calf. We were a team. We work together, play together, and love each other.

 In 2011, Rorey and I got married. He didn't grow up on a dairy but he is a farm boy.

And of course, there was a cow at the wedding. Ramona had traveled the country with me!

We are the face of the dairy industry. If you think family farms are gone, you are wrong! Our family is still dairying and will continue as long as I am alive. I know people worry about where their food comes from. You worry about the quality and the safety of the food you set on the table for your family. Well, we are not so different from you. We have the same worries. I can assure you, we strive to do the best job we can with our cows to bring the highest quality milk to your family. It is a family legacy for us. We have been working at this for over 60 years now. It is a legacy I hope to pass down to my son.

Until next time, Sara LaFever Halliburton

Colic: The Demon in my Baby

I had the sweetest little baby. He slept so well (5 hours at a time) during the night. He would wake, nurse, and go back to his cradle. We had a fabulous system though it took us a few nights to get it down pat. This went on the first 2 weeks we were home.

At 3 weeks, he cried all day. It was a Wednesday I will not ever forget. Rorey was home with me since it had turned off dry (he mows yards). We were all 3 completely exhausted. Case wouldn't nap and he just cried. I took him to the doctor the next day. This was so out of character for him. He did have a little congestion but nothing the doctor was worried about. He was some better the next day and I really kind of wrote it off as maybe that was all that was wrong with him. Little did I know what we were in for! For about 2 weeks after that, if the child was awake he was crying. And evenings? Forget it! He screams bloody murder with no chance of consoling him. We have tried it all. Gas drops, gripe water, swings, vibrating bouncy seats, Zantac for reflux, changed formulas (though he doesn't get much formula at all). We have had him to a chiropractor twice. I have been so desperate to find something to "fix" my colicky baby. The title of this post is actually a joke between my husband and I. We both joked that our next step was calling a preist to perform an exorcism because there is a demon in our sweet little baby. One night he slept through his colic time. I told Rorey, "Just wait! He will be up at one of his feeding and he will be colicky." Sure enough that night at his 2 am feeding, he wouldn't eat and he just screamed. That night I sat up with him and rocked and rocked and rocked him. I tried to put him down a couple times thinking it was over and I was wrong! Its like he is programmed to cry so many hours a day and if he doesn't get that in the evening it will come out another time. Usually when mama wants to be sleeping. The next night he did that again. I was so tired and I knew rocking was not going to help. So I laid him down in his crib in his bedroom and walked away. It was the hardest thing EVER! I felt like such a horrible mother. He finally cried it out and fell asleep.

I have finally just accepted that this is who he is. I don't believe its a digestive issue. It is just who Case is. He is very sensitive to his surroundings and the only way he can cope is to cry. I'm not saying it is easy and I am not saying that somedays I don't want to pull my hair out. I am also not saying sometimes we aren't  both busy shedding tears when daddy gets home. But he is my baby ( I was a colicky baby) and I love him so much. I guess I am payin for my raisin' early with this one. For all those moms out there struggling with the same issue, I really think acceptance is the key for me. I left no stone unturned trying to fix him all to no avail. I realized I needed to fix my attitude toward the situation. I needed to look within myself to find a solution. It is just a phase and I am lucky to have this little boy. So many people have fertility issues. Rorey and I were fortunate enough to conceive without any issues at all. So its all in how you look at things I suppose. I will count this little man as one of my life's blessings even if he is never satisfied and we can not take him anywhere after 5 pm (sometimes earlier).

Until next time, Sara LaFever Halliburton

August 27, 2013

After a wonderful 9 months of pregnancy, I decided I had taught for as long as I could. I prepared to take maternity leave a week before my due date. That last Friday after school, I went to my weekly ob appointment. Dr. Gernt said would you like to be induced? I can put you on the schedule for Tuesday? I muttered sure sounds great... I numbly finished the appointment and walked to my car. I am not going to lie. I was scared to death. I had planned on doing nothing that following week and now I was going to have my baby. I texted Rorey that we were having this baby on Tuesday and I thought I was going to vomit.

 

• On Tuesday, August 27, 2013, Rorey and I woke up and headed to the hospital. We arrived at 5:15 that morning and they promptly began hooking me up to more wires and monitors than I could keep up with. I was so worried about all the awkward things I was going to experience with my husband who I had never even peed in front of. Ha! What a joke that would become! After a rough IV stick, the baby's heart rate dropped to 52. Nurses rushed in, turned me, and put an oxygen mask on me. So I don't do needles well. I did not get to start my Pitocin until much later than anticipated. My doctor finally showed up and broke my water. That's a lovely experience. Feeling like you are peeing on yourself for hours. I progressed fairly steadily. Got an epidural. They finally came in and checked me around 7 that night and I was ready to push. Then, I really did vomit. Right into the puke pan my husband was holding. I felt so bad for him.  Again, a new experience for us both. I threw up on my husband. Then, the baby's heart rate dropped again. I was a the worst patient apparently. The nurses wouldn't let me push until my doctor got there. I pushed for about 30 minutes. Case was sunny side up and was too sensitive to try to turn. My doctor said C-section and an exhausted mama said can I nap on the way there? I did close my eyes and rest. I was finally going to have my baby boy. No, not the way I had planned, but 18 hours of labor were all going to be over. Rorey joined me in the surgery room and in a few short minutes Case Johnson Halliburton was born.

  
• Case Johnson Halliburton born at 8:40 pm on August 27, 2013 weighing 7 lbs and 15 oz.

  
• Case and Daddy went to the nursery while they finished with me. Unfortunately, my epidural began to wear off while they were stitching me up. I felt the tug of the stitches and them pushing my organs back into place. Then, I threw up again. I sobbed uncontrollably until the Dilaudid kicked in. By this time, Rorey was back by my side. Did I mention by this time it was midnight August 28th (my 27th birthday). I got the best birthday present I have ever gotten!!! I'm not saying it was easy or pain free but we were both ecstatic and totally smitten. When they finally brought Case to me, I was exhausted but totally in love. He latched right on to my boob and we became best buds. Rorey would burp him for me and help me get him situated. I felt so helpless but I had the best partner and good little baby. I won't ever forget those squinty little eyes and chubby LaFever cheeks. He was a mini version of my dad. The next morning was rough. Getting out of bed sucked. I had had so much fluids from the day before with all the issues and the epidural and the C-section I barely recognized myself. I was beyond the point of hunger having not eaten in 26 hours. Oh and I was so swollen EVERYWHERE! Here was our first family photo as proof!

  
• We stayed in the hospital for 3 days. When the doctor came in and said we could go home on Friday if I felt like it, I cried. I knew Rorey was ready to be out of the confines of the hospital but I was not sure if I was up to it. It was so nice the nurses took him at night and brought him to me to nurse. I was still having trouble getting out of the bed! I needed help taking a shower! I couldn't go home! On Thursday, I decided if I was going to go home I needed to get my butt in gear. So I walked and painful as it was it helped with soreness. We came home after some drama with his circumcision( the pediatrician took the day off). It was quite possibly the hottest day we had all summer. I won't ever forget my still waddling little self slowly getting into the car.

  
• My boys sleeping at the hospital.

   

  
  

  
• Case's First Day Home
• Well, I should probably stop typing and go to bed since Case will be up for the Midnight feeding in 2 hours. Until next time, Sara L Halliburton