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.

Why Food Democracy isn’t really about Democracy.

Right now, a group called Food Democracy is urging folks all over the country to try and stop the continuing resolution passed by congress last week from being signed. They claim there is a piece in the CR called the “Monsanto Protecting Act” (which, I might add, is a made-up BS term). What they are really pissed about is the fact that this small piece of the CR protects farmers from activists and activist judges. Let me explain...

This small piece allows the USDA to allow for the cultivation and harvest of a crop, even if a judge or court has ordered it to undergo further review, and be removed from the market place. And we aren’t talking about some wild ideas here-we are talking about a group who wants to remove all traces of GMO crops from the planet, by any means necessary (kiss your seedless watermelons goodbye). 

For me as a farmer, this small piece provides me with much needed security. Without the USDA stopgap, a judge somewhere could rule that my corn crop growing in the field would have to be destroyed, with no recourse or remuneration for me as a farmer. A single judge in California could rule that my Roundup Ready corn, which has nearly 25 years of testing, regulatory approval, and real world experience could be banned, and I would be forced to destroy my entire crop, costing me millions of dollars. It would bankrupt my family overnight.

But here’s a real world example for everyone:

Let’s say you buy a lot and build a new house. 2 months after moving in, a neighbor says that your house is too close to his, and he doesn’t like it. There’s no scientific or logical basis for his gripe, but he takes you to court anyways. In court, the judge rules that he’s not sure about the neighbors complaint, but just to be safe, you need to move out of your new house and bulldoze it. If he decides the neighbor is wacky, you can rebuild your house, but in the meantime, you must tear it down and find somewhere else to go.

This is the world of uncertainty we live in. I would LOVE to have the time to talk to everyone in America about technology, Monsanto, GMO crops, and why I farm the way I  do, but I can’t. So please, try to trust us, just a little, and try to trust the USDA. Anyone who thinks the USDA is in bed with bio tech companies, well, I’ve got some ocean front property in Indiana for you.

Free (corn) Markets

Just incase you’ve been living under a rock for the last 3 months or so, the Midwest, hell, the whole country, has been gripped by a massive drought, which has crippled yields, especially for corn and soybeans. In fact, the crop failures are so massive, that corn and soybean “futures” (prices) have reached record levels; and those costs, unfortunately, will in some way be passed on to the consumer. 

It’s not that we want to charge you more, but our hands are tied. The corn cattle and chickens eat is more expensive; same goes for the soybeans that pigs and dairy cows consume. And then, there’s the pink elephant in the room: 

Ethanol.

Many, many grain famers, like myself, sell some of their corn for ethanol production. Now, there is a by-product, called DDG, that is fed to cattle in place of “whole” corn, so it’s not a total net-loss for feed. However, that hasn’t stopped several livestock groups and some producers from calling for a “waiver” for the amount of ethanol the government says we need to put into our gasoline.

Now understand, I’m writing this from the perspective of a grain farmer; but I’m also writing as a consumer of meat and dairy products. What I have the biggest problem with, in this whole “waiver” debate, is that the government is picking winners and losers, and when that happens, we all loose.

If we allow the government to shut down ethanol production to satisfy the demands of livestock producers, then what about the inverse? When corn prices crash, can we demand an increase in ethanol to prop up my industry? How about then dairy prices drop; should we control supply with a national quota system? The same quotas could apply to pigs, turkeys, ect. 

If we head down this road today, we are asking the government to take away our rights to free markets tomorrow. 

I’m not going to propose a solution to this issue; I know folks at all corners of this table who are struggling, and who have strong opinions. The larger question I simply want to ask, is, are we as farmers and ranchers ready to give the government this much control over the principals of free market economics that we all thrive under??

Jeff VanderWerff is a 4th generation fruit and grain farmer from Sparta, Michigan. To learn more about his family farm, and the drought, visit www.youtube.com/agsalesman