Six students arrived at Neubauer Family Farms today to begin their adventure in learning about agriculture practices, policies, and politics.  The students are a rare breed–ones who are willing to take a chance on an out-of-the-box experience.  Living in close quarters for three weeks in an old Iowa farmhouse, getting dirty on a regular basis, and hearing their professor wax nostalgic, requires a certain constitution, but the six students have already demonstrated they have the right stuff and in sufficient measure.  We managed to get everyone (and the luggage) in the mini-van, even though it required a certain amount of flexibility and patience on the part of the members.

The project of bringing students to the farm that I own with my brother and sister is largely a labor of love made possible by the many kindnesses shown to me by my brother, Denny, and sister-in-law, Karla, and my nephew, Scott.  As in the past, we have many neighbors involved in sharing their stories of life in an agricultural community, and this year, we’ve added our neighbor, Dalona Fiscus, as our cook.   She prepared a wonderful meal of spaghetti, French bread, and peaches.

The students also watched a video on Henry A. Wallace, who was the architect of the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA), the first farm bill and who would have a storied career as a plant geneticist, public servant, and presidential aspirant in 1948.  Wallace is an Iowa icon, and so it seemed appropriate that we would begin our journey into modern day agriculture by considering the person who brought us the first commercialized version of hybrid seed corn and whose work as Secretary of Agriculture profoundly shaped life on the farm and that of farmers since the New Deal.

Wow. How is it even possible to contextualize the information overload I have received over the past three weeks? Honestly, I don’t know. I can say, however, that I think I have learned more in the past three weeks than I have in my whole two years at Furman. The amount of knowledge I’ve gained in the field of agriculture really is fascinating. I attribute that information influx to the “hands-on” nature of Farm. I will say that living on a farm is tough work as well. I don’t admit to many things, but I will admit to how naïve I was prior to my journey to Iowa. I was convinced that there were issues and controversies surrounding agriculture, but I was not yet convinced that it took smart people and intelligent conversations to solve these problems. My naïve self was fully invested in the ideal image of what a farmer in the Midwest is. Pictured with a pitchfork in hand, and riding a tractor, the practical farmer to me never needed to be very intelligent. Let me tell you, boy was I wrong. People I encountered had not only one degree, but many had a few degrees in agriculture. These people’s lives depend on their production. It’s what drives them to want to wake up every morning. Leaving Iowa, I’ve come away with a sense that no one is evil in this agricultural game. There are two sides to every equation, and I think neither side is completely right or completely wrong. Where do I stand after three weeks? The answer is complicated. I don’t really know. Why? Although I lived on a large-scale production agriculture farm, I still am not convinced that every farmer should adopt this type of agriculture. Why do I think more and more people are? It is quite simple. It is where the money is. With corn at record high prices, why would a farmer not want to produce as much as he possibly could to make a profit? It is simple economics: lower the input costs and increase the profit margins. From extended presentations with large-scale agriculture representatives to personal visits to small-scale agriculture farms, I saw just about every type of agriculture possible in Iowa. It was a whole different world. The people spoke slowly, the weather changed quickly, and the ways of life varied greatly. However, I had a wonderful time. It will forever be an experience I will not forget.

I awoke this morning to the smell of fresh bacon again. Honestly, that scent really never gets old. But, waking up at 7 is starting to get somewhat tiresome. We were up early to head down the road to help two of the five Fiscus siblings with their morning chores. One wouldn’t think that a large-scale Greyhound dog breeding operation would be located in north-central Iowa, but somehow there is one. The two Fiscus (or Fisci, as we like to call them) wake up early nearly every morning to feed, play, and care for the many dogs at the kennels. Upon pulling up at the farm, my weary eyes met the eyes of some of the cutest little puppies I have ever seen. I have a small weakness for puppies, and particularly playful ones. So, after feeding the larger dogs their rations of raw meat and dry food, we got to play with as many puppies as we could get our hands on. I took a particular liking to one of the brown greyhound puppies that couldn’t get enough of my lovin’. However, I got a little muddy in the process. That prompted us to return home and change into some nicer clothes as we were about to head to the Iowa Soybean Association to hear their pitch on conventional agriculture. The presentation was geared more toward the “feed the world” concept; a very familiar motif we have encountered over the past few weeks. The presenters focused on the importance of foreign markets and global influences on the market for soybeans. They preached on the growing number of people around the world, and not necessarily in the United States. China, which was the centerpiece for their discussion, is growing more rapidly than we can possibly imagine here in the US. They preached that nearly half of the soybeans produced in Iowa were being exported to China and around the world. Carol Balvanz, the director of government relations for Iowa Soybean, focused mainly on the impact of government policy on the soybean industry. I found her arguments for lobbying Congress on the new Farm Bill to be especially convincing and interesting. Overall, I felt that their argument was compelling but redundant. It also lacked clarity in offering the other side of the argument, which was the sustainable and small scale organic farm argument. After our “feed the world” seminar, we retreated back toward Ames, where we had a quick tour of Iowa State. We then had dinner at a local restaurant called Hickory Park BBQ. It was absolutely magnificent; I’m pretty sure I ate a pound of meat. Afterward, we headed to Wheatsfield Cooperative to take a cooking class that focused on preparing baklava and Tabouleh, a Middle Eastern salad.

When I signed up for this course I had no clue what type of experience the program would produce and to an extent, as I later found out later, neither did Dr. HN.  As this was only the second year of the program, Dr. HN added a number of new aspects to the course, many of which he had not experienced himself.  This created an environment in which all the students were able to learn alongside our professor adding a level to education that I had never known before.  The amount of information and unique experiences that we were exposed to was truly incredible and I am very thankful that I had the opportunity to come along for the ride.  I believe that I am coming away from this course with a good understanding of many of the aspects that make up agricultural policy and practice in our nation and worldwide.  I never would have thought that there was so much to farming in addition to the amount of controversy and passion that people involved in agriculture deal with and possess.  Coming away from the course I believe that our nation needs to further utilize the many agricultural practices we have available in order to create the most beneficial system.  I would tend to agree with Robert Paarlberg’s assertion that society needs genetically modified crops to sustain its population, but GMOs should be just one of the tools that society can apply along with organic and local practices that promote region food growth.  As a result of this trip, I plan to dive into a vegan diet on my return to Connecticut.  I am curious to see how the new diet will affect my health, but I am also curious to learn if I have what it takes to stick to such a radical lifestyle change for a period of time.  I am ready to return home, but I will never forget the people and experiences I witnessed this May.  Thank you to those who made it all possible.

On Sunday, the 26^th, the group visited the Seed Saver Exchange (SSE), which is located in Decorah, Iowa. The mission of SSE is to “save and share heirloom seeds.” Organizations such as SSE organization are essential to maintaining biodiversity. Since 1975, the organization has served as a repository for a host of seeds. Many of the seeds preserved at SSE were passed down for generations giving them leading to generic family names like “Grandma’s sunflowers”. SSE’s founder, Diane Ott Wheatley’s inspiration for the organization was her father’s Morning Glories that had been handed down I her family for several generations. At SSE, there are several staff members who evaluate the seeds that have been sent to the organization. Adding a seed to SSE’s collection entails a fairly lengthy process of weeding out seeds not needed or wanted. In one year, 70 seeds were donated, but SSE only took six! While there, Grant (in charge of education) showed us around their freezing seed room containing thousands of species. As long as SSE keeps the seeds cold (40 degrees Fahrenheit or 3 degrees F in a long term room) and with no humidity, they will not sprout. Some seeds have been there for over thirty years! The Seed Saver Exchange was incredibly cool because up until this point, we have been learning and discussing about genetically modified plants. But preserving old varieties is equally as important for genetic biodiversity. I really enjoyed this outing because I firmly believe our monoculture society will catch up to us potentially causing problems in our near future.

Our last day was spent in a very similar way to all the others—in a car and constantly moving from one thing to the next. We started this morning out at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates in downtown Des Moines. The building was originally served as the public library for the city of Des Moines. Its original purpose lasted for almost one hundred years. With the help of very generous donations by the Ruan Family, the Borlaug Family, and the (evil) Monsanto, the building was completely restored at a cost of nearly thirty million dollars. It featured the wonderful work that people from around the world had done in an effort to conquer hunger around the world. Some notable names included Norman Borlaug, Robert Dole, and even George McGovern. The World Food Prize is typically given to scientists who have made significant strides in some area of food policy, but as noted above, some of the World Food Prize recipients have been politicians. The building had a lot of history, and I felt like our tour encompassed all the topics we have discussed over the past few weeks, mainly the “feed the world” motif. We then ventured over to Zombie Burgers, where I consumed around a thousand calories in about ten minutes—another rushed meal. The “fifteen minute meal” has been another regular motif over the past few weeks as well. Oh well, it was still indulgently delightful. We then took our energy over to the BioCentury Farm in Boone, Iowa. The BioCentury Farm is a research center run by Iowa State. It houses several different research initiatives, all of which are centering on finding new cost-effective ways to use biomass. BioCentury’s research in creating more reliable sources of fuel has been revolutionary. Andy, the man giving us the tour of the facility was extremely knowledgeable in the field. I was following what he was talking about until we got inside and started talking real science. From there on, I was totally lost. However, he was very informative on the future of biofuels. We then made our way to… wait for it… MONSANTO. We met with a very influential lobbyist of Monsanto in the United States. He was extremely nice, and gave a very interesting presentation. Although it was similar to other presentations given by Iowa Corn Growers Association, the Soybean Association, and Pioneer Seed Company, this presentation had distinct aspects that made it unique. First off, we were meeting with one of the head lobbyist for one of the most targeted companies in the world. So, that made the meeting pretty darn special. Also, unlike the other presentations, we were given a few parting gifts. They included some of their own seeds, handouts and pamphlets, and a hat! After dozens of meetings and encounters with important people, we had yet to receive a gift of this size. Why? Throughout his presentation, he made it very clear that Monsanto has a huge target on their back, and every friend they can make is one step in the right direction. A main portion of our discussion however was about the nature of origin labeling, or “COOL” as described in Imhoff. His point was simple. Monsanto and its affiliates are completely against this system of labeling not because they are afraid of the “negative” health effects that GMO food can have on the human body, but because of the absolutely negative image the labeling will present to consumers. I think the “COOL” argument is not the real item on the agenda. I think the “COOL” initiative is just the first step in getting rid of GMO’s completely. This is an interesting case to be made about country of origin labeling, which is directly linked to the surrounding communities in Iowa. I also believe there is such a negative reaction to the work of Monsanto because of the millions of health buffs who have a skewed point of view. They believe that Monsanto is a corporate giant, out their to take over the world and do harm to the human population. My question: how would this make sense for any business? Why would any successful large-scale business have the goal of hurting their consumers? To me, the argument just seems a little flawed. Farmers in Iowa are not evil. They aren’t trying to hurt or kill people and Monsanto wants to keep it that way.

A major excursion for today was DuPont’s Pioneer. Pioneer’s tour was extremely impressive. My previous notion was of a monstrous factory churning out millions of seeds. But, they have done a pretty good job manufacturing seeds to withstand various diseases (try thousands). Even more impressive, they have facilities in roughly twenty other countries splicing seeds for the native plants in that region and working with the people to accomplish the best yield.

However impressive their shinny facilities are, or how articulate their language was, I still have a major worry: overly modifying corn. Ever since elementary school, teachers drilled into our minds how ecosystems need biodiversity to thrive and survive. These GMO’s take a corn plant; inbreed it for seven generations, leaving only the highlighted genetic code. Then, they breed it with a plant also inbreed for seven generations. Thus creating a superpower plant.  Leading to all farmers wanting the same kind of plant: monoculture. Monoculture is incredibly dangerous because if one virus or organism goes after that plant, the entire species could die. Just because we have fancy new technology, does not mean something like the Irish potato famine could not happen here. With the same plants, soy and corn, in almost every field in Iowa, the entire state’s production could die.  I understand how bringing out the best characteristics of a plant is needed for optimal yield, but it seems like they are poking too big of a stick at Mother Nature. Apparently their system is working – making billions every year. Can they over manipulate the seed? When will the threshold of the corn species be so surpassed that we have created a crop inedible or even vile to the populace. Since corn is literally in everything, what would we do then?

When I asked this burning question churning in my head, they gave a very diplomatic answer – they have people working on it. I.E. environmental people who help control what they are doing. When will the corn be too modified leading to the manipulation of another crop to another crop? Sure, being resistant against pests and weeds is great for the farmer. However, what about the genetic code of the land established before the evolution of splicing?

I somehow managed to roll out of bed at 5:45. It was a sight to see that is for sure. We were up early to head out to the Cory Farm in Elkhart, Iowa. The Cory Farm was another example of the rebellious Iowans who have refused to fall into large-scale agriculture of corn and soybeans. They specialize in grass-feed organic beef production, which is sold to very specific markets. I knew we had an interesting day planned for us, but I was not expecting to be exposed to as many things as we did. We started out the day by milking goats at 7 AM. The young Cory siblings took the lead in milking the goats, and they each let us have a go at milking. For some reason, I caught on pretty quickly and was thoroughly enjoying it. However, I did realize that I didn’t want to have to wake up at 7 AM every morning to squirt out some milk. Goat milking is somewhat different than cow milking. The goats, each assigned a certain stall and a specific milker, know exactly which station to go to be milked. It was almost like an assembly line. Mr. Cory then went on to show us his lamb and sheep operations, which were very interesting. We then got up close and personal with their chickens, which they were extremely proud of. They had state of the art chicken coops that are designed to be mobile and provide their pasture with a natural form of fertilizer. However, these coops have to be moved twice daily, or they defeat their purpose. This leads to a large amount of physical labor, which the Cory siblings take on headfirst. We then took a trip out to his fields, where we learned everything there is to possibly learn about cover crops and how necessary they are to his grass fed meat operation. We even helped lay a new fence that his animals would be occupying in the near future. So, that was pretty fun and interesting. While laying the fence, Mr. Cory noted how important his fencing system was. Because he grows cover crops that are high in nutrients, his animals that graze on the cover crops are extremely healthy. His rotation system is also genious, in which he allows his animals in a certain section of each field over a specific amount of time. His process is somewhat like crop rotation, but with animals. After our excursion to his pastures, we headed back to the farmhouse for a home cooked meal prepared by his Mrs. Cory and the young Cory siblings. All the food they prepared us could have come straight out of their backyard—and much of it was. Their menu was composed of grilled French-cut goat chops, asparagus, cornbread and an assortment of other organic goods. The meal was different, but very healthy. The Corys then went on to describe to us their business model and their products they were promoting. Their style of farming has completely changed their way of life—from the education of their kids to their type of health insurance (which is none). They then proceeded to describe how important their consumers are to them. Their products are for a niche market of white tablecloth restaurants, according to Mr. Cory. All in all, it was an eventful morning where I learned an abundance of things about goats, chickens, lamb and sheep, cattle, compost, cover crop rotation, grazing practices, and much more. As if the day couldn’t get any better, we then took off to the capital again to see Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, who carved 30 minutes out of his day to give us his spiel on how important Iowa is. It wasn’t like we had already heard that about 500 times! But, the presentation was very nice and I enjoyed getting to meet one of the most important names in agriculture in the US.

Today we visited the Glen Hodnefield farm, which uses no till practices and is enrolled in the Conservation Stewardship program (CSP). According to thefreedictionary.com, no-till is “a system of planting crops without plowing, using herbicides to control weeds and resulting in reduced land erosion and the preservation of soil nutrients.” No-till seems like the logical way to farm, but many farmers swear it is not as productive as the tilled land. To counteract that, Hodnefield has used no-till methods since 1991, and his crops have produced just as much or maybe even greater yields than conventional till farming. In our readings, we discussed the many requirements necessary to enter the CSP program; farmers must practice soil protection (no tiles on farmed wetlands), clean water (use of buffer strips), be energy efficient (use E85 and bio-diesel fuels), and reduce pesticide use (by strip tilling). The farm today capitalized on all aspects CSP: the no-till method was incredibly efficient at reducing soil erosion. Furthermore, we got to drive down to another farm in the Hodnefield empire to see an example of a buffer strip. Buffer strips hold the sediment and chemicals in the ground instead of allowing them to move into the waterway. They are incredibly important in keeping the water supply clean and leaving the farmer with the soil and costly nutrients on his land for him to farm the next year. More farmers need to build buffer strips to help reduce nitrogen levels in the Gulf. If every farmer utilized these nitrogen- reduction practices, then the hypoxia zone would diminish in size by a significant factor. Even more important, these conservation practices gave land back to the animals. Since most of Iowa is used in agriculture, many of the native plant and animal species have no place to live. Under the CSP program, the farmers participating in the program must have some land set-aside as a designated prairie or some other natural habitat. Mr. Hodnefield even has a section of land he lets the deer and peasants live on during the winter and when it is planting season, he converts it to corn land. The land used for CRP and CSP was breathtaking – birds chirping and rolling grasses: the Iowa the first settlers saw. Mr. Hodnefield does these practices because he cares about the land and conserving it. His practices are very inspiring, and I hope other farmers will see how productive his land is and will practice no-till or even convert some land to growing native species.

Unfortunately, with many cuts to governmental budgets, some of the first things to fall under the budget axe is environmental programs like CSP. Under CSP, the farmer has monetary incentives to practice conservation methods including setting aside land for wildlife. But, if this program gets cut, will some farmers stop to convert that land into farmland? Farmers like Mr. Hodnefield do this out of the goodness of their heart. But, what about farmers in an unstable economic situation who need to convert that land to corn or soybean production to receive higher remuneration? Environmental groups should not be the first thing cut from the new farm bill. If anything, they should receive more money. If we do not take care of our land now, there will be none the future.

Also, a very valuable point made today was how every farmer knows every inch of his or her land – they know the best environmentally friendly practices for the land. It would be hard for an individual to come in and tell them how to change their practices. As someone interested in sustainable agriculture, it is a very important life lesson for me to never tell someone how to do their job, like farming their land.  I hope to coax farmers into sustainable practices on their own.

Waking up at the crack of dawn to visit the Cory farm was definitely worth it! Their family-oriented farm influenced by the famous environmental farmer, Joel Salatin, was incredibly cool to see in person. With my interests in sustainable farming, it was fascinating to see many practices I’ve only read about or heard about in lectures. Their animals have lots of roaming space – not kept in damp, dark buildings, and they utilize cover crops. Even more impressive, everything they feed their diverse group of animals (goats, sheep, cows, chickens, kitties, dogs, and horses) was produced right there on the farm – from the grain to the grass and hay: a real sustainable family production. Moreover, I really enjoyed going out into their fields and learning about how cover crops are grown and how it helps their land and feeds their animals. Not only do they make an organic product, they try and keep the soil safe from erosion.

Another interesting aspect about the Cory farm was its intense marketing strategy. If the Cory family could teach other farmers how to market their products like they do, then many more organic farms would continue to thrive. Organic/ free-range farmers have to sell their business to people through all the strategies they can: online, farmer’s market and even word of mouth. The Corys market their product for white tablecloth gourmet restaurants. Mr. Cory made the interesting comment that his mother-in-law lamented at his outrageous prices – but she is not his market. When in a specialized food market, the prices are totally different. Especially in this food-fad era, people will pay top dollar to consume food that is produced under animal welfare standards the consumers embrace. Moreover, they will pay a premium for food that is organic or free of animal biotics – which they consider to be healthier. not only ethical, but assumingly healthier foods. In our readings, a statistic stated that the average American spends 10% of their money on food. Now, with the obesity crisis, many people will pay more money (upwards of even 20%) to raise a healthier family and get out of bad health situations like high blood pressure or cholesterol. The Cory’s market their organic, free range animals and grains to a market more than welcome to pay top dollar for the unconventional.