Monday's agriculture article: The Wife of a Dairyman

Ever curious what life is like for the wives and moms on a dairy farm? Look no further than the blog written by California dairy farm wife Nancy Grossi. Her blog, The Wife of a Dairyman, chronicles the farm and personal life of her family and its farm. Nancy shares lots of recipes, pictures of farm life, tips for moms, and most importantly, her heartfelt views on providing food for families. Nancy blogs frequently and is very good at interacting and answering questions from readers.

Meet photographer Kent Weakley

The featured artist for February 2009 was photographer Kent Weakley. Kent does work in both infrared and color photography and has received numerous awards for his work. Kent recently started teaching an online photography class to "shutterbugs" worldwide.

Why do you take photographs?

Good question - not sure. I guess I just love capturing all the beauty around. I suppose that's the cliche answer, but it is true. On a deeper level I, like so many other artists, believe we are seeing things in a way that no one else is. That our perspective is unique. It may or may not be. This is one of the reason I fell in love with infrared black & white photography. Even when I think I'm seeing something different or unique, the infrared aspect takes it to a surreal level. A scene shifts from reality to something more of a dream state. I guess another big reason I photograph is to share. I love showing my images and sharing the excitement of photography with family, friends, and clients. There's nothing like walking into a business or client's home and seeing a finished image hanging eight feet wide for all to view.

How do you decide what to photograph?

I've shot many different subject matter in infrared, however certain things work best. For instance, living trees and grass "glow" or reflect infrared light the best in direct sunlight. I love trees and I've always looked for a way to showcase their majestic appearance, so they are usually my main focus. Rural, rustic scenic landscapes are always calling to me. I try not to do any alterations of the scene in the computer, so it takes lots of driving and searching to find a location that will truly work.

What is your technique?

I shoot Infrared Black & White Photography. Not the old fussy film IR that was more a guessing game than art, I do everything digital. I'm currently shooting with a Nikon D300 which has been converted to "see" only infrared light. My technique also includes shooting multiple images to create large panoramic images.

Where did you learn your technique?

I picked up this idea on the web from a story about digital IR photography. At the time I had a camera that would "see" IR light. After experimenting for many weeks, there was no going back.

How long does it take you to get the average photograph?

It all depends. I've lucked out and come across a landscape that is perfect compositionally and lighting wise and shot it in less than 20 minutes. On the other hand, I have a few locations, I revisited on numerous occasions, only to not have conditions right. And have never gotten the shot.

Do you ever have goof-ups or work you don't like?

Of course. When searching for a location you have your eyes to tell you the scene looks good, but the way the infrared light alters the scene can vary dramatically. To me, this is the real fun part. Sometimes I get back and look at the images and I'm shocked at the detail and light and overall effect. Other times, it just comes out OK. Having that element of surprise from the IR keeps it fun.

What else do you do besides your photography?

My "day job" is running my graphic design and advertising business, Blue Sky Graphic Communication, Inc. 2009 marks my 20th year in business. We do everything from logos to website, brochures to billboards. Basically, the purpose of my company is to help other businesses tell their stories and communicate with their customers. And of course, my photography plays a key role in telling those stories.

What would you like to do more of in the future?

Travel. I'd really like to continue my search for beautiful landscapes with various trees. I've come across many interesting trees I'd love to go visit and photograph. It's funny, but now with the internet I can find trees that are popular in a particular area, trees that are native to only one region, etc. I love exploring, finding an interesting scene, going there, and sharing it with everyone.

What advice do you have for aspiring photographers?

Shoot, shoot, and keep shooting. Be curious, ask questions and seek answers. Every shot you take leads a photographer learning more and and making better pictures. Now with digital, it's almost free to shoot endlessly.

Monday's agriculture website of interest: AGPROUD

Are you involved in some way with agriculture and farming? Are you "agproud"? Today's agriculture website of interest to share with readers is the Agriculture Proud site, sharing the story of all people who help produce food.

Being Agriculture Proud simply involves telling your agriculture story. The site encourages farmers to explain why are you proud to be a part of agriculture. A few key points of emphasis are:

• Be real and authentic about your passion for Agriculture
• Show the enthusiasm for your passion
• Keep it simple and to the point
• Make it a candid point of view (everything in life is not flowers and sunshine)
• Stick to your experience. You can’t defend everyone

The site is maintained by Ryan Goodman, a Texas cattleman with a desire to make agriculture's voice heard. You can find Ryan as @AR_Ranchhand on Twitter.

Monday's agriculture website of interest: CRYSTAL CATTLE BLOG

Have a yearning to live the life of a cow girl but don't want to leave the comfort of your office chair? How about giving Crystal Young a follow on her Crystal Cattle blog. Crystal has a passion for agriculture, and wants to see farmers remain on the land, raising food for all of us. She also travels for work and provides commentary on her hectic life. She also blogs about her love for photography, video production, Kansas State University, turquoise jewelry, and current events in the livestock industry. She frequently travels between Alberta, Canada, Kansas, and Missouri.

Monday's agriculture website of interest: PROGRESSIVE AGRICULTURE FOUNDATION

Today's website of agricultural interest is the Progressive Agriculture Foundation. Their mission is to make farm and ranch life safer and healthier for all children through education and training. At the heart of this effort is the Progressive Agriculture Safety Day program. Founded by The Progressive Farmer magazine in 1995, the program trains and provides the resources that local communities need to conduct one-day safety programs that are age-appropriate, hands-on, fun, and safe for children. While the basic program reaches children ages of 8 to 13, safety days may also be conducted for younger children or entire families. Progressive Agriculture Safety Days are conducted in the United States, Canada and the U.S. territories.

Cow Art and More painter on magazine cover

Cow Art and More watercolor artist Victoria Whorley has her painting, "Heads or Tails" on the cover of the April 15, 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The magazine is the official bimonthly publication for the 78,000 veterinary members of the American Veterinary Medical Association and contains current events, case studies, and research articles. The editorial staff of the magazine selects a different original artwork to grace almost every cover of the magazine. Victoria's unique painting of these Holstein cows caught the eyes of the editors, and they found it worthy of a magazine cover. Cow Art and More is proud to represent Victoria and her watercolor paintings of both beef and dairy cattle.

Photo credit: "Heads or Tails"

Click here to learn more about this cattle painting

Monday's agriculture website of interest: THE PIONEER WOMAN

Who doesn't like a good rags to riches story? How about the opposite? The Pioneer Woman website is the story of Ree Drummond, who proclaims she went from "high heels to tractor wheels." She worked in Los Angeles and lived the "southern California lifestyle." On a return trip to her hometown, she met her future husband, a cattle rancher, and her life has never been the same since.

Her website details her life, cooking styles, and overall appreciation for living the country life. She shares pictures of many aspects of her day, including family, animals, and gourmet creations. She has published her own cookbook (cover shown here), which took her a year and a half to finish.

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!

Today's agriculture themed website of interest to followers is "Life on a Cattle Ranch", written by Kansas beef rancher, Debbie Lyons-Blythe. Debbie and her husband Duane Blythe are raising five teenagers and 500 head of cattle on a ranch in Kansas. Debbie posts to her blog weekly to share with people around the world what life is like in rural Kansas and how her family works every day to ensure a safe, nutritious supply of beef to consumers.

Monday's agriculture website of interest: DAIRY GODDESS BLOG

Monday's agricultural themed website of interest is the Dairy Goddess's blog, written by Barbara Martin, a third generation California Dairy farmer. She married a 3rd generation dairy farmer 26 years ago, and together, they have a dairy farm located in Central California. She is the very proud mother of 2 great college kids.

On a personal note, I believe Barbara does a great job putting a face on "where your milk comes from." It is obvious that Barbara has a passion for what she does and doesn't mind sharing it with her readers. My favorite updates are about Barbara's favorite heifer "Chica." Meet Chica and Barbara in their video.