Engage

There's an old saying that goes something like this:  "Those who can do, those who can't teach, and those who can't teach are guidance counselors."  Might have made that last part up, but it works.

If you eat, you're involved in agriculture.  If you wear clothes, you're involved in agriculture.  If you drive a vehicle, you're involved in agriculture.  Each of us interacts with agriculture every single day, multiple times per day.

Agriculture it seems, is under constant assault from someone or something.  Animal rights activists, environmental activists, herbicide resistant weeds, rising fuel/labor/insurance/input costs, floods, droughts, regulations, taxes, and bureaucrats -- just to name a few.  Being an activist isn't a bad thing.  I'm an activist.  I'm just on the opposite side most of the time of those people and groups listed above.

Here's the rub though.  Less than 2% of the population is involved in production agriculture (the ones actually producing the stuff you eat, drink, and wear).  And, we're repeatedly told that by the year 2050 we will have to produce more food than we've had to in the past 10,000 years combined (or 5-6,000 if you hold to a really young Earth view).  The obvious question for me then becomes - 'How are we expected to remain efficient at doing our job when we are being handcuffed at every turn?'

The way I see it, agriculture is in a public relations battle, and is getting its butt kicked.  Part of the blame can be directed on basic ignorance of the issues.  Part of it can be directed to well funded organizations like HSUS or PETA with slick, pull at your heart strings ads.  But also, part of the blame needs to be directed at farmers themselves.

Farmers do what they do, because, well, they are good at it.  They do it because they love it.  And they do it because most other people can't.  What we're not always good at is engaging with the general public, public relations campaigns, or talking to the media.  The days of unengagement are over.  That ship has sailed, never to return.  Gone are the days of sitting around the local co-op or coffee shop talking amongst ourselves about prices, dirt, and the weather.  We still need to talk about these things, but the scope of our audience must broaden, else I doubt we, or much anyone else, will like the results.

I don't like complainers.  And I feel like I've done a fair amount of complaining in this post, so right now I'm not liking myself all that much.  Farmers aren't usually complainers--whiners maybe--but not complainers.  They have a can do attitude.  I mean seriously, what other profession drops a 100 grand into the ground (literally) and then prays for the right amount of sunshine and rain with the high hopes of recouping expenses and making a profit, in order to it all over again the next year at 150 grand?  Now that's an optimistic, prayer driven bunch of folks.

Decisions are going to be made.  Laws are going to be passed.  Debates are going to be held.  Where does American agriculture want to be?  We can engage, become involved, and share our side of the story, or we can let someone else tell it for us.  Farmers can point fingers, shift blame, and curse the government, but at the end of the day, who do we want telling our story?  A story will be told, just don't act surprised if it's one you don't like or agree with.  Where were you?  Why are you farmer, letting someone else tell it for you?

I've watched churches, schools, businesses, and governments deteriorate and weaken to the point of uselessness because limp wristed wimps failed to engage.  I understand the thought line of picking our battles.  I get that.  But it seems to me that food and food related issues isn't one of those secondary issues we toss aside for clueless nitwits to decide upon.  When the price of bread, milk, and eggs rises at the grocery store, or fuel rises at the pump, where has the farmer positioned himself in the discussion when the consumer or policymaker starts asking why?  Look, you may disagree with everything I've said.  That's fine.  But defeat me in the arena of ideas.  At least there we can have a discussion.

There's another old saying something like "Get off the bench (or out of the bleachers) and get in the game".  We have a sufficient number of armchair quarterbacks.  You know what I'm talking about.  People who like to sit on the couch at 4 in the afternoon still wearing their pajamas, screaming at Tom Brady to throw it, or something like that.

Are farmers going to get in the game?  Are we going to be engaged and proactive?  Or, will we sit by idly, even naively, ultimately rendering ourselves irrelevant in our own profession in the arena of thoughts and ideas?

Farm Quiz

Agriculture.

You eat it, drink it, smoke it, wear it.  You drive with it, sleep on it, wipe with it.  You read, write, color, paint, buy stuff, cook, clean, and feed with it.  Agriculture touches almost every aspect of your life.  It's directly linked to over 24 million U.S. jobs, and indirectly linked to millions more.  Without it you would be cold, hungry, and naked.  If farmers went on strike globally, we wouldn't have to worry about whether or not the Iranians develop a nuclear bomb, Obama is reelected, or which Kardashian got arrested for DUI.  We'll all be dead. (Except for maybe Dwight Schrute, Bear Grylls, and those guys from Swamp People)  In other words, agriculture is kinda important.  Whether or not we realize it, we all have a vested interest in agriculture.  So, it stands to reason we ought to educate ourselves a bit on the topic.

Don't know much about American agriculture?  Don't feel bad, the vast majority of Americans don't, which isn't all that surprising as most people are 3 to 4 generations removed from the farm.  

For many, food comes from a store that has concrete floors, fluorescent lighting, cold aisles, and plays old Justin Timberlake music.  Clothes, on the other hand, come from another type of store, except it is usually carpeted, darker but warmer, and plays really loud Justin Timberlake music.  

I'm not usually a fan of quizzes, especially online quizzes, but I came across this one today and found it to be useful and helpful, particularly to those with little or no agriculture background.  Here's 10 questions, so take the quiz and test your knowledge.  

1.  How many farms in the U.S. are family owned/operated?
a) 98%
b) 75%
c) 30%
d) less than 10%

2.  A bale of cotton weighs 50 pounds?
a) True
b) False

3.  How many farms in the U.S. are headed up by women?
a) 500
b) 5,500
c) 25,000
d) 145,000

4.  U.S. farmers produce over 40% of the worlds corn.
a) True
b) False
c) what's corn

5.  Today, the average farmer produces enough food to feed 26 people.
a) True
b) False

6.  How much does one bushel of corn weigh?
a) 5 pounds
b) 16 pounds
c) 56 pounds
d) 50 pounds

7.  Most of the beans grown in the U.S. are green when harvested and can be consumed immediately.
a) True
b) False
c) Don't know, but they're good for the heart!

8.  Farmers use environmentally friendly practices that have reduced their greenhouse gas emissions.
a) True
b) False
c) Huh huh, you said gas

9.  What is conservation tillage?
a) When farmers leave residue from the previous crop lying in the field
b) When farmers take residue and put in into a compost pile
c) When farmers use animals instead of machinery to till the ground
d) None of the above

10.)  If U.S. farmers used crop production practices from the 1930's to produce the equivalent amount of corn as produced today, how many more acres of land would be needed?
a) 10,000 acres
b) 10 million acres
c) 490 million acres
d) No additional acres would be needed

Answers

1. A - 98% of farms are family owned and operated, coming in all shapes, sizes, and diversity.  It's just a plain myth that farms are run by multinational corporations.  I once heard someone say "I know who owns all the land, it's owned by those that put their signs out next to the road."  Signage has nothing to do with ownership or with who farms the land.  Every seed company (Pioneer, Asgrow, DeltaPine etc.) uses signage to promote their product.  Where's the most visible place to advertise?  Next to the road.  Other than a farmer, I doubt anybody else would care about signs next to the road.

2. B - False.  A bale of cotton weighs not 50, but 500 pounds.  That's enough cotton to produce over 200 pairs of jeans, 1,200 T-shirts, or 4,300 pairs of socks.

3. D - 145,000.  If you're like me, I'm wondering "Who are all these women operators."  But, I'm reminded that farms exist in all shapes and sizes, and not every farm will look like mine in Tennessee.  The number of women operating as head of an operation, along with African-American operators, are actually increasing.

4. True.  Depending on the year and the source, America's corn growers produce between 40-50% of the worlds corn.  That's more than China, India, Brazil, Mexico, and the European Union combined.

5. False.  That figure would have been true in 1960.  Today, the average farm produces food for 155 people.  The average farm in the U.S. is around 400 acres.  Our farm is close to 2,000 acres, which means we produce food for close to 800 people.  If you ate today, our farm may have had a direct hand in feeding you.  I'm proud of that.

6. C - 56 pounds.  The old way of weighing was the bushel basket.  You've probably seen one at a farmers market, or at your grandparents house if they have a garden.  It would take 56 pounds of corn to fill the bushel basket.  For soybeans, 60 pounds = 1 bushel.

7. False.  The majority of beans are a grey or brownish color, and considered dry when harvested.  After harvest, the grain is processed and used in millions of products.

8. True.  Though radical environmentalists would likely argue otherwise, according to the EPA in 2007, for example, farmers cut CO2 emissions by 14.2 kg.  That's equivalent to removing over 6 million cars from the road for a year.  Honestly, I have no idea how they measure this, or if that's even a reliable stat.  But, consider this.  How many cars, trucks, semi's, planes, trains, boats, buses, motorcycles, 4-wheelers, and lawnmowers are traveling around burning fossil fuels versus how many tractors or combines are driving around?  I'll take a wild guess here and say about a billion to one.  I don't really think tractors are a major source of CO2 emissions.  OK, but what about livestock and their flatulence.   Don't cows contribute to global warming?  Well, I'll go with Ron White on this one and say the solution is to eat the cows.

9. A - Leaving the residue from a previous crop.  This means the farmer is not using any tillage or reduced tillage in preparing his land for planting.  This also means reduced trips across field, fuel savings, time savings, an increase in organic matter, returning leftover nutrients from the old crop directly back into the soil, moisture savings, and erosion savings.

10. C - 490 million acres.  We would need that much additional land if we were still using the same techniques we did in the 1930's to produce what we produce today.  That's an area larger than Alaska.  Thanks to the hybrid, nitrogen fertilizer, and technology, we don't have to invade Canada for their land.

Here's a short video with some more food for thought and interesting tidbits you may not have thought about:

Think Agriculture is important?  Yea, me too.  So, the next time you see Yahoo post a story about useless college degrees, and 3 of the top 5 are agriculture related, you can laugh it off and think about how useless their writers journalism degree must have been in order to write wasted stories such as that.  Right up there with fashion design and basket weaving (also known as psychology).

Top 5's

While I was in grad school, I worked at a bookstore with some pretty awesome people.  In the absence of doing any real work such as hauling off empty boxes to the dumpster, making ridiculous phone calls which in reality was nothing but soliciting, or putting up for display Neil's favorite "struggling with gay thoughts" books, my friend Jay would get me, Keshia, Matt and whoever to name our Top 5 favorite ___________.

It was a fun game, discussion (argument) starter, and helped slow days go by quicker.  The winter is a slow season for me since we currently only grow row crops and don't handle any livestock.  So, to help pass the time, and for old times sake, here is a random list of some Top 5's, in no particular order, and maybe a few honorable mentions.

Top 5 Man Movies

These are movies that the ladies may like, but are for sure movies for dudes.  If your buddies walked in and caught you watching any of these, extra points for manliness.  Whereas, if your buddies come in and catch you watching Legally Blonde, they have automatic permission to use jiu jitsu on you.  

• Snatch
• Kill The Irishman
• Boondock Saints
• Inglorious Bastards
• No Country for Old Men

Honorable Mention: Defiance, We Were Soldiers, Taken, Gone Baby Gone, American History X

Top 5 Shows Currently on TV

We don't watch a terrible amount of the boob tube, but these shows will most likely be DVR'd.

• 30 Rock
• House
• Only in America w/ Larry The Cable Guy
• Dirty Jobs
• Swamp People

Honorable Mention: American Restoration, Deadliest Catch, Alaska State Troopers

Top 5 Comedy Shows of all time

• 30 Rock
• The Office (seasons 1-4)
• Cheers
• Arrested Development
• The Cosby Show (until Elvin shows up)

Honorable Mention: Spongebob Squarepants, Wonder Years, Frasier

Top 5 Favorite Living Theologians

Very subjective, but these are folks I've either read, met, heard, or sat directly under their teaching.  Hopefully none of the single white guys that comment anonymously all over blogs won't see this list, lest I be cyber flogged for: a) having both a paedo & credo on the same list.  How dare I!, or b) not being "gospel centered" enough.

• RC Sproul
• Tim Keller
• Kevin DeYoung
• Jonathan Pennington
• Brian Vickers

Honorable Mention: Dan Doriani, Doug Wilson, Ravi Zacharias, Al Mohler, Derek Thomas

Top 5 Movies of all time (so far)

This is different than man movies.  The lists could overlap, but if I'm stuck in a room and can only watch these 5 movies, this is what I'd want in my queue.

• Good Will Hunting - It's a good car.  Got a good engine.
• Shawshank Redemption - If I'm trapped, this is an inspirational breakout movie.
• Almost Famous - Awesome soundtrack.
• Inception - Perhaps my entrapment is all a dream.
• Napoleon Dynamite - A little Rex Kwan Do training will help me fight my way out.

Honorable Mention: SlingBlade

Top 5 6 7  8 Books 

Books are incredible and can provide a wealth of knowledge, information, inspiration, and helpful instruction.  With so many genres it's impossible for me to list my favorite books, as different books have had special meaning, significance, or instruction at different points in my life.  But these are a few that if someone has never read, I would say are must reads.

• Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot
• A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken
• When People are Big and God is Small by Ed Welch
• Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan
• Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
• Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis
• Reason for God by Tim Keller
• Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas

Honorable Mention: No Little People by Francis Schaeffer / Flyboys by James Bradley / Trellis & Vine by Colin Marshall / Moral Apologetics by Mark Coppenger / anything else by CS Lewis, Tim Keller, or Kevin DeYoung.

Top 5 Tractors

Since this is an ag blog, figured I better throw something ag related in.  Wouldn't want the sponsors getting worried.

• John Deere
• Case
• Massey Ferguson
• Caterpillar
• John Deere (yea, I know already mentioned this one, but come on, how many tractor manufacturers are there?  Foreign ones don't count.  They use the metric system.  That's un-American!)

What's your Top 5?

Hawaii, Pineapples & Stereotypes

Our family had the privilege of traveling to the Hawaiian island of Oahu for a few days and in short it was awesome.  On the flight home I had plenty of time to think about what we had just experienced and wanted to share some of it here.

I.  Hawaii

In Hawaii, we experienced and/or saw several firsts:

• Perhaps, but maybe not obvious, it was the first time to Hawaii for us.
• It was the first time the girls have flown.
• We ate at a Tony Romos for the first time.
• First time we saw sea turtles, at least not in captivity.
• And we saw firsthand for the first time what happens when a drunk passenger acts belligerent with the flight crew before takeoff.  Let's just say Carol Burnett would have been proud.  "And that's sky law."  Fans of 30 Rock will get it. 

While in Hawaii we stumbled across an Apple Store.  When you put an Apple Store in a place like Hawaii, I think you get a foretaste of heaven.  I'm pretty sure this is what Milton had in mind when he wrote his poem Paradise Regained, but don't quote me on that.

Driving around the island, there was a surprise around every turn in the road.  Gorgeous shorelines and powerful waves gave way to naturally rugged and beautiful mountain ranges only to give them back to the shorelines.  It was like a dance between the ocean and the mountains.  Lana remarked that CS Lewis must have visited Hawaii before he wrote Narnia.  I agree.

On a more somber note...Pearl Harbor.  A very solemn, even emotional experience.  I can't say anything that hasn't already been said a thousand times, but I was moved by this wartime prayer from Eleanor Roosevelt -
Dear Lord,

Lest I continue
My complacent way,
Help me to remember that somewhere,
Somehow out there
A man died for me today.
As long as there be war,
I then must
Ask and answer
Am I worth dying for?

Maybe it was the magnitude of the environment, but I found myself asking myself the same question.  I was reminded, thankfully, that God in his graciousness, justice, and mercy sent a substitute to those who repent and confess Jesus as Savior, you don't have to try and answer that question on your own (Mk. 1:15, 1 Cor. 15:1-4, Rom. 10:9-11, Jn. 3:16, et al).

II.  Pineapples

Hawaii is known for many things, but one thing you may not know is that it is a pretty major player in the production of pineapples, nuts (of the macadamia kind), and coffee.  I predominately write on here about topics related to agriculture, and for many people, when they think of ag, or big ag, it's those people in Iowa with all that corn or those guys down in Texas with all those cows and cotton.  Farms and farmers come in all shapes and sizes, and produce all types of products for consumption.  And, farmers are growing fruits & vegetables, nuts, and coffee as well.  We don't typically think about items such as pineapples or nuts around these parts because no one grows it around here--except for maybe parts of Florida and California.  Why do I bring this up?  While some may view importing food as a necessary evil or perhaps worse, I view it as a necessary reality.  Especially if we desire to eat and drink things that we are unable to produce here ourselves, such as pineapples and coffee.  So, the consumer is left with only a couple of options.  Move to a tropical environment and eat pineapple and coconut all day while sipping on coffee, or do without.  Certainly safeguards to ensure quality and safety should be in place to protect the consumer as realistically as possible.  However, we as Americans have the tendency to want and eat our cake at the same time.  So, we can either do without and complain, or do with and probably still complain.

III.  Stereotypes

Being a silly main lander having been influenced and informed by bad information about Hawaii, I was (partially) duped into believing these common myths about Hawaiians:

Myth 1
All Hawaiians wear Hawaiian shirts.
Nope.  Pretty much the only people that wear those shirts are tourists who look like their skin has never seen sunlight and a certain sect of Southern Baptist pastors.

Myth 2
All Hawaiians walk around doing the hula dance.
Wrong again.  Probably picked up this idea from that bad show called Hawaii Five-0 or it's more bad new version called Hawaii Five-0.  It's on CBS, what'd you expect?  Sure, you can see and participate in a hula dance, and it is used to teach visitors about the heritage of the islands, but I got the impression this it is often done to appease well funded tourists.

Myth 3
Hawaiian music consists of only the ukulele.
Nada.  The ukulele is a popular and important instrument in Hawaiian culture, but music on the island is as rich and diverse as anywhere.  Yes, the late Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole is a legend in Hawaii, but ever hear of an artist named Jack Johnson?

Myth 4
The hand sign/wave using your thumb and pinkie finger means hang loose.
Uh Uh No.  Locally that is known as the Shaka sign and what it actually means is something closer to a type of greeting or a way of saying thanks.


So if you ever plan on going to Hawaii, do a little research ahead of time that extends beyond Magnum P.I. episodes, and don't act like such a tourist, stereotyping everything into a category like, for example when people up north think every other guy in the south is called Bubba.  Ok, that was a bad example. At the same time, don't try and be Kelly Slater either.  Get out of the city, explore the island, stop at a roadside stand and buy something, and mingle with the locals.  When you go, go a little more Globe Trekker style and a little less double decker bus style.  Leave technology behind, and go off the grid a few days.  No email, no facebook, no TV, no returning phone calls or texting.  It was great.  Didn't miss it a bit.  I had no idea what Tebow had done or who won the New Hampshire primary, nor did I really care.  It takes a little more effort, but it'll be worth it.  If you get the opportunity to go, go.

Eddie would go.

Aloha and Mahalo.

Interview(s) with the Non-Farmer(s)

In my last post, I was interviewed by a non-farmer for my perspective on food and modern agriculture practices, among other things.  In this post, I had the opportunity to ask several non farm folks their thoughts on a variety of agriculture related topics.  The participants--both male and female, ranging in age from early 20's to 50's--live, work, and eat in various contexts ranging from South Alabama to Seattle, Washington.  As a producer, I am constantly interested in knowing if and what the general public thinks about food, farmers, agriculture, the environment, and how these forces relate to one another.  A very recent farm perspective survey commissioned by BASF questioned 1,800 farmers and 6,000 consumers from 6 countries - Germany, France, Spain, Brazil, India, and the United States on current agriculture related issues. (As an aside here, I've been to Germany, France, and India and have friends who have been to Brazil.  For India or Brazil to try and defend their environmental standards while complaining about US standards, well, that's about as nonsensical as when Limbaugh or Hannity try to defend dishonorable Republican behavior by saying "at least it's not as bad as" insert Democrats name here__________.  As if one set of actions/behaviors justifies another, but I digress.)  Some of the results were very encouraging, some predictable, some surprising, and some baffling.  So it goes with such a large and diverse group, each with its own competing interests.  For a rundown on the survey, check it out here: 

http://www.agro.basf.com/agr/APInternet/en/content/news_room/Farm_Perspective_Study/BASF_Farm_Perspectives_Study  

In my survey, I submitted 9 questions to each person, asking them to answer at least 5.  Following is each of my questions, and some of their responses in their own words.  For brevity's sake, I've selected 1-2 (sometimes more) responses to each question.  Many thanks to those who participated and helped make this post possible.  May the dialogues continue.

1.  Other than eating and wearing clothes, what is your involvement in farming/agriculture?

• I drive by farms when traveling.  Sometimes I smell them.  Unfortunately, that is about it.  

• I was raised with cows and cotton around our city. 

2.  In your mind, what constitutes a large or corporate farm?  Do you think family farms are being hurt by large or corporate farms?

• I'd say a large/corporate farm is owned by a company rather than a family or group of families.  I absolutely think family farms are hurt by them.  They can hire cheaper labor b/c they have the means.  They can sell their produce or other goods at lower costs b/c they have more to offer.

• Over 1,000 acres and no.

3.  How often, if ever, do you think about where your food comes from?  If so, where do you think your food comes from?  Who's producing it?

• More often lately.  I have a friend who is very passionate about these sorts of questions, and she is part of a local CSA.  When I think about where the food that I get at the grocery store comes from, I think it is probably too difficult to figure out since there are so many steps in the process.

• Honestly, I do not think about where it comes from.  I'm just glad it comes.

4.  Do you have any concerns/fears with food that is grown in or imported to the United States?  How do you know if it's grown in the US or somewhere else?

• Yes.  My concerns revolve around the standards outside our country.  This is not to say that the US has the market cornered on agriculture but other farmers have told me that the inspection process for food that comes into our country is at best minimal.  Also, I'm concerned with what imports are doing to farmers in our country.  It's one thing to import fruits and vegetables that aren't naturally grown here in the US.  But I live 2 hours from what seems to be the watermelon producing capital of the south yet when I go to the store to buy a watermelon many of them are coming in from another country.  It makes no sense.

5.  Would you be willing to pay more (or perhaps less) for food if it was only grown in the US?  What if it meant giving up certain foods?  What percentage of your income do you think is spent on food?

• I would be willing to pay more for food grown locally; I think.  I'm concerned less with it being from the US and more with how far it has to be transported to get to me.  We are trying to move in the direction of more local food without breaking the bank.  I'm not sure what percent of my income is spent on food, but I do know that if we ate out less, we could apply that money to buying better food to make at home.  That is what we are trying to do.

• I'm all about supporting local business, or in this case, local farms.  However, I'm more about thriftiness.  So, I would definitely buy product from within the US if it was cheaper than other products.  I think about 15% of our income is spent on food.

• No.  I like competition and variety due to free trade with other nations.  Maybe between 10-15% (income spent on food annually).

6.  When you hear terms like "organic" or "locally grown" or "green movement" what do you think?  Does/is any of it:  Taste better?  Fresher?  Safer?  More accessible?  Only seasonal?

• Organic - perhaps avoid some of the chemicals and processing.  Locally grown - fresh, avoids processing.  Green movement - naive liberalism.

• I think "organic" is overused to the point of meaninglessness.  I like the idea of locally grown, and don't really care about the green movement b/c it can just turn into a political argument that avoids the real issues.  I do tend to think local will mean more seasonal and fresher.  Safety and accessibility probably vary.

7.  Overall, do you think modern (conventional) agriculture is helping, hurting, or making no impact either way on the environment? (Think here - land/air/water quality, wildlife habitat etc.)

• I'm assuming here but I can't picture a farmer shooting himself in the foot on this.  I haven't researched this enough but I would think a guy who makes his living from the land would be good to that land.  This has been the case with the farmers I have known.  I would imagine most of the problems come in when the federal gov't starts getting involved by telling farmers what they can and can't do.  To paraphrase Reagan, the scariest words an American, in this case a farmer, can hear are, "We're from the government.  We're here to help."

• Hurting.  The problems of monoculture frankly scare me, as biodiversity declines and crops become more reliant upon pesticides.  I'm not incredibly well-versed on these problems, but I do think making farming answer entirely to a market capitalist economy that tries to drive prices as low as possible leads to problems in maintaining what is best for the environment long term.

8.  Other than me, do you know a farmer?  What's your impression of farmers?

• Nope.  I think farmers are the hardest working people.  They bust their butts to take care of their land and crops to help their families as well as mine.

• Yes, they are the most kind and reasonable people I've ever met...

• Tons.  They're just like everybody else;  some are pretty cool, some are dorks.

• ... I think farmers, especially those on small farms, are hard working people, and I would be proud for one of my sons to grow up to be one.

9.  Since much of the human diet is made up of animal product (beef, chicken, pork, dairy etc.) do you have any concerns with the animal food/milk industry?  Animal safety and welfare standards--diet, housing, vaccines, overall treatment of animals?  "Factory" farms?  Mass (or rapid) production of animals for food?  Food quality/safety?  Other?

• This one is HUGE.  Yes, I have concerns about the animal food and milk industry.  It is a difficult issue, b/c you don't want to just remove all vaccines, etc. b/c then animals die.  But at the same time, we need to be careful about what gets into our foods.  And factory farms seems to me an excellent picture of how wrong our system has gone.  We now have chickens that grow so fast for food they can't even stand up, etc.  Show people factory farms, and they will begin to see how things can go wrong.  I'm all for killing and eating animals.  But if all we care about is cheap meat, then we end up supporting some pretty barbaric practices that aren't good for the workers and don't treat the animals like the creatures of God that they are.

• As good stewards and compassionate people, we should avoid animal cruelty.  But animals are not people and we are mistaken to project human concerns on them.  They want food, shelter, and protection from predators.  I don't think they care about cages and crowded conditions.

Interview with the Farmer

I was recently interviewed by a non farmer for a perspective on farmers, farming, food, and the environment among other things.  Below is a copy of his questions and my responses.  Thanks to Jay Sanders for his thoughtful questions.  Check out Jay's wonderfully rich and honest, culturally & theologically informed, often times hilarious blog over at Tie Ly Guh  

An Interview with the Farmer

My father and grandfather spent significant portions of their lives on farms.  I, on the other hand, grew up in an area where the only thing that was being grown was under a heat lamp in my neighbor Dwayne’s garage.  Most of us don’t give farming a second thought.  Maybe we don’t believe it but we still act as though the food we eat was made in some back room at your local Wal-Mart.  Come to think of it, that may be the case but you get my point. 

Recently I had the chance to ask my friend Shane a few questions about farming, why farmers matter and how we can better appreciate the fruits of their labors.

Our country is moving further and further away from its agricultural roots.  Should we be concerned? 

Yes I think so.  In the U.S., most families (people) are now 3 generations removed from the farm and the average age of the U.S. farmer is 57--and rising, meanwhile the farm population is shrinking (less than 2% of the pop., our numbers are low enough now that "farmer/rancher" is no longer listed as an occupation on the census survey.  We are now part of the other people). As a producer this can be quite scary for several reasons.  Primarily, and I don't use this in a pejorative way, is fear and ignorance.  Ignorance is simply a lack of education.  Fear, in this context, is really just laziness masked as activism.  As we as a nation get further away from our agricultural roots, we as a people are less educated, or less aware about where our food comes from.  So many people I talk to literally think food comes from the grocery store.  That's it.  Need more bread or milk?  Go to the store and get it.  The end.  It's quite sad actually.  And, many of our "leaders" and policy makers think the same way.  That's why I say it can be quite scary.  So we as farmers and ranchers have to be more proactive in telling our story and simply educating the non farm folks at all levels to the who, what, when, where, why, and how of agriculture.  That's one of the reasons why each year we have all the area 5th graders come to our farm for Ag Day, and it's one of the reasons I decided to occasionally blog on this topic.  We have to be the voice of agriculture--not documentary films like "Food Inc." that while provocative, only tell one side of the story.  Organizations such as Farm Bureau (who do a lot more than sell insurance), U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance, and even Mike Rowe on his show "Dirty Jobs" are acting and working to bridge this disconnect between farmers and farming, and to show the general public that the American farmer by large has at heart the best interests of the land, the environment, the animal, and the end user.

Why is it important to buy local whenever possible?

Well I think it's certainly good to buy local, or participate in community gardens and food co-ops.  One, you are supporting the local economy and local producers.  Two, you are putting a face to the producer of the product you are eating.  That interaction with the producer can be great.  You can ask them questions about how they grow their product, where they grow it and so on, and really develop a good and positive relationship.  Three, generally speaking, it's going to be a much fresher product, and taste better.  So yes, farmers markets and such should be supported by the local community.  However, these types of enterprises often appeal to a niche market.  Food and growth experts tell us that global population is rising at such a pace, that farmers will have to produce as much food in the next 40 years as we have in all the years combined since the inception of farming.  This is a monumental and historic task set before us.  I say all that to say that yes, let's continue to support locally grown and community gardens etc, but let's not be naive enough to think that these alone will solve our growing and future food related issues.   

Many people worship creation and many people seem bent on destroying it.  As a Christian who farms, what do you feel is your responsibility in caring for the land that God has given to you?

I love this question.  I believe that much of the answer lies within the question itself.  I am responsible for caring for the tracts of land (and all land in reality) that God has seen fit to entrust us with.  I think as a Christian, I have been given a biblical mandate to watch over and care for the land (Gen. 1:28-30, 1 Cor. 4:2).  This all stems from the recognition that God created and owns everything (Ps. 24:1, Ps. 50:10).  I'm simply a manager of these resources and my goal is to leave it to the next generation better than it was when I received it.  God is glorified even in seemingly simple and insignificant acts such as this.  Dominion and stewardship rightly understood do not mean domination or destruction.  Nor do they necessarily mean "organic" or "green."  Those are two words that are so loosely thrown around they are void of any significant meaning.  Many well meaning, well intentioned Christians, I think, stumble all over this issue in the name of "Creation Care" or "Christian Ecology."  Again, these are not bad things.  The problem comes when someone reads say, a Wendell Berry or similar type author book, and then takes that and tries to apply some form of "Gospel centered" environment tag line to it, and before you know it, we have denominations unwittingly writing position papers on the evils of incandescent light bulbs and making resolutions for Christ centered global warming response teams.  Good stewards recognize, again, that we are to manage our temporary possessions to the best of our abilities and teach others to do the same, while at the same time not being intentionally neglectful or harmful to that which is entrusted us.  This discussion is so often framed in an either/or format, when in reality it very often can be an and/both format.  We can drill oil and protect the caribou.  We can spray pesticides on crops and still have safe, clean food.  We can't let our environmental conscience be guilted into bad laws and policies b/c some folks prefer Prius's to SUV's.  

Do the big box stores like Wal-Mart help or hurt local farmers like you?

They don't hurt, and if anything they help local producers.  I have a friend who grows pumpkins and he sells them directly to our local Wal-Mart. I have another friend who grew sweet corn and watermelons and sold directly to area grocery stores.  They get paid a premium b/c Wal-Mart knows exactly what there getting, when there getting it, and from whom they are getting it, and it's not something that is being trucked in from a 1,000 miles away when it's grown 5 miles away. Wal-Mart and other chains are a business and they care a lot about public image.  If they can put pretty little signs in their produce sections saying these items are grown locally, people eat that stuff up.  Look, Wal-Mart, Cosco, Kroger etc. care about making a profit and protecting their image.  They also swing a huge stick, especially when it comes to peoples purchasing decisions.  If consumers are demanding product A instead of B, what do you think Wal-Mart is going to do?  That is totally acceptable. So, if a local producer can get hooked up with a box store and provide a commodity that people want, the folks at Wal-Mart are smart enough to recognize a good business deal, and that ultimately is good for that producer(s).

Floods, droughts and tornadoes probably mean more to you than someone in any other profession and for most farmers I know, no matter how good the weather is, it's never good enough.  How has farming affected the way you trust in the supremacy of God?

Well, it is usually cause for a lot of repenting on my part.  Arguably two of the most important factors to a farmers success are completely out of his control:  weather and markets.  More often than I care to admit, I find myself questioning God on too much rain, not enough rain, rain at the wrong time, too hot, too cold and so on.  What have I done?  I've committed a radical form of idolatry.  I've put myself in the place of God and I'm telling God that I know better.  I often shutter at my own foolishness.  So yes, this is a profession that can radically effect ones faith, and without a solid grounding and firm belief in the sovereignty of God, well, that person will feel a lot of anxiety and despair.  Farming can take big swings from highs to lows in relative short amounts of time, and ultimately what I hope this does is push me to prayer, praise, humility, and thankfulness during both those bleak looking times and the rewarding times of walking in high cotton.  As per the guys who say it's never good enough, well I know a lot of those guys, and quite frankly, I don't really like being around them.  No matter how good things are, or how good a year it was, they somehow manage to only speak doom and gloom.  Those guys are annoying and give farmers a bad name.  Either shut up and move on or get into another profession to complain about.  One thing I rarely hear come from my dad's lips is complaints.  Some things I do hear pretty often from him are words of thankfulness and blessings and optimism.  Things are going to work out one way or the other.  It may not be the way you wanted, but having a trust in the supremacy of God is ultimate, for without that no one anywhere would farm.     

Talk to the guy that lives on a quarter of an acre in the suburbs.  Is it important for him to grow something, even if it's a few tomatoes hanging from his porch? 

Sure, yes grow something.  It's pretty easy to start, fun, rewarding, kids can do it with you, and how many things can a person do whereby they can daily see the fruit of their labors?  That's one thing I love about farming--you get almost immediate results of your actions, and then you get to constantly tweak and fine tune throughout the year.  The suburbanite can do the same thing on a smaller scale and watch with amazement as nature does what nature does.  Plus, people just need to get their hands and clothes dirty from time to time.  Folks who are afraid to get dirt on their hands, or kids who are afraid to hold a worm--I don't know what it is, but something is fundamentally wrong with that.

How can caring for a garden, large or small, be beneficial to biblical manhood or womanhood?

Adam & Eve, the first farmers, started out in a garden, and were placed there to work and take care of the garden.  We'll they blew it and now I have weeds in my fields :)  Caring for a garden, or an animal, or a 57 Chevy for that matter--several things can be going on here.  Perhaps a husband and wife are building a garden wall - working, lifting, shoveling, sweating - and in the course of this they are serving one another and modeling a healthy marriage relationship to their onlooking kids.  Perhaps a dad is showing his son how to plow and chop and dig and weed and instilling in his son an appreciation for a strong work ethic and a faithfulness that tiny seed planted grows into large fruit.  Maybe mom is helping her daughter take care of newborn kittens and modeling to her tender care and lovingkindness for something fragile and dependent, which will serve that daughter later in life when she has her first child that is fragile and dependent on her tender care and lovingkindness.  Or maybe an older man in the community is teaching a younger man who never had a father figure, thru conversation while they work to restore a car, how to be a man who leads, protects, and provides for his family.  Perhaps, thru the simple, ordinary, mundane routine of life, even something as plain as caring for a garden, conversations are happening, relationships are being built, seeds are being planted and roots are delving deep into something that is authentic, lasting, and true.  Something that will help men and women in fulfilling their God ordained roles.  Perhaps.

Shane Burchfiel runs a family farm in Tennessee where he grows corn, cotton, soybeans and wheat.  He blogs regularly at Before the Store.

What are pesticides?

"How can an organization preach about informing the public and telling our story when our own producers don't even understand basic terms like pesticide?"

That was said to me shortly after a discussion on a resolution where I was making an attempt to broaden and strengthen the language of a particular line of wording at the recent TFBF convention.  Ultimately the amendment passed--albeit rather clumsily--after some brief discussion which was reduced to little more than semantics after an explanation of the desired purpose of the change.

But it did get me to thinking, if several people in a room full of farmers and ranchers were confused on basic agriculture terminology, how many more people who make up the non farm population (which, by the way, is over 98% of the population in the United States) would likely be confused or uninformed of language farmers use regularly?

What is a pesticide?

To define this, we need to break the word down.  Cide means to kill, hence the use of terms we are  familiar with like homicide, suicide, or genocide.  Pest, in agricultural terms, refers to something unwanted such as a plant/weed, insect, or disease.  Combine the words together to form pesticide and you get a definition of the word like this:

From the Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) - any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying or controlling any pest, including vectors of human or animal disease, unwanted species of plants or animals causing harm during or otherwise interfering with the production, processing, storage, transport or marketing of food, agricultural commodities, wood and wood products or animal feedstuffs, or substances which may be administered to animals for the control of insects, arachnids or other pests in or on their bodies. The term includes substances intended for use as a plant growth regulator, defoliant, desiccant or agent for thinning fruit or preventing the premature fall of fruit. Also used as substances applied to crops either before or after harvest to protect the commodity from deterioration during storage and transport.


And from Dictionary.com - an agent used to destroy pests; A chemical used to kill harmful animals or plants. Pesticides include fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, and rodenticides. 


So, pesticide subclasses include herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, miticides, nematicides, rodenticides etc.  The confusion arises because in our common everyday language, we choose the easy route and just say pesticide.  It's like when we say Kleenex instead of tissue.  When producers go to get recertified, we don't get herbicide or insecticide recertification.  We get pesticide recertification.  Why?  Because pesticide is the umbrella word that captures or covers all the sub classes of related "cide" words. 


Are pesticides dangerous?


Depends on who you ask, but the short answer is yes and no.  Think about it like this.  Are guns dangerous?  Yes and no.  Are baseball bats dangerous?  Yes and no.  Are vehicles dangerous?  Yes and no.  What do I mean by all this?  Simply, anything not used as its intended function can be dangerous.  So, if a person doesn't follow the label on a chemical, it could be dangerous.  Is that the fault of the chemical?  I would argue nay, it is the fault of the user.  Likewise with guns, bats, cars, computers, or anything else, when used in accordance with how it's designed to be used, it is safe.  When used in a reckless and irresponsible manner, it can be dangerous.  


So why the fear?  


Well, let's just admit the word pesticide doesn't sound nice.  If we had a puffy flowery term we could use instead, I'm sure we would, but pesticide is the word we have, so it is the word we use.  Second, whatever the formulation of the product, all pesticides come with "signal" words on them that denote toxicity of the product.  Words like "caution, warning, danger," and "keep out of reach of children."  Mind you though, these are the same words commonly found on common household products like shampoo, hairspray, and dish soap.  Sometimes they even have cool symbols with a skull and crossbones.  


Many people have at least heard about a product called DDT, and the effect it had on the bald eagle population.  For many, this is perhaps the only association they've had with pesticides.  A memory, a story, a video from over 50 years ago--that is what some equate to modern agriculture and its use of crop protection products.  DDT has long been banned in this country and in several others, and arguably so, but does that mean it, or any pesticide for that matter, should never be used?  Well, one thing DDT is excellent at controlling is mosquitoes--particularly those malaria carrying mosquitoes that are ravaging already ravaged parts of Africa.  I'm not advocating the return of DDT.  However, in those special circumstances where a product could be used safely and help alleviate malaria from war-torn, poverty and drought stricken, hungry, thirsty, and lacking in basically anything you can imagine nations of Africa, I think we could make an argument for the use of a DDT type product.  It's a heck of a lot better than the governments solution of giving them nets to sleep under, but I digress. 


Is the fear of pesticides justified?


I think not, and here are some of the reasons why:


1.  Farmers and producers of food & fiber are required to go thru routine training, testing, and certification on safe, proper use, storage and handling of pesticides.  Training includes items like reading & understanding labels, understanding target and non-target pests, use rates, droplet size, variances such as water volume, temperature inversions, wind speed, ground speed etc., what to do in the event of a spill, buffer zones, and accurate record keeping of what/when/how a product was applied.  And, if we break the rules and get caught, we face serious fines, potential legal action, loss of use, and even potential jail time if the act is especially or intentionally grievous. 


2.  Consider this realistic scenario - Farmer Smith sprays a common product like Roundup (Glyphosate) at a rate of 1 quart per acre, in a solution of water at 10 gallons per acre.  Picture a quart sized bottle of product evenly distributed in 10 gallons of water.  Beginning to see how small of an amount that is?  And, many products farmers use are used at much lower rates like 8 ounces, 3 ounces, even half an ounce per acre.  In other words, this is concentrated material.  Now, how big is an acre?  One square acre is 43,560 square feet, or roughly the same size as a football field.  As you can see, 10 gallons of water with a quart or less of product spread evenly over an area the size of a football field in order to get the desired control of the target pest(s) is not very much.  Suffice it say, farmers are not poisoning the ground--which, by the way, would seem to be counterproductive to the farmer since that's the very ground he is depending on for his livelihood.


3.  There is a difference between regular use and restricted use pesticides.  Basically, regular use products can be purchased by the general public at places like Lowes, Wal-Mart, Tractor Supply, local nurseries etc.  These would be common household and lawn type products that do not require any special license or certification in order to purchase.  These products are diluted down and are typically much weaker in strength.  The products that farmers typically use are not available to the general public for purchase and do require special license or certification for purchase.  You may ask, couldn't anybody just go get the license and fill out the paperwork and buy it?  Well, not exactly.  These dealers know who the farmers and/or licensed professionals (think certain types of lawn care, right of way, utility companies, forestry personnel) are and what the purpose of using these products is for.  To make a long story short, they know who is and isn't allowed to be making purchases of restricted use products.


4.  OK, but shouldn't farmers be using organic products and finding other ways not to use chemicals.  Yes, and we are.  First, keep in mind that "organic" is a loosely defined term and is about as easy to define as is Wicca or New Age.  Second, the organic movement is as much an environmental/political movement as it is a healthy food movement.  However, that doesn't mean we have to have organic vs. non-organic wars.  The fact remains farmers can learn from the organic movement.  The organic movement also has to realize that it alone is not a sustainable model to feed over 6 billion people globally.  Local food co-ops, organic gardens, and farmers markets are wonderful ideas and should be supported and utilized, but a community garden will likely feed more possums, raccoons, and squirrels than it will people.  The fact is that thru technology, crop rotation, no-till, cover crops, and other means, farmers are reducing the amount of pesticides they spray each year.  That's a good thing both environmentally and economically.


5.  All pesticides used in the United States are regulated by federal and state law. Before farmers and other applicators can use them, crop protection chemicals undergo extensive research, development, testing, governmental review and approval to protect human health and the environment before being able to apply for registration from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  For much more information on the criteria that has to be met before a product can ever make it to a field, check out this link: http://www.croplifeamerica.org/crop-protection/pesticide-regulation

Additionally, consider this - many of the common products producers use are naturally occurring in our environment.  For example, the active ingredient in a popular corn herbicide called Callisto comes from the chrysanthemum plant.  Another popular crop protection product called Roundup attacks enzymes in plants that humans and animals don't have, so it is safe to humans.  Finally, there are millions of tiny microorganisms (unseen by the naked eye) that live in the soil and begin breaking down products by literally feeding on these products.  Sunlight also has a similar effect.  So, it's not as if these products stick around in the soil indefinitely, which also greatly diminishes the likelihood of these products contaminating groundwater.  Actually, a better argument for potential groundwater contamination could be made by all the chemicals we dump down our drains, flush down our toilets, or use irresponsibly on our lawn.

6.  Practically, unnecessary or excessive pesticide use is just wasteful and expensive.  Farmers are also business people, and like any good business person, cutting waste and eliminating inefficient methods and practices is good business that contributes to the healthy and stable economic vitality of each operation.


Rather than adding to the confusion, hopefully I've helped eliminate some of the confusion.  Perhaps next time you see an article, or a documentary, and words and phrases like those in this blog appear, you will be all the more discerning.

As with all things, let sound science and common sense prevail; not rash, fear based, emotional arguments.  Thanks for reading and together we as American farmers can and will continue to produce the worlds safest, most abundant, most affordable food supply.  That's what good stewards do.