Iowa’s Cornucopia Tour Celebrating Our Farmers

I was recently invited to Iowa By the Corn Growers Association to experience first hand how some of our foods (not just corn) make it to our table and the wonderful farmers who make our foods a reality.  I think many consumers waltz right into their local markets pick up their hamburger or vegetables and lack much appreciation on how it got there.  Let’s face it, we are a high demand society and we want it all right now!

We took a look at agriculture’s past, explored a modern farm (including a combine ride to harvest the crop), raced around Iowa speedway in an ethanol (one of the food industry’s by-products) powered vehicle, and enjoyed the tastes of a local winery and stepped into the kitchen to cook with Chef Terri Kohl.

Our first stop was The Machine Shed for a little breakfast before we made our way to Living History Farms.  The breakfast was out of this world and cinnamon rolls as big as your head.  You can see I am not kidding!

We headed on to Living History Farms where we would learn the history of the changes of how farming was then and how it is now.  Living History Farms was designed to help make the general public aware of the importance of farming and how it has helped our country develop.  It was interesting to see the major differences in how they farmed then vs now.  I actually admired the simplicity of farming that once was, and can appreciate the magnitude of today’s farming industry.  If you think about it, our local farmers are now feeding hundreds of thousands of people, versus feeding a small town or family.  We met Bill a 24 year old Percheron horse, saw the way they used to cook on an 1800’s stove, and shelled corn the old fashioned way.

I have discovered that corn and farming are huge in Iowa along with soybeans, hogs, and ethanol production.  Iowa farmers are taking corn and turning it into food, feed for livestock, fuel and fiber.  In 2009, they produced 2.4 billion bushels of corn (BILLION with  a B).  That is a lot of corn!  And why Iowa? Iowa has some of the best growing conditions for corn, really awesome soil, and a ton of livestock which equals a lot of poo.  And we know that poo (manure) is a great way to fertilize!

After our tour of Living History Farms we visited the Couser family farm where we talked about corn and stepped out on to the field to ride in a combine and harvest a little corn. We learned from family farmer Bill Couser, who was awarded the Environmental Stewardship Award for 2010 in Iowa recognized for outstanding efforts in protecting the environment. He talked about nothing going to waste and how they can take 1/3 of their corn production and get valuable parts from it to feed livestock, make oils, and get ethanol, making that third go a really long way!  I was amazed at what you can do with just corn!  We then met some of the cows that eventually get turned into one of the many  foods to eventually feed our families.  I was a little sad to know how short their lifespan is, but I am not ready to give up my steak or hamburger, so it has to come from somewhere.  The ride in the combine was really interesting, if you wonder how they clear out those massive fields of corn.  And if you think a combine is a cheap piece of farm equipment, think again!  Farmer’s pay upwards in the amount of three hundred thousand dollars to own this piece of equipment, and for some, that’s more than their own home costs!

After our visit to Couser farms, we were in a race, to get to the Iowa speedway, where we got the chance to fly around the track in an ethanol powered vehicle.   Ethanol is produced primarily from corn and used as an additive in gasoline.  I am not much of a thrill seeker, but racing at 109 miles around the track, was awesome, but I was glad to eventually slow down.  The video I took, didn’t do it justice, and it is faster than I would ever go.  I cant imagine racing around the track at almost 200 miles per hour!

The day ended with a trip to Jasper Winery and gave our palates a work out tasting different varieties of wine.  I am not usually a big wine drinker but I did find a favorite or two.  Then it was back at our hotel to digest the wealth of information served up for the day.

The following morning we had the pleasure of breakfast with Dr. Ruth MacDonald who is a Professor and Chair of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Iowa State University.  She was only with us a short while, and was answering some of our pressing questions about food, nutrition and safety.  It was here that we asked questions about anything food, including the debate on HFCS (high fructose corn syrup).  I wish we could have listened to her speak much longer, because she provided us with a wealth of food based knowledge.

After breakfast, we were off to Ador Kitchens to prepare a fell course meal with Chef Terri Kohl.  We all divided into groups and created a meal fit for a king, which included Cider Sauced Apple, Walnut and Bacon Stuffed Iowa Pork Chops, 3 Bean with Sweet Potato Chili (this was my group and it tasted fantastic!), Leek Cremini Mushroom and Roasted Corn Risotto (all I could picture was Hells Kitchen  LOL), and Spiced Apple Dumplings for Dessert!

Time to Eat!!!!

After our meal we were off to get back to our families with a new appreciation of the foods we eat, how they get here, and the farmers that make it happen.  I wanted to send out a huge thank you to The Iowa Corn Association for inviting me to Iowa to experience the farming industry and to all the Farmers, our Guides at Living History Farms, Jasper Winery, the Machine Shed, Chef Terri Kohl, The Ladies With Iowa CornPR,  Iowa Speedway, and anyone I have missed for welcoming our group of bloggers into your world that is farming, and experience first hand what farmers do to feed us.