Let's Talk Environment - Environmental Sustainability

As a cow/calf and grain farm operation, our land and our environment are very important to us.  We rely heavily on our soil and the weather to produce healthy, lush crops as well as grasslands to feed our cattle and trees to shade them.  We make our living off our environment and the animals that thrive off of it.  

What exactly is environmental sustainability?

Simply put: protecting and sustaining our environment so that it lasts for generations to come.  

Environment Canada defines sustainability as 

The process of developing land, cities, businesses and communities so that our current needs are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs 

You may think that environmental activists and environmental rights groups are worried about nothing; maybe you're sick of hearing about environmental problem; or maybe you just try to put it out of your mind.  It doesn't affect you right... Wrong.  
When talking about environmental sustainability, you will often hear people say "we need to protect this world for the future generations".  Of course this is true, we want to keep earth functioning and sustainable for the future.  But here is the catch.  If we don't get our act in gear and as a whole start cleaning up our environment, it isn't only the future generations that we need to worry about.  There are issues affecting us, here and now; issues that put our health and well being in jeopardy.  
The environmental issues that Canadian's face affect not only the environment, but also us as humans. 

Think about it for a minute.  If we continue producing smog and unhealthy air in the cities, how high are the health costs of the people living in these cities? (lucky for me, the nearest city is an hour away, and the nearest town 20 minutes).  The bad air quality isn't good for respiration by any means.  
How about the amount of water people waste watering their lawns and washing their vehicles, ever think that maybe that water isn't a renewable resource? 
And what about the garbage.  SO MUCH GARBAGE! If you have ever been in 4-H and done highway clean-up you will understand how disgusted I feel when I see someone throw garbage out their window.  Animals don't litter in your home, so why litter in theirs?  Garbage is probably one of the easiest environmental problems for humans to fix, how simple is it to recycle empty bottles, paper, glass and various other products, or even to clean your truck out into a garbage can at a gas station? Why do you feel that you need to dump it onto the ecosystems of so many other creatures?  All you people who litter, didn't your parents ever teach you to respect others, and to appreciate what you have? To litter your garbage wherever, whenever, is so disrespectful, not only to wildlife, but also to everyone else in this world.  We have dumps all over the world, ruining our environment, but at least they are designated areas where the waste can be managed, why make the entire world a dump?  
And what about global warming.  As farmers, my family has had an interesting past few years.  First came droughts, and then last year with the amount of moisture during haying season, we struggled to get any hay bailed.  Obviously this affects our income and our lifestyle.  But it affects yours too, yes, our problems affect you as consumers.  
When drought happened, many farmers sold cattle and some even farms. My family was pasturing off everything we could, including the ditches of roads.  People everywhere were in a panic to find feed for their animals.  No one wanted to buy cattle, because no one could afford to feed them.  People struggled to get crops off, and with a shortage of crops, less people were selling them, meaning less to the plants and factories producing consumer food products.  This was an issue, not only for the farmers, but also for the consumers.  
This year with the extra long, and cold winter, farmers everywhere had to start their seeding later than normal which could throw off harvest this coming fall.  Last year when we had an overabundance of rain we had problems getting our crops dry enough to bale and harvest.  Crops went to waste.  
On our farm, we feed our cattle using our own produce as much as possible.  We bale our own hay, harvest our own grain, and use our own pastures to feed our cattle, and all of the extra we sell to the markets, such as our canola and extra barely and oats.  So when we don't have good crops, we don't have much extra to sell.  And this means the market prices for the cereal crops goes up, and the cost of producing beef goes up, and that means that for all you consumers out there who like eating meat or bread, or butter, or milk, or vegetables, or any of the other millions of things that you consume from farmers in a day, all of your prices for food goes up.  And then you complain.  You don't want to pay for the expensive food, you don't want price hikes.  And I get that.  But if you don't want to continue paying extra for your products, don't you think it's time we start paying in a different regard, and look into paying attention to our environment and how we abuse it!  

Reduce.  Reuse. Recycle. How hard is it? Especially when there are recycling centers and bins everywhere now a days! 


I got to thinking a great deal about what my family does to save our environment. 

Other ways that we save our environment:

• We recycle everything. 
• When we were younger, our parents used to make our lunches for us for school.  All of our food was sent in reusable containers, glass dishes and in reusable bags.  My parents believed in buying things in large quantities so that we weren't using as much plastic with individually wrapped items.  It was also healthier for us as kids to be heating our food up in glass containers rather than plastic.  
• My family keeps water in the fridge, and we have a drawer full of water bottles that we fill and take with us places
• We hang all of our clothes to dry in the spring and summer outside, and when it snows or rains my mother has long racks in our laundry room to hang things.
• We use rain water from barrels to water all of our plants, and we let mother nature take care of our lawn.  
• We give our dogs our table scraps, and any fresh produce waste goes to the field for compost. 
• We have dugouts and creeks with natural springs by which we water are cattle
• We try to minimize the sprays we use on our crops, and pay close attention to our soil needs and the fertilizers that we use
• We reuse as much as we can, and find uses for old things
• Old filters, batteries and old tires from our tractors all get recycled and we make sure all old oil is contained and dealt with properly
• We never, ever litter
• We all take quick showers, and there are never lights, televisions or computers left on in our house
• We use reusable grocery bags and make sure that we try and minimize our garbage production as much as possible
• We have a wood burning stove in our house which helps heat the house in the winter
• My first two years of university I lived in residence so that I never had to drive to school, and this year I am hoping for a condo within walking distance
• This year I won the Grant MacEwan University Environmental Sustainability Scholarship, and will be attending the Alberta Emerald Awards on June 15, in Edmonton!  The Emerald Awards showcase and recognizes environmental leaders in Alberta.  Check out their website for more information - Alberta Emerald Foundation

My family does our part as much as possible to save our land. This country. This world.  While at the same time helping to keep ourselves and our animals healthy.

In our national anthem we say "the true North strong and free".  Our true North is beginning to melt due to the climate change, and green house gas emissions, and Canada as the "true North strong and free" needs to do our part in being STRONG and start a trend to move away from our bad environmental habits.  

So what is everyone else doing about it?

Where does Canada fit?

What action needs to be taken?

"We can avoid danger, and exploit opportunity"

Now what will you do to take your part in saving this world? 

What you can do! 

• Go outside, instead of watching so much television and playing video games, enjoy nature.  Go to the lake, go for a walk, go skiing, go biking, go to a park, take your dog for a walk, do anything to avoid all the electricity we use! Not only does this make our earth healthier, but it also makes you healthier!
• Use energy efficient appliances and light bulbs
• conserve the amount of paper that you use.  When you print, use both sides of sheets, reuse scrap paper, watch the amount of toilet paper, paper towel and napkins that you consume.  Wipe spills up with reusable cloths instead of napkins.  Not only does this save the world, but it also saves you money.
• Put rain barrels outside under eaves troughs and use the rain water to water plants and even your lawn
• Be realistic on the amount you wash your car.  If it came down to it, you would need that water a lot more than your car
•   Conserve water.  Fix dripping taps, put water in the fridge so you don't have to let the taps run to get cold water, always fill the dishwasher full, turn off the tap while brushing your teeth.  Less baths, more showers, and shorter!
• Carpool, or better yet, use the bus, the LRT, or walk.  It is harder for people out of town to do the whole walking thing, but my family carpools a whole lot.  My mom works in the same town that my sister goes to school in so they always ride together.  Whenever my grandparents are going to the city, they always see if there is something that they can get for us, to save us from making an extra trip.  They schedule appointments and meetings on the same days, days when they know they will need groceries. All in an attempt to manage the amount that we use our vehicles. 
• Plant a tree, or two, or ten! 
• Plant a garden and get fresh vegetables out of it! My family has a very large garden and we love the fresh vegetables and fruits that we grow! Small greenhouses in the back yard are great too!
• DON'T LITTER

All of these ideas seem so easy and so obvious, but the problem is that the now generation is so lazy! It isn't that we can't do these simple things, it's just that no one can be bothered to do them.  We all need to realize, we aren't only hurting the environment, we're also hurting ourselves, we're making our living conditions unhealthy and unsafe. 

Environment Canada does a great job of summing up just what the environmental issues are, how they affect the world, how they affect humans and what we can do to help stop it! I encourage you to click on the link! 

It is beautiful, isn't it.  So why are we trying to throw it all away?

I challenge you to do something, even if it is only turning your lights off when you leave a room, conserving water, and refraining from littering.  Every little bit counts! Together we can save our world, our animals, and ourselves.

For more information, check out Environment Canada's Channel on Youtube - environmentcan! They have fantastic videos and ideas on how to save the environment!  Or go to the Environment Canada website!   

Let's talk environment.  Let's talk sustainability. 


Sam

Meaty Matters

When I first heard about the show "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader" I laughed.  I honestly couldn't believe that there were that many kids younger than me that knew more than me about so many different topics.  After watching the show a time or two, I was amazed by just how much information and knowledge some of those children have.  If you still don't believe the "smartness" of young children, I feel like this video will change your mind.  

As I was searching around youtube, I came across this video and I cannot begin to express how impressed I am with this young man.  He takes the phrase "young rancher" to the next level.  This young man shows a passion and an interest for what his family does, and when you hear it coming from a young boy, you know that the family is hard working and honest.  I cannot think of any other occupation where a child plays such a big role in their parent's work.  Farming is a family ordeal, and I think that this video pretty much sums that up beautifully.
If you are not from a farm, and you watch this video, I am sure that you will finish it, feeling like you have known all about farms your entire life.  He covers the life cycle of the cow, he talks about cleaning pens, feeding, he explains traceability! He covers everything!
Because the video is made in Scotland, there are a few things that differ from the Canadian industry, such as the traceability, the part where he is talking about the passports.  I will cover everything you need to know about traceability tomorrow in the "All Things Agriculture" page, I promise that once I am done with you, you may even want to wear your own eartag!

Sorry for the long delay in the posts, working two jobs and playing on a sports team, while living on a farm gets to be a bit of a challenge.  It is a busy time out on our farm as we try to quickly finish up our seeding.  Rain is a good thing out here on the farm, but only once we have all the crops planted do we really want it.  Because of the rain we were put slightly more behind schedule than we already were due to the late snow melt.  But we stay positive, and we appreciate all of the moisture we can get.  My father and grandpa have been putting in late nights, trying to get everything finished.

I look forward to coming home from work at night and being able to see all of my critters.  There is nothing I love more in the world than coming home to cuddle one of my dogs, or to sit on a fence and watch a couple of baby calves chase each other around and play fight while the sun goes down.  

I love it that the sun sets so late now, it gives me an opportunity to go out and check the cows when I get home from work at nine, and still be able to see them all!

SO, now that we have taken a look at that young Scottish boy's farm, here is a quick look at what was happening out at the Sperber Farms this evening!  I took a small tour of the heifer pen to see how the young ladies were all doing.

Lovely, calm evening

Reaching for an evening snack

My three yearling heifers.  Lily is a Simmental cross.  Her mama (Dam) is a tan Charolais Cross cow, and her daddy (Sire) is a big, red and white traditional Simmental bull. Tyra is a purebred Charolais, both of her parents are Charolais, white, just like her.  Lucy is a Red Angus cross.  Her mama is a big tan Charolais cross cow, and her father is a purebred Red Angus bull. 

So there you have it.  I didn't have a lot of time to snap pictures since the sun was already gone from the sky by the time I got home from work, but I hope that you like seeing what few pictures I do have!

Check back tomorrow to learn all about why we put eartags in our cows!

Thanks everyone!

Night night!

Sam

I'm Just A Farmer, Plain and Simple

One of the great things about farming with my grandparents is getting to live in the same yard as them, allowing for many visits.  

My father and grandfather are spoiled by my grandma, she cooks them delicious home cooked meal every single day for lunch.  Luckily for me, whenever I am home for lunch on a weekday I get to go and enjoy Grandma's cooking.  Farming with my grandparents gave me the opportunity to spend countless hours with them growing up and still now.  

The other night I went over to Grandma's house to feed the dogs and stopped in for what I thought would be a quick visit.  Three hours later my grandpa came in from the field and I realized it was already 10:30!  

The visit was awesome, and my grandma shared a bunch of stories with me.  She also shared a clip that she had cut from the newspaper and I thought it was the best way to sum up my father and grandfather, so I wanted to share, I figure it is perfect for an agricultural blog, it sums up a farmer, plain and simple! Enjoy!

I'm Just a Farmer, Plain and Simple

(excerpts from I'm Just a Farmer, Plain and Simple by Bobby Collier)

I'm just a farmer, plain and simple.

Not of royal birth, 

but rather a worker of the earth.

I know not of riches, 

but rather of patches on my britches.

I know of drought and rain, 

of pleasure and pain. 

I know the good, the bad, 

the happy and the sad.

I'm a man of emotions,

a man who loves this land

and the beauty of it's sand.

I know the spring's fresh flow

and autumn's golden glow.

Of a newborn calf's hesitation

and an eagle's destination. 

I know of tall pines

and long waiting lines.

I know the warmth of campfires

and the agony of flat tires.

I'm a man who loves his job

and the life that I live.

I know of planting corn and bailing hay

and animals going astray.

I live in a complex world but my faith guides me,

I'm a farmer, plain and simple.

This poem pretty much completely sums up any farmer that I know, especially my grandfather.  
Farmer's love their land, their animals, and the people in their lives, plain and simple. 




Have a great night, off to lacrosse I go!

All Things Agriculture! - Feedlot on the Spot

Hi everybody!

So a couple of ladies asked me about feedlots, and just what was up with them! So I did a blog on it! Check out my page "All Things Agriculture" the article is towards the bottom, Topic 2 is the heading! I tried to put as much information as I could about feedlots, with links, pictures, and a story from a vegan who took a trip to a feedlot, all on the page! Unfortunately, quite often the media portrays things in agriculture in a negative way.  Feedlots and slaughter plants are probably the hardest hit!  This is why it is so important for consumers to hear the truth and to truly know where their beef is coming from and how it is handled.

I encourage you to check out the page and leave me some feedback.  If you want more information I can try to help you out!  Also, check out this link, Western Feedlots, this feedlot is located in Alberta.  I had the opportunity to take a tour of the High River portion of the feedlots, and I was so impressed by the care and the condition of the cattle and the facilities.  Check it out, it is well worth your time!

Cheers!

Sam

A Family Affair

So I am sure everyone is familiar with the term "Spring Cleaning".  Most of you probably cringe at the thought. But trust me, you don't have it that bad.  On the farm, we take "spring cleaning" to the next level.  The entire family gets involved.  Grandma and Grandpa, Mom and Dad, Jessica and I, and our dogs even take a role.  Last year I got off easy and got to skip the cleaning extravaganza because I stayed in Edmonton at University to take a Spring Course.  I don't know what I was thinking when I didn't sign up for one this year, quite obviously I wasn't thinking at all.  My sister however conveniently had Volleyball Nationals this week so instead of helping out around the farm, she gets to hang with the team in British Columbia.  Unreal.

Grandpa, me and Dad after vaccinating the cattle!

I figure that the easiest way to fill you in on just what has to be done around this place come spring, is to make a list for you!

• Seeding our crops



Dad getting the Harrows ready to hit the field

• One of the first things that happens around the farm in the spring is the seeding of the crops.  Most of the calves are born by the beginning of May, so we then turn our attentions to the fields.  There are many steps involved in planting a crop, and it is actually quite a lengthy process. 
<-- This is my dad harrowing!
• 
  
• In the fall, after the harvest, some farmers cultivate their land.  Cultivating works the ground, breaking up the dead crop on the top of it and mixing up the soil, leaving clumps of dirt.  Some farmers on the other hand go with a zero till method.  These farmers leave their fields alone after harvest, and may spray a herbicide on the old crops a couple of weeks before seeding.  The idea of "no till" farming doesn't disturb the soil as much as a cultivator, thus preventing seeds from old weeds being brought to the surface, as well this leaves the topsoil - the six inches under the surface of the ground- from being disturbed.  Not disturbing the topsoil usually makes for a more efficient soil, with less erosion and more soil moisture.  Farmers that choose to use the "no till" method need to have an air seeder, which my family currently does not have, but has been seriously considering purchasing.  So until then we still cultivate our ground.
•   <-- cultivating
• Fertilizing- some farmers fertilize in the fall after harvest while others fertilize in the spring right before seeding.  My family fertilizes our fields in the spring before we seed.  This allows the fertilizer to be broken down in the ground over the entire growing year.  For farmers that fertilize their soil each year this method often works well because the fertilizer that is put on the field one spring, is broken down all summer, fall and winter, and will benefit the soil for the next spring.  Lime, phosphorous and sulfur often take longer to break down in the soil, so if it is your first time fertilizing the ground, it is wise to do these fertilizers in the winter so that the soil is ready for seed in the spring.  Nitrogen and pottasium don't take as long to breakdown in the soil so they can often be added in the spring before seeding.
• Harrowing- harrowing is used to spread out the dead plant matter, manure, and soil that has been left on a field.  If a field was cultivated in the fall, harrowing is used to smooth the topsoil and spread any of the previous year's crop around in preparation for the new seeding.  Harrows also help to smooth, remove weeds and aerate the soil.  Once we finish with the harrows, as seen in the video above, then we can get seeding.
• Seeding - to seed a field we use a drill.  We pour seeds into the top of the drill and this drops them into the ground as we drive over the soil.  My dad has installed GPS systems in our tractors.  These GPS systems steer the tractor, all we have to do is turn the wheel at the end of the field.  This system is a more efficient way of seeding because it prevents us from going over top of the parts that we already seeded, preventing us from wasting seed, and therefore saving money, time, and fuel.
• <-- Seed Drill
• Harrow Packing- Once we are finished seeding, we go over the soil with a harrow packer.  Pretty much the same thing as harrowing, in fact you use your harrows, just with an added piece.  We pack the ground and level it out after the seeds have been planted
• <- Harrow/Packers
• Grass Cutting
• What a thrill.  I am sure everyone knows how brutal cutting the grass the first time of the year is and it isn't fun.  The grass is always full of dust, and various branches and rocks that have blown onto the lawn during the winter.  What makes grass cutting even worse out on the farm is the fact that our lawn is a couple acres large, and we also take it upon ourselves to cut the ditch in front of our house.  Not the greatest time ever.  I personally don't mind cutting the grass because we have a nice, new ride-on lawn tractor, and since it takes a couple hours to cut the grass, I wear a bikini and get a nice tan!
• Raking of leaves and twigs



Grandma's pile explosion right after the match got tossed in

• My family's yard and my grandparent's yard are only separated by a small group of trees and a ravine, so every year we help them out by picking up the twigs that fall from their large trees onto their grass as well as sometimes cutting the grass for them.  Just yesterday my Grandma decided it was a good day to rake the dead branches and leaves off of her grass.  So my mother, father, grandma and I worked diligently to pick up the old vegetation.  This is always an interesting process.  As soon as there is a pile placed on the driveway, my grandma takes it upon herself to light the pile.  This year the twigs just weren't dry enough to start the pile, so she added a small dose of gasoline.  Small is an understatement.  When my mom threw the match on the pile we had a slight pyrotechnic show, once again.  I desperately wanted to roast marshmallows, but apparently I still had ten million more hours of work to do so my mother wouldn't let me. 
• Corral Cleaning 
• With  a couple hundred head of cattle moving through the corrals quite frequently, it is important that they are cleaned out so that manure and other dirt or bedding doesn't pile up in them.  A manure hauling company is hired for a day to remove the piles of manure in corrals that my grandfather has pushed with the loader tractor.  This year, once the snow melted and everything started to dry, my grandfather was busy at work, even in the pastures, fixing ruts in the dirt which were the cause of a very long and snowy winter.  We want to make sure that all of our corrals and pastures are clean and safe for cattle to live in.  We love our animals, and we work hard for their protection and healthy living.
• Cattle Vaccinations, Brandings & Castrations
Lady (the Border Collie) working. Notice how my father and our neighbor, Lorne, never really touch the animals or get to close, they try to let Lady do all the work.  By staying calm and not getting impatient, Lorne and Dad can keep the cattle slightly less stressed, which also creates less problems for them!
• All three of these things happen in the spring, and it often takes the family and a couple of neighbors to get it all done!  If you check out my "All Things Agriculture" link you can learn all about castration.  My family hasn't had our branding/castrating yet so stay tuned for a story on that.  Just yesterday we did however give all of our cows shots.  After the cows calve, we treat them all for IBR, to prevent the disease from affecting the herd.  IBR - Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis - is a disease which occurs in the air passages of the head and the windpipe and can cause inflammation of the vulva and vagina, and can cause abortion in cattle.  If a cow is vaccinated while she is pregnant, it will also increase the chance of her aborting.  Because of the chance of abortion, we vaccinate all of our cattle with IBR in the spring, after they have calved and before we let the bulls out to decrease the chance of the cattle aborting.
• When you bring the cattle into the corral to vaccinate, you have to first separate the cows from the calves.  This is probably one of the hardest parts about vaccinating because no mommy's ever want to leave their babies.  So, while one person opens and closes the gates, usually two other people work in the mix of the cattle, sending the mama cows to the gate and keeping the baby calves back.  Once the cows are separated from the calves, we split the cows into smaller groups, and send them down the runway where they line up head to tail.  This is where the cows are given their shots.  Just a quick shot in the neck.  It is fast when you have four or five in the run at once because you can just walk down the line and give them all their needles effectively.  My job is to bring four more cattle up each time one of the lines gets done.  I have to work the gates and make sure that there are always four ready to be put in the cattle run so that we can work as quickly as possible.  Cows kick.  Everyone knows this and everyone wants to avoid it.  This is why I find that being calm with the animals, and just trying to direct them using your body motion and the way you walk towards them is the best way of handling cattle.  When the cows are treated stress free, the process often moves quicker and the moms can be more quickly reunited with their babies!  
• Our dog Lady plays a big role in the operation each and every time that we sort cattle.  Lady is our Border Collie, and being with the cattle is her life.  With her help we can always quickly bring cattle up to somewhere we want them to be.  Lady loves to ride in the tractor with Grandpa.  When Grandpa opens the gate and honks the horn of the tractor, Lady knows to move the cows away from the gate.  She then lies by the gate and makes sure that nothing leaves the field until Grandpa is out of the field with the tractor and is able to close the gate.  Check out the video above of Lady at work!!
• Garden and Flower Beds



Grandpa and Grandma, working in the garden

• My mother and Grandma share a MASSIVE garden.  I can't really complain, because I do love the fresh vegetables and fresh raspberries, but I don't particularly like working in the garden.  With spring, the garden and the flower beds need to be cleaned out and planted in preparation for the summer.  With the garden, my grandpa always has to rotatill it the soil to prepare it for the seeding.  This breaks up the dirt and whatever dead plant matter may be on the surface.  As well, this works to get rid of some of the weeds.  The weeds growing in the flower beds need to be pulled out and new flowers put in their place.  And then comes the seeding of the garden.  Grandma, the garden supervisor, is always very proud of her garden and her plants, so she takes her time deciding what should be planted where.  Sometimes it takes quite a few hours to get the entire garden planted! If you want a garden and live in the city, it is still possible!  Why not have a raised bed garden in your backyard, or try one of the community gardens! If you want some tips on planting a garden, or if you're from the city and want to know how you can have a garden, check out this site - Canadian Gardening

So there you have it folks.  Just a little idea of just what we on the farm do for spring cleaning.  It's quite a lot, and the work can be long and hard, but I wouldn't give it up for the world.  I love where I live, I love what we do, and nothing could change that!


Thanks for checkin' in!!


<3