Farming is a risky business, in more ways than one. Not only is it the 8th most dangerous occupation, farming is can be financially or even socially risky. To explore some of these risks, we met with Mitch Meyer and Renae Zoske who are both crop insurance agents and also farmers. Mitch and Renae market and sell crop insurance products for five of the 15 AIPs (Approved Insurance Providers). Crop insurance is a public-private venture, all working together to spread risk across companies and the US government.

Farmers need crop insurance because crop yields are affected by so many things that are out of his/her control. Bad weather, late planting due to weather and hail are just a few of the problems that can effect crop yield and break a farmer without insurance.

Later that day we met with a farmer who is taking both financial and social risks. Heath Stolee is growing chestnut trees in an area known for its corn and soybeans. This may seem nutty to his neighbors, hence why he calls his farm, Nutty Farmer Chestnuts. Being a chestnut farmer means that Mr. Stolee does not see yields immediately like a corn or soybean farmer. It can take 10 years or more for his chestnut trees to start producing marketable product. A bad weather event in which part of the crop is damaged could set this type of farmer back years.

There is also insurance available for tree farmers, although it is not provided through crop insurance sold by Mitch and Renae. Farmers like Mr. Stolee can apply for TAP (Tree Assistance Program) or NAP (Non-insurance Crop Disaster Assistance Program). TAP will cover trees that have not started producing, and NAP covers trees that started producing. Although there are these protections in place, planting new trees to replace damaged trees also will set back a farmer valuable years.

These are all risks one must consider if they can even find a way into farming. The average age of a farmer is currently 60 years old. Young adults either do not have the money to fund a farm start-up or do not want to accept the risks (Imhoff mentions this in his Citizen’s Guide to The Farm Bill). This makes it all the harder for young people to be involved in an aging occupation. There are still beginning farmers though; Heath and Brian (who we met on Friday) being two. For example, Heath Stolee found his way into farming through family connections. It is not uncommon for farms to be rented off for others to farmer besides the owner. In Mr. Stolee’s case, this was about to happen to his family’s farm if he had not taken up the offer to farm it. Mr. Stolee felt that it was his last chance to farm. If he had refused he may not have able to get into the farming business later. A similar scenario is that of Brian Wosepka. Mr. Wosepka had a family farm of 100 acres. Farming this land with conventional methods did not make sense to him because it would be costly while offering little profitability. This seemed like too much of a risk, and he was unable to see a beginning in farming using conventional methods. That is until he heard Joel Salatin speak about his farming methods he employs on Polyface Farms in Virginia. However, the Farm Bill has started some programs to help beginning farmers. I think Mitch and Renae would be supportive of this because they mentioned that getting into farming needs to be made easier.

Talking about risks, negotiating a 12 passenger van down a dirt road after it has rained is an unexpected risk of farming. Apparently, farming is just chock-full of risks.

To end the day, we watched King Corn, a film about two men who grow an acre of corn to see where corn originates and where it ends up. Corn is a main ingredient in so much of what we eat. We consume so much corn that it is now a part of our DNA. As the saying goes, you are what you eat. In our case, we are all corn.

May 19, 2019

Before I get into the day’s activities, shout out to my sister who graduated from college today on the National Mall in Washington D.C.!

Since I’m posting this on Sunday I want to add that farmers don’t get weekends off. Every day animals need to be fed and there is always something that needs to be done in the field. Our Sunday started off with a phone call Dr. HN made to the local beekeeper Mark Tintjer, to get the all clear for us to go visit his farm and learn about his bees. We saw the frames of the bee hives, and learned about and saw a queen bee. We were offered to taste part of the drones and the honey that the bees produce. Mark discussed how pesticide drift from nearby farms affects his bees by moving into the apiary (where bees are stored) or onto crops attractive to bees. The drift is a common cause of bee poisoning. Just as Heath Stolee discussed crop insurance programs for his chestnut trees, we learned that there is no program for honey producers, only a price support program when honey prices fall below a certain threshold, but it appears that the 2018 farm bill eliminated this program.

Later in the day we made our way to Neubauer Farm to meet with HN’s brother Denny Neubauer. He discussed their farm operation and the 22 tractors they own. Some of the tractors date back to 1948 and the newer ones were made in 2004. Some of the older ones are still used to run their farm today. We discussed their general farm process and how they use their acreage to grow mainly corn and soybeans. Iowa ranked 1^st in corn and 2^nd in soybean production in the U.S. in 2017. During this session we saw one of their 6 combines used in the field. It is a massive piece of equipment that has GPS, which makes navigating the fields easier. Our tour ended with a barrage of videos about Denny’s numerous tractor pulling competitions.

Today we went to the farm of Mitch Meyer and met him and Renae Zoske. Together they run a crop insurance agency. The interesting thing about Mitch and Renae is that they are also farmers. This allows them to have a personal connection to their clients because they understand first-hand what a farmer needs and have actually used the product they’re selling. In a business, such as farming, it is hard to understand the woes of a farmer unless you are a farmer yourself. It makes sense for the seller of farmer insurance to be a farmer themselves. Farming insurance protects a farmer against the many unpredictable things that affect a farmer’s yield. This can be weather, soil problems, pests etc. Farming insurance makes sure that a farmer can get paid even if he runs into these common unpredictable problems. Without farmers insurance, it would be near impossible for small family farms to stay afloat. It was very interesting to hear how the government plays a role in farming.

After lunch, we ventured out to help deworm goats. We probably were less of a help and more of a hinderance on our host Franklin as he tried to give his baby goats (known as kids) medicine for them to swallow as well as a shot. This is when I learned that the sound of goats crying is akin to the sound of a toddler wailing. Their cries are loud and honestly heartbreaking. I held a goat while it was being given its medicine. The goat was a lot more snuggly than I expected and a small part of me briefly thought “I should get one of these at home,” but then I looked around and the wet, muddy ground we stood in that was a mixture of good old fashion mud and goat feces, and thought “better not.”

Today the rain again has not been beneficial; however, the class was able to visit a beekeeper and his operation. During our visit, we learned how to keep a hive, about swarms, and the products that can be made from bees. Notably, the beekeeper mentioned how commercial bee operations that rent their bees out for assistance with pollination of crops had harmed his hives two years ago in 2017 and resulted in the loss of all but 12 of his hives. Furthermore, he told the class of how pesticides used to kill weeds have killed much of his garden and other plants he had planted on his property. Heath Stolee, the chestnut farmer we met with yesterday, is a proponent of spraying weeds and manages to keep his garden well maintained, but it is up to the individual spraying to be proficient and careful as to not cause collateral damage. Honey, unlike many other products, does not need to be inspected as it does not lend itself to the growth of bacteria, and the beekeeper had won many awards at the State Fair for his honey, wax products, and displays. When we returned from Mr. Tintjer’s beekeeping operation, some of us decided to go to the Neubauer Farm and listen to Dr. Halva-Neubauer’s brother, Denny, discuss tractors. It started with tractors and we were shown the tractor used in the tractor pull competitions and the truck used in the truck pull competitions, but the highlight was the discussion of the farm operations and the ins and outs of the Neubauer family farm. The sweet corn grown on the farm is different from most corn grown that we have seen thus far, as it is edible. The peas grown on the farm are planted and harvested by the company that will buy and distribute them. This is vastly different from any operation we have visited as they grow what can be sold to the elevators and distributed.

Our first Sunday in Iowa had a lazy start. After luxuriating in my first opportunity to really sleep in, I ventured upstairs to rejoin the group. After being promptly fed by the best farm wife in all of Iowa (Morris) we headed out to learn about beekeeping and locally sourced honey from local beekeeper Mark Tinjter. Mr. Tinjter ventured out into the chilly afternoon to show us around his land. We learned about bee colonies and the many jobs of a beekeeper. I must confess I did not think beekeeping was that much work before today. It turns out, bees are much like toddlers, they have to be coaxed, shuffled around, constantly fed, and encouraged to get them to do exactly what you want them to do.

Mr. Tinjter enlightened us on the difference between male and female bees. The male bees are called drones and essentially mimic men in real life. They do not actually help the hive. They do not have stingers, and they do not gather nectar or pollen. They essentially do not contribute anything to the colony of bees beside their sperm. Their single act is to fertilize the queen. They mate with the queen in flight and then become officially useless. The female bees are worker bees and essentially carry the success of their colony on their backs. They work themselves to death to serve the queen and the hive. What a tragic life to lead.

We were lucky enough to sample some of Mr. Tinjter’s honey, and I can honestly say it was fantastic. We sampled three types of honey and were offered a drone larva. I have never seen anything so unappetizing in my life. The larva was small yellow bubble-like substances. Definitely not my cup of tea. All in all, the afternoon was very interesting and a refreshing break from learning about corn and combines.

May 19, 2019

Yesterday started with waking up at 6 to help sort and move cattle. Brandon and I began wondering if cows could kick, and within the next three minutes, I painfully learned that this was indeed true. Following this, the class learned about crop insurance. Almost every farmer has crop insurance, and hail coverage is extra; however, it will cover a higher percentage. We later watched “King Corn” as a class and learned that when they planted their acre of corn (sometime between 2005-07) they would not have made a profit without federal subsidies. This was before ethanol, however, it is still important to note how insurance and federal assistance programs help farmers make it work and become profitable. The rain continues to cause problems for the class but does not compare to the problems it has caused farmers. We are all hoping for sunshine.

Today, was a little lower key than previous days on the farm. We began at 8:15 am, which allowed for some extra sleep. There was down time that allowed us to catch our breath and reflect on all of the new knowledge that we have gained since our arrival.

After breakfast, we traveled back towards Kevin Butt’s farm to learn about crop insurance (not State Farm) with Mitch and Renae. Mitch and Renae have their own insurance agency, in which they actually provide HN’s family with various crop insurances. We learned about the different types of services that can be provided from either government or private insurance. A popular type of insurance offered by private companies is hail insurance. In Iowa they call hail the “white combine,” meaning that it seems to completely remove the crop from the ground. This really emphasized to the group just how much of a gamble farming can be, in what is considered some of the best areas to raise corn and beans in the United States. The variability causes a lot of stress that the insurance helps to relieve.

Next, we headed off to Heath Stolee’s Nutty Farmer Chestnuts operation. Heath, an Iraq War veteran, has decided to go against the grain (pun credits to HN) and plant chestnut trees on his farm land. He has also recently undertook a project to restore a  wetlands on his land through the Conservation Environmental Easement Program (CREP). Stolee also has a significant portions of his land in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).  In Heath’s CRP land, he has planted wildflowers between rows of chestnut trees to promote wildlife and prevent runoff. I really enjoyed learning about his practices and the successes and troubles he has had with it. I think that having another job has allowed him to try new things with less risk as other farmers that make their entire livelihood from their crops. He did mention that he has had some trouble finding available insurance for his trees that adequately cover the risk. The policy only covers a tree if it is ruined down to the roots.

Next on the list was goat deworming with Franklin Fisus. The goats that we treated were kids, which I learned is a name for goat babies. At first, I was reluctant to hold a kid while they were getting a shot, but I overcame my fear to get a good photograph. I got a good picture.

The rest of the night was very relaxed as well. We went to the Neubauer farm to watch a the documentary, “King Corn.” The documentary was about two boys from Boston who were in a biology lab and found that they had a significant amount of corn in their hair. Because of this, they wanted to live the life of a farmer growing corn and then trace where it went around the world. The amount of corn that they added to the pile was so vast that they are unable to trace where it goes. Through a process of tracking popular destinations of corn, they found that much of it goes to feeding cattle in Colorado. The cattle farm they visited in Colorado was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, even on TV. There were what seemed like mountains of cows covering every inch of ground over a huge area. The corn and corn stalks are used as food to feed the cows. It is not good for them, but people don’t seem to care considering they will be slaughtered in six months’ time anyways, which is before any serious health concerns arise. They also give the cows medication that allows them to survive those situations. The boys in the documentary said that if you were born in the last 30 years, it is likely that you have only eaten a corn-fed cow. The documentary came out in 2007 and I’m sure this is untrue now because of the movement towards grass-fed beef and cage-free eggs. It is still crazy to think that all marketed beef came from those sorts of places for so long. I watched this documentary while snacking on some Rain Bran, which has corn, and know I have found myself checking all of my favorite snacks that usually claim to be healthy and some of them are made almost entirely from a corn derivative. BRB after I rethink my entire diet.

P.S. Scroll down to see Rob holding a temperamental goat. 

May 18, 2019

This morning, after enjoying a later wakeup call, we made our way to Mitch Meyer’s Ackley farm, and received a briefing on Federal Crop Insurance from Meyer and his partner, Ranae Zoske of the RZA agency. Federal Crop Insurance is a way for farmers to insure their crops from Mother Nature’s fury such as drought, excessive moisture, disease, and hail. We learned a lot of acronyms: AIPs, Approved Insurance Providers (AIPs), FCIC, The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, and USDA, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The wet spring Iowa is experiencing in 2019 highlights the value of investing in crop insurance.

After a relaxing lunch at Morris’ house we arrived at Nutty Farmer Chestnuts Farm in Radcliffe. A chestnut farm was not what I expected to find in the middle of corn and soybean country. The 25-acre farm is run by Heath Stolee who wanted to improve the habitat on the land. He wanted to diversify with a crop that didn’t need as much equipment costs to produce like corn or soybeans. In addition to being a chestnut tree farmer, Heath works at the National Animal Disease Centers in Ames; he is an Army vet who completed tours in Kuwait and Iraq. Unfortunately, rain kept us from planting chestnut trees; however, Heath talked us through the chestnut planting process. The trees were planted using a form of precision agriculture since Heath used GPS to line up every tree. Another interesting part of his presentation related to our crop insurance discussion earlier in the day. Heath discussed the crop insurance programs available for chestnut growers. First, there is tree crop insurance or TAP. Another program, Noninusured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), which he mentioned that he could use in six to seven years when his trees mature and are producing crops. Since it takes 15 years for chestnut trees to finally generate income, crop insurance is important coverage for tree farmers like Heath.

To finish off the day, we went to the Fiscus farm and met Franklin and Mike Fiscus to learn about goat worming and actually practice our hand at it. We gave the goats antibiotics in the mouth and also shots in the side.  The goats had to be marked in order to keep track which ones had the shot. This was a fun way to end our fourth day in Iowa.

The day of May 17th started out like normal with breakfast at Mr. Stole’s house. However, plans had to be flexible due to the rain. It’s crazy to think that just the day before the weather was over 80 degrees and hot and today it’s rainy and chilly. It seems that Iowa weather is just as variable as the soil.

At 9:30 we arrived at POET, an ethanol plant located in Jewell, Iowa, to meet with Jerry Rabe. The POET company is a large-diversed company, but biofuels constitutes the largest part of its portfolio. At the Jewell plant, corn is turned into ethanol. The leftover corn solids (whole stillage) is rich in protein and therefore is converted into DDGs used for animal feed. Professor Kevin Butt, on Thursday, mentioned that the BioTech program at Ellsworth Community College had been discontinued due to low enrollment and the limited market for this degree. Mr. Rabe seemed to echo these comments; the turnover rate for employees monitoring the plant operations (who presumably would have been trained to do this at Ellsworth) is quite low, so there are few openings.  The employment need at Poet is centered on maintenance personnel, who are in high demand, and where high turnover is experienced.  Moreover, Rabe says a lot of the work at Poet is on-the-job training, which was echoed by two of the operators who we met.

After the Ethanol plant tour, we drove to Lost Lake Farm in Jewell and met Kevin Dietzel. A group of four, myself included, stayed with Kevin to help put up a fence. Mr. Dietzel has dairy cows that are grass-fed, and he employs rotational grazing. This is why we were putting up a fence. The cows are moved to a different pasture twice a day every 12 hours. We covered a lot of ground with Mr. Dietzel, both figuratively and literally. We learned a little about Iowa’s geographic qualities and the plants that covered the grazing fields. Most people think that Iowa is a prairie, but Mr. Deitzel explained that Iowa used to be wetlands and this as contributed to the richness of Iowa’s soil. As of 2015, the Clean Water Act now includes wetlands and seasonal streams as protected waters. Since Iowa used to be wetlands and so far has rained a lot since arriving here, I wonder what the effect of these regulations have upon Iowa farmers. Senator Sweeney has been affected by these regulations as there was a wetland on her land, making it unable to be farmed by government standards.

After completing the fence, we participated in forming a search party for two lost calves. After at least an hour or more of searching we only found one calf. This when I really felt that precision agriculture’s drones would have really come in handy.

We completed the day by meeting Brian Wosepka at “It’s All Good” for pizza. Brian Wosepka only farms 100 acres. Although this sounds like a lot of land, farming 100 acres with conventional farming is not efficient and profitable. Wanting a way into farming, Brian employs some of Joel Salatin’s (featured prominently in Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma and “Food, Inc.”) methods.

Day Three can only be described best as a fruit basket of events. We started our day at the Poet ethanol plant. There we learned about the role ethanol plays in the US fuel industry and how Poet tries its best to support local farmers by trying to only buy corn from within 25 miles of each plant. After this, our day was split into two. Our early afternoon was spent separating the calves and their mothers from the rest of a heard of cows. Once this was done we headed off to another farm where we cut and packaged wheels of cheese. Overall this has been a very enlightening and fun experience!