He now manages what he considers a “multi-breed genetic hybrid cattle company” and one of the ways he is successful with cattle is through conservation efforts — he can raise more cattle on a small amount of land. In the 40s and 50s, his father built terraces, and Del carried on that tradition of environmental stewardship by building grass waterways, adding filter strips along creeks, practicing no-till on farm ground, seeding warm-season grasses for the cattle, and adding lagoons.

“We take a holistic approach to conservation. Not only is it our moral obligation to be caretakers of the land, it’s better for the wildlife, better for the environment and for our cattle.”

Del married his high school sweetheart, Brenda (who currently works for Ficke Cattle Company), in 1987 and they have two children, Austin – 19 and Emily – 11. Austin will be the 6th generation on the family farm.

In the past 10 years, Del has suffered serious back problems but says it was the best thing that could’ve happened professionally as it allowed him to be more involved with Farm Bureau. “Every person matters in Farm Bureau. Every person has a voice. Each voice is heard and their interests move forward and can change a lot of things – they don’t get lost in the system. If Washington had a system like this, we wouldn’t have the problems we have today.”

Del also serves as a Rural Rehabilitation Specialist for AgrAbility, giving back to an organization of which he was a client in 2001; and, his family is very involved in their local Lutheran church.

Continue to check back to the blog each Thursday to get to know more farmers and ranchers from across Nebraska as they share their everyday stories. And to read past farmer and rancher profiles, click here.

Learn more about ag families in Nebraska by visiting www.nefb.org. And while there, be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Photo submitted by Deb Kraenow, Box Butte County Farm Bureau member.

Be sure to enter this year’s photo contest! Deadline to enter is July 13, 2012.

Ingredients

2 tubes refrigerated crescent rolls

1 onion, chopped fine

2 pounds hamburger

4 cups shredded cabbage

1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In skillet, brown hamburger and onion, drain. Put cabbage on top of hamburger, cover with lid; steam for a few minutes.

2. Spread one tube crescent rolls on bottom of 9×13-inch pan. Spread hamburger and cabbage mixture on top. Sprinkle cheese over mixture; cover with remaining crescent rolls.

3. Bake at 350° F for 30-40 minutes. You can cover last 10 minutes for a softer crust.

A:  Every day, America’s farmers and ranchers rise to the challenge of feeding, fueling and clothing the growing population of the world. And we take great pride and passion in producing the safest, most abundant, cheapest priced and healthiest food, clothing products and renewable fuels of any country in the world!

As a country, we are enduring some very difficult times financially and our poverty levels are on the rise along with food insecurity across all age groups of Americans. In America, in 2010, some estimated 48.8 million people lived in food insecure households. In Nebraska and Iowa, one in every five children is known to be food insecure. But, be assured that American’s are not going hungry because of a lack lustering food production system, but more so from the state of our economy. In 2011, some 80 million citizens of the U.S. applied for the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) program, the most ever in American history, as a result from lost jobs and a struggling economy.

I must also point out that as farmers, we don’t set the prices for the products you get in the store — the buyers do.

On a state and local level,  local producers, county Farm Bureaus, Nebraska Farm Bureau Organization  along with other cooperating  partners have teamed up to sponsor a food drive event called the Can- Care-A-Van. In 2010, the Can-Care-A-Van event received more than 257,000 pounds of food to be donated the local food pantries, a 45% increase from 2009!

And, in 2010, the farm and ranch families of Farm Bureau raised more than $273,000 and donated more than 18 million pounds of food to hungry Americans as part of Farm Bureau’s “Harvest for All” program through Feeding America. Combined, the monetary and food donations provided the equivalent of more than 16 million meals!

In closing, as stated by the President’s Task Force on Food Assistance in 1984,”It has long been an article of faith among the American people that no one in a land so blessed with plenty should go hungry.  …Hunger is simply not acceptable in our society”. I strongly believe that every farmer and rancher in our great nation would strongly support that comment every day of their lives!

Tim Krause, Custer County Farm Bureau Member, Nebraska Farm Bureau Young Farmer & Rancher Committee Member

And that’s just what he has done in Laurel with the help of his father, two uncles, younger brother Brett and 87-year-old grandmother. Listen more here.

After Brian graduated from Northeast Community College with a degree in Ag Production in 2001, he met his wife Amy (who grew up in Decatur) and took her on her first tractor and combine rides. In 2003, Brian and Brett took on a farming venture in Aurora, 150 miles from Laurel. They raise corn and soybeans, half of which are dryland and the other half irrigated.

Brian says splitting time between farms can be challenging, but he still finds time to operate a commercial grain truck for Dixon Elevator since there aren’t enough acres for all families to pull income from.

Brian and Amy are Nebraska Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee members and have two young girls – Danica who is almost 4 and Leah who is 1. Amy says she is educating them about the farm and where their food comes from. Listen more here. 

Continue to check back to the blog each Thursday to get to know more farmers and ranchers from across Nebraska as they share their everyday stories. And to read past farmer and rancher profiles, click here.

Learn more about ag families in Nebraska by visiting www.nefb.org. And while there, be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Otoe County members woke up to a frosty February morning. Photo courtesy of Karl Linke, Nebraska Farm Bureau Southeast District Director.

Ingredients

1 unbaked pie shell

7 egg whites (not beaten)

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

1 cup sugar

Whipped topping

1 banana

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.

2. Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell.

3. Bake at 325º F for 35-45 minutes.

4. Serve with whipped topping and sliced bananas.

Yield: 8 servings

Kennel kicked off the panel by sharing recent trends she’s witnessed at Hy-Vee stores including consumers leaning toward more natural foods (e.g. no antibiotics; minimally processed; shorter ingredients list), a heightened interest and concern for food safety, diets that cater to consumers with food allergies and intolerances and specialized diets. Kennel also says today’s consumer responds well to hearing the farm to fork story. They want to know where their food comes from, they want it local, fresh and to buy from farmers markets.

And in today’s busy environment, consumers want food choices to be easy, they want meal and recipe ideas, the simpler the better, and in less than 30 minutes. “But then you can’t forget the other end of the spectrum which we call ‘foodies’. They want to know all the details about nutrition and ask many questions about where their food comes from.” Listen more here.

Judy a la carte, author of 10 cookbooks with the theme “Fast and Fabulous” told the group that consumers  hear bad stories about food, but that’s just one bad out of so many fantastic farmers. Judy recently had the opportunity to visit Nebraska farms on the A-FAN tour and was a firsthand witness to the big, yet family-owned farms that care and have passion for their land and animals just like small farmers.

“Trends are heading back to eating healthier to live longer but today’s society is such a fast lifestyle that people still look for quick alternatives. When it comes to cooking healthy, the perception is it will taste like rocks and twigs. I try to encourage them to keep a good pantry of YOUR good food, make a new recipe once a week, and re-learn how to cook to feel good and fuel your body. Let the food speak for itself,” said Gillard.

Marty Jarvis, director of marketing for Super Saver, Russ’s Market, Save Best and Apple Market stores, rounded out the panel by saying consumers aren’t just shopping in the supermarket anymore. And, the recession has caused people to tighten their belts and spend less. This “trade down” effect includes buying store brands instead of national brands and using more coupons.

Convenience is key in consumer’s minds, even if it’s only perception. They want convenient packaging, local products because they believe it reduces the carbon footprint and strengthens the local economy; they believe local is fresher and consumers want to know the grower. “The great thing is food confidence has been rising across the board and consumers realize the importance of food safety in their homes.” Listen more here.

Learn more about ag families in Nebraska and the food they produce by visiting www.nefb.org. And while there, be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

“In 2009-10 population growth exceeded the national average and we nearly missed it in 2011. What would that mean if we did that for a decade? More young people would be staying in Nebraska for job opportunities and more people would be moving here for jobs and quality of life. We’d have more congressional districts…and looking at the bigger picture, it would mean that kids would have opportunities here in Nebraska.

“Boomberg Business Week ranked Arlington the 2nd best place in American to raise kids because it’s a farming community with top notch schools. Now, substitute Arlington with any small town in Nebraska and that’s what you have – safe communities, affordable homes, good schools and an unmatched quality of life.

“You can’t put a dollar value on that – it’s worth billions. Thank you for what you’re doing and keep it up. We have to keep Nebraska moving forward.”

Learn more about ag families in Nebraska by visiting www.nefb.org. And while there, be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

So where does Nebraska rank? The state boasts the second lowest unemployment rate in the country at 4.1 percent and there is significant job growth. “We need to be importing people not exporting them,” says Henderson. Nebraska also ranks in the Top 10 for total personal income growth.

So can agriculture fuel Nebraska’s economy? Henderson explains more about the impact of export markets. Listen more here.

But the big question on people’s minds…is this a farm bubble? Henderson says it depends on corn prices; and, low interest rates mean high land values and predictions are that they will stay low until 2014. Corn production costs are up more than 70 percent since 2001 and wheat production costs are up more than 25 percent. He also says look for higher gas prices next summer because consumption is predicted to be higher than production.

Henderson concluded by saying a rebound in commodity markets and manufacturing have underpinned stronger gains in the Nebraska economy; financial markets will shape economic activity in the near-term and agriculture could support the Nebraska economy again in 2012.

Learn more about ag families in Nebraska by visiting www.nefb.org. And while there, be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.