Tag Archives: The Des Moines Register

Wishing for Peace & Goodwill in 2013

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Photo courtesy of AgriNews.com

“Musings of a Pig Farmer” by Larry Sailer

New Year’s Eve seems like the appropriate time to reflect upon the past year. Much has happened. While it hasn’t all been good, I’m going to focus on the bright spots.

One New Year’s Resolution I kept in 2012 was starting to write a weekly blog, “Musings of a Pig Farmer.” This blog is something I would never have dreamed of doing even just a couple of years ago. I thank Latham Hi-Tech Seeds for giving me a place to share what I do on the farm (and elsewhere) with people, who are not quite so connected with farming but want to know more about where their food comes from and how it’s raised.

Do we raise food in the “right way”? Is the way we operate acceptable in your eyes? While I’d like to believe we have all the right answers, the truth is that everyone has a different opinion of what’s right. What seems right to me may not be right to someone living in New York City.

Unless we talk and listen to one another – really engage in a two-way conversation – we don’t even know what the other person is thinking. The person in New York City just might like what I do when she finds out why I do it. Or just maybe, she will show me why it’s not right to do something the way it’s been done on my farm. I can learn, and that’s why I always say we must listen.

Soil and water conservation is a very big issue right now. Honestly, I had no idea quite how contentious of an issue it was until my “letter to the editor” on this topic was published in The Des Moines Register. To my disbelief, I received hate mail telling me in very nasty words why I am a horrible person and how I am polluting the water and causing all the trouble down in the Gulf of Mexico.

There was no return address on that letter, and I really would’ve liked to have had a conversation with this “anonymous” person. If he could see how I take care of the soil and water through no-till practices and buffer strips, he would understand that we share the goal of conserving soil and preserving water quality. But, he did not communicate with me. Instead he hid behind his pen, and this really bothers me! I would really like the chance to share with him all of the good things being done in hope of taking away some of his hate.

That one nasty letter did motivate me to keep trying to have conversations with people who lack an understanding of agriculture. With more consumers curious about where their food comes from and how it’s raised, there is a greater need for more farmers to share their stories. If you’re a fellow farmer, I encourage you to share your story! Consumers understand when you explain.

Let’s all resolve to do what we can to understand one another in 2013. Here’s to peace and goodwill… Happy New Year!

 

Why Use the Hammer if the Carrot Works?

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“Musings of a Pig Farmer”
by Larry Sailer

Photo Courtesy of IFT Photo by Zoe Martin.

Recently, I have read many editorials that are very critical of farmers’ nutrient management practices. One particular letter in The Des Moines Register likened farmers to the proverbial fox watching the hen house. In this case, the author was referring to the environment (land) as a defenseless chicken being preyed upon by the farmer (fox). I have always thought of myself more as the farmer who protects his chickens from the fox, and that’s why conservation has always been one of my top priorities.

Farmers and ranchers are on the front lines, living and working with the soil every day. As a result, we’ve changed our farming practices as new information and new technologies have become available. I’ve seen several changes occur over the last 60 years. In the 1950s and 60s, the soil was plowed black. Today, however, we can no-till without disturbing the soil thanks to improvements in equipment and weed control systems. These vast improvements have reduced soil loss, so we no longer have dust bowls or black snow in the ditches like when we plowed.

Iowa’s “carrot on a stick approach” is working. However, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has accused the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) of being too soft on farmers and has threatened to take over enforcement here in Iowa. Before we rush judgment, let’s take a look at past successes and give the new Nutrient Reduction Strategy time to work. More than 16,000 new practices have been implemented on more than 220,000 acres by Iowa farmers since 2007.

“Iowa farmers continue to aggressively implement new conservation practices,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey in an article posted Nov. 20 by farms.com about Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy. “The driving force of this focused effort is best-management practices. This also looks at new and emerging technologies… This is not about rules and regulations. This is about giving farmers tools.”

Iowa’s farmers have made big improvements – without the threats of fines – and more improvements are sure to come as a result of the collaborative approach that’s being taken to further reduce nutrient losses. To develop the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, input was gathered from13 point and non-point source groups plus the DNR, IDALS and ISU researchers. Many points of view were studied, yet some folks are accusing the Iowa Farm Bureau of having too much influence. It only makes sense for the Farm Bureau, “the voice of agriculture,” to be involved as we’re the experts and the ones charged with helping contain the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico.

This Dead Zone is mostly blamed on Midwest farmers. What isn’t being talked about, however, is the fact the Dead Zone was around before there were Midwest farmers! As long as the Mississippi has been a river, it has dumped sediment into the Gulf. Changes to our watershed have compounded the situation; the Mississippi has changed from a sprinkle can to a fire hose. Levies and flood control are in place. Swamps and wetlands no longer filter out sediments before they’re carried downstream. The place where the Mississippi dumps into the Gulf has also changed over time.

Farmers’ involvement in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy is not enough; how the watershed and rivers are managed needs to be addressed. You can bet that I’ll be sharing this thought with lawmakers and regulators! I encourage you to do the same. Everyone can share their thoughts on this plan and should. You can review the strategy and provide feedback between now and January 4,2013, at www.nutrientstrategy.iastate.edu.

 

Where Does Food Come From?

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Musings of a Pig Farmer
by Larry Sailer

Larry Sailer

Over the last decade – most likely a result of fewer people being personally engaged in production agriculture – there has been a growing trend for consumers to know where their food comes from and how it was raised. Recent food controversies have brought this issue to light once again.

A headline in yesterday’s issue of The Des Moines Register read, “More consumers asking for details about their food.” The article goes onto to state, “If it is meat, many want to know where the animal was raised and how it was fed. If it is produce, they want to know what, if any, chemicals were used to grow and ship it or whether a local farmer tended the fruits and vegetables on their plates.”

As an Iowa pig farmer, I’m happy to meet with groups about how and why I raise livestock. Talking with consumers to foster understanding is the primary reason I’m active in Operation Main Street, a speaker corps for National Pork Board, which controls pork check-off funds. Funds are raised when pork producers give a small portion of their income from selling hogs for three things: promotion, research and education.

Operation Main Street speakers have given 5,352 speeches to 156,711 people in nearly every state. I’ve been a member of the group for five years and have given over 50 presentations to Iowa civic groups. In just the past week, I’ve spoken with groups in Green Mountain and Waterloo, Iowa. The folks have always been very receptive of the information and when I explain why I raise pigs the way I do they understand why I do what I do.

It’s a lot of fun learning about many civic groups that I didn’t even know existed. (Yep, I need to get off the farm more!) A few of the groups I either have spoken or would like to speak to include: Lions Clubs International, Optimist Club, Rotary International, Kiwanis International, Civitan, Jaycees, Exchange Club, Ruritan National, Community Club, Sertoma, Ambucs, National Active and Retired Federal Employees Associations (NARFE), Chamber of Commerce, Masons, High 12 Club, Iowa Dietetic Association, veterinary schools, high school food classes.

I’m impressed with the number of clubs that exist to do good deeds and want to hear me speak, but my job is not yet done. As The Register says, more people than ever are taking an interest in learning where there food comes from and how it’s produced. That means I must give a lot more speeches. I’m looking forward to it because that also means I have more friends out there to discover!