My wish for the next four years: reinvesting in the profession of skilled farming, part 1

I had mixed feelings all day yesterday regarding all the election hoopla. On one hand, I was excited; I have hope (pardon the now clichéd term). I am proud to say that I am part of history in the making. I was downtown Chicago to see Obama win and give his acceptance speech. The vibe was truly electrifying. However, at the same time, I am anxious and a little cynical. I was telling Ben that I think there are far too many political issues for every person to be knowledgeable and passionate about all of them. That being said, I by no means consider myself an expert on foreign policy, social security, or the state of health care. What I am passionate about, and what I believe can truly make a change across all sectors of society—economy, health, education, and foreign relations included—-is a reform of our food and agricultural policies. But, neither candidate made food any part of his platform. So, I sit and wonder, will this ever become a widely discussed issue? Like I said, I have hope. More and more people are talking about food and the need to support local farms and stop our dependence on industrial agriculture. According to Michael Pollan, the U.S.D.A. now estimates that there are 4,700 farmers’ markets across the country—they are the fastest growing segment of the food market, and that is promising.

What I hope for, however, is that Obama will bring food to light as a major national issue. So, to continue my discussion and response to Michael Pollan’s “Farmer in Chief” article, I personally think that the best suggestion Pollan gives is for the president elect (who we now know is Obama) to name not only the White House chef, but to name an official White House farmer. Pollan recommends that the White House farmer tear out five prime acres of the south facing White House lawn and plant an organic fruit and vegetable garden in its place. Eleanor Roosevelt did almost the same thing in 1943 when she started a Victory Garden movement which helped to feed the nation during World War II. By the end of the war, more than 20 million home gardens supplied 40 percent of the produce consumed in America. That is huge. And this goes to show the power that the example of our nation’s First Family can have. The bottom line is that people often listen best by example.

However, I admit that it is far too much to hope that every American grows his or her own food. That is completely impractical. What is practical is regionalized farming, as I already mentioned. Get a hold of this: Today, the average yield of world agriculture (industrial monocultures) is substantially lower than of modern sustainable farming. According to a University of Michigan study, bringing international crop yields up to today’s organic levels could increase the world’s food supply by 50 percent. Pollan is quick to remind us though that yield is not everything. So much of what we are growing today is not quality produce…it is not even quality food. Rather the crops consist of inedible corn and soy that we then process into low quality, high sugar, and high fat packaged “food” items. Not to mention, forty percent of the world’s grain output is now fed to animals—and cows are not even supposed to eat grain. Cattle actually cannot properly digest the corn that they are fed at industrial feed lots, and therefore, they require artificial hormones and antibiotics in order to survive the feedlot life…but this is the topic for another post.

Pollan explains that well developed polycultures—farms growing multiple type of grain and produce as well as raising multiple species of animals—can produce more food per acre than conventional monocultures of genetically modified corn, soy, and wheat. However, here is the catch. Anyone can buy genetically modified seeds, throw them into thousands of acres and soil, and then douse the plants with herbicides and pesticides—killing everything on the land except for the GMO crop. It is fool proof farming, with no skill involved. Farming a polyculture—what I consider REAL farming—is complicated and needs many hands and a keen mind. It is a highly skilled trade, one that used to be highly respected generations ago, but has gone to the wayside as America became an urban nation of cars and interstate highways. Therefore, what we truly need, what I truly hope for, is a re-investment in the profession of skilled farming. Today, the average American farmer is over the age of 55. We used to be a nation of small farms—the vision that the Founding Fathers, and most notably Thomas Jefferson, built our country upon. Reinvensting in farming as a profession of skill and high respect will not only help to make our food system safer (decentralizing it and making it less vulnerable to attacks or quickly spreading food born illnesses), but it will make our food more nutritious (since a shorter time from field to plate means more nutrients in the food). And perhaps the major advantage to re-investing in skilled farming is the amount of jobs it will create.

That is my two cents for today…this post will be continued tomorrow. So for now, here are some photos from the rally yesterday. It was really an incredible experience. I hope that the next four years live up to the optimism that people are feeling at the moment—I have a good feeling…