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God's creation and peaceOn my recent trip to North Dakota I did something that I am committed to do more of. I stopped and visited with Orville Gullickson who will be 90 years old on Jan. 4, 2008. I think one of the greatest threats to the future of our nation is the lack of communication from one generation to the next. The days seem to have disappeared when Grandpa was sitting on the front porch with his grandkids telling them about the "Dirty Thirties" or how he milked cows every morning or telling of the first car the family ever owned. I am committed to finding as many of these individuals who are still alive in rural America and I hope to capture their stories on tape. I asked Orville one question and he gave me an answer that will stick with me forever. First, you need to know that Orville's father homesteaded their farm in Stark County, North Dakota in 1910. He showed me the spot where his father built a dugout and a horse barn. Can you imagine our kids today grasping the concept of Grandpa living in a hole in the ground? The horses had a barn because without the horses, no farm could operate. Of course, eventually he met the love of his life and she would only marry him if he built a house. He cut a deal with the railroad and got ties to build their first house--a house that was still standing when Orville's son took over the farm 60 years later. My question to him was, "Orville, people drive past here and see dirt, wheat, grass and cows grazing what do you see?" He thought for a moment and then answered, "God's creation and peace." Honestly, how many professional people in the world go to work every single day tending to God's creation in such a peaceful environment? Not many, but at the top of the list are American farmers and ranchers. Quite simply, the peace in watching an animal graze, whether it is a cow, horse, sheep or goat, is settling. Combine that with a front porch where three generations are rocking and talking about the good ole' days and you have a classroom that all schools in the country are envious of. I want to spend a little more time on that grazing concept. There seems to be a growing notion that livestock grazing forages are harmful to the environment. In fact, it has been proven that the exact opposite is true. Livestock grazing improves plant and soil health in addition to promoting the diversity of plant species and saving taxpayers millions, if not billions, of dollars. We have seen the effects of areas reducing livestock grazing in the West netting only more and bigger wildfires. Yet the public doesn't consider it a travesty that 10 million acres of privately owned grazing land have been developed and covered with concrete. Even if the developed areas have become residential and are sprinkled with lawns, we as people are not as efficient with grass as the cow. We mow the lawn, bag the grass clippings and send them to the landfill. It is becoming such an issue that most states have now banned the practice. Think about this for a moment. We mow our lawn, bag the organic nutrients (i.e. nitrogen found in the grass clippings), pay to dispose of them so we can go to the store and buy fertilizer. Now we can't get much more disconnected than that. With that said I believe we do have an educational opportunity if we would explain proper care and management of the 770 million acres of grazing land in the United States, of which 43 percent is owned by the government. Let's compare the grazing land to your lawn and livestock grazing is comparable to you mowing the lawn. When done properly, weeds are minimized, invasive plant species are minimized and fire potential is minimized. Oh, wait! One other side benefit occurs with grazing because while the animal removes the nutrients from the grass they also replace nutrients back into the soil. Their hooves help to aerate the lawn, spread the seed and press the nutrients into the soil. All this is done while we sit on the porch telling our grandkids about how God's creation works. The peaceful part is self-evident. Editor's note: Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at www.FacesOfAg.com, or e-mail Trent at trent@loostales.com. 8/20/07
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