You might have noticed I have a bit of a poultry thing going on. It hardly seems possible that I have worked on behalf of poultry farmers and companies for 18 years, actually.
18 years.
I was young and single and serious and pretty quiet when I started.
Now I don’t feel much older (well, sometimes) but I’m married, a mom and take almost everything a little less seriously than I did in my 20s. (And the quiet thing? Totally depends.)
That doesn’t mean I don’t work just as hard as I did back then. I think I actually work harder. And in many ways, I am more efficient now and I definitely feel like I get more done. I can, however, tell you it took me a long time to feel truly competent when communicating about poultry production. There is just so much to learn! From my vantage point, raising turkeys or chickens is complicated and challenging and ever-changing. The learning never stops for farmers – and for me.
Which brings me to two exciting links to share with you.
The first is a new video just released by the National Turkey Federation and the American Meat Institute that allows you to tour a turkey farm, watch turkeys being “loaded out” of the barn to be trucked to a processing plant, and then view a very transparent look at processing plant procedures, as well. The video is hosted and narrated by the venerable Temple Grandin, Ph.D., one of the world’s most well-respected experts on animal behavior, animal handling and humane slaughter.
The video is over 13 minutes long but if you are interested in how turkeys are raised, this is an excellent, real-world look – although I feel the need to point out that the processing plant video is real, in case you are squeamish about that sort of thing.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=852zxDEAR-Q&w=560&h=315%5D
The second link I want to share is (shameless plug alert!) my very own guest blog post for Hoover’s Hatchery, a company based in Rudd, Iowa, that sells a variety of baby chickens, turkeys, ducks, pheasants and other gamebirds – as well as offers supplies and equipment for poultry enthusiasts.
I “met” the folks at Hoover’s Hatchery on Twitter a few weeks ago during a Twitter chat hosted by the AgChat Foundation (#AgChat), and I was thrilled when I was asked to be a contributor to the blog. (Note – this isn’t a paid gig.) At first, I felt like I was an unlikely choice, as much of my day-to-day work focuses on conventional poultry farms and larger poultry companies – versus some of the smaller farmers and backyard flock owners who no doubt, um, flock to Hoover’s Hatchery. (Sorry. Couldn’t resist.) But then I realized this was a chance for me to share my knowledge of social media as well as my passion for “agvocating” for agriculture, which is definitely not one size fits all.
So … I’m feeling pretty excited about that! And in fact I had a celebratory glass of wine tonight with my pork roast. What? Did I say pork? Well, a girl has to share the food love around sometimes. (And after 14 years of marriage, I do know that Teacher Man can not live by poultry alone!)
If you watch the video above or happen to read my guest post at Hoover’s Hatchery and have any questions, please feel free to leave comments below, hop on over to my Facebook page or find me on Twitter (@MNGobbleGal) – I’d love to hear your feedback!