This morning started with Dalona and me making biscuits and gravy. It was the first time I made it without help, and it was kind of an adventure. It wound up much thicker than normal, but it still tasted pretty good. I hope everyone liked it.

After that, Renee Zoske talked to us about Crop Insurance. She went really in depth and, much like the banker, most of it went over my head. I learned a lot about how much the government does or doesn’t subsidize crop insurance and that regular crop insurance does not cover 100% of a farmer’s crops. Renee was very interactive, though, so it was pretty easy to pay attention.

After a long drive, we arrived at Seed Savers in Decorah. I really enjoyed this place. Basically, the idea was to collect as many rare and old seeds to preserve many diverse breeds of plants. I really liked that their purpose was so pure; they didn’t seem to care hardly at all about money. Our tour guide, Toby, was fun and easy to relate to. Her garden was gorgeous! She decided to create a theme for her garden: foods and plants from different countries focusing on Mexico, Italy (where she spent a year), Korea, and Germany.  It was really creative, and I can see why they hired her in Seed Savers Education Program. Seed Savers also had the very first chicken breed in the United States and a rare breed of cow, Ancient Park Whites. We didn’t get to see the chickens and we only saw the cows from a distance, but they looked huge! They were really pretty, though. I bought a t-shirt and some seeds as my first and probably only Iowa souvenir.

In the second long drive of the day, we watched the movie My Father’s Garden. I was given the task of making the DVD work in the mini-van, and I figured it out!  Although repetitive of what we’ve heard before, I did like it. My favorite part was how they showed the difference between soil that had been sprayed with chemicals and soil from an organic farm. After all this time, I’m finding myself leaning with organic farms. It just seems better all around, for the environment and for the people who eat it.

This morning we woke up really early and drove to Cory Farms, which primarily specializes in grass-fed lamb and beef, though we found out the family is also interested in many other agricultural and non-agricultural pursuits. When we first got to the farm, we went to the barn to milk the goats that they had. While I did not participate in the milking, I watched, and they gave each goat individual attention as they milked it, brushed it, and then let it out back into the pasture. The family drinks the raw milk from the goats, which is an important part of their diet. After milking the goats, we helped pick both rhubarb and asparagus from their organic gardens, which we were to have later as part of our lunch. We then were shown both where they kept their broilers (meat chickens) and egg laying chickens. The broilers were kept in movable coops so that they could be relocated around the pasture, giving time for the grass to replenish itself using the manure from the chickens. The broilers were also fed with a soy-free feed, and they explained that there was a market for chickens raised without soy. Because of this lower protein diet, the chickens do not grow as quickly as conventionally raised chickens. The layers were in a similar movable coop (an egg mobile modeled after the one made famous by Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms in Virginia).  The egg mobile was above ground (unlike the coop designed for the broilers) and had areas for the chickens to lay the eggs. The other large difference was that these chickens could go in and out of the coop during the day as they pleased to roam about the pasture. They were, however. closed in at night to protect them from predators. After seeing the chickens and collecting eggs from them, Tom Cory took us into his shop to talk to us more about the business side of their operation and to show us samples of his meat products. The product that the Corys seemed most excited about was their meat sticks, which are similar to Slim Jims but are made with their grass-fed beef and include no preservatives or additives. We then rode in the van with Tom over to one of his pastures, where there were cattle and sheep grazing. This was the first time we had seen sheep on our trip. We were going over to the pastures to move all of the livestock from one fenced in area to another, and we had to put up a temporary fence around the new area. This is done to minimize the amount that the livestock can graze on to a single plot of land.  The Corys own wetlands, which is where they extract most of the water that the use to water their livestock. On our way back, we noticed a lamb that appeared to be very sick and close to death, so Tom put it in the back of the van to take back to the farm. However, on the way back it died, and many of the other students were upset about it. It was not upsetting to me because animals in the wild die of disease all the time and this lamb died naturally. It is bizarre to me that people can be saddened by a lamb dying naturally but can continue to support the systematic raising of animals to be killed by supporting the meat industry. The last thing we did before lunch at the Corys was to help in their garlic plot by laying down cardboard and composted mulch to keep the weeds from growing up in between the plant rows. At this point, we went inside to eat and to hear Mary talk about how she views food as a medicine and how she believed that eating correctly can help to prevent sickness. When her family did get sick, Mary promoted the idea of home remedies to heal the ailments rather than taking her children to the doctor. I really respect this outlook on health, as I feel that people are too quick to medicate themselves and trust in pharmaceutical companies when our bodies have the means of healing themselves. Also Mom if you read this the Corys are largely influenced by Joel Salatin’s ideas.  The Corys even generously gave the program one of his books and have attended seminars at Polyface and hosted him at their farm.

After we left the Cory Farm we went to Lincolnway Energy, which is an ethanol plant. While there we learned all about the different processes that go into the production of ethanol and were able to see them happening during our tour of the plant. We also talked a little bit about government policy, as our tour guide was worried about what the new Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) would do to the ethanol industry. His answer to those who criticize the ethanol industry for being too dependent on government support is that oil is subsidized even more than ethanol by the federal government.

When I first heard we were going to the Cory Farm I was excited but did not think it was going to be THAT different from the other small unconventional farms we had already visited. Wow, how wrong I was. The first thing that I noticed was different was how prepared they were for our visit. Tom Cory was clearly not the type of person to merely stand idly by and chat. As soon as we got there we had a variety of farm chores to contribute to while Tom told us all about his family’s unique perspective on food. I had barely finished the (much needed) cup of coffee he had generously offered before part of our group was out milking goats, harvesting a patch of asparagus, tending the chickens, working in the pasture with the sheep and cattle, and finally working in the garden.

The Cory Farm business’s focus was clearly on producing high quality all-natural animal products. This aligned with their dietary beliefs that lauded the health benefits of pasture raised meat, raw milk, fermented foods, and animal fats such as butter. Since their business model and deeply held convictions on health were predominantly centered around animal products I was surprised by how accepting the Cory’s immediately were about my vegan diet. Neither Tom nor Mary seemed to even question my dietary choices, although I know for certain that they disagree with them strongly. This was in stark contrast to some of my other experiences with people involved in animal agriculture who while emphasizing their tolerance of other people’s choices still found a way to work in how their way was the right way and why I was deluded. They even went as far as to leave the butter off some of the side items of our lunch even though it is apparent how much they value the health benefits of putting butter on most everything. While this came as a pleasant surprise, I suspect that certain more radical aspects of their diet and lifestyle choices (such as the fermented foods and homeopathic remedies) have probably accustomed them to criticism and given them a sensitivity to these issues.

Tom Cory spoke a lot about freedom and liberties, specifically applying them to the context of food production methods. While he obviously held firm convictions that are opposed to conventional agriculture methods he still asserted that there was room for all passions, interests, personal choices. He made this point by comparing the food industry to a table where he just wants a place.  While many places we had visited such as Iowa Pork, Iowa corn growers, Summit Farms, and others had claimed that the ideal system is one where organic and all natural practices exist alongside current conventional practices I kind of got the feeling that they were just saying that without really meaning it. But it seemed to me that the Corys truly believed in this respect for individual freedoms and choice and they acted consistently in living out this belief. The highlight of my time with the Corys were hanging out with their youngest daughter and learning about homeopathic remedies. I was fascinated by Mary’s home-made medicines and have wanted to one day do something similar. She had a comprehensive book on the subject called where she said she had gotten many of her recipes and advice and I was really interested in purchasing the book, but when I mentioned it to her she gave me a copy she had gotten for free. I’ve already read through a lot of it and have learned a lot and been inspired to pursue homeopathic remedies whenever possible.

Mary explaining her homeopathic remedies! (also, note how she looks like she drinks from the fountain of youth)

Me and my new friend!

Our visit to the ethanol plant also got me thinking more about the vast amount of cornfields that seem to make up the vast majority of Iowa agriculture. We discussed with Jesse the issues surrounding the fact that 1/2 of all corn grown becomes ethanol. I have mentioned in previous blogs my skepticism of the mono-crop system but only focusing on the part of corn that goes to animal feed and corn syrup rather than ethanol. I did now know that much about ethanol before today but had head previously doubts about its sustainability and efficiency, particularly in its water use. Our guide Jesse did a lot to help clear this up for me by explaining how the water was reused, as well as pointing out the oil companies interest in promoting critiques of ethanol production as it takes away 10% of their market. Jesse was very honest in saying that he did not personally believe that corn is the most efficient plant to use for biofuel but that Iowa was just using what they were already good at growing rather than changing their entire way of doing things. I still do not approve of the mono-crop system but my time at the ethanol plant made me consider how producing so much of one thing could potentially help alleviate our energy crisis and reduce our reliance on oil.

5:30 A.M. is when our day began as we ventured our way down to the Cory Farm. The first thing we participated in was the milking of the goats. It was a skill to squeeze the utter just right but as soon as I got it down, it was very easy. You have to squeeze at the upper part and bring that pressure down with the rest of your hand so it goes out. It was cool to do, and the goat was very calm. The next thing we did was move the fence so that the sheep and cattle could graze in a new area of the pasture. They move the fence daily, so the sheep and cows have new grass to eat as well as to keep all of the land fertilized. It was easy to move and was also electrically charged at 4, which Mr. Cory, our host said keeps the predators out. The way he moved the sheep from one area to another was awesome. He just called, “Sheep, sheep, sheep” and the whole herd came running towards him. It was like he was a sheep whisperer. Once they were moved, we went to the wet land part of the land and took some water out of the ground to water the sheep and cattle, since there is no other source of water for the animals in the pasture. The animals drink about 300 gallons a day, so they had to make sure they had enough water daily because the heat was so strong and their was no shade available. Once all of this was done we laid some baled hay down for them to munch on because they aren’t used to an all-grass diet just yet, and we took a sick lamb out of the field. It was so sad listening to it cry in pain because it couldn’t breath with the respiratory issue it was having. Tom said it was a twin and must not have developed right in the womb. When we got back to the house, it had unfortunately died. It was really sad. After the animals, it was time to work in the garden. We laid down cardboard, and topped it with mulch compost to keep the weeds from growing. I had never seen this practice before, but they said in a few months it would all be gone. Finally it was time for lunch and a break from the heat. We went inside and ate the asparagus we picked earlier that morning along with lamb chops, bread, and potatoes. The sides were good, but I did not eat the lamb. The fermented vegetables were not my favorite either. They were big on the idea that we should not eat processed food and wanted to distance themselves from all additives in food. They mentioned that gluten was in every item in the grocery store except the laundry aisle. Also, as we know from King Corn, high fructose corn syrup is in many items as well. They ensured that their children ate healthy and natural and did not want them having foods that were processed. They told us that they had more energy and felt better than they had been before when they had the normal food which is what the people from Fed Up said as well. I thought it was also interesting the home remedies that they had. They have done a lot of research and reading about what to mix and what naturally works to heal the body. I thought that was cool and something you don’t see too often. I will definitely try some of the home remedies if I get the chance or for some minor things, but if anything major happens I will for sure be going to the hospital. The Cory family seemed very on top of things and very busy as well. I liked visiting their farm, but wish we had a little more time just to talk. I was curious about their views on natural death and other things, but i did enjoy the time there.

The next thing we did was go to the ethanol plant. We learned the steps that were involved in turing corn into ethanol. It seemed similar to the biodiesel plant though. He went through the steps from corn to ethanol and: you grind up the corn, mix it with water, add enzymes to break down the starch, disk the mill, so the liquid goes through and pulls out the fiber, then they grind it, do the process of liquefaction to let the sugar break up the enzymes, ferment it, add yeast and enzymes to create sugar that the yeast will consume. Next they ferment it, distill it, purify it, and remove the 5% excess water, and lastly add natural gas to poison it so there is not trouble with people trying to steal 200 proof alcohol. It was cool to see the all the steps involved and to stand on the corn grate. All in all it was a busy day, but a neat one.

Also, we stopped at the store and got Kombucha. It is an acquired taste, but not necessarily bad. The only thing that was a little weird is you cannot shake it. I thought it was good to try and will try to get my taste buds more acquired to the taste because it is so good for you.

I was really excited to go check out Blue Gate farms because even though we had been to two other small organic farms this was the only one who made the trek to Des Moines every Saturday morning to participate in the Farmers Market. It was really great to have Jill and Sean tell us how they had gone from being in the theatre to farming. Their story  was inspiring and reaffirmed the message that if you find something you are passionate about you should not be discouraged by not having any previous experience. Jill and Sean, with a lot of willpower and sweat, were able to go from knowing nothing about farming to owning a few really impressive acres of produce, herbs, alpacas, chickens, and bees. But they also acknowledged how in reality their dream could not have been realized if they didn’t have family who already owned the land they farm.

One of the most important guiding values that Sean and Jill held were the importance of being forward thinking, and always having a 10 or 20-year plan rather than a one or five year one. They also told a story that showed how this value was reflected within their own family. In the last years of his life Jill’s grandfather took the time to plant an entire fruit orchard that he knew he would never see, knowing that these trees would benefit future generations. These values also go hand in hand with their environmental ethic and how they believe that the way they farm is the best way to be a steward to the land, and ensure it is around for generations to come. I really appreciated their perspective on this and agreed with them that many conventional agriculture practices are poisoning and degrading the land.

While it was obvious that they were extremely passionate I did not understand how they managed to accomplish everything they had done on that farm, at least not without never sleeping. Jill also told us about some of the crazy hurdles they had to overcome over the ten years they had been farming. These included floods, fires, tornadoes, and a chemical spray incident that killed or infected a lot of their produce. The worst part of all this was that being a vegetable farm they receive no crop insurance or government subsidy and rely solely on their own methods of minimizing their risk. This was a good reality check that showed the non-idyllic side of life on a small organic farm. But Jill and Sean seemed to be in high spirits and were anticipating that in their tenth year they might for the first time make a profit and be able to at least partially replenish their depleted savings account.

Being a huge fan of the idea of farmers markets and purchasing local, fresh, and organic produce I was excited to finally have the chance to talk to farmers who chose to go to farmers markets. The other two organic farms we visited chose not to participate in Farmers Markets because the costs outweighed the benefits.  Jill and Sean had a very different outlook and considered their farmers market customers to be some of their most loyal supporters and the backbone of their community, which serve as the greatest motivation for what they are doing. I really liked how they invoked the importance of building community when describing what motivated them to invest so much in farmers markets. I think that community is one of the most important values we can have as humans, and I hope to one day find a community as fulfilling as the one Jill and Sean have found.

Today, we got to experience some of the true marks of being a farmer: rising before the sun and witnessing the death of a farm animal.  We began the morning by leaving the house at 6:00 in the morning to travel to milk goats at the Cory Family Farm, run by Tom and Mary Cory.  Devotees of the Joel Salatin approach to farming, the Corys seek to have a more holistic and sustainable approach to farming and raise grass-fed, pasture-raised, no added antibiotic and hormone poultry, sheep, goats, and cows.

Our first activity was to milk goats, and I will admit that I think I don’t have fingers fit for milking.  I never achieved a strong stream, so the son had to move things along and take over, so the goat didn’t get impatient.  Tom then took us to see how they raise their chickens.  The chickens that were to become meat, called broilers, were kept in a coop that could be moved to any spot in the pasture.  This was to keep the chickens from completely obliterating the area underneath their feet by both overfeeding and pooping everywhere.  The layers, however, were also kept in “chicken mobiles” that were raised higher off the ground.  The final activity was moving the sheep and cows from one pasture to another and setting an electric fence.  Apparently, sheep get very used to moving from field to field and only need a loud cry of “Sheep!” to get moving.  The stampede of lambs and mothers was overwhelmingly cute and almost awe-inspiring. However, we had a moment of sadness when Dr. HN and Cecily found a sick lamb. Tom told us that he had respiratory problems that may have developed into pneumonia, so we decided to bring him home to see if Tom could nurse it back to health.  We placed him in the back part of the van for the way home.  After a few minutes of thrashing and labored breathing, we arrived back at the farm to discover that it must have died only minutes ago.  As Dr. HN, Tom, and Delona told us, “That’s part of farm life.  You get sad and maybe even cry a little, but you move on.”

Another reason why we visited the Corys was because of their unique lifestyle and diet. Their goal is to have the most “natural” life possible, avoiding the overuse of antibiotics and processed foods.  They largely orient their diet around three main rules, loosely based on biblical values: 1) it must have been created as a food in nature, 2) it must be consumed in the most natural, un-modified form possible, and 3) you cannot hold the food higher than God.  The said it was a very “common sense” approach towards nutrition, and they, therefore, stay away from processed and non-natural foods as much as possible.  Although I can’t lend much to the third rule because I’m not very religious, I can see the merits in the first two.  Throughout the course, we’ve sometimes discussed how some diets are more anthropologically founded, rather than stressing specific scientific qualities.  By this, I am referring to diets that seek a return to human diets as based in history before the advent of modern Western innovations in food, especially relating to processed foods.  One aspect that the Corys were particularly enthusiastic about is fermented foods.  Fermented foods have proven to be very high in probiotics, which are beneficial to intestinal and digestive help by incorporating new and healthier gut bacteria in the small intestine.  I had never had much of a taste for pickled foods.  However, after reading up on some of their highlighted dishes, including kombucha, kimchi, kefir, and other pickled vegetables, I think I may be open to trying a few more dishes.  It may take a while to get used to because after consuming a heavy dose a fermented veggies, my stomach was not too happy.

We also visited Lincolnway Energy, an ethanol plant in Nevada, IA.  Ethanol is another important and relevant corn-based product, as it is a renewable resource that can be used to offset some of our reliance on foreign oil.  Ethanol is created by a fermentation and distillation process not unlike making whiskey.  As compared to the biodiesel plant, I was a little more familiar with the process after touring many whiskey distilleries in Scotland.  Because of Iowa’s dependence on corn and current controversies on mass corn production and sustainable agriculture, ethanol producers are yet another important actor in agricultural politics.  The biggest issue that faces the ethanol industry is the proposed reduction in the Renewable Fuel Standard–the EPA-set minimum volume of renewable fuel that must be mixed in transportation fuel.  Naturally, the oil lobby is the biggest proponent for the reduction and therefore the opponent of the ethanol.  As Jesse, our guide, said, “When another industry takes away 10% of your market share, you would want to ensure that you get it back or at least stop them from gaining any more of your market.”  However, in addition to lobbying for reductions in the RFS, some oil companies are actually buying ethanol plants, gaining back control of some of their market.  Jesse left us by asking us to look at the “real” cost of oil and gas, or how much subsidies play into the oil industry’s hands and making us less willing to explore other fuel sources.

Where to even begin?

I will start with the movie Farmland. I thought it was a good portrayal of farmers, and I know it was made to change their public image because that is something they really care about. The public is very uninformed about what its like to be a farmer, what they do, and where food comes from, so I am glad they are trying to inform the public as well as create a good image of the farmer. The movie was very family based which is something that is a huge motif here. Every farm we have been to has told us about the family history of the land and how much help they have gotten from their family. It is great to see such strong ties and how the family really is the center of life here. Another thing that it accurately portrayed was the amount of work that goes into farming. It is a lot of hard work as well as the knowledge you need to succeed. The movie did mention how they many of those featured in the film left the farm for college and then returned to pursue farming. I thought it was interesting, and I was very proud that I knew everything happening because we already had learned about it or done it ourselves.

The next thing to mention would be the Blue Gate Farm, which is an organic farm run by Jill and Sean. The farm is 100% chemical free, and there are 52 members in Blue Gate’s CSA. Jill and Sean also do farmers markets, which is different from the other organic farms we have visited such as Table Top. I asked them if the time and effort that goes into the markets are worth it, and she said absolutely yes! They do farmers markets to keep their name out there in the minds of people, to keep them visible as well as to know their customers. They get to create a strong relationship with the community when they go to the Farmers Market and they get to sell the extra stuff that is left over after CSA boxes go out. They also mentioned that the customer feedback has done a lot for their farm. One customer recommended that Jill make a jam, and it has become their most popular online jam. Like many farmers, they were also connected to their family and that is why they have the land to farm. Even though they are surrounded by their family farms, they were still effected by a pesticide overspray incident coming from the neighboring land. Jill’s Uncle had hired a guy to spray for him while he was away and the pesticide applicator was unaware that Jill and Sean’s farm followed organic principles.  Moreover, he sprayed on a windy day, which was illegal, and as a result of this incident their vegetables on that portion of the farm were affected.  They had lots of concerns, among them how to communicate with their CSA members; while they offered to buy out the shares of their members, only one member took them up on that offer.  However, their customers stayed loyal to them throughout the tough year and that really says something good about the community feel here in Iowa.

Today we went to the Hardin County Extension Office, which is more or less the campus of Iowa State in Hardin County, and we learned that there are people in every state there to help you when you have questions. They range anywhere from how to remove stains to how to raise a child to how to take care of crops. It seems like a very practical and useful resource. I had never heard about these, but can already see how beneficial they are. The information was endless and they really seemed to care about the community, which I liked.

When we talked to the government people I found it interesting that they were the last to find out what the regulations were on the new Farm Bill. She mentioned reading about the changes in the law in her husband’s farming magazines before she knew the fate of a particular rule, which was very concerning. I would want the people helping me out to be the first people informed.

The next thing we did was talk to Phil Kramer, who is field representative with Niman Ranch. He was very informative on how the company operates and how much they have animal welfare at its heart. They seemed like a strong company who focused on the farmer, not just their business. I thought it was great that they held a yearly farmers’ dinner and also gave scholarships to their kids. It was a company with the right intentions I felt. The way they treated pigs also seemed to be very humane and better than the confinements. I liked that they were able to be outside, and they had room to roam around. The only concern I had was the manure management. They had no specific regulations as a company, but ensured they follow the government ones. I do think they treat their farmers well as well as the pigs and would support them if I saw their product in the stores. However, I understand that this practice is not reasonable for all companies to do because there just is not enough land. I am not opposed to confinements as long as the pigs are cared for and treated with respect. They have come a long way in improving the hog barns, and I hope they continue to do so.

The last session of the day was talking to Denny and Caleb Knutson (the elderly neighbor of the Neubauers) about tiling. Before, when tiling was mentioned I thought of the bathroom floor, but now I know it is a water drainage system set up under the ground in Iowa to make it possible to farm the historic wetlands of North Central Iowa. Caleb also told us it was not originally done so farmers could plant row crops; rather, the wetlands needed to be converted to grow grass for cattle. Also, the amount of labor it took to do these before was very intensive, and Denny and Caleb mentioned that the original tiles were put in by immigrants who drank heavily.  Now it is very easy to do; you just use a machine. The tile has changed as well. It used to be foot long clay circles with a diameter of about 6″, but now they are plastic and about 18″ in width. There are slits in this plastic so the water can leak through unlike before when it just went through the cracks. There has been such improvement in farming and it was fun to hear them laugh about old times. My favorite story was that they used to go buy dynamite and stick it on big rocks to blow them up and so they could pick them up to take them off the farm land. It was really nice getting the information from such experts and people who really have been around to see significant changes in farming.

Sorry for the temporary absence.  For the past two days, we’ve gotten back relatively late, and Dr. HN let us move back our blog posts.  How nice of him!

After a long day learning about cattle operations, we traveled to Des Moines to catch the one-night showing of Farmland, a documentary about the challenges of young farmers.  I went into the theater knowing that it was sponsored by Big Ag companies, but I think the film did alright about not having an overt propaganda-style production.  However, I did notice a few things that made me question a little about the film’s intent.  Past the sappy score, I came to the conclusion that the film was very shallow in terms of its informational depth and kind of “Disney-fied.”  There were lovely images of rolling farmland and hardworking individuals, but they only briefly mentioned some controversial issues, such as animal abuse and GMOs.  The film didn’t delve into any of the more intricate criticisms of agriculture or the food system that other films, such as Food Inc, King Corn, and Fed Up, sought to advertise.  By only interviewing farmers, I recognized that the film sought to humanize “Big Ag” practices without actually mentioning any company or group associated with Big Ag (although I did notice a lot of John Deere).  Here is a film review that goes into further detail about the film and that I fully agree with.

The next day, we got to visit Summit Farms, a very large scale conventional farm.  They prepared a presentation on their business and practices, most of which I didn’t completely understand. I really should have taken a business or another economics class at Furman, but that didn’t happen.  They largely manage row crops, beef and pork in several states, and definitely subscribe to a “feed the world” mentality, but I’m sure the lucrative business aspects factor greatly in its expansion.  While large agribusiness corporations like Summit do and should have the rights to function in society, they are largely attacked by many small and family farms and local food groups for their practices.  The presentation included a table of how many lands they have found for sale (gathered by ads on craigslist, farmers newspapers, estates sale announcements, et cetera), how many were evaluated, how many were given an offer, and finally how many were actually bought.  Farmer Denny and his friend, Caleb Knuttson (who is 90 years old and whose aunt died a few months ago at 110) were not too fond of Summit Farms.  Their overall criticism described as, “When does it end?” Denny said that Summit has specialists in laws and practices or real estate and inheritance, and as soon as a farmer dies, they will be right on the doorsteps of the heirs.  Denny doubts that the employees of Summit can answer that question as well.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to actually tour the farm facilities.  I would have liked to observe the operations of the large farms as compared to the small(-er) family-run farms that we’ve visited so far.  After all, Summit operates 20,000 acres over three states.

The reason why we had to leave so quickly is that Dr. HN got an email from a farmer that he has been trying to contact for days.  They were only available for today, but there was the small problem of their farm being two and a half hours away.  Because that day was actually going to be a slow day, we decided to go for it.  Blue Gate Farm is a small CSA and certified naturally grown farm that has vegetables, chickens, and…alpacas!  I thought they did a wonderful job at describing the issues with being a small farm trying to make it in the world.  They were only a few years old and only recently started making a profit.  They claimed that their key to success was nonstop marketing and self-reliance, recognizing a need to build a strong, reliable customer base.  However, I am growing more convinced that even despite the call for more people to join in on the farming industry, it is practically impossible to start a farm unless you were born into a farming family or have a tremendous amount of capital to offset the initial inputs.  Every person that we’ve visited either went straight into farming on their own family farm or came back to farming on land that was given to them by family members.  Blue Gate’s Jill and Sean were no exception.  Even though they were theater majors and worked for most of their lives managing plays and other productions (including Wrestlemania of all things), they moved from Texas to Iowa to start farming on Jill’s grandfather and uncle’s acreage.

Today, we stopped by the FSA (Farm Services Agency) office to talk to representatives of the FSA, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the USDA Rural Development Office, and the Iowa State Extension Office.  First, we met with Rich Wragle from Iowa State Extension.  As I learned today, each state has a land-grant school that has an “extension service” that focuses on four main areas: 4-H youth development, economic and community development, agriculture and natural resources, and human sciences.  Basically, they have the answers to life, the universe, and everything.  If they can’t help you, they at least point you to someone who can.  Rich especially stressed that the extension office works to serve the community by forming partnerships with other entities, including municipalities, the university, and non-profits.  Here is Clemson’s Extension.  The representatives of the other offices, all parts of the USDA, gave us a rundown of the main programs that applied to farmers, including how to receive farm subsidies and loans, sustainable energy programs, and value-added product grants (value-added means irreversible modifications to a base product that adds value to the end product).

We also met with a representative of Niman Ranch,  a pork purchaser that focuses on humane and traditional livestock raising.  Their approach to raising pigs is no antibiotics, no added hormones, all vegetarian diet, outside access with shade, and large, padded huts.  Pigs raised in this manner apparently have very high quality and tasty meat.  Niman contracts with farmers across the U.S., and requires them to raise pigs in this manner to then sell them to their buyers.  Their biggest buyers are Whole Foods, Chipotle, and high-end or naturally-raised oriented restaurants.  However, Chipotle has expanded so quickly and demands so much meat that Niman can’t contract enough farmers to keep up!  Although they were all about natural products, it seemed to be more about filling a niche market that demands humane treatment, rather than concern about the environment. They use GMO corn in their feed (which most producers out of cost savings, anyway) and they only require that their farmers follow the local and national environmental regulations.  It was kind of an interesting turn because all of the other “alternative” farms that we’ve visited had some kind of pro-environment and/or local foods enthusiasm ingrained in their daily operations.

Things today were a bit early at 6, but it was a fun day. We went to a sustainable farm where the farmer, Tom Cory, raises grass-fed beef, chickens, goats, and lamb. The Corys didn’t seem to be organic or anything like that, but they didn’t feed soy meal like most people, and they didn’t grow GMOs on their small farms. They had a lot of out-of-the-box things that I found interesting, such as using wetland area near their pastures to serve as a well for their grazing animals (sheep and cattle). For their chickens, they had a mobile pen and egg barn so that they could graze, but still remain safe from predators. An interesting middle ground for cage free, since it was a decent size and had open sun and open ground access, but not completely open. Personally, they also didn’t believe in vaccinating (children or animals), and tried to live without processed foods. It became clear that they supported gut health and probiotics like fermented foods, which is something I knew nothing about and found a bit interesting. They also made some home remedies out of things like activated charcoal and essential oils as well as animal broth. They were really good people, and although their ideas are a bit out of the ordinary they seem to work for them and that’s their belief/choice. I can say that the vast majority of medicines are naturally based and charcoal is still used as a detox in hospitals so there is definitely some merit to the ideas.

It was the first farm with a system I had seen before with composting, mulching, and animal rotations through their grazing ground. Interestingly they pointed out that they wanted a blend of grasses for the animals so that both the area is more resilient, but also so the animals have a varied diet which means varying nutrients. Resilience comes from this system since the different grasses are each suited to different climates and nutrient loads, so even if either of those shift at least one of the grasses will still do well. The fact that the animals get that varied diet is something we haven’t heard yet, and I’ve thought about it myself before so I find merit in it for either grass-fed or feed stock animals (who get hay, DDGS, soymeal, and sometimes corn to have a similar effect). We also got to milk goats here which was fun, but by noon when we stopped working I think the majority of the group was a bit exhausted since we were helping out more than we have before and even though I was tired I was glad we were able to be a bit more hands on with the Cory family. Sadly this was also our first-hand experience with death on a farm as we tried to haul a weak sheep to the farm, so it could get a bit more attention and it actually died during the drive. It was apparently born with a bit of a respiratory issue and left to graze since it was initially doing better, but had recently been much weaker. Our professor said its a normal part of the farm, albeit an unpleasant one. Everything gets sick or dies occasionally and with the number of animals any livestock farmer has, some are going to die before being sold.

Next today was the ethanol plant which was very similar to the biodiesel one. The main difference other than the majority of the details in the process was that instead of starting with the byproduct of animal feed (the biodiesel plant used soy oil from making soymeal), the ethanol plant made animal feed as the byproduct of production along with things like corn oil and some CO2 (which they cooled to liquid, bottled, and sold instead of emitted). As a sustainability major I’ve had some issue with taking nutrients in the form of stalks and leaves to be made into fuel (cellulosic ethanol), but the guide said that there has been research to say how much can be removed without detriment to the soil (30%). I still feel it’s not the best use of resources seeing as how much goes into making the corn, but that’s my personal belief. One discussion my friends and I have had about ethanol is how inefficient it is with corn and how nonsensical it is to put so much energy and resources into a crop for fuel instead of using something less intensive like algae, kudzu, switchgrass, or something else quick growing and low maintenance (whereas corn requires lots of water, lots of spraying, lots of nutrients, and lots of attention). The person we toured with said that the main reason is that the two options for ethanol were to build for the most effective materials like sugar cane or switchgrass, or to build for what’s available which is corn. They can and sometimes do other grains with very little change to the equipment, and he said he believed cellulosic would slowly transition to other plants, but there’s no real market for the others so they don’t do it for the others yet. Interestingly I also learned that some plants make oils which are suitable for biodiesel like algae whereas others are high starch (which means high sugar possibilities, high alcohol possibilities) like switchgrass, and they can’t really be used vice versa easily. He also said biodiesel already is making progress towards these other fuel sources, and I’ve heard that other countries suited to better crop plants like Brazil with sugar cane do use these other sources for ethanol. I still prefer the possibilities with other types of renewable fuels which don’t rely on agricultural nutrients to any extent, such as http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/brainstuff/invention-hydrocarbon-fuels-produced-directly-from-solar-energy/ or hydrogen if we could improve the technology. Electric vehicles also have future potential assuming the resources needed to build them are able to meet the demand. These could be especially successful in conjunction with renewable ideas like https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/solar-roadways#description, http://crowdenergy.org/ocean-energy-press-release/, http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/wave-power-farm-sets-sail/, and the dozens of other renewable energy projects going on (a fellow sus major, and I recently discussed some of these via Facebook which is why I knew so many).

Well, since we’re a bit off with blogging I’m starting with yesterday this time. The only thing we did yesterday was to visit a fairly large (by my standards, small by Iowa standards) organic farm. Blue Gate Farm is a mom-and-pop type business that is ten years old. They grow multiple vegetables, asparagus, herbs, fruits, and berries plus they hunt for mushrooms and wild berries. On top of that, they pasture-raise chickens and two alpacas as well as house bees. As such they have a lot of variety in their CSA and also have several different products that they make for customers to use. Between syrups, honeys, jams, and wool that they sell on top of veggies, they’ve only had minor issues. Apparently legislation considers anything non-fruit or berry not jam so they can’t legally sell herb syrups anymore. This is a small annoyance due to regulatory changes, but they still offer a wide variety and have worked about their program in a very smart way. They have two high tunnels for plants as well as three plots of plants, all of which have similar plants just in case one plot fails. They actually relied on this strategy one year when a neighbor’s herbicide spraying blew into their garden, causing them to lose their all natural certification for three years and actually killing off a considerable portion of their crop! The two of them have explained how long it takes to build he soil to really produce a lot this way and how long it can be before you can create your market with people and a brand they trust. Jill and Sean, the farmers, started by renting a portion of family land and have relied on these 40 acres which includes pasture and alfalfa hay pasture that they sell, for their livelihood. They were incredibly tidy, healthy looking, and seemingly forward thinking. They planted fruit trees and asparagus without any immediate gain, but once they start producing they’ll continue for years and years. Their rotations and how they plant all seem to me as a way to prepare for the end season and future seasons just as much as getting the current one setup. They also show their appreciation to their customers with a big get together of food and friends once a year, and the neighbors are invited too! In 2013, 1300 people showed up at their farm for the event.  This is probably the most impressive organic garden we’ve seen yet, and checking out their Facebook page is definitely recommended!

Now then, today we went to the FSA (farm services agency) and it’s extended agencies, talked about an animal welfare farm called Niman Ranch, and learned about tiling in Iowa.

At FSA we talked about the rural development program, FSA, and the Iowa extension office. To be honest, the FSA talk went a good bit over my head. It was talk about policies around agriculture and how they support them financially and through different subsidy-like programs. They have a number of different loans, but most importantly from this talk was that it became that recent farm bills have changed the status quo considerably. Each change in the farm bill has caused a change for them in how they operate and what they have to do while also forcing them to explain these changes to the farmers. Rural development was self explanatory and offered many programs to support the growth and development of these areas. They even offered 40-year loans to some areas for low- income necessities like schools. The most interesting for me of the three was the extension office. They are an outreach of the land grant university of the state (NC State, Clemson, etc. mainly THE state school) and offer support, classes, and information on just about everything. Every state has at least one and they can do anything from offer information based on facts about how to garden, who to call for information on social security, or simpler things like sewing or removing stains! They seemed like a fact-based, research-backed info-center and that idea just seemed very intriguing to me, especially since I’d never heard of anyone using it!

Next in the day was hearing about Niman ranch, primarily its pork products. It was a good introduction to their antibiotic free, hormone free, cage free pork. Although it is pretty self explanatory, one thing we seemed to agree on as a group was that he seemed to focus more on marketing a product that people want and which is healthy without chemicals. They also had practices like tail cutting, which they avoided to keep the animals happy and pain free. Environment wasn’t something the company disregarded, but it didn’t seem to be its primary goal either (although they do achieve some benefits with their operation over conventional animal agriculture). I honestly just find it interesting to see so many different niche food markets with health-oriented, environment-oriented, animal-welfare oriented, and price oriented food (conventional). This isn’t to say that people fit into one of these and do nothing for the others, but most people seem to focus on or at least advertise one of these more than the other three. I think different people have different priorities and whether it is founded that the food being grown differently provides the benefit (i.e., are antibiotic free pigs necessarily healthier? Doesn’t this put the animals at some higher risk and thus trade animal welfare for health?). I just find it interesting that there isn’t just different brands of porkchop or carrots, but there’s all natural, organic, antibiotic free, free range, hormone free, cage free, etc. Its great to have food that prioritizes what you do, but it’s also confusing with so many labels and what their definitive benefits might be or in some cases what the labels even mean (ie. greenwashing is using an environmental label incorrectly for market benefit. Cage free can mean confined indoors with room, ranging openly, or not caged for only part of their life. Some labels have no regulation as to what they mean!).

Lastly we learned about tiling for drainage. Simply put, this is burying pipe with enough room between pipes for water to seep in, but not soil. This way the wetlands of Iowa (originally they’d were prairie-wetlands) can be useful to agriculture. Of course there are arguments about where you should direct the flow, whether you can connect your tile to a neighbors, etc. most of these issues were governmentally fixed by creates incentives to cooperate with neighbors to form drainage district groups and to enforce rules about following the natural waters flow. It’s interesting to know the iconic flatlands of Iowa would naturally have all been grassy marshland until people made it something useful for them though.