Lucky man.

So yesterday, the upper midwest saw some of the most severe storms we’ve ever seen this late in the year. While the damage was nothing like what the folks in places like Illinois saw, it was still significant around our area as well, and my family was affected.

This morning, I arrived at the “main farm”, where my grandparents live, and saw for myself what had happened. One post frame building destroyed, debris around the yard, and no power. We spent most of the morning at afternoon removing building pieces so we could get equipment out, hooking up generators, and trying to get things up and running again. When the power went out, we had the grain dryers running, so we had thousands of bushels of wet corn in trucks and bins that would start molding quickly if we couldn’t get it dried, and fast. As I worked around throughout the day, one thought kept creeping into my head.

I’m a lucky man. 

My family is safe. My farm buildings and home are (for the most part) still standing. I didn’t loose any equipment.

Compared to many farm friends south of me, I’m damn lucky.

When I took to social media this morning with pictures and stories, it wasn’t about looking for pity, or a “hey, look at how bad this is” moment. I’ve decided that I’m going to share my farming life with the world via social media, and this was part of that. The good, the bad, everything.

Then, something even more humbling that I can put into words started happening. 

First it was text messages. 

Then the Facebook postings. 

Finally, the phone calls.

Other farmers and ranchers all over the country were reaching out, contacting me, wondering how we were doing, how bad the damage was, asking if there was anything they could do to help out.

Then it struck me. 

Compared to having a town leveled, or loosing half your cattle in a blizzard, or having an entire crop lost by flooding, this was a minor inconvenience. 

And these people, these wonderful friends, many of whom I know only on Facebook and Twitter, were asking if we were ok, telling me they were praying for us.

I was beyond words.

And then, it hit me.

This is farming. This is what I do. And this, and they, are why I do it.

I am truly, a very lucky man.

Dale Carnegie: More important than John Deere

Right now, there seems to be a lot of debate, some quite heated, within the ag community as to how we should or should not be connecting with consumers. We've started hearing words like "agtivist", which would imply that we have left the relm of rational discussion, and moved into the world of extremism.

I would disagree with that.

In nearly ten years on the road in sales, I becase a deciple of the teaching of Dale Carnegie. The Carnegie teachings of how to Win Friends, and Infulance People literally changed my life and the way I interact with people. That said, I belive strongly that we can't use a one-way approach to talk with consumers about what we do; they don't want to be told, they want to have a dialouge. However, we need to recognize that there are people who will confront us, question us, and villify us who have zero interest in polite conversation.

I think back a couple of weeks ago to the Chipotle commercial issue; now, if a person saw that ad, had questions, and is truely interested in a conversation about what they saw and didn't understand, I'm all in. I'll spend hours trying to explain what we do, and how we do it, as long as your willing to listen. However, when you come out swinging with the typical "factory farm" and "corperate ag" remarks, I'm going to get defensive. At that point, you've pretty much shown me your not interested in a discussion, your interested in causing trouble.

Now, there are those among us that believe we can win everyone to our way of thinking by holding hands and singing a little song; but I'm more of a realist. When you really cut down to it, 20% are for us, 20% are against us, and 60% are in the middle looking for real answers; and it's that 60% I'm after.

Conversation with consumers is valuable, and it's a necessary part of what we do now as farmers; just make sure that when you're talking, your audience is listening.

Safest food on the planet, now at lower temperatures!

Hopefully, you were able to enjoy the great weather this past memorial day weekend, and while you were waiting for some tasty cuts of pork or beef to come hot of the grill, you took the time to remember the brave American soldiers who paid the ultimate price to allow us such great freedom. I have nothing but absolute respect and admiration for those men and women, and I must say, I feel a little guilty bringing this up. However, in addition to thanking those brave souls for our freedom, we can also thank the American farmer who helped bring us that meal, and provided us with the safest food on the planet.

Last week, the USDA released a statement telling us something that many farmer have known for years; that it is perfectly safe to cook pork to medium, at 145 degrees internal temperature. This announcement is great news for consumers, and reinforces a basic truth about our food: that it is truly safe, and that modern farming practices have contributed to it. For example, years ago, people were leery of pork, especially under-cooked pork, for many good reasons. The pigs lived outside, basically running loose, eating whatever happened to appear in front of them (I won’t get into details). Today, pigs live comfortably inside clean, well-lit, climate controlled barns; which are probably a lot cooler than my old farmhouse right now. The pork is harvested and processed in state-of-the-art facilities, which are cleaned, scrubbed, and inspected daily within an inch of their lives. The USDA and its watchful eye are never more than a stones throw away, providing guidance and oversight to the industry.

But outside of the processing world, pork farmers are doing the right things as well. Large and small alike, most farmers today are PQA+ Certified, meaning they have taken part in a voluntary program that holds them to a higher standard, and helps them produce a better product.

Farmers today care more about food and consumer safety than ever. As a farmer, it kills me to see a recall, or hear about people getting sick from a food-borne illness, because I feel like I have somehow failed. You depend on me for safe food the same as you would depend on a fireman to come save your house in a fire. We all have a job to do, and we want to do it well. From soldiers to farmers, we’re all working to protect American consumers.

Jeff Vander Werff is a 4th generation farmer from Sparta, Michigan. Learn more about how safe your food really is at www.youtube.com/agsalesman