5/31/17

A couple of days before I boarded the plane to leave for Iowa, most of my friends and family told me to take pictures and videos of everything that I saw and did so that I could cherish those photos forever. Now, as I am leaving what I considered to be my home and family for the past 3 weeks, I am realizing that the photos I took are not what I believe to be my most prized possessions from this journey. The memories that I made cannot be accurately represented by a camera lens.  I can show my friends these images, but they will never understand what it was like to make mozzarella cheese with reggae music playing in the background, or to bottle feed a lamb with a llama nuzzling your nose. It wasn’t just the farm experiences that made this journey one to remember forever, but it was the people that participated in every adventure with me. It was the people that caused an epic scene in restaurants because eating “family style” is apparently very complicated. It was the people that almost died with me in the van several times because roads in Iowa are rougher than in South Carolina. It was also the people that carried me up a mountain when my knee was hurting. Some memories cannot be explained to those who were not there to experience them, but that is okay. This adventure will only be truly cherished by the ones who went through everything together and the bond that we created will remain strong forever.

On one of our first nights in Iowa, Jim Sweeney took our group to go “mushroom hunting”. We were split into two different teams to tackle more ground before it got too dark. My team consisted of HN, Ethan, Josh and myself. We were told what kind of mushroom to look for, where it should be located, and given a bag to put them in once we found them. We searched for these mushrooms for approximately 1 hour, crawling through thorn bushes in the woods and using the flashlight on our phones once it started getting darker. Our team was never successful in finding the mushrooms, but I think this experience is when we truly started to form a close bond. We spent the majority of our time searching on top of a hill and at the bottom of this hill was a creek with running water that we could hear when we were quiet enough. With the sunset behind us and deer running over the hills, our group found something more special than the mushrooms. I knew that from this moment on, the adventures we shared together would be special and memorable.

Almost 8 weeks before I boarded the plane to Iowa, I had ACL reconstruction performed on my knee. To be honest, I was very nervous to be participating in a study away program just two months after this major surgery, especially since my knee had a small, but constant pain due to scar tissue atrophy. I prepared myself the best I could, having a list of physical therapy exercises to perform each day and medicine for when the pain became great enough. The one thing I didn’t prepare myself for was the amount of support I would receive from my classmates and professor. The first day that I had true pain in my knee was when we visited the Seed Savors Apple Orchard. In order to get to this orchard, we had to walk approximately half a mile up a mountain with uneven paths to conquer. This was the most walking I had to complete since the surgery and I was afraid I would not be able to make it to the top. About halfway up, the pain was bad enough that I wanted to stop, but Ethan decided that he could carry me on his back for the rest of the hike. I never expected to need this much help on the trip and I definitely didn’t expect anyone to actually provide this help if I did end up needing it. There were also a few other moments in the trip where we had to walk long distances and I needed help for a few minutes. Both Ethan and Reid were always willing to help me in these situations and I am very grateful that I had people who were looking out for me every day. The kindness I received from my classmates is something that I will never forget.

Our group was split into 3 different houses to live in for our time in Iowa. Josh and I were graciously placed with the Knutsons, a couple who we eventually began calling “Mom” and “Dad”. Every morning they would fix us coffee and ask us what our plans were for the day. Every night they would want to know what experiences we had, what we learned, and what we enjoyed the most. They were interested in our lives and what plans we had for the remaining of our summer. Our last night, we arrived back at the house late at night when they were already asleep, but to our surprise, they had presents waiting for us in the kitchen. Josh and I almost started crying when we saw the beautifully wrapped gifts with a heartfelt note written to both of us individually. Morris, Diane, and Staci were three other individuals who I will remember for the rest of my life. The hospitality that we received as a group from these people was unbelievable. We never went hungry, were served some of the best food I have ever had in my life, and were always entertained in the Stole house. Without these people, Iowa would have seemed like a foreign country to me and sometimes it was. But when I was in the Knutson or Stole house, I felt at home and I am very grateful that we were fortunate enough to have people who truly cared about us and treated us like family. Saying goodbye was not easy and of course leaving the Knutson dog, Finnegan, was difficult, but I will be sure to keep in contact with all of those who had such a dramatic impact on my Iowa adventure.

As I said before, photos and words cannot express the impression that Iowa had on my life. I can tell somebody that I ate bee larva and I can describe the amount of joy I felt as I held a piglet in my arms for the first time. But will they truly understand my emotions when I describe these memories? Thinking about them now as I am in flight to Atlanta, I smile. I know that I will continue to be close friends with my classmates who became my family. We already have plans for next semester when we are back at Furman together. I must say, I am excited to be returning home to my family and mountains, but I am going to miss every, little thing about Iowa. Fortunately, two horses moved in across the road from my house and I told my mom a few days ago to warn our neighbors that I will be over there very often for the next couple of weeks because I will be homesick of Iowa, something that I never thought would be possible. This trip with these people is something that I will remember and cherish forever. I will never be able to express the emotions that I feel just thinking about the memories that were made. I hope one day, I will be able to go back and visit what I considered to be my home for a short time. Thank you, Iowa.

5/29/17

In my opinion, the combination of today’s activities proved to be one of my favorite, with a lecture on climate change, a small swim in a lake, and a visit with new animals that we haven’t been introduced to thus far. We were able to sleep in a little more than usual today, starting breakfast at 9:00 this morning. We had a breakfast pizza from Casey’s General Store with cantaloupe and tater tots as “side dishes”. Breakfast pizza must be a Iowan tradition because none of my classmates (myself included), had ever heard of a breakfast pizza which consisted of sausage, egg, and cheese on top of a dough. I really enjoyed this new treat, even though it may not be the healthiest of breakfasts. But none of our meals have been extremely healthy, so I’ll just have to exercise a lot when we return home. At 9:45, we departed Morris’s house for Iowa City where we were planning to meet Connie Mutel, an ecologist with a passion for restoration and climate change. The drive was not short and we didn’t have enough time to stop for lunch, so we prepared ahead of time by bringing snacks along for the trip. The snacks consisted of meat sticks, cheese sticks, crackers, grapes, and a popcorn ball.

We arrived at Connie’s house at 1:00. Her property was absolutely beautiful and I was extremely jealous that she had so much land with oak trees. One of the main things that I miss from South Carolina is trees, so being able to seclude myself in this “forest” of oaks and shrubbery pleased me greatly. Connie’s house was built from her own hands as well as the hands of her husband and I must say they did a fabulous job. They are concerned about the property and house once they pass away, saying they may transfer it into a nature reserve for the public. I almost volunteered to take the house off her hands, just because it reminded me so much of home. Connie’s lecture on climate change was very well done and helped reinforce my own ideas that global warming that is occurring. She also provided us with some ways to help convince others that climate change is real, which were strategies that I have never considered. The Earth should be compared to a child. If a child’s temperature continues to rise, the parents would not ignore it, but rather take the proper measures needed to heal the child. The Earth should be treated the same way or human life could be in danger in some number of years.

We left Connie’s home at around 3:30 to head out to Mary Mascher’s brother’s house to help plant gourds, watermelon, cucumbers, squash, and cantaloupe. It was very rewarding to know that we helped with the process in such a dramatic way, completing the gardening activities in approximately 2 hours, whereas Mary and her brother would need 2 weeks to finish. After the planting was finished, we were treated to a Memorial Day dinner of barbecue, baked beans, a variety of fruits and vegetables, and pecan pie for dessert. I don’t think I have eaten so much food in my life! Everything was delicious as usual, and I’m sure I gained a few pounds just from that meal. Once we finished our dinner, Mary took us to her lake she spent a large amount of time at as a child. At this lake, Josh tried to learn how to swim, but was not very successful in this goal. I did not get into the water, but a few other students jumped off the end of the dock and swam with Josh for a little bit of time. Our last activity consisted of a very sweet llama and baby lambs! They were all so cute and definitely made a great ending to a great day. Tomorrow is our last day in Iowa and I am proud to say that I have yet to be disappointed in our activities.     

5/26/17

POET is the largest, dry mill ethanol producer in the United States, with 28 plants in 7 different states. Today, we met with Kevin Monroe, a representative of POET who presented the values, initiatives, and production mechanisms of Jewell, Iowa’s plant. The fundamental goal for this corporation is to convert renewable resources into energy, which in this particular case would be corn into ethanol. The plant is also constantly looking for new ways to maximize the use of the corn kernel besides making ethanol, so that the good isn’t wasted. For example, after corn oil is extracted from the cornel to create biodiesel, the remaining parts of the kernel is used for food and feed for different farm animals across the state. It was also interesting to learn that each year, the need for renewable fuel increases, being more productive for the environment, engine health, human health, and value to the customers.

Since I am an Earth and Environmental Science major, protecting the Earth is something that I value deeply. The Earth is going to continue, but what happens when humans use all of its natural resources and can no longer function as a society? The main source of gasoline is petroleum, which is found as a naturally occurring liquid in particular geologic formations. Petroleum is not a resource that will exist forever and eventually, this source of fuel will be completely extracted from the Earth. The process of extracting this liquid, converting it into gasoline, and burning this gasoline for fuel is also extremely harmful for the environment, releasing a large amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. POET provides a much more environmentally and economically safer method of creating an energy for fuel. Corn is a crop that grows in plentiful amounts. It is also a plant that humans can continue to grow forever, especially with the technology and equipment that is used in today’s agricultural methods.

Once Kevin finished presenting the core values of POET, we were fortunate enough to be able to have a tour of the plant, including seeing the different stages of the ethanol production. Something that came as a shock to me was the very few number of workers that appeared to be at the plant. In total, I only saw 4 POET workers at my time at the plant, including Kevin Monroe and the secretary who provided us with hard hats and safety glasses. The other two workers were walking in one of the production rooms, also wearing safety equipment. When comparing this observation to Hagie Manufacturing (who had more workers than I could count), I find it very interesting that the tractor company would need more workers than an ethanol production site. I am assuming this is because creating ethanol does not require much manual labor, but rather monitoring the process is only needed. Being able to see and learn about the process of creating ethanol was very rewarding to me and I’m sure the rest of my classmates. Hopefully with more time, more ethanol can be created to replace gasoline to better our environment.

5/23/17

As we were touring the Hagie Manufacturing plant early this morning, the one question that kept popping into my mind was, “Why are there so many people working here?” A few days ago, we had the opportunity to be able to tour the Frontier Coop in Norway, Iowa. During this tour, we were shown how spices were made using an assembly line, which was the type of mechanism that I figured would also be used to create a very large and powerful machine such as a Hagie Sprayer. However, to my surprise, this was not the case and almost the entire process was done by manual labor. I must reiterate that these machines were huge and I find it extremely impressive that they are able to build one of these machines per day, almost entirely manually! The manufacturing plant has around 300 workers, all of whom play an important part in the process of creating these giant pieces of equipment. Our tour guide, Clint Middleton, explained to us that on days they know they have to build a larger piece of machinery, some of the workers clock in a few hours earlier, while the remaining workers stay a few hours later than usual. I find this communication and teamwork to be satisfying, knowing that they are able to get the job done just as efficiently as an assembly line with robots, if not more efficiently.

Continuing on the topic of community in this particular cooperation, I thought it was very rewarding to see how the employees are treated on a daily basis.  To begin with, every garage door inside of the building had four pictures painted on them. The first was a Lego, symbolizing the work it will take to build the company together. The second was a screw, demonstrating not to “screw over the customer”. The third was a donkey, representing the need to create “kick ass products”. Finally, the fourth was a building with money, showing the resulting image of a successful business. These images served as inspiration to the employees and reminded them on a daily, if not minutely basis to work together to achieve the common goal of being successful. I also found it interesting that the majority of the employees consisted of a younger generation (perhaps in their 30s or below). This could be due to the amount of manual labor that the job requires, or maybe the atmosphere attracts the younger generation in general. For example, the break room/dining area  consisted of a tiki bar with a pool table and red solo cup decorations. I found this area of the break room to be rather amusing yet indulging to know that the employees are able to have such a strong bond with each other.

When thinking of the cost of these machines (around $400,000 per sprayer), the necessity of a successful yield truly comes into focus. These pieces of equipment cost more than my house and account for the livelihood of any farmer who chooses to buy one of these machines. I am now starting to realize why some farmers become upset at government officials for trying to regulate how much fertilizer they can spray on their own land. If I spent almost half a million dollars on a piece of equipment and then someone tried to tell me that I had to reduce my usage of this equipment on my own land, I believe that I would also fight back on this regulation. To make matters even worse for the farmers, this is only one out of the several different machines that are required to produce maximum yield. However, I do not have a solution to this problem, but I am hoping that as our final week continues, more of this issue can be put into perspective for me and my classmates.

5/21/17

This morning, we were graciously blessed to be able to sleep in while HN attended church with his family. We met at Morris’s house at around 10:45 in the morning and were responsible for making our own “brunch” instead of having Diane or Morris cook amazing food for us again. This brunch consisted of eggs made by Mariah, cereal, cream of wheat, and leftover dessert that has yet to be eaten because there are buckets of them still remaining. Once HN returned from church, we departed for our day at around 11:30. We were headed to a Practical Farmers of Iowa “Field Day” at Blue Gate Farm, so it was important that we made it to the farm on time so we didn’t miss any essential information.  We also did not stop for lunch since we ate our brunch late enough to hold us over until dinner.

The drive to Blue Gate Farm took about 2 hours, so it was a good time for us to catch up on our readings and blogs that we have yet to complete. We also listened to a podcast featuring Jill Beebout, the owner of the farm, who explained what the field day would consist of and what to expect upon arrival. It was also really exciting because she talked about all of the vegetables she is currently growing and her three alpacas in a field behind her house! We arrived at the farm a little before 2:00 pm and had a little bit of time to take a group photo in front of the “blue gate”. During the actual presentation of the two-wheel tractors, I found it very interesting to see just how specific farming tools can be in relation to different mowing and tilling types. There were also extra pieces of equipment that Jill would attach to her tractors to add new features to her machinery, which added even more confusion to my already confused mind on farm equipment. After we played around with the tractors for a bit, we were very thankful to receive cookies, a rhubarb granola dish, and crackers with a really tasty cheese that I unfortunately do not know the name of. Around 4:00 pm, the group was given a tour of the Blue Gate Farm, specifically the types of gardening that is conducted as well as the chickens and alpacas. Since I have never seen an alpaca before, I was a bit overwhelmed by its cuteness and photogenic capabilities! If it wasn’t so windy and cold, I would’ve loved to stay with the alpacas for the rest of the day, just to be able to watch them prance around in the field.

We left the Blue Gate Farm at about 4:30 pm and prepared for our 2-hour journey back to Radcliffe, Iowa. During the van ride, we mainly listening to music and discussed the types of pizzas that we wanted to order for tonight’s festivities. We ended up getting a variety of pizzas, no two being the same… I guess we are very specific when it comes to our pizza toppings. We arrived back at the Neubauer Farm at 6:30 and were all very eager to dig into our pizzas, since we hadn’t eaten much since brunch this morning. While we ate our pizza, we watched a movie called “Ocean Frontier”, which featured Denny Friest! I particularly enjoyed watching this movie since it involved a lot of ocean science, something that I have a deep passion for. Being able to connect different regions of the United States, such as Iowa’s agriculture and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts was very rewarding for me because it allowed me to understand how nitrate runoff can affect whales hundreds of miles away. Once the movie was over, Denny Friest and Dean Lemke answered the questions that were still remaining until around 9:30 pm. We then went our separate ways for the night to prepare for the busy day that we had ahead of us.

5/18/17

Bill Stowe, Director of the Des Moines Water Works stated, “We do not feed the world.” Many in Iowa would take issue with Stowe’s contention.  Iowa is the “Corn State,” but the type of corn that is grown is not directly edible by humans. The majority of the corn produced is converted into ethanol, which is then used as gasoline for cars and other modes of transportation. Another significant percentage of the corn crop is used as feed for farm animals such as chickens, cattle, and pigs. However contrarian the nature of Stowe’s quote, farm animals are considered food for humans. So, the corn that is grown in Iowa is indirectly consumed by humans. In my opinion, Iowa does feed the world, just not in the same sense that Bill Stowe was implying. Iowa’s corn is not sent to grocery stores and placed with sweet corn to be sold for eating, which was Stowe’s train of thought. However, if Iowa halted on the amount of corn that they currently produce, the United States, as well as other countries such as China would have a dramatic decrease in food that was available to humans.

A lot of pressure has been placed on Des Moines Water Works lately because of a history of disagreements between the utility and the Water Drainage Districts in three Northwestern Counties whose waters drain into the Raccoon River, one of two rivers that provide drinking water to the Des Moines region.  On one side of the argument, farmers believe that proper methods and procedures are being employed to manage the nutrients they are applying to their farm land; no further regulations are necessary.  From the Water Works’ point of view, farmers are polluting Des Moines’s water source with nitrates, creating hazardous water that is dangerous for consumption. I personally have difficulty in trying to decide which argument is the more compelling one. I believe that farmers should be able to choose how they manage their agriculture, but I also want a safer environment that involves fewer nitrates polluting waterways as well as the Gulf of Mexico. Somehow, a common ground must be met for any progress to be made in water quality.

To promote this common ground, this could mean establishing regulations on the amount of fertilizers farmers spray onto their crops. It could also provide farmers with a reimbursement if they do not produce the same quantity of yield after lowering the amount of fertilizer they use. However, the main problem I see is the fact that neither side is willing to adapt to changes. Kevin Butt, a professor at Ellsworth Community College, explained to us that the amount of fertilizer he sprays onto his crops is not one of the main factors in the pollution of water. At the same time, those working at Water Works believe that the majority of nitrates in Des Moines water is the direct result of fertilizer runoff from agriculture. Both sides feel very strongly towards their opinions, making this common ground establishment extremely difficult. As our adventure in Iowa continues, I hope to discover ways that farmers and political figures can work together to create means of protecting our environment as well as its people.

May 15, 2017

One of the main reasons I had a strong desire to participate in this particular May Experience, is to be able to dig deeper into the debate between conventional farming practices versus organic farming ones. My freshman year of college, I took a first year writing seminar titled “Big Food,” that centered on the importance of organic farming in bettering the health and lifestyle of Americans. I however, do not necessarily agree with this type of philosophy because America cannot be fed solely on organic farming practices. So, being able to learn more about these different styles is something that I have been looking forward to for a long time. This morning, we were fortunate enough to visit the Monsanto Huxley Learning Center to learn more about conventional farming. This was a very modern looking building with a “self-guided” tour system that allowed visitors to move freely through the display. We however, were fortunate to have a real tour guide who further explained Monsanto’s practices to us and answered questions that we had concerning different topics such as GMOs, precision agriculture, and the research that goes into these methods.

Conventional styled farming can be defined by three different categories: Seed Science, Precision Agriculture, and Data Science. With the combination of these strategies, the total yield of corn, soybeans, and other agricultural products can be greatly increased, even on smaller plots of land. In fact, this concept is the overall goal of Monsanto. A great amount of research is applied to advances in breeding and biotechnology to identify seeds with the best qualities for growth in different types of environments. This is where different advances in technology can take place. For example, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)  are developed to allow a single seed to grow as efficiently as possible, while protecting the environment at the same time. To decrease the use of pesticides, fungicides, and other harmful chemicals, the seeds are developed to already have these traits incorporated into them before they are even planted. This goes against the beliefs of the extreme health people, who believe that GMOs are very harmful to human health and can even cause children to develop Down Syndrome. However, because so much research is applied to these modifications, health is not something that should be of any concern.

I also thought it was very interesting to go through a “timeline” of technology that has helped improve precision agriculture in today’s society. For example, soil health and depth is not the same in every location on a field. Improvements in technology have allowed more consistent and precise seed depth that is able to increase the total yield produced by the seeds. This allows each seed to have an equal chance of reaching its maximum potential. Before coming to Iowa, I had no idea that these issues were so problematic. I find it to be very surprising yet relieving to know that farmers have amazing technology that allows certain issues to be avoided, such as keeping a consistent seed depth. I also took Remote Sensing last year for my Environmental Science major and I am enjoying being able to connect my research to satellite images of agriculture. Being able to apply my learning to real world situations has been a great opportunity, and I am excited to be able to learn and connect even more.

May 10, 2017

Before I arrived in Iowa, I expected to see lots and lots of fields completely filled with 6 foot tall stalks of corn. I also expected the climate to be chilly, cloudy, and windy, especially since I am from South Carolina and am used to hot, humid weather in the springtime. However, my expectations of this state were a little off, not because I wasn’t properly prepared, but because the farming lifestyle in the midwest region of the United States is a little unfamiliar for me. I can safely say however, that I packed enough clothing for every type of situation, so my attire was not affected by my slight misjudgment in temperature and weather.

When we first arrived in Des Moines, Iowa on May 10, 2017, I was surprised by the unusual amount of people who showed great courtesy and politeness to me and my fellow classmates who were on the same plane. Even on the plane ride, the man who sat next to me currently works in Iowa as a nurse and he was one of the most social yet kind strangers I have met during such a brief encounter. This type of respect was unexpected to a southern girl such as myself. I had always believed that South Carolina was a state of kindness and friendliness, whereas more northern states had those that were less social when it came to meeting new people. I can gladly say that this surprise was relieving and lifted a weight off of my shoulders because I knew that the family I would be staying with, would most likely be just as friendly and welcoming as those on the plane. In fact, this family, the Knutsons, are indeed extremely hospitable and immediately made me feel welcome as soon as I entered their home. Not only the Knutsons (Ben and Carin), but also Diane Schwartz (our wonderful cook), as well as Morris Stole, may be my favorite humans who live outside of South Carolina!

The other big change that I noticed when first arriving in Iowa, was the change in topography. In Greenville, South Carolina, I am used to waking up to the sight of Paris Mountain as well as the Blue Ridge Mountains right outside my window. Trees surround my house and a very steep driveway connects it to my neighborhood road. This is not true for Iowa’s land. As we were driving down the road towards Radcliffe, I could look out the van window and see land for miles and miles. Trees and mountains were not blocking my view and unlike what I had imagined, the 6 foot tall corn did not exist yet because harvest time occurs in the fall. Occasionally, there are some slight, rolling hills that gradually rise and drop, but as for the majority of the land, it is completely flat and foreign to my eyes. At first, I wasn’t quite sure how to interpret my feelings towards this new scenery. Did it scare me because it was different? Or did I enjoy having a new sight of atmosphere? It wasn’t until later that night that I realized the new topography wasn’t something to be afraid of. A beautiful sunset could be seen just above the land and there were no trees or mountains to block the transition of blue and orange colors. This type of sunset is not seen in South Carolina and it will be something that I will surely miss when my 3-week long journey comes to an end.