Meet Nicole from Farm Girl Facts of Life

04/17/2014

Farm Girl Nicole Yoder has an addiction to blogging and a passion for telling stories about the farmers who put food on consumer’s plates on a daily basis. This Iowa State graduate and newlywed is open to sharing her views on the food production system along with thoughts on why she buys both organic and conventional products.

Join Nicole as she shares her journey from family farm and university life to married life with the “Farmer.”

What inspired you to become a blogger?

I saw the extreme disconnect between today’s farmers and consumers. It’s my mission to help bridge that gap and create a dialogue between the two groups to establish a trusting relationships between them.

One piece of advice you would give to beginning bloggers?

Be yourself! People enjoy reading content that has personality!

Tell us about your family:

My family is awesome. My husband and I are newlyweds and are currently part of his family farm that has been raising hogs for over 20 years. I grew up on a family farm that raised crops and hogs as well. I have two brothers that are younger than me and that I’ve been blessed to watch grow up into amazing people. My husband has four siblings that are an amazing support system, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know them.

Tell us about your farm: 

My farm is in southern Iowa where we raise hogs and grow our own crops to feed to our hogs.

What is the hobby you don’t get to do nearly enough?

Reading: I love it and always have, but I always seem to find other things to do!

What is one misconception you commonly hear as a farmer that you would like to clear up?

I hear about the use of antibiotics for animals on the farm. To administer antibiotics, farmers have to follow strict guidelines. They only treat their animals if absolutely necessary, just like doctors do with their patients. They also have to make sure there aren’t any antibiotics left in the animal before it goes to market. This is called a “withdrawal period” – that is, a specific amount of time that has to pass for a farmer to be sure the antibiotics have taken their full course and are no longer in the animal’s body.)

The quote you live by?

Don’t let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.

How do you decide what content to post on your blog?

I try to develop content that’s related to what’s being talked about by the media.

If media coverage on agriculture and food topics is pretty slow, I’ll focus on what’s been happening in my life.