Extraordinary Places Policy is Extraordinarily Dangerous

Hold on tight... this is a bit of a long one!


As a property owner, a farmer, a citizen of North Dakota, and a mom, I have become increasingly interested in the future of the state. I want to make sure that my family, my children and all that come after have the opportunity to make their own decisions and live in a state which will allow them to be responsible, honorable, that respects their heritage, allows them to be innovative, creative and a productive individual.

One action that will limit my, my families, and your rights is the “Extraordinary Places” or “Areas of Interest” policy that was recently adopted by the ND Industrial Commission.The ND Industrial Commission, comprised of Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, Commissioner of Agriculture Doug Goehring, and Governor Jack Dalrymple, has officially put this policy into place and it is dangerous!

The Drilling Permit Review Policy was adopted March 3, 2014, after it had been amended. The Commission did not allow for public comment on the amended version. The previous version of the policy had over 400 phones call to the Governor Dalrymple’s office alone and numerous additional electronic comments. Commissioner Goehring has been quoted as stating that this, the policy, is a “workable solution. We can avoid any unintended consequences”. He boldly shares this despite the fact that he knew fully that private property owners were included in the list and in the setback areas identified in the policy and that these areas located in the western part of the state and along waterways are lined by land privately owned and would be impacted by the outlined provisions. My question is, “What’s the problem we need a solution for?” We already have a system in place.

For me, the actions of the Commission are purely selfish, an attempt to appease environmental agencies, offices, and groups. They passed this policy knowing that the legislative body voted down a similar regulation when it was presented during the last legislative cycle. The Industrial Commission took it upon them self to put into action a policy (a practice imposed within an agency for enforcement) that gives environmentalist groups, generally those that are not politically aligned with the conservative principles of the Republican party, of which all three members belong to, a voice at the table while infringing on private property rights and individual freedoms.

(picture from Bradyreports.com)
So, why I am so hung up on private property rights? Well, because we have become a nation where we feel that it is our responsibility to govern every aspect of what everyone else is doing. We are a people that strive to please those that make the most noise. We are a people who live in fear and what –ifs and not in common sense. We are a population that has become lazy and it is time that WE THE PEOPLE stand up and take our responsibilities back and tell government and agencies of over regulation that they need to back off.
Private property rights do not conflict with human rights. They are human rights. Private property rights are the rights of humans to use specified goods and to exchange them. Any restraint on private property rights shifts the balance of power from impersonal attributes toward personal attributes and toward behavior that political authorities approve. Private property rights protect individual liberty. This is exactly why, the Drilling Permit Review Policy, passed by the Industrial Commission, is inappropriate and completely uncalled for!

At this time the Commission boasts that private property will not be at the mercy of public, state and/ or federal comment when it comes to regulating drilling permits. This is only partially true as there is a paradox within the policy. How do you separate out the private property when it is still listed on the map and in the policy. According to Governor Dalrymple, the reason that private property is still listed is that “this is a pilot policy. If it works on the public land we will expand it to the private land in that areas of interest". As stated by the governor, the policy that has been adopted, identifies several private lands among the eighteen Areas of Interest. There are also private lands associated in what the policy calls “setback” areas. Additionally, all state trust land (ie. state school land) is included in this policy, impacting use of the land as it currently is used now (hay, farming, and grazing) and into the future.

As public lands continue to be shut down to oil, gas and water, increased private lands will be needed causing increased tension between mineral and surface owners. Land owner notification is also a concern. When the Commission identified the eighteen areas around our state, the private land owners were not included in the conversation. In fact, in at least one case they were not contacted or notified that their land was being added to the list.
As a result of the Industrial Commissions actions, we now have to ask, “What can we do to protect out rights, our liberties, our future?” The answer is not simple. The legislature will have to deal with it in the next session, but until then we need to dialog. We have to talk! We have to share what we know, listen, speak up, ask questions, and empower each other. We have to stand up for what we believe in and let our elected officials know that we are not happy with the Commissions actions. We need to take responsibility and work to have representation that represents the people of the state that have been here, are here, and that want to have future generations reside here.
Don’t let your rights vanish. Engage. Share this with others.

Property rights are human rights and we shouldn’t let them be taken away!

For more information of the “Areas of Interest”, also called “Extraordinary Places” policy go to:
ND Farm Bureau: https://www.ndfb.org/policy/issues/environment/areas-of-interest/
Map of Extraordinary Places: http://www.nd.gov/ndic/ic-press/ND-Ex-Map.pdf
ND Industrial Commission: http://www.nd.gov/ndic/

My Kid is Not a Number

I preface this post by saying that when you are done reading, I want you to ask yourself,what kinds of interactions you have had with a school? How did they make you feel and what did you walk away knowing? Can you draw a vivid picture of your child while they are at school or do you simply know how they rank among other kids in the nation or their class. As a parent, I feel that we need to be involved and let schools know that although the national education system forces teachers to chase and figure out new expectations and requirements and pushes for our kids to be identified by numbers, that we want then described in adjectives and verbs.... And now to my post!

Have you ever walked away from a parent teacher conference, a school meeting, an appointment and felt like your child was simply a number? Well, I have decided that it has to change for my family.

When I sit down at a parent teacher conference and get "Your child scored_____ on the state assessment, NWEA MAP test, DIBELS test, I vow to say," And what does that show? or "And how does this score tell me about who my child is and what happens behind these doors from 8:25-3:15?"

When they show me their grades, I don't really care. Tell me, "What you know about my child. Describe my child, his/her attitude, energy, interactions etc." 

When I get slammed in the face with " I need to get _____ Accellerated Reader points as my kids walk in the house." I vow to say, " Read, and if you meet the goal set for your grade level- wonderful, but what is your goal? What do you want to read? "

When I sit in an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting and hear this score and that score on an assessment I vow to say, " What does that mean or how does that impact PE, Music, lunch, recess, multi-step problems, group work, comprehension, etc." Or a goal written as" He will display proper stress management skills on 8 of 10 occurances as tallied by _____ on 4 out of 5 days" I will call, " Bull Sh**". No one knows exactly when my children are stressed or anxious. No one is actually tallying the number of occurances. I really don't care what the number is, I will say, "How will that look, what is the plan to get to reduced stress and anxiety."

When I am told that so and so was not aware of this need or that, or that they don't rememebr that being discussed at a meeting, I will call out, " My kid is not a number! S/he is entrusted to you for 7 hours a day. It is your responsibility!"

When I want to know how much lunch money is left in the lunch account, what my students grades are, how many days they have been tardy or absent or to send an email to their teacher, I have to pull up one more number to log into a system.  I will send notes and expect responses.

When I call the school and get sent to so and so's voicemail extension, I understand, they have minutes to teach and have to count all of them. They can't be interrupted ( I really do understand not interrupting) but how many minutes, hours days do I and my child need to wait to get an answer? Teaching comes first.. oh, wait, or is it testing or teaching to a test?

In a world where a number or a collection of numbers define who our kids are and what they can and cannot do, I ask, is there really any meaning, are we teaching, learning, or just trying to jump through a hoop. I am tired of impersonal education. What happened to a note, a call.... I'd even take an email or a text. 

We teach English, perhaps we should go back and be descriptive, paint a picture with words as to who each child is, make it vivid, colorful, meaningful and exciting. Start with an opening statement and elaborate. Then wrap it up with a conclusion summarizing what was discussed/ shared using just as explicit vocabulary as in the conversation. Then, maybe just then, parents will start the journey back to the school. Maybe then they will want to be active, attend meetings, conferences, events. May then, school will become a welcome friendly place to be for kids as well as families.

A New Learning Format For Me

I am a life long learner. I actively seek out information on a variety of topics. I attend numerous conferences, classes, and read several publications hoping to gain understanding and in efforts of broadening my knowledge base. I prefer learning opportunities in person, with small groups where I can apply the info to something that will make a difference in my farm business or in my teaching. Today, I was introduced to the direction that learning opportunities are headed in a very fast pace.... ONLINE!

Kevin Klair from the Center of Farm Financial Management at the University of Minnesota shared the following info....

and


Which says to me that I need to get comfy with online format, should I choose to learn online, I can do so in my PJ's and with less time invested in transportation, and that I also should be more successful because I am an older than average student and female. Another bonus is that it is less expensive to take many trainings online than in person. (It does cost significantly more to develop online material... 1 online hour takes about 220 hours of prep work!)

I guess I will be logging on with yet another ID and password in my efforts of staying in fashion with the learning community!

Eat This....

The new Healthy and Hunger Free Kids Act

that has brought forth several school breakfast and lunch meal plan changes nationwide and has also started a lot of dialogue. It appears that one hand is promoting "calories in and calories out" and the other hand on the same body is dictating a national diet. There has to be a balance between exercise, nutritional meal that fit the needs of the individual and academics. Both nutrition and activity are needed to learn!

With all the changes in the meal patterns for schools who participate in the federal school lunch program there is a lot of misinformation floating around. This newsletter will help calrify the differences.

Full comparison of the old and new nutritional standards.

I live in a strong agricultural state. We believe in our products and want to see them utilized in our school food programs. We have kids that are active and some that are not. We still have physical education in our state, but we also have high academic expectations that if we aren't careful could minimize the amount of activity our kids get throughout the day. The new standards place limits on calories and proteins, dictate how much of the breads can be non- whole grain and require students to take a specific amount of fruits and veggies. It sounds ok from the outside to many, but there are some HUGE challenges with the new plan. The biggest of MY concerns is that many kids are hungry shortly after finishing lunch. The calorie limits are ok for a few, but not enough to sustain most throughout the remainder of the day. If students are active and involved in before or afterschool extra- curricular activities they need more than what is currently being provided. Students may not get an opportunity to eat until after 6pm and then gorge themselves or come home from school and grab whatever they can. When possible students are also leaving school at lunch and heading to the local stores to purchase foods to fill themselves up. Almost all of it being junkfood!

I will be the first to say that I think schools have had to pick up a large portion of things that used to be done at home and that the school really is not to blame for these new stadards. They are working the best they can to make the most of the guidelines in quantity and quality. To some extent their hands are tied, but their voices do not have to be muffled. I will also say that a nutrition program will NEVER meet the needs of all our kids, but it has to be better than what it has been turned into. For some of the students in our schools, lunch (and sometimes breakfast) is the only "meal" they receive. I will also share that I HATE the limits on calories and protein. I LOVE the increase in fruits and veggie option (whole grain as well), but hate that they have to take a specified amount and that a large amount is being thrown away.

Interestingly enough, many kids didn't eat healthy under the old plan and still aren't with the new. Kids used to be able to get by with milk, croutons, and shredded cheese. Now they can pass with milk, a serving of veggie or fruit (which can be thrown away), whole-grain croutons, and shredded cheese. The only difference is their lack of ability to go back for seconds of cheese and croutons in this situation, or milk, breads and proteins in the general sense. We just have more being thrown away and kids that are still not eating balanced meals and/ or leaving with full bellies and are not able to perform to the best of their ability.

Here is a parady video that helps exemplify some of the results of the new meal plan implementation.
"We Are Hungry" Youtube video created by a school or group in Kansas to express the need to amend the new standards and share some of the impact of the ones recently inacted.

I have been fortunate enough to spend time in several different capacities in numerous schools partaking in school lunch on a regular basis, as well as be a "hot lunch kid" growning up. I didn't have the option to pack a lunch when I was in school and as an adult in the schools and as mom, I love the convienence of school lunch.

Sensible School Lunches on Facebook is a resource with lunch ideas, up to date information and dialogue. It is worth checking out and "liking"! It helps me keep up to speed with ideas for snack, packing lunches when needed and what is happening with the new nutrition standards that are part of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act.

A lot of the hussle and bussle regarding this Act comes from kids, parents and those working in the schools. But even state leaders in agriculture care about good nutrition and a student's ability to perform in school. They know that kids need certain nutritional components and quantities that are different than what is allowable currently. Ag Commissioner, Doug Goehring, urged leaders from all 50 states to oppose the guidelines. Click here to read the press release regarding this action.

Change is never easy and I work to not jump on a bandwagon for or against anything, but when I am not happy after waiting for a while I look for a way to make things better. Below is a link to Wag'n Tales where one mom ran out of answers about the change in the lunch program for her son so they asked someone who should know, the US Secretary of Agriculture.

A 10-year old's letter to Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, about school lunch.

If you want to share your insight, questions, comments and concerns regarding the new meal patterns please do so. No voice is too big or too small to make a difference!

To make your voice heard contact:
Undersecretary of Food & Nutrition Services
Kevin Concannon
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, D.C. 20250
or
Secretary of Agriculture
Tom Vilsack
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, D.C. 20250

Here are a few pictures of notes and drawings students have done to share their thoughts about the new meal patterns for school lunch.

** Frame 1: students go through lunch line. Frame 2: go to their cars. Frame 3: drive to gas station and go in. Frame 4: Come out of station with snacks and soda. Frame 5: People tell the lunch ladies that they hate the school food and the lunch ladies are sad.

"This lunch is Bulls*** I don't get enough food and I don't have enough time to go home and have a good meal."

"I do not believe the school lunch program is a good thing. Students with their own money can walk up town and get their own meal. The school's lunch doesn't taste very good, and there isn't very large amounts. For people with a larger appetite such as myself, I believe people who need to eat more, deserve more to eat. Some people go through the day hungry because of the small portions of food. And why limit what we can eat, when there are large amounts of leftovers being thrown into the trash and going to waste, If I didn't live the distance from school as I do now, I would go home and eat so I could feel full and not hungry and miserable. There is no point in limiting our hot lunch when after school we can stuff our faces at home. The program should be tossed out and the school board should listen to what the students want and what will fill them up and not be hungry."


We all have an opinion and want what is best. Share your thoughts and let others know that hungry kids are not happy kids. Therefore their parents, siblings,teachers and all others are not either! We want kids to know and practice good eating and exercise habits for lifelong well-being! Please let those who can make a difference know that you care! THANKS!

Entertaining the Conversation

Over the past 8 months I have been doing a lot of thinking about keeping an open mind and acknowledging that my knowledge and opinions may hurt me more than help me when it comes to promoting things that I am passionate about...Education and Agriculture.

I have heard and studied with my husband about "Foodies" and "Locavores". Listened to my husband partake in deep discussions about Urban Ag and worked with people that promote the Farm to School program. I have also been fortunate enough to partake in conversations about organic farming and GMO crops. Ultimately the best conversation regarding agriculture was with a dear friend at the dinner table about why we need GMO seed, what our responsibility is to the world, the long term effects of our current technological advances, the disruption of the natural cycles in nature and most importantly what the Bible says about agriculture. Now I must say that our conversation was not near long enough (several kids running around). But, it was one that really made me stop and ask, " What would happen if..." and how do all the different farming and ranching practices fit together to supply the demands of our towns, cities, states, country and world.

It was amongst and after all these opportunities to learn and the excitement that I saw on my husband's eyes as he listens and speaks with many people from a variety of backgrounds that I decided to become better educated and interested in the big picture of agriculture. I had spent the last 12 years of my life learning about our operation’s ins and outs that I had spent little time reading, listening and speaking with others in the field and people (actively involved in ag and those who aren't) with things to say. I realized that no matter what they have to say we both have things to learn from each other.

Among the things I have learned to date I have learned that organic is not the enemy of conventional practices. Infact, organic commodities are a fabulous way to connect with the consumer and enter into conversation about choice. Nutrient value is generally equal with both options; it is simply a matter of cost, availability, and lifestyle. Organic is not an option for all, but it is a wonderful way to make the connection between producer and consumer.

Urban agriculture is also growing. Now I must say that it is VERY different from what I have come to know, but none the less it is still is an important sub-culture within the agriculture industry. I have found that some of my biggest challenges when trying to talk about agriculture come from the urban population. Many times it is because the hustle and bustle of the city lifestyle has not provided time for consumers to think about how the food gets to their store, where it comes from, availability, price, quality etc. The urban ag movement gets people, groups and even companies involved in knowing about the food they consume, the effort that goes into producing and perhaps helps them stop and think about the entire (or part of) the complex and advanced agricultural system in the United States.

My biggest challenge has definitely been the concept of spirituality and agriculture. Part of my challenge is not knowing what all the Bible has to say and part of it is a struggle with responsibility to supply. How do my personal values and morals co-exist in an industry that no longer (not for a long time now) is a self sustaining lifestyle. U.S. agriculture is a worldwide life sustaining business that is always moving ahead. Where does my balance come within farming practices, desire to get a few more cents per bushel, relationships with business partners and landlords. I have stated several times that I will not become someone that I am not comfortable with to move up the ladder, but when does livelihood and need to compete compromise that statement? I have not had to deal to heavily with that as of yet, but I know my day will come and I will need my faith to pull me through. I hope that as time goes on that my dinner conversation with a dear friend will continue for she is very knowledgeable, has a different perspective than many in our community and is a wonderful listener!

So, I guess the moral of today's message is that no matter what the theme or topic of the conversation is, listen, ask questions, and share. You will always learn something; even if it is just a better understand of the other person or perspectives that are out there!

Blogging as an Educational Tool

Who said blogging couldn't be educational? Well, I am here to tell you that it is definately a better way to use technology than cell phones in classrooms!  Kids blogging can actually force them to write correctly since it will be seen by a lot of people and it can be reviewed by the teacher fro input or editting suggestions before publication. It can also be a way for kids to interact with people or topics that they may never else do. I can also tell you that many kid blogs are set up as tools to help kids learn academic content.

So, I have taken another leap into the world of technology, stretched my creative mind, thought about how I can connect with youth and started a blog to help kids and others who may be interested learn about what happens on our farm in central North Dakota through the year. I also pose questions hoping to get some responses. Where else should the info about what happens on farms and ranches come from, but from the farmers and ranchers themselves!

from USDA. gov

Amazingly it is very simple.... I have to add the users, I can elect to approve comments and blogs added by users before they are published to make sure it is appropriate and I can upload pictures, video and create links. I believe that my blog http://kidblog.org/Agriculture/ will help teachers, students, and individuals not involved in agriculture know more about the oldest industry of our great nation...agriculture!

If you want to be a user of  A Day in the Life of ND Agriculture ( my youth centered blog)... add a comment or send me a message and I will get you set up!