Hi, I'm Sarah Gardner.
We're set to take you on
a cross country journey
this time to meet some
farmers and ranchers
who say that protecting
the environment is critical
for folks in the city
and folks on the farm.
Running a dairy farm
produces lots of manure.
This Michigan farmer has
taken steps to become
a better neighbor
when it comes to
preventing water pollution.
We'll take you to Virginia
where Farmer Robert Mills
says improving the
environment can also
improve profitability.
Then, improvements right
at the ground level.
We'll head for the
sugarcane fields of Louisiana
where one farmer is
working to improve the soil
that's sustained his
family for generations.
And we'll take you into the
kitchen with Sharon Profis.
She's serving up a
sweet tasting recipe
you'll want to try.
That's in our
Farm to Fork segment.
It's all coming up on
America's Heartland.
♪♪
>>America's Heartland is
made possible by...
CropLife America-
Representing the companies
whose modern
farming innovations
help America's farmers
provide nutritious food
for communities
around the globe.
>>The Fund for
Agriculture Education -
A fund created by
KVIE to support
America's Heartland
programming.
Contributors include
the following:
♪♪ You can see it in the eyes
of every woman and man ♪♪
♪♪ In America's Heartland,
livin' close to the land ♪♪
♪♪ There's a love
for the country ♪♪
♪♪ And a pride
in the brand ♪♪
♪♪ In America's Heartland ♪♪
♪♪ Livin' close...
close to the land ♪♪
♪♪
>>Thanks for being with us
on America's Heartland.
It's a fact of life that
in the past few years
a growing segment of
the population has become
much more interested in
American agriculture.
Increasing imports of foods
from other countries
are part of the reason.
Concerns about E. coli and
Salmonella are another.
And some of that has to do
with a growing interest in
sustainability, air quality
and water pollution.
Those environmental
concerns impact everyone
whether you live in
the city or on a farm.
Solving those concerns
has prompted farmers
to address issues like waste
water from livestock pens.
We've shown you many
stories in which farmers
have adopted no till farming-
a method which leaves
crop residue like cornstalks
or wheat stalks in the field
to help prevent erosion
and reduce the
evaporation of water.
And new technology like
Global Positioning
makes it possible to
have farm equipment
target specific plants,
or rows of plants,
reducing the amount of
fertilizer or pesticides
needed on a field.
How does this impact you?
Well, let's introduce
you to some farmers
all across the country
taking steps to address
environmental concerns.
Jason Shoultz starts in
Virginia with a farmer
who grew up in the city and
made his way to the farm.
>>Get him moving
a little bit...
>>A father and son
getting ready
to show goats at
the county fair.
This kind of scene
is familiar
to farm families
for generations.
But that's not
Robert Mills' story.
He's something you don't see
a lot of in the heartland-
a first generation farmer
who grew up in the city.
Spending time on a
farm as a youngster...
he fell in love
with the lifestyle
and made up his mind.
>>Most 13 year olds don't
make their mind up on
what they want to do when
they grow up... but I did.
>>So Robert joined the FFA
youth agriculture group and
started taking agriculture
classes in school.
And when Robert told
his parents about
his dream of farming...
>>And my dad kind of
laughed and said,
"Son, you can't do that.
You've got to inherit a
farm or we've got to have
money or something for you
to be able to do that."
From that day forward,
everything I have ever done
has been to put ourselves
in the position that
we're in now and
that's to be a full-time
agriculture producer.
[cows mooing]
>>Well, today,
Robert operates a farm
with five hundred
head of cattle.
He also raises
chickens on contract
for a poultry producer.
I think you appreciate
it more when you
actually build it yourself.
Robert's fresh approach allows
him to try new things...
to take a different
look at farming and adopt
practices that some
old-timers might brush aside.
He's most proud of his
environmental stewardship.
>>As you can see, this was
actually a path where the
cattle were coming down to
get into the pond to drink.
>>Keeping livestock away from
fresh drinking water might
seem counterintuitive, but
the cattle's hooves can
damage the areas surrounding
streams and ponds-
causing serious soil erosion.
>>And this has only been
the first full season that
the cattle have been out
of this pond and already
we're starting to see the
vegetation come up naturally.
>>Now the cattle get
their water from a well-
clean water supplied by these
clean watering stations.
And the water back at the
pond is getting cleaner too.
If a cow isn't drinking
down here, well that cow
isn't doing something else
down here, either.
>>This past summer there
was a gentleman,
he said he'd been fishing
here for about 15 years
and this was the first summer
that he can ever remember
seeing the bottom
of the pond.
>>Of course it's hard to
see the impact here...
this has only been fenced
off for a short time.
But take a look at another
pond that Robert fenced off
several years ago...
trees are growing back,
the water is clear,
and the wildlife is back.
>>This particular area
we actually reforested,
planted some
fruit bearing trees,
fenced the cattle out
which gave 'em water,
it gave 'em habitat and
also gave 'em food.
>>This is what that other one
will look like in a few years
>>Exactly, you give the one
we looked at previously
about three or four years
and you'll start to see
a lot of these
woody vegetation come in.
[water flowing]
>>Robert says they've
invested about
100-thousand dollars
in these efforts.
Cost-sharing
programs with the
state and federal government
help ease the burden.
>>But if you look at
the benefits,
it makes us better
managers because we can
rotationally graze and have
water in multiple paddocks.
I think we get paid back
over time for the money
that we actually put
into these practices.
>>Not all farmers and
ranchers are convinced
that environmental efforts
like these are worth the
trouble or expense.
Others question the
benefit to taxpayers...
spending government money
on private
environmental projects.
>>Even in this community,
we've actually seen
some farmers who who've
kind of been against what-
or haven't changed
to what we're doing,
starting to make
that transition
because it just
makes good sense.
>>For The MC Cattle Company,
it's paid off with a
healthier herd and
land that's better preserved
for future generations.
[saying prayer]
New approaches,
determination in the face of
adversity and a love of
farming have proven to be
the right combination for
Robert Mills and his family.
>>Agriculture,
and the involvement that
I have had in agriculture,
have given my family and I
everything that we could
have ever asked for.
♪♪
>>Virginia has some famous
farmers to its credit.
Both Thomas Jefferson and
George Washington had
large farms in Virginia.
That story about Washington
chopping down a cherry tree
might not be true, but
orchards figured prominently
in early American
agriculture.
And early settlers
found that tobacco
provided a quick cash crop
and Virginia claims
the earliest peanut farms
in the United States.
>>Farmers have known
for centuries that
good crops demand good soil.
Scientists will tell
you that it can take
more than 300 years
for natural elements
to create just
one inch of topsoil.
Addressing erosion is
certainly the first step.
Rob Stewart says that some
farmers are getting help
in learning how to
make sure that their soil
is around for future
generations.
♪♪
>>Meet Lane Blanchard -
he's a 5th generation
sugarcane farmer in
New Iberia, Louisiana.
>>My wife will tell you,
y'know, I got sugar
in my blood.
>>Lane's spent
his entire life in
these leafy, green fields
farming 3,000 acres of
sugarcane alongside his
father, brothers and sons.
>>This cane will get up
probably on an average
of about 10 feet tall.
>>Ten feet.
>>Yeah. At harvest time.
>>And so where exactly is
the sugar coming from?
>>Well, actually, as this
cane's gonna grow,
it makes what they
call internodes.
>>Internodes. Okay.
>>If you d- if you
dig down deep inside,
there are very few now, but-
>>Oh, there it is.
>>If you look-
if you look here-
>>That's the cane.
>>That's the cane itself.
And this is what it'll
look like, you know,
once it grows out
to maturity.
Louisiana's sub-tropical
weather provides
the perfect climate for
growing sugarcane-
a multi-million dollar
crop in The Bayou State.
Each of these plants
on Lane's farm
will produce for three years-
with a sugarcane harvest
every 12 months.
Once harvested, the
stalks of cane are hauled
to a processing plant
where they're crushed
to extract the raw brown
sugar crystals inside.
After processing, trucks
will haul the brown sugar
to the plant's storage area.
How did they get what
you grew to this?
>>Through a process what we
call grinding sugarcane.
>>Grinding sugarcane.
And then what
happens from here?
>>From here it's going
to go to a refinery and
they'll refine it one more
time to make a white sugar.
Lane's sugar is shipped
all over the world...
ending up in soft drinks,
candy, pastries...
or in your morning
cup of coffee.
Being the latest in a long
line of cane farmers
is important to Lane...
and his family.
>>I think I love it so much
because that's what he
has always wanted to do
and it's been in his family,
y'know, for years
and years and years,
and y'know, now that my
boys are working with him
and I can see how much
they love it.
And just being along
their side helping and
y'know, as a wife and
it means a lot to us.
♪♪
>>Number one, try to help pay
for this weed-control cost
that the
sugarcane farmer has.
>>These days,
improving the crop means
improving the land on
which the cane is grown.
To do that, Lane is
taking part in the
"Louisiana Master
Farmers Program" -
a statewide project with
environmental course work and
accreditation requirements
that farmers must meet.
>>Lane is doing
everything he can to
improve his soil quality
because he knows how
important it is
and it's for the
future of the farm.
It's not something that
he's gonna get an immediate
return on and it's great
farm management technique.
>>The soil is very important
and we've been taking
every measure we can
to preserve the soil for
future generations.
>>The expansive tracts of
sugarcane here are a far cry
from the 90 acres
first planted
by Lane's father, Harvey,
a half century ago.
But the family's farming
dream remains the same-
watching the roots of this
farm continue to grow
in good times and bad.
>>But farming's
that way, you know.
You gotta be there when
it's bad to reap the goods.
>>I'm proud of him and
the boys for all they've
y'know, come through because
it was good times and bad.
>>Why is it so
special to you, Lane?
>>Well, it's all
I've ever done.
I mean, I grew up on a farm
and it's all I ever
wanted to do.
>>Well, you're livin'
your dream.
>>Yep.
>>And it's a sweet one, too.
>>Yeah... [laughing]
Exactly right.
♪♪
>>Sugarcane is
part and parcel
of Louisiana's
agricultural history.
Jesuit priests
first brought sugarcane
to the state in the 1750s,
finding Louisiana's
climate and soil
perfect for the plant.
It's also a popular crop in
almost every tropical and
subtropical region on earth-
grown in more than
90 countries worldwide.
♪♪
>>We know that lots of you
like a touch of sweetness
when it comes to the dishes
on your dinner table.
But we're not talking
about desserts here.
Our Sharon Profis is
in the kitchen and
she has a sweet peach treat
that you'll wanna try
with your main dish meals.
♪♪
>>There are so many ways
peaches can brighten up
a dish and not just deserts.
When I have a bunch of
peaches over the summer,
one of my favorite things to
make is a peach chimichurri
and a seared skirt steak.
Chimichurri is a really
popular condiment in
Argentina and when
you're traveling there,
you'll pretty much see
it on every table,
and what it's based on
is parsley and garlic.
From there, you can have fun
with all the additional
ingredients you add,
but those are the
bases of a chimichurri.
So here I've got
about a cup of parsley
that I'm just going
to rough chop...
and then comes garlic.
I'm gonna do about three
smaller cloves of garlic
and also give those
a good mince.
And now, we're gonna add
half of a red bell pepper.
[Knife hitting cutting board]
You can see that it's
already coming together
as a really colorful dish.
So next we have two Roma
tomatoes, and for this,
I actually wanna take out
the seeds because I want
most of the moisture to come
from our red wine vinegar,
our olive oil and
the peach juice.
First, I'll just cut
these in half lengthwise
and then take out
that juicy pulp.
For the tomatoes,
we'll also just give them
a really small dice.
Now I'm gonna add a
little bit of oregano.
You can actually get really
creative here and add
any type of herb you have
in the garden or on hand,
and the moment you
start chopping it,
its beautiful scent
comes out;
that's really the advantage
of using fresh herbs.
And finally, we'll put half
of a small red onion in here,
also small diced.
Now it's time to add our
star ingredient: peaches.
Their peak season is sometime
between June and August,
and during that time you'll
see a variety of peaches.
You have white peaches
and yellow peaches and
within those two categories
there are more varieties.
But today we're using
yellow peaches.
They're tangier than
the white peaches,
and to really elevate
the sweetness today,
we're going to
grill the peaches
before we put them
into the chimichurri.
So let's start by preparing
them for the grill.
I have two beautiful,
yellow peaches
and the way I've
chosen them is by just
firmly pressing them
with the palm of my hand,
that's how you
check for peaches.
You don't wanna squeeze
them with your fingertips,
otherwise you can
risk bruising them and
it's not really
a good indicator of
whether or not they're ready.
You also wanna make sure
they don't have
really any major scars
or existing bruising.
So, these peaches are
absolutely perfect...
and I'm just going to
start by removing the pit.
So I have my
four peach halves
that I'm just going to
go ahead and quarter,
and now we're
ready to grill 'em.
So right now I'm using
a cast-iron skillet;
I've got it lightly oiled
and my peaches are sliced.
And just before it starts to
smoke, you add the peaches.
You want to grill them at
a pretty high temperature,
and you want to
hear that sizzle.
We'll go ahead and grill
these a couple of minutes
on each side until
they're brown.
[sizzling]
Alright, these have
grilled long enough.
You can smell the sweetness,
but you also have that great
smoky flavor from the char.
Let them cool
a little bit...
and add them to
our chimichurri.
So all of our
ingredients are in and
all that's left to add is
our seasonings, right?
So we have our
red wine vinegar.
I also wanna add
red pepper flakes.
Now whenever you have a lot
of sweetness in a dish,
unless it's a dessert,
you wanna cut that
by adding a little
bit of spice, too.
And of course salt,
it should be well-seasoned,
a little bit of
fresh ground black pepper,
and finally... olive oil.
So our chimichurri
is complete
and now we're gonna set
it aside and let it sit.
Let's get our steaks ready.
The first thing we wanna do
is pat it really dry,
because the secret to
preparing great,
juicy skirt steak is to cook
it really fast over high heat
And if you have a lot of
moisture trapped there,
that's not gonna happen.
So once you have
one side patted...
just go ahead and season it
very, very generously.
So lots of
salt and pepper...
we've got one side and
we'll do the same thing
to the other side.
Now that we have it all
seasoned, let's take it
over to the stovetop and
get this thing seared.
Skirt steak cooks really
quickly, so I'm going to
prepare this pan by
putting it on very high heat.
And right before it
hits that smoking point,
that's when you add
the skirt steak.
And I'm going to add just
under a tablespoon of butter
and mix that with a
little bit of olive oil.
Now when we add
the skirt steak
we should hear that sear,
that sizzle.
[sizzling]
We'll let it cook on each
side for about two minutes.
So we have a little bit of
that caramelization here and
it's curled up a little bit,
that's how you know that
the skirt steak is ready.
Our steak has been resting
for a few minutes,
which is really important
because all of those juices
go right back into the meat.
So you can see here that
the grain is going this way
and we want to cut
perpendicular to it,
so that the meat just falls
apart when we plate it.
So to do that,
cut it into little strips
and as we cut into it,
you can see that
it's still a little medium
rare in the middle there
ensuring that it's
still really juicy.
As you can see,
the peaches, the tomatoes,
they've really let
out their juices and
combined with that olive oil
and red wine vinegar to
create a beautiful condiment.
So there you have it.
This dish is a perfect way
to show just how sweet
and tangy peaches are,
while also showcasing their
versatility- bon appétit.
♪♪
>>Water issues and water
quality are topics that
come up whether you live in
the city or the country.
And since many
parts of the U.S.
have been facing drought
conditions in recent years,
protecting water sources has
become even more important.
That's prompted many
farmers and ranchers
to take a hard look at how
they can be better neighbors
when it comes to
pollution and sustainably.
Jason Shoultz takes us to
one farm in Michigan
that's joined a program
to meet those goals.
>>The DeJong's Michigan
dairy farm is growing.
10 years ago Bas DeJong and
his wife Laura had 150 cows.
>>Present day today
we're milking 1,800 cows.
>>Considerably larger than
the average Midwest dairy
of a few hundred cows.
A high-tech rotary milker
keeps things moving here
at Hickory Gables Farm.
It's a necessity for an
operation of this size.
Like many farms these days,
getting bigger is part of
this family's plan for
staying successful in the
slim margin dairy industry.
>>You know what? Bigger was
not really what I needed.
I just wanted to take
care of my animals and,
you know, one thing
leads to the next
and when you're
bursting at the seams
you've got to make
provisions so...
that's how we came- we
arrived to 1,800 cows.
It's a way of life.
It is a lot of work
and we have a motto,
it's "Ora labora",
"Pray and work".
I think that does get us
through the day but
it's also very rewarding.
>>But increasing in size also
means larger concern among
neighbors about some of the
aspects of a dairy like his.
And the biggest concern is
what comes out of the cows
after they eat.
>>Well with a cow with manure
you can't plug them up and
so it's an everyday deal and
you can't run away from it.
You got to face it.
>>And that means a giant
lagoon filled with cow manure
But lagoons like these
on other Michigan farms
have caused problems
in the past,
overflowing during storms
and polluting waterways.
Bas is confident in
the design and safety
of his lagoon, but
admits the sheer scale
of a farm this size can
be scary for neighbors.
>>So is there a fear
among the public?
Yes, and rightfully so
because of bad players.
But there are too many
good players to downplay-
to downplay it.
>>A state program called
the Michigan Agriculture
Environmental Assurance
Program, or MAEAP,
is designed to
help farming operations
like Hickory Gables meet
environmental standards.
Things like making sure
Bas has enough farm ground
on which to spray manure
from that lagoon and
avoid the threat of runoff.
>>To get to MAEAP
verification it's a-
it's a pretty
rigorous process.
We're gonna look under
every rock like we say.
Break from nutrient
and pest management,
to fuel storage,
fertilizer storage,
y'know, the list goes
on and on and on,
all the things you might
look at a farm and think
of as a potential risk, we
evaluate to a standard and-
and work with
growers to get them
to that standard voluntarily.
>>It's time consuming
because you actually have to
sit down and go
through the paperwork.
It can be- and it can be a
good thing because you are
learning and good things
aren't always easy. And...
good things are educational.
So I think the
MAEAP program it's...
It stretches you and
it challenges you.
>>The MAEAP program
is voluntary and
includes participation
from various agriculture,
government and
conservation organizations.
Any agricultural
business in the state
can apply for certification.
>>I've worked with farms that
have taken four years and
spent four million dollars.
I've worked with farms
that were already there.
It depends on-
on past practices.
It depends on how the
facility was built.
It depends on the
type of facility.
The program is built for
every farm, every size,
and every commodity
in Michigan.
Everybody has an
opportunity to participate.
It's really up to them.
>>One thousand Michigan farms
have either been certified
or are working to
meet MAEAP guidelines.
The program points to
reductions in soil erosion
and phosphorous runoff
as examples of ways
that MAEAP is
improving water quality.
>>People want to know...
where you've been and
where you're going
and I think MAEAP
tells a story.
They give you a sign
and I'm posting my story
on the front,
on the roadside.
And I'm sharing with people
that I want to be
environmentally stewardly.
>>But does MAEAP
go far enough?
The Michigan Sierra Club
would like to see
the standards raised.
Others would like to see the
program become mandatory
for Michigan farmers
rather than voluntary.
>>My belief, if you make
somebody do something,
they don't buy into the
reasons why they're doing it.
When I leave that farm
they're probably not
gonna do it anymore.
When I leave a
MAEAP-verified farm
that's done these things
because they want to
for the right reasons,
those are the people we want
representing this program.
>>The reasons for Bas and
his wife Laura are evident:
The next generation.
Youngsters already learning
to care for their calves
in the backyard.
>>We're passing through so we
gotta leave a legacy behind.
So you're trying to be a
steward of what you do have,
so if you can pick up
the bags and go forward,
rather than
cleaning up a mess.
♪♪
>>Have you checked out our
America's Heartland website?
Find us online at
AmericasHeartland.org
There's a lot to choose
from: hundreds of videos,
facts about farming, recipes
and a whole lot more.
And if you're into
social media,
you can connect to us
that way as well.
Thanks for traveling
the country with us.
We'll see you next time on
America's Heartland.
>>You can purchase a DVD or
Blu-ray copy of this program.
Here's the cost:
To order, just visit us
online or call 888-814-3923
♪♪
♪♪ You can see it in the eyes
of every woman and man ♪♪
♪♪ In America's Heartland,
livin' close to the land ♪♪
♪♪ There's a love
for the country ♪♪
♪♪ And a pride
in the brand ♪♪
♪♪ In America's Heartland ♪♪
♪♪ Livin' close...
close to the land ♪♪
>>America's Heartland is
made possible by...
>>CropLife America-
Representing the companies
whose modern
farming innovations
help America's farmers
provide nutritious food
for communities
around the globe.
The Fund for
Agriculture Education -
A fund created by KVIE
to support
America's Heartland
programming.
Contributors include
the following:
