Photo Friday: March is Ag Appreciation Month in Indiana

March 1, 2013March 1, 2013 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / 2 Comments

Today is the first day of March. It seems 2013 is fading away too quickly!! March has been declared Agriculture Appreciation Month in Indiana. March is a very appropriate month to appreciate all those in the Ag industry. At this time farmers are busy preparing to begin the new planting season. There are also many newborns that are joining farm families. Farmers are working hard to make sure these new little ones have everything they need to survive this crazy Indiana weather. Personally, I think every month is Ag Appreciation Month. Farmers never have a month or day off from their job. Their job that consists of providing you and me with the most affordable and abundant food, fuel, and fiber that we cannot live without. So, to sum it up, appreciate farmers every single day.

Be sure to visit Sarah Sums It Up this month as I give tributes to the American Farmer and share my story of why I am Agriculture Proud.

Photo Friday: So God Made a Farmer

February 8, 2013February 11, 2013 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / 2 Comments

The Dodge Ram Super Bowl commercial, So God Made a Farmer has been all the buzz on Ag blogs everywhere. I remember seeing the black baldie in the opening scene of the commercial and thinking, “Oh no HSUS or PETA have a commercial tonight!” Then two words entered the screen, Paul Harvey. Next I thought, “OH MY GOODNESS someone is using So God Made a Farmer.” The pictures that followed brought me to tears as I listened to the words of Paul Harvey’s poem.

After the commercial was over I quickly tweeted, “Best commercial ever! #godmadeafarmer #dodge #ThankAFarmer”

All the Ag tweeps (twitter people) I follow had the same reaction as I. Here are some of my favorite tweets from Sunday night.

After reading Heather and Sheridan’s tweets I got pretty emotional and wished my Dad could have seen the commercial.

Clark’s tweet was my all time favorite of the night.

I absolutely loved that this commercial was played during the Super Bowl, one of the most watched televison events. Farmers were represented in a positive way and those who were tuned in Sunday night got the chance to see it.

Listed below are some blog posts about the commercial. I love how passionate these bloggers are in telling the story of agriculture.

To sum it up, So God Made a Farmer for you and for me and I tip my hat to Dodge for shinning a light on them. But the real people I want to thank are farmers. Thank you for being God’s chosen caretakers.

Photo Friday: Young Farmer Conference

February 1, 2013February 11, 2013 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / Leave a comment

This past weekend I attended the Indiana Farm Bureau Young Farmer Conference. It’s the second weekend in a row where I’ve surrounded my self with individuals involved in the Agriculture industry. Farmers and ranchers are best company to keep…well in my opinion. I had such a great time with future industry leaders learning about advances in ag technology, ways to promote yourself, and of course socializing.

The keynote speaker was Josh Bleill, a Marine that lost his legs in active duty. He now works as a motivational speaker for the Indianapolis Colts. His story of hope and courage moved me to tears. Josh comes from a farming community in Indiana and was so appreciative to all the farmers in the crowd, “Farmers are a lot like Marines. They get up early, go to bed late, and come in at night with dirt on their boots.” After everything Josh has been through he remains positive about life, “Life is a blessing, look at it that way.”

I am a member of the Marion County Young Farmer group. Our group was recognized as top county in donating number of volunteer hours and food dollars raised. I got to go up on stage to represent and accept the awards for our county.

I am so blessed to know and work these young ag professionals. We all had such a great time at this year’s conference. I look forward to another successful and exciting year for our Young Farmer group.

Photo Friday: Denver 2013

January 24, 2013January 25, 2013 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / 1 Comment

Last Friday I jumped on a plane headed west with my sister, Katherine and friend, Lindsay Bowman. We had our sights set on Denver to go to the National Western Stock Show to see the best of the best in the cattle industry. The weather was gorgeous! It was warmer there than at home in Indiana. I had such a great time meeting up with friends in The Yards, drinking some red beers in the Cowboy Bar on The Hill, meeting new friends, and celebrating the success of friends’ hard work. Livestock breeders do such an amazing job of caring for their stock. National Western Livestock show is a great place for them to display their family traditions, values and to showcase their stock. I am already looking forward to NWSS 2014!

Words I Need Today

November 25, 2012December 24, 2012 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / 10 Comments

Always a Farmer’s Daughter

by Sarah Thomas

There once was a Farmer who had a daughter. A Farmer that knew how to plant and raise crops and his own stock. That Farmer’s daughter admired and loved the Farmer.

But the time came for the Farmer to answer the call because the Man upstairs needed the Farmer to tend to his stock from up above.

Although the time of Thanksgiving is the most difficult time of all, the Farmer’s daughter was thankful for him. Thankful for the time she had with the Farmer. Thankful for the memories made and the stories to share. Thankful for the example of a life well lived.

The Farmer left a legacy for his daughter to share with you. A story that shaped the daughter’s life. The story of the Farmer told by the Farmer’s daughter. And always a Farmer’s daughter I’ll be.

The Farmer and the Farmer’s daughter

Today marks the third anniversary of my Dad’s passing. It feels like he has been gone for 30 years, not three. It is hard loving and hating all the things that remind me of him the most. All the things that make me the most like him.

I love and hate black coffee. I hate that I need it to get me through the day, but love it because he drank his black too. I love John Wayne and western movies so much that I wish my life was like a western. I hate that I can’t sit and watch a whole one because it was our thing.

I love that I have come to appreciate the work of the American farmer more. They say you learn to appreciate things more once they are gone. I always appreciated my Dad and his hard work. Now that he is not here, I try to show other farmers that I appreciate them and all the work they do for me. I hate hearing the phrase “the farmer’s daughter” because my farmer is no longer on this earth but love the fact that it will forever link me to farmers.

I love that he instilled in me a love for the land. That has not changed. I could never hate the land. I love it more because it is what’s left of him on this earth. There is a sign that hangs in my house, “Heaven is under our feet as well over our heads.” That saying has never been more true for me now. I would give anything to be in heaven with him, but I know he helped create a heaven here on this land for me. And I won’t disappoint him. I will try to live every day on this heavenly land as a farmer’s daughter because I know that I will always be one.

What I Am Thankful For

November 21, 2012November 21, 2012 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / 1 Comment

I am thankful for:
my family and friends
my home
my education
my faith
farmers and ranchers

I will use my family and friends in times of need. I will use what precious time I have with them to enjoy my relationships with them. Life is short. Show your love ones how much you love them.

I will use my home as a shelter and a place to appreciate who I am and how I was raised. For if ever I leave I know there will always be a place to call home.

I am extremely blessed that I grew up in a home that values education. I plan to continue pursuing my degree to become an educator. I hope to teach my future students the value of being educated.

I will use my faith to believe in the man upstairs and to have faith in His plan for me. I will continue to thank him for my blessings every day.

Last and certainly not least, I will continue to support farmers and ranchers in the agriculture industry. I will be an advocate for agriculture and thank them for all they do every chance I get.

I hope that you all have a blessed Thanksgiving and that you plan to SHOW your blessings how thankful you are.

Thank you for your support and stopping by my blog. I am thankful for you.

Photo Friday: My First Field Trip

October 26, 2012October 28, 2012 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / 1 Comment

Yesterday I went on a field trip to Kelsay Farms in Whiteland, Indiana. Now, it really was not my first field trip, but it was the first field trip that I have ever planned and been responsible for. My first week of student teaching I asked my mentor teacher if I could take my students on a field trip to a farm. He said, “sure but you have to plan it.” So, I planned it and we went and from the photos you can see how much the students enjoyed it. Marion County Farm Bureau sponsored 87 students from my school to attend. When we returned to the school the students wrote thank you notes to Marion County Farm Bureau and included something they learned from the tour and something they liked on the farm. I’ve read all of the notes and the students learned how many times the cows are milked each day, how the cows are milked, how a heifer becomes a cow, how much a cow can eat and drink in one day. They enjoyed all the fall activities: climbing on hay bale mountain, the corn maze, petting the calves, playing in the corn crib and being outside on a beautiful fall day. I also had a good time watching the students react to the smells of the farm and on how the cows were acting. It was quite entertaining for me! It is important to me that my students know where their food comes from. As their teacher, it’s my responsibility to teach them with the help of the awesome people in the agriculture industry. Help from people like the Kelsays. I would like to thank Marion County Farm Bureau for sponsoring and making this trip possible for the students. And a huge thank you to Amy Kelsay, all the Kelsay family and Kelsay Farms staff for taking the time to teach students about ag and inviting them to the farm. All in all I think my first field trip as an educator was a success!

Photo courtesy of Melissa TaylorPhoto courtesy of Melissa TaylorPhoto courtesy of Melissa Taylor

We Come and We Go

October 23, 2012October 25, 2012 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / Leave a comment

“We come and we go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it – for a little while.”

— Willa Cather, O Pioneers!

Today’s “words to live by” that I would like to share with you come from one of my favorite authors, Willa Cather. The woman I worked for this summer, Sarah Aubrey introduced me to Willa Cather’s books and I absolutely love them!! O Pioneers! is the story of a woman who has a passionate love for the land. While reading it, I kept making connections to this character and her love of the land. People do come and go, but the land is constant and beautiful. The land is the only thing worth working, fighting, and dying for because it is the only that lasts. For those of us that have this love of the land we have the opportunity to call it our own. It is a beautiful legacy that we leave behind when it’s our time to go.

Photo Friday: Young Farmers

October 11, 2012October 12, 2012 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / 1 Comment

Photo courtesy of Tiffany Obrecht

What is one thing all of these people have in common? A passion for agriculture! Wednesday night Marion County Farm Bureau Young Farmers held a social at Stoneycreek Farm in Noblesville, Indiana. We roasted hot dogs, made s’mores, went on a hay ride and enjoyed each other’s company on a perfect fall night. We also got to meet Loren Schmierer, the owner of Stonycreek Farm. Mr. Schmierer grew up on a farm in California. He worked for Elanco until 1978 when he decided he wanted to farm full time, “I wanted to come back to my roots and was tired of standing on my feet at cocktail parties because I am flat footed.” I loved listening to him tell his story and love for agriculture. It’s important for younger generations to hear these inspiring stories. Mr. Schmierer answered our questions about agritourism and how to connect to consumers. As a group of young professionals in the ag industry or with an interest in ag it was great to hear about Stonycreek Farm’s success.

If you would like to visit or learn more about Stonycreek Farm visit their website here.

Follow Marion County Farm Bureau on Facebook and Twitter!

Photo Friday: Harvest Time

September 13, 2012September 14, 2012 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / Leave a comment

It’s that time of year here in my flyover state. Farmers are busy in the fields harvesting their crops. While it has been a rough year in farming communities due to the drought I hope that farmers can find something to be thankful for this season. I am always thankful for them and their hard work.

During this season farmers will be traveling from field to field, so please be patient with them and share the road. Happy harvest season and please pray for harvest and farmers and be thankful for both!