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The American farmer still plows furrowsI just spent three days in Lexington, Ky., at the 23rd Annual Alltech Symposium that was called: "The New Energy Crisis: Food, Feed or Fuel?" The very interesting thing about this event is that there were 1600 people from 70 countries in attendance. When you hear talk about the global food system that we are in, it certainly was easier to visualize while in attendance at this function. One thing that quickly became obvious was the concern about how much grain was going to be used for making fuel instead of being fed to either humans or animals. This is not just an American phenomenon. I don't think I need to remind any of you that I am, first and foremost, a "livestock person," although I personally believe that increasing the value of any U.S. farm product is a good thing even if it increases the cost of feed for our animals. In the past week we have seen a rash of alarming statements suggesting that we are close to permanently damaging the livestock industry. Hogwash! If we are serious about maintaining food production in the United States to feed our own people, our industry must continue to evolve. We, as livestock feeders, have not experienced a sustained increase in feed costs since my father was a kid. I think we have been presented a tremendous teaching opportunity. What did it take to get our nation more concerned about where we get our energy? Higher fuel prices? Suddenly gas is well over $3 a gallon and consumers have finally taken notice. Some of the most interesting statistics I have seen about the current "feed vs. fuel" situation include the fact that U.S. consumers have already spent an increased $14 billion on food purchases. University of Minnesota applied economics professor Jerry Fruin says the fuel crunch is driving ethanol demand. And in turn, that's driven upcornprices 60 percent in a year. The samecornused to feed the cattle bound for dinner tables is now in demand to fuel our cars. "The average consumer would pay $47 more for food this year, than 12 months ago," Fruin says So what will the net effect of increased grocery bills mean? I personally believe it will lead to an increased awareness about where our food comes. How about this: What if more people would actually turn those well-manicured, highly fertilized lawns into family gardens? Yes, I am endorsing that people stop spending money mowing and primping part of their lawn and turn it into a productive, food-producing resource. The National Gardening Association says the number of homes with gardens in the U.S. has ranged around a quarter during the past decade. What if we increased that to half of all homes having gardens? Wouldn't we all be better off? Less inorganic chemicals soaking into the ground, more time spent as a family, working side by side in the garden, fresh produce for the table and the list of benefits goes on and on. It doesn't take much cowboy arithmetic to figure out that the cost of growing food in the garden has been quite a bit higher than purchasing a can ofcornin the store. My own father didn't believe that either so I walked through the math with him. It is just another example of what our nation has taken for granted when it comes to the essentials of life that are so easy to come by in this country. Furthermore, the majority of Americans will not grow their own food but think of how much better people would understand the cycle of life if we simply doubled the number of families who do garden. Alltech, a company that has become what it is today because of feeding livestock, seems to be leading the way in its attitude regarding the future of American agriculture. We don't pick sides when we are asked the question, "Food, feed or fuel?" Instead, we should embrace the technology that allows us to find the best method to continue to set an example for the world as to how efficiently we can convert natural resources into human consumable products. I think so many of us fall into the mindset that we should be profitable in agriculture because we produce food. We do produce the essentials of life but it is not a right that we have been granted to continue regardless of our production methods. We must earn the right by being innovative and efficient. After spending three days with agricultural leaders from 70 different countries, there are plenty of people waiting for us to become passive in our approach just long enough for them to take over as the world leaders in food production. I am counting on the intelligence and work ethic of the American farmer to continue setting a global example for leadership, conservation and optimum use of our natural resources in the production of food, feed and fuel. 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. B 3 5/28/07 1 Star WK Date: 5/24/07
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