Industrial hemp production is becoming legal in more and more states. However, farmers who’ve never grown the crop before have some things to look into before they take the plunge. (Photo by agriculture.com)
In the course of covering agriculture, I’ve written and recorded several stories about the possibility of industrial hemp farming. More and more states are making industrial hemp production legal within their borders. It’s good news for farmers because it puts another cash crop in their toolbox. But I was curious about the process of how to start growing the crop for the first time. It’s similar in some ways to “traditional” commodities but very different in others.
I caught up to Erica McBride Stark, Executive Director of the National Hemp Association, to talk about things farmers who’ve never grown industrial hemp before need to consider. The list is a long one. Considerations include the reason you’re growing the crop (who is the end user?), the types of soils you farm in, and what kind of equipment you have for both planting and harvest.
“I know there are a lot of farmers that want to try growing
hemp,” Stark said. “I am a little bit concerned, to be honest because there’s a
whole lot of people who want to jump in but don’t know what they’re doing. We’ll
have to see how it goes.”
As there are different types of standard commodities,
farmers will have to figure out what type of hemp they want to grow. For
example, the cultivation methods for CBD are quite different than what they
would be for hemp grown for fiber or grain. But that’s not all.
“The crop starts off indoors and farmers will need specific equipment
to transplant it into fields outdoors,” she said. “The type of soil you’re
farming in also makes a difference. Hemp likes a loose soil that’s well
drained. It doesn’t want to have wet feet. It also likes a neutral pH level.”
She said hemp grown for fiber and grain is planted a lot
like traditional crops. Growing hemp for CBD means the plants are spaced out
further and surrounded by plastic sheets.
I’m thrilled that farmers have another possibility for a cash crop. However, I’d encourage you to give a listen here if you’re thinking about trying industrial hemp production for the first time.
The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade agreement presents trade opportunities that Ag leaders across the country say farmers need to break out of the economic doldrums across the sector.
Trade opportunities have been, and always will be, important to U.S. agriculture. However, the opportunities aren’t there because of ongoing trade disputes with partners like China. However, with the removal of Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports, the opportunity for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement to get through Congress is closer than ever. The prospects, however, depend on who you ask and what their political affiliation is.
That aside, Minnesota Farm leaders gathered recently in Hawley to discuss the current state of the farm economy. They specifically emphasized the importance of trade opportunities across North America. Kaitlyn Blackwelder is the regional project manager for Minnesota Soybean.
Farm incomes fell eight percent last year due in large part to lost trade opportunities and a large supply of commodities driving down prices. And, that has the attention of ag lenders like Jennifer Sharpe, Market Vice President of AgCountry Farm Credit Services.
They and others are worried that unless the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement gets ratified soon, things will only worsen. Ag exports to Mexico and Canada generate more than $1 billion for Minnesota every year. Those exports are only available with abundant trade opportunities. Mike Jurik is a grain merchandiser and works in the area of rail logistics for West Central Ag. He says the uncertainty is a huge strain on everyone in agriculture.
Farm leaders say the new European trade deal with Mexico is allowing the EU to displace U.S. sales in Mexico. The U.S., Canada, and Mexico finalized the deal last November but the pact is currently stalled in Congress. Karolyn Zurn is the American Agri-Women’s First Vice President of Vital Issues and Resolutions. She says the message is clear and direct to Congress.
During the roundtable discussion in Hawley, Minnesota’s farm leaders urged Minnesota’s elected officials to break the logjam on USMCA as soon as possible. Their message was a simple one: farmers need more trade opportunities.
Summer workshops will teach farm stress management skills
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is offering a workshop for health professionals in oder to help them assist farmers through incredibly difficult times. Farmer stress is as high as it’s been in decades for a variety of reasons, many of which non-farm folks may not understand. (photo from mda.org)
Farmer stress levels are way, way up. They’re living with weather that won’t let a great many of them get crops in the ground. Overseas trade wars have cut down on places to sell their commodities, leading to a lot of grains and oilseeds on hand, driving prices even lower. Farmer stress is something that mental and even physical health professionals may not have the experience to help them with, so the Minnesota Department of Agriculture is trying to help with that.
Farmer stress is as high as it’s been since the 1980s. Stressful times in agriculture can trigger bad news and difficult conversations. In response, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is offering Navigating Conflict & Tough Conversations in Agriculture, a workshop designed to help agriculture professionals navigate potentially contentious situations.
It’s Rough in Rural America
“Farmers are having a tough time right now,” Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen said. “Farmer stress is high because there’s a lot on the line, and we recognize that lenders, agency staff, clergy, educators, veterinarians, agricultural advisors, and businesspeople can find themselves trying to help in situations where emotions run high.”
Workshop topics include reducing anxiety and fear about interpersonal conflict; understanding how self-awareness and group dynamics contribute to successful outcomes; exploring the connection between conflict and change; and precautions participants can take to keep themselves safe at work – both in and outside their office.
University of Minnesota Extension Educator Denise Stromme and local law enforcement will teach the workshop on dealing with farmer stress at six locations in June and July. All sessions run from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
June 18, Detroit Lakes, Minnesota Community & Technical College
June 19, Thief River Falls, Northland Community & Technical College
June 20, Duluth, Lake Superior College
July 8, Marshall, Southwest Minnesota State University
July 9, Faribault, South Central College
July 10, St. Cloud, Saint Cloud Technical & Community College
Listen, I grew up working on a dairy farm and got to understand farmer mindsets. It’s no fun to admit you need help. If there’s a group of Americans who have “John Wayne” go-it-alone-syndrome more than farmers do, I’d like to know who that would be. They don’t want to ask for help. It’s important that health professionals get the background information they need at a workshop like this. The stresses that they deal with are very unique and it’s quite difficult for non-farm folks to relate to. I’ve seen it first hand, living in both rural and urban areas through my 48 years of living.
All participants will receive certificates of attendance; several organizations have approved continuing education credits.
Individuals with a disability who need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this event should contact Stephen Moser at 651-201-6012 or through the Minnesota Relay Service at 711 as soon as possible.
Disclaimer
This workshop is supported by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2018-38640-28416 through the North Central Region SARE program under project number ENC18-170. The MDA and USDA are equal opportunity employers and service providers. The opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this workshop do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the results of the 2017 Census of Agriculture, spanning some 6.4 million new points of information about America’s farms and ranches and those who operate them. The Census includes new data about on-farm decision making, right down to the county level. The Information is collected by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) directly from farmers and ranchers.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released its 2017 Census of Agriculture results this week.
The 2017 Census tells us both farm numbers and the amount of land in farms have decreased slightly since the last Census in 2012. At the same time, there continue to be more of the largest and smallest operations and fewer middle-sized farms. The average age of all farmers and ranchers continues to rise.
“We are pleased to deliver Census of Agriculture results to America, and especially to the farmers and ranchers who participated,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “We can all use the Census to tell the tremendous story of U.S. agriculture and how it is changing.
Perdue adds, “As a data-driven organization, we are eager to dig in to this wealth of information to advance our goals of supporting farmers and ranchers, facilitating rural prosperity, and strengthening stewardship of private lands efficiently, effectively, and with integrity.”
“The Census shows new data that can be compared to previous censuses for insights into agricultural trends and changes down to the county level,” said NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer. “While the current picture shows a consistent trend in the structure of U.S. agriculture, there are some ups and downs since the last Census.
“There’s also first-time data on topics such as military status and on-farm decision making,” Hamer added. “To make it easier to delve into the data, we are pleased to make the results available in many online formats, including a new data query interface, as well as traditional data tables.”
Census data provide valuable insights into demographics, economics, land and activities on U.S. farms and ranches.
Some key highlights include:
There are 2.04 million farms and ranches (down 3.2 percent from 2012) with an average size of 441 acres (up 1.6 percent) on 900 million acres (down 1.6 percent).
The 273,000 smallest (1-9 acres) farms make up 0.1 percent of all farmland while the 85,127 largest (2,000 or more acres) farms make up 58 percent of farmland.
Just 105,453 farms produced 75 percent of all sales in 2017, down from 119,908 in 2012.
Of the 2.04 million farms and ranches, the 76,865 making $1 million or more in 2017 represent just over 2/3 of the $389 billion in total value of production while the 1.56 million operations making under $50,000 represent just 2.9 percent.
Farm expenses are $326 billion with feed, livestock purchased, hired labor, fertilizer and cash rents topping the list of farm expenses in 2017.
Average farm income is $43,053. A total of 43.6 percent of farms had positive net cash farm income in 2017.
Ninety-six percent of farms and ranches are family owned.
Farms with Internet access rose from 69.6 percent in 2012 to 75.4 percent in 2017.
A total of 133,176 farms and ranches use renewable energy producing systems, more than double the 57,299 in 2012.
In 2017, 130,056 farms sold directly to consumers, with sales of $2.8 billion.
Sales to retail outlets, institutions and food hubs by 28,958 operations are valued at $9 billion.
For the 2017 Census of Agriculture, NASS changed the demographic questions to better represent the roles of everyone involved in on-farm decision making. As a result, in the number of producers is up by nearly seven percent to 3.4 million, in part because more farms reported multiple producers. Most of these newly identified producers are female. While the number of male producers fell 1.7 percent to 2.17 million from 2012 to 2017, the number of female producers increased by nearly 27 percent to 1.23 million. This change underscores the effectiveness of the questionnaire changes.
Other demographic highlights include:
The average age of all producers is 57.5, up 1.2 years from 2012.
The number of producers who have served in the military is 370,619, or 11 percent of all. They are older than the average at 67.9.
There are 321,261 young producers age 35 or less on 240,141 farms. Farms with young producers making decisions tend to be larger than average in both acres and sales.
More than any other age group, young producers make decisions regarding livestock, though the difference is slight.
One in four producers is a beginning farmer with 10 or fewer years of experience and an average age of 46.3. Farms with new or beginning producers making decisions tend to be smaller than average in both acres and value of production.
Thirty-six percent of all producers are female and 56 percent of all farms have at least one female decision maker. Farms with female producers making decisions tend to be smaller than average in both acres and value of production.
Female producers are most heavily engaged in the day-to-day decisions along with record keeping and financial management.
Results are available in many online formats including video presentations, a new data query interface, maps, and traditional data tables. To address questions about the 2017 Census of Agriculture data, NASS will host a live Twitter chat (@usda_nass) Ask the Census Experts #StatChat on Friday, April 12 at 1 p.m. ET. All information is available at www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus.
History of the Census
The Census tells the story of American agriculture and is an important part of our history. First conducted in 1840, the Census of Agriculture accounts for all U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. After 1920, the Census happened every four to five years. By 1982, it was regularly conducted once every five years.
Today, NASS sends questionnaires to nearly 3 million potential U.S. farms and ranches. Nearly 25 percent of those who responded did so online. Conducted since 1997 by USDA NASS – the federal statistical agency responsible for producing official data about U.S. agriculture – it remains the only source of comprehensive agricultural data for every state and county in the nation and is invaluable for planning the future.
Farm country is getting closer and closer to spring planting. Farmers are starting to look at their planters longingly, dreaming of being out in the field. After a wet winter that resulted in serious flooding problems, the nation’s midsection is looking for a spell of dry weather. However, ag meteorologist Ryan Martin of Warsaw, Indiana, says planters are likely going to sit a spell yet. It’s important to remember that we’re way too early to think about seriously-delayed spring planting.
“It probably going to be late this month or early into next month before planters get rolling,” Martin said. “It’s way too early to start thinking about serious spring planting delays. We’re actually not even at first planting dates in a large part of the Corn Belt yet.
Heartland Forecast
“As I look at the pattern stretching all the way from the
Great Plains through the Corn Belt, we’ve got a big weather system that wants
to move through late this weekend (Sunday, April 7 possibly through early
Tuesday the 9th). There won’t be a lot of good drying time after
that running through the end of the week.”
After that, there’s another system in the 11-to-16-day forecast that may have 1-3 inches of rain coming across all the key growing areas. Martin says, flooding and current situation aside, the forecast doesn’t give farmers enough of a window in there to really start spring planting en masse.
The Elkhorn River in Nebraska is way over its banks, covering up a lot of farm ground in Nebraska. Spring planting is likely to be delayed in a large part of the Midwest and Corn Belt because of flooding just like this. (Photo from Omaha.com)
Parts of Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri have been devastated by flooding this spring, and the dry weather farmers are looking for really isn’t going to happen. “I don’t think so,” he said. “The way the pattern looks over the next 10 days, I’m counting two systems that come through. One won’t have a huge amount of rain, but the second one could bring as much as a quarter-inch to as much as 1.25 inches.
“Normally at this time of year that would be good news,”
Martin added. “But, the way things are set up right now it’s just not good.”
Southern Plains/Delta
There are some planters rolling deeper in the Southern Plains and in the Delta. Martin said the weather pattern in that part of the country shows that farmers may have to dodge some thunderstorms in order to keep spring planting going forward.
“Fronts will be coming through but as they do, they won’t
hit everyone at the same time,” he said. “Over the next three weeks or so,
those storms will end up with about 60-70 percent coverage at any given time.
It doesn’t look too excessive to me right now. It’ll be a hodgepodge type of
activity that should eventually allow crops into the ground and then get the crops
the kind of rainfall they need to get going.”
The pattern for the heaviest rains wants to stay a little
farther north into the Central Plains and the Missouri Valley Corn Belt areas.
The interesting area to watch will be the far east part of the Deep South,
where the likelihood of getting the crop in the ground on time is pretty good.
“Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and up into Tennessee are places where temperatures might lag a little behind normal,” Martin said. “There could be some thunderstorm development but I’m not quite as bullish on rain or bearish on getting spring planting in the Deep South done as I am farther north.”
Potential Flooding
Possible in Upper Midwest
There won’t be as much happening in the western states in
terms of precipitation like there will be in other parts of the country. The
biggest story in the western U.S. won’t be in terms of new systems moving
through. It’ll more likely involve snowpack runoff. The interesting thing about
snowpack runoff is the problems won’t necessarily be just out west.
“The Red River likely will hit major flood stage in eastern
North Dakota and western Minnesota,” he said. “There is snowpack that goes all
the way back up into Montana and into the northern Rockies. The biggest question
is just how fast we’ll see that snow melt and move through the area.
“The question is whether we’ll see a fast snowmelt with temps above normal,” he added. “That could be the story more than new systems coming through. Temperatures are still a little squirrely as temps likely will lag behind normal due to all that snowpack that still sits on the ground in those areas I mentioned.”
Many different sources of stress are currently impacting farmers and ranchers. In response to the growing pressure on agriculture, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the Red River Farm Network (RRFN) have joined forces to create a new radio series called TransFARMation.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is teaming up with the Red River Farm Network to launch a radio series called TransFARMation, designed to help farmers deal with the stresses they’re under and to encourage them to ask for help, if needed.
“Farming is a stressful business during the best of times,” says Don Wick, president, RRFN. “Agriculture’s financial health is being influenced by tight margins, the trade war, production issues, and more. These are all factors where farmers and ranchers have little or no control.”
The series uses farm radio, podcasts, and social media to increase awareness and reduce inhibitions about acknowledging farmer stress. It will also highlight sources of support.
“Many people are struggling and they need to know they’re not alone,” said Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen. “This is a powerful series – we hear from farmers, ranchers, and others in agriculture talk about some of the strategies and solutions that helped them when things got tough.”
The 60 second prime-time radio stories can be heard on all of RRFN’s 20 stations throughout Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, starting the week of April 8. In addition, the in-depth podcasts can be found at www.rrfn.com/transfarmation.
TransFARMation is supported by a grant from the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) National Institute for Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health, and by AgCountry Farm Credit Services, Minnesota Corn Growers Association, Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, North Dakota Corn Growers Association, North Dakota Farmers Union, North Dakota Soybean Council, North Dakota Wheat Commission, and Prairie St. John’s.
Broadcasts are solely the responsibility of the creators and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC, NIOSH, or the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health.
If you or someone you know is struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, or other problems, the free and confidential Minnesota Farm & Rural Helpline is available 24 hours, seven days a week at 833-600-2670.
Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue announces a couple of important updates to farmers.gov.(Photo from foodsafetynews.com)
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced says the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched two new features on farmers.gov to help customers manage their farm loans, as well as navigate the application process for H2A visas.
“Customer service is our top priority at USDA,” he says. “These new features will help our customers as they manage their farm loans and navigate the H-2A temporary agricultural visa program. In my travels across the country, I have consistently heard people tell us to use more technology to deliver programs at USDA. As we adopt new technology, we are introducing simple yet innovative approaches to support our farmers, ranchers, producers, and foresters. After all, they support the nation every day. It’s my goal to make USDA the most effective, most efficient, most customer-focused department in the entire federal government. Farmers.gov is a big step in that direction.”
In 2018, Secretary Perdue unveiled farmers.gov, a dynamic, mobile-friendly public website combined with an authenticated portal where customers will be able to apply for programs, process transactions and manage accounts.
Navigating the H-2A Visa Process:
Focused on education and smaller owner-operators, this farmers.gov H-2A Phase I release includes an H-2A Visa Program page and interactive checklist tool. It includes application requirements, fees, forms, and a timeline built around a farmer’s hiring needs.
The H-2A Visa Program – also known as the temporary agricultural workers program – helps American farmers fill employment gaps by hiring workers from other countries. The U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Department of State, and state workforce agencies each manage parts of the H-2A Visa Program independently, with separate websites and complex business applications.
Over the next several months, USDA will collaborate further with the U.S. Department of Labor on farmers.gov H-2A Phase II. It’s a streamlined H-2A Visa Program application form, regulations, and digital application process that moves producers seamlessly from farmers.gov website to farmers.gov portal, and then to U.S. Department of Labor’s IT systems.
Managing Farm Loans Online:
The self-service website now enables agricultural producers to view loan information, history and payments.
Customers can access the “My Financial Information” feature by desktop computer, tablet or phone. They can now view:
loan information;
interest payments for the current calendar year (including year-to-date interest paid for the past five years);
loan advance and payment history;
paid-in-full and restructured loans; and
account alerts giving borrowers important notifications regarding their loans.
To access their information, producers will need a USDA eAuth account to login into farmers.gov. After obtaining an eAuth account, producers should visit farmers.gov and sign into the site’s authenticated portal via the “Sign In / Sign Up” link at the top right of the website.
Currently, only producers doing business as individuals can view information. Entities, such as an LLC or Trust, or producers doing business on behalf of another customer cannot access the portal at this time. However that will change in the future.
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Edge are the recommended browsers to access the feature.
About farmers.gov:
USDA is building farmers.gov for farmers, by farmers. Future self-service features available through the farmers.gov portal will help producers find the right loan programs for their business and submit loan documents to their service center.
With feedback from customers and field employees who serve those customers, farmers.gov delivers farmer-focused features to deliver the greatest immediate value to America’s agricultural producers – helping farmers and ranchers do right, and feed everyone.
The Farmer Veteran Coalition is making a difference in the lives of veterans across the country. American veterans can sometimes find themselves looking for a direction in life after leaving the service. Veterans looking into the possibility of a career in agriculture for a potential post-military career have an ally. Paul Marshall is a Veteran Service Provider for the Farmer Veteran Coalition. He talks about the mission of his organization.
Studies have shown that a career in animal agriculture can help veterans in many ways. Working in the country is especially helpful for vets fighting off the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Marshall says the Veterans Administration Hospital is catching on to the fact that being in the country is good therapy. One service the Coalition provides is helping match farmers looking for help with veterans interested in agriculture.
The organization describes itself as an organization that sets out to cultivate a new generation of farmers and food leaders. They want to develop viable employment opportunities that turn into meaningful, lifelong careers.
The FMC website says.”We believe that veterans possess the unique skills and character needed to strengthen rural communities and create sustainable food systems. We believe that agriculture offers purpose, opportunity, and physical and psychological benefits.”
The roots of the organization go back to 2006. The first meeting to discuss pairing returning veterans with farmers looking for help took place in California. The movement expanded steadily from there. As recently as 2015, the number of veterans the organizations was working with totaled 4,500. The organization is now an independent 501c3. The group intends to keep paring returning veterans and farmers who need help for a long time to come.
For more information on the Farmer Veteran Coalition, check out www.farmvetco.org.
You don’t have to be a farmer if you go to secondary education for an Agriculture Degree. American agriculture has been fighting that perception as long as anyone can remember. The Ag umbrella has more jobs underneath it than most people realize, and most of which have nothing to do with growing crops. Mahtomedi, Minnesota native Emma Persoon is the perfect example of how valuable and versatile an ag education can be.
“I’m a sophomore at Iowa State University and studying
Animal Science,” she said. “The Animal Science Degree falls under the College
of Agriculture and Life Sciences. I’m there because I love working with
animals.
“I grew up showing rabbits around the country,” she
recalled. “I also showed a llama during my time in the 4H program, which is where
I really got my start in working with animals. As a sophomore in high school, I
got a job at a dog kennel in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. I really enjoyed that job as
well, so I knew I wanted to do something with animals for a living.”
Persoon wasn’t quite sure just what that would be at that
point. At the end of her senior year in high school, she’d chosen to attend
Iowa State University and major in Animal Science. At that time, she was
considering a career as a large-animal veterinarian. After working through her
freshman year and returning home for the summer, her career path took an
unexpected turn.
“I had returned to working at the dog kennel in Lake Elmo when my mom asked me an interesting question,” she said. “My mom said, ‘do you want to foster a dog for a service animal organization?’ My first reaction was ‘yeah, sign me up!’”
Emma teaching a new service dog-in-training all the tricks of the trade. She says “it takes a lot of patience.” (contributed photo)Emma teaching a new service dog-in-training all the tricks of the trade. She says “it takes a lot of patience.” (contributed photo)
Through peals of laughter, she said, “I think I was filling
out the online application before we’d finished the conversation.”
Just a week after filling out the paperwork and going
through volunteer orientation, her life would change as she got their first
puppy. He was just ten weeks old and it was up to Persoon to show him the
service-dog ropes.
“I’d already had public-access training through the
organization,” she recalled. “When we receive the dogs, they come with a vest
that says ‘Service Dog in Training’ on it. Even when they’re just 10 weeks old,
the organization wants you to take them out in public. The training teaches the
volunteers how to interact with people out in public, and how to interact with
store managers who might not be comfortable with the dog in there.”
While walking a dog might sound like fun, it’s important to remember the dog was still a puppy, and puppies can be a challenge. “He went to the bathroom in stores,” she said. “As I kept working with him through the summer, I asked the organization (who wishes to remain anonymous) if I could take him back to school with me. I’d only had him for six weeks, but they said no, they didn’t want him that far away, which I understood. Once I got back to school, I kept getting their emails, saying they really needed volunteers.”
She called them back a month later and told them she was
still willing to take a dog. Her apartment was on the second floor, so she didn’t
have front door access to potty train a young dog. Persoon requested one that
might be a little older. After emailing back and forth for a while, they sent
her a dog to work with while at school.
There’s more to an agriculture degree than just farming. Animal Science major Emma Persoon found her life calling in training service dogs.
“I’m what’s known as a puppy raiser in the program,” she
said. “Puppy raisers have the dog from the time they’re ten weeks old to when
the dogs go in for final training at 18 months. It’s a two-year long process
from start to finish training as a service dog.”
Persoon said giving up dogs after working with them for
weeks on end was tough. “Yeah, I cried even after just six weeks with the first
puppy I had. I cried all day.”
Training a service dog happens in two parts. Part of it is
what the public might think of as typical dog-obedience training. The other part
is training them to be in public as service dogs. They go out in public two or
three times a week to get them used to different situations.
“The dog I’m working with knows all the basic obedience commands,” she said. “He knows how to grab something off the floor and bring it to your hand. He also knows how to open and close cupboards
Emma spends a lot of time out in public teaching service dogs how to react when they’re “on the job.” It’s important for the public to know not to approach or talk to service dogs when they have their vest on. (Contributed photo)
“What we do is put a braided rope-type of a toy on the
handle of the cupboard,” she said. “Then, we teach the dog to pull it open.
That means you need to have some things set up in your house to do that type of
training. Once you get the setup in place, it’s actually not difficult to teach
them that skill.”
She said the service dogs that go into training are typically super-smart. That doesn’t mean you don’t need a ton of patience to do the job well. Persoon said her dog is very smart but gets frustrated very easily.
“The organization I work with has a breeding program,” she
said. “The Labrador retrievers are bred for their smarts, but they still do go
through adolescent phases where they get frustrated. I’ve brought my dog with
me to class and he doesn’t like having to sit still for 50 minutes at a
time.
“I try to take him for a half-hour walk before class to tire
him out a little,” Persoon said. “I also bring a mat for him to sleep on
because the floors are a little slippery. I try to set him up with the most
comfortable experience as possible. I even bring in a chew-toy for him.
“He’s a vocal dog, which makes it more of a challenge,” she
said. “I wish he was quieter so I could ignore him, but I can’t. He’s very
vocal and I can’t have him interrupting class. All my professors know they’re
going to have a service dog-in-training in their classroom. They’re obligated
to let them be there. However, if the dog becomes disruptive enough to
interfere with the teaching, then they are absolutely able to ask me to leave.
However, none of my professors have gotten to that point yet. I do get looks
occasionally but they try to be patient.”
“it takes a lot of patience,” says Emma. But it’s so rewarding when you realize this dog will be able to help someone function in society who might otherwise not be able to (Contributed photo)
Persoon said working with service dogs has given her a path she’d like to follow in her professional life. Again, she was considering a career as a large-animal veterinarian. However, the first service dog she worked with changed that path completely. Working with a dog for hours at a time on skills “relaxes” her.
“It’s really rewarding to see their brain work for me,” she
said with a smile visible through a phone call. I’m looking into different
internship opportunities with service dog organizations this summer. I would
love to go into service dog training, but I’m also considering canine nutrition
as well, which I’m interested in.
“That’s the most rewarding thing about service dog
training,” she added. “I’ve found my career path.”
She’s a living, breathing example of the fact that an
Agriculture degree doesn’t mean you have to be involved in production
agriculture.
“I know for a fact there are some people (including her
professors) that think choosing the service dog training as a career path isn’t
as valuable as working on a hog farm, a dairy farm, or any other large-animal
production fields.
“For me, it’s all about knowing that someone who normally
can’t go out in public on their own, can now be out in public because of the
dog I’m training,” Persoon added. “That to me is just as valuable as putting
food on the table is for someone else.”
The organization she works for trains five different types
of service dogs. They train mobility-assist dogs for people in wheelchairs or
on walkers; hearing assist dogs, which can alert someone on things like a smoke
alarm going off, if an oven bell dings, or the doorbell rings; diabetic alert
dogs for people with Type 1 Diabetes. If someone goes into a diabetic low, the
dog will alert to that; there are seizure-assist dogs, which lick the face of
their handler to help them come around, go get help if it’s needed, or actually
push a button to call 911; they also train dogs for autistic people.
Persoon is looking into a possible internship involving
service dog training for people with autism. It’s near-and-dear to her heart as
she has a brother with autism. “it’s amazing to think that we can train a dog
to help someone with autism just because there’s a wide range on the whole
autism spectrum.”
“We see dogs from the organization I work for out with their
people all the time, which is neat to see,” Persoon said. “We were in a mall
the other day and I had the dog with me. We were doing some training when a
woman approached me to talk about her autistic daughter’s service dog. The
woman said the dog helps her out so much. It’s neat when we have our service
dogs out in public and we meet people who’ve been doing well with the dogs our
organization trains.”
She wanted to let those in the public who don’t know that
it’s important to not approach service dogs when they’re in public and
working/training. The dogs are supposed to pretend that other people don’t
exist. Persoon said that’s one of the hardest lessons for the new puppies to
learn. It’s not surprising that people want to pet or talk to a dog in a place
where they don’t normally see one. Again, it’s important to leave the service
dogs alone when they’re wearing a vest.
“The dog I’ve got right now really recognizes the difference
between off-duty and working,” she said. “When the vest goes on, he’s really
good at ignoring people. Once in a while, he gets kind of excited when someone
talks to him, but for the most part, he’s all business. When his vest comes off
and we go for a walk, he’s like a typical dog.
“Any breed of dog can be service dogs,” she added, “but most of the training organizations use labs or golden retrievers. The dogs have to be intelligent but those two breeds in particular love working with and want to please their people.”
The Beginning Farmer Institute is National Farmers Union’s way of counteracting the aging population of rural America. Agriculture needs more young farmers and ranchers to take up the mantle and carry ag forward into the future.
National Farmers Union (NFU) today announced application period is now open for its Beginning Farmer Institute (BFI) program class of 2019-2020. NFU encourages new farmers of any age, from operations of any size, type, or location to apply for the class.
BFI’s hands-on training provides beginning farmers and ranchers in the U.S. with the tools they need to lead successful farm and ranch operations. The Beginning Farmer Institute is also a fantastic opportunity to grow as leaders in their communities and American agriculture.
The BFI program will host three in-person sessions in Washington, D.C., California, and Georgia over the coming year. Programming will focus on equipping participants with skill sets in business formation, accounting, taxation, labor, credit and business planning.
Farmers from all parts of the country that work on diverse types of farms have greatly benefitted from the Beginning Farmer Institute training. The most recent class of the program—which will graduate at the upcoming NFU Convention in Bellevue, Washington—has 18 farmers and ranchers from 13 states. Women and veterans represent a majority of program’s past participants.
The application period for the 2019-2020 class will be open until April 12, 2019. BFI is sponsored by FUI Foundation, Farm Credit Council and CHS Foundation. More information about BFI is available here.
About NFU:National Farmers Union advocates on behalf of nearly 200,000 American farm families and their communities. We envision a world in which farm families and their communities are respected, valued, and enjoy economic prosperity and social justice.
