In the past two weeks, I have attended two field days.  One was hosted by the University of Minnesota and the other by North Dakota State University.  At one demonstation, we needed jackets.  At the other, I morphed into EMT-mode, looking at some of the farmers for signs of heat related health problems.  We were slightly roasted after the morning tour, and well done after the 3 hour afternoon tour.  


As farmers, our hands have always been active in food production.  We've been in continual search of how to produce more food safer, cheaper, and more efficiently.  We spend hours in the hot sun listening to researchers describe a better method of fertilization, or tillage, or how to manage weeds, disease and insects. There is always something new to learn.  I keep attending these field days hoping to hear the newest wheat variety is high yielding and high protein, but so far, it's always a tradeoff between yield and protein.  Maybe next year.  

I am beginning to see how food production has come full circle for so many people.   A few generations ago it was common to produce nearly everything you ate.  Every farm had a few pigs, cows, chickens and sheep, and a large garden full of vegetables.   It became a status symbol to buy food grown elsewhere, and pretty soon people found it was easier to go grocery shopping, than weed a garden daily.  

Now the reverse is happening.  Playing in the dirt is the new status symbol.  It's no longer enough to have a McMansion in the suburbs, but you need to own a few acres outside town with some backyard chickens.   The full circle of food production is coming around.  

My hope is that the new group of "foodies" will begin to realize how much work is involved in food production.  Yesterday's crop tour at the NDSU Carrington Research Center also included an orchard tour of 13 fruit crops.  Those lucky participants got to be indoors out of the heat in the afternoon, where they learned about apple tree diseases and management.   

Food production requires more than just buying a book on backyard chickens, or an apple tree, and the more people that realize that, the more appreciative people will be for farmers.  Raising food isn't the latest fad for us, and it never has been. 

There are many wive's tales in farming, but one of the keys is "Knee high by the 4th of July" for the corn.  Last year it was taller than me on the 4th of July, but knee high is the bare minimum.  This year we are above the knee high marker, but still below the waist.  

We also hope the sugarbeets will be closing the rows by the 4th of July.  That's a little questionable right now, but if you ask an optimist, you'll hear how the new varieties are more upright, and they don't close the rows as fast.  If you ask a pessimist, he'll say we're in trouble because the rows aren't closed. 

Either way, the crops are behind, but I feel fortunate they look as good as they do.  We have been dodging most of the rain bullets.  With the amount of heavy showers coming through, a few miles in either direction has made a huge difference this year.  

It's the 4th of July, but the crops don't know any better.  They don't know we want to be on vacation, so the weeds keep growing, the bugs keep infesting, and we keep checking for disease.  I'm a little jealous of all the families who are packing up for a trip to Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, or the Wisconsin Dells.  We stay pretty close the farm throughout the summer, but somewhere out there I hear a boat with my name on it.  This is Minnesota, so a lake is just a hop, skip and a jump away.  May you enjoy a good fireworks show, a grill loaded with hamburgers or brats, and some good memories with friends and family.  I'll keep growing the wheat for your hamburger bun, the barley for your beer and the sugar for your cupcakes.