Katie Jo wrote recently about life and death on the farm – I would like to take this opportunity to inform everyone about just the life side, as we witnessed Sunday night.

The Friests’ trusted 4-year-old Golden Retriever, Paige, had 10 Golden Doodle puppies! She had obviously been very pregnant since we met her, and she was scheduled to have the pups before we concluded our time here; so, of course, we had to see them. The Friests called us just as we were finishing dinner on Sunday to report the good news, so we drove down to see all 10 of the adorable puppies (3 girls and 7 boys, if I remember correctly) and their calm, poised, tired mama.

Paige is so small; I don’t even understand how 10 living creatures came out of her! She was so patient with all of her pups, licking and moving them to make sure that they all got food, warmth, and equal love. She had one similar litter two years ago, and her instinctual skills are apparently unforgettable.

Speaking of instinct – why is it that dogs have such large litters compared to humans? Are they in danger of extinction? Unless I’m grossly under-informed, there’s not a high risk of puppy death. And why do puppies become self-sufficient in a matter of weeks, while humans can take 18 years or more?

For those of you who don’t know, in the past 3 weeks, I’ve graduated, celebrated my 22nd birthday, and been provisionally hired for a real, live teaching position in Texas. I don’t really feel any older; perhaps because of the quickness of it all, I am just trying to take things as they come, one day at a time. It’s finally beginning to hit that I am moving out of my parents’ house – for real this time, and not just to take a multi-state journey to Furman’s campus that will eventually lead me home again. I feel no more independent now than I did when I left for college, but when I begin to think about it, I’ve learned a lot over the last four weeks – academically, socially, you name it.

Puppies don’t go to college. (But they do go to pre-school…at least, my puppy did, when I was seven or eight. She was trained how to heel, stay, lie down, etc. before her symbolic graduation.) And yet, they instinctually know how to survive – and not only survive, but thrive, bringing 8-12 offspring into the world each breeding! I’ve always been amazed by dog instincts, as I grew up being very close to my two Goldens in succession – their ability to sleep with one eye open (or one of two eyelid layers open, rather); their keen smell; their uncanny sense of the master’s mood; their yearning to be in a pack, in a safe and secure area, or just around their “people” – do humans have these instincts? We are completely helpless for at least a few months, needing our parents or other caretakers not only to feed us but to transport us and teach us everything we will know. Our parents can’t even really understand us – do dog moms understand puppy whines? I digress. How do animals get away with existing as “mini-adults” so soon, while humans need to be catered to? Who’s getting the better deal, anyway?

We started our day bright and early this morning at the Tjelmeland Farm in Story County, just about 15 minutes down the road. We’ve been eating their eggs for weeks now (courtesy of Wheatsfield Co-op), and we set out to find their origin.  It was wonderful! Honestly, I was not too enthused this morning, when I had to get up early and leave without breakfast (we were scheduled to eat with them.) However, this morning’s visit was definitely one of my favorite thus far.

We started out doing chicken chores with Connie. I have always been pretty uneasy around birds, for various reasons, so it was a bit overwhelming to arrive bleary-eyed and step right into the free range area, surrounded by over 700 hungry and growing chicks. We moved the feeders (they rotate them every day), fed them, and changed the water and cleaned their containers. Then, we got a tour of the rest of the coop area, which included the roosts, laying boxes, hospital area, and the bigger hens and their pasture area. Connie also showed us her small, organic garden of squash and cucumbers, and we got to see the wind break that had been planted in the 1970s – and after standing up by the house in the heavy wind in the cool morning air, that was a welcome relief! We also went out to the grazing area for the larger hens, where we were introduced to Clover, the GUARD LLAMA, his friend, Daisy, the goat, and Rosie, the guard donkey. (Yes, it was as comical as it sounds. We all kept our distance to avoid being spit on.)

Next, we went back to the nesting areas to collect eggs with Mark. I was amazed at both the sheer number of eggs available (we couldn’t even fit them all in our 3 baskets!) and the docility of the chickens. As I said, birds freak me out a little bit, so I was timid when it came to reaching into the occupied boxes to get eggs. However, the hens were very accommodating, lifting up to allow us access to the 2-7 eggs beneath them. Mark explained that it was normal to have so many eggs, and he would have to go out midday to collect those eggs that didn’t fit in our overflowing baskets as well as the ones from the late layers. He took us down to the basement, where they process the eggs: this consists of cleaning, candling, and boxing them.

We then shared a breakfast with extended family and neighbors of scrambled eggs, local sharp cheddar cheese, pork sausage, orange juice, canned pears from their trees, and homemade blueberry muffins. Delicious! I also loved sitting around the big farmhouse table and getting to know everyone.

The last bit of our visit consisted of Mark taking us around to show us the conservation measures put into practice around the organic farm, where they raise soybeans, oats, and more. They had plenty of CRP acres and quite a bit of planted native prairie, as well as the aforementioned wind break. We rode in the back of Mark’s truck as he showed us his various fields and plants.

Connie, Dr. HN, and I got into a bit of a discussion at the conclusion of our tour on GMOs and organic farming. Legitimate points were raised then and also at breakfast, including the fact that conventional farming is expensive; requiring it or even subsidizing it imposes this form of agriculture on other peoples and cultures around the world; and that crops used to grow just fine on their own, without human intervention.

Bobby the dog accompanied us from place to place all morning and enjoyed plentiful pats from us all. I forgot to take my camera in my lack of alertness this morning, so all of the pictures in this post are from Sam.

Throughout the trip, I have wondered about the concerns of animal rights activists and the farmer. I’m sure we all can agree on the fact that animal cruelty resulting in physical or emotional pain crosses a line.  But there are more disputed factors such as the use of gestational and farrowing crates for pigs.  In these debates, each side tries describes what would make the animal “happy”. Also, when determining the factors that make the animal, in this case, pigs “happy”, the public and some animal rights activists put themselves in the pig’s position and ask themselves how they would feel in a certain situation. For example, when talking about farrowing crates, many people think of themselves in a small cubicle, which would be uncomfortable to any human being. However, humans do not think like pigs, and pigs do not think like humans. How do we know that the pig is not “happy” in the crate?  Perhaps due to the heightened sense of security that comes from having no other pig attack them or their children?  Perhaps the pigs are not necessarily happier outside where they can run around? Unfortunately there is no survey that we could give to the pigs to determine their “happiness”. I am also no pig expert and have no knowledge on the mannerisms of pigs.

Emily in a previous post brought up a good point: some people dislike the crates because they are not natural. While I agree with that statement, I must also ask how we know that the pig is happier in a natural  enviroment. Does that mean we should release all our pet dogs or cats back into the wild because they are not living in a natural environment? I think not. I will post a picture below of pigs brought up in a crate free environment and those brought up in a farrowing crate, so you can remind yourself of what each would look like.

While my previous paragraphs may have sounded opinionated, I am still not certain of this issue. I do believe that if an animal is used to a certain environment that it would be unhappy if it was put into a new environment. The main issue though is if the animal is truly “happy” in that environment in the first place. I believe that it would be difficult to get an animal to go against its natural instinct, but when it comes to going against the “happiness” of the animal that’s a different story. A study done by Martin Seligman, found that if dogs were place onto a shock grate with no way of escaping the animal would eventually just lay down and take the shock. After this, they animal was placed on a shock grate with a small wall on one side that led to an area that was not shocked. The animal did not move towards the  no shocked area but simply laid down yet again and took the shock. Even upon seeing other dogs not in the first condition jumping over the wall, the original dog still remained on the shocked grate. Do we know that this is not what is happening to pigs in the farrowing crates? I don’t know. I do think that if this were happening the farmer’s would observe the pig’s depressed state and take note. However, no one can be certain until a satisfactory study can be carried out.

Before anyone draws conclusions as to what condition pigs are “happiest”, I think that we should ask the experts and ask that they conduct valid studies so that our claims would have more merit.

Today I encountered something that was very foreign yet very familiar at the same time. That something was Show Guernseys. A Guernsey is a type of milking cow that originated on the British Channel Island of Guernsey. The cows are red and white in color, and they produce milk that contains a high butter fat content.  I encountered these animals at Knapps Dairy Farm in Epworth, Iowa. When Dr. HN told us we were visiting a Dairy, I just excepted to see a bunch of dairy cows, learn how the operation worked, and get to see the milking barn in action. Not only did we get to see all of that, but we also got to hear all about the Knapps’ winning ways in the show arena and their extensive breeding program. That stuff really hit home for me, since I have grown up around showing and breeding quarter horses.

The Knapp family consisted of Randy and Wanda and their two sons Austin and Landen. Austin and Landen show the Guernseys all over the country. Some of the biggest dairy shows are close by in Wisconsin. Austin informed us that sometimes they will take 30 head to the bigger shows. When we walked into the milking barn there was a sign above each cow that listed the cow’s name and all of the awards that they had won. Some of the cows contained lists that filled up the entire board.

Due to all of their success in the show arena, they had developed an extensive breeding program. They would flush embryos out of their best cows and send them all the world. Transferring embryos is when they extract an egg out of winning cow and place them in another cow, know as the receipent cow, with the intent of establishing a pregnancy. They have a wide demand for embryos out of some of their top cows and have sent them to places such as Japan, Germany, and Switzerland. One cow had over 200 calves on the ground because her babies were in such high demand. She had only had 4 naturally.

Personally, I really enjoyed hearing about their showing and breeding. I could tell as soon as we started hearing about how important the genetics were and how interested the boys were in showing that they were very serious about showing. Their breeding habits and show schedule made me realized they were big time showers on a national levels before I even saw any of the cows’ wins. It was really cool for me to see someone who was serious about showing as I was but with a completely different animal.

On May 18th our troupe toured an ethanol plant in Nevada, IA (pronounced na-vay-da). Operated by Lincolnway Energy, the facility processes 55,000 bushels of yellow no. 2 corn per day (hence the quotation marks surrounding the word “food” in the title of this post) and produces approximately 50 million gallons of ethanol annually. Ethanol production in the United States exploded in the mid 2000s as an abundance of cheap corn and a demand for energy independence fueled expansion of the industry. The federal government established the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) creating a floor under the price of ethanol, ensuring that even in tough times (such as world financial crisis of 2008) ethanol production would continue, albeit at a reduced rate. Today ethanol continues to play a  key role in global energy and food markets, although the economy today yields less profitability than the boom years of 2005 and 2006 due the higher price of corn. Luckily, the price of oil also has remained stubbornly high, allowing for the steady production of ethanol as an alternative to pure gasoline.

Our wonderful guide Francis located in front of the Lincolnway Energy Ethanol Plant

Corn emptying from a truck into the ethanol plant

Despite the presence of the RFS and the current favorable market for ethanol, I remain skeptical of the fuel’s long-term future. The current budget/deficit crisis has brought agricultural and energy programs under the knife; these industries can not count on government support forever. Ethanol no longer receives any formal subsidies – both the ethanol tariff and blenders credit expired at the end of last year. Additionally, the entire ethanol production process is very energy intensive – plants are powered by coal or natural gas while the final ethanol blend must be diluted by gasoline. Higher input costs correspond directly with higher fossil fuel prices, reducing profitability. More expensive fuels also increase the price of corn, as farmers are required to spend more on inputs as well. Finally, increasing interest in electric cars and public transportation may eventually decrease reliance on gasoline and ethanol. However, two bright spots remain for the industry. The price of corn (which ultimately is the most significant factor in ethanol profitability) is likely to fall due to a major expansion of the corn acreage across the world and the increasing supply of corn come harvest time.  Ethanol plants will be able to purchase greater quantities of the commodity at a reduced price. Expanding research regarding biofuel production (focusing on cellulosic production using corn stalks) also may aid the industry in the future.

The tour itself was excellent. Our guide (Francis – a biologist) did a superb job in explaining the production process to our group. She handled the chemical and biological explanations quite well, articulating them clearly without “dumbing down” the information. One fascinating (and incredibly useful) feature of the ethanol production process is its primary byproduct – DGs (distiller grains). Separated during the fermentation process, these highly-caloric and nutritious grains function quite well as animal feed. They are divided into two categories: wet and dry grains. Dried distiller grains (DDGs) possess more inherent value, as they store well and can be shipped long distances. Wet distiller grains (known colloquially as “wetcake”) can mold within days, therefore limiting them to local distribution. DGs illustrate even further the interconnectedness of large-scale food and fuel production cycles.

Wetcake – like Play-doh, but edible!

Our group in front of a massive pile of DDG’s

Both the economics and science of ethanol production fascinate me – I will certainly continue to track industry developments in the future.

The various stages of the ethanol production process – from ground corn on the left to 200 proof ethanol (diluted with gasoline) on the right

On Thursday, I had one of the most enjoyable and delicious meals since my time in Iowa. The group ate lunch at The Gathering Barn, a rather small, cozy restaurant, located in the middle of nowhere. It used ingredients from the Wallace Farm right outside the window. While I can say we brought the age demographic down and also added a bit of gender variety to the customers, the service was good, and the food was excellent.

Among the great mechanical wonder of the ethanol plant with its towering, glistening steel distillers, mildly dated technology, familiar smell of urea, and meticulous safety gears lay a simple, neglected aspect. Through all the screens depicting distiller temperature and water pressure, pipettes filled with dubious liquids, and massive, bickering hammer mills, sat a simple, humble grain: corn. Modern, stylish, and elegant, corn is the founder of modern society; its great stalks hold up the world much like Atlas did (before he shrugged). So great is the power of this starch that it can be used to distinguish between Americans and Europeans just by its presence in the blood. However, corn is an ancient grain, older than the tiled farmlands, yet it remains forgotten. Within the plant, corn took on various guises from a frothy, yellow soup, finely ground powder, and 99% pure alcohol, but corn is corn no matter what form it takes. It rides in semis, trains, and tractors. It resides in plastic, meat, and virtually all processed foods. A humble grass, corn is quickly neglected, swept away, and found strewn across roads.