bored on your phone or on your phone bored?

If you're anything like me you've scrolled through all the social media apps during this time of staying home...possibly even multiple times, looking for something that catches your attention. I've personally spent hours on hours swiping through Instagram stories, looking up Pinterest recipes, skipping Facebook ads, reading through Twitter rants, and even resorting to making TikTok videos. So trust me when I say, I FEEL YOU. Currently I am going to online school and it has definitely been a time of transition but overall I am just grateful to still have the opportunity to be gaining an education during this time of turmoil throughout our country and world.

Anyways, back to our regularly scheduled program of boredom. Allow me to give you some background on the 'why' of the reason I am even writing this post, let alone starting a blog. One of my online classes gave me the assignment of writing a short essay on a current event. Obviously there are many events and news stories being circulated around the internet making it somewhat difficult to narrow down a search. I grew up on a full-time farm in Southeast Idaho so I have a vested interest in agriculture around the globe so I chose to search for articles regarding the ag industry. I was able to find several stories I thought were vital for everyday consumers of food to be informed about. Hence this blog post was born...

I have put together a list of quick read articles about various agricultural stories around the globe. So instead of mindlessly scrolling through your phone take a glance at the articles below to broaden your mind and perspective of agriculture throughout the world.

Number One: Milk Dumping in Wisconsin

Dairies throughout the state of Wisconsin are being forced to dump thousands of gallons of milk due to processing plants being shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here is the links to several articles to learn more:

• https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-dairy-insight/u-s-dairy-farmers-dump-milk-as-pandemic-upends-food-markets-idUSKBN21L1DW

• https://wkow.com/2020/04/02/some-dairy-farmers-being-forced-to-dump-milk/

• https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/04/03/coronavirus-forces-dairy-farmers-dump-

• https://www.midwestfarmreport.com/2020/04/01/dairy-farmers-of-america-responds-to-

This was the first topic I read about while searching for news. I enjoyed how these articles were written and portrayed. In today's world it's hard to know where the truth lies with so many opinions inundating our newscasts. But the four articles above do a wonderful job of going straight to the source to get their facts, the dairy farmers. As you read through the articles above, please consider enjoying a glass of milk or bowl of ice cream to support the struggling dairy industry!

Number Two: Locust Swarms in East Africa

Several countries the Eastern part of the African continent have been battling with Locust swarms since June 2019.

Here is the links to several articles to learn more:

• https://qz.com/africa/1836159/locusts-set-to-hit-kenya-east-africa-again-400-times-stronger/

• https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/02/locust-plague-climate-science-east-africa/#close

• https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/mar/04/scientists-turn-to-tech-to-prevent-second-wave-of-locusts-in-east-africa

I had personal interest in this news story as I had to opportunity to travel to South Africa specifically to learn about agriculture. While the outbreak of Locusts are not in the Southern part of the continent it was still interesting to learn about a 'pest' that is raising havoc across multiple countries. Something that really bothered me was that the majority of these countries have citizens within them that are already considered food-insecure. The definition of food-insecurity is not having reliable access to nutritious food. In the articles above they predict swarms growing significantly in size and wiping out all kinds of crops and grazing lands. Think about the types of foods you rely on in your everyday life and how it would affect you if that type of food was wiped out by a pest such as locust.

Number Three: Every Day is Earth Day in Agriculture

With Earth Day being several weeks ago I felt it was appropriate to include an article that related agriculture to the earth.

Here is the link to the article to learn more:

• https://www.agdaily.com/lifestyle/earth-day-every-day-farmers-ranchers/

This was honestly just an uplifting article for me to read. I enjoyed the vivid word descriptions the author used to make connections to agriculture and the earth around it. I believe as consumers we sometimes get caught up in our own lives that we don't stop and think about where our food comes from or the work that went into producing the clothes on our backs.

Number Four: Idaho Farm Bureau Boards Donate Food

Feeling down about the state of things in the world? Read below to perk yourself up!

Here is the link to article to learn more:

• https://www.idahofb.org/News-Media/2020/05/county-farm-bureaus-donate-food

I am a huge fan of the Farm Bureau here in the state of Idaho as well as the country. I had the opportunity to sit on a round table discussion with the president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, Zippy Duvall and I have upmost respect for him as well as the federation. My dad sits on our county Farm Bureau board and I love hearing from him the ownership board members take in the community. This article is the perfect example of the good Farm Bureau does around the state of Idaho!

Number Five: Activists, Ranchers, and Beef

Ranchers are still ranching, even during a global pandemic. Not even annoying animal activists can stop our beef supply.

Here is the link to the article to learn more:

• https://www.beefmagazine.com/beef/8-activist-strategies-dismantle-animal-ag-during-covid-19?fbclid=IwAR2lgZSSOu3syrw6DlINc3d-2cEQN_5ZyxKITEHHiwTgp5f2r_qrR3469Aw

This article is a little bit 'hard-to-hear' but the author provides facts as well as links to other articles to learn more about the information she is providing. I truly believe it is V I T A L for all consumers to understand the threats animal activists can have on all realms of the food chain.

Hopefully this short and concise list has provided you with opportunity to read about news going around the country and the world. I know agriculture is not the main focus for everyone but I know it takes both the consumer and the producer working together to maintain production of the many foods and fibers we use throughout life.

Thank you for taking time to read my inaugural blog post and please don't be afraid to reach out to me if you have any questions or comments about the articles listed above.

*tips ball cap from the tractor seat*