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

They make up a small
part of our population,

but have a huge impact
on all of 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.

Hi, I'm Akiba Howard.

We're heading for New Mexico
to meet the man

who sings the theme song
for our show each week.

Michael Martin Murphey
is a well known performer

and also a man
who champions the cause

of American agriculture.

I'm Jason Shoultz.

If you have a garden at home,
you know how critical

water is to the crops
you harvest.

Well, think about
the impact on farmers.

We'll take you to Georgia
where new research

is being done to change the way
that that agriculture

looks at too little H2O.

I'm John Lobertini.

Creating a distinctive wine
for consumers

demands quality farming
and attention to detail.

We'll take you to Missouri
to meet a young couple

who decided that their future
lay in producing

one of the world's oldest crops.

That's coming up next
on America's Heartland .

♪ 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. ♪

Akiba: Every week we bring you
stories about the families

who work on farms and ranches
across the country.

And part of that story
is told in our theme song

on the show,
words and music of a commitment

to the heartland.

Michael: ♪ There's a love for
the country.... ♪

Akiba:
On this late summer afternoon,

singer - songwriter
Michael Martin Murphey

has brought
his award winning music

to this high mountain meadow
in southeast Colorado.

Michael:
♪ ....in America's Heartland

close to the land. ♪

It's a performance
that taps into

his country roots
and his admiration

for people who make their living
on the land.

Michael: I kind of grew up
more in the piney woods of Texas

and saw people
clear the land

and work really hard.

That piney woods country,
to get a pasture,

you got to really
work hard to clear it.

Akiba: Murphey's rendition
of America's Heartland

has been the show's theme song
from its beginning.

Performing keeps him
on the road,

but he works his schedule
to spend a significant amount

of time
here in the rolling hills

and mountains
of northern New Mexico

and southern Colorado.

♪♪

Michael:
All you want to make sure of

is that your cinch
has got some tightness to it

but not too much tightness,
and you'll be just fine.

Akiba: Sounds good to me.

Can't wait!

Akiba: Off stage,
Murphey can often be found

in the saddle
keeping horses for himself

and his family
at their cabin near Red River.

Akiba:
So how'd you start riding?

Michael: Well my granddaddy
was a cowboy in east Texas.

He was from Kentucky,
and he moved

from the coal mines
of Harlan, Kentucky

to east Texas to be a cowboy.

And that's all
he ever wanted to do

was run cattle.

So he taught me how to ride.

Michael: ♪ There's a lost river
that flows....♪

Akiba: The settings here
allow Murphey to perform

in some unique venues.

The outdoor stage
at Bobcat Pass Adventures

is a cowboy campfire
for his music and others.

Michael:
A lot of our cowboy songs

don't come from people
that look like me

or look like Clint Eastwood....

Akiba:....right....

Michael:....or Roy Rogers.

Akiba: Right!

Michael:
They come from the Indians.

They come
from the black slaves,

the ex-slaves from the south.

They come
from the Spanish people.

Akiba: And Murphey
often showcases performers

like Native American artist
Carpio Water Crow.

♪ (flute playing) ♪

Akiba:
But throughout the summer,

many of Murphey's shows
begin with a train ride

on board the San Luis
and Rio Grande Railroad.

Conductor: All aboard!

(train whistle)

Michael: Narrow gauge
came in mainly

during the gold mining era.

Akiba:
The San Luis and Rio Grande

takes audience members
up some 9 thousand feet

to Colorado's La Veta Pass.

The solar and wind power
provide the energy

at the high meadow amphitheater.

Michael: ♪ On a pony
she named wildfire.... ♪

Akiba: With sidemen
Gary Roller and Pat Flynn,

concert goers
are entertained with music

and some tongue-in-cheek
country humor.

Michael: For a great farm to run
or a great ranch to survive,

it takes a couple.

Boys when you're dating,
date anybody that you want

and have a good time.

But when you get married,
you make sure

that you marry a woman
who can run a bobcat

and back a trailer.

Akiba: There's a theme
that runs through the music

Murphey's written
and the songs he performs,

a celebration
of those who provide the food,

fuel and fiber
we enjoy as a nation.

Michael:
If you can't figure this out,

you can't figure out anything.

And that is
there is no culture

without agriculture.

Michael: Working hard
is something

that I just really respect.

And you don't find
harder workers

than people who work the land.

Michael: ♪ You can see it
in the eyes....♪

Michael: Every single day
that you get to ride

in the saddle
and every single day

that you get to get out there
and work on your tractor

on a good day
is a fantastic experience.

Michael:
♪....close to the land. ♪

Railroads revolutionized
agriculture in America

making it easy
to ship commodities

like corn and wheat
great distances

in a short amount of time.

A steam engine nicknamed
The Best Friend

lays claim to being
the first American built engine.

It rolled into service in 1830.

It had a short career, however.

A boiler explosion
took it off the rails in 1831.

Jason: Having enough moisture
in the ground

to ensure a crop
is important

whether you have
a home garden

or hundreds of acres of cotton.

Here in Georgia,
farmers and researchers

are working together
to make sure

they use
every drop of water efficiently.

Glenn: Without water,
without proper timing of water,

without our ability
to use it,

we couldn't exist.

Jason: For Glenn Cox,
water is life

or at least,
crucial to his livelihood.

This fifth-generation farmer
grows sweet corn,

field corn,
and peanuts

on his one-thousand acres
in southwest Georgia.

And season after season,
Cox is at the mercy

of the weather.

Glenn:
Crops like this sweet corn

are totally dependent
on critical water

at the critical time.

Jason: But getting water
when they need it

is the ongoing challenge
for Georgia farmers.

This region's
been battling drought

for several years.

And the state's
locked in a 20-year old

water war
with Alabama and Florida.

Those two states
covet Georgia water

from places
like the Chattahoochee

Flint River Basin.

That water
forms the Apalachicola River

in Florida
and also flows

into Alabama
to help irrigate crops,

generate power,
and protect freshwater

ecosystems
like Apalachicola Bay

off the coast of Florida.

Calvin: Without water,
there's really

not much agriculture here.

Certainly,
it may be more important

than even oil
in our part of the world.

Jason: Now it looks like science
may be able to broker

a peace treaty.

Welcome to the Stripling
Irrigation Research Park,

130 acres
packed with a thousand

test plots
from peanuts to pecans,

and soybeans to sweet corn.

Here,
University of Georgia

researchers
are working with experts

from the Department
of Agriculture

and even
the Nature Conservancy.

The goal?

Grow more and use less!

The method?

Modern technology!

Calvin: We call it
variable rate irrigation.

And it was developed
to allow our farmers

to do a better job
of applying

their irrigation water.

In essence,
it makes it much more precise

than earlier.

Jason: Statewide,
Georgia farmers

use about 15-thousand
of these center pivot sprayers,

huge metallic structures
that roll slowly

across entire fields
spraying massive amounts

of water.

A lot was wasted.

But now,
a new computerized system

senses moisture levels
in the soil

to see which areas
need more or less water

and adjusts
the volume accordingly.

Result?

A 17-percent reduction
in water use.

Calvin: In Georgia,
there are approximately

15-thousand center pivots.

So if we equipped
maybe just 2/3rd's of these

with a system like this,
we could save billions

of gallons of water a year.

Jason: And this
is only one of many ways

science is seeking
to save this precious resource:

drip irrigation,
watering crops

beneath the soil,
and developing crops

that need less water
to begin with.

It's a cooperative effort:
scientists

and those who work the soil
making changes for the present

and the future.

Glenn: Water is critical.

Wasting water is foolish.

We have to be stewards
of this land.

And being stewards
means we have

to manage it properly.

Water is a critical
agricultural issue

in many parts of the world
not only for livestock

but growing crops as well.

It takes more
than 110 gallons of water

to grow a pound of corn,
65 gallons

to grow a pound of potatoes,
and hundreds of gallons

to plant and raise
a pound of rice.

I'm Rob Stewart.

Still ahead,

we'll take you to Alabama
where cotton

planted in 1896
continues to have an impact

on farmers today.

I'm John Lobertini.

Still ahead,

we'll take you to meet
a young Missouri couple

who changed careers
to tie their future

to distinctive grapes
and quality wines.

♪♪

Hello, I'm Paul Robins.

And here's something
you may not have known

about agriculture.

There's no doubt
that honeybees

are important to agriculture.

Close to a third
of the world's crops

are pollinated
by the busy little bees.

Add to that?

Bees give us honey
and create beeswax

which is used in everything
from candles to cosmetics.

Truth is
we've been depending on bees

for a very long time.

The ancient Egyptians used honey
for more than 500

medicinal potions.

And even today,
honey is recognized

for certain anti-bacterial
properties.

Greeks and Romans
referred to honey

as the Nectar of the Gods .

And athletes used honey
as an energy booster.

Europeans brought
domesticated bees

to the Americas
and established hives

in the New World.

A few figures for you:
an average hive

will have one queen bee,
hundreds of drones,

and thousands of worker bees.

Those bees
will collect pollen

from thousands
of flowers and plants

as part of the honey process.

And different flowers give honey
different flavors.

By the way,
if you've ever

watched a bee zip around you,

don't try to swat them!

You should know
that bees can reach speeds

up to 15 miles an hour.

Rob: Cotton
is one of the most

important textile fibers
in the world.

And it's a crop
that's critical to agriculture

not only in the U.S.
but around the world.

Well at one university
in Alabama,

the recognition
that cotton

could be grown better now
and in the future

started a long, long time ago.

Rob:
Cotton is a critical component

of Alabama's
agricultural picture.

The state produces
more than half a million bales

each year,
worth more

than 140 million dollars.

And Alabama's Auburn University
lays claim

to part of cotton's
success story here.

That's because
the university

is home
to the world's oldest

ongoing field research
on cotton production.

The test plots here
have been used

by agricultural scientists
since 1896,

a time when cotton farmers
thought taking their fields

down to bare soil
was the best planting practice.

Dennis: They were real proud
of the way they buried

all the crop residue
and left the fields bare

and no weeds.

But in the meantime,
there was a lot of soil erosion

that went on.

All the nutrients
were washing down to the creeks.

Rob: For more than a century,
plant scientists here

have manipulated conditions
to test theories

on field conditions
that directly impact

cotton harvests.

Dennis:
The big improvement we've seen

is when we go ahead
and plant a winter cover crop.

You know?

Keep something
green here year-round?

Keep those roots growing,
and keep the soil

from washing away.

Rob: The continuity of research
has also allowed students

to take a hands on approach
in evaluating the impact

of crop rotation,
field moisture,

and plant nutrients.

Steve: In some plots,
they are taller and more lush.

This one's got a lot more
compared to all the other ones,

most other ones.

Rob: On this summer morning,
ag student Steven Tapley

and his colleagues
are evaluating

planting procedures
that affect crop yields.

It's a unique connection
to the roots of past.

Steven: It's neat to know
that 100 years ago

people were doing the same thing
on the same spot.

Rob: But the work here
is not just

historic comparison.

Information gleaned
from these research efforts

makes its way
to county extension agents

who work directly
with farmers in the field.

Tom Ingram
is one of those farmers.

He's been working his land
for more than a half century

often utilizing research
that comes directly

from university field studies.

Tom: We used to make,
every day when we started,

maybe a bale to acre a day.

Today we make two,
two and a half bales.

So that's double.

Rob: And Tom hopes the lessons
found in the soil

at the Old Rotation
will leave his land

in more fertile shape
for future generations.

Tom: I plan to leave it
in better condition...

...my sons,
when they take over...

...than it was when I started.

Rob: Auburn's research
in tesing better methods

to improve yields
is something the university says

touches on a belief
that agriculture is critical

to our nation.

Dwayne: And that notion
goes back as far

as Thomas Jefferson.

Thomas Jefferson felt like,
and said,

that those
who cultivate the soil

are the sturdy yeomen
that form the backbone

of the republic.

Rob: As the research continues,
scientists approach their work

with a respect for the past
and an eye to the future.

Dennis:
Just dispelling the notion

about that cotton itself
is hard on the soil,

that you couldn't grow cotton.

And we proved
you could do it the right way

with the winter cover crops
and use the other

recommended practices.

But you can keep growing cotton.

Cotton was one
of the earliest fibers

known to man
dating as far back

as 5 thousand B.C.

When Columbus arrived
in the New World in 1492,

he found cotton
growing in the Bahamas.

By 1500,
cotton was known

throughout the world.

♪♪

Do you like baked potatoes?

Do you like them loaded
with chives,

butter and sour cream?

Sour cream!

What is it about sour cream?

I always thought
that sour was not desired

in the food world.

But sometimes it is
like lemon or vinegar.

What is it exactly
about the sour in sour cream

that make it tastes so good?

Jason: Ok,
before things

get too confusing,
sour cream doesn't start out

that way.

Sour cream is actually
heavy sweet cream

fermented with bacteria cultures
derived from lactic acid.

The bacteria not only changes
that taste of the cream,

but also causes the cream
to become the thick

and tangy concoction
we dollop generously

on potatoes and burritos.

The term sour
refers more

to the production process
of souring

than it does
to the mildly sour flavor.

So what's the skinny
on sour cream?

Well, let's talk butterfat.

There's less saturated fat
than you'd get

in an equivalent portion
of mayonnaise

and less saturated fat
than some 12 ounce portions

of milk.

Luckily
for the weight conscious

among us,
there's light

and non fat versions
that utilize stabilizers

to replicate the thickness
of regular sour cream.

You can actually make
sour cream substitute at home.

Take a cup
of cultured buttermilk,

add 2 cups of heavy cream,
and leave that in a warm place,

about 80 degrees or so
for 8 to 24 hours.

The bacteria cultures
in the buttermilk

will interact with the cream
resulting in that thick,

velvety goodness
that so many people love.

Jason: So do you have trouble
peeling off those pesky

sour cream lids?

Well, manufacturers
have got your solution.

Squeezable sour cream!

They're marketing it right now.

It's just the thing
you need to make

any dining occasion
that involves sour cream

that much more convenient.

John: If you enjoy
a glass of wine with dinner,

our next story
should pique your interest.

It involves
a young Missouri couple

who's decided
to tie their future

to one of the world's
oldest crops.

♪♪

John: Jason and Colleen Gerke
are a match

made in wine making heaven .

He knows marketing
and public relations.

She comes
from one of California's

richest wine making regions.

Colleen: The ones up high
don't look like

they're ripening as fast.

John: Their first bottles
were little more

than science projects
in a basement

in downtown
Kansas City, Missouri.

But in 2004,
Jason and Colleen

decided to try their hand
at agriculture,

planting grapes
on a piece of farm land

not far from the city.

Jowler Creek Winery was born.

Colleen: At first,
I think we thought

it was going to be a hobby.

We put some grapes in,
and they looked pretty

driving up the road.

We put 250 in the first year,
and it kinda

got out of hand from there.

John: Cabernets and chardonnay's
won't survive

the Midwest heat and humidity.

But Norton's,
Vignoles,

and several other local grapes
thrive.

Jason: Her dad?

He's very fond of our reds.

John:
They passed the in-law test:

Colleen's parents
are admitted wine snobs.

But confirmation
of their agricultural acumen

came in 2007
when consumers sampled

their wines
during a regional arts festival.

Jason: The response was great.

They really like it.

We sold wine.

It was very fulfilling.

You know,
after planting sticks in 2004

(looked like dead sticks)
you never know.

These are going to grow, right?

John: That moment
uncorked the dreams

that had been fermenting
for years.

Jason: As soon as you taste it,
there's a real woody taste

to it.

John: Since then,
the Jowler Creek brand

has medalled
at regional wine competitions.

Some varieties are aged
in barrels

made of Missouri Oak.

But Colleen's
California influence

is a subtle
but constant presence.

Colleen:
Most white wines are filtered.

But you'll see in your glass
that there's going to be

a little sediment.

And there's some sediment
still in the bottle.

And that keeps it
doing a kind

of a gentle fermentation
in the bottle

which gives it
almost a champagne taste.

John: Today their hobby
is a growing business.

These wine vats
help fill the demands

of more than two dozen stores.

And marketing
is also focused

on local
and regional restaurants.

A national push
to buy local

has also helped
by giving these young winemakers

a higher profile
in a state better known

for its St. Louis beer history.

Colleen: I think that plays
to our advantage

that we are small.

Jason and I
go into the local stores

and do the tasting's there.

And people
can actually talk to us.

John: Missouri once had
a thriving wine industry

dating back
more than a hundred years.

But national laws on prohibition
brought wine making

to a halt in the 1920's.

With prohibition's repeal
in the 1930's,

the industry began
a slow growth back.

Jason: Yeah,
there's a little sugar in there.

John: Jason and Colleen
have added livestock

to their ag adventure.

These baby doll sheep
assist in efforts

to be sustainable
while keeping grass

and weeds in check.

Jason: We don't have to mow
or buy diesel.

That's a pain nowadays.

We don't spray
to control the weeds.

We definitely
embrace the idea

of being efficient,
reducing your carbon footprint,

leaving it better
than we started.

John: Missouri
has close to a hundred

wineries today.

And the industry
has grown dramatically

in the past ten years.

And while Jowler Creek Winery
is not yet as well known

as its
California counterparts....

Colleen:
....that's a Chambourcin,

that's our French hybrid....

John:....the winery does have
a tasting room!

And it's considered
a must stop

on a tour
of regional boutique wineries.

It also benefits
from friends

and farmers nearby.

Colleen: Back here,
everybody wants to help

your neighbor.

So when there's work to be done,
you're neighbors come over

and pitch in.

John: And that's going to do it
this time.

Thanks for traveling
the country with us

on this edition
of America's Heartland .

Akiba: And remember,
there's much more

on America's Heartland
at our website

including video on the stories
from today's show.

Just log onto
americasheartland-dot-org.

We'll see you next time.

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of this broadcast,

visit us online
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plus shipping.