Guest blog by
April Hemmes, Hampton, Iowa

Franklin County farmer April Hemmes is traveling through Brazil with a group of Iowans.  You can get a sneak peek at Brazilian culture and agriculture here.  Read below for a daily account of her journey, and watch for more travel tales to come this week!

Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012

I’m traveling in Brazil with Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and Delaware Secretary of Agriculture, Ed Kee. These gentlemen are friends, who decided to form a delegation from both states to learn about agriculture in Brazil.

Today we arrived in Manaus, which was a 5-hour flight from Miami. Manaus, which is located along the Amazon River, was formed when rubber plantations were big here. The Rio Negro and another tributary of the Amazon converge in Manaus. The rivers run side by side, one is black water and one white. It’s truly amazing to see! The reason for difference in appearance is because the Rio Negro is denser and warmer in temperature with a faster current.

The Amazon is huge; it’s 6 miles across in places. (Yes, 6 miles!!) And we were told the Amazon is actually longer than the Nile because GPS can trace the start of the original tributary farther into the rainforest.  Huge ships haul goods in and out. Ships filled with goods head up river to municipalities, and it takes 7 days to reach some cities.

A boat stopped at the rubber plantation where we got to see how rubber is produced. A rubber tree is tapped at night and latex drips into a can.  Then, over an open fire, the canned drippings are stirred until a big, black rubber ball forms.

Some of us walked around the block to see the big church in town. Many street vendors were selling all sorts of goods. Manaus is a city where the ratio of women to men is 6 to 1. Since I’m the only women on this trip, I have the better ratio of 37 to 1!

Tomorrow we fly to Brasilia, the capital city of Brazil. It’s a totally planned city.  They took a clear tract of land and then moved the capital there in the 1950s.

Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012

This morning we stopped by the Manaus Opera House. It’s truly beautiful. All of the materials were brought over from Europe. Located inside the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil, it hosts the Amazonas Opera Festival every year from March until May.  It’s also home to the Amazonas Philharmonic Orchestra.

After a quick stop at the opera house, we traveled over a brand new bridge crossing the Rio Negro. This bridge is almost 2 miles long – at the most narrow point of the river! This bridge opened up the southern side of the river for commerce & building. Before the bridge was built, people from Manaus had to wait 5 hours to cross the river in a ferry.  Now they can cross in just minutes.

As we headed south, it was apparent we were heading deeper into the jungle. Our destination was a banana plantation. The plantation owner said that after clearing the land they had to fertilize it for 6 years until it could sustain banana plants. After one shoot produces a bunch, they are cut off and another shoot will produce the next bunch. New plants are germinated from rhizomes of an existing plant. The soil is very acidic so it takes calcium (lime) to make it productive, but this is very expensive. When fresh bananas aren’t as valuable, they make their bananas into a gummy candy. We were treated to some, and it’s very tasty!

Friday, Feb. 17, 2012

Today we left Brasilia for a lovely 5-hour bus ride to a farm owned by John Carroll, an Illinois farmer who owns 30,000 acres here.

During the ride, our guide gave us a history of the area. Brasilia is the capital of Brazil. It’s a planned city laid out in the shape of a cross. The city was built between 1955 and 1960. It was designed for 500,000 people but has grown to 2.5 million.

Other random facts we learned today:

• Hunting is forbidden here except by indigenous people.
• The Brazilian government has made it very difficult foreigners to buy land here.

John Carroll shared many of the regulations by which he has to abide.  He also said he first thought he would just raise soybeans but found cotton was a great crop due to favorable growing conditions. Cotton can be planted continuously as long as no trash is left on the field because of the Boll Weevil.

“Cotton spends the first 60 days figuring how to die and then we spend the last 60 days figuring how to kill it,” said John.  Next year he will plant 50% of his acres to cotton with the rest corn and soybeans.

Corn is planted here at populations of 29,000 – 30,000; soybeans are planted at 130,000.

John explained that it took 6 to 7 years for his land to get to fertility. They found it came into production sooner by saturating the ground with P & K rather than just giving the crop what it needed for that year. He also mentioned that one of the biggest problems they have with the soil is aluminum toxicity, so they apply lime.

Corn harvest will start next month, followed by soybeans and then cotton for the next three months. John hires the corn and soybeans harvested. Harvest crews travel all over the country much like a wheat run in the U.S.

Contiguous farms in Brazil consist of 8,000  to 11,000 acres.  The Brazilian government requires land owners to leave 20% in its natural state, but higher percentages are required the closer you get to the rainforest. Farmers can also mitigate the land, so they have large areas of brush land they can buy.

 

While it sounds so cliché, time sure does fly when you’re having fun! It’s hard to believe that already one week has passed since we boarded a plane for Maui, Hawaii.  Thursday, Feb. 9, was a travel day.  Upon arrival in Lahaina, we dipped our toes in the Pacific Ocean and walked along the volcanic sand beach.  Then we enjoyed an oceanview dinner while watching whales flip and spout near the shoreline.

The next morning we boarded a charter bus tour for a tour of Monsanto’s production and research facility in Kihei.  It was interesting to learn about the key role Hawaii’s seed crops play in the development of new corn hybrids.  Because farm fields in Maui can produce up to four crops each calendar year, a new hybrid can be developed in about half the time it would take if a seed company relied solely on growing conditions found on the continental U.S.

Saturday was a “free day,” so many group members enjoyed an all-day trip along the Road to Hana while others chose to go whale watching or snorkeling.  Some even rented Harley’s and biked around the island.  My family and I chose to board an Atlantis submarine that took us below the ocean to a depth of 127 feet where we viewed white-tipped reef sharks, Hawaiian green sea turtles and hundreds of tropical fish.  (NOTE: I really enjoyed this submarine tour. It provided the same views as scuba diving without the pain of not being able to clear my ears.)

Sunday morning we met in the hotel lobby at 2:15 a.m. (6:15 a.m. CST) to take a long, winding, 38-mile bus ride to Haleakala National Park.  The road we traveled is one of the world’s steepest, going from near sea level to the 10,023 summit.  We finally arrived inside the park where we viewed an amazing sunrise.  No wonder Haleakala means “house of the sun” in Hawaiian.  It truly looked as though you could step off the crater and onto a cloud.

Forty members of our group enjoyed biking (more like “braking”) down from the base of Haleakala National Park to headquarters of the Haleakalah Bike Company.  “The original Freestyle Haleakala Downhill” included a 3,000-foot drop in 10 miles, curving around 29 switch backs.  It was after noon when many bikers returned to the hotel, where they enjoyed the afternoon and evening on their own.

Monday was another “free day.”  My family chose to snorkel Molokini Crater.  It was fab-u-lous!  This tour truly lived up to its ad:  Snorkel a beautiful reef teeming with colorful marine life and experience one of the best whale watch’s on Maui. Enjoy a freshly prepared BBQ lunch served hot off the grill.  After lunch, we cruised to Turtle Town where our son had the experience of a lifetime.  He came face-to-face with two Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles and snapped, what we hope will be, a blue-ribbon winning photo at this summer’s Franklin County Fair.  As we headed toward shore, we saw many Humpback whales and had the pleasure of watching a calf breach.

Monday evening our entire group enjoyed a luau including a Hawaii-style pig roast, where a large pit was dug into the ground and lined with banana leaves.  Hot lava rocks were placed into the pit, and then a seasoned pig was placed inside and covered with additional banana leaves.  The food was good, but I believe the cultural dances were even better.  The fire dancing finale was captivating (and in my humble opinion) any video can’t do it justice.

After spending five nights and six days in a tropical paradise – plus enduring 16 straight hours of travel – yesterday afternoon we returned home.  Now it’s back to reality… and back to work!  I’m working on a blog for tomorrow that will feature a couple of tasty Hawaiian recipes, including one from Maui Gold Pineapple.

MUSINGS OF A MIDWEST PIG FARMER
by Larry Sailer

A few days ago, I heard Judy Woodruff interview U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack about America’s Agricultural Success.  She says, “Amid all the worry about how long it will take the economic recovery to kick into high gear, there’s a little-noticed sector that’s doing very well, thank you: American agriculture.”

Sec. Vilsack credits agriculture’s success to “an extraordinary investment in infrastructure…  Farmers are buying lots of new machinery, like large tractors with sophisticated GPS systems, leading to new hiring on the part of companies like John Deere, which recently added 250 people at a plant in Ankeny, Iowa, that manufactures cotton pickers.”

Auto-steer tractors are just one example of how agriculture is fueling the economy.  Biotechnology is also important an important economic contributor.  Technology has redefined agriculture in other ways, as well.  Agriculture technology, ranging from the Internet and SmartPhones to Genuity® SmartStax® RIB Complete CornTM and Genuity Roundup Ready®2 Yield Soybeans, has led to greater business efficiencies and even increased yields.

With this in mind, it’s easy to understand why Woodruff would say there are many more facets to agriculture’s success story.  I find it disconcerting, however, that she specifically mentions “two particular bright spots” in the ag sector as the federal department’s housing and food assistance programs.  Neither of these so-called “bright spots” are directly related to farming, yet they make up the lion’s share of the USDA’s budget.

Woodruff’s interview with Sec. Vilsack opened my eyes that the Farm Bill debate is not just about farming.  The Farm Bill is a very complex program that has a huge budget and will need to involve a lot of hearings and a lot of give and take to build into the new program.

 

Every second counts!  And that’s why Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds hopes to take 10 seconds off the clock by receiving the most number of votes in a Facebook poll being sponsored by Franklin County Farm Bureau.  Please vote – and encourage your friends & family to vote – between Feb. 13-24.

This poll is just one of the ways Franklin County Farm Bureau is celebrating Food Check-Out Week, Feb. 19-25.  This year’s theme is “Stretching Your Grocery Dollar With Healthy, Nutritious Food.”

To help illustrate this theme, Franklin County Farm Bureau is hosting a “Breakfast Battle ” on Feb. 24 beginning at 8 AM at Fareway in Hampton. Three-person teams, including one from Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds that is being captained by yours truly, will battle it out to see which one can purchase enough items for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a cost of $45-50 dollars in the quickest amount of time.

The Breakfast Battle is being planned as a fun event for participants to have fun, while getting people together all in an effort to make a difference for those who are less fortunate.  Franklin County Farm Bureau will pay for all of the groceries purchased during this competition.  The grocery items will then be delivered to needy families throughout the county with the help of the Franklin County Food Pantry in Hampton and the Immanuel UCC Food Pantry in Latimer.

“Today, we have so many choices when we purchase food at the grocery store,” says Jim Dannen, Franklin County Farm Bureau President. “We, as farmers, want to show people not only on where their food comes from, but help consumers choose foods that are healthy and wholesome. Eating healthy on a budget takes planning.”

Let the planning begin!  I’d appreciate any tips you can provide to help me plan three meals within the $45 to $50 budget.  Feel free to send me your ideas at shannonl@lathamseeds.com.  Also feel free to share some recipes with me to assist with my grocery shopping list!  

One year ago the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to approve Roundup Ready® Alfalfa renewed a debate about the safety of genetically modified crops and the use of glyphosate in the environment.  During this same time period, retired Purdue University professor Don Huber proclaimed the discovery of a plant pathogen “… that appears to significantly impact the health of plants, animals and probably human beings.”

With his “15 minutes of fame” expiring, Huber appears to be fanning the flames of his theory in hopes this issue will reemerge like a phoenix from the ashes.  Recently I heard him being interviewed on the radio program, “Coast to Coast,” and was amazed by the sensational, unscientific claims he was making.

Huber’s claims were not – nor have they ever been – substantiated.  That’s why it concerns me greatly that many well meaning Americans will hear Huber speak and be scared into thinking biotechnology, and specifically Roundup Ready crops, should be eliminated.

To the contrary, there is much scientific evidence that supports the safety and beneficial impacts of GM crops.  Increased yields, reduced production costs and reduced pesticide use are a few of the benefits outlined in Case Studies in Benefits and Risks of Agricultural Biotechnology by theNational Center for Food and Agricultural Policy.  In April 2010, the National Research Council of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences issued a report concluding U.S. farmers growing biotech crops are realizing substantial economic and environmental befits including lower production costs, fewer pest problems, reduced use of pesticides and better yields as compared to conventional crops.

I can personally attest that U.S. farmers are benefitting from lower production costs and fewer pest problems thanks to Roundup®.  Farmers also benefit by having more flexibility at application time and wider window in which herbicide can be applied to effectively kill weeds.  Plus, we no longer have to take the time – and do the back-breaking work – of walking soybean fields to pull weeds.

Farmers aren’t the only ones benefitting from Roundup usage.  The environment benefits from reduced pesticide applications.  Plus, consumers are benefitting from increased agricultural productivity.  Biotech crops simply yield more than conventional crops.  In fact, farmers today grow twice as much food as their parents did – using less land, energy and water.  Increasing crop yields even more is going to become increasing important to keep up with the growing world population.  Did you know more food will have to be produced in the next 50 years as the past 10,000 years combined?

I like to eat.  I like to wear clothes.  I like farming, too.  For all these reasons, I’m siding with science instead of sensationalism!