Food: Where rural and urban America meet

the morning view at my kitchen window

Introduction: The original intent of this blog post was to address some of the difficulty that I have as a rural person communicating well with the urban person. The statement in a Chicago food blog "Industrial agriculture feels misunderstood" got me started. Writing the piece has caused me to see that while everything in this blog is true there is another interpretation. As a member of a very small (1-2%) of the population that the other 98% depend on for food, I am in an elite group of people. I, personally,  identify most easily with those on the subway/train, my everyday life experience however puts me in a position more like those who meet in rooms looking down on the city. It is a strange realization I am trying to put into words. That will have to wait for a later post. The breakfast conversation mentioned (the event is described in more detail at "A foodie breakfast in Chicago") has several participants thinking in new ways. I am one of those.Thank you for your time and deference. I hope you enjoy this modest essay.

The transition from rural America to urban America comes at me in a rush. In the 45 minutes it takes to drive from my garage to the airport, my relationship with the culture around me shifts. When the truck door closes at short term parking I know I am not in my native environment anymore. The movement of people, traffic, money, and stuff has just accelerated and I am slightly uncomfortable. I lock my door and clutch my carry on.

When the plane lands, this week it was in O' Hare International in Chicago, I realise I am working to blend into the crowd, trying to act like I belong here so I won't be noticed and spotted as an easy target. Why do I think I will be a target? Target of what?

Finding the train station in the basement of the airport is accomplished easily enough, just read the signs. Sooo many signs. Did I miss read them? Am I in the right spot? Then it happens. There is a turn stile and I need a ticket to go on. Where am I going? Which station do I want? How will I know when I get there? I have never done this before so it is unfamiliar. I have to ask for help. I don't blend in anymore.

Well, that went well. The lady was very pleasant and helpful. I have heard many stories about how rude the commuting public can be, but that wasn't my experience. Leaving the subway downtown, I am forced to ask for help again. Where am I? Where is my destination? This time the nice person speaks only broken English, so out comes the GPS phone and after a few minutes study and walking one block the wrong way, I am on my way. I am kind of proud of myself for figuring it out on my own. Then there is the entrance to the building.



I am easily lost in this world



Only a few people meet in rooms with this view

 Did you know you don't just walk into a building in the city and go to your meeting? There is security, turn stiles, passes, and guards. Not to mention elevators that go to even numbered floors and odd numbered flooors. Like a pro I get through these challenges trying to act intelligent as I switch elevators from the odd to the even floors. I am sooo not on the farm any more.

I pass the afternoon in meetings. That is a familiar situation for me. My butt has sat in a lot of meetings and I know this environement and am comfortable in it. This week's version is hosted by the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA). USFRA is trying to train farmers, like myself, how to better communicate with consumers by first listening to what their concerns are before attempting to form an answer. The event of the trip is to be breakfast with Chicago food editors and bloggers the next day.

This is alot different than my view at breakfast

After a very fine evening meal at Harry Carry's, that I can afford on vacation or as a guest, and a good rest in a lovely Hotel 71 corner room with a view, I venture off to breakfast. I am again trying to act like I am comfortable here. Niether of these places would be within my budget experience and are outside my comfort zone. They are povided to me as a thank you for my time and effort on behalf of various organizations.
Breakfast is again way above my normal experience of a bowl of cereal and milk while checking all the stuff that happened on my Droid during the night. (Markets, weather, analysis, emails, voicemails, and the news.) Table clothes and omeletts just don't happen much at home on the farm. I wonder how many in the city live this way regularly? I am thinking not many. The thought makes me uncomfortable in a guilty kind of way.

The breakfast conversation covers many topics, as a conversation should, from family, to home, to occupation, and obviously food. Many questions are asked. "Where" and "why" dominate the sentence structures. I realise that I am much more comfortable with the "Why" questions than the "Where" questions. Many of the "Where" questions already seem to have answers that I am supposed to agree with.
The answers to the "why" questions seem to be less predetermined and therefore become less contentious. I find myself wanting to talk about "Why" in response to every "Where" question. That doesn"t seem to work well for obvious reasons.



a building I am comfortable in

 With the meeting over, I have four hours to spare before my flight. I head to the airport, again trying to blend in. I catch some lunch at what looks like a local "hole in the wall" sandwich shop. It is filled with the locals (construction workers, police, secretaries, students, shoppers, etc.). My kind of place. I fit in. At least mentally. And of course the food is good and less expensive. By now even the train seems less chanllenging. I swipe my prepaid ticket and stand on the landing with confidence. I look forward to landing at Columbus and shutting the door of my pickup behind me. My culture will shift back to normal with the slam of that familiar door.

Travel is a great way to open your eyes and expand your ideas of the world.

Thanks for your thoughts.

A Foodie Breakfast in Chicago

I and 12 other farmers had breakfast in Chicago this week with 6 food writers, editors, and bloggers. The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) sponsored the event so that farmers might learn to listen to what consumers are saying about food. Here are some of the things I took away from the meeting and subsequent blogs and online discussions.

Consumers care about "where" their food comes from. They appreciate that it goes through many steps to reach their plate and are concerned about what happens to the quality of the food along the way. Ultimately, the link to health or ill health is the motivator of these concerns.

"Labeling" seems like an obvious answer to these concerns for the consumer. "Why can't you label where stuff comes from so I can choose?" might be a question that is asked. In the absence of a "label" that is credible in their eyes they turn to various alternative in an attempt to accomplish the same thing. Perhaps they can "buy local" where they meet the individual that supposedly raised their food. The "CSA" concept is another attractive way to understand the source of their food. The "certified" programs are another method that the consumer uses to overcome the lack of "labeling". The vegetarian and vegan movements represent yet another attempt at controling percieved risk in the absence of a "label".

Another observation is that when I am asked "Where does food come from?" I tend to answer with "Why it comes from there." There is an obvious disconnect that the consumer hears and becomes suspicious. The consumer's next question is, "Why didn't you answer the question?". A question that in some minds has already been answered, "Because your big ag bosses don't want us to know" or "Because if we knew we would be appauled" or "Because it is only about the greed and the money".

Those consumers that are willing to listen to the "why" answer begin to shift their thinking and open up to the possibility that there are reasonable answers to the "where" questions. This is the power of a two way conversation. Listen and be listened to. When only one side is listening, either the farmer or the consumer, conversation is not happening and the exchange is futile. I observed both listening and not listening from all parties during breakfast.

Consumers have given little thought to the time required for the food system to change. They are accustomed to fast change. The latest and greatest is just around the corner. The thought that it took a generation for the food supply to adjust to the demand for "lean" has never occurred to them. The idea that the current generation of farmers was raised on and has perfected the concept of "effiency is the answer to everything" and will take a generation to change just is not acceptable. Today's consumer will be dead by then.

And then lastly, was the blog post after the breakfast that said something to the affect, "...the spin is true...". If the admitted "truth" is labeled as "spin" by the listening consumer then how can communication possibly happen? Do I come up with a "lie" that sounds "true" so it won't be dismissed as "spin"?

These are some of the big picture things I heard being said as I listened. I will be interested in the comments to see if I heard correctly.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Calling Hours and Social Media

Today presents a new challenge to my social media experience.

 I feel compelled to attend "calling hours" for @Chris Raines, a person I only really know by way of Facebook and Twitter.

The challenge is, "What should I say?". I have no idea who will be there or what connection they may have to one another and myself.

Why attend such an event for someone that I only know with an @ or # tag associated with their name. It just seems appropriate that someone with skin on should stop by and extend thankfulness to those who mourn for the life and legacy that was and is @Chris Raines. While social media increases the spread and reach of our personality, there are experiences that are just best communicated by driving an hour or so and showing up.

So I am going to "show up" and pay respects to those who mourn. Respect from myself and a vast reach of @ and # tag friends that can't make it. I will not attempt to eulogize. That has been well covered by those that knew @Chris Raines personally. I hope my attendence will make a clear statement to the mourners that connections built in the social media world are just as real and lasting as ones that grow by personal contact.

So it seems uncomfortable to be going to this event. But some how it just seems proper.

What are your thoughts?

May God Bless.

Christmas Eve on a Livestock Farm

Christmas Eve brings a whole bag full of emotions to me each year. Today (12/24/2011) is a good example.

I sit at my office desk in the hog barn writing a blog because my employees are at work out in the barns. I just am not able to be at home resting with my family until they can go home to. There are not enough of us to rotate holidays. So we help each other get done, and skip some optional chores so we can go home. But the animals must be cared for. Why do you think "the cattle are lo..ing?" They want to be fed. They thought that the hay in the manger was for them.

Christmas day is my wife's birthday. I have wrestled for years trying to find a way to make it a special day for her. I have concluded it can't be done. When I get discouraged by the commercialization of my Savior's birth and think no one knows the meaning of Christmas anymore, I am reminded that it is impossible to overshadow Christ's day with my wife's birthday, at least in our house. Fortunately, I am married to an angel, and I have never seen her seem to mind that she has to share her day.

Then there are the empty chairs at so many tables of so many friends this year. This thought gets more clear to me each year as I experience the reality of time. Some day there will be sadness in my heart again because there will be another empty chair at the table. But isn't that the meaning of Christmas? Christ came to earth, knowing he would die. But he came anyway. Without Him there would be no Easter and no hope for those whose chairs are empty.

I can't speak of empty chairs and the responsibility of caring for animals without remembering the day I was old enough to "help" my dad Christmas day. I would haelp so the work could get done faster. That was the day I realised that once the animals were all cared for on Christmas day my dad and his employees stood around "in a sunny spot where the wind don't blow" and talked and joked for about an hour. Meanwhile, all these years, I had been at home, on my knees, on the couch, nose pressed to the picture window, looking down our country drive, waiting, waiting, waiting, for dad to get home. I remember both sides of this as clear as a can be.

But of course it isn't all empty chairs that I think about. I remember the high chairs filled with excited children. The christmas tree up on a table, or fenced off with a baby gate too. I can't think back on that without a smile in my heart.

There are alot of emotions that go with Christmas.

God is Good ...All the time.

Merry Christmas

P.S I think there are some people waiting at home for me.

Food: Fundamental Good

I am proud to be a part of agriculture and world food production in all it's forms. I see food as a "fundamental good".

Food is fundamental in that life depends on it at its most basice level. Without food life stops. Think about life on another planet. The first thing needed is food. Or think about life in a desert. There is little life because there is little food. My first experience in a big city, New York, I remember being concerned about where to get food.If food is abundant, life and people have a chance to thrive and all of civilization may spring forth.

Food is a fundamental good in that it promotes peace, prosperity, and contentedness. I have seen people fight for food. Wars arise, peasants revolt, nations pass from history because food was not available. I have not heard of two great enemies that will sit at a table and eat with weapons drawn. With the abundance of food comes the opportunity for the abundance of peace and the prosperity that follow. So food is a fundamental good.

With all the concern and clammering in the world over agriculture, food, and the business of food, let us not forget that at the end of the day, food is about doing good for one's self, one's neighbor, one's nation, and one's world. No matter how it is produced, food is fundamental to the life of the earth. Let us be thankful for those who strive to provide that resource for everyone's good. They are providing a "fundamental good".

Thank you for your thoughts.

Can Government Create a Job?

My wife came home from a recent event where the question was asked, "Is it goverment's role to create jobs?". Some version of this question is tumbling around in the political discussion almost daily with the fall campaigns if full swing. Here are some of my thoughts on the topic.

In my view, governments role is to reward righteousness and to punish evil. This of course begs the question, "What is righteousness and evil?" I, personally, turn to the bible and the Judeo Christian traditions for my definititions. Righteousness would be those things that indicate an acceptance and appreciation of the God of creation who has taught us through scripture, example and history what things are pleasing to Him. God's character becomes the ultimate gold standard against which right and wrong are measured.

Evil then becomes all those things that indicate a rejection of these standards and a rebellion against the One who established them. The Ten Commandments come to mind as a clear set of standards that reflect God's character. Let it be said clearly that I stumble and fall across these things repeatedly. When I do, I have done something evil. The laws of our government tend to reflect an understanding of these truths and at some point rise up to punish us. The government and laws in a Muslim/Hindu/Communist/etc. nation will reflect a different understanding of rightousness and evil.

Now, having said all this, I have opened up any number of possibly controversial topics. Which church's opinion of biblical interpretation shall the government use? What about national defense? How is the size of a reward or punishment to be determined? Should the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings and courthouses? The list is quite long and I am not suggesting to answer any of these questions. I only wish to point out my understanding of the "role of government".

The second observation in this question hangs on the idea of "creating jobs". I am very much attracted to the word "create". I believe God created humans in His image. He also created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. Creating is a God image thing. It is part of His nature/character. It is what He does. So "creating " is a very good thing. Creating jobs, works of art, houses, cars, food are all fundamentally good.

In my experience, I create a job when I discover some creative activity that produces a profit. Profit is not a bad thing in my understanding. It is a reflection of society saying, "What you have created is worth more to us now than it was before you got involved." When society approves of what I have created in a way that allows me to profit my response is to create more. At some point, I am making enough that I have to hire people to help. So my creative effort didn't employ just me but others as well. This is how a job is created.

I don't see government "creating" things. I see govenment rewarding and punishing. Rewarding in the form of subsidies, tax incentives, and non-regulation or punishing with taxes, regulation, and outright making things illegal. An interesting dynamic is that for government to reward one person with money, government must take (punish) that money from someone else by way of taxes, fees, or whatever. And what happens to government's ability to reward job creation when the taking of that reward money destroys jobs faster than they are created.

Is it government's role to create jobs? I guess I would have to say "no". Creativity is inherently a human experience and therefore job creation is the result of human expression. Government can reward or punish the creator of jobs but I don't see how government "creates" a job.

These are just some thoughts I have. Thank you for thinking with me.

Welcome ThinkTV viewers

Greatings! Welcome!

I am excited and happy that you have taken the time and effort to find my humble blog. The breadth and reach of this blog never stops amazing me. When I realise that people from all over the world stop by to read and consider my posts I am humbled. We live in amazing times. We live in exciting times. Thank you for your interest.

My farm's business name "Standing Oaks Enterprises LLC" has its roots in the mighty oak trees that stand in a grove on my farm. I seldom see these trees but I wonder what they have seen and endured in there life. Some have seen most of the events of our country unfold. Simply by standing there in a grove they remind me of the legacy of the past and offer hope for the future. I pray that my life could be that meaningful.

The name "Acorns for Thought" comes from my desire to encourage people to think and ask questions about farming. I hope to plant seeds of thought in people's minds. Seeds of thought that may some day grow into mighty oak trees of ideas. Ideas that will provide the food, shelter, and beauty that everyone should enjoy.

I approach life from my understanding of the JudeoChristian worldview. I am not an academic nor a trained and learned thinker so I do not presume to compete on that level. I am a farmer that has his hands dirty, his back aching, and sweat on his brow almost everyday. My blog approaches life from that angle and asks questions. I do not always answer my questions. Sometimes I don't know the answers. There may be multiple answers to a question and I will attempt to present the one that appeals to me. I only ask that you consider the ideas.

I invite you to consider questions with me and to feel free to comment. Perhaps in this discussion a seed of thought will be planted in someone's mind and begin to grow into something strong and beautiful. That would make me proud and very happy.

If this humble blog doesn't catch your interest, I invite you to click the link to CauseMatters provided below. You will find there a broad set of resources, not the least of which is links to other farmer blogs. Please enjoy, ponder, and grow with me and my fellow farmers.

http://www.causematters.com/ag-resources/


Thank you for your time and thoughts.