The Definition of a Hoosier

March 6, 2013March 7, 2013 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / 1 Comment

“There are two things that really define a Hoosier: basketball and agriculture.”

— Indiana Lt. Gov and Secretary of Agriculture, Sue Ellspermann

Many Indiana farmers, ag industry leaders, FFA members, and state lawmakers celebrated Indiana Agriculture at the State House yesterday. March is Agriculture Appreciation Month here in this flyover state. I know that I will be doing my part in showing how much I appreciate Indiana farmers and their families and I hope that you will too.

Yesterday I read “How Did That Get Into My Lunchbox: The Story of Food” by Chris Buttersworth to my first grade class. Before I read the book I explained to the students that March is Ag Appreciation Month in Indiana. Many of the students had never heard the word “agriculture.” We had a conversation about what ag is and what it means to Indiana. I was so excited to teach them about ag, but I was also heartbroken that the first time they ever heard the word was when they were six years old.

At the Ag Appreciation celebration yesterday at the State House, Indiana Lt. Gov and Secretary of Ag, Sue Ellspermann summed up why Indiana is such a great state, “There are two things that really define a Hoosier: basketball and agriculture.” I could not agree more! She also said, “It is important that we tell the story of Indiana agriculture to those outside our industry.” I hope that many farmers and ag industry leaders share their story as often as they can. We must bridge the gap between farmers and consumers.

To sum it up, Indiana = agriculture.

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.

How To…

February 20, 2013 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / Leave a comment

My first graders have been working on writing “How To’s” in class. They are learning how to write with details and use words that describe time and events (i.e. First, Then, After, Next, Finally). I have seen “How to Make a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich.” “How to Shoot a Basketball.” So far my favorite is, “How to Write a Book.” The little girl asked me to help her come up three steps to describe how to write a book. So, I asked her, “What does an author need to decide on before he puts words on paper?” She told me that they need to find something to write about. Then I said, “Yes! They need a topic. What do you think they need to do after they have their topic?” She said they have to have some characters. Again I told her yes and asked, “What do you think authors do once they have their characters picked out?” She told me then they can write a story.

I love that she chose “How to Write a Book.” I hope that one day she uses her own “How To” and writes a book with her own story to tell. That’s why writers write. They see something and want to share their own story. A story that no one else can write but them. My goal later in life is to become a children’s book author because I see something that no one else does and I can’t wait to tell my story and share it with all of you.

Happy Wednesday! Do you have a story to tell?

Need a Pep Talk?

February 13, 2013 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / Leave a comment

We all need a pep talk every now and then and it’s even better when it comes from someone smaller, younger and more optimistic than you. I am in my final stretch of my college career. Senioritis is kicking in a little bit. I am excited to graduate and be done with school. It has been a long four years and I am definitely over writing papers and all the reading. At the same time I am terrified to enter the real world and get a grown up job. I just need a pep talk every now and then to remind me that I am ready. To tell me “its time to do something.” I am going to come upon many many roads that diverge into two. I hope that I choose the one less traveled because I too “want to be on the road that leads to awesome.”

What will be your Space Jam? What will you create that will make the world awesome? Have you thought about it or started going after it? If not here’s a little pep talk to get you going. To sum it up, I know I am ready to “create something awesome!”

Happy Wednesday and remember “we’re all on the same team. We were made to be awesome.”

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!

My Words to Live By in 2013

January 22, 2013January 23, 2013 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / 1 Comment

These are the words I plan to live by every day in 2013. If you haven’t seen the movie, We Bought a Zoo I recommend that you do, it’s great. 2013 is going to be an incredible year. I already have many events marked in my 2013 calendar. I will be attending many weddings, graduating, hopefully finding a job, and experiencing other wonderful events I am sure. I am so excited about this year, but I am going to need some courage along the way. 20 seconds of courage is doable, especially if something great comes out of it!

Here’s to 2013 and all the great somethings that will come with it!

What are your words to live by in 2013? Share them with me in the comments!

Photo Friday: Tis the Season

December 20, 2012December 21, 2012 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / Leave a comment

Earlier this week my best friend Emily, and I took a drive through our small hometown to see the Christmas lights. We drank hot coffee and listened to Christmas music as we cruised through the streets downtown and up the roads in the city park.It was a great way to reminisce together on the year. We talked about our holiday party schedules, this year’s display of lights, and how much we love being from a small town.I love how my homwtown remembers and knows how to say “thank you” to our troops. I also love how my hometown knows how to pay tribute and respect to those who recently lost their lives and will not be here this Christmas. God bless each and every one of them. And God bless small town USA.The courthouse and town square are my favorite display of lights. They are so simple and classy. I feel like I have stepped back in time when I drive around the town square. Snow is finally here!! I don’t think we had this much snow in all of winter last year. Thank you Lord for this beautiful snow! I hope it helps and gives our soil some nutrients. Thank you all for stopping by. I pray that you travel safe and enjoy the Christmas season with those that mean the most to you. Merry Christmas and God bless!!

Photo Friday: A Dying Art

December 14, 2012September 13, 2013 / Sarah Thomas Cleveland / Leave a comment

Last night I worked on signing, addressing, and stamping my Christmas cards. Christmas cards are one of my favorite things about Christmas for a few reasons:

1.) They are a great way to give AND receive the Christmas spirit

2.) They are so personal

3.) I love the cards with pictures. Especially the cards with family and friends’ little ones on them (I don’t love how old they make me feel when I realize how fast those little ones are growing up).

I hope people continue to send Christmas cards. To put it simply, sending and receiving cards of any kind, letters, postcards, invitations is a dying art. More people use social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to send their messages to others. I love social media I do, but I also love sending and receiving snail mail. I’m that girl that put stationary on her Christmas wish list, if that gives you any idea just how much I love the art of letter writing. My grandmother went to Hallmark to get me some for Christmas. When she asked the sales person, the woman replied, “We don’t have many choices for stationary. It’s a dying art.” The woman at HALLMARK, a card making company said that!! Call me old fashioned, say I’m an old soul, call me crazy, I don’t care, I will always send snail mail! It’s so personal and lovely. I just hope more people out there love it the way I do.

Most of my generation does not understand the importance of writing and sending a hand written letter. I’m sure many do not send thank you letters after job interviews. I know for a fact that many do not understand how to send a RSVP (I am guilty of this at times). My generation has gotten lazy. They think sending a text or email will get the job done. For me, those forms of communication do not even come close to a hand written letter. You better believe I will teach letter writing in whatever classroom setting I’ll be teaching in in the future!

I have a friend who feels the same way I do about this lost art. You can read her blogpost about the matter here.

To sum it up, please continue to send your Christmas cards, birthday cards, letters of congratulations, wedding and party invites, or just a simple note to your friends. The receiver will greatly appreciate them, I am sure of it!