Table Talk

There can often be kind of a love/hate In our operation, when it’s time to think or three hours before that happens, though. about supper for our crew, it’s my job to abandon the grain cart and leave it to someone else while I scamper to the nearest town to pick up something for everyone. I could complain that I always have to be the one to run after supper for everyone; but I don’t do it because those trips to town also afford me a chance to answer Mother Nature’s call like civilized people do. I need to be careful what I wish for… And after riding high in the tractor cab all day, I feel like I’m riding a skateboard to town as I drive along in the pickup. relationship going between the farm family and the harvest season. Kind of like what goes on between husbands and wives during that arduous and elbow-deep paper-flying tax preparation season … even without the profanities which sometimes find their way to the home office in the process. The long hours of harvest offset the anticipation of what is always hoped to be the biggest crop yet. Machinery breakdowns at critical times make farmers anxious; but when combine heads swallow up the year’s TABLE TALK By Karen Schwaller It’s amazing to watch the landscape change as the harvest goes along. Not just from our fields being done, but from the work all farmers are accomplishing. The fields are bare, you can see for miles, and it creates the canvas for the coming winterscape. All that’s left to come are the cows quietly grazing, round bales dotting the fields, and then the snow. Most of all, the harvest is a feeling of being part of something much larger than ourselves … something we could not do if it were left solely to human hands. Perhaps it’s a good thing God’s not ‘over it’ by 8:00 at night, like I am. work, there’s something to be said about the satisfac- The days start early and are long. But in retro- Karen Schwaller brings “Table Talk” to The Land tion which comes from seeing a field completely spect, they go by quickly. It’s kind of exciting for most from her home near Milford, Iowa. She can be gleaned and moved from the field into storage. of the day, but by 8:00 at night I’m usually ‘over it’ reached at kschwaller@evertek.net. v

There are many perks observed between the first and just want to go home. I might have another two field of the harvest being opened up and the last load of the year going to the bin. Breathtaking sunsets would have to be among Form takes two minutes (honest) those perks that only serve to distract a person so much they could forget why they are out there to LAND MINDS, from pg. 4 see it in the first place. More than once I’m sure it the grain market gravy train keep rolling? was the reason for an S.O.S. call on the radio from Alternative crops need a home at the U.S. my husband to tell me to get over a row or two Department of Agriculture. Hopefully research and because I was too close to the combine. study continues in this area and farmers have a

It’s the one time of year when I understand why more diverse market at their disposal. the male of the species finds beauty so distracting. Now more than ever, as agriculture goes, so goes Though I can’t say I’ve ever had to tell my husband America. And the list of issues facing farmers in he was driving too close to me… 2022 is facing everyone. Mental health and scant When you participate in the harvest you get to see the world from a higher vantage point. For us short people, it’s a glimpse into the world of thinner air and for once, looking down at people … who can also now see our double chins without trying too hard. resources to maintain that health is finally receiving attention. Hopefully we will be able to do more catching up in that long-neglected area. The drought of last year should have been a lesson on how dependent we are on water and how limited that irreplaceable resource is. How we use water

I always find the irony in it when I’m following the and how much of it we use is just as important as combine in the field, and it appears to move along climate change and U.S. energy policies … perhaps slowly and methodically. But on the side of the com- even more so. Will the current pattern of weatherbine are small gears that you can see running fer- related disasters continue? And if so, what will that vently — like they’re on a serious mission to keep mean for crop insurance? Will premiums skyrockthat combine going. It reminds me of ducks: looking et? Will smaller insurers be able to compete or will calm above the water, but padding like crazy under- they disappear like the local farmers’ cooperative? neath. I also think it’s how farmers look that time of year—calm on the outside, but calculating like crazy profits and losses for the year, and hoping it’s good news for the banker and the bottom line. The on-going New Year’s resolution at The Land is to keep these topics alive in the public eye — so we can be proactive in agriculture’s future instead of

Eating lunch in the field is a special event all its own. A neighbor lady of ours told me just this past fall, “Everything tastes better when it’s eaten in a tractor cab.” I had not thought of it that way before; and maybe it’s just a woman’s perspective. It gives me insight as to why young children are always finding their way into the farmer’s nosebag. There’s just something about finding some kind of treasure in there to eat while spending time in the combine cab.

Not having to cook supper is another perk for the woman of the house who also gets more fresh air and exercise than normal as she helps with the harvest. scrambling to survive the next embargo or virus. We gladly print letters to the editor and if there is a subject we need to be paying attention to, we want to know. And we want to have fun too (mental health?). I’m happy to say our writers are on board for another year to share their words, wisdom and pictures. Inside this issue is The Land’s annual subscription form. For the price of a stamp and a couple bushels of soybeans we’ll deliver 26 issues to your door in 2022. (We don’t even require the soybeans, but the funds come in handy in a lot of ways.) Please take a couple of minutes to fill out the subscription form found inside this issue. TRUTH: When The Land is at trade shows or Farmfest, people fill out the same form at our booth and it really does only take a couple of minutes — ask anyone. If you know a friend or neighbor who might enjoy The Land (city or country) we offer them the same deal. We believe The Land is a family-friendly way to stay connected during a time when things seem so disconnected. We wish everyone a prosperous — and most importantly, safe 2022. Thank you for your support! Paul Malchow is the managing editor of The Land. He may be reached at editor@TheLandOnline.com. v Scholarships for ag business management ST. PAUL — Scholarships are available to help ing from conventional to organic operations. Minnesota organic fruit and vegetable growers participate in one-to-one business management guidance. Learn more about the organic benchmarking cost share program at z.umn.edu/organicscholarships or Participants can work with instructors to improve by contacting Hadrich at jhadrich@umn.edu or Gigi their knowledge of accounting, budgeting, finance, DiGiacomo, research fellow in the Department of tax management and business analysis. Applied Economics, at gigid@umn.edu. Annual costs are up to $2,000. Scholarships cover- This article was submitted by University of ing 25 to 50 percent of the costs are available. Minnesota Extension. v Scholarships also are available to farmers transition-