I attend a lot of meetings. Some keep me informed about new regulations. Some keep me informed about the weather. Others try to help me figure out how to market what I raise. This past week, however, the Farm Bureau Economic Summit covered it all!

The first slide shown during the opening session was of a toilet plunger. Talk about a wakeup call! Market prices for my crops are in the toilet, yet there was much optimism during this conference.

Speakers covered exciting new uses for technology. For example, unmanned flights commonly called drones has great potential on my farm. One use that came to my mind is conservation. A drone could look over my farm ground for damage after huge rain events like those we received this past spring. By literally showing me how the water moves across my ground, I could see where tile is needed and how to construct better water ways. Based on the data I receive from drones, I could select different crops or event select different crop varieties as different genetics handle different types of weather.

Different soil types and different types of stress… The potential of these little machines is just starting to emerge. My fear, of course, is government regulations. Will the potential for good be stopped before we really get it off the ground?

Another interesting technology presentation covered apps. Now we all know about apps for social media, but I now have the means to observe my livestock from my smartphone as I sit in a meeting! I can adjust how my barns operate sitting at my desk. I can check my grain bins while I’m sitting in my tractor. If you can dream it, there’s an app for it!

Conservation and sustainability are topic concerns that can be addressed by today’s apps. Irrigation systems can be monitored from a phone. Farmers can remotely tell how much water a crop needs, and give them just the right amount!

Now you can see why my farm really isn’t Old McDonald’s Farm. Old McDonald was not an efficient farmer, and there is a need for efficiency in agriculture today. I look for ways to grow more with fewer inputs, including water and fuel. I also look for ways to improve my farm, so I can leave it better than it was when I started farming. I’m striving to be better, and the things I learn from meetings like the Farm Bureau Economic Summit help me do just that!

I had a great at the Franklin County Fair this past week, talking with friends, meeting new acquaintances and promoting pork! I started by grilling bacon pork burgers Tuesday night during the fair parade as I was riding the Republican’s float themed “party party.” Thursday we grilled 500 pork burgers for Farm Bureau Day, and Saturday we donated grilled loins that were donated and served for lunch in the 4-H food stand.

During the fair, I even had an opportunity to talk to someone whom I’ve been trying to get together with for months! I’ve been chatting online with a woman in charge of the menu for a school system in my area. One of my biggest pet peeves is recent changes to the school lunch program, and I’ve been trying very hard to “listen” to someone with hands-on experience with this program. I was so glad to talk with her face-to-face and see her emotion. This woman certainly cares about the kids in her school, and she is obviously concerned for her job!

We talked as her young daughter enjoyed the rides at the fair, and she told me of her personal experience. She said this young girl was coming home from school starved and looking for something to eat. Now just think about this for a minute… the daughter of the person responsible for the school lunch content was coming home starved!

She said would then try to let her daughter eat an after school snack that wouldn’t ruin her appetite for the evening meal. If they eat the evening meal too late, how does that affect her daughter’s health? I could see the concern not only for her own child but also for the other school kids like the athletes, who come in at 7:30 AM to lift weights. How hungry they must be by the lunch time! These athletes get served the same lunch as all the rest of the kids, yet after school, they have practice that keeps them from getting that after school snack!

As I was listening to how the same portions are served to athletes as to the rest of the school kids, I was reminded of this Trent Loos’ statement: “Only Michelle Obama would feed the herd to meet the fattest 10% nutritional requirements.”

Those of us who raise livestock understand that you have to feed each animal a ration that is high enough in protein and fat to aid in their growth. High-performance animals, like dogs that jump from docks or horses that jump fences, have specially designed diets. Nutritionists help dairy producers design rations to keep their cows healthy and producing high-quality milk.

In my hog barn, we bring in pigs that are close to the same size. That way their feed requirements can be adjusted as they grow. However, the school lunch program is designed for the smallest kids. One size does not fit all kids! Let’s quit being this nanny state that tries to make every decision for every person!

Let’s quit dumbing down our society, so citizens don’t “need” to think!

The First Lady says she is going to battle opposition to the new school lunch rules to the end because “experts” design this program. If FLOTUS is “listening,” I hope she’ll take regional food differences into consideration. The way we eat in Iowa – and in the Midwest in general – is certainly different than it is other regions. For example, you don’t see black eyed peas or collard greens regularly on the dinner tables here. You’re not going to experience a lobster boil or a clam bake unless the seafood is flown in special for the occasion. We can’t raise citrus fruits here either. But this time of year, you can feast on the nation’s most delicious sweet corn and tomatoes. We’re also known for producing high-quality pork and delicious corn-fed beef.

Why not let concerned “local people” like head cooks at “local schools” choose the best food for their areas? “Fresh and local” is one of the hottest food trends after all! Let’s educate today’s school children about choosing a healthy diet and help them learn the correct portions to eat. If they aren’t starving when they get home, they just might eat healthier in the evening. Let’s empower them to make the right choices!

How can we make changes to the school lunch rules? I guess we keep talking. I guess we need to keep pushing and hope someone is listening!

P.S. It’s so ironic that as the number of calories are being reduced in schools, the amount of food that is wasted is no being reduced! Food wastage is the third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions globally. Why aren’t people outraged by this stat? Just because you put a whole apple or a whole orange on a kids’ plate doesn’t mean she’s going to eat it. Restore sense to the school lunch program!

RELATED POSTS:

• Stop Using School Lunch to “Play Politics” with Kids
• Could “Banished Foods” Lead to More Cuts?
• Act Now to Restore Sense to School Lunch Program
• New School Lunch Regs, One “Hot Potato”!
• The Quest for a “Balanced Diet”: New School Lunch Regs, Part 2

In this past Monday’s post, we introduced you to author and economist Jayson Lusk.  Jayson is a food and agricultural economist and author, was in Iowa to speak to an invited crowd at Iowa State University this past week. Latham was among the sponsors of Lusk’s Iowa State appearance.

Lusk’s book “The Food Police: A Well-Fed Manifesto About the Politics of Your Plate” debunks many criticisms of modern agriculture — from claims of environmental plunder and cruelty to animals to recklessly using GMO crops and creating a “toxic food environment” — and warns against the rise of what he calls the “food police” and “food elite” who seek to use government power to damage consumers’ freedom of food choice and farmers’ freedom to operate.

Here is Part 2 of our recap of Jayson’s speech on how to counter criticisms of conventional agriculture:

Even though some of conventional agriculture’s harshest critics seem to be the least reasonable and open to discussion, Lusk urged farmers and ag advocates to not shy away from entering the arena.

“You are being talked about. You might as well be part of the conversation. I know that is hard because you have a full-time job you don’t have time to do this kind of stuff,” said Lusk. “And it’s also a little uncomfortable. As someone who has written a book (defending modern agriculture), I get a lot of hate email, and I would be more comfortable if I didn’t get that hate email.”

The key is to remember that authors of books that denigrate modern agriculture are a tiny minority, and that most consumers (and voters) are open to hearing what farmers have to say for themselves.

Among the tactics Lusk suggested was offering to speak to school classes from elementary through college, reaching out to those who blog about home and family issues and using social media to put out positive messages. He praised efforts like the Iowa Soybean Association’s “Iowa Food and Family Project” which connects farm and non-farm families to create better understanding of the truth of American agriculture.

“You don’t need to engage with people who don’t want their mind changed. You’re not going to change some people’s mind. Those aren’t the people you want to talk to you. You want to talk to people who are there who really want to listen to you.”

During the past 10 years, Lusk has published more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals on topics related to consumer behavior, as well as food marketing and policy. Learn more about Jayson Lusk at his website, JaysonLusk.com. Lusk’s appearance at Iowa State was sponsored by Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds, the Iowa Soybean Association, Farm Credit Services of America, Nationwide Insurance Agribusiness and the Iowa Poultry Association. 

Last week I attended a conference that made me reflect on the last four years, and how circumstances have led me to become a dealer for Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds! It’s interesting to see how many small steps led to this journey.

The first step was getting involved in the Franklin County Farm Bureau. I was asked to be on the county board and agreed only if I could help in the background. I wasn’t interested in holding any office, but that wasn’t to be! I also requested to be in as few pictures as possible, but that didn’t happen either.

Playing an active role in Farm Bureau led me to become involved in the Franklin County Harvest Bloggers Tour. The influential bloggers, who toured Franklin County and wrote about their experiences riding in a combine and learned where their food comes from, attracted national media attention including CNN. As Deb Brown wrote in her post, Starting Point, “CNN found more stories about our bloggers tour. Residents of Franklin County were actually using social media! Suddenly the topic changed from politics to how rural communities were using social media.” A group of Franklin County residents, including yours truly, were invited to the Capitol City for a television interview.

Since CNN mentioned on air that I was a farmer who blogged, Shannon Latham suggested I actually write a guest blog on TheFieldPosition.com. I’ve been telling my farm story every week – since Feb. 7, 2012 – through my “Musings of a Pig Farmer” blog! Each week it seems that I have more topic ideas than I have space because there is such a great need to bring policy issues to the forefront. Seeing a need is difficult to ignore.

Speaking of seeing a need… Shannon and I share the same affliction of massive volunteering! While she was serving as a trustee on the Iowa 4-H Foundation, Shannon learned that Franklin County was one of the few Iowa counties without an endowed scholarship fund. She decided to change that!

To raise money for a county 4-H scholarship, Shannon decided to host a fundraiser. She made lemonade from lemons by holding a Brown Bag Fundraiser during National 4-H Week, which just so happens to be in the heart of Iowa’s fall harvest season. And it’s working! Each year the fundraiser continues to grow. Last fall we grilled a record 600 burgers and ran out, so I can only imagine we’ll be grilling up even more come October. The community does a great job of coming out to support the cause, and we certainly appreciate the business owners who help sponsor the radio broadcast and some even help at the grill.

Committed. That’s one word I’d use to describe Shannon. After blogging for over two years, I’ve had the opportunity to get to know other members of the Latham family and realize just how committed they are to helping family farming operations succeed. John Latham is extremely passionate about picking seed products that are bred and proven to perform in specific geographic areas. Helping farmers succeed is the only way the Latham’s family business will succeed and transitions someday to the fourth generation.

For the past two years, I’ve planted 100% of my acres to Latham® seed products. I have had good results even with terrible weather and less than ideal growing conditions! This past spring I decided to take my commitment to Latham to the next level by signing on a seed dealer in Franklin County. As a result, last week I attended my first ever Latham Dealer Kickoff meeting in Dubuque.

The Kickoff meetings were to introduce Latham dealers to the new products available for the 2015 growing season and to provide sales and marketing tools to assist dealers with growing their individual dealerships. However, I found this company to be more than just a seed company. Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds is a company that was literally founded on family values and remains committed to upholding founder Willard Latham’s values.

But, Latham Seeds isn’t just focused on its own family. It’s focused on strengthening all families. Dealers’ families were invited to these meetings in Dubuque and special activities were planned for family members of all ages.

The third generation of Lathams – John, Shannon, and Chris – are taking this company to new heights while still keeping it a family owned company. It’s impressive to see how they have put together a product lineup that’s broader and deeper than the competition’s because they have the ability to feature genetics from multiple “big” companies. I couldn’t be more excited about the programs they introduced and the services, like Seed-2-Soil® they provide to help farmers choose products that are best suited to their farms. It’s going to be fun sharing this information with farmers like myself!

What services could a dealer provide to make seed buying easier or more enjoyable for you? I’m interested in your thoughts. In her closing comments last week, Shannon Latham challenged Latham dealers to find ways that they create unique and relevant customer experiences. You can bet I’m going to be thinking about answers to her question whenever I have windshield time, whether it’s behind the wheel of my truck as I drive to meetings or the wheel of my tractor!