Bridger Valley Buffalo Company

Bridger Valley Buffalo Co.

I recently made a stop to the Bridger Valley Buffalo Company's ranch in Lyman, Wyoming. Rex Snyder, the owner, was gracious enough to spend a couple of minutes and discuss his company with us. 

Bridger Valley Buffalo Company, partnered with Snyder Land, produce high quality buffalo meat. The company is a three generation, family owned company that started with three buffalo and has grown to a herd of 700. Snyder Land is responsible for the breeding and general management of the buffalo while Bridger Valley Buffalo Co. is over the sales of the buffalo product. 

Included here is a few questions from my interview, conducted over the phone, with Mr. Snyder:

"Why did your family gravitate towards buffalo rather than beef cattle?" 

We saw a lot of potential in buffalo meat sales and a buffalo ranch is not as common as cattle farming.

"What are the benefits of having your ranch here in Lyman, Wyoming?"

The buffalo are a hearty animal. They can withstand the weather and there's a lot of grass here. 

"Do you prefer buffalo meat over beef?" 

I enjoy buffalo meat. It has a lot of similarities with beef in how it tastes and how it is prepared. It's just slightly richer and more flavorful. We've also got a lot of great recipes on our website.

Mr. Snyder pointed me towards some interesting information provided on the companies website, including this nutrition table on the benefits of buffalo meat. 

I was surprised to find that buffalo is so low in fat and higher than fish in Omega-3 fatty acids. Mr. Snyder also mentioned that buffalo meat is a great source of iron for those with an iron deficiency. Also, because of the class that buffalo meat falls under, it is illegal to give them any sort of growth hormone. The Bridger Valley Buffalo Co. follows strict FDA and USDA standards. 

The website also provides useful contact information, a store link, as well as recipes and tips for cooking buffalo meat. 

My discussion with Mr. Snyder made the images of the plantation owner come to mind. It is ironic to see that this man, who oversees the breeding and management of the actual herd of buffalo, has roles both relating to the yeoman farmer and the plantation owner. Following The Great Depression, I bet it would have been hard for those people to imagine that a man could be a laborer as well as a wealthy man who owns a farm or ranch. 

"Folklore encompasses all the informally learned expressive culture that we have in our lives." -Farm: A Multimodal Reader. During my visit to Lyman, Wyoming, I also collected these image of farming (or better, ranching) folklore. 

As you can see, if this was an image of a normal fence, what a pointless fence it would be. This is a popular site in Wyoming and is actual a snow fence. The purpose of a snow fence has nothing to do with maintaining or "keeping in" anything. (Hence the gaps.) This fence is meant to slow down the wind so that snow drifts do not accumulate on the roads. Given that Wyoming's lowest elevation is higher than the loftiest points of 17 other states (slate.com) it definitely receives a lot of snowfall. It is also the least densely populated state next to Alaska. It is pointless to have snow plows constantly clearing the roads that few travel on. These snow fences are the answer. 

The second of the snow fence pictures is an older version of a snow fence. Wood was simply lined up like this, usually angled slightly, and spanned 50-100 yards before there was a gap. A lot of times the fences were staggered as well. The picture above this older fence is an example of a more modern look of snow fences. 

"Bridger Valley Buffalo Company." Bridger Valley Buffalo Company. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Aug. 2015.

Kinkead, Joyce, Funda, Evelyn, McNeill, Lynne S. "Farm: A Multimodal Reader" Revised Edition 2014. Fountainhead Press. Print. 

Snyder, Rex. "Bridger Valley Buffalo Co." Telephone interview. 

Vanhoenacker, Mark. "What Are Those Long Fences Along the Highway Out West?" Slate. Brow Beat, n.d. Web. 16 Aug. 2015

Appalachian Blackberry Patch Farm Landscape

Appalachian Blackberry Patch Farm Landscape

Artist: Walt Curlee (Alabama)

Created in 2007 with Digital Brush and Wacom Board

Size: 24"x30"

Walt Curlee uses a very specific style for his entire "Rural Americana" collection; All with vivid color and distinct color patterns and precise brushstrokes. This painting is a part of that collection The entire collection can be viewed in the Rural Americana gallery on his website. This particular painting depicts a horse-drawn wagon toting three adults and one small child, driving down a country road. A farmhouse, white with a wrap-around porch, can be seen in the center of this painting as well as cows, a stereotypical red barn with a grain silo, a garden to the side of the house and in the foreground, a blackberry patch. There appear to be neighboring farms as well as a river and some storm clouds rolling in. 

I may not have even noticed the blackberries had they not been a part of the title of this piece. Although they are painted beautifully, they do not immediately grab my attention and do not seem to be the focus of this painting. I think the focus of the painting is more on the farm house with the side garden and the red barn behind it. My focus is also drawn to the dark stormy clouds in the background which, to me, have the most significance. 

I found this piece of artwork to be very thought provoking. When I first look at this painting, I feel like the artist was trying to depict "every day life" on the farm. The cows are grazing, the people are traveling home, and the weather appears to be mild at the moment. The storm clouds rolling in make me think the artist was trying to point out how the farm can change so rapidly. The 'unexpected' will prevail with each new season. One year you may get an excellent crop, the next year you may barely scrape by. Weather, infestation, climate, temperature, all can play a part in the success or failure of a crop. As far as the painting depicts, it would seem that the artist is saying "As of today, all is well on the farm."

Curlee, Walt. Appalachian Blackberry Patch Farm Landscape. 2007. Digital Brush and Wacom Board. Rural Americana. Walt Curlee Fine Art. Homestead. Web. 31 July 2015. <http://www.waltcurleeart.com>.

Farm Bill 2014

Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013

To provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes.

The above mentioned act, short named the Farm Bill was proposed in 2013 and passed in 2014.

Every 5 years, a new Farm Bill is introduced to discuss spending in different areas relating to farming, and distribution of funding for assistance programs. In 2014, a Farm Bill was signed by executive order from President Obama.

What I want to focus on in regards to this bill, is changes made to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program also known as "food stamps". With this law, 8 billion dollars per year was cut from the food stamps program. At first proposal of this law, many wondered whether President Obama was going to pass this bill because in the public eye, he is very against cutting any assistance funding. However, this bill was signed by executive order from President Obama in "record time". (http://www.usda.gov)

I am not a beneficiary of food stamps although I have many friends who are. As with any assistance program, there are many who abuse the benefit. But for truly deserving families, the cut in funding averages out to 34 lost meals per month. I do not feel that this adjustment was a good one. I feel like any changes made to the food stamps program should be to streamline the application process, aid in the selection process to ensure worthy candidates, and help people who are needing this assistance with resources such as job placement services.

Another excellent change to the food stamps program would be nutritional programs that go hand in hand with accepting food stamps benefits. Currently, if you are a beneficiary of food stamps, you are given a debit card that is loaded on a certain day of the month with your monthly benefit amount. You can then take this to the store and purchase whatever you want. I am not suggesting taking away freedom of choice, but use this opportunity to inform beneficiaries of healthy options for their families.

Wikipedia contributors. "Agricultural Act of 2014." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 1 Jan. 2015. Web. 23 Jul. 2015.

USDA.gov. "A Look at the Farm Bill, One Year In." USDA, United States Department of Agriculture. USDA, United States Department of Agriculture, 03/02/2015.

Justin Morrill: Land for Learning Notes!

Justin Morrill: Land for Learning is a PBS video somewhat in the form of a biography of Justin Morrill's life and also a documentary about the Land Grant College Act of 1862. Prior to the 1860's, further education mostly consisted of studying ministry and dead languages. The goal of the Land Grant College Act was to aim towards a "more educated populas". Justin Morrill was a man who studied people- how they spent their money, etc. With an original plan to study horticulture and become a gentlemen farmer, Justin ended up in politics. He was a member of the conservative Whig Party. He served 12 years for the House of Representatives and 31 years in the Senate. His long standing career outlasted 11 different Presidents until his death in 1898.

Justin was frugal and that helped his popularity in Vermont. He was a big advocate for furthering education beyond the 8th grade, which was the typical amount of education the population was achieving at this time. One of the first issues he ran into, was that Universities were not interested in Agricultural Sciences, which he advocated for. He foresaw an issue with the farming in the states, in comparison to the farming in Europe. American soil was not being revitalized in any way and this, he saw, as crucial. Europeans were implementing fertilizers and being rewarded with better crop. Justin used his position in politics to try and push for further education in agricultural studies.

The Land Grant College Act of 1862 was a way for federally owned land to be granted to states. The states could sell the land to colleges or anyone and profit from the sales. On July 2, 1962, Abraham Lincoln signed Justin's bill into law. By 1870, Universities were expanding into agricultural studies, veterinary science and even allowing women to attend. Although at first, agricultural studies didn't have much to offer. Teachers could teach students how to farm, but not much beyond that because there really wasn't a lot of printed research in this area.

The Land Grant College Act was a way to grant land (17 million acres sold) and a way to pay teachers. But it did not pay for buildings. Another issue was that this act only benefited Union states so confederate states would eventually fall behind and it took many years for their buildings, programs and equipment to catch up. In 1890, the Morrill Act was altered again to allow money from congress to go towards black schools, which were named the 1890 Schools. The funding for white and black colleges was not equal, only 10% going to black schools. Justin Morrill pushed to "eliminate gap between haves and have nots." 

The Cooperative Extension service arose and became vital to land grants. Basically it was a way to take what the students were learning about agriculture and apply it out in the communities. Hybrid corn, leaner pork and beef, and many others huge accomplishments came from this time. America was becoming a very successful country and many benefited from Co-op Extension Services.

President Coolidge said of the extensionists, that he wanted them to become more than just agriculture, he hoped to broaden studies. During WWII, land grants had an opportunity to shine. The army's ROTC program grew out of land grant funding and became a huge asset to the war. In 1941, there were 50,000 ROTC officers which were able to help train more soldiers as well as help our allies. When the war ended, Veterans were excited about the free tuition they were offered.

During the 1950's and 60's, the belief became that higher education would lead to a stronger country. President Truman began using the land grants to help other countries and provided education to international students.

Justin Morrill worked well into his 80's always pushing for further funding for the Land Grant Act. His wife, June, died in May of 1898, Justin died later that year.  Because of him, and the Land Grant Act, there were 20 million graduates in 1997 that were Land Grant students.

Justin Morril: Land for Learning. Vermont PBS Documentaries. Aired: 12/19/1998. PBS.

Homemade Jam- Back to the Roots

Every year I have a garden. I am very proud of my garden, but raspberries is just one of those things that I can't grow. (Unless you count the very small handful I'm able to get.) Luckily, my in-laws are able to produce buckets and buckets of raspberries.

I started a tradition two years ago of making sugar-free raspberry-jalapeno jam. Yes, you heard that right! Raspberries and Jalapenos! I love to make this jam because it is so versatile. You can put it on your toast, your bagel, with your cream cheese spread, even on your eggs!

The recipe is pretty simple, although I don't think I'm going to divulge the whole thing. (Recipes are supposed to be secret right?) It does include sugar-free pectin. I generally just buy this from the store but I decided to research pectin further. Pectin is a naturally occurring substance in fruits. Some fruits have a high pectin level, some have a low level. The product Pectin, can be made from boiling fruits and sugar together. The perfect pectin has a careful balance of fruit, sugar, and acid. Pectin is used as a thickening agent for jams and jellies. I use a sugar-free version which can be made from boiling immature apples or crab apples with water and lemon juice. The sugar-free version of pectin is natural and perfectly safe to use (unless you have an allergy to apples or corn). It is great to use in your jams or jellies because it allows you to make your jam with less sugar. My raspberry jalapeno jelly is made with Splenda or Stevia instead of sugar.

After researching pectin, I feel good about using this product. I was worried that I was going to find ridiculous chemicals or production methods that would put me off from this product but there is not! Very rarely is anything added to pectin with the exception of citric acid or dextrose, which are used as binders. I often use citric acid in canning for shelf preservation. The research I did on pectin had an added bonus of helping me to learn alternative methods of making pectin if I ever do decide to steer away from commercial pectin.

"How to make your own Pectin for use in homemade jam and jelly." Pick Your Own. July 17, 2015.

"Notes about pectin for making homemade jam." Pick Your Own. July 17, 2015.

Providence Settlers

Providence Settlers

I interviewed my grandma, Barbara Mathews, on the history of farming in my family. My grandma loves genealogy and knows our family history better than anyone. She was excited and more than willing to share.

The ancestors to the Mathews’ family came across the planes in the third handcart company around the 1860’s; H Mathews and his daughter, Elizabeth Mathews, among them. Elizabeth became one of the first members of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers group. Elizabeth and her father  were among the first to settle in Providence, Utah. They established fruit trees and had a successful fruit farm, producing mostly apples and peaches on the bench in Providence. They owned 160 acres.

After looking at the timeline for this time period, I did notice that in 1862, due to the Homestead Act, settlers who had worked the land for 5 years were granted 160 acres of land. The Mathews property was 160 acres as well, I wonder if that was a coincidence or if maybe the land was granted to them.

I actually grew up in Providence, on a little bit of land that used to be part of the fruit orchards. My grandma said that if you go up to the old property, there are still two rows of the original orchard still existing. I hope to be able to go and find those two rows soon.

On the other side of the family, we have the Parkinson’s. My grandma, Barbara, is a Parkinson.  If you read about the history of Wellsville, it talks about how the Parkinson’s and Maughan’s were the first to settle in Cache Valley in what is now Wellsville. (Wellsville, to this day, has a lot of Maughan and Parkinson families). The Parkinson’s started a farm where they produced beets and hay, mainly to feed cattle, and ran a dairy farm. 

Poor Richard's Almanack

Poor Richard's Almanack was the Go-To guide for farmers from 1732, when it was first published, to around 1758. Who was Richard you might ask? Benjamin Franklin, author of the almanac, created Richard based off a 17th century London almanac maker. He also credits the name "Poor Richard" based off another almanac at that time- Poor Robin.  It was published during the Age of Enlightenment (1700-1800).

An almanac is an annual calendar that contains weather predictions, important dates, local events like court dates, astrological information, tide tables, meteorological data and in the case of Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack, also may contain chronology of monarchs, historical events, entertaining sayings (that Franklin was credited for although he did not author all of them), as well as stories and poems.

Farmers did not have any other way to predict weather at this time. They relied on the almanacs for weather predictions in order to decide when would be best to plant their crops. It was also a good way to determine whether to expect a wet or dry season.

Literature is defined as written works, especially those considered of superior or lasting artistic merit. Does Poor Richard's Almanack fall under that category? Of course! By 1758, the almanac was selling 10,000 copies per year and was the Go-To almanac for 25 years! That is definitely credible merit to me.