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Farm bureau offers slice of farm life
Published 4:20pm Saturday, June 25, 2011LEROY — City folk got a taste of farm life Saturday.
The Mower County Farm Bureau’s annual Breakfast on the Farm was held at Grass & Son’s Seeds near LeRoy to show people what life is like on a modern farm.
This year, the bureau got some help from America’s Farmers Mobile Experience — a 53-foot semi that expands into 1,000-square feet exhibit — that shows people some of the innovations of the modern farm.
Breakfast on the farm, breakfast host Dave Lunning said, gives people a sense “what kind of big business farming really is.” The mobile exhibit has a similar goal.
“This is geared toward non-farmers,” said Lunning, of Grass & Son’s Seeds. “This is brand new, and we’re really, really fortunate to be able to get it here.”
Allan Ciha, an ag educator with Monsanto, said the trailer — like the breakfast — shows consumers where their food comes from before it hits supermarket shelves.
“A lot of people know they’ve been removed from the farm for one to two generations and really don’t know where their food comes from — how that food is produced,” he said “This is out there to help that consumer understand a little better about the time and effort the American farmer puts in to grow that crop.”
A key concern for farmers is the world’s ballooning population. The exhibit, which is put on by biotechnology company Monsanto, opens with a steadily ticking tally of the world’s growing population — currently listed at about 6.9 billion. After growing from 3.7 billion in 1970 to 6.1 billion in 200, the world’s population is projected to reach 9 billion people by 2050.
Another section of the trailer shows a short video on a Missouri farm family. Ciha talks about crops and agronomics in the trailers last section.
Just like all humans are genetically different, Ciha said soybeans and corn are also unique. By identifying traits in crops, the farm industry uses genetics to find strains of corn and soybeans that are more resilient to insects, water and/or drought.
“Many times the consumer does not realize how much time and effort and research goes into developing a new corn hybrid or soybean variety,” Ciha said.
While even a corn field looks the same way it did 20 to 30 years ago, Ciha said it’s very different. The strains of crops now employ better genetics to stave off disease and insects and to survive flooding or droughts.
“The yields have increased significantly,” he said. “As our population continues to increase, we need to continue to get that doubling of crop yields.”
Eve though the exhibit targets people unfamiliar with farms, Brenda Anderson, who helps run a farm near Waltham, said she enjoyed the exhibit.
“I think it’s excellent,” she said after going through the exhibit with her son, Blaine.
The mobile exhibit, which is based in St. Louis, started traveling around the country in February. It makes about two to four stops a week.
The breakfast has been traditionally held at dairy farms, but past years have offered a different view into the industry. Along with the seed processing plant, people could also see 4-H lambs, a cow and her young calf, and other farm elements.
