Wow. How is it even possible to contextualize the information overload I have received over the past three weeks? Honestly, I don’t know. I can say, however, that I think I have learned more in the past three weeks than I have in my whole two years at Furman. The amount of knowledge I’ve gained in the field of agriculture really is fascinating. I attribute that information influx to the “hands-on” nature of Farm. I will say that living on a farm is tough work as well. I don’t admit to many things, but I will admit to how naïve I was prior to my journey to Iowa. I was convinced that there were issues and controversies surrounding agriculture, but I was not yet convinced that it took smart people and intelligent conversations to solve these problems. My naïve self was fully invested in the ideal image of what a farmer in the Midwest is. Pictured with a pitchfork in hand, and riding a tractor, the practical farmer to me never needed to be very intelligent. Let me tell you, boy was I wrong. People I encountered had not only one degree, but many had a few degrees in agriculture. These people’s lives depend on their production. It’s what drives them to want to wake up every morning. Leaving Iowa, I’ve come away with a sense that no one is evil in this agricultural game. There are two sides to every equation, and I think neither side is completely right or completely wrong. Where do I stand after three weeks? The answer is complicated. I don’t really know. Why? Although I lived on a large-scale production agriculture farm, I still am not convinced that every farmer should adopt this type of agriculture. Why do I think more and more people are? It is quite simple. It is where the money is. With corn at record high prices, why would a farmer not want to produce as much as he possibly could to make a profit? It is simple economics: lower the input costs and increase the profit margins. From extended presentations with large-scale agriculture representatives to personal visits to small-scale agriculture farms, I saw just about every type of agriculture possible in Iowa. It was a whole different world. The people spoke slowly, the weather changed quickly, and the ways of life varied greatly. However, I had a wonderful time. It will forever be an experience I will not forget.

I awoke this morning to the smell of fresh bacon again. Honestly, that scent really never gets old. But, waking up at 7 is starting to get somewhat tiresome. We were up early to head down the road to help two of the five Fiscus siblings with their morning chores. One wouldn’t think that a large-scale Greyhound dog breeding operation would be located in north-central Iowa, but somehow there is one. The two Fiscus (or Fisci, as we like to call them) wake up early nearly every morning to feed, play, and care for the many dogs at the kennels. Upon pulling up at the farm, my weary eyes met the eyes of some of the cutest little puppies I have ever seen. I have a small weakness for puppies, and particularly playful ones. So, after feeding the larger dogs their rations of raw meat and dry food, we got to play with as many puppies as we could get our hands on. I took a particular liking to one of the brown greyhound puppies that couldn’t get enough of my lovin’. However, I got a little muddy in the process. That prompted us to return home and change into some nicer clothes as we were about to head to the Iowa Soybean Association to hear their pitch on conventional agriculture. The presentation was geared more toward the “feed the world” concept; a very familiar motif we have encountered over the past few weeks. The presenters focused on the importance of foreign markets and global influences on the market for soybeans. They preached on the growing number of people around the world, and not necessarily in the United States. China, which was the centerpiece for their discussion, is growing more rapidly than we can possibly imagine here in the US. They preached that nearly half of the soybeans produced in Iowa were being exported to China and around the world. Carol Balvanz, the director of government relations for Iowa Soybean, focused mainly on the impact of government policy on the soybean industry. I found her arguments for lobbying Congress on the new Farm Bill to be especially convincing and interesting. Overall, I felt that their argument was compelling but redundant. It also lacked clarity in offering the other side of the argument, which was the sustainable and small scale organic farm argument. After our “feed the world” seminar, we retreated back toward Ames, where we had a quick tour of Iowa State. We then had dinner at a local restaurant called Hickory Park BBQ. It was absolutely magnificent; I’m pretty sure I ate a pound of meat. Afterward, we headed to Wheatsfield Cooperative to take a cooking class that focused on preparing baklava and Tabouleh, a Middle Eastern salad.

Our last day was spent in a very similar way to all the others—in a car and constantly moving from one thing to the next. We started this morning out at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates in downtown Des Moines. The building was originally served as the public library for the city of Des Moines. Its original purpose lasted for almost one hundred years. With the help of very generous donations by the Ruan Family, the Borlaug Family, and the (evil) Monsanto, the building was completely restored at a cost of nearly thirty million dollars. It featured the wonderful work that people from around the world had done in an effort to conquer hunger around the world. Some notable names included Norman Borlaug, Robert Dole, and even George McGovern. The World Food Prize is typically given to scientists who have made significant strides in some area of food policy, but as noted above, some of the World Food Prize recipients have been politicians. The building had a lot of history, and I felt like our tour encompassed all the topics we have discussed over the past few weeks, mainly the “feed the world” motif. We then ventured over to Zombie Burgers, where I consumed around a thousand calories in about ten minutes—another rushed meal. The “fifteen minute meal” has been another regular motif over the past few weeks as well. Oh well, it was still indulgently delightful. We then took our energy over to the BioCentury Farm in Boone, Iowa. The BioCentury Farm is a research center run by Iowa State. It houses several different research initiatives, all of which are centering on finding new cost-effective ways to use biomass. BioCentury’s research in creating more reliable sources of fuel has been revolutionary. Andy, the man giving us the tour of the facility was extremely knowledgeable in the field. I was following what he was talking about until we got inside and started talking real science. From there on, I was totally lost. However, he was very informative on the future of biofuels. We then made our way to… wait for it… MONSANTO. We met with a very influential lobbyist of Monsanto in the United States. He was extremely nice, and gave a very interesting presentation. Although it was similar to other presentations given by Iowa Corn Growers Association, the Soybean Association, and Pioneer Seed Company, this presentation had distinct aspects that made it unique. First off, we were meeting with one of the head lobbyist for one of the most targeted companies in the world. So, that made the meeting pretty darn special. Also, unlike the other presentations, we were given a few parting gifts. They included some of their own seeds, handouts and pamphlets, and a hat! After dozens of meetings and encounters with important people, we had yet to receive a gift of this size. Why? Throughout his presentation, he made it very clear that Monsanto has a huge target on their back, and every friend they can make is one step in the right direction. A main portion of our discussion however was about the nature of origin labeling, or “COOL” as described in Imhoff. His point was simple. Monsanto and its affiliates are completely against this system of labeling not because they are afraid of the “negative” health effects that GMO food can have on the human body, but because of the absolutely negative image the labeling will present to consumers. I think the “COOL” argument is not the real item on the agenda. I think the “COOL” initiative is just the first step in getting rid of GMO’s completely. This is an interesting case to be made about country of origin labeling, which is directly linked to the surrounding communities in Iowa. I also believe there is such a negative reaction to the work of Monsanto because of the millions of health buffs who have a skewed point of view. They believe that Monsanto is a corporate giant, out their to take over the world and do harm to the human population. My question: how would this make sense for any business? Why would any successful large-scale business have the goal of hurting their consumers? To me, the argument just seems a little flawed. Farmers in Iowa are not evil. They aren’t trying to hurt or kill people and Monsanto wants to keep it that way.

I somehow managed to roll out of bed at 5:45. It was a sight to see that is for sure. We were up early to head out to the Cory Farm in Elkhart, Iowa. The Cory Farm was another example of the rebellious Iowans who have refused to fall into large-scale agriculture of corn and soybeans. They specialize in grass-feed organic beef production, which is sold to very specific markets. I knew we had an interesting day planned for us, but I was not expecting to be exposed to as many things as we did. We started out the day by milking goats at 7 AM. The young Cory siblings took the lead in milking the goats, and they each let us have a go at milking. For some reason, I caught on pretty quickly and was thoroughly enjoying it. However, I did realize that I didn’t want to have to wake up at 7 AM every morning to squirt out some milk. Goat milking is somewhat different than cow milking. The goats, each assigned a certain stall and a specific milker, know exactly which station to go to be milked. It was almost like an assembly line. Mr. Cory then went on to show us his lamb and sheep operations, which were very interesting. We then got up close and personal with their chickens, which they were extremely proud of. They had state of the art chicken coops that are designed to be mobile and provide their pasture with a natural form of fertilizer. However, these coops have to be moved twice daily, or they defeat their purpose. This leads to a large amount of physical labor, which the Cory siblings take on headfirst. We then took a trip out to his fields, where we learned everything there is to possibly learn about cover crops and how necessary they are to his grass fed meat operation. We even helped lay a new fence that his animals would be occupying in the near future. So, that was pretty fun and interesting. While laying the fence, Mr. Cory noted how important his fencing system was. Because he grows cover crops that are high in nutrients, his animals that graze on the cover crops are extremely healthy. His rotation system is also genious, in which he allows his animals in a certain section of each field over a specific amount of time. His process is somewhat like crop rotation, but with animals. After our excursion to his pastures, we headed back to the farmhouse for a home cooked meal prepared by his Mrs. Cory and the young Cory siblings. All the food they prepared us could have come straight out of their backyard—and much of it was. Their menu was composed of grilled French-cut goat chops, asparagus, cornbread and an assortment of other organic goods. The meal was different, but very healthy. The Corys then went on to describe to us their business model and their products they were promoting. Their style of farming has completely changed their way of life—from the education of their kids to their type of health insurance (which is none). They then proceeded to describe how important their consumers are to them. Their products are for a niche market of white tablecloth restaurants, according to Mr. Cory. All in all, it was an eventful morning where I learned an abundance of things about goats, chickens, lamb and sheep, cattle, compost, cover crop rotation, grazing practices, and much more. As if the day couldn’t get any better, we then took off to the capital again to see Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, who carved 30 minutes out of his day to give us his spiel on how important Iowa is. It wasn’t like we had already heard that about 500 times! But, the presentation was very nice and I enjoyed getting to meet one of the most important names in agriculture in the US.

It is somewhat amazing how many miles we have covered in a little over two weeks time. It’s also amazing how much more productive the day is when you are up for breakfast by 8 o’clock. However, this 7:45 AM wake up was somewhat different, as we were about to venture to the northeastern part of the state and visit McGregor, Iowa. Our three-hour car ride was mostly uneventful, mostly consisting of my sleeping and others playing extremely loud music on their iPods and such. One thing that was eventful (in some way) was the magnificent change in geography as we progressed farther north and east. It really was fascinating. Our journey from the farmhouse in Hardin County, which is extremely flat, to the almost mountainous terrain of northeastern Iowa was really eye opening. It was also interesting to note how much the agriculture of the terrain changed as we progressed. There are distinct geographies in Iowa, and Northeastern Iowa is part of Little Switzerland, a region that encompasses Southeastern Minnesota, Southwestern Wisconsin, Northwestern Illinois, and Northeastern Iowa. The glaciers did not touch this region in the same way as North Central Iowa, and hence, it is filled with hills and valleys. It went from almost completely corn and soybean fields, to a few fields with hilly pastures, to very few fields of corn and predominantly cattle and livestock operations. I learned this is due to nature of the terrain. The mountainous features of the area make it very hard to grow crops because almost all of the nutrients and water run off to the bottom of these hills and steep slopes. This area is also referred to as the “driftless zone” due to the fact that glaciers did not touch this part of Iowa thousands of years ago. This perfectly fit what we were going to see at the farm in McGregor. We went to what I would essentially call a “town hall” for farmers. Really, it was a class for the locals and others from all over Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Practical Farmers of Iowa, which is an organization that encourages the transparency of new ideas for farming around the state, put on this event. They are an organization composed of over 1500 farmers and friends of farmers, who focus mainly on issues surrounding corn, soybeans, cattle and hay. Their mission is “to advance profitable, ecologically sound, and community-enhancing approaches to agriculture through farmer-led investigation and information sharing.” This “class”, however, was mainly centered on the importance of cover crops for protection from nutrient runoff, for a healthier soil, and for wildlife conservation. A member from the Audubon Society (a society for the promotion of bird wildlife) was even in attendance. However, it wasn’t hard to tell the birdwatcher had never been to a middle-of-nowhere farm in northeastern Iowa for a field day. All in all, I learned a lot about the importance of cover crops and how they are necessary for not only conservation, but also many other things. The most important to me was the significance of using that cover crop as hay in the winter or colder months for cattle. This saves literally thousands of dollars for farmers who choose to do this. However, it is much more labor intensive, as it requires the baling and transporting of your own hay. It can also be very profitable for the farmer. Overall, I thought the trip was a valuable experience and definitely worth the drive. We also got to take a short venture into Wisconsin afterward! I’ve never been to Wisconsin, so that was cool to stop and try to find some cheese that was worthy of my consumption (I ended up not buying any but did try some). We then made our trek back to Hardin County after stopping for dinner at an Italian restaurant in Oelwin, upon which I crashed like I just came off a sugar high.

Yesterday was wonderful. Although another early morning led to an IV of caffeine and coffee, I was still very excited about what was coming for the day. We started out at Pioneer Seed Company in Johnston, Iowa. Pioneer Seed, founded by Vice President Henry A. Wallace has been extremely prominent in the world of agriculture for decades. Over the past two weeks, we have read, discussed, and heard first-hand accounts on both sides of the issues surrounding agriculture today. However, we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of many of these issues. Our visit with Pioneer made this point very clear. The people at Pioneer aren’t angry mad scientists working for their own benefit; they are working to “feed the world.” Although I did enjoy our visit with Pioneer and found it to be interesting, I still feel like what they were saying came out of talking points our tour guides received on their first day on the job. Every answer to every question we posed was answered with caution. Daniel, our tour guide, was very informative and charismatic (I wonder how he got the job), so our tour was very good. While there, I asked the question that has been bothering me for the past week or so. Almost the whole time we’ve been around production agriculture, we’ve been discussing the issue of overproduction. The various farm bills and subsidies provided by the US government, as discussed in Imhoff, provide a reason for this overproduction. Farmers in America are rewarded for producing as much as they possibly can. The question I had prepared was a way for people on the side of production agriculture to give me their perspective. I asked, “We’ve been talking a lot about mass production of corn in class, and have even interviewed and experienced the process up close and personal. We’ve also discussed what mass production and overproduction can do to the prices of corn not only in the US market, but in the world market as well. Overproduction leads to cheap corn that is imposed on other countries, which may not be as developed as our own, in the form of dumping. This seems to make America look like the villain. Why?” I briefly stumped them. But in a very round about way their response had to do with the “feed the world” issue. Okay, I thought to myself, I can agree with that. Iowa is actually feeding world anyway. Iowa ranks first in the country in not only corn for grain production, but also a plethora of other things. Some examples are hog and pig inventories, egg production and soybean production. Although a fair amount of these products are consumed in the US, many of these products are exported to other countries for use. Countries such as China that has over a billion mouths to feed provide a perfect example of the “feeding the world” theory of agriculture. The visit with the Iowa Corn Growers Association was very interesting as well. We got great insight on the real scientific facts behind not only corn in Iowa, but also corn around the world. It was pretty fascinating. One thing I have learned on this trip thus far is how curious Iowans are. Just about every person I’ve spoken to has asked me the question, “What are you doing here?” After our meeting with the Iowa Corn Growers, a few of us were even interviewed by the local television station (I happened to be one of the lucky victims). We then trekked back and watched The World According to Monsanto, a film bashing on the terribleness Monsanto and what it is doing to the world. It was interesting, especially after spending most of the day being convinced to not believe what we hear from films like the one we watched. However, I do believe the film was deficient in making its argument because of the spastic nature of the film. The main researcher, a French woman, was seemingly spastic in her research. Quite frankly, she lost me after her first example.

Today was hot. Today was really hot. I started the morning out at the Friest Farm about a mile down the road. After spending most of the day with cattle yesterday, touring the hog operation at the Friest’s house was very interesting. Personally, although I have nothing against pigs or pig operations, I would much rather prefer to be around cattle and cattle operations. There’s just something completely distinct about hog manure in comparison to cow manure, and I don’t like it that much. I’ve always known how important manure is as a fertilizer—my grandpa taught me this from a very early age when I would help him out in his garden. However, I was never aware how profitable manure really is. It’s a common expression that manure is the “smell of money” in Iowa. Why is this? Iowa has become famous in recent years for their CAFOs, or confined animal feeding operations. These CAFOs produce massive amount of manure, which is then placed upon the fields as a fertilizer. This manure helps lower the inputs on a corn crop by providing the essential nitrogen and other nutrients that are needed for massive production of corn. Easterners and city slickers such as myself don’t understand this fact. How can someone make money off poop? The poop cycle is extremely interesting as well. It starts with the pigs (or cattle), then is excavated and spread on the fields, which in turn grow the crops, which end up either back in the hogs (or cattle) or in the food or drinks we consume. Scott Neubauer has gone as far as to purchase a hog barn owned by Iowa Select for the sole purpose of using the manure to fertilize his fields. He runs a CAFO, which is essentially a finishing operation for hogs. Although he makes money off of his pigs, he’s more concerned with what comes out the other end. So, poop is of vital importance in Iowa. Denny Friest asserted this point with passion as I was riding around in his planter this afternoon. While riding in his tractor, I got to experience the precision agriculture Mr. Kevin Butt talked about so much at Ellsworth. Denny, who is really a pioneer in the technological agriculture industry, does things much differently than other family farms. His GPS systems in his tractors quite literally cost a fortune, and today I saw why. Whilst riding in Denny’s tractor planting GMO feed corn, we discussed many things. However, after riding around in Denny’s tractor I started to realize why environmentalists could believe that this new form of agriculture is so dangerous to the environment. In my three-hour tractor ride, we probably used at least a hundred gallons of gasoline, and planted thousands of plants treated with genetically modified traits. However, I believe Mr. Friest would respond to these environmentalist issues by stating that he is just trying to make a living; that he is giving the world what they want. Here in Iowa, people and companies want corn and soybeans! Mr. Friest does a lot of farmer representation, as he has headed or currently heads up various committees that have influence in farm policy. He is completely an agribusiness representative; and one who represents perfectly the environment he lives in.

Today was interesting, to say the least. At 8:45 this morning we hopped in the mini-van and took a short drive to Iowa Falls, Iowa. Our visit to Ellsworth Community College was absolutely highlighted by the colorful personality of professor Kevin Butt. He is the quintessential Iowan. However, he was very informative on tractor safety and safety in hog pens. I learned that manure pits are a very dangerous place due to how easy it is to get stuck in them and basically suffocate from lack of oxygen. I also learned all about the necessary equipment to actually be in a hog barn. I enjoyed the various stories from Mr. Butt—he was especially insightful in the practice of precision agriculture. Precision agriculture is the future of farming. It involves almost no work on behalf of the farmers. With precision agriculture, to my understanding, all that is necessary is very expensive GPS equipment and a tractor suited for the job. I found that very interesting, as most people (including myself) saw farming as extremely physical rigorous work that required hard labor. Now, it is apparent to me that none of that is going to be necessary. We even watched a commercial recently released by John Deere that showed their “forward vision” of farming. That was cool. After we finished our delightful stay with Mr. Butt, we headed home for a delightful casserole prepared by Mrs. Nancy. Following that, we watched Ocean Frontiers. Essentially, the film covered the massive impact humans have on the environment. In relation to Iowa, the film covered how the nitrogen used in fields by farmers actually negatively impacts many other states in the Union, and even more, the Gulf of Mexico. The runoff of nitrogen from excessive rain that enters the streams and creeks of the Iowan water system eventually end up in the great Mississippi, which in turn enters the Gulf of Mexico. These buildups of nitrogen create a “dead zone” in the Gulf. Who knew Iowan farms had such a national impact on the environment? I sure didn’t. We also finally got to meet Denny Freist, who participated in the Iowan part Ocean Frontiers. He gave a great description of the nitrogen and phosphorus problem in Iowa, and what he’s doing to help reduce his environmental footprint. I’m excited about getting to work with him in the coming weeks.

6:45 AM came way too soon. After a long day of travel and preparing my sea legs for a new adventure, tired was an understatement. However I had a duty this morning, and the crew was in desperate need of my talents. Unfortunately, my talents in making breakfast quickly dissolved after I broke the handle to our one and only waffle iron…Oops? Well, that’s no matter, Mrs. Nancy bought a new one this afternoon. After my destructive morning, I hopped in shotgun of the wonderful soccer-mom mini van to head to the Wallace House in Des Moines. I didn’t know what to expect—I didn’t know which Wallace family we were about to explore. On the way there, I read a few articles describing the Wallace legacy and what it means in the context of Iowa history—and specifically VP under FDR, Henry A. Wallace. What interested me the most however, was the controversy surrounding Henry A. Wallace’s life. The National Review article, which I read on the way to Des Moines, really showed just how controversial the man was—and specifically in relation to the USSR and other communist countries. Our meeting with Ms. Ann Taylor was nice, and after we had lunch at the Gateway Market. I branched out (except not at all) and had “Chicken Bacon Mac N’ Cheese”, or simply put, diabetes on a plate. It was dang good though. After our meal we headed into Des Moines and toured the Pride of Iowa museum, which was a little too modern and new age for my taste, but it was interesting. Then after a wonderful dinner we watched Forks Over Knives, which was a documentary recently made about nutrition. It was fascinating, and although I believe all their evidence to be true, I still don’t think I’m going to have a problem eating bacon when I wake up tomorrow. Nutrition and a healthy diet were the two main theses of the movie, and with stable control substantial weight loss and disease reversal were really possible. I guess my problem with the video was how it lacked to show the fitness side of nutrition and the diet. I’m just waiting to see for myself if these ways are actually practical.

Here I am, sitting on a not-so-packed flight from Atlanta to Des Moines. Furman classes are over, and grades are out. Although it feels as if I couldn’t get anymore school, here I sit on the way to the “fly-over” country. In the past few days at home, I’ve been able to catch up with old friends and see and few relatives. Of course, I told them things are going well—school is hard but education is important (especially Furman’s). And when the absolute question came up, “what are you doing this summer?” I found myself in a vacant space to tell them “Oh, I’m going to Iowa!” Of course, I knew the follow up question was going to be, “well why Iowa?” For me, the answer is simple. Although many of my Furman colleagues chose to spend their May in Bermuda, Belize, Italy, and Ireland, I’ve chosen to take my talents to Garden City, Iowa. Why? I’ve always wanted to visit a fly-over state like Iowa. Us eastern elites see this land not as the steps of the stepping-stones, but the gap in between. On my many trips to Colorado and Utah, I’ve always been interested in the thousands of green and yellow squares I see on the ground. But I’ve always been curious to know what those green and yellow squares represent. Now, I have the opportunity to not only visit, but also live in one of the green and yellow squares on the ground. How does one farmer distinguish which land belongs to him? My expectations are not too high—I’m expecting nice people and unfamiliar faces, but I’m also expecting there to be a lot of work (manual and mental). However, I couldn’t be more excited to get there!

After arriving in Garden City, Iowa at around 5 PM today, I found myself in a very neat place full of windmills and grain silos. I met Dr. HN’s sister, Mrs. Nancy, who in my opinion is doing a phenomenal job with cooking so far. Shortly thereafter I settled into my small upstairs Iowa farmhouse room, which is cozy and quaint; both qualities that remind me of my childhood home in Snellville. My expectations of nice people but unfamiliar faces were met when we had a pleasant encounter with Dr. HN’s brother, who clearly knows absolutely everything there is to know about the farming business in Iowa. I think tomorrow should be fascinating, as we will get to explore some cool places in and around Des Moines.