Today’s characters ranged from the tip top of the “food chain” to the near bottom.  We began the day by running to the Capitol building in Des Moines to meet Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds.  Unfortunately, the meeting was very short, meaning 15 minutes or so.  As Rachel said earlier, she basically told us about Iowa’s agricultural heritage and importance in the world.  She also briefly outlined Iowa farmers’ almost near unanimous opposition to the proposed loosening of the Renewable Fuel Standards (meaning not as much ethanol would be mixed with gasoline).  Considering that her main platform during her tenure is economic development, she approached this issue from an economic standpoint rather than an environmental one, which, I admit, does have more wide spread appeal.  To summarize the issue: lower RFS standards = lower demand for ethanol = lower production of ethanol = lower demand for corn = loss of ethanol related jobs and lower income for corn = bad policy decision for Iowa.

I guess I should get used to these 15 minute visits (or less) if I want to get into politics for a career, but this meeting would have been exponentially more meaningful if it was extended to only 30 minutes.  That way, she could have said her spiel about Iowa (that I think I’ve read on the back of every map in our van), and we could have asked our own questions.  Nonetheless, the meeting was mostly redeemed by the beautiful capitol building.  It was very open and spacious, laid out in the same pattern as the national Capitol and most bicameral legislative buildings, and had a very earthy color scheme throughout the interior.   After the meeting, we poked our heads into the House and the Senate chambers–which looked very much alike, except the latter having fewer desks–and the State Capitol Law Library.

We then drove a good ways to get to the second of the Wallace Centers: the Country Life Center.  This location featured the farmhouse in which Henry A. Wallace was born and a small 11-acre farm that provides the produce for the restaurants here and at the Wallace House in Des Moines (which we visited last week).  After being treated to another excellent meal, we were set to work with Mosa Shayan, the farm manager.  He graduated from Simpson College (Indianola, IA) with a degree in economics and philosophy, but his passion for composting (lauded by the Wallace Center CEO, Diane Weiland) led him to the Country Life Center.  He gave us a short run-down of the farm’s operation and then tasked us with thinning out the green beans he planted earlier in the season because he had planted them too close together earlier in the season.   It was pleasant work, despite my Scottish skin’s penchant to freak out before graciously welcoming the sun’s gift of vitamin D.

Today was pretty much centered around the environmental effects of farming.  We began the day by visiting the Iowa Environmental Council, an alliance of more than 60 environmental or allied groups, that seeks “a safe, healthy environment and sustainable future for Iowa.”  We met with Jen Terry, the agricultural policy specialist, and Susan Heathcote, the Water Program Director (the former being Dr. HN’s high school classmate).  After that, we made a short visit to Dr. HN’s nephew’s home to see his wife’s horse stables.  Unfortunately, there wasn’t too much to do there as we had expected, but we will hopefully make a trip back to help do some “chores”…

The lecture at the IEC was rather short and sweet, as compared to the other interest groups we’ve attended that featured lengthy presentations.  Their primary focus this season is to improve water quality by reducing the amount of nutrients and other pollution in Iowa’s water ways by better enacting and enforcing Water Quality Standards and nutrient reduction strategies.  This is not only for Iowa’s residents and lands but also for the residents and environment along the Mississippi River and the growing “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico, an area of nutrient and oxygen depletion at the Mississippi River delta that cannot sustain bottom-level aquatic life.

We had prefaced this presentation by reading a chapter on farming and the environment in Robert Paarlberg’s Food Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know.  Combined, these two experiences helped humanize both sides of the issue.  Paarlberg began the chapter by saying, “From the perspective of deep ecology, all forms of agriculture damage the natural environment.”  It is essentially the role for all of us to try and minimize this damage.  Everyone loves food that is grown on farms, but agriculture does raise some inherent questions: how much do these activities harm the environment? Who is affected? Who should be held accountable? How should they be held accountable?  The answers to these questions are being fought in courts, legislatures, and in media at all levels of society and politics. Even the most anti-regulation farmers want to have a healthy soil and water base so they can increase the crop yield and continue farming year after year.  As Jen said at the end of her bit of the presentation, (something along the lines of) “we all want the same thing.  We just have different ideas about how to accomplish it.”  Most farmers (at least in developed countries) already follow conservation measures to prevent such problems as soil erosion, drainage issues, drift, and runoff.

However, many farmers do not try their best to install conservation measures on their farms.  Therefore, it is the job of the organizations within the IEC to motivate them to do so.  One thing that struck me is that Jen and the other staff recognized how difficult their efforts may prove to be.  They are striving to make the water quality standards voluntary because they know farmers would volunteer if only to avoid regulation.  I thought it made them seem remarkably down to earth because many criticisms that I’ve seen of environmental activists (especially in the big cities) center around how disconnected they seem to be from the real life farmers and the agricultural system.  All in all, I thought talking with Jen and Susan was yet another great example of an interest group pursuing a sophisticated strategy to accomplish its goal.

P.S. I apologize for not having pictures for these last two posts.  I’ve been slacking off.  I’ll do better!

One issue that goes unnoticed to many is providing better access to fresh produce for the poor.  The majority of those classified as poor depend on benefits from the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), otherwise known as “food stamps,” to purchase food.  The most recent Farm Bill included some major benefits for locally-oriented and organic farms, allowing greater benefits from subsidies and crop insurance for the appropriate farmers, while also including cuts to major commodities.  However, many problems come with accessing this fresher, local food, whether it is because the immediate geographic area is labeled as a “food desert” (areas that lack affordable, nutritional food) or purchasing from farmers markets is near to impossible due to the lack of electronic payment methods.  The latter problem is because, in 2004, the federal government changed the form of food stamps from paper coupons to debit cards that can only be read at electronic benefit transfer terminals, but farmers market vendors typically only take checks or cash payments.  Installing EBT systems required thousands of dollars in up front costs and a monthly fee.  Currently, a little over 24% of the nation’s farmers markets accept electronic payments.

Luckily, the USDA, food availability and anti-poverty nonprofits are working together to provide farmers markets with EBT systems.  The inspiration behind this is largely preventive, in that the area’s poor can give up processed or non-nutritious foods for the fresh produce at the farmers market. Nonprofits and poverty groups combine funds with the USDA to install EBT systems at their markets.  Then, food stamp recipients can trade their stamps for small tokens and give them to vendors.  Some programs even match the withdrawn amount up to a certain cash value to create incentives for greater participation from the poor.  There are several restrictions on what the SNAP recipient can purchase, including no non-food (such as crafts, soaps, et cetera) and no prepared food that is for immediate eating.  If the farmers market is still too far away, and food stamp recipients have ample gardening space, they can use food stamps to purchase food-bearing seeds.

I think this is a great example of the government responding to the voices and desires of constituents.  In a recent New York Times article, members of Congress from both parties have acknowledged the rise in demand for cheaper and more organic foods.  Additionally, anti-poverty advocates succeeded in recent years in influencing changes in legislation that allow more access for the poor to farmers markets.  While the going still is a little small in terms of the amount of food stamps being used at farmers markets, I would be interested in seeing what happens when (and if) the movement gains momentum.  Maybe we will have a smaller need for treatment of obesity or nutrient-deficient related illnesses.  Maybe nothing will happen if food stamp recipients still can’t get to farmers markets. Who knows.  Either way, the passage of the new Farm Bill has rung in a new era for food systems.

Today was a rather easy going day in Iowa.  It was also the first time it has been warm!  Suns out, guns out, right?  To summarize the day’s events, we began by learning about the Green Revolution and Norman Borlaug, the man responsible for the Green Revolution.   We made the almost daily drive to Des Moines to the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates to learn about the World Food Prize–awarded to “outstanding individuals who have made vital contributions to improving the quality, quantity, or availability of food throughout the world”–and the life of Norman Borlaug.  The overall tour was a little underwhelming in terms of information presented to us, especially because we were ushered out of the only room that had a good amount of information on global food issues and possible solutions.  However, our disappointment was dashed when we visited the farm of the impossibly wonderful Dalona Fiscus.  After showing us her cows and chickens, she permitted us to help her and her children plant this season’s flowers.  Luckily, it was close to feeding time for the cows and egg collecting for the chickens.  The latter involved reaching directly under the hen to get to her eggs.  I feel like I violated her privacy, but what’s done is done.  It was also incredibly warm under the chicken.  If that’s what it takes to get warm, then I will gladly have a bunch of chickens lay on me in the winter (as long as the don’t poop, peck, or cluck).

Norman Borlaug

The World Food Prize Hall of Laureates location

Planting in the gardern.

Just chillin’ with Dalona.

Luckily, before the tour at the World Food Prize, we were briefed on the subject by reading Food Politics by Robert Paarlberg.  It is a very good read so far, so I look forward to reading about the other material in the book.  Essentially, the Green Revolution is the massive increase in food production per hectare in third world areas, especially in India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.  This came about because of new farming practices, including using fertilizer and irrigation, and varieties of corn, soy, wheat, and rice–otherwise known as the primary food sources in those regions–resistant to environmental and chemical factors.  Norman Borlaug is involved because he was instrumental in developing and introducing these varieties to farmers in these nations.  Consequently, this practice has grown into a complex market of massive biochemical companies that develop and sell pesticides and herbicides as well as GMOs that are resistant to such.  Therefore, the environmentalists attack this approach for its environmental and social impacts, such as rising inequality, nutrient depletion in soil, and water contamination, among many other concerns.   Overall, critics say the Green Revolution is unsustainable. If you don’t want to read the Paarlberg book, I believe this wikipedia article is also a good summary of the subject and its criticisms.

If I had to pick a side, I would say I am moderate but leaning on the sides of the environmentalists.  I appreciate and support the mission of the World Food Prize and the Green Revolution in that they seek to eradicate world hunger by increasing the quantity, quality, and availability of food.  However, the long term environmental and socioeconomic effects should always be considered.  This more sustainable approach is known as “agroecology.” Unfortunately, most politics is driven by politicians and voters who want policies that bring quick, direct benefits but long-term costs.  In this way, we do not see what the actual price of our actions are.  Luckily, I believe that much of the public mood has shifted towards conservation, and many big agricultural plans typically involve an environmental checklist of sorts.  The major ills of the Green Revolution attacked by environmentalists and conservations began in a time when we were ignorant of the effects, and we now know to anticipate these effects in the future.  However, many parts of the world are stilly paying dearly for what happened in the 1970s and 80s, such as nations that hold areas of soil nutrient degradation, chemically polluted water, empowered and corrupt elites, and even worsened nutrition and health.  Hopefully, a better dialogue between the advocates of both sides of the issue will create a happy medium of sustainable and healthy worldwide food production.

Today was all about corn.  We first went to the Dupont Pioneer campus in Des Moines to explore the research side of corn and its products.  Dupont Pioneer is the combination of the Dupont chemical company (known even in Aiken, SC) and the Pioneer seed company.  It is the largest producer of hybrid seeds in the U.S., and it is so successful because this merger and many like it are able to produce seeds and research new genomes all under one roof.  There, we were able to tour the genomic marker lab, the plant transformation lab, and the greenhouses.  Essentially, this order covered the basic research sequence of 1) mapping out the DNA of samples and finding the locations of specific traits, 2) manually modifying the gene sequence then injecting it into the plant DNA, and 3) finally growing the new plant.  Due to security concerns, we weren’t allowed to take photos outside of the visitor’s area.  Sorry.

The next part of the day was devoted to the politics surrounding corn.  We were treated to three different presentations by representatives of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board ( in charge of education, promotion, and research) and the Iowa Corn Growers Association (the lobbying arm), collectively known as “Iowa Corn.”  Having a degree in political science, this was kind of more up my alley than the technical aspect of crop research. Here, we found out how this organization advances corn interests by helping the corn farmers, promoting positive images, finding new markets, and defend/defeat relevant legislation, especially the Farm Bill.  Combined with watching the documentary King Corn, we learned how a single crop is grown and spread all around the world.

At the headquarters of Iowa Corn (Promotion Board and Corn Growers Association).

This was the reason why I went on this trip.  I wanted to gain a general grasp of the food system in the U.S. and around the world, i.e. how an ear of corn moves from the farmer’s field to being split into numerous other uses.  It was interesting to see in King Corn how much corn has been grown and inserted into our food system and to combine that with what I now know about the Iowa Corn Growers.  Corn has grown to be a massive crop, and the corn lobby undoubtedly played a part in strengthening the industry, especially after the rise in demand of ethanol.  The largest products from field corn include ethanol, livestock feed, and high fructose corn syrup.  The latter two have essentially made it extremely cheap to produce many foods in America.  Combined with the GMOs advocated by Dupont Pioneer, it is now easier to produce a high yielding and durable crops.   Regarding the food issue, I am not the biggest fan of high fructose corn syrup or the forced feeding of large amounts of corn products to livestock.  Yet it is still a hard judgement call to decide how much I think we should crack down on the unnecessary empty calories of the corn-saturated American diet.  As of now, a vast number of food contains HFCS, and stamping down on its use would increase prices.  Perhaps we should wait until a healthier alternative comes into play or perhaps we should bite the bullet and go for it.  Either way, there are many and powerful voices that will have a say in the issue.

Our “theater.”

Post King Corn watching party.

As stated in the title, today was spent entirely within a 5-mile radius of our humble homestead (at least for most of us).  After Dr. HN got back from church, he separated all of us into various farm activities with Denny, the Friests, and the Fiscuses (a.k.a. “Fisci”). Some of us began the day by picking up rocks in the fields.  We pick up rocks because large rocks can inflict thousands of dollars of damages on the machinery.  I was not one of those tasked with this activity, but you can read about it on Adam, Hedley, or Kris’s posts.

Instead, I went to Brent Friest’s farm to accompany him while he sprayed a neighboring field with herbicide.  Hedley and Rachel came along, but they helped one of Brent’s daughter’s clean the horse barn before going riding.  Farmers spray herbicide over the planted seeds right after planting and a second time after a few weeks. If necessary, they also spray pesticide as well.  They use chemical applicators, or “sprayers,” that can span 40+ feet.  One such sprayer is the Hagie STS, which cost $300,000 and reached 80 ft., if I remember correctly.  Unfortunately, as with most farmer-y activities, it did not go quite as planned.  We spent over an hour trying to fix the motor that would pump the herbicide into the sprayer.  We broke five or six pull chords only to find out that it just needed oil.  In our defense, we had already checked the oil, but apparently it needed to be completely full before starting.  Then, we got about two rows from finishing the field before running out of juice. Dangit.  Nonetheless, this was a really good opportunity to see precision farming in action.  Brent had the most modern technology in the cab guided him within inches of where he need to be in the field.  Even more amazing, the computer kept track of which parts of the field were sprayed, and the computer would turn off individual nozzles if they passed over a line that had already been sprayed.

Layout of the farm with location points.

The precision technology.

The big ol’ sprayer. I could literally walk under it without ducking my head.

The infamous rocks that had to be picked off the field.

So, Brent then dropped me off back at the Neubauer farm, where Dr. HN was disconcerted by the fact that I still had not seen planting.  Luckily, Denny and Scott (Denny’s son) were coming back to fill up the bean grain cart for planting in the field that we cultivated yesterday.  Denny drove me back to the fields in a really nice pick up truck, and we then proceeded to planting.  In true farmer fashion, we had to stop several times to fix something, all accompanied by an extremely loud alarm in the cab.  First, we stopped to clear dirt off one of the planter sensors, which would otherwise keep freaking out until we did something about it.  Second, according to Denny, one side of the planter often runs out before the other.  To fix this, we had to manually transfer the seeds from one side of the planter to the other to even out the amount of seed in the individual planters.  After riding and talking for a little over half an hour, Denny nonchalantly stops the tractor in the middle of the field, gets out of his seat, and says “Ok, your turn.” I was immediately dumfounded because there was absolutely no warning.  He did not preface the move with anything at all.  At first, I had a little trouble with following the line and overcorrecting, but I eventually got the hang of it. Apparently, Denny’s allowing me to drive the tractor is a big deal.  Dr. HN wasn’t allowed until he was 52 years old, so I have thirty years on him.  I have to start somewhere, right?

I drove this!

I drove this one too!

View from the tractor.

Denny clearing out one of the planters.

The planter rig with 16 individual planters.

*By the way, check out Hagie’s awesome promotional video for its chemical applicator/sprayer.

Today presented the broad gamut of agriculture from before the seed hits the ground to the finished products at the super market.  Plus, we got to see an engaged representation of the development of farming in Iowa.

We started off the day by leaving a little earlier for the Des Moines Farmers Market.  It was absolutely huge!  There were at least one hundred vendors, selling food, crafts, flowers, produce, and anything in between.  It was almost overwhelming!  I literally didn’t know where to start.  Then again, I’ll admit that I’ve hardly gone to the farmers market to shop.  Instead, I’ve usually gone simply to have a good lunch, but if something catches my eye, then I may buy it and save it to use in a later meal.

Before we left to go spend Dr. HN’s money (meaning our tuition), he tasked us with thinking about the role of farmers markets in representing, filling, and expanding the market for local and/or organic foods and also whether the poor and those on food stamps have adequate opportunity to participate in this market.  First, I believe these markets can be productive in getting people excited about local foods.  If some of the products weren’t local, the sellers definitely were.  For the most part, the vendors seemed happy to talk about the food, only as long as there wasn’t a line behind you and if you ask a question with specifics.  Nonetheless, for those living in and around Des Moines, the market gives them a chance to taste the freshest food and put a name and face to the producer.  However, the vast majority of the attendees were white and middle class and up (and apparently dog lovers).  It got me thinking that although the opportunity is technically there for all people to participate, the poor may be going through a different experience.  First, the prices are more expensive for goods that do not keep as long, and farmers markets sell ingredients for the same price as some supermarket-bought prepared dinners.  Buying at supermarkets would still save time and money when shopping and preparing meals.  Second, farmers markets don’t offer the same ease as supermarkets in comparing prices.  One would have track down all the relevant stalls across a couple blocks, compare prices, then go back.  Apparently, the new Farm Bill allows food stamps to be used at farmers markets, so it may provide a good incentive for the poor to go.  However, I’m still wary that doing so would not be the most economical decision.

The Des Moines Farmers Market

Rachel and Hedley found a puppy!

Vendor’s stall

After spending some hours at the farmers market, we then traveled to Living History Farms, an “interactive outdoor museum” that educates people on the true historical “Midwestern rural life experience.”  There were several stops that exhibited rural life on a 1700 Ioway Indian farm, 1850 pioneer farm, 1900 horse-powered farm, and a replica of the town of Walnut Hill in 1875, and each had period actors that told about life during that time.  I thought it was a very enlightening experience, and the actors were very educational.  However, I only wished that there were more people that were actually going through some of the motions of farming.

Walnut Hill

1950 Horse Powered Farm

Piggies!

Pioneer dude

The standard pioneer barn

An Ioway Indian summer hut

I ended the day by finally getting on a tractor!  Once we saw how nice a day it was, Dr. HN observed that all the farmers would now be rushing to plant their seeds for the season.  Therefore, almost every minute not talking to us, he spent talking to farm neighbors who could possibly let us tag along during the planting.  We were in luck!  Brent Friest was planting, while Denny and his son, Scott, were cultivating Denny’s mother-in-law’s land.  For those not familiar with the farm lingo, cultivating essentially means plowing the land to rip up weeds and loosen the dirt to get it ready for the seeds.  It was awesome! We’ll be able to have a few more chances to interact with Denny and Brent and see more farming in the coming weeks.

From the driver’s seat.

The back view of cultivating.

My chariot awaits!

Today was the embodiment of any and all definitions of “information overload.”  We began the day by traveling to Des Moines to meet with representatives from the Iowa Pork Producers Association.  They basically told us anything and everything one would want to know about raising and selling pigs in Iowa and the state and federal regulations governing the pork industry.  This was our first interaction with a large scale industry, and I definitely got that business vibe from them.  They weren’t as anti-activist as they were more dismissive of their claims.  Indeed, one of the facets of their mission was to help farmers counter activist claims and improve the public image of the pork industry.  The main issue is that normal, unsuspecting farmers without direct interaction with nationally-based activist groups will find themselves unprepared should an activist group or invested members of the public confront the farmer.  Additionally, the problem is worsened if these interactions disrupt the normal functioning of the farm.

That seemed to be a them for the day because we had a conversation about a similar subject over dinner.  According to Dr. HN, we will be having many conversations with both representatives of “big-ag” and farmers who share similar views.  Many believe (and I somewhat share some of this viewpoint) that organic and/or local farming for mass consumption idealized by advocates is not practical or efficient with today’s technology and practices.  It is a very niche market, and mostly for those with the capital to afford to produce or purchase those end products.

Next, we went to the Cargill soybean processing and biodiesel plant.  I won’t even begin to try to explain it, other than by this way: soybeans–>magic–>biodiesel.  If I had had some preparation before it, including diagrams and other visuals, I probably would have been able to understand more and be more involved in the process.  But that didn’t happen, so I was stuck staring at all this machinery, pipes, and nooks and crannies and thinking how awesome it would be to have a paintball battle in this plant.  (My engineer parents would be very disappointed).

Then, we finally made it home.  Two other students and I went to the Friest farm.  If they only had chickens and goats, they would essentially be the Old McDonald Farm.  They had horses, cows, pigs, rabbits, dogs, cats, and children (not for eating).  Mr. Friest only gave us a very brief rundown of his farm and opinions about things (literally, “about things.” He was all over the place), but we will luckily be going back soon for a more in-depth showing.

Today was our first full day on this trip, and it was absolutely exhausting.  We first started the day with some granola and fruit prepared by Dalona, and we then went off to Ellsworth Community College to learn about farm safety and precision agriculture with Professor Kevin Butt.  He began the lecture by showing us photographs of accidents and telling us accident stories, and my over-thinking, city-oriented self believed that the tractor would spontaneously combust or tip over as soon as I touch it.  However, it is entirely appropriate that we learn how to safely function on the farm, especially considering that farming is fourth on the list of most dangerous occupations in America.  The lecture was very informative, but most farm accidents basically come from not having your mind completely on the present activity.  If you need to remember anything, the trick to safe farming is staying focused, being aware, and following safety protocol.

After a short break, we then learned about swine unit safety and swine behavior.  Because of the prominence of hog farms throughout Iowa and the spread of PEDV (porcine epidemic diarrhea virus), we had to learn about the proper way to clean before and after going to hog farms.  PEDV has cropped up very recently across the country and is beginning to affect the hog supply in the U.S., by killing piglets.  Spread by fecal particulates, it can infect an entire hog house in the span of minutes and even from farm to farm miles away in the wind.  Other than as a source of income for farmers, hogs are also important because their manure can be and are often used as fertilizer for the crops on the farm.  But pig manure is also dangerous to humans because the high levels of gases that can build up in the pits underneath hog barns and and compounds in the particulate are damaging to human lungs.

After lunch at the Princess Café in Iowa Falls, we stopped by the main campus where Mr. Butt showed us the technology associated with precision farming.  Basically, precision farming means farming with a GPS to maximize efficiency and productivity per acre.  It was fascinating to hear how precise it was.  The highest tech machinery features automatic steering while also working within an inch of the desired rows in the field.  Additionally, the “brain box” monitors how much seed is planted in what section of the field and how much a specific section produces.  Mr. Butt hypothesizes that the next trend would be planting by drones.  I was not aware of how high-tech farming could be, but all of the automation kind of reminded me of the human farming in The Matrix.

We ended the day by stopping at The Wallace House in Des Moines.  This house was the home of Henry C. and Nancy Wallace, but it has since been converted into a restaurant that promotes local foods.  However, this dinner was one of a weekly series of dinners called, “Food for Thought,” which “combines locally-sourced dining with conversation about food.”  Each week, there is a new topic of conversation that is directed by cards left on the table as well as by a local expert on the subject.  Today’s subject was Farmers Markets and the benefits of eating local.  It is almost impossible to describe how good the meal was, so here is a link that describes the menu and the Wallace Center dining experience.

The horses at Ellsworth Community College

This is Cookie.

Catching up on beauty sleep.

Dinner at Food for Thought

The menu for Food for Thought

Learning how to use a syringe

Precision Farming technology

Kevin Butt teaching us about tractor safety

Stuart Nichols

P.S. I finally beat 2048.

Today is my first time ever being in Iowa or in the rural Midwest.  I had previously been to Colorado and Illinois, but it was only to their largest cities of Denver and Chicago.  It wasn’t a bad trip, however, getting from Des Moines to the house in Radcliffe.  First, we stopped at Gateway Market and Café, an organic/natural foods store not too dissimilar from Whole Foods.  Then, we traveled through Ames to stop at Walmart for some last-minute toiletry shopping.  At first, I couldn’t really tell a difference between Des Moines and any other capital city.  However, as we rode along to the suburbs and beyond, the landscape quickly changed from nice green fields to flat farmlands, just in the amount of time it takes to pass a single line of trees.

Finally, we got to the Neubauer farm.  After settling in, the group got to meet both Denny Neubauer, the brother of our professor, and Dalona Fiscus, a Neubauer neighbor and our cook for our time here.  I was first struck by how open and hospitable everyone seemed to be.  They seem just so willing to help each other out and welcome each other into their homes as often as possible.  This is also true for farmers that I have met back in South Carolina as well.  My theory is that the residents of small farming communities are all pretty much invested in the same outcomes, knowing exactly what goes into and should be expected from farming, and are also familiar to each other’s histories and hardships.  Odds are, if one farmer is experiencing something bad, then the neighbors are feeling the same thing.

Tomorrow, we will be doing a tour of a variety of different farming matters, including safety.  However, we will also be learning more about Henry A. Wallace, the former secretary of agriculture, secretary of commerce, and vice president under Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Progressive Party candidate in the 1948 presidential election.  We watched a biographical documentary on him tonight, but I will go further into the subject in the next blog entry.

So far, I like what I am seeing, and I look forward to whatever comes next!