Second graders at Taft Elementary School in Humboldt, Iowa, are getting firsthand experience with planting Iowa’s number one crop as part of a project that begins with spring planting on a local farm and extends to next fall when, as third graders, they will harvest the crop they helped plant.  Throughout the summer, they’ll have a chance to follow the crop’s progress through videos posted periodically online.

Humboldt County farmers Dean and Carol Coleman, along with their son Mike, initiated this program to help 2^nd and 3^rd grade students understand how and why farmers raise crops.  The Coleman family raises corn and soybeans on their North Central Iowa farm.

“We wanted kids to have a chance to meet with the people who get their hands dirty every day,” says Carol Coleman, who served as a preschool teacher 20 years, plus is a mother of two and a grandmother of four.  “We want kids to be able to put a face on farmers, who provide the basics of everyday life from food on their tables, fiber in their clothing and building materials for their houses. Basically, we want to answer the fundamental question: ‘Where does my stuff come from’?”

The Colemans had the idea for the Adopt-a-Farmer program after they listened to Bruce Vincent, a third generation logger from Montana, speak about the importance of telling your ag story.

“We decided to develop a program to make others aware of what farming is all about.  Naturally, we thought of telling our story to kids.  We had hosted grade school classes in the past.  While they visited our farm, there wasn’t really time for us to explain farm operations.  The kids had fun seeing the how much a bushel weighs and what is made from corn and soybeans.  They loved climbing on the equipment and seeing the inside of the grain bin, but we wanted to create a program that would provide a more comprehensive look at agriculture.  We wanted to give kids a chance to ask questions and learn facts about farming.  We want them to see that food doesn’t just magically appear on grocery store shelves.  We want them to learn how their food is grown.”

Prior to the planting season, the Colemans visited the classroom and introduced themselves to the students.  They explained what the “Adopt-A-Farmer” program entailed and how they would like to become part of their classroom.  The Colemans have provided videos of Farmer Dean and Farmer Mike doing their jobs, so students can see what’s involved with moving rock, welding equipment & grinding metal for a hitch piece for the planter or fix the tractor’s computer.

Also via video, students “rode” in the sprayer and the planter with Farmers Dean and Mike.  Students then came to the Coleman farm and each planted 5 kernels of corn, themselves, in the field.  Throughout the summer, students and their families can drive by and literally watch their corn plants grow.  In the fall, they will come back to the farm and harvest their crop and see more things for harvest season.

“We really want all 109 students to get excited when they see crops in the field and know what is growing!  Maybe they’ll even share some fun facts, which they learned on our farm, with their parents.  We also want them to start understanding the difference between fact and fiction since the media doesn’t always accurately tell agriculture’s story.”

To help make a connection between the crops that are planted and the livestock that is raised with the food on our tables, today the Colemans are sharing two of their family’s favorite recipes for Taco Seasoning and Apricot Oatmeal Soy Cookies.  Enjoy!

Taco Seasoning Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbls Chili powder
• 1 Tbls Salt
• 1 Tbls garlic powder
• 1½ tsp black pepper
• ¾ tsp red pepper

Directions:

1. Brown hamburger  (can substitute ground turkey)
2. Then add ¼ cup of water and 1¼ teaspoon of seasoning per 1 lb. of meat.
3. Stir frequently and let slowly simmer for 15 minutes.

Try this seasoned meat on baked potato or Tostito chips with lettuce, refried beans, cheese and chip dip.

COOK’S TIP:  To break up browned hamburger into fine morsels, stir with a whisk while it’s browning.

What the world needs now is pie, sweet pie!

(Sing it with me now to the tune of Dionne Warwick’s “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.”  Homemade pie is synonymous with love.)

“Pie is meant for sharing.  Pie connects people.  Pie knows no cultural or political boundaries,” says Beth Howard, nationally acclaimed pie advocate, author and baker extraordinaire.  “Pie makes people happy.  And happy people make the world a better place.  That’s why the world needs more pie.”

“The World Needs More Pie” is more than a philosophy for Beth.  It’s become her way of life.

Beth bakes of hundreds of pies each season inside the famous American Gothic House.  Yes, she lives in the American Gothic House – the one made famous by Grant Woods’ iconic painting.  She also sells pie to tourists from her Pitchfork Pie Stand from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day weekend.

In the “off season,” Beth teaches pie making classes that include a tour of her private residence.  You can take a virtual tour of this 130-year old Iowa farmhouse plus get a preview of Beth’s luscious pies by watching this segment on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Ingredient” (from the 21 minute mark).

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing inside the American Gothic House and attending one of Beth’s pie baking classes.  (I still can’t believe it…  I made the classic All-American Apple Pie inside the iconic American Gothic House.  How surreal!)  We were blessed by a beautiful spring day.  The fragrance of blooming lilacs permeated the air as we posed for our souvenir photos outside the front porch; cinnamon and baked apples tickled our noses inside the house.  Birds were chirping outside; inside laughter filled the air.  It was one perfect day!

This class was intended as a surprise birthday present for my mom; it really turned out to be a gift to me.  It provided a good “work excuse” for me to spend some time with Darcy Maulsby, a fellow advocate, ISU journalism grad and guest blogger on TheFieldPosition.com.  Honestly, it turned out to be a great therapy session!  It was nice break from a stressful planting season plus a diversion from multiple printing deadlines.  As Beth Howard quotes in the forward of her memoir, Making Piece, “Stress cannot exist in the presence of pie.”

There was no stress during our baking class.  Before that day, however, I feared making pie dough.  I’ll admit it.  I’ve enjoyed making pies like my treasured recipe for Colorado Peach Pie or Key Lime Pie – neither of which requires a “real” crust.  But ask me to make a double-crusted fruit pie for the 4-H stand at the Franklin County Fair, and I’ve been known to call for help!  (“Hello, Mom!” or “Hello, Cathy!” of Cathy’s Country Cookin’ in Hampton, Iowa… I’d dial until I found someone who would answer my call.)

But that was so last year!  That was before May 18, 2013, when Beth Howard shared her wisdom:

“Forget the rules!  Relax.  Take a free and easy approach.”
“Use your fingers like salad tongs.  It’s quick!  Get your hands in and out.”
“Don’t manhandle the dough.  Think gentle, loving thoughts about the dough.”

Perhaps the most important lesson I learned that day was not to worry if my pie doesn’t look perfect!  “Your pie looks like one-of-a-kind and homemade,”says Beth as she encouraged her students and sang their praises for a job well done.  “Give yourself permission to not be perfect. Your pie looks perfectly delicious.”

Fresh, homemade apple pie seems so patriotic and a fitting way to celebrate Memorial Day.  Beth’s apple pie recipe is posted below, and you can download her recipe for Shaker Lemon Pie from The World Needs More Pie website.

Increasing the value of U.S. soy meal and oil, maintaining farmers’ freedom to operate, as well as meeting customers’ needs for high-quality soy products are strategic objectives of the United Soybean Board (USB).  They’ve also been a personal mission for North Dakota farmer Vanessa Kummer, who has served on the USB board for the past decade.

“I really hope my involvement opens the door for more women and helps empower them to believe they deserve to have a seat at the table,” says Vanessa, who was the first woman to be elected as USB chairperson and the first North Dakotan elected to this position.

Thirty percent of U.S. farms are operated by women, and an even higher percentage of farming operations involve women along with other family members.  Women’s roles in farming are changing as more women are earning business degrees and even MBAs before returning to their family farms.  That’s why Vanessa believes it’s important for women to be active in the industry and represented in leadership positions.

When asked how more women can become involved in agricultural organizations, Vanessa said, “Show up to meetings regularly, ask questions and participate.”  As one of three female panelists at the Top Producers Executive Women in Agriculture event last December in Chicago, she said the amount of misinformation being spread about farming is a real concern.  She also said that more and more consumers are being misled by media.

Consumer outreach was one of Vanessa’s main focuses while serving as USB chair.  She worked with leadership within the National Corn Growers Association to launch the CommonGround^TM program aimed at addressing consumers’ food concerns by sharing facts about farming and dispelling food myths.  CommonGround focuses on women-to-women communications to bridge the gap between rural and urban areas.  It involves a group of volunteer farmer participants, representing all sectors of agriculture.

“Food safety concerns can affect our freedom to farm,” says Vanessa.  “That’s why U.S. farmers must connect with consumers.  It’s important to share our stories and promote understanding.  If we don’t give consumers the facts about U.S. agriculture, then who will?”

Vanessa recently finished serving her term as USB chair, but she remains active within the industry and in her community. But being active is nothing new to Vanessa.  She’s held leadership positions within several organizations during the past 35 years that’s she’s been farming.

Vanessa has been active on the United Soybean Board for the past decade.  Her service included four years on the USB executive committee including two as chair for the Communications Program. As USB Vice-Chair, she also served as chair for the Global Opportunities Program and as team lead for the USB Strategic Planning Team.  She has termed off USB, but continues to serve as a director for the United States Soybean Export Council (USSEC), the international marketing arm for USB and the American Soybean Association (ASA).

On the state level, Vanessa has served the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association as a board member, treasurer and past president.  She also has been active with the North Dakota Corn Growers.  She served as a 4-H leader and as softball coach, plus she’s a member of the North Dakota State college of Science’s Athletic Hall of Fame.  In addition, Vanessa is active in her local church.

Vanessa and her husband, Paul, continue to operate their family farm.  Their daughter, Rachael, is a math teacher in Colorado.  Their son and daughter-in-law, Blaine and Megan, farm with them south of Fargo where they raise sugar beets, corn and soybeans.

As a soybean grower, Vanessa sings agriculture’s praises by advocating for America’s soybean farmers.  That’s why, in celebration of April Soyfoods Month, Vanessa is sharing with us one of her favorite recipes for Key Lime Pie.