So it is over. My time in Iowa is over. For me its weird to think the 21 days could have gone by so quickly, but had such a large impact. Right now I’m sitting on a couch some 1,000 miles away from Iowa, and I’m drinking a coke that is filled with high fructose corn syrup. This seems a very appropriate spot to be in to reflect on my time in Iowa.

First things first numbers. So I thought no good reflection would be good without some fun numbers. The first one is 4500. This is approximately the number of miles that we drove in a while Chevy 12 passenger van with Texas license plates. To put that into perspective a trip across the U.S. is less then 2800 miles. Averaging 75 miles per hour we spent 60 hours in that van. In doing our intrepid quest around Iowa we did any and everything you can imagine form poking our heads into Minnesota to randomly stopping at John Wayne’s birth place. Along the way we also actually did learn a few things too. The next number is 3. This is the number of houses we all stayed at during our time in Iowa. HN convinced 3 different households to let total strangers invade their space and live there for 3 weeks, and they were all extremely warm and welcoming. Without a missed beat we were brought in like long lost family members, and because of this we got to meet true Iowans. In this number I have to include our wonderful cooks. Now Diane and Staci are two of the best cooks I have ever come across (this is obviously excluding my mom, she’s still the best). Not only were they talented cooks, but they truly made us feel like their kids. The last number is 8. This one is pretty obvious. There were 8 of us that ventured to Iowa to partake in this unknown adventure. I like to think that over our 3 week time period we became pretty good friends, and we got to learn a lot about each other too. To all of my travel mates I think that you all helped make this experience as good as it was.

Now on to the actual reflecting part of this. Looking back on my time in Iowa all I can say is that it was a lot. It was a lot in the idea that we meet with a lot of people and learned a lot of new things. Over our 21 days there we meet with well over 25 different people and each one had a different piece to add to the Iowa story. Iowa was a lot in the idea that we just learned a lot. Going into this trip I now know that I knew nothing about what farming is like today. From small 2 wheeled tractors to a sprayer that stands 6 feet of the ground and has a 120 foot arm I got to see it all. We also saw all of the politics and programs that make it possible for modern day farms to still exist. Finally Iowa was a lot in the sense that it made me think a lot. Everyday my perceptions of how our food was produced changed, and that also led to may different ethical and practical discussions that I am still trying to wrap my head around. Iowa showed me that there is a lot more to consider when going to the grocery story and buying your weekly groceries, and I’m still trying to answer the questions that have arisen from our journey.

As HN would tell our different presenters we could have gone to Tokyo learn about the architecture, or gone to Cuba and smoked cigars, or gone to Italy and drink wine while eating fine meats and cheeses, but instead of all of those options we chose to come to Iowa and learn about farming. I for one can say that I definitely made the right choice, and I know none of the other trips would have made change my world views like Iowa did. The only fitting thing I can say is thank you Iowa for opening my eyes to what farming is and thank you HN for being our autocratic cruise ship director during our wonderful 21 days in Iowa.

Iowa was an experience. I think that’s the best way to describe it. It also was a lot—a lot of fun, a lot of food, and a lot of traveling (3700 miles). It’s also an experience that I will treasure and that has more fully shaped my views of agriculture. I know a whole lot more than on May 10 when we flew out.

I also made friends that I never would have made otherwise. Going into this trip, I knew only two people who were going, and not very well. Today, I have eight new friends, friends that I never would have made without Farm. For some reason, 4500 miles in a van can be a great bonding experience!

The real highlights of this trip are the people and the experiences, and they’re very unique to this trip in particular. For one, we stayed with host families. Morris, my host, was wonderful. He opened up his house to us, hosting our daily meals and chatting with us every night when we came back. Staci and Diane, who cooked for us, were also integral to our Iowa experience. They’re some of the nicest women that I have EVER met, and they fed us well. Some might even say too well. They also chatted with us about what we were learning, and they offered up their experiences with whatever subject we were talking about. Staci even planned our trip to the FSA office, where she works. The experiences were also unique to this trip, and they made it all the better. Where else can you meet with a Monsanto lobbyist, make farm fresh cheese, kiss a llama, and hunt morel mushrooms?

One of the things that made this trip different is that I graduated. HN likes to say that we could be in Helsinki or Italy, but we chose Iowa. For me and Hagen, the other graduate, we also could have been anywhere else. I have friends who went to Spain, or spent weeks traveling through California and Oregon, but I chose Iowa.

I chose Iowa because I knew that it would be more important and more useful than a traditional post-graduation trip. I’m very glad I did. Instead of eating and drinking my way through vacation, I learned a lot. I learned that the divide between “conventional” and “sustainable” farmers is incredibly wide, with few working to bridge the gap. I learned that there are several strategies to farm highly erodible land. I learned what highly erodible land even is. I learned that to make mozzarella you stretch the cheese for approximately forever. I learned what a CAFO is. I even went inside one. I learned that ag law is an important and growing field. I learned that sustainable means different things to everyone. Perhaps most importantly, I learned that water quality is a BIG deal and what the Des Moines Waterworks lawsuit was all about.

I wouldn’t change these experiences for the world, and I am grateful for everyone who was involved in this trip, from HN to our hosts and the people we met with. Thanks for making this happen, and maybe I’ll be back one day.

So tranquil was the morning of Friday, May 26th that we met for our daily breakfast around 10:30 AM. It was a delightful morning as we acquired an additional two hours of sleep, so heavily desired after the extensive day that was yesterday. Dianne and Stacy prepared, once again, a delightful meal consisting of breakfast burritos and fruit medley.

After breakfast, we dedicated the remainder of the morning and the beginning of the afternoon to resting and working on our blogs and final projects. It was lovely, to take a moment of rest to reflect on our experiences so far in Iowa.

At 2:00 AM, we ended our relaxation and traveled to POET Ethanol Plant. There we met with Kevin Monroe who gave us a presentation on the process of conducting corn to energy and ethanol as well as the history of the plant.

Today we made the long trek back to Iowa City to meet with Connie Mutel. She is a science writer, and her last book focused on climate change, and how it is affecting our world and how we can fight it. She is an Ecologist by training, and has a deep passion for writing. She combined the two and has become a prolific and successful science writer. She tries to bridge the gap between the general public and science, and hopes that her writings help people better understand different scientific concepts. I can really appreciate what she is trying to do because I also see the gap between science and the general public, but unlike many others she is trying a unique strategy to bridge the gap. She told us a little about her style, and told us more about her latest book.

Connie has written 12 books about different scientific concepts, but her latest is different from all the others. In the past she has just used pure fact to try and win over her audience, but she found that this just attracted the groups of people that already agreed with her position instead of reaching a broader audience. In her newest book she uses stories and experiences that people from all backgrounds would most likely share. She then relates these stories and experiences to scientific fact in a hope to show people that climate change is real and caused by humans. She focuses the book as a story to her youngest granddaughter, and its focused around the area she lives. Also in her presentation she talked about how humans have changed the land scape of Iowa. Connie has tried to fight this change by taking her 12 acre property and turning it back into the it would have been thousands of years ago. This is a rarity in Iowa because only 2% of the land is in its original form. The rest has been transformed to make way for farmlands and for cities. She tied this all together to show just how much humans are changing the world that we live it, and it is having some pretty negative effects. The last thing that she left us with is how to deal with the weight of the negative effects of climate change. She flat out told us that they are extremely depressing, and just dwelling on them can be bad. Instead she told us to focus on how we can work together to fix them, and more importantly how we can get more people on board to help.

Connie was a wonderful person to meet with. Not only did she invite us into her home, but gave up time on a beautiful Memorial Day. What she told us really resonated with me because climate science is one of the reasons why I really got into science, and then also trying to communicate that science to a broader audience is a reason why I got into political science. Her goals really resonated with me, and her approach is very interesting. I think the use of common stories that people can relate with is an excellent starting point. She definitely gave me some ideas of how to try and reach a broader and more diverse audience when trying to talk about science.

Today we got the chance to go to an ethanol plant. Now in Iowa we have heard a lot about ethanol because almost 40% of all the corn grown in the state is turned into ethanol. Ethanol became a huge industry in Iowa after the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) came into effect, and it mandated that a certain number of gallons of ethanol has to be blended into the fuel supply by 2022. This requirement has made ethanol a huge industry, and we got to go a POET ethanol plant. POET is currently the largest ethanol producer in the US and produces almost 50% of all the ethanol in the US.

When we got to the plant we were given a presentation about ethanol. We learned how the corn is ground, then fermented, distilled, dewatered, and finials denatured and shipped out. The whole process is essentially the same as producing producing whiskey, minus the barrel aging and there are a few added steps to make it not safe for human consumption. Now the next movement in ethanol production is cellulosic ethanol. This is ethanol that is made from corn stalks and cobs instead of the traditional corn kernel. This would allow companies to use different sources for ethanol, and it would also help meet the requirements for production set by the RFS. The presentation then went on to dispel some common rumors about ethanol, and how it is fine for car engines and there is no risk of it causing damage in your car. After the presentation we downed safety hats and then got a walking tour of the plant. We got to see all of the processes, and I will say that it was a lot easier then I thought it would be. With all the technology today the whole plant can be run by only 2 operators and 3 engineers from the central control room.

The ethanol plant really hit home a few points about the corn industry. The first is that everything is about the price per bushel. The ethanol plants want it to be cheap and the growers want it to be high, and there is this struggle between both of them. The other is that corn is used in everything. Obviously corn is used to make the ethanol, but then the by products from the process are sold as cattle feed. This just shows a little bit of how complex the chain of selling corn is. The final thing is that innovation drives corn. We saw that technology was changing the way that farmers do almost everything from picking the seed, to planting it, and finally harvesting it. In the ethanol plant they are constantly updating and changing out parts of the process to make it more efficient. The tour really showed how intertwined the ethanol industry is in Iowa.

May 30

When we visited the BioCentury Farms I was nearly convinced we were at Poet or DuPont ethanol plants rather than a research facility with Iowa State. One of the first questions that research manager Andy Suby asked was rhetorical: whether or not we would run out of fossil fuels. Several of us answered immediately, “Yes!” But his response was “not anytime soon.” Suby explained that the goal of the research farm was to find ways to use renewable materials to drive the energy market when prices of fossil fuels are high. Throughout his tour he repeated that the research and development is useless unless it makes money.

            Although I can’t argue against the important role of economic efficiency to our global society, this emphasis was very different from the traditional goals voiced by academic researchers. Even during our visit with Ben and his cooworkers at Iowa state after our tour at BioCentury, the research team joked about the low-pay, public service that characterized their careers. Suby isn’t necessarily profiting directly from the use of biomass to produce energy, but it was shocking how much his lecture focused on the monetary value of their products rather than the environmental value of reducing fossil fuel use and replacing them with renewables. He spoke not about the emissions of fossil fuels vs. switchgrass or corn stover, but of the variety of products the renewable material can be converted into, like butanol, hemoglobin, milk enhanced with omega-3s, and DDGs for cattle feed. His limited attention to the ecological implications of renewables was reasserted with his stated inability to accept climate change as human-exacerbated.

            It does seem the only way to keep academic research funded is through appealing to the market, but researchers have to look beyond answers to present problems and look for sustainable solutions over a much longer timeline. Producing energy from the byproducts of crops that aren’t used up sounds like a great solution for the moment, but what do we do when corn is no longer a viable crop for the state of Iowa? Won’t the demand for stover continue to increase corn production (much like corn syrup) and speed up soil depletion and water nitrification? Before we look for ways to close the gaps in the system (e.g. turning stover to energy), we need to look further into the causes of the gaps (e.g. overproduction of corn) and treat them.

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.

10:30-11:30am- A quick make your own breakfast at Morris’s before we head of to go to the Living History Farms in Des Moines. I had Frosted Flakes which is my favorite blood sugar raising cereal to eat.

11:30-12:30pm- We hit the road for the living history farms. halfway we stop at the gas station where I refuel my 100oz cum and go mug.

12:30-3:00pm- We spend time at the living history farms. The park has a farm from 1700, 1850, and 1900. It was really cool to go through the different eras of farms in Iowa. We also got to ride in a John Deere Tractor as transportation through the park.

3:30-5:45pm- We arrive for a tour of a hippie named Tom. Tom helps milk Kevin Deitzels cows and once kevin gets the cream from his milk, Tom takes the leftover whey and feeds it to his pigs. Tom showed us his free range pigs and chickens. We even got to feed the pigs leftover doughnuts!

5:45-6:30pm- Drive back to the Hay Mound to listen to Ben Kenutzen’s presentation on soil.

10:00pm- We finish the presentation and pass out in our beds.

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Today we went to the Henry A. Wallace house in Des Moines Iowa for an extravagant meal. We were able to actually sit outside the house as a group while all the other guest ate inside. When I first looked at the menu I could not believe my eyes. It was a fanfare of various farm fresh vegetables, and different recipes that I had not even heard of before. Before we ate we were serenaded by the hired entertainment for the night which was a guitarist. He came out to play some for use because he would be inside the rest of the night. He would actually make up song on the spot about South Carolina and coming home to the Carolinas which I thought was super cool. I could never make up music on the spot and just randomly ply it and sing like he did. Every single course of the meal was an adventure. The first course was a farm fresh vegetable sampler with various different vegetables grown at the Henry A. Wallace Farm. It was accompanied by a middle eastern seasoning mix along with grey French sea salt to dip the vegetables in. The vegetables were also accompanied with fresh bread with a minced garlic butter. Our main course was lamb and vegetable meatballs accompanied with root vegetables mixed with ab ancient grain. Desert was a strawberry rhubarb crisp with rhubarb ice cream.

While we ate the meal I could not stop thinking about Henry A. Wallace and the amazing influence he had on American Agriculture. Being able to eat a meal at his home was a great honor for not only myself but the entire group. Wallace was a man ahead of his time. Wallace saw the need for more efficient agriculture while at the same time protecting the soil and conserving the environment. Wallace also believed very much in giving back. This is why he made several trips to central and south America to teach advanced farming methods as a good will tour. I cannot think of a lot of vice presidents I know if that have made a good will tour.

I really wish that Henry Wallace could have become president and of led this country. Unfortunately, party politics usually wins. I am grateful however that Wallace was able to be both a Vice President of the United States, secretary of agriculture. Going to the Wallace center and learning more about Henry A. Wallace inspires me to pursue my goals in life while giving back and leaving the world better off than I left it.

On Sunday, May 21, we had the ability to attend a Practical Farmers of Iowa field day. After being invited by Liz Kolbe, we drove about two hours south, past Des Moines, to Blue Gate Farm in Columbia, Iowa. Blue Gate is owned and operated by the former dramaturgs Jill and Sean Beebout. When we arrived, we were greeted by three friendly dogs and a small crowd of practical farmers. However, this crowd grew to north of thirty as the event progressed through the afternoon. The purpose of these field days is not only to show other practical farmers new methods and exchange ideas between them, but their goal is also to bring the community closer together and ensure that the small group of farmers is well connected.

During this specific field day, we learned about two-wheel tractors. After a short introduction to the farm, how they got into the business, and what these tractors are all about, we went outside to see them up close. In my opinion, the interesting thing about these tractors is how old and inexpensive they are. A new one might run anywhere from one to two thousand dollars, but a used one could be as cheap as one hundred dollars. Most of Jen’s tractors were used, and either picked up at auctions or sold very inexpensively to her. Jen was accompanied by an expert and her friend Jeff Lauber. He also explained everything you needed to know about these tractors. But, maybe more importantly, he briefly explained how and inexpensive two-wheels are to work on and how parts can be purchased from places like amazon.

After their discussion, everyone had the ability to drive a two-wheel tractors. Many patrons quickly jumped at to the opportunity to test drive them, and began asking questions. One question I overheard was from a guy who only had about three acres of workable land. He asked if the tractors required a lot of costly maintenance or if the bulk of the money was spent upfront. Jill reassured him that once you make the initial purchase and get the tractor up and running, as long as you keep it in good shape, there won’t be a problem. This question is very important for farmers who don’t have enough money to buy and make investments in machinery and equipment. Once the serious conversations ended, I had the opportunity use one and experience it myself.

Although most people didn’t stay out in the intense wind too long, we all convened in the barn for some light snacks and talking after the presentation. During this time, many farmers discussed what they had just seen and had the ability to process the demonstrations main takeaways. We also got to eat some delicious home-made cookies along with some cheese and crackers. Most of the farmers seemed to be having a really good time. This was amplified when we took a tour of the farm. On the tour, Jill showed us her high tunnels. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the tunnels and her growing process. We also got to sneak a look at their cheerful alpaca.

The impact of field days put on by groups like Practical Farmers of Iowa are huge. Farmers came from all over the state to see the farm and the demonstrations. Many farmers also had the chance to see if two-wheel tractors are for them. Although I personally didn’t get much practical knowledge out of the event, many participants there did. A forum where small-scale farmers can rebound ideas off each other is huge. Although conventional agriculture doesn’t deal as much in vegetables, small farmers still have a large field to compete with. Their goal is to make the best product possible. With the help of small, local farmers and Practical Farmers of Iowa, many people have real chances to succeed. In part, field days make this dream possible.

Driving my two-wheel tractor.