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.

November featured artist

Registered Angus farmer and fine arts graduate Amanda Raithel is the featured artist this month on Cow Art and More. Amanda farms with her husband and daughter on their Nebraska ranch. Amanda's artwork centers around the show cattle business she and her husband have dedicated their lives to. See the complete line of Amanda's work on the Cow Art and More specials page.

Amanda's art has free shipping for the entire month.

Friday's website of interest to art enthusiasts: CREATING AN IN-HOME ART GALLERY

Today's art related article of interest is actually entitled, "How to Create a Gallery of Vacation and Travel Memories." It is actually more focused on helping people to prepare and hang art work surrounding vacations, trips and the associated family memories. I think it's a good article and can practically apply to anyone trying to hang a group of two-dimensional pieces of art in a room.

A conversation with John Plishka: Part 11

What else do you do besides your art?

My plate is pretty full! I'm a full time veterinarian in Antioch, Illinois. My wife and 2 children are the loves of my life and I try to spend as much time as I can with the kids now: especially while they're little. I love and play sports too, especially hockey, soccer and baseball. I play the drums and piano, and I dabble in banjo. Lastly, I enjoy fishing and the outdoors. At the end of the day is usually when I can get some art work done!

Picture credit: John Plishka enjoying some family time while petting a foal.

John Plishka featured at art show

Featured October artist John Plishka recently had two paintings juried into the North Shore Art League's "Inchworks" show. The show is at the North Shore Art League Gallery in Winnetka, Illinois.

*As an aside note, "juried" means the work was selected from a number of submissions. While the jurying process varies from venue to venue, it generally includes a group of people well versed and talented in their respective fields. These people select work for inclusion into a show based upon its quality and uniqueness.

A conversation with John Plishka: Part 10

What advice do you have for aspiring painters?

I still consider myself at this point to be an aspiring painter. I want to improve my art in many facets still, and am a firm believer in that you can never know too much about a subject. But if I had any advice to give to people it would be to try to learn as much as you can about your chosen art direction and dive right in. Have a thick skin about your work as art is so subjective that a lot of people will not care for your work while others love it! Try to get yourself noticed as much as you can, and have the belief in yourself that your art is good and is worth creating! Lastly, try to get to know a lot of artists with similar interests- they will help you in your work and give encouragement which is so important when you are starting out!

Photo credit: John Plishka enjoying some horseback riding and family time

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.