"America's Heartland
is made possible by...

They make up a small
part of our population.

But have a huge
impact on our lives.

They take business risks that
few others would tolerate

all on our behalf.

They're American farmers who
feed, fuel and clothe the world.

Monsanto would like to recognize
them for all they do,

for the rest of us, because
ultimately our success

and everyone else's depends on
theirs

"...and by the American Farm
Bureau Federation -

the voice of agriculture."

COMING UP...IOWA FARMERS KEEP
TRADITION ALIVE WITH CROPS AND

CRAFTS FROM THE HEARTLAND'S
AMANA COLONIES.

THEN, A HONEY OF A HARVEST IN
THE HEART OF NEW YORK.

URBAN BEEKEEPERS!

AND A CLOSE KNIT FARMING
COMMUNITY IN SOUTH CAROLINA

WHOSE ROOTS DATE BACK
HUNDREDS OF YEARS.

AMERICA'S HEARTLAND IS NEXT

♪You can see it in the eyes of
every woman and man♪

♪in America's Heartland living
close to the land.♪

♪There's a love for the country
and a pride in the brand♪

♪in America's Heartland living
close, close to the land.♪

♪In America's Heartland♪

Hello and welcome to
America's Heartland.

I'm Paul Ryan.

ONE OF THE GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT
AMERICAN AGRICULTURE IS THIS,

IT'S MORE THAN A JOB... IT'S A
LIFESTYLE.

AMERICA'S AGRARIAN ROOTS HAVE
SHAPED OUR CULTURE SINCE OUR

NATION'S VERY BEGINNING.

ALL ACROSS THE HEARTLAND,
WE'VE FOUND FARM COMMUNITIES AS

DISTINCT AND DIVERSE.

ONE IN PARTICULAR... A TINY SET
OF TIDEWATER COMMUNITIES

JUST OFF THE COAST OF SOUTH
CAROLINA.

PAT McCONAHAY MET SOME FARMERS
THERE WHOSE ANCESTORS FIRST CAME

TO THE NEW WORLD AS SLAVES.

TODAY, THEIR DESCENDENTS ARE
PRESERVING A BETTER PART OF

THEIR PAST: A UNIQUE AND
UNDILUTED WAY OF LIFE.

"Gullah-Gullah is a word that
means people blessed by God.

AND GULLAH AND GEECHEE BOTH
DERIVED FROM THE GULLAH AND FROM

THE GEECHEE PEOPLE FROM THE
WINWARD OR RICE COAST

OF WEST AFRICA.

Marquetta Goodwine is a native
of St. Helena island,

South Carolina. Of the two
hundred thousand Gullah

descendents in the United
States...

some 9 thousand make their home
here.

Goodwine has long studied the
history of the Gullah people who

first arrived as slaves
from Africa in the 1600's.

Brought to America to work on
plantations, their isolated

island home allowed them to
develop a unique Gullah culture.

GULLAH GEECHEE CULTURE IS REALLY
ABOUT THE LAND, GOD AND FAMILY.

AND NOT NECESSARILY
IN THAT ORDER.

BECAUSE FOR US GOD IS FIRST..
THEN GOD GAVE US THE LAND

THEN THE FAMILY'S ON IT TO
BE STEWARDS OF THE LAND.

Property deeds from the
1860's show the Gullahs bought

plantation lands at auctions
after the Civil War.

Like Goodwine's family, some of
their descendants still own and

farm portions of
that land today.

But it's become a challenge
to keep that historic farming

lifestyle alive.

Rising taxes have forced many
families to sell their land to

developers seeing dollar signs
in new resorts and golf courses

WE HAVE A CONSTANT BATTLE OF
HAVING TO EDUCATE PEOPLE

WHO ARE POLITICIANS THAT THE
CULTURE EVEN EXISTS..

THAT IT IS VALUABLE AS IT IS AS
WE FARM IT .

AS WE LIVE OUT OF THE
WATERWAYS AND SO ON.

YOU'RE NOT GOING
TO EAT A GOLF BALL

Goodwine founded the Gullah
Geechee Sea Island Coalition to

preserve her people's heritage.

In 2000 the community crowned
her Queen Quet, official

spokesperson for what is called
the Gullah/Geechee Nation.

It's an internationally
recognized group, created to

help Gullah traditions
thrive-including the

language-part African,
part Elizabethan English.

"Just as a memoir....?

Even with a spoken language,
it's not easy holding onto a

culture if the land is lost.

The South Carolina Coastal
Community Development

Corporation was created to find
a way to economically sustain

the land without selling it.

GROWING UP WHAT WE DID
WAS WE WERE FARMERS.

EVERYONE HAD A GARDEN.

SO WE STILL HAVE THOSE SKILLS.

HOW DO WE TAKE THOSE SKILLS THAT
WE ALREADY HAVE AND USE IT IN A

SUSTAINABLE WAY?

The CDC's first step was to
create a licensed, community-

shared kitchen.

Here, growers could develop farm
products for market as well as

offer catering to area concerns.

A key client of the kitchen
is the Gullah Grub Restaurant,

which offers traditional
Gullah cuisine

WE'RE GETTING MORE PEOPLE IN
WANTING TO USE THE KITCHEN.

WITHIN THE LAST WEEK WE'VE GOT
THREE ADDITIONAL BUSINESSES COME

IN ABOUT UTILIZING THE KITCHEN

Traditional Gullah crafts are
another way the community uses

products from the land-both as
an art form

and a way to earn income.

Mt. Pleasant, just north of St.
Helena, is the only place

where sweet grass basketry
is still practiced.

Small stands dot the busy
highways where Gullah

descendants both weave
and sell their creations.

"I LOVE SEWING BASKETS.

AS LONG AS I'M AWAKE AND I'M NOT
DOING ANYTHING ELSE I'M MAKING

BASKETS.

AND I LIKE THE IDEA OF
THEM CARRYING IT ON.

IT'S A PART OF OUR
HISTORY AND OUR CULTURE.

Sweet grass is a winter-hardy,
sweet smelling plant that grows

naturally in South Carolina.

It's a time honored skill to
bend the grass into various

shaped baskets.

DOWN HERE IS WHAT YOU
SAY IS THE BASIC SHAPE.

That's the basic shape,
IT'S ROUND, SORT OF FLAT

As with farming, increased
development along the coastal

islands is threatening the
land where Sweet grass grows.

It's just one more thing the
Gullahs are fighting to preserve

as part of their culture.

Queen Quet says the Gullah's
real future lies

in the next generation

THAT OUR CHILDREN WILL REALIZE
THAT EVERYTHING THAT EVERYBODY

ELSE IN THE WORLD WANTS THEY
ALREADY HAVE, AND THEY'RE

ALREADY BLESSED

Some of the words in our
vocabulary come from the

original Gullah language.

"goober" is the Gullah word for
peanuts and "gumbo" was the word

that Gullah members used
for the vegetable, okra.

MANY OF THE HEARTLAND'S DISTINCT
FARM COMMUNITIES WERE ORIGINALLY

TIED TOGETHER BY A COMMON
ETHNIC BACKGROUND OR RELIGION.

SOME HAVE ASSIMILATED INTO
MAINSTREAM AMERICA WHILE OTHERS

REMAIN TRUE TO THEIR HISTORIC
ROOTS,

JASON SHOULTZ DISCOVERED ONE
SUCH PLACE IN EASTERN IOWA.

HE SAYS THESE ARE AGRICULTURE
COLONIES THAT COMBINE THEIR

FARMING WITH A DEEP FAITH...

BUT NOW THEY'VE ADDED TOURISM TO
THE MIX.

It's a busy summer day at
Ackerman Winery

in the Amana Colonies.

"We specialize in sweet wines."

The Ackerman's unusual varieties
make this winery a popular

destination for tourists
visiting this unique

American spot.

"For the state of Iowa, we are
fairly large,

for the country, I'd say we
are..."

Pretty small. Ha ha."

Les Ackerman and his daughter
Greta are the caretakers of this

fourth generation business.

One of several businesses in
the Amana Colonies: it's one of

Iowa's top tourist destinations.

"...IT'S GOOD FLAVOR."

The Ackermans are descendants of
German immigrants who

settled a group of
villages in 1854.

"The Amana Colonies were one
of the most successful communal

groups that settled
in the United States."

The founders were members of the
Community of True Inspiration,

a religious society that lived
communally.

"The church elder was in charge
of the village

that you lived in.

"Whatever your family needs
were, for instance, housing,

if you had extra children, you
were moved to a larger house.

If your children became older
and got married,

you were moved to a smaller
house."

8-hundred people in seven
villages

settled on 26,000 acres making
up the original colonies.

Enough land to support a
self-sustaining society.

"It was a different way of life.
People worked very hard.

They were fed six meals a day.
Communally fed.

Worked in the fields
and the gardens."

"Of course in the early days,
an awful lot of hand work.

There was hundreds of farm
employees in those days."

Changing economics

forced the end of the communal
lifestyle in 1932.

Today, homes and businesses like
the Ackerman winery are owned

privately owned.

The 26-thousand acres is owned
by a corporation formed by

church members.

Farming is still an important
part of the Amana Colonies.

In fact, this is Iowa's
biggest contiguous farm.

But what once took hundreds now
can be done

with around 20 farm employees.

Nearly 6-thousand head of cattle
are raised on the Amana farm.

"This morning we are loading
about three loads of cattle here

that are going to market.

The cattle happen to be going
to Pennsylvania

to a processing plant there."

The cattle breeding operation
is divided into herds spread

throughout the Amana Colonies.

Cowboys... a rare site in this
part of the heartland...

do their work the old fashioned
way.

Here Shawn Seehusen and his
partner are roping a cow in

order to give medicine.

It's an impressive display, but
a side of the operation that

most tourists never see.

Not that Shawn minds...

"I'd just as soon be left
alone in my own little world."

Tourists are welcomed at the
Amana Colonies woolen mills and

furniture shop, but the farming
operation isn't a featured

attraction for visitors.

"Not that we keep it a secret
on purpose or anything.

But it does seem to be one of
Iowa's better kept secrets,

as far as the size of the farm,
what we are doing."

The Amana Society is often
confused with the more familiar

Amish.

They both settled the United
States in the 18-hundreds, but

they are not the same.

One big difference, the Amana
Society embraces change.

The Amana Colonies pay tribute
to their history

through tourism in its historic
district.

But farming is done with modern
machinery, including sprayers

equipped with Global Positioning
Satellite technology.

"You can't live for the past.

So, the Amana's are very
progressive, and have been.

We are not a group that tends
to live the old lifestyle."

"We struggle with that
balance all the time.

How do we balance the history,
keep the history alive while at

the same time adopting new
practices and programs at the

same time, just as
they come along.

Implementing those things in
order to increase our
efficiency.

But always wanting to keep one
foot in the past,

keeping a very solid footing in
that area."

For now, the people of Iowa's
Amana Colonies believe that

solid footing is helping them
keep up with a changing economy.

"I've never been more optimistic
than I am today about the future

of agriculture and how Amana
fits into that scheme."

The Amana colonies figure
prominently in the development

of two products we use almost
every day.

In 1934, the first refrigerated
beverage cooler

was produced by the Amana
Refrigeration Company.

And in 1967, Amana turned out
the first

countertop microwave ovens.

Still to come on America's
Heartland...

We'll meet a farm family in
Tennessee

whose method of raising
livestock takes them,

"Back to the Land"

And... if you don't have a
"green thumb",

maybe you're not picking
the right plants.

We'll show you how researchers
are taking a whole new look

at horticulture.

LET'S LEAVE BEHIND FOR A MOMENT
THE SMALL RURAL FARM COMMUNITIES

OF THE HEARTLAND... AND HEAD FOR
THE BIG CITY

IN SEARCH OF URBAN AGRICULTURE!

IT'S NOT HARD TO FIND - IN FACT,
THE SAME SPIRIT OF INNOVATION

FOUND IN THE FIELDS OF IOWA CAN
BE FOUND

ON THE ROOFTOPS OF MANHATTAN.

New York City... where, with a
little hard work,

anybody can have their shot.

Haitian immigrant Antoine
Philippe earns enough money

driving a cab to put his
kids through college.

Massachusetts resident David
Graves is selling his homemade

jams and jelly at
Manhattan farmers markets.

"Hi David."

Hello Antoine,
how are you doing?

Good not bad.

But this is also a place
where it's wise

to expect the unexpected.

Where two men who otherwise
would have no connection at all

are working together.

Exactly what would draw them to
the roof of a Manhattan hotel?

The answer: Bees.

These men tend to hives
scattered around the city on the

roofs of buildings.

The hives actually belong to
David, he began placing them

on top of buildings in 1997.

"I have them on hotels, I have
them on schools, a brownstone.

Hopefully I'm going to
get it back on a church."

Just like beehives around the
heartland, these rooftop hives

are filled with golden honey.

David puts it in
jars and sells it.

"New York City Rooftop Honey."

Antoine helps David with the
bees... tending to hives,

even driving bees around in his
cab!

In return this cab driver
gets valuable knowledge.

Why would a cab driver
care about bees?

Well, Antoine has
a dream of his own.

And it takes him far from
the streets of New York City

"My love is always for
going in agriculture.

And before I come here I get a
piece of land in my country, and

say that will be for my
retirement when I go back home.

I will try to have a small farm
on that piece of property."

"Antoine I would regard
as one of my best friends.

He has helped me out a
great deal here in New York.

He's taken me around.

At a moments notice, you give
him a call and he's there."

Of course bees need flowering
plants to do their work.

And it may be hard to imagine
much growing in a city of steel,

cement and glass.

But from a rooftop, David
showed me just how much green is

actually there!

"There we have a flowering crab
right there, it's already gone

by, but it's certainly a
source of nectar for honeybees.

And then we have this, I
believe a horse chestnut."

Even tomato plants spring
from cracks in the sidewalk!

David says the mixture of
plants around the city means

combinations of nectar that
make for flavorful honey!

"From the tree they
become flowers.

That's Good.
Yeah that's a good one.

Wow.

"I think it's the best
tasting honey in the world."

Of course that's hard to prove.

He does charge a bit more for
the New York honey than his

stuff from his
Massachusetts hives.

But whether it's the perfect
pollen or just clever marketing

jars of David's honey are
a hot seller

at his Manhattan farmer's market
booth.

"The interesting thing about the
rooftop beekeeping isn't that

it's just unusual.

Technically it's illegal.

A violation of the NYC
health code 161.01.

But truthfully it's not
something David worries much
about.

"And the fact that I've done it
responsibly, I don't think it

gives them reason
to come after me."

"Certainly I pick my
locations carefully.

I just don't put a hive
on a street corner.

All my hives are under lock
and key and away from people."

"If someone complains about
one of my hives I move it.

Give them a jar of honey
and it's left at that."

But David says complaints about
hives are rare, and most people

don't even know
they are up there.

He's always looking for more
property owners to volunteer

their rooftops.

For good reason....

"You can get anywhere from 80 to
150 pounds of honey off of one

of these hives.

My record is 150 from upper west
side, but unfortunately that

hive was stolen.

"..Anything can
happen in New York!"

Beekeeping is one of the world's
oldest forms of food production.

There is evidence of beekeeping
that dates as far back

as 13 thousand B.C.

Beekeepers not only harvested
honey from the hives,

but used the beeswax for candle
making, cosmetics

and as a polish for wood.

ONE THING WE'VE LEARNED FOR
SURE IN BRINGING YOU

AMERICA'S HEARTLAND... LIKE ANY
BUSINESS, FARMERS HAVE

TO BE BOTH CREATIVE THINKERS AND
SAVVY BUSINESS PEOPLE.

THAT OFTEN MEANS FINDING NEW
PRODUCTS AND NICHE MARKETS.

PAT McConahay MET A TENNESSEE
FARM FAMILY THAT'S FINDING

SUCCESS BY USING THOSE VERY SAME
SKILLS TO SELL THEIR PRODUCTS

DIRECTLY TO CONSUMERS.

"Hi Sweetheart, how are you.
This is Goslin.

She's the daughter of my
favorite milk cow, Gracie."

Jenny Drake has a very personal
approach to working the land.

She and her husband, Darrin
operate "Peaceful Pastures" farm

near Hickman, Tennessee.

"We produce and sell beef, pork,
chicken, turkey, lamb, goat,

duck, goose and eggs".

right now we have
leg of lamb....."

The Drakes have become
successful entrepreneurs:

marketing directly to consumers
and retail outlets -

selling meats and poultry
produced on pastureland

grass fed and grass finished.

"Growing up, I'm
a fan of the west.

You know, Cowboys and Indians
and all of that stuff

when I was a kid.

And everything was always done
based on grass and Ecologically,

economically, it just makes
a lot more sense to me.

Producing and selling all grass-
fed animals is a niche market,

but a growing one.

In 2005, about 45 thousand
grass-fed head of cattle were

produced in the United States.

That's a drop in the bucket
compared to the 30 million

animals that pass through
feedlots, but nearly ten times

what it was just a decade ago.

"So what do you like about
working with the goats,

raising goats?

They're very smart.

Contrary to the myth,
they are very clean."

It's the variety of stock that's
helped the Drakes be successful.

For example, they raise several
types of goats...

sell the milk and use the
excess.

"I found myself swimming in goat
milk and I had to have something

to do with the excess goat milk
so I had a book That had in

there how to make goat milk soap
and we've expanded to

over 40 different kinds of soap
now."

Her intent is to have
that calf right there."

Darrin Drake is also an advocate
of managed intensive grazing-

moving cattle from pasture to
pasture to maximize production

on their 300 acre farm.

What it does it ends up it
actually gives them

a higher quality diet.

It increases the amount of
forage that is utilized,

so the actual carrying capacity
of the land

can be doubled or quadrupled"

And while the land does double
duty, their livestock choices

play an important role as well.

Like Jenny's Lincoln
Longwood Sheep.

"The appeal with the sheep
is that they are truly a dual

purpose breed, you get a very
nice fleece off of the animal

But you also have a heavily
muscled enough carcass to make

it a nice meat product as well."

As part of their marketing plan,
the Drakes are opening

their farm to visitors: not only
to give their products a higher

profile, but to also "champion
the cause" of agriculture.

"Way too many people have lost
the connection with the farm and

where food comes from. We've
also lost connections on

farmers as people Farmers get a
lot of bad press,

the evil farmer spraying the
crops,

the evil farmer contaminating
the water,

the evil cow causing global
warming

and people need to connect to
farmers as people".

Darrin and Jenny say these
rolling Tennessee hills are the

perfect spot for them
to realize their dream.

Farming for
themselves and others.

Most of our customers are
truly wonderful and it's very

enjoyable to get feedback on
a product,

you know that's the best
tenderloin I've ever tasted

or wow, I never knew chicken
could be this good.

so that, in and of
itself is very rewarding"

Research in plant selection
and breeding has dramatically

improved crop yields for
pasture grasses and grains.

In 1900 American farmers were
able to produce

about 40 bushels of corn per
acre.

By 2001, that had increased to
an average of

150 bushels per acre.

WHETHER WE LIVE IN THE BIG CITY,
THE SUBURBS, OR OUT ON THE FARM,

WE ALL SEEM TO SHARE THE SAME
PASSION FOR DIGGING IN THE DIRT.

GARDENING IS ONE OF AMERICA'S
BIGGEST HOBBIES, AND ALL THOSE

FLOWERS AND POTTED PLANTS MAKE
UP A SIX-BILLION DOLLAR SEGMENT

OF THE AG INDUSTRY.

PAT SAYS FOR AMERICAN GROWERS,
ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES IS

DISCOVERING AND DEVELOPING
THE 'NEXT BIG THING'

IN GARDEN PLANTS ... AND THEN
BRINGING IT

TO YOUR LOCAL NURSERY.

No matter where your garden
grows there's a good chance that

your plant seedlings
started here.

Hines Horticulture is one of
the nation's largest wholesale

suppliers of flowers and plants.

This nursery in Vacaville
California is just one of

13 production facilities that
Hines operates

in the United States.

Those nurseries will turn out
some 10 million plants a year

THE LITTLE ANNUAL FLOWERS
YOU CAN BUY AND PLANT IN YOUR

GARDEN, TO PERENNIALS, TO
GRASSES, TREES, SHRUBS, VINES.

WE PRETTY MUCH GROW THE SPECTRUM
OF ORNAMENTAL PLANT MATERIAL.

Hines will grow more than 4
thousand varieties of flowers

and plants in this year.

Both outdoors and under glass.

Joe Gray thinks the industry
still needs to do more to

de-mystify gardening

MANY PEOPLE I SPEAK TO SAY,
OH, I HAVE A BLACK THUMB.

NOBODY HAS A BLACK THUMB.

IT'S ALL ABOUT INFORMATION AND
IT'S ALL ABOUT SIMPLIFYING IT

Gray says one way to do that
is by coming up with heartier

breeds that are easier
for people to grow

Well I think the crops are
developing very well

this year Raymond.

Yes, the growth
is very good Joe.

Look at all this flower
bud coming now..."

Wholesalers like Hines turn
to plant breeders like

Raymond Evison to develop those
user-friendly flowers.

What the British native has
come up with this year is a new

variety of an old
favorite, Clematis

IT CAN VERY FROM A PERENNIAL
PLANT GROWING IN AN HERBACEOUS

BORDER TO A CLIMBING
PLANT OR A TRAILING PLANT.

AND SOME OF THE PLANTS IN THE
WILDS SOME OF THE SPECIES WILL

GROW UP TO 30 OR 40 FEET OR SO.

That's a little tall
for the average garden.

So Evison developed the first
clematis ever bred specifically

for patio containers

SOME WILL JUST DRIFT OVER
THE EDGE OF THE CONTAINER.

SO IT GIVES ADDED
INTEREST TO THE CLEMATIS.

The clematis, itself, also
can be found in a number of

different shades-including
this Crystal Fountain Evison

discovered in Japan in 1994.

Experts say container gardening
is becoming more popular

ONE OF THE TRENDS IS SMALLER
SPACES.

OUR HOUSES ARE GETTING BIGGER,
OUR LOTS ARE GETTING SMALLER.

WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT THE
SPACE WE HAVE OUTSIDE OUR BACK

DOOR WE WANT TO WORK
REALLY, REALLY HARD.

CONTAINER GARDENING-GO TO A
GARDEN CENTER, MIX AND MATCH

YOUR COLORS, FORMS.

MANY GARDEN CENTERS WILL
PLANT THEM UP FOR YOU.

IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BRING IT
HOME, PLANT IT UP YOURSELF.

While containers may offer a
quick garden solution,

the plants to fill those
containers take time to develop

SO THE PROCESS COULD TAKE UP TO
TEN YEARS SOMETIMES TO EVALUATE,

PROPAGATE, GROW AND
INTRODUCE THE PLANT.

The ongoing development makes
it easier for home gardeners to

have long-lasting plants
that take less work.

BY THE WAY, HINES HORTICULTURE
ALONE OFFERS MORE THAN

FOUR-THOUSAND PLANT VARIETIES...

BUT YOU WANT TO BE CAREFUL THAT
YOUR PLANTS ARE SUITED TO YOUR

LOCAL CLIMATE.

THE WEB SITES OF BOTH THE U-S
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, AND

HINES HORTICULTURE, HAVE
DETAILED 'COLD HARDINESS MAPS

FOR PLANTS.

HEED THEIR ADVICE, AND YOUR
GARDEN

WILL BE A BLOOMIN' SUCCESS.

WELL THAT'S OUR SHOW FOR TODAY.

WE WANT TO THANK
YOU FOR WATCHING.

AND WE HOPE YOU WILL COME ALONG
WITH US NEXT TIME, WHEN WE

DISCOVER MORE GREAT FARMS,
FAMILIES, AND THEIR FASCINATING

STORIES IN AMERICA'S HEARTLAND.

I'M PAUL RYAN AND WE'LL
SEE YOU NEXT TIME.

To learn more about this edition
of America's Heartland, or to

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americasheartland - dot - org.

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