Kindness for a stranger…

Even the smallest thing to help a stranger is better than nothing. It can be anything from holding a door open for an old lady, to paying for someone’s Christmas layaway at Walmart. One thing I can remember that I did kind for a stranger is, one time I went to Pierre with my family. We went to eat at Pizza Ranch, and like everyone else I went straight for the Desert Pizza! When I was getting some a little girl also came up to get some but she could not reach it, so I helped her get some pizza. It made be feel good when she just looked up at me, smiled, and said thank you and walked away. I know it wasn’t anything big, but I helped a stranger out. When I get older I play on doing larger acts of kindness, such as paying for a strangers layaway or buying their meal in a drive-thru line. 

Low Red Meat Production..

How many of you like to eat meat? Of course you do! Did you know that over 50% of people all around the world eat meat too? But since February the red meat production has been down 20% in South Dakota. The USDA statistic services say that the total amount of red meat produced, which in 80.3 million pounds a month, is down 1% from last year. Pork production is also down, but sheep and lamb has increased. They was a decrease in hog slaughter from last year and so is their live weight. The slaughter of sheep and lamb has remained the same as last year, but their live weight has increased by an average of 5 pounds.

 

What kind of people do we need more of?

If you ask this question to other people, you would get a hundred different answers. I feel our world and the people in it have become very selfish, greedy people that do not care about anyone else but themselves. No one cares about respect, responsibility, or every kindness anymore. Everyone worries about them self and them self only; they don’t care out the guy standing next to them, and that says a lot about America.

You know the people that perform random acts of kindness? Where they buy your coffee at Starbucks, or anonymously buy your meal in the McDonald’s drive thru. Those are the kind of people I like our world needs more of. They are being kind and caring not because they have to or should, but because they want to.  If people try to cheer each other up and be more positive than negative all the time, there are no limits on what we can achieve.

It is really not that hard to perform an act of kindness for someone if you think about it. I think we should all try to do it more often. Even if it is just throughout our community and not the whole world, at least we know our community is the best place to be. 

Someone i will never forget.

A lot of people have affected my life and I will never forget them. They is one person though in my life that has always been there for me, and I will never forget her. The person I am talking about is my Aunt Jamie. She is the absolute best person ever. She is so nice, caring, and I know that I can go to her with just about everything. I am so happy they moved a little bit closer to us. They now live in Faulkton and I can go see them whenever I want. Glen and Jamie have two little kids, Khloe and Kaden. They are the cutest little cousins ever! They are so fun to babysit and I am glad i get to spend so much time with them. Glen, Jamie, Khloe, and Kaden are all people I will never forget, especially Jamie. I am so glad that her and I are close. She helps me out a lot and I am happy she is a part of my life. 

So God Made a Farmer…

This year during the 47th Super Bowl game this year was a commercial that really stuck out to me, and that was the Dodge Ram ‘God Made a Farmer’ one. You usually don’t see commercials like that. Most people or big companies do not take the time to thank farmers and ranchers for all that they do. They don’t get the appreciation they deserve. I was also surprised and happy to see the FFA emblem at the end. It made me feel good just knowing I was apart of FFA. 

I knew Dodge was a sponsor for FFA programs, but I didn’t know that they donated so much money. Not only are they just giving us money, but on their website they put a link to go to a page about FFA. They know why FFA is important and they are trying to inform the rest of the world about that as well. 

I’m sure this commercial didn’t mean as much to the people in bigger cities, as it did to us. I am sure to opened their eyes a little bit and showed that people have to grow, harvest, and work hard to put food on the table for the whole world. Without agriculture this country wouldn’t be nearly advanced I feel. Agriculture keeps changing and improving everyday. 

By showing more people this commercial or telling them what we do in FFA to help is one way of making a positive impact and spreading our story of agriculture. No matter how big or small the project is, members of the FFA program are helping the world everyday. 

Change Over Time…

In 5 years, a lot of things can happen and change. Your appearance  your friends, things you do, sometimes things change in you that you do not even notice. Changes in your life are good, sometimes they may not feel like it at the time, but in the end you make the best out if it and you become a better person.

When you see someone you haven’t seen in a while they may say something like “Gosh! You are just growing like a weed!” As we get older we get taller, we change our looks, and our appearance just changes in general. I know for me personally from elementary to high school I have lost weight, changed my style of clothes, and the way I do my hair. These are the more minor changes in life.

Over time we gain new friends! I know with our new co-op with Gettysburg I have made so many new friends and I love them all to death! They all make my life a lot more interesting, and always know how to put a smile on my face. But I also still have my great friends back at school. We all have so many memories together and I love them all to pieces. Some friends you may over look would be if you had a boyfriend or a girlfriend. If you have one I am sure they have changed your life! I know with my boyfriend, Tyler, he has diffidently  made a difference in my life. A Good One!! He is always there for me when I need someone to talk to, and he even helps me with homework sometimes! He helps me think more positive about things when I am stressed and gets my mind off things. He even teaches me a lot of things about the farm that I did not know before! I am glad to call him mine, and happy to have him in my life!

When you enter high school there are more opportunities. There are more activities and ways to get involved. You can pick what sports you are in, what clubs, and to a certain extent what classes you take. You can change your mind over the years and take different activities. You also met new people this way too. This year I decided to not do basketball this year because I have been so busy with every thing else. I do have to admit, I do miss it a little bit, but I do have a little more time to do my own thing, and get stuff done for school.

Some things in your life that are more personal change who you are. Such as family issues, relationships with other people, or just the regular high school drama. I know for my personally, something that has changed my life has been my family issues. I have not always had a stable family, and I still don’t. It’s all the little things in life that add up and change your life the most.

Impact of the Drought

The severe drought we had this year affected our crops and their prices greatly. Because of the drought there had been a decreased yield in corn, soybeans, and grain feeds. Also because of these decreased amount the prices for these crops have sky rocketed to record levels. The price of wheat and barely have also increased but their yields have not really be affected. In affect of these crops prices being raised so has the production of livestock, dairy, and poultry. The common argue among people and their legislatures if that they should less corn to produce ethanol and then that grain could be used to feed the animals.

I found this article on the Internet written by John Urbanchuck who is the Technical Director for Cardno Entrix. 

Farmers and ranchers feel that the grains aren’t being used the most efficient way; they are in a drought and they would like to see the grain be divided differently. Because of the drought there is less grain, and they need all the grain they can for their animals. 

I feel that more of the grain should go to the ranchers because they have livestock, or dairy, or poultry to produce. We could just cut back a little on ethanol production, but still have it, and i don’t think it would hurt us that bad. While we are in a drought we need to manage the resources we have for now wisely. 

I feel the possible outcome of all this may be that people will see where the ranchers are coming from and go with it their way. Is anything very that easy? No. I’m sure they will have to sacrifice somethings, but for the most part they will get a little bit bigger share of the grain.

Small Acts of Kindness

Helping out someone even in a small way my not seem like a big deal to you, but it really does mean a lot to someone else. This weekend I came into a little pinch and wasn’t going to be able to cover my work shift at the Prairie Stop. Autumn, my sister, works at the Prairie Stop also. She heard I was looking for someone to cover my shift and she told me she could go in and work for me. I was surprised she actually told me she would help me out, because Autumn and I don’t always get along. So when Autumn told me she had it covered, I was very happy. 

My sibling are always helping me out in small ways. Whether its helping me clean my room, making my bed, or helping me with laundry, they are always eager to help me. There are ways I could return the favor back to them too. For Autumn I could help her out at the Prairie Stop if she ever needs me too. April helps me out a lot too; her and I are really close. I can help April make her bed, or help her clean her room. When it come to my brothers, if I will just play farm with them for an hour they will be perfectly content.

Helping people feels good when you are done. Seeing the reaction on their face is all worth it. 

Making A Difference

Coaches, mentors, parents, even friends can all make a difference in a person’s life. They can make you smile when you don’t want to, or make your bad day no so bad anymore. For me, a mentor is a person that is always there for you. They cheer for you at your games, help you with school work, and just even hangout with you. The person that comes to mind when I think about all these things, is Ashley Griese. She has always been there for me and I know she always will be. She is practically like me big sister! Ashley watched over me, cheers me on, and gives me advice when I need. I seriously think she has helped me be the person I am today. But there also has been other people who have influenced me. One of them, of course, being my mom. She is always at my games, helping me with homework, and lets not forget all the cleaning, and cooking, and laundry! Another person that comes to mind is Brady Hartung, my Junior High Basketball coach. He did everything he could to make us a better team, but still made it fun for all of us. We have so many memories with Brady and I’m sure there are more to come. It seems like everywhere I go I have some one looking out for me. When I go home mom is there, at practice Brady is there, with friends, Ashley is right beside me. But lets not forget school, I feel the two teachers that look out for me and want the most for me in life would have to be Miss Rist and Mrs. Bengs. Miss Rist is my Ag teacher and FFA advisor. She always helps me when i have a problem or need a favor, or have a question about something. She also put a lot of work into my team and I, and we received 2nd place at state in Agricultural Communications. We had so much fun doing it and learned so much. I can never thank her enough. Mrs. Bengs is my band instructor. She helps me when I have a question about my instrument, and she is there when i just want to stop in and say hi. Sometimes I forget she is a teacher when I am talking to her.

I can remember this one time in track, I was just getting ready to triple jump and I saw all these really good girls getting warmed up to! Like Megan Sandmeier, Christi Mettler, Andriea Biel, even my friend Shaye! I immediately got down on myself. I told my self I couldn’t do it, that all the other girls were better than me, that I couldn’t even reached 28 feet! But as soon as my friends, Ashley, my coach, saw me down, they picked me right back up again. They told me I could do it and just try my best and whatever it is, it is. So I relaxed a little bit and didn’t give up. Before I knew it is was my turn to jump, I got on the runway and went full speed ahead for the sand, before I could blink I was done and out of the pit. That day i jumped a ‘28,8’ . That was really good for me! I was so proud of my self and didn’t even care that I didn’t get first. I improved my own score and that was all the mattered to me.

After seeing how so many people have helped me and influenced my like, I wanted to do the same for another kid. I try to push and cheer on my sister in volleyball as much as I can, along with cheering for the rest of the team. I try to give back and help my mom around the house and with my younger siblings. I give back to my coaches by working hard in practice and paying attention. And, when the younger kids at my school need advice, help with homework, or just someone to talk to I try to let them know as much as I can that I am always there for them. All in all mentors, friends, coaches, teachers, and even parents really do change your life.  So if you’re having a bad day, need a friend, or just want to talk, turn to your own mentor and they can brighten your day.

One of my goals…

One of my goals for FFA this year is to make it to Nationals in Agricultural Communications. I competed in it this year and we did very well, and I know we will do even better this year! It was all of our first years, both doing Ag Comm and competing in FFA. It was me and my two of my friends, Kalecia and Bailey. We all worked well as a team together and had a great time doing it. We got 2nd this last year and we are still so proud of ourselves! Considering we had a couple difficulties in the presenting room. Our Laptop went into hibernation, speakers didn’t work, and anything else that could have went wrong did. But we ended up doing very well.

Sencondly, this year I would like to be able to play varsity volleyball. It is my favorite sport so I will work very had to achieve this goal. We co-oped with a new town this year and I am super excited to be able to play with them. I have made so many great friends already with the co-op and I know it will only get better. But with a co-op, comes twice as many girls wanting the same spot. But I know if I work hard and try my best, I will be able to do anything.

Finally my last goal is one that will be met!! I will see Luke Bryan in concert!! 🙂 He is my favorite country singer and i will do about anything to be able to see this man in concert!