I should have learned a long time ago that being born at the beginning of planting season is a guarantee that my birthday would be forgotten. Being the daughter of a farmer, my birthday greeting from my Dad was normally sent via a quick trip to the planter. Or it was given over the tractor radio, for the whole farm to hear!  And now being married to a farmer, I know what to expect.

The kids had done a great job of reminding the husband of what I wanted for my birthday, a magnolia tree. Next time they should remind him to actually wish me a happy birthday before it’s time for lunch.

To the contrast, the first thing my kids did when they woke up was come give me giant hugs. That will make anyone have a much better time dealing with turning a year older.

I’ll give my husband some credit. At some point in his crazy farm schedule, between hauling pig manure, fixing broken tractors and working ground, he managed a trip to the greenhouse to buy a magnolia tree. And I hope it blooms like this some day.

So my husband forgot to wish me a Happy Birthday. It’s ok. Hopefully we’ll have 50 or 60 more years together for him to remember!

As I finally get my personal blog off the ground, I struggled with a name for my thoughts.

I started thinking about my farm operation. My family has farmed for decades and I’m proud to be the 4th generation on the farm. My two 5th generation farm kids are ages 6 and 3 and love all things agriculture.

When I was growing up I remember fencerows. Mainly because I “got” to clean them alot! It seemed to be my job to pick trash off the fencerows. But if you travel through Indiana farm fields now, you rarely see a fencerow.

Why? Because farmers take out the fences to be able to plant just a few more rows of corn or soybeans. Former Secretary of Agriculture and Purdue Dean of Agriculture Earl Butz urged farmers to plant commodity crops like corn “from fencerow to fencerow.” Many heeded his words.

And sometimes my life feels like that. I am running full-steam, taking out the fencerow so I can fit in just a few more things.

And this blog is my attempt to squeeze yet one more thing into my already chaotic walk. I hope you will bear with me as I plant a few more rows of my life and give you my view from FenceRow to FenceRow.

My local newspaper recently wrote an article about Food Inc., the much-hyped movie that tries to give modern agriculture a black eye. I could not sit quietly by and wrote the following:

Four generations of my family have farmed in Miami County. My great-grandfather started our farming operation, my grandfather spent countless hours working the soil and now my father, uncle, husband, cousin and many dedicated employees continue the tradition today. I have personally been involved in agriculture for my entire life, from my days in 4-H and FFA, my farm broadcasting career to my current position in our wine and grape industry. Agriculture is my life’s calling and I am dedicated to producing food that is safe, abundant and affordable.

The movie Food Inc. has received much publicity and an appearance on The Oprah Show. People need to remember it is a single point of view. This movie was made to make money. Michael Pollan, who wrote the book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, on which the movie is based, is not a scientist or a nutritionist. Rather, he is a journalism professor who knows how to carefully manage his words for a big impact.

While the film does not attack farmers directly; it focuses its attention on agricultural and food companies. The movie does make some supportive comments about farmers and includes a sound recommendation that consumers should “know more” about your food. However, its inaccuracies attack modern farm practices. The modern food system is positioned as a corrupt, evil industry that is harming employees, animals, and consumers while using its power and influence to hide its business practices from view. These accusations are simply not true.

The movie implies that organic foods are less likely to contain e-coli or other contaminants. This is also false; the 2006 e-coli outbreak in California spinach was caused by an organic process.

As a producer, we have an ethical obligation to make sure the animals on our farm are well cared for. We would not be in business today if we didn’t provide our livestock a safe, healthy environment in which to grow. That is why our hogs live in climate-controlled buildings. This keeps them out of the harsh elements of winter and out of the path of predators.

I have always believed there is room for all types of agriculture. Whether it is organic or conventional, free-range or climate-controlled buildings, producers are free to farm in a manner that best serves their needs. However, if people like Pollan get their way, policy will be created that will force modern agriculture out of business and a growing population to go hungry. It is estimated by the year 2050, we will be feeding over 9 billion people across the world. We can’t feed all of them on organic practices. While there is room for people to enjoy locally-grown farm goods, economies of scale demand that American farmers feed billions of hungry mouths a year.

Agriculture is the lifeblood of many rural communities across Indiana. Farms dot the landscape wherever you travel in Miami County. Rural communities help maintain a viable economy by creating jobs, supporting local businesses and contributing to the tax base.

Over 96% of all farms in America are family farms, which can be large, small, or somewhere in between. I understand that contemporary agriculture doesn’t look like it did in the past. The farm my great-grandfather started doesn’t look like the farm we have today. But we’re not unlike many other industries that have had to become more efficient to survive. The production practices we use are ethically grounded, scientifically verified, and economically viable. They allow us to meet the growing demand for food. My family is proud to help feed the world.