Illinois Farm Families Blog

At the insistence of our favorite babysitter, Kathy Schnell – think a country Mary Poppins – our parents enrolled my siblings and I in 4-H. Kathy and her sisters showed polled Herefords, goats and vegetables. Their mom was the club leader and Kathy was convinced that we would benefit greatly from monthly club meetings, service projects and those dreaded (my words) talks and demonstrations.

4-H is far from a farm-kid club, and while its history is steeped in traditional production agriculture and homemaking, today the national organization pushes STEAM (science, technology, engineering, agriculture and math) projects with a service-learning, agriculture basis.  Of course, at 9-years old, I didn’t realize how the 4-H clover would shape my life.

As a Face of Farming & Ranching for the US Farmers & Ranchers Alliance, I’ve found myself in front of various groups, large and small, talking about agriculture. Ironically, as a 4-H member, the annual talks & demonstrations required of each member were the banes of my existence.  I don’t know how many “how to make rice krispies” demonstrations I’ve sat through. I know I gave my fair share of “identifying cattle breeds” speeches. We’d all stand rooted in one spot clutching our note cards, forcing those stomach butterflies down. Every speech started the same. “Hi. My name is Katie Dallam and this is my 4th year in 4-H. Tonight I will tell you how to show a cow.”

I think my parents appreciated the 4-H lessons of responsibility, accountability and follow-through more than us kids. As they were prone to point out, it wasn’t their 4-H projects being swallowed by weeds or waiting for morning chores, it was ours. My beef and dairy cattle projects taught me patience (a virtue I’m still learning), commitment to something other than me (those cattle couldn’t feed and water themselves), and the value of the almighty dollar. Those projects funded my college education.

And 4-H showed us the value of investing in our communities; showed us every spring on an early Saturday morning during ditch clean-up.  It wasn’t glamorous work, but the next time we traveled that road we knew who had walked those miles. Pride in work ethic is a powerful motivator for a young person.

So when given the opportunity as a Face to make a donation to an agriculture organization on behalf of the US Farmers & Ranchers Alliance, 4-H was first on my list.  It’s famous four-leaf clover, symbolizing head, heart, hands and health, has given me powerful life-long tools and a commitment to making the best better.

Katie Pratt, Dixon

We found this blog on the IFB & Affiliates Youth Education in Agriculture website,  http://illinoisfarmbureauyouthed.wordpress.com/2012/07/06/wednesday-words-food-dialogues-3/,  and believe you will enjoy it.

Last year the USFRA (United States Farmers & Ranchers Alliance) launched Food Dialogues. It is exactly what it says, conversations about food. The people talking are farmers, consumers, scientists, professors, politicians, and modern day Rachel Carsons. This June, Food Dialogues traveled to Los Angeles and tackled the effect pop culture, foodie television, and celebrity chefs have on society’s view of food production. One panel discussed community gardens and another science, technology and food.  The latter was my panel. An Illinois corn farmer talking biotechnology in California. (Does that sound like a good idea?)

I joined eight other panelists – a diverse group of California farmers, the California Secretary of Agriculture, a professor of molecular biology, a representative from the University of California and a representative from the Environmental Defense Fund.

We had two hours to tackle “The Great Debate” as the panel was titled. We covered all sorts of topics related to the use of technology and not just biotech, but equipment technology too. Moderated by author Michael Spector, we touched on obesity in the US and hunger in Africa. We tried to define sustainability and GMOs.  We suggested new technologies we’d like to see on our farms and talked about “all-natural” versus “conventional” and why such a great divide seems to exist. I don’t know that we solved the world’s problems in those two hours, but I left with a great appreciation for two things:

1) I am glad that I do not farm in California. I say that in complete admiration of them and their ability to manage the plethora of regulations they face daily. California is the most prolific of agriculture states, producing 400 different food products. The Secretary of Agriculture told our group that 800 different organizations represent the farmers and ranchers growing those products. That may explain why California is one of the most heavily regulated agricultural states. Some farms hire an individual just to ensure permits and certificates are in place and rules are being followed. Wow.   

2) I am so proud to be a farmer and a part of this movement to open farm gates and invite questions, suggestions and sometimes criticism from our fellow Americans’ dinner plates.For too long we have rested on our laurels, thinking that the “good ole days” ideology would carry us through attacks from extreme activist groups. Well, that obviously is not the case.
Now is the time for every farmer and rancher, young and old, man or woman, FFA member or 4-Her to start listening first and talking second. Listen to what consumers are saying and then ask if they’d like to hear your story – your story of family and farm, planting a seed and harvesting a crop, rescuing a sick calf and tending to an older sow, baling hay in the heat of July and hooking up generators to the barn in winter blizzards. Essentially, we need to engage in our own food dialogue.

Katie Pratt
Grand Prairie Farms- Lee County