The Farmer, An American Icon

“He has never planted seeds or brought in a harvest.  He doesn’t even own overalls” was the first line in last week’s Ag section of the newspaper.  Excuse me? Overalls?? My first thought was, I think the Associated Press reporter has been watching too many “Green Acres” reruns on TV & he thinks we are bumpkins.  The article was talking about wealthy investors buying farm land at huge prices for investment purposes.  While that is problematic in and of itself because it drives up land prices and makes it hard for the farmer compete with the ultra rich in order to buy more land to farm, the article seemed to insinuate that we are uneducated people who wear overalls and who don’t seem to know what our land is worth.  Yes, it was insulting to those of us who raise the food that reporter eats, but then I thought, America loves the icon of the American Farmer and that we represent, the wholesomeness & goodness of our trade. 

This tractor used in our parent's generation is now a beloved
"yard ornament" in my flower bed

 So however America views us, let me share some facts about the farmers in our area.
• Most of the farmers have college degrees.

• Farming in today’s world is not what our parent’s generation did as the average farmer grows twice as much food as his parents did – using less land, energy, water and fewer emissions.

• Today, the average U.S. farmer feeds 155 people. In 1960, a farmer fed just 26 people.

• We love our technology and are very “techie”, we have GPS units in our tractors to help us apply fertilizer and other applications only where it’s needed, as much as needed, and no more. See the 2nd video as Farmer Joe explains more on that.

• We care about our land and are good stewards, after all this is how we make our living

o We go to “combine school” to learn how to run our combines better

o We have continuing education on best practices to apply the products that help our crops &have to pass the certification standards in order to have a license to use these products

• We care about raising the safest, best and most economical food, not only for us but for you, the consumer

o We live on our land, we raise our families here, we eat the foods we grow and those are the same one that you eat too

o We are not the bad “corporate farms” that media tries to imply, if we are incorporated, it is simply for tax purposes. 97% of farms are run by farm families

o Weather and markets as well as anti Ag groups can be unkind to us, but we take it in stride and continue to get up every day to do our best, after all you depend on us

• We love what we do and want to continue living this life style, as well as pass it onto future generations to grow the food the world eats



A future farmerette, she loves combines and tractors

We understand that not everyone is a farmer, but everyone eats –and if some view us as a bumpkin, well so be it, but we feel we are living the life that dreams are made of. So I’ll get off my soapbox and hope this blog leaves you will a smile and a better understanding from our perspective.
As always, if you have comments or questions, please feel free to email me at idahofarmwife@gmail.com or leave a comment. Starting next week, we will be harvesting our winter wheat, so I’ll be blogging on what the Anderson Farm is up to, with pictures and videos. As always, thanks for stopping by and come back soon. All my best, Gayle

The Science of Farming

Snow covered field that has been
planted with winter wheat

I never really know exactly what I will write when sitting down in front of the computer, the blog sort of takes on a life of its own! =)

The Farmer (Joe) and I returned yesterday from Boise, Idaho where we attended the Idaho Governor’s Dinner and Ball. It was our first time and it was an honor being there. Joe is the Vice President for the Idaho Grain Producers Association (IGPA) and also attending with us was the IGPA  President, Clark Kaufman and wife, Debbie.   It is crucial for producers to keep a good rapport with our Governor, Senators and Representatives.  Good legislation and laws not only help us, but it helps you, the consumer.  America has the cheapest, safest, most abundant food supply in the world, we spend only 9.8% of our income on food, less than any other country.  So when we work together with our elected officials to help craft regulations or laws that do not hinder the agriculture industry, it benefits the farmers as well as you, the consumer.

Joe in front of the Idaho capitol

Standing beside the sign for the headquarters of
Idaho Grain Producers Assoc & other
Agriculture Commissions

During the governor’s dinner, we sat next to a very interesting couple from Southern Idaho who were dairy farmers. While visiting, the topic came up about how few of us there were and that farmers make about 2% of the population. That figure includes the “hobby farmers” who have an income of $1,000 or more, but it is not their main source of income, but rather a small side business, thereby acquiring the title of hobby farmer. The farmers that make their living full-time are around .5%! That is a sobering fact, that .5% of the USA’s population feeds and cloths America as well as much of the world. With so many people removed from where their food comes from and not having the face-to-face contact with those of us who produce the food they eat and the cotton for the clothes they wear, it’s no wonder many urban dwellers do not know where their food comes from.


Farming is a precise science and if we make a mistake or if nature doesn’t cooperate, your food source suffers or fails altogether. From conversations with our urban friends, many just think a farmer plops a seed in the ground “ta da” you have an instant crop…. But in all reality much more goes into the process. First the decision of what crop to plant, the variety (as many have different genetics, for instance some wheat varieties are bred to be more drought resistant than others), protecting your crop from pests and weeds, getting it harvested, and whatever mother nature throws at you too, now you get the picture. It’s sort of like raising a child each year; you are there from early infancy and you carefully tend them to maturity. I love this quote, "Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you're a thousand miles from the corn field." - President Dwight D. Eisenhower

In today’s newspaper there was an article about a Purdue University study that shows no-till farming, cuts greenhouse gases and thus, combats global warming. No-till farming is a practice (which is what we do) whereby a farmer does not plow under their crop residue (the part that is not harvested), instead we seed directly into the soil to plant seeds and inject fertilizers with a minimal disruption of the ground, thereby releasing less nitrous oxide than the conventional plowing of the ground (i.e. a better carbon footprint). I think the no-till practice could be another blog just on that topic, but for those of you wanting to read more, click on the above link as it was an excellent article.

Anyway, my point is that we, as farmers, protect our resources and strive to provide the best and safest food source for you and us too. Remember, if you have questions, comments, concerns, email me at idahofarmwife@gmail.com and I promise I will respond.

I’m still working on future blogs that will focus on how local garbanzos are made into hummus, where the wheat goes when it gets taken to the grain terminals, and how do our local universities help the farmer with their research. Till then my friends, take care, stay warm and when you sit down to your next meal, remember, you have our commitment to giving you the best, safest product anywhere on the face of this earth.  Yours truly, Gayle, the Idaho Farm Wife