Deep Roots

The number of rocks which surface picked up over the course of many gener- ently. What if we choose to take a moment each time from deep beneath the topsoil of a field ations. Out of many of these rock piles, we bend low, to humble ourselves before the Lord? that has been slumbering for months is those who cared for the land before us, What if we choose to see those rock piles as altars always astonishing to me. A field that has constructed the very foundations of their for the Lord — a place to remember his faithfulness been cleaned up, taken care of and homes and barns. These rocks became and thank him for giving us the opportunity to “tucked in” after harvest can birth and the foundation on which their livelihoods steward the land? Or maybe we will find a greater become home to scores of rocks by spring. and families were built. appreciation for the backbreaking work past generaAre these rock piles much different than the altars built by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses or other forefathers of the faith? Altars made of uncut stones piled on top of one another, signifying a place for all succeeding generations to stop and remember the things that God had done in the past. Perhaps this year, instead of grumbling at the I am amazed when I think of the farmers of generations past and how physically taxing it was to hand-pick rocks. Although farming practices have changed and rock picking looks much different now, I imagine one would be hard pressed to find a farmer whose beginnings do not include rock picking. Even the most seasoned farmers who hire ambitious neighbor kids to do their rock picking for DEEP ROOTS By Whitney Nesse tions endured that has now become the foundation on which our very own livelihoods are being built. My hope is that with each passing year, as more and more rocks find their way to the surface, I will allow myself to be humbled before the Lord, be reminded of his faithfulness, and to deepen, enhance and grow my sense of gratitude for the generations gone before me. them will still find themselves hopping out of the rocks that break our planters, become lodged in our Whitney Nesse is a sixth-generation livestock farmcab of their tractors and picking up a stray rock finishing baskets, shear off shovels on our cultiva- er who is deeply rooted in her faith and family. She here and there. tors and try our sanity, we can look at them differ- writes from her central Minnesota farm. v For as much of a nuisance rocks can be, I have an intriguing thought. I think of the farmer — the steward, the caretaker of the land — and how the farmer bends low, face towards the ground, breathJoin The Land Online! Facebook.com/TheLandOnline • Twitter.com/TheLandOnline ing in deeply, filling his nostrils with the earthy and unmistakable scent of soil, surrounded by land that Instagram@thelandmagazineonline the farmer owns, but is merely lent by God himself. One by one, over and over, the farmer bends low, face to the ground picking up rocks that the land births with each spring season. FDA needs to bulk up food safety

How similar is the farmer’s posture when toiling GUEBERT, from pg. 3 our elected officials’, too — failure to bulk up to under the sun to the posture of the tax collector in the synagogue who could not lift his eyes to heaven U.S. Department of Agriculture didn’t help, either. match today’s increasingly industrialized food system leaves the nation at risk in riskier times. as he humbled himself before the Lord (Luke 18). Could it be that God, in his mercy, allows these rocks to continually surface in order to offer the farmer the opportunity to humble himself over and over across thousands of farm acres? “‘The food industry is lobbying USDA, which in turn puts pressure on FDA through the White House and Capitol Hill, in a way that’s unproductive…’” former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told Politico. The complete, authoritative, 9,000-word story, “The FDA’s Food Failure” is posted at https://www. politico.com/interactives/2022/fda-fails-regulatefood-health-safety-hazards/ I think of the rock piles growing larger and larger — added to year after year. How they are strategically placed so they are easy to access, yet out of the way. Rocks of every shape, size and color have been Bottemiller Evich, however, makes it clear that FDA has more problems than just Big Food bigfooting its way around FDA. FDA has become a shrimp in an ocean of transnational whales and its — and The Farm and Food File is published weekly through the United States and Canada. Past columns, events and contact information are posted at www.farmandfoodfile.com. v

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