Last Saturday we were in the middle of soybean harvest and I was behind the wheel of our grain trucks hauling this year's crop to the elevator. It was the first Saturday in October and that also meant it was Oztoberfest in my hometown. It was also a K-State home football game. So, I had to deal with lots of traffic, detours and crowds.
The day dawned with a beautiful, clear blue sky, temperatures were perfect and it seemed like nearly everyone was going somewhere. The day presented many challenges and headaches for those of us trying to get the grain to town. The day also gave me an interesting perspective on myself and my fellow farmers.
Through out the day, I thought about the crowd I saw milling around at the Oztoberfest. I thought about the people enjoying a day off. I thought about the freedom of taking a day off and not having any worries on the weekend. Part of me was a little jealous.
Later in the day, I dealt with the increase in traffic due to the football game. I listened to the pre-game show (in the one truck that had a radio). I imagined the tailgating that was going on in the parking lot. I thought about the smells, the sounds and the buzz. I really enjoy football games and I must admit I was even more jealous.
But then as the afternoon went on, I realized I was exactly where I wanted to be. It was a beautiful day, the harvest was going smoothly and yields were better than expected. It came to me that I had reached the point in my life were I enjoyed driving that grain truck and harvesting with Dad more than footabll.
If I had slept in that morning and went to Oztoberfest I would have felt like I was missing out on something. If I had gone to the game, I might have enjoyed myself but there would have been this nagging, feeling that I had somewhere more important to be. I would guess that my fellow brothers and sisters in agriculture would second those feelings.
I think these feelings are in our very being, probably part of our DNA and something we can't do anything about. Being out in the field is where we feel we need to be, and the reality is we are drawn there irregardless of what else is going on.
That level of dedication is shared by everyone who puts the food on your table. What we do is more than an occupation, it is our way of life. So next weekend when you see a farmer or rancher going about their business, don't feel sorry for them. Just know that they are exactly where they want to be.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
The Need for Rural Roots
Tonight I am sitting in the pickup watching my son’s football practice. Let me set the scene. We go to a rural school and the football field is set with a soybean field on one side and a corn field on the other. There is a Catholic Church in the background and the smell of alfalfa hangs in the air. If I close my eyes I hear the sounds of practice and the whistles of the coaches. Is this heaven, no its Kansas but in my eyes this is about as close as it gets.
This Midwestern scene is a great place for me to just relax and let the sights and the sounds take me away from the problems we all face. This is a long way from the partisan politics and fighting in D.C. This place seems light years away from the threat of a recession and the financial gloom that hangs over us now.
Sometimes I wonder if those elected officials have forgotten what it is all about. I wonder if they have forgotten (or never even gotten the chance) to spend a crisp fall evening watching football in the middle of rural America. Maybe they have never experienced the smell of fall with the roar of a combine in the background.
It makes me wonder if this is just a game for them much like the football practice directly in front of me. Do they believe in what they are fighting for or is it just another way to get re-elected. This country was built with rural America as its base. The corn and soybean fields I see are the foundation that keeps this country running.
In rural America, we understand the idea of civil discourse. We love to debate issues and ideas; we know how to disagree without being disagreeable. We understand that the greatness of this nation is because opposing views help strengthen our positions. Sure we have principles that we stand on and from those we do not back down. However, we also understand that you cannot have everything your way and that compromise is also necessary.
I think it is no coincidence that many of our great statesmen have come from rural areas and agriculture backgrounds. They understood the idea that hard work, compromise and sacrifice were needed to arrive at a good solution. They were grounded in their principles and in reality. It is that sense of farm and ranch values that we really need from our policy makers not the bickering, self-promotion we are getting now.
Do I have a solution? Other than the idea of sending them all out to spend a week (or longer) on the farm, I do not. However, as I watch the young men on the football field I do see hope for the future as they pull each other up off the ground, pat their teammates on the back and go back to work. I am confident in our ability to regain our composure and right the ship. I am also betting that leadership will come from someone with rural roots.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Hunger is the Real Danger
I should know better than to watch the "popular" media or see even the smallest of portions of one of "those" talk shows because quite often what I see makes me very angry and upset. Too often those programs bring out the latest and "greatest" experts who want to tell us how to be healthier. Their idea of healthy often includes bashing our agricultural infrastructure.
Yes, I said agricultural infrastructure. Much like the system of roads, canals, ports and airports we all depend on for transportation, we have a tremendous network of farms and ranches who fuel our nation. These farms and ranches are operated by dedicated, hard-working men and women, who spend their entire lifetimes producing the food and fiber we all depend on.
That is why I have such a hard time and get so annoyed when I hear so called "experts" talk about all the health issues caused by modern agriculture. The first and foremost food issue that kills more every year, worldwide is hunger, not heart disease or cancer, but hunger. That is the very issue farmers and ranchers are trying to take care of.
We utilize the latest advancements in science to produce the maximum amount of food on dwindling acres. As urban encroachment eats more acres of farm ground and range land we must do more with less. The world's population is growing at a rate higher than our current increases in food production. I am confident that advances in technology will help us overcome that gap. However, there are those who sit in judgement proclaiming the necessary scientific advancements as bad, with no scientific data to back up their claims.
Folks, the health problems most of us suffer from are not because of the farmer or rancher, they are because of our lifestyle choices. We eat far too much and exercise far too little and that has nothing to do with farmers, ranchers, or any of the businesses who support us. Those choices start and end at us. I agree that we eat too much fast food and too many processed and packaged foods, but again, that is not the farmer's fault.
Instead of being thankful that we can overeat and smart enough not to, we blame modern agriculture. The truth is that our modern advancements have allowed us to produce more with less and have significantly reduced our impact on the environment. The American farmer and rancher should be applauded for the food they produce and the lives they save.
As for the safety of that food, I feed my family the same food you feed yours. I would never produce any food that was not healthy or wholesome. Like many of you, I do not make good nutritional choices, but that has nothing to do with the food I produce. The bottom line is that we need every advance science can come up with, because hunger is a far greater concern and we are doing all we can to take care of that problem.
Yes, I said agricultural infrastructure. Much like the system of roads, canals, ports and airports we all depend on for transportation, we have a tremendous network of farms and ranches who fuel our nation. These farms and ranches are operated by dedicated, hard-working men and women, who spend their entire lifetimes producing the food and fiber we all depend on.
That is why I have such a hard time and get so annoyed when I hear so called "experts" talk about all the health issues caused by modern agriculture. The first and foremost food issue that kills more every year, worldwide is hunger, not heart disease or cancer, but hunger. That is the very issue farmers and ranchers are trying to take care of.
We utilize the latest advancements in science to produce the maximum amount of food on dwindling acres. As urban encroachment eats more acres of farm ground and range land we must do more with less. The world's population is growing at a rate higher than our current increases in food production. I am confident that advances in technology will help us overcome that gap. However, there are those who sit in judgement proclaiming the necessary scientific advancements as bad, with no scientific data to back up their claims.
Folks, the health problems most of us suffer from are not because of the farmer or rancher, they are because of our lifestyle choices. We eat far too much and exercise far too little and that has nothing to do with farmers, ranchers, or any of the businesses who support us. Those choices start and end at us. I agree that we eat too much fast food and too many processed and packaged foods, but again, that is not the farmer's fault.
Instead of being thankful that we can overeat and smart enough not to, we blame modern agriculture. The truth is that our modern advancements have allowed us to produce more with less and have significantly reduced our impact on the environment. The American farmer and rancher should be applauded for the food they produce and the lives they save.
As for the safety of that food, I feed my family the same food you feed yours. I would never produce any food that was not healthy or wholesome. Like many of you, I do not make good nutritional choices, but that has nothing to do with the food I produce. The bottom line is that we need every advance science can come up with, because hunger is a far greater concern and we are doing all we can to take care of that problem.
Monday, August 29, 2011
A New York Experience
A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of attending a leadership class in New York City. Yes, the Big Apple, and let me tell you it was a real culture shock for this farm boy. It was a unique experience that I will never forget and it drove home one point for certain. I am a farm boy for sure and I need wide open spaces.
One of our exercises for this class was to take the subway from our hotel in Newark, New Jersey to a predetermined point in New York. This was to simulate commuting into the city each morning. After accomplishing our assigned task we all assembled back at the meeting room for a debriefing.
This was an agriculture leadership class, so my fellow classmates had similar backgrounds to mine.The debriefing was very spirited with all of us having very strong feelings about the experience. Those feelings could be summed up as claustrophobia, anxiety, hurried, crushed, and just a general feeling of close quarters and being boxed in.
Many commented (I being one of those) about how they could never live in a place like this and could not understand why people would chose to do so. We laughed and joked about the experience, more than once suggesting that we were lucky to live in wide open spaces.
The session came to a close and I flew out of the Newark airport and settled into the long flight home. Soon I became aware of the young couple sitting next to me. I am not sure where their ultimate destination was but I am relatively sure it was not Kansas City. How do I know this?
As we approached Kansas City, they both craned their necks and looked out the window. If you have not flown into Kansas City, I need to set the stage for you. Kansas City's airport is located in a relatively rural edge of the metropolis. The runways extend into cow pastures and fields.
I listened in amusement as the young couple went on and on about how they must be flying into the great frontier. This place was surely something from Green Acres complete with Uncle Jed, Jethro and Elly Mae also. They laughed and made jokes about how primitive things must be in Kansas City and just could not understand why people would want to live in such a backwater place.
Suddenly I got it, I had similar feelings about New York City and all because it was somewhere foreign to me. It was surroundings that I was not familiar with and a place that stretched my comfort zone. So were either of us wrong? No. Were we a bit hypocritical and condescending? Of course.
With that I realized the problem we have in agriculture (and most likely in many other areas) is a lack of understanding for people and areas that are different than our home. We need to be able to put ourselves in the shoes of the people who live in those areas and then maybe we can understand their love for that part of the world and conversely if they had an understanding of our part of the worl.
That is why, as farmers and ranchers, we need to open our homes up to those who have never set foot in a rural area. We need to show them why we love our open spaces, quiet nights, starry skies and distant horizons. That understanding should foster trust and understanding and then we should be able to find some middle ground. Shoot, we might even find that we aren't really all that different.
One of our exercises for this class was to take the subway from our hotel in Newark, New Jersey to a predetermined point in New York. This was to simulate commuting into the city each morning. After accomplishing our assigned task we all assembled back at the meeting room for a debriefing.
This was an agriculture leadership class, so my fellow classmates had similar backgrounds to mine.The debriefing was very spirited with all of us having very strong feelings about the experience. Those feelings could be summed up as claustrophobia, anxiety, hurried, crushed, and just a general feeling of close quarters and being boxed in.
Many commented (I being one of those) about how they could never live in a place like this and could not understand why people would chose to do so. We laughed and joked about the experience, more than once suggesting that we were lucky to live in wide open spaces.
The session came to a close and I flew out of the Newark airport and settled into the long flight home. Soon I became aware of the young couple sitting next to me. I am not sure where their ultimate destination was but I am relatively sure it was not Kansas City. How do I know this?
As we approached Kansas City, they both craned their necks and looked out the window. If you have not flown into Kansas City, I need to set the stage for you. Kansas City's airport is located in a relatively rural edge of the metropolis. The runways extend into cow pastures and fields.
I listened in amusement as the young couple went on and on about how they must be flying into the great frontier. This place was surely something from Green Acres complete with Uncle Jed, Jethro and Elly Mae also. They laughed and made jokes about how primitive things must be in Kansas City and just could not understand why people would want to live in such a backwater place.
Suddenly I got it, I had similar feelings about New York City and all because it was somewhere foreign to me. It was surroundings that I was not familiar with and a place that stretched my comfort zone. So were either of us wrong? No. Were we a bit hypocritical and condescending? Of course.
With that I realized the problem we have in agriculture (and most likely in many other areas) is a lack of understanding for people and areas that are different than our home. We need to be able to put ourselves in the shoes of the people who live in those areas and then maybe we can understand their love for that part of the world and conversely if they had an understanding of our part of the worl.
That is why, as farmers and ranchers, we need to open our homes up to those who have never set foot in a rural area. We need to show them why we love our open spaces, quiet nights, starry skies and distant horizons. That understanding should foster trust and understanding and then we should be able to find some middle ground. Shoot, we might even find that we aren't really all that different.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Meet me at the Fair
It is county fair season here in Kansas. If you have never been to a small county fair, you need to go. Its a part of our small town, rural America that will remind you of why our country is so great. A county fair is a place where you can let your kids be kids, have a vision of what Norman Rockwell saw. A place where we celebrate everything that is at the heart of our great nation.
Each summer I have the honor and privilege of judging beef, sheep and swine shows at a number of fairs. For those of you who may not be familiar with 4-H and FFA, let me set the stage. Youth who participate in these projects have spent many months of hard working preparing their livestock for the fair.
In the case of the beef project, the young person probably started sometime in December with a small calf. They worked with this calf teaching it to lead with a halter, feeding, watering and caring for every need the animal may have. They do this everyday, winter, spring and summer. Mornings before they go to school, evenings after ball games, and everyday no matter the weather.
The kids involved in the sheep and swine projects may start them a little later in the year (usually around spring) but they require no less care on a daily basis. My point is that the animal projects (and all the youth projects) require a vast amount of time in preparation before the fair. The project you see at the fair is a culmination of a year and lots of time and effort for their owners.
Stop at a county fair and watch the show, better yet get there early and watch the youth prepare for the show. You will see that the owners have a great amount of pride in the animals they have raised. You will also see a lot of camaraderie among competitors. Even though they are competing each will take time to help the other (we could all learn a lot from them) and by doing so will forge friendships that will last for many years to come.
In a day and age when the work ethic and drive of our youth is questioned, it is refreshing to see what 4-H and FFA does for the youth involved. The participants are learning real-world skills, making networking connections they will keep all their lives and learning to be responsible. Unlike sports you will see youth taking part in activities that they will some day go "pro" in. You will be seeing the next generation of farmers and ranchers who will be feeding you.
So plan that trip to your local county fair, walk through the barns, listen and watch what is going on around. I will promise that you will come away feeling better about the next generation. We would all be a lot better off if we spent a few days at the fair, I know I will be.
Each summer I have the honor and privilege of judging beef, sheep and swine shows at a number of fairs. For those of you who may not be familiar with 4-H and FFA, let me set the stage. Youth who participate in these projects have spent many months of hard working preparing their livestock for the fair.
In the case of the beef project, the young person probably started sometime in December with a small calf. They worked with this calf teaching it to lead with a halter, feeding, watering and caring for every need the animal may have. They do this everyday, winter, spring and summer. Mornings before they go to school, evenings after ball games, and everyday no matter the weather.
The kids involved in the sheep and swine projects may start them a little later in the year (usually around spring) but they require no less care on a daily basis. My point is that the animal projects (and all the youth projects) require a vast amount of time in preparation before the fair. The project you see at the fair is a culmination of a year and lots of time and effort for their owners.
Stop at a county fair and watch the show, better yet get there early and watch the youth prepare for the show. You will see that the owners have a great amount of pride in the animals they have raised. You will also see a lot of camaraderie among competitors. Even though they are competing each will take time to help the other (we could all learn a lot from them) and by doing so will forge friendships that will last for many years to come.
In a day and age when the work ethic and drive of our youth is questioned, it is refreshing to see what 4-H and FFA does for the youth involved. The participants are learning real-world skills, making networking connections they will keep all their lives and learning to be responsible. Unlike sports you will see youth taking part in activities that they will some day go "pro" in. You will be seeing the next generation of farmers and ranchers who will be feeding you.
So plan that trip to your local county fair, walk through the barns, listen and watch what is going on around. I will promise that you will come away feeling better about the next generation. We would all be a lot better off if we spent a few days at the fair, I know I will be.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Weather Worries
This past week has seen record breaking heat for us. I am not going to lie, watching the weather is the most frustrating part of farming and ranching. It is the one thing that we have absolutely no control over and it is the one thing that affects our livelihood more than all other factors. My wise old Father continually tells me that worrying about the weather won't do anything but give me ulcers.
I know he is right, but that doesn't keep me from watching as many different weather forecasts as possible and stewing over each rain chance. Even then it is not always about rain. Right now we are in a period of extreme heat, this comes right as the corn is tasseling. Heat hurts the pollination of the corn and therefore reduces our yields. Even the irrigated corn is hurting because, no amount of water can cool off the plant.
New technology is on the horizon that will help eliminate this problem or at least lessen its effects. This will allow for a steadier income for us, as farmers, and a more stable food supply for everyone else. That is why it is hard for me to understand why non-ag people oppose new ag technology. But that is a topic for another blog.
As farmers, we watch as cool temperatures stunt our crops and too much rain drown them out in the spring. My fellow farmers watch as rivers rise and flood their land. Then we stand by helplessly as drought and heat take their toll or wind and hail level the crops all together. Sure we have crop insurance, but in many cases it only covers our fixed costs and those fixed costs do not include our living expenses.
So am I wanting your sympathy. No, this is the career path I chose and I knew the unpredictable weather was part of the deal. Rather I share this with you so that you understand that no matter how good we are at planting and caring for the crop, or how shrewd we are at marketing the crop there is much that is out of our control.
I also share this with you because even with all of the heart break of losing a crop to drought or flood, to heat or hail, I wouldn't want to live any other way. I take pride in the land I live on and the crop I grow. Even with one eye on the horizon and one on the radar screen and my fingers crossed hoping for rain and cooler temps. I am still a proud producer of the food we all need.
I know he is right, but that doesn't keep me from watching as many different weather forecasts as possible and stewing over each rain chance. Even then it is not always about rain. Right now we are in a period of extreme heat, this comes right as the corn is tasseling. Heat hurts the pollination of the corn and therefore reduces our yields. Even the irrigated corn is hurting because, no amount of water can cool off the plant.
New technology is on the horizon that will help eliminate this problem or at least lessen its effects. This will allow for a steadier income for us, as farmers, and a more stable food supply for everyone else. That is why it is hard for me to understand why non-ag people oppose new ag technology. But that is a topic for another blog.
As farmers, we watch as cool temperatures stunt our crops and too much rain drown them out in the spring. My fellow farmers watch as rivers rise and flood their land. Then we stand by helplessly as drought and heat take their toll or wind and hail level the crops all together. Sure we have crop insurance, but in many cases it only covers our fixed costs and those fixed costs do not include our living expenses.
So am I wanting your sympathy. No, this is the career path I chose and I knew the unpredictable weather was part of the deal. Rather I share this with you so that you understand that no matter how good we are at planting and caring for the crop, or how shrewd we are at marketing the crop there is much that is out of our control.
I also share this with you because even with all of the heart break of losing a crop to drought or flood, to heat or hail, I wouldn't want to live any other way. I take pride in the land I live on and the crop I grow. Even with one eye on the horizon and one on the radar screen and my fingers crossed hoping for rain and cooler temps. I am still a proud producer of the food we all need.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Firecrackers, the 4th and Wheat Harvest
Each holiday has a distinct memory for me or something that triggers memories of that holiday. When it comes to the 4th of July, wheat harvest is the trigger of those memories. There is something special about wheat harvest that is distinctly American. I think the reason the United States has become the greatest nation is because of the fact we can provide all the food and fiber we need. Because of the bounty of food our nation produces, we have the freedom from hunger to be innovative and grow our industry. Nothing symbolizes this bounty as much as bread and the wheat used to make it.
My first memories of wheat harvest were of taking supper to Dad in the field. The warm, clean smell of wheat straw, homemade sandwiches and the prickly feel of the wheat stubble. I was (and still am) mesmerized by the sight of combines eating their way through the golden fields. Then, if I played my cards right, Dad would take me into town with the truck and its load of wheat.
For a country kid a trip to town is very special. It was a chance to see other people and I think to feel like a big shot, riding in that big grain truck. Since wheat harvest is usually around the 4th, we would pass several fireworks stands and I would stare longingly (I think Dad noticed).
We would finally get to the elevator and I can remember being so proud to be with Dad and again thinking we were big stuff. Then after we dumped our grain into the unloading pit, we would pull back across the scales. Then if we were really lucky,we would get an ice cold soda. Usually the end of harvest came about the 4th. I can remember one harvest, Dad stopped at the fireworks stand and allowed me to get some fireworks.
We hoped to be done with harvest by the 4th so we could go into our town's 4th celebration. My hometown does the 4th of July like no other place. If harvest was not done, we couldn't go, but that didn't happen very often. The fireworks were a fitting celebration to the end of harvest and our nation's birthday.
Now as I am the one driving that grain truck into the elevator and driving past the fireworks stands I still find myself getting that feeling of anticipation about the upcoming celebration. We now drive the grain down mainstreet and I get to see the decorations dedicated to the 4th and that only helps to build the excitement. So having completed wheat harvest a couple of days ago, I will continue the tradition of taking my family to the parade and fireworks, I don't know who is more excited.
Tonight I will drive into town, past the golden fields of harvested wheat to my hometown for a patriotic celebration of the birth of our great nation. Wheat harvest and the 4th are and will be forever intertwined into one. I cannot imagine a more fitting way to celebrate our great nation and all the blessing we have been given as Americans.
My first memories of wheat harvest were of taking supper to Dad in the field. The warm, clean smell of wheat straw, homemade sandwiches and the prickly feel of the wheat stubble. I was (and still am) mesmerized by the sight of combines eating their way through the golden fields. Then, if I played my cards right, Dad would take me into town with the truck and its load of wheat.
For a country kid a trip to town is very special. It was a chance to see other people and I think to feel like a big shot, riding in that big grain truck. Since wheat harvest is usually around the 4th, we would pass several fireworks stands and I would stare longingly (I think Dad noticed).
We would finally get to the elevator and I can remember being so proud to be with Dad and again thinking we were big stuff. Then after we dumped our grain into the unloading pit, we would pull back across the scales. Then if we were really lucky,we would get an ice cold soda. Usually the end of harvest came about the 4th. I can remember one harvest, Dad stopped at the fireworks stand and allowed me to get some fireworks.
We hoped to be done with harvest by the 4th so we could go into our town's 4th celebration. My hometown does the 4th of July like no other place. If harvest was not done, we couldn't go, but that didn't happen very often. The fireworks were a fitting celebration to the end of harvest and our nation's birthday.
Now as I am the one driving that grain truck into the elevator and driving past the fireworks stands I still find myself getting that feeling of anticipation about the upcoming celebration. We now drive the grain down mainstreet and I get to see the decorations dedicated to the 4th and that only helps to build the excitement. So having completed wheat harvest a couple of days ago, I will continue the tradition of taking my family to the parade and fireworks, I don't know who is more excited.
Tonight I will drive into town, past the golden fields of harvested wheat to my hometown for a patriotic celebration of the birth of our great nation. Wheat harvest and the 4th are and will be forever intertwined into one. I cannot imagine a more fitting way to celebrate our great nation and all the blessing we have been given as Americans.
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