Salute to Agriculture

Salute to Agriculture Spring 2015

A supplement to the Woodbine Twiner and Logan Herald-Observer

Spring Salute to Agriculture

Page 2

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Besides the physical side, farming also full of math, science Mary Darling Herald-Observer Editor Farming in the 21st Century involves much more than physically planting, weeding and harvesting crops. It is full of mathematical equations, statistics, growing season variables, and profit ratios that have to be considered before you even begin tilling the soil.

This is the fifth year organic farmer Danelle Myer has been in business as One Farm. What started as a dive into the unknown has grown by leaps and bounds the past few years. This year she will plant more than 140 varieties of vegetables and herbs at the farm she just purchased that once was her grandmother and grandfathers homestead just outside of Logan.

The planning for her type of farm-

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ing and that of the typical row farmer includes much of the same preparation, hers just requires planning for a larger number of varieties of plants.

“This year I will have six or seven different varieties of potatoes,” Myer said.

“Early, mid and late season, so there are different growing time frames for each.”

As far as inking out the plans for her farm, Myer said most farmers literally start looking at seed catalogues in late November.

“But my growing season goes through November, so I start planning in February,” she said. “But do business Mary Darling planning all the time.”

Just a few of the tomato plants Danelle The variables Myer considers when Myer has started for the season. deciding what she will plant include: • What sells at the market and the va• What her crew likes to grow and Narrow 2.66” corrugation, unstiffened bins, are rieties that have proven successful for her. harvest. available in diameters ranging from 15’ to 48’ and 4 to 15 rings tall. Capacities range from 1,631 to 60,000 bushels.

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Spring Salute to Agriculture

Page 3

Danelle Myer displays her chart detailing all the plants in her farm this year.

Danelle Myer checks on the growth of the plants s he had started in the greenhouse.

• New sales opportunities “I have the biggest opportunity I’ve ever had so far this year,” Myer said.

“There is a grocery store in Des Moines that wants hundreds of pounds of heirloom tomatoes each week; 350 pounds of heirloom slicers and another 60 pounds of cherry tomatoes.”

To reach the goal, she will plant 500 tomato plants, she has already started in her basement.

Her total farm area consists of 40 beds with 10 of those solely in tomato plants for the grocery store order plus the plants in the high tunnel.

“My beds are 150-foot long and 40 inches wide,” Myer said. “It’s based on the size of my tractor and my irrigation line runs 150-feet.”

Determining what will go in those beds, where it will be planted, the spacing, etc., is where the math comes in.

“For example, if you have a 150-foot bed, and you have three rows per bed, that totals 450 row feet per bed, then it depends on the crop plant spacing.

Like kale is planted one foot apart (in row plant space), 450 plants per bed and based on past experience I can try to project what the production will be,” Myer said. “People would be surprised how much math goes into it and how much business.”

She has three different crop plans.

growing now that will be transplanted at the right time in the garden.

Besides her huge tomato order to fulfill, she also has an order for Nappa cabbage she must fulfill and has started more than 2,000 of those plants.

“You have to start with more than you will need,” Myer said. “The industry average is a 20 percent loss between starting the seed and harvest.”

When the plants are ready to be put outside they will be “hardened off” Myer said. “That means changing their cell wall structure to make them more resilient. It takes about a week for them to get acclimated to real life.”

Next you hope for good weather and that the soil is moist so you can get the tractor in and then transplant it all into the ground.

Myer has a crew of three she works with. One of the crew members takes turns assisting her each day. Brett Rosengren, Justin Thomas and Rusty Meeker will be working with her this year.

Last year it took two people about three hours to plant 700 sweet potato plants, so there are lots of man-hours involved.

Myer said her number one goal this year is to successfully deliver on the tomato order.

“I’m getting a good price per pound

One for the field, another for the high tunnel and one more for her produce for Thanksgiving.

Myer said she has applied for a trademark, a LLC designation, and determines her statement of cash flow as well as her profitability ratios.

“I’m running a business, not a cute little garden,” she said.

She puts all her financials on paper so she can track them at the end of the season and determine where she was profitable and what can or needs to be changed for the following season.

Besides planning for her growing season and actually doing the physical work, she also spends a great deal of time attending conferences and meetings with various groups.

“I just spent a day in Ames with a representative from the Leopold Center who helped me with my finances,” Myer said. “He can look at my numbers and know what is going on.”

Besides being a physically demanding job, farming also takes so much time.

“It’s not an eight hour work day and I don’t get a lunch break,” Myer said. “I try not to be jealous of people who get lunch breaks. But it’s my choice.”

In late February she sowed the seeds for her 10 beds of tomatoes in her basement. With the other seedlings started she has a total of 5,000 to 6,000 plants

and it is only a portion of the opportunities out there,” she said. “My biggest obstacle will be labor.”

She also has to keep track of every aspect as well as manage her various clients including direct, wholesale, restaurants etc.

“I usually spend one to two hours just doing the business side of things each day,” Myer said. “People would be surprised how much computer time I spend.”

Science again comes into the mix when she plans her crop rotation each year.

“The root of all production is the soil, taking care of the soil and building the soil,” Myer said. “Different crops pull different nutrients out of the soil.”

According to Myer the basics of organic farming are using compost as fertilizer, cover crops to help with erosion and weed suppression and crop rotation.

Myer has learned a lot in her five years and loves what she does.

“I’d much rather be outside than doing the bookwork inside,” she said. “I like the physicality of it and the getting dirty.”

When asked how she will be able to harvest all those tomatoes, she smiled and said, “I have no idea. You don’t know until you live it.”

Page 4

Spring Salute to Agriculture

April 22, 2015

Teacher aims to start strong with new ag program Teresa hoffman General Manager

Rachel Stoberl will be the new agriculture education teacher at Boyer Valley during the 2015-16 school year.

Teresa Hoffman

She grew up in the agriculture world and now Rachel Stoberl is ready to share her passion and knowledge with the next generation.

Stoberl will lead the revival of the agricultural education program at Boyer Valley Community Schools starting with the 2015-16 school year. Her new teaching stint comes after two years as teacher and FFA sponsor at the OABCIG school district in Ida Grove.

Stoberl grew up just outside of Irwin, helping with her parents row crop production farm and cow-calf herd. She now lives with her husband just outside of Manilla, where they have a row crop, cow-calf and pig operation, as well as horses.

Her desire to teach closer to home and the idea of restarting a program with her own ideas and plans, led Stoberl to apply for the position.

“There’s an advantage of doing that,” she said, adding that by starting over, she’s not following in anyone’s footsteps and teaching programs created by someone else. “I get to make the program my own and it’s all new to everyone.”

The 2012 graduate of Iowa State University said she was a bit surprised to learn the district did not have an agriculture education program.

“In rural Iowa, I feel like it’s a very necessary part of education,” Stoberl

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April 22, 2015 said. “Agriculture affects everyone, not just farm kids. Having a program will benefit them significantly.”

While she is still teaching in Ida Grove, Stoberl has begun some preparations for her new position. In March, the district hosted a meet-and-greet with Stoberl. She also has met with students to do an interest survey that will help develop classes, as well as establish the FFA program, which she said is a key component to any ag program.

“The attendance at the meet-andgreet was great,” Stoberl said. “It was great to see people showing interest so far in advance of the program starting.”

Support from the community is key to any program and Stoberl has been impressed with how excited the community is for the new program.

“You can’t have a strong agriculture program without strong support from the community,” she said. “As much as I’d like to be an expert in all different areas I’m going to teach, I just can’t be.

Having those resources is valuable.”

Among the resources she will have is an Ag Foundation, which will provide start up costs, pay for extended contract days and FFA expenses, which will not be covered by the district’s budget.

Michael Heistand is president of the foundation and a Boyer Valley graduate. He’s not sure when the district stopped offering ag classes, but he remembers the classes were important to him, as was being in FFA. Heistand said he wants those same opportunities to be available for today’s students, not only in Boyer Valley, but also surrounding communities such as Woodbine. That’s why he and others have dedicated themselves to helping make the return a reality and to keep it moving forward and it’s the reason he and other volunteers started the foundation.

And, Heistand said, they are expecting great things.

“We don’t want to just have an ag program, we want to have the best program,” he said.

The excitement isn’t just coming from the adults. The students, Heistand said, seem just as excited.

“We gave the students a survey to see what interest there was, and I think over

Spring Salute to Agriculture

‘I want to show these kids something they haven’t seen in the past and give them the chance to do things they haven’t gotten to do.’

Rachel Stoberl New Boyer Valley agriculture eduction teacher

75 percent said they were interested in an ag program,” Heistand said.

The survey was given to students in grades eight to 11.

Restarting the district’s agriculture program was one of the goals Boyer Valley’s Doug Gee had when he became superintendent at the beginning of this year.

He said when he started looking around the community, he realized a majority of the students came from some type of agriculture background. He also said the industry is a big part of the community.

“There are many opportunities in the ag field out there for students after high school,” Gee said.

Gee, who will also serve as superintendent in Woodbine, hopes students at Woodbine High School will be able to attend classes offered at Boyer Valley, a plan he is working on with WHS Principal Sam Swenson.

Swenson said earlier this year he anticipates there will be students from WHS who will want to participate.

A group of parents in Woodbine is also looking into starting an FFA program or partnering with the Boyer Valley chapter.

In addition to preparing classes, which are expected to include veterinary medicine, plant science, animal science, ag business and natural resources, Stoberl said she will begin work this summer on forming the FFA chapter, which will include finding students to serve as officers.

The goal of FFA is to teach students premier leadership skills, career success and personal growth.

Stoberl said the organization helped her prepare for many areas of her life, in-

Page 5

cluding competing for Miss Rodeo Iowa.

Stoberl served as Miss Rodeo Iowa in 2012.

“All the skills I learned in FFA helped me with that,” she said.

There are many opportunities through FFA, Stoberl said, including participating in competitions and going to state and national conventions.

Being strong right from the start will be important for the program.

“We want to start off strong and start off on the right foot, especially with the FFA chapter,” she said. “I want to make sure we are hitting all the interests of the kids.”

The agriculture program and FFA aren’t just classes for students who live on a farm or are involved with an agriculture operation.

Stoberl said there could be students out there now who might not even know they are interested in agriculture until they begin taking classes. An agriculture program, she said can benefit all students, even if they don’t end up pursuing it after high school.

“When you go to the grocery store, it’s great to know where that gallon of milk came from or what part of the animal that cut of meat is from” she said.

“In the agriculture business, we learn so much more than marketing of crops.

You learn business skills.”

After growing up on a farm, Stoberl attended Iowa State University to study animal science. As part of her studies, she was required to attend different sessions. It was during one of those sessions that the course of her studies changed and education became an interest.

“The person speaking just made it sound inspiring,” she said. “I felt like education is a good way for me to reach a lot of different people about something I’m very passionate about.”

When asked what she was looking forward to the most, Stoberl said everything, but especially exposing students to agriculture education.

“I want to show these kids something they haven’t seen in the past and give them the chance to do things they haven’t gotten to do,” she said.

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Spring Salute to Agriculture

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April 22, 2015

Annie’s Project aims to empower farm women MARY DARLING Herald-Observer Editor Learning to use available tools better to manage farming operations was the highlight of the Annie’s Project class for member Linda Herman. She praised becoming more knowledgeable on the Web Soil Survey and Ag Decision Maker.

The class, held recently in Harrison County, had 10 women taking part.

Ruth Hambleton, who founded Annie’s Project, was greatly influenced by her mother, Annette Kohlhagen Fleck, who made important decisions to maintain the family farm business. This nationwide program has now been implemented in 33 states.

“The mission statement for the program is to empower farm women to be better business partners through networks and by managing and organizing critical information,” said Harrison County Extension and Outreach Program Coordinator Melanie McAndrews.

Within the first three months of being hired at the Harrison County Extension Office, McAndrews said she had the opportunity to meet three women who influenced her decision to bring the program to the county.

“Two of them were at the NRCS annual dinner and the second was at the Harrison County Farm Bureau dinner,” McAndrews said.

“They convinced me to bring Annie’s Project to Harrison County and to be honest, they don’t even know they did it. They showed such strength I just thought I needed to support them.”

McAndrews said her job is to bring these types of opportunities to a county that serves the people and Annie’s Project serves farm women in Harrison County.

A variety of women from all paths of life. took part in the 2015 class.

“They may be managing their farm on their own, they may be just starting a hobby farm, or

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Participants included, front row from left: Vanessa Holcomb, Ellen Andersen, Katie West. Back row: Audrey Small, Cindy Pittz, Michele Stirtz, Tina Popson. Not shown in the picture: Fonda West, Arianna Thacker, Linda Herman. wanting to support their spouse by understanding hogs,” Herman said. “Then there were Holstein the lingo of agriculture,” McAndrews said. “They cows and a few horses, then corn and soybeans spent 18 hours with Shane Ellis and myself for a and a cow-calf herd, 4-H sheep and rabbits and a month-and-a-half and walked out of the last night horse. Now corn and soybeans and it’s done by of class with a new ag network and a wealth of crop share.” knowledge to bring back to their farms. The class Herman said she was interested in taking part empowers women to be a part of their farming op- in the class because she knew ISU Extension proeration whether it is large or small.” grams always have good content.

Herman was one of those members.

“When I saw they were offering Annie’s Project, “I’ve lived most of my life on a farm. First it was I thought this time I should make time for it. It upa farm raising hogs and growing corn to feed the dated information in lots of areas,” she said.

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Spring Salute to Agriculture

Page 7

Planting season kicks off with good news, bad news Teresa hoffman General Manager It’s been a good news, bad news kind of season so far as area farmers head to the fields to plant crops.

The good news, said Clarke McGrath with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, is the soil is in good shape.

“The top was the only dry area and McGrath the recent rainfall helped that out,” McGrath said. “The roots where we draw Herman was surprised they were able to work with computers on the Web Soil Survey and also had a “virtual” member of the class who was in Alaska and connected by computer to the class.

McAndrews said this was the first class in Harrison County.

“We were proud to have the 10 women represent the county and forward their knowledge and experience with other women in the county,” she said.

Another Annie’s Project class is being planned for February 2016 along with the help of ISU Extension and Outreach farm specialist Shane Ellis.

McAndrews said farmwomen have diverse backgrounds, some of which prepare them well for the responsibilities of running a farm business.

“Other women come into farming operations by way of marrying men who happen to be farmers, or by their spouse or family members passing and leaving them in charge,” McAndrews said. “Being married to a farmer or being a women in a male dominated business has its challenges. Some women have learned to handle this responsibility very well, and are valuable mentors to women who have not had it so easy. They find answers, strength and friendship in Annie’s Project.”

Of the six sessions she attended, Herman said she felt the most beneficial to her was learning to use the computer tools better.

water from was pretty full so hopefully we can get corn down in the next two weeks and beans after that. That would be a dream scenario.”

The bad news, McGrath said, is prices for those crops have gone down.

“Crop prices are not very good, so that doesn’t put us in a very good mood,” McGrath said. “A lot of guys are going to be at or below the break even cost. It’s a tough year from that perspective right out of the gate.”

McGrath said corn and beans are selling about $2 to $3 less than last year and he expects that trend to continue for the next year. There can be a number of factors that can affect prices, includ“We also got a lot of handouts with lots of good information,” Herman said. “I read those and will use them to stay on top of things I need to know.”

The six sessions consisted of: • Financial ratios, balance sheets, and record keeping systems, enterprise analysis • Human communication and management styles, insurance needs, succession planning • Legal and environmental issues, estate laws, property title, employee requirements • Marketing plans, access to market information, contracts, basics of futures and options • Production tools, farmland leasing, USDA programs, soil maps, crop insurance • Topics chosen by participants “Farm women participating in Annie’s Project courses become better business partners and owners by learning to manage and organize critical information for their own farms, while establishing networks with other farm women and agriculture business professionals,” Ellis said.

The goal of the program, Ellis said, was to provide a program that was of great interest and value.

“Each session included presentations, discussions, hands-on activities, and computer skills training,” he said. “In addition, guest speakers provided their personal experiences and knowledge to help women

ing world production and the value of the dollar.

“It’s a global thing,” McGrath said.

“We are not the only producer anymore.

The U.S. had driven the global market and now we are in a competitive situation with the rest of the world.”

While area farms came out of last fall behind schedule as far as getting field work done, McGrath said many were able to get caught up in March and early April.

“We are kind of back where we need to be,” he said.

As it does every year, the weather will also be a factor, both during planting and fall harvest. While weather

agencies try to provide a long term forecast, McGrath said they are not always reliable.

“You can really only look at four to five days out,” he aid.

So far, the weather has been good for planting, McGrath said.

“It’s typical spring weather, a few dry days, a few wet days,” he said.

He said the next two weeks will be critical.

“If we have two or three days of decent rain falls, that will put us behind the eight ball and we start to get nervous because we are looking at May being on he calendar and not having a lot of corn in the ground,” he said.

become better business partners and owners.”

McAndrews agrees that farm women taking the course, grow in confidence,

business skills and community prestige.

For more information on Annie’s Project, or to find out about upcoming courses visit www.aep.iastate.edu.

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Spring Salute to Agriculture

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April 22, 2015

Northey shares tips for managing cover crops As the number of Iowa farmers using cover crops continues to grow, it’s important to help make sure these farmers have a successful experience.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey recently shared a number of spring management tips for farmers new to growing cover crops.

“We have seen tremendous growth in the number of farmers using cover crops on their farm as they seek to reduce erosion, protect water quality and improve soil health. As with any new practice there can be a significant learning curve.

These tips can hopefully help farmers have a successful experience which encourages them to grow cover crops again in the

future,” Northey said.

This information was put together with the help of the Iowa cover crop working group, which includes representatives from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Practical Farmers of Iowa, Iowa State University, Iowa Learning Farms, and USDA Agriculture Research Service.

More information about incorporating cover crops into your farming operation can be found at http://www.cleanwateriowa.org/farm-practices.aspx or at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/ilf/.

Evaluate for winter kill – If the above ground cover crop is brown and near the soil surface no green plant material is

present then your cover crop winter-killed. Cover crops such as tillage radishes and oats typically winter kill and then no additional spring management is needed. Other cover crops, such as winter or cereal rye, winter wheat, triticale, and barley, consistently over-winters in Iowa.

In late March, double check plant stems near soil surface to see if the plant has survived.

Termination options – Herbicides, tillage or a combination of the two can be used to effectively manage cover crops in the spring. Keep in mind any tillage will reduce the effectiveness of the cover crop residue to protect against erosion and suppress weeds. Some additional considerations for both meth-

ods of termination follow: Consider nitrogen needs – Cover crops effectively sequester nitrogen and as the plant residue breaks down it will release its nutrients, making them available for the crop later in the season when they need them the most. However, there is the potential for lower available nitrogen early in the growing season, especially following an overwintering grass cover crop like cereal rye. To protect yield, farmers growing corn after a cereal rye cover crop may want to apply 30-50 lbs of nitrogen at or near corn planting. This is not additional nitrogen, but within the farmer’s total fertilizer program.

Know crop insurance re-

quirements – Crop insurance rules state that a cover crop in Zone 3 (western third of Iowa) must be terminated by the day of cash crop planting. A cover crop in Zone 4 (eastern 2/3rds of Iowa) must be terminated within 5 days of cash crop planting. If using no-till add 7 days to either scenario. More information about insurance requirements can be found at http://www.rma.usda.gov/ help/faq/covercrops2014.html Start planning now for cover crop needs this fall – Determine what cover crop(s) work with your current or planned crop protection program. Some residual herbicides have carryover restrictions for certain species of cover crops.

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Spring Salute to Agriculture

April 22, 2015

Page 9

Safety essential when visiting a farm The nursery rhyme does not state, “Old MacDonald had a farm and on this farm there was a bunch of dangerous things.”

But maybe it should?

Farmers perform an essential service, providing food and other products that consumers commonly take for granted.

The inner workings of a farm are something to treat with respect.

Most of the families who live and work on a farm understand the potential hazards of such an environment. However, individuals visiting a farm may be unaware of these dangers. Understanding farm safety helps keep everyone safe.

According to the organization Kids Health, the age groups at greatest risk for injury on farms are children ages 3 to 4 and teenagers ages 13 to 14.

Most injuries can be prevented, though, with a little education and precautionary measures.

Machinery There are many different forms of machinery on a farm to help keep it working efficiently. These items can pose serious safety risks. Although tractors are the type of farm equipment that causes the most injuries, some adults still think it is safe to allow children to ride along.

Injuries that may result from farm machinery include pinching of clothing or parts of the body, where a person may become trapped in the gears or components of equipment; cuts from equipment that shears crops; bruising or cuts from projectiles thrown by mowers or other field equipment; and crushing or trapping inju-

ries from machinery that falls or tips over.

Animals Part of the excitement of visiting a farm is seeing and petting the animals. Although many animals may be docile and domesticated, they can still be unpredictable.

Animals that are startled by yelling or loud noises also may become restless and dangerous.

Children should understand that animals may unintentionally cause injuries. It may be in a horse’s defense mechanism to kick when it is scared. To avoid such injuries, never approach animals from behind.

Also, when baby animals are present, a female may be protective of her brood and go on the defensive.

Another inadvertent injury that may occur is from bacteria or viruses from the animals. Animal feces may contain bacteria, and there may be other microorganisms on the animals themselves. It is a smart idea to always wash your hands after handling a farm animal to prevent the spread of disease.

Here are some other precautions that can be taken when visiting a farm.

• Don’t allow children to wander around unsupervised.

• Rides on farm equipment should be discouraged.

• Before starting machinery, operators should locate children and other guests and clear them from the work area.

• Don’t allow children near machinery.

• Children under the age of 16 should not be allowed to operate any farm vehicles.

We Salute Our Area Ag Producers!

• Watch for hand tools or other equipment, and keep children away from them.

• Do not touch animals unless a farm worker allows it. Then follow his or her instructions.

•Don’t provoke farm animals or attempt to startle them.

• Supervise children around ponds, feeding troughs or manure lagoons. It only takes a few inches of water to pose a drowning risk.

Farms are interesting places to visit, especially for children. Safety should always be a priority when visiting a farm.

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Page 10

April 22, 2015

Spring Salute to Agriculture

Grants available to promote specialty crops Groups promoting fruits and vegetables, nuts and flowers encouraged to apply for funds Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today reminded Iowans that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is accepting applications for grant funding through the Specialty Crop Block Grant program. The grants are available to support projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops grown in Iowa.

The final funding level for the program this year has not yet been finalized by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, which administers the program, but Iowa received $307,610 in funding in 2014 and it is anticipated the state will receive a similar level in 2015.

“The Specialty Crop Block Grant funds can support food safety, research and marketing efforts that will encourage Iowans to choose the products that are produced right here in our state,” Northey said. “Specialty crops are a very important part of Iowa agriculture

as they allow farmers to diversify and give customers access to locally grown products.”

Grant funds shall be used for projects that solely enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops that benefit the specialty crop industry as a whole and will not be awarded for projects that directly benefit a particular product or provide a profit to a single organization, institution, or individual.

Iowa agencies, universities, institutions, and producer, industry, and community based organizations are all eligible to apply for funding to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. In addition, single organizations, institutions, and individuals are encouraged to participate as project partners.

Grant awards will be considered up to a maximum of $24,000 and projects can have a duration of up to 30 months (2 ½ years).

“Specialty Crops” that are eligible under this program are fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture. Both fresh and processed specialty crops are eligible.

Proposals must be received by IDALS on or before 4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 1, 2015. For more information visit the IDALS Specialty Crop Block Grant program at the Department’s web site at www.IowaAgriculture.gov/Horticulture_and_FarmersMarkets/specialtyCropGrant.asp.

In addition, to ensure that funds are used in the most efficient manner possible, the Department is asking specialty crop stakeholders and organizations to submit public comments on program priorities. The comments will help the Department identify priorities; establish the criteria used to evaluate the projects proposed for funding, and to determine

how the reviews are conducted.

Iowans interested in submitting comments about the program can do so online by emailing HorticultureAndFarmersMarkets@IowaAgriculture.gov or by mail to Horticulture and Farmers Market Bureau, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, 502 East 9th, Des Moines, Iowa, 50319.

Comments received by May 1 will be presented to the review committee to assist in prioritizing projects.

“The Specialty Crop Block Grant program has been a tremendous benefit to Iowa and it is important we understand the priorities of the specialty crop producers as we consider this year’s applications,” Northey said. “The public comments will allow us to hear from all segments of Iowa’s specialty crop industries and give them a means to participate in the decisions surrounding this program.”

The many ways buying locally grown foods pays dividends The popularity of organic foods and stores that cater to customers who prefer such foods continues to grow, and that growth has contributed to a growing awareness among shoppers of where the food they eat comes from. Many consumers now recognize the impact that food production has on the environment, and that recognition has spurred interest in locally grown foods.

Locally grown foods are those that are grown within your community or a community nearby. Such foods do not need to be shipped hundreds of miles before they ultimately find their way onto your plate, and many people find that contributes to meals that are more fresh than meals made up of foods shipped from afar. But freshness is not the only benefit to purchasing locally grown foods, which pay various dividends for people and the planet.

Locally grown foods benefit the environment. The phrase “field to plate” is significant to consumers who prefer locally grown foods.That phrase refers to the distance food travels from the grower to the plate on your dinner table. Estimates vary depending on the source, but advocates of locally grown food suggest that it reduces the field to plate distance by an average

of 1,300 miles. That’s a significant feather in locally grown foods’ cap, as the Council on the Environment of New York City notes that it takes 435 fossil-fuel calories to fly a single five calorie strawberry from California to New York. Buying locally preserves that energy that is used to transport foods from afar.

Locally grown foods fuel your local economy. In addition to benefitting the environment, locally grown foods stimulate your local economy. Local, independent farmers have largely fallen by the wayside in the 21st century, as industrial agribusinesses have taken over the produce sections in grocery stores across the country. But local, independent farmers are making a comeback, thanks in large part to consumer demand for organic foods. Supporting such farmers who grow their foods locally means you’re putting money back into your own community, a worthwhile effort at a time when so many small communities are struggling economically.

Buying locally grown foods contributes to biodiversity. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, more than 75 percent of agricultural genetic diversity was lost in the 20th century. That’s thanks in large part to industrial agribusinesses that cultivate fruits and vegetables that are bred

for fast maturation. But small, local farms typically grow a wider variety of fruits and vegetables in an effort to extend their growing seasons. That means consumers of locally grown foods have access to more fruits and vegetables, and therefore more flavor.

Buying locally maintains beautiful landscapes. Farmland has been on the decline for decades, as cement and asphalt have made millions of acres of once beautiful farmland disappear. Buying locally helps to maintain the green space your community and surrounding communities have left. That makes for great road trips and even helps to sustain local wildlife populations.

Locally grown foods can be more nutritious. Fruits and vegetables can rapidly lose nutrients once they are harvested. That’s problematic when buying such foods from industrial agribusinesses that need substantial time to get their products from the farm to the shelves at your local grocery chain. But buying from local farmers increases the likelihood that the fruits and vegetables you purchase were just picked and therefore have yet to lose a significant amount of nutrients.

Locally grown foods are growing in popularity, and that popularity can be traced to the freshness of such foods as well as the numerous additional benefits that locally grown foods provide.

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the unique four-range CVT maximizes available power and increases mechanical efficiency.

Experience a versatile machine that handles like a wheeled tractor but floats like a track. To learn more, visit your Case IH dealer or go to caseih.com.

You can’t wait for ideal conditions when it’s time to plant or harvest.

At Case IH, we know that SEE US TODAY. timing is everything. That’s why the new Magnum™ Rowtrac™ series tractor gives you optimum power, traction, and control to tackle the most adverse conditions. The combination of wheels and tracks provides four points of ground contact, reducing compaction and rutting while increasing flotation and tractive power. Tire options that fit your row width and soil type and an oscillating rear-track design keep power on the ground, even through the tightest turns. Plus, the unique four-range CVT maximizes available power and increases mechanical efficiency.

Experience a versatile machine that handles like a wheeled tractor but floats like a track. To learn more, visit your Case IH dealer or go to caseih.com.

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Case IH is a trademark registered in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or affiliates. www.caseih.com