Crops Archives - Minnesota Farm Living

Tips and Tricks for Surviving Harvest while Dating a Farmer

September 18, 2017 By Wanda Patsche

A guest blog post by Kristeena Patsche

I know I’ve said it once, but I’ll say it again. Dating a farmer is something you really have to adjust to. It is not an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. job and your date night or dinner conversations revolve a little too much around the latest and greatest equipment (that he wants but can’t afford) or what went wrong (or right) that day.

But then there’s harvest season . . .

This brings us to a whole new level.

Being 26, many couples my age are spending their fall weekends either at apple orchards, haunted hayrides, fall festivals or zombie pub crawls, drinking pumpkin spice lattes or some sort of craft pumpkin beer.

Not us. I’ll be honest – we’re lucky if we get around to buying a pumpkin from the local grocery store, and even luckier if it gets carved together.

Dating a farmer is one thing, but dating a farmer during harvest is another. Here’s a few tips and tricks to surviving harvest while dating a farmer.

Making plans.

Share20K

Pin201

Share8

Shares 21K

How to Use Critical Thinking Skills Without A Science Background

July 20, 2017 By Wanda Patsche

“Monsanto Fails Farmers Again – Tell USDA to Ban GMO Seeds”

“DNA from GMOs can pass directly into humans, study confirms”

“GMOs are bad. They must be because they are banned in 60+ countries”

How To Critically Think GMOs Without A Science Background — GMO Corn

There isn’t a day that I don’t see headlines such as these in my social media newsfeed. One particular article, “Why I Changed My Stance on Eating Organic Food,” came across my newsfeed and I noticed the author was a dietician. When I think of dietitians, I think of integrity so I was interested to hear what the author had to say about why she changed her stance on eating organic food. When I finished reading the article, there were a number of “red flags” and knew I needed to do some “critical thinking” research on some of her statements. But how do I use critical thinking skills about GMOs without a science background?

Even though I am a farmer, I will admit my science background is not very strong. How does one know what is true and what is merely propaganda? I will show you, step-by-step, on how I used critical thinking skills to examine how valid her claims were.

Statement #1:

“I became a spokesperson for CLIF Bar in Canada, and as their products are at least 70 percent organic, I became better educated about organic farming, seeds, and crops, and their impact on the environment, and on us as the consumer.” Continue Reading

Shares 925

Are GMOs Safe? Moms Want to Know!

June 5, 2017 By Wanda Patsche

“I think GMOs make my family sick. Not enough research has been done on GMOs to prove they are safe. Europe has banned GMOs, why doesn’t the United States?”

These common statements indicate that moms have concerns about the GMO technology. Simply put, they want to know if GMOs are safe. I had the privilege of attending a GMO conference in St. Louis with other farm moms from all over the U.S.

Donald Danforth Plant Science Center sign — Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

CommonGround and National Corn Growers Association sponsored the conference. CommonGround is a volunteer group of farm moms who talk and answer questions other moms have about how their food is either raised or grown. Our ultimate goal is we want them to make food decisions based on fact and not fear.

Our conference started with a tour of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. With excitement in the air, all 22 of us stepped off the bus looking forward to a day of learning!

My first question was answered almost immediately. Who funds the research at the Danforth Plant Science Center? I was always told, “follow the money” when researching issues. It was so refreshing to hear the Danforth Plant Science Center is an independent research facility. Very little money (about 10%) is contributed from corporations to conduct research. Continue Reading

Shares 109

Top 5 Myths About GMO Foods

May 8, 2017 By Wanda Patsche

It seems everywhere I turn, I am constantly reading about how GMOs (genetically modified organism) are going to be the death of civilization. Or at least close to it. Let’s examine five myths about GMO foods. First, let’s start with what GMO technology is.

The term GMO is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content.