Illinois Farm Families Blog

As a tax-paying adult, anything that requires my money generally is “too expensive.” Gas. Cell phone plans. Taxes. Insurance. New minivans. Taxes. Our children’s future college education. (Shudder.)

Last week was my reminder that food should NOT be among them. It was Food Checkout Week – the week when an average family of four like mine earned enough money since Jan. 1 to pay for a year’s worth of food. We as Americans spend less of our disposable income on food than any other country in the world. And fewer than 2 percent of Americans produce it!

In other words, our food is the most affordable on earth in part because of the productivity of farmers and ranchers. That puts my grocery bill in perspective.

The Farm Bureau has touted food’s availability and affordability for 14 years, creating a calendar-marking Food Checkout Day to mimic Tax Freedom Day, the day when the average American has earned enough for the year to pay for taxes. (Which, by the way, is weeks away.)

I attended a Food Checkout celebration last week. Yeah, sounds corny. Actually Captain Cornelius was there! Anyway, two committees of our county Farm Bureau and the local Corn Growers association organized a live, broadcasted grocery race on Friday. Two morning show personalities from our local country radio station were the celebrity racers and teamed up with two listeners, who won a call-in contest to participate. The two teams had five minutes to buy up to 104 items on a specified grocery list, such as canned peaches, spaghetti sauce, ketchup, pretzels, crackers and V8 Splash. The list was formed with items that contained corn ingredients. The shoppers earned bonus points for items that included corn sweetener.

Besides putting food prices in perspective, our local farmers also wanted to bring some awareness to corn sweeteners, which have been given a bad rap by some food marketers. Unfortunately, the name high fructose corn syrup doesn’t sound pretty, but it’s really just corn sugar, is nutritionally equivalent to sugar and equally should be used in moderation. A local young farmwife baked some low-fat banana and oatmeal breads for the event using corn sweetener in place of granulated sugar and gave free samples. Yum!

At the checkout, everyone was a winner. The race was hilarious, with attempts to snatch items from one another’s cart, playful wrestling in the baking aisle, and asking nearby shoppers for directions to the gravy. Then, our local food pantry received the $215 worth of groceries collected during the race.

Joanie Stiers
Williamsfield, IL

Last week, two Chicago newspapers ran editorials on McDonald's decision to require its pork suppliers to phase out gestation stalls. (You can find the original Chicago Tribune editorial here, and the Sun Times editorial here.) We know this is an important issue in our industry and we're eager to be a part of the conversation. Janeen Salak-Johnson, an expert on animal well-being and housing, and I were among those who responded.

If you have questions, leave a comment.  I'm happy to answer them,
Mike Haag
Emington, IL

Response to Tribune Editorial by Mike Haag
As a father and consumer, I agree with Steve Chapman that no one has a right to abuse animals (Food and conscience, February 16, 2012) but disagree with his claims about today's farms.
  
As a third generation farmer, I am committed to providing excellent care to our sows and piglets every day because it's the right thing to do. Asserting that modern farm practices, such as gestation stalls, do not consider the well-being of our sows is misguided and ignores what veterinarians and researchers tell us about good animal care. Modern housing gives farmers the tools to provide individual care to each pregnant sow and protect her during pregnancy.
  
We know more about animal health, nutrition and comfort than we did just a few decades ago and farmers continue to seek ways to maximize animal well-being because we know that healthy animals are the first step to ensuring safe food for all of us.

Some groups want to limit consumer choice by making demands that do little to improve animal welfare. And while McDonald's has set new standards for its suppliers, I know that consumers expect us to do what's right, regardless of the system we use. That's why I will continue to provide the sows and piglets on my farm with safe, clean, comfortable housing and exceptional care.

Sincerely,
Mike Haag
  
Response to Sun-Times Editorial by Dr. Janeen Salak-Johnson
Animal Care Needs to Lead Sow Housing Decisions
As a mom, an animal lover and someone whose career has been focused on the well-being of animals, I understand and share the passion that people have related to making sure that farm animals are raised humanely. However, I am deeply disturbed by your recent editorial calling for the ban of gestation crates. It's absurd and irresponsible to claim that this veterinarian approved housing is torture to sows.
  
I am not a pork producer, I did not grow up on a farm and I have no financial interest in any particular sow housing system. I am a scientist and educator whose career is dedicated to improving the well-being of animals, while in the care of the farmers who raise them for food. I have a passion for educating students, developing future scientists and sustaining animal agriculture so that we can provide the best care for animals, while providing safe, affordable and quality food for the world.

The number one goal of those raising animals for food is to provide proper care for those animals. More specifically, I have devoted the past eight years of my research program to improving housing systems for pregnant pigs (sows). There are numerous ways to provide proper care for sows including gestation stalls. There are advantages and disadvantages to every housing system including gestation stalls, open pens, free access stalls or pasture.  When it comes to providing care for the pregnant sow, one-size does not fit all.
  
Simply putting a sow in a group pen or out on pasture does not equate to improved well-being because more space DOES NOT equate to improved well-being, it's the quality of space not the quantity of space.   
  
Let's be clear:  McDonalds' decision to phase out the use of gestation stalls was a marketing decision based on consumer perceptions, not on the improved welfare of the animals. I know one cannot trump emotions with science, but it is my ethical obligation to do what is right.

I strongly believe that we should continue to look for ways to improve sow housing systems that, above everything else, improve sow well-being. Simply banning the use of gestation stalls does not translate to improved well-being of the sow. Stalls help farmers provide individual care to each sow, minimize stress and increase sow and worker safety.   
 
My main concern on this issue is for the animal. Simply equating a human perception about a sow housing system with a decision to eliminate it does not guarantee an improvement in the well-being of that animal. If we want to feel better as a society for a victory for animal welfare, then let's make sure that it actually does improve it.   
  
Janeen L Salak-Johnson, PhD
Associate Professor, Stress/Environmental Physiology & Well-being
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Ingredients:

1-1/4 pounds boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut 3/4 inch thick
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, divided
2 tablespoons water
3 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach
1/2 cup sliced green onions
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 cups hot cooked rice, prepared without butter or salt

Instructions:

1.    Cut beef steak lengthwise in half and then crosswise into 1/4 inch strips. Toss with sesame oil and garlic.
2.    Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add beef (1/2 at a time); stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until outside surface is no longer pink. Remove from skillet.
3.    In same skillet, add bell pepper, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and water; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until pepper is crisp-tender. Add spinach and green onions; cook until spinach is just wilted. Stir in ketchup, remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce and beef; heat through. Serve over rice.

Lynn Martz
Larson Farms
Maple Park, Illinois

 

Recipe from Beef It's What's For Dinner.

I was standing at the Farm King checkout, waiting for my husband to pay for our Plan B attack on a mounding mole problem, when a farm magazine with colorful cauliflower on the cover persuaded me to pick it up. No grocery store tabloid tempts me to the point of touching, but I’m a sucker for anything about farms and gardening.

I started reading an editorial authored by a person who worked multiple jobs and finally found farming was his calling. I can relate to that. I kept reading. My husband was yet to pay. In fact, I took great interest in the author’s words until he started to belittle the corn and soybean farmer, in a tone that indicated that type of farming had no feeling. No pride. To the author it seemed mechanical and monotonous.

My hands immediately closed and racked the publication. I’m proud to grow those crops.

I walked in silence to the van, feeling bullied and angered, but unsure of what to say. I process my thoughts slowly. (Good thing I’m not a farm broadcaster.) I need to chew on topics a while before I can reach a conclusion. So a few days later I sat over a bowl of soup made from butternut squash from last year’s garden bounty, still aroused by the unnecessary jab. And thought this: Who started filing farmers in categories?

Truth is, I’ve witnessed this desire-to-file twice in a month. Someone asked a question about how a family farm is differentiated from an industrial farm. The question was posed online through Illinois Farm Families, a coalition that encourages farmers to start conversations with consumers. (Go to www.WatchUsGrow.org to learn more.)

My first response: What’s an industrial farm? That phrase isn’t part of farm vocabulary, but rather seems a term coined to negatively label modern-day agriculture. I get this feeling that people who don’t understand farms and farmers are trying to figure us out, which I applaud. Yet placement in a category with an associated stereotype only muddies that understanding like a gravel road in the thaw of March. You don’t want to go there.

Here’s my take. Farmers, generally, are the same at heart, no matter their farm’s size, use of technology, or choices in pest control, crops grown or livestock raised. For a long time I have thought farming was like parenthood. Farmers parent the land until someone else becomes the caretaker. Most people can relate to that. Moms generally can relate to other moms, even if they have different lifestyles, approaches to child care or viewpoints on education. Farmers can have different styles, too, often reflected in their production practices. But at sunset, most all enjoy relaxation after a hard day and share core values: concern about land, resources, livestock, crops, their families and the future of their farm. Whether they’re in the business of farm-fresh eggs or field corn doesn’t matter in my experience. Farmers are about as proud and passionate as humans come.

Joanie Stiers
At The Farm Gate

First and foremost, I am a northsider.  I was born and bred to be a Cubs, Bears, Blackhawks, and Bulls fan.  I was born in Evanston and raised in Des Plaines.  I love deep-dish pizza with a sausage patty from Gino’s East, although I would never turn down Lou’s, either!  My farmer husband, John, grew up on the farm where we live and raise our three children, Bella, Mae, and Nolan.  We currently own and operate a 9,600 head pig facility, and raise corn and soybeans.  Through watching my husband work, reading farming magazines, and attempting to “help”, I have learned many things.  Here are a few of the things that I have taken to heart:

 Farmers have patience:  When you plant your seeds, they don’t grow by first thing the next morning.  Weather, sunshine, and mostly God’s grace are all required for the little shoots to pop up from the ground.  Here’s one of my favorite situations for patience.  As a city girl, I know that riding behind a steering wheel in a vehicle for 8 hours means that I should be at least out of the city to Joliet on the Stevenson in rush hour traffic, right?  Well, for a farmer, you may only be half done with plowing one field in that amount of time. 

Animals do not give birth during banker’s hours:  Anyone who raises animals can tell you that they never give birth at 10 a.m. on a sunny day.  It’s Murphy’s Law.  Our pigs always tended to wait until 2 or 3 in the morning on a rainy or snowy day. 

Farmers have a lot of compassion:  I have never seen anything so tender as my husband rubbing a sow’s (mommy pig’s) back while she was in labor, or when he is called to be a pig OB/GYN and help deliver piglets that have gotten stuck in the birth canal.  (Maybe that’s why he was so grateful that we had c-sections for all our kiddos.)  I have watched him leap three gates at a time to free a pig that had gotten her leg stuck in a gate.

Farmers have pride in what they do:  Seeing a farmer out in his field inspecting his crops, or looking out over his barn lot, you see a sense of pride.  The reason we work 24 hours a day at certain times of the year is because we are committed to making sure that we take the best care of our animals and our crops.

Farmers care about where their food comes from and where it goes:  My husband and I are very concerned about the foods that we give our children.  We want to be sure that they are safe and healthy.  We have pride in the fact that the food we make on our farm is both safe and healthy for our own children, as well as yours.

Kate Hagenbuch
Hagenbuch Farms
Utica, IL

 

It's days like today that make me dread the rain.  It is about 33 degrees rainy, misty and windy.  Days like these make it hard on our outdoor livestock.  It is easy to get wet and chilled and like humans, that makes your immune system work harder.  It is muddy and sloppy, one degree colder and at least things would be frozen.  Now on the other hand, our wells are really low from lack of rain throughout the summer and fall.  That means any moisture we get is a blessing, so I shouldn’t complain!  Easier said than done.

The hoop!

Today I am thankful that a few years back we built a large hoop building to feed cattle in.

 We have cows and calve them in one pasture and then when the babies are weaned they get moved into the hoop. They have the hoop and the pasture next to it, but today they are penned up in the hoop with fresh bedding, fresh water, and plenty of feed.

The cattle playing with their straw bedding.

If we would open the gate, they wouldn’t go out.  They like the hoop!

The calves are dry and content, just the way we like them.  If they were out in the pasture with no shelter, there’s a pretty good chance that some of them would not feed good in a few days and that is never fun.

Our hogs are pretty well off, too!  They live in a temperature controlled environment with the same amenities the cattle have; they are dry, fed, watered, and safe from predators.

Happy pigs.

I forgot to mention predators with the cattle.  We have a lot of coyotes around here and they are hungry. We lost two baby calves this fall to coyotes, but I digress.  The hogs also have fans and sprinklers for the really hot days during the summer.

The horses tend to be out in the weather the most, but this seems to be by choice.  They have a couple of barns they can go in and there is hay inside for them, but they stand outside and eat anyway.  I’m sure they know what they need to be comfortable, smart critters.  At least all of our animals have the shelter they need to stay safe and healthy, so there is another blessing!

Chad and Lana draining a field.

Farmers deal with precipitation and lack of all year long.  That is nothing new, but it doesn’t mean it can’t be frustrating at times.  Growing our crops is extremely dependent on the weather.  Too much rain and you can’t plant because of the mud and too little and the corn won’t grow.   We have had times when we have to dig drenches to help drain the fields.

The past few weeks we are having some field tile put in to help with the wet spots.  There is always work to be done!

In need of tile!

Getting the tile!

So, back to work for me on this rainy nasty, blessing of a day!  There are always jobs to do inside.  I hope you and your animals stay warm and dry.

Stacy Schutz
White Hall, Illinois

 Stacy's blog, From Our Farm To You,  gives a little insight into farm life in Central Illinois.