Opinion

Sixty days until the farm and food world shakes

In March 1919, American journalist Nov. 3. Its results — whomever wins — ing, loosely-regulated giants in seed, crop protection, John Reed published Ten Days that will shake the nation and world as much fertilizer, meatpacking, grain merchandising, and Shook the World, his eyewitness book on and for as long as what Reed recorded a food manufacturing that carve up, then capture, one of the new century’s most defining century ago. government and markets alike. events: the Russian Revolution. This is especially so for rural Other “others” would be U.S. government agencies

Eighty years later, Reed’s groundbreakAmericans because their communities, charged with food safety and market antitrust — ing work was still shaking the world. farms and ranches sit on the precipice of like the Department of Justice, the Food and Drug New York University ranked it seventh enormous change. Many of the forces Administration, and the Department of Agriculture on its list of the 20th century’s 100 most FARM & FOOD FILE driving these changes, like climate, — that could do more to level the farm and food consequential works. The reason for its require global coordination. Others, like playing field for every participant large or small high position, the university noted, was By Alan Guebert tariff wars and biofuel policy, are nationinstead of clearing the way for the powerful. “the magnitude of the event being reported on…” In 60 or so days, American voters OPINION al issues which demand swift overhaul. A few, like property taxes, must be addressed quickly and locally. Additional “others” must include American farm and commodity groups — as well as long past-theirdue-date commodity checkoffs — that continue to face an event of similar magnitude: Election Day, All, however, require public action built on politiadvocate 1970s “we feed the world” U.S. farm polical consensus if U.S. farmers and ranchers are to cies despite 50 years of trade deals that have made have anywhere near as bright futures as their forealmost every nation a competitor and almost every bears dreamed of and drove towards. American farmer and rancher a sitting duck. Where to start? And, surely, “others” would include American conAt the beginning, notes Todd Hultman in the September issue of Progressive Farmer, by openly acknowledging “those in agriculture” (that’s you and me) “know something is deeply wrong.” sumers who have never paid the real cost of food because of industry-designed, government-enforced policies which shelter large parts of the food chain (like sugar, ethanol, and confined livestock and poultry production) from global markets through 30 COLORS 26-29 GAUGE Standard all round durability We know this because, he points out, it’s as obvi ous as the nose on our face. “If we go by USDA’s tariffs, mandated usage, and weak environmental policies. national estimates … in 2020-21, corn will lose $89 an acre, and soybeans will lose $41 an acre.” All of these “others” — from the biggest corporation to the smallest farm — must be heard as farmA lead market analyst for DTN, Hultman also said ers, ranchers, agribusiness and Congress move to livestock producers “who purchased 560-pound feeder write a new farm bill in the coming four years. steers to finish … lost $144.67 per head” from Oct. 2019 to June 2020 while farrow-to-finish hog produc ers “lost $23.20 a head…” over a similar period. That new law either can acknowledge the profound changes American farmers and ranchers face and act as a springboard to new crops, new farms So “Instead of passing the hat” (bellying up to the and new markets; or it can tighten its grip on the 30 COLORS 26-29 GAUGE Standing seam architecture look for half the price federal trough for ever-bigger bailout schemes) “and pretending everything is fine, maybe it’s time we past and its monocultures and feedlots that will require ever-bigger taxpayer bailouts. had a larger conversation about the financial partic ipation of others in the food supply chain.” Either way, change is coming. World-shaking change. Great idea — let’s begin with who these “others in the food supply chain” are and what we might say to them in a “larger conversation.” The Farm and Food File is published weekly through the United States and Canada. Past columns, events and contact information are posted at Obvious “others” would be the first and last links www.farmandfoodfile.com. v in the international food supply chain: the swagger30 COLORS 26-29 GAUGE Residential and round roof applications Letter: Farming future damaged by Trump

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Commercial and wide Perlin applications

To the Editor:

The recent wind event across Iowa was a little taste of what’s to come with climate change. Antiscience Republicans seem uninterested; and Trump, our anti-science leader, has been killing us with his slow Covid response. We’ve seen Trump’s attempt to sabotage the Postal Service, his abuse of pardons, his firing of inspectors general, his lack of morals and family values with his splitting of families and locking children in cages, his admitted sexual assaults, and he continues to seek an end to insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions. Now, the Republican Senate Intelligence Committee, in its final report, says multiple Trump campaign members colluded with Russia in 2016. Trump’s “no collusion” assertion is just one more of the 20,000 lies and “misstatements.” Russian election interference continues according to the conclusion of American intelligence agencies. Trump’s willy-nilly use of tariffs against friends and foe is a very poor long-term strategy. China has learned that we are not a reliable trading partner. Our farming future has been damaged.

Greg Rendahl

Ostrander, Minn.

Much like our crops, our soul needs quenching too

A big event is happening none of it matters. Even in what’s lacking, I can question God’s in my corner of creation the driest years, irrigation faithfulness. My finite world barks this morning. I could tell by isn’t enough. The only real with my own (and others’) shortcomthe number of text messagantidote to drought is a satings and lack of faith to a point that I es I received within a short urating rain. look to God and question His ability to Not only do I realize how little control I have in dry seasons, but I am also made aware of the faultiness of my faith. I easily forget what God has already given me and I look only at what’s lacking. In my hyperfocus on window of time and I’m guessing that if I would have walked outside, I would have heard celebratory shouts coming from a five mile radius. It rained! Not just a sprinkle either. It poured for a good amount of time — followed by a gentile rain which comDEEP ROOTS By Whitney Nesse remain faithful. I have felt much like these dry corn plants the last couple of months. My soul has felt parched. I’ve been retracting and disengaging from those closest to me in a futile attempt to safeguard my fragile soul. I’ve used all of the topical applications for spiritual pletely saturated the dry ground. The rains this morning came unac companied. There was no hail, no LeRoy farmer wins The Land strong wind, or any other threatening phenoms tagging along. It was simply a long-awaited, refreshing soak; and it subscriber drawing came right on time. “The grandkids are pretty The area of central Minnesota in which I live has been very dry for the last few months. Many times we have optimistically watched rain systems on the radar come directly at us and excited!” said Paul Hamlin, winner of the Radio Flyer custom wagon given away by The Land magazine on Aug. 14. fizzle at the last minute or take a Hamlin operates the southbound turn giving our neighbors a mere 10 miles away torrential rains containing enough moisture for an entire season. family farm by Le Roy, Minn., renting the acreage from his dad. “We grow 142 acres of corn and 120 acres of soybeans,” he

With each passing dry day, we said, “plus some hay acres watched the leaves on the corn plants and pasture.” Hamlin curl more and more, creating for themraises Angus cattle: 12 selves less leaf area exposed to the milkers, a bull and a handdry, stressful environment. The beautiful of animals to keep the ful emerald color of the healthy corn freezer stocked. plant turns to a silvery gray in an “Everything is looking attempt to protect itself from the real good,” Hamlin said. He scorching sun. was especially pleased Then, all at once, a timely, soaking rain falls. You can practically watch the leaves on the corn plants relax, with the hay crop this year and said his small grain yields were good as well. The corn is at 70 percent mois ture, so Hamlin expects to begin chopping silage soon. uncurling, opening themselves up to Like many smaller operators these days, Hamlin also works off the farm — receive the provided moisture. The driving semi truck. Last week he hauled feed ingredients to Kentucky and came color changes back to a deep, rich, back with cotton seed from Tennessee and Missouri. “One is my side job and the emerald green. The plants no longer other is my regular job,” Hamlin laughed. “You can pick which is which.” look as if they are isolating and keepHamlin said he has been reading The Land for a number of years and really ing to themselves, but are again in enjoys Kent Thiesse’s “Farm Programs” column. communion across the shared land — stretching themselves out as if to say a word of thanks for the long-awaited Pictured with The Land General Manager Deb Petterson (far left) are Paul and Cindy Hamlin and grandchildren Adeline and Everett. relief from the dry spell. Dry seasons show those of us who depend on the land just how little conLetters to the Editor are welcome trol we have over outcomes. A steward Send your letters to: Editor, The Land of the land can put on endless P.O. Box 3169, Mankato, MN 56002 amounts of fertilizer, have the best weed and pest control and map out e-mail: editor@thelandonline.com field prescriptions for a bumper crop; All letters must be signed and accompanied with a phone number (not for publication) but if the soil is lacking moisture,

fullness like prayer, studying the Bible, attending church services and the like. I feel as though my faith is being tested. I wonder if God is capable of being who He has promised to be: faithful, a just judge, a wonderful counselor and sovereign over all. I’m finding that my faith is faulty and my soul is dry.

My pastor reminded me during a recent service that when I choose to be “faithful to God (even for a moment), He will be faithful to me for a lifetime.” When I question God’s promises during dry seasons of my spiritual journey, but I choose — even momentarily — to be faithful to God, He is always faithful to pour out His promises and blessings on me.

I’ve been looking to the well-worn story of Noah and the Ark for encouragement lately. God told Noah to build an ark because He was sending a flood. We aren’t told specifically in Genesis 6-8 how many years passed between the time God told Noah to build an ark and the start of the rain, but Bible scholars say it took somewhere between 70 and 75 years. Noah chose, in the moment that God asked something of him, to be faithful to God. Noah worked, waited and watched for the sky to open up and for God to fulfill His promise for 70 YEARS!

I can only imagine that Noah had to, at some point, feel much like I am right now — dry and full of faulty faith. But God, in His perfect timing, sent the rains and flooded the earth just like He promised. If Noah hadn’t chosen to be faithful in that moment, the entire human race would have been lost.

The rains came for Noah, the rains came to our farming community, and I am choosing to believe that rain will fall and quench my dry spirit too. I am choosing to continue to trust that God will fulfill every good and perfect promise that He has made in His perfect timing.

I am also going to head out and check the rain gauge.

Whitney Nesse is a sixth-generation livestock farmer who is deeply rooted in her faith and family. She writes from her central Minnesota farm. v