No moos is good moos, according to Belinda Parmar, who complained to her readers in The Times of London this week that Farmville gives her nightmares. Farmville is the Facebook phenomenon that allows gamers to exchange virtual gifts of, for example, cows, ducks, hay, labor and a dizzying array of goods and services that exist only in the minds and hard drives of the 80 million or so Facebookers who play it. About 20 percent of the Facebook community is hooked on Farmville, and about one percent of all the people in the world play it. And there are six female players for every four males, according to Parmar. Why's that? Because it helps women stay minimally connected when they don't have time to be fully connected. It's like saying, "You're not important enough for me to visit today, or to call, or to write a letter or a long email, but here...have a sheep." Parmar is a bit of a Farmville non-fan, and you can read her comments here: http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article7137288.ece

     Crystal Yoder moved out of her comfort zone last year when she began her reign as dairy princess for Mifflin County, Pa. "I've become much more of a people person, more outgoing and less shy," she told Anne Harnish, Lancaster Farming food and family features editor. Yoder, the fourth youngest of 11 children, lives and helps out on her family's 170-acre farm, and traveled the county to talk about the virtues of the milk and milk products that start in the Yoder dairy barn, where 60 Holsteins are on a three-times-a-day milking schedule. You can read about Princess Crystal's year-long reign in Section B of our current edition, or you can see it here: http://www.lancasterfarming.com/node/2978 


     How to move 40 tons of beef with just your voice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk2EkaB139E