Thank you farmers - you deserve Labor Day off

I normally post an agricultural website of interest to blog readers every Monday, but today, Labor Day, I wanted to thank the farming community for tending to their crops and animals every day. I know many of you will try to squeeze in a barbecue, or a maybe a long lunch while the kids are off from school today, but I have often thought that the people who truly deserve the day off still have to work on the Labor Day holiday. Your communities and your nation depend on you. Thank you for working on what is supposed to be your holiday.

Monday's agriculture website - Farmer Bloggers

Have you ever wondered what happens on the farm? Do you want to know how the milk gets from the cow to you? What does a rancher ride the prairie for? If you've ever wondered about this or other farm and food questions, head over to the Farmers Blog, a collection of farmer blogs in "one stop shop" setting.

The group of blogs consists of several farms and ranches from the California Valleys and Mountains to the Midwest plains and south to Florida! There are organic, conventional, large, small, grain, produce, livestock operations and more. Click here to see a complete list of the farmers and their backgrounds.

Monday's agriculture video - Photographing Agriculture

No, you're not imagining things; today's agriculture website is a video. Ever think about America's farmers being art in of themselves? This video shows how a photographer set out to do just that.

Monday's agriculture website - Tractor House Used Tractors

*A note for new readers to the Cow Art and More blog: every Monday, blog author Kathy Swift shares an agricultural website of interest.*

Today's agricultural website centers around helping readers find the perfect used tractor. Tractor House is an online classified ad site to hook up buyers and sellers of used farm equipment. In addition to tractors from different a variety of manufacturers, the site also lists tractor parts for sale and connects buyers with tractor dealers nationwide. The website is a complement to the print edition of the same information.

Monday's agriculture website of interest: SXSW PANEL PICKER

Today's website of interest to the agriculture community is the SXSW panel picker. SXSW is a Texas based company that puts on events for the entertainment, music and social media communities. Why is this important to agriculture? The voting is open for readers to suggest and vote for groups to include in next year's social media conference. The AgChat Foundation has submitted their application and looks to have the farming community's voice heard! I encourage readers to vote for AgChat's inclusion in the program. Full information can be found on the AgChat website. By presenting at this conference, farmers will have their vision in front of other leaders in social media from Google, Microsoft, Apple, Twitter, and Facebook just to name a few. Please vote soon as the polls close August 27.

Happy Independence Day!

As many are enjoying the birthday of the United States today, it is interesting to note that several of our founding fathers were also farmers.  Please enjoy some of their thoughts on farming as found on the Animal Agriculture Alliance facebook page.

Monday's agriculture website of interest: AGRITOURISM WORLD

*For those new to the Cow Art and More blog, every Monday, Kathy shares an agricultural focused website with readers.*

While it's still cold for a lot of of people, summer and vacation time is just a few short months away. I am growing increasing interested in the opportunities for people to take "agriculture" vacations. I think this is a great way for people to get their "feet wet" and experience farming on a ground level (yes, that pun was intended).

I recently found the Agritourism World directory. It is a directory of farms worldwide that offer people a chance to have "working vacation". The site includes animal and plant farms with specific opportunities to also host parties and weddings.

Monday's agriculture website of interest: AG - IT'S NOT JUST A JOB, IT'S AN ADVENTURE!

For those new to the Cow Art and More blog, we feature an agriculture themed website with our readers every Monday.

Today's agriculture website of interest is the "Ag -It's not just a job, it's an adventure!" blog maintained by Janice Person. Janice was not raised on a farm, but had the opportunity to explore agriculture journalism while in college. She has kept her position within the agriculture industry and blogs about her "new life". The best part of Janice's blog is getting to know the farmers and people she meets as a part of her "everyday adventures."

Monday's agriculture website of interest: AGRICULTURE FACTS

Today's website of agriculture focus to share is the agriculture facts site from NC State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. This site shares with users some basic information about farming and agriculture in the United States. One of their facts is "Of each dollar spent on food, the farmer's share is approximately 23 cents."

Monday's agriculture website of interest: THE CENTER FOR FOOD INTEGRITY

Today's agricultural website to share is The Center for Food Integrity.

The Center for Food Integrity was established in 2007 to increase consumer trust and confidence in the contemporary U.S. food system. The primary mission of the organization is to promote dialogue, model best practices, address issues that are important to consumers, and serve as a resource for accurate, balanced information about the U.S. food system.

The center is a non-profit entity and does not lobby or advocate individual food companies or brands. The group's member organizations represent each segment of the food chain, including farmers and ranchers, processors, and companies that deliver food products under local, regional and global brand names, and government.

Monday's agriculture website of interest: ALPACA FARM GIRL

*For those new to the Cow Art and More blog, every Monday, I feature a website of interest to agriculture enthusiasts.*

Today's website of interest for the agriculture community is Alpaca Farm Girl, which chronicles the farm life of Katy Spears. Katy Spears has been breeding high quality huacaya alpacas for nine years. She is the mother of four children, and manages a herd of 60+ alpacas on her ten acre farm in Alabama (which is currently for sale). They are moving on to "greener pastures" (pardon the pun) and room for more alpacas!

Ten years ago, Katy was finishing her doctoral degree in psychology, and her husband, Steve was working in the computer industry. They left that all behind to move to their farm and raise alpacas and their children. At the beginning, the alpaca business was more of a shared endeavor. Now that Steve’s dream of being a working artist has come to fruition, Katy tends to the alpaca farm. The alpacas have always been a great passion for her.

Speaking for myself, as someone who knows very little about alpacas, I have enjoyed reading Katy's stories about her farm life. They are true and honest, (both the good and bad times) about everything involved with raising animals. She also shares information about raising alpacas and processing their hair into yarn.

Monday's agriculture website of interest: NATIONAL FFA

Monday's website of agricultural interest is from the National Future Farmers of America (FFA) Organization. This group is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. Interested students join the chapter at their local school and may continue to be members through college.

FFA prepares students for premier leadership, personal growth and career success both within and outside of agriculture. Founded in 1928, the FFA organization represents a large diversity of over 300 careers in the food, fiber and natural resources industry. More than 7,000 FFA chapters are currently in existence; their programs are managed on a local,state and national level. Each chapter’s program of activities is designed with the needs of the students in mind. Activities vary greatly from school to school, but are based in a well-integrated curriculum. Chapter activities and FFA programs concentrate on three areas of our mission: premier leadership, personal growth and career success.

Monday's agriculture website of interest: THE FOOD PROJECT

Today's agriculture focused website to share is The Food Project, a Massachusetts based group encouraging leadership through farming. The group's mission is to grow a thoughtful and productive community of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds who work together to build a sustainable food system. They produce food for residents of the city and suburbs and provide youth leadership opportunities while supporting others to create change in their own communities.

The group was organized in 1991, and works with over 140 teens and thousands of volunteers yearly to farm on 31 acres in rural Lincoln, MA, 9 acres in Beverly and Ipswich, 2 1/2 acres in Boston and 1 acre in Lynn. The group considers their hallmark to be a focus on identifying and transforming a new generation of leaders by placing teens in unusually responsible roles, with deeply meaningful work. Each season, The Food Project grows nearly a quarter-million pounds of food, donating half to local shelters. The remainder of the produce is sold through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) crop “shares” and farmers’ markets.

Monday's agriculture website of interest: FARMERS FEED US

Monday's agricultural website of interest is the Farmer's Feed Us website. This website aims to introduce consumers to the farmers that produce the food people eat. As this group puts it, "Farmers and ranchers work each day to produce the food you and your family enjoy. To us, farming is much more than our chosen profession. It is a commitment to providing you with safe, nutritious and affordable food, caring for our animals and our land, and giving back to our communities."

Monday's agriculture website of interest: INNOVATE WITH DAIRY

In celebrating "June is Dairy Month, Innovate with Dairy is today's agricultural website of interest. The website contains information about dairy products for food manufacturers, retailers, and consumers. The website details new products, technologies, innovations and nutrition information. The website is maintained by Dairy Management Inc. (DMI). Founded in 1995 as a not-for-profit organization funded by dairy farmers, DMI manages the American Dairy Association,^® the National Dairy Council^® and the U.S. Dairy Export Council^®.

DMI assists dairy processors in creating and introducing new and/or improved dairy products, processes and packaging and meeting their innovation challenges. Across the entire food and beverage industry, DMI innovation programs provide nutrition research and market trend information to help with product positioning in the marketplace. These programs serve as a complement to DMI’s consumer education and integrated dairy marketing promotion programs, such as the 3-A-Day™ of Dairy campaign, a nutrition-based marketing and education program.

Monday's agriculture website of interest: I LOVE FARMERS

Today's featured agricultural themed website is I Love Farmers, a website started by a group of young students trying to educate their peers on agriculture and its importance to society, culture and well-being. They are focusing on explaining to people where their food comes from and why they should care. There are links to other fact-based agriculture sites plus the opportunity to purchase "I Love Farmers" apparel.

Monday's agriculture website of interest: AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST

Monday's website of interest for agriculture and farming enthusiasts is American Farmland Trust. Their mission is to help farmers and ranchers protect their land, produce a healthier environment and build successful communities. The group was founded in 1980 by farmers and conservationists concerned about the rapid loss of the nation's farmland to development. American Farmland Trust is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to protecting the nation's strategic agricultural resources. Working with farmers, ranchers, political leaders and community activists, American Farmland Trust has helped to permanently protect more than a million acres of farm and ranch land.

Monday's agriculture website of interest

Today's website is the Illinois Farm Bureau's online version of their magazine Partners. While it only covers agricultural issues and stories within Illinois, I have chosen to feature it today because it provides great reading about agriculture in general. In addition to spotlighting specific Illinois communities, it gives tips on wine tasting, gardening, healthy eating, and a plethora of pictures. There is also a blog recording thoughts of everyday farm life.