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

The United Soybean Board ,
America's soybean farmers

and their checkoff.

Farm Credit ,
owned by America's farmers

and ranchers.

Celebrating 95 years of service
to U.S. agriculture

and rural America!

Learn more
at farmcredit dot com.

And by the American
Farm Bureau Foundation

for Agriculture,
dedicated to building

greater awareness
and understanding of agriculture

through education
and engagement.

>>I'm Rob Stewart.

Research to improve crops
benefits not only

consumers like you
but farmers in the far-flung

corners of the world.

We'll take you to Illinois
where new research

is under way
to improve crop yields

just by using
smart phone technology.

>>Hi, I'm Sarah Gardner.

We've shared
a lot of harvests with you

over the years
on America's Heartland.

But this time,
we have an unusual story

for you.

We're headed
to Northern California

where one company
is bringing in a harvest

of sea salt
that's headed for your

dinner table.

>>I'm Jason Shoultz!

The corner feed store
has disappeared

from lots of small towns
across the heartland

but not all.

Coming up,
I'll show you how some

are still going strong.

It's all coming up
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. ♪

>>Agricultural research
on crops is important

when it comes to the foods
that we enjoy

when we head to the supermarket.

But that research is especially
important when it comes

to third world countries
suffering to find food to eat

every single day.

We found
a research project in Illinois

using smart phone technology
to help save lives.

♪ ♪

>>Agriculture has long been
an important academic offering

at the University of Illinois.

But today
some of the research here

is focused on crop production
far beyond the corn

and soybean fields
that surround the campus.

A team of researchers
and graduate students

is developing technology
for saving lives

in third world countries.

The team is called
Scientific Animations

Without Borders or SAWBO,

a blend of academics,
agriculture and awareness.

>>We were talking about
a lot of the challenges

that we faced
in getting information

out to approximately
1 billion low-literate learners

that live in the world.

So as we started talking
this idea of animations

that could be taken
across cultures,

across language groups,
and could be deployed

through the Internet
and through cell phones came up.

>>Using cell phones
to disseminate animated

crop production videos
allows the team here

to tailor the instruction
in different languages

to the specific needs
of a country or region.

Learning by example
overcomes the limited

literacy skills
found in many

third world areas.

>>So there's a lot
of really great,

simple techniques out there
that we can share

with the world.

>>Professor Barry Pittendrigh
is one of the leaders

in this agricultural project.

He knows the need
for these videos first hand!

The project
takes him to Africa

4 times a year
to work with farmers

facing difficult
food production problems.

>>So there's a lot
of great ideas out there

that exist in local communities.

With this type of strategy,
we can go in and work

with these communities,
animate those ideas,

and share them
with the rest of the world.

>>This is a typical
cell phone video.

This one focuses
on controlling or killing pests

that can cripple
the cowpeas crop,

a staple in many parts
of South America and Africa.

Graduate student
Tolulope Agunbiade

is from Nigeria
and knows the struggles

farmers face.

Hers is the voice
on the cowpeas video.

It was recorded on campus
in her native language

for use on cell phone videos
in Nigeria.

>>It actually means a lot
for me to give back.

I believe knowledge shared
is very important

in the world.

It's always important
when it's very good!

It's rewarding
when you have knowledge

and you can share it
with other people.

>>Many times,
it's the women whose job it is

to take the family's crops
for sale at public markets.

Something that hits home
for Tolulope!

>>It makes me feel moved
because I'm an African.

And yes, it does touch me
because I know

they'll have information
that can have positive impacts

on their health,
their farming skills,

and so many other areas
of their lives.

>>Francisco Seufferheld
is the Project Manager

responsible for editing
all of the videos.

He says the animation approach
avoids any cultural

sensitivities.

>>I work with different groups
of people across borders,

across different ethnicities.

And I knew
that by having animations

that will make easier
for the material

that we can create here
flow across ethnicities

and borders.

>>The project also touches
other needs:

producing videos that address
public health issues.

>>Right now, most of our work
is focused on Africa

but also in Latin America
and other parts

where they are facing
cholera outbreaks.

And now we are developing
also health related videos

that are a need,
an urgent need!

>>The SAWBO cell phone
animate video project

is currently underway
around the world

encouraging change
and impacting lives.

Absolutely!

And it's....
....I think one of the things

I always enjoy about this
(this type of program

and this type of project)
is you get to meet people

from highly divergent cultures.

And this is the type
of mechanism

where you do make
some sort of connection

with a community,
and you realize

that hopefully
you'll have some sort

of lasting impact
that will be positive

for them in the future.

>>The University of Illinois
has a long history

of agricultural innovations.

The school's Morrow Plots
are the oldest corn crop

research fields in America
having been

continually planted
and harvested since 1876.

And while corn is a major crop
in the Land of Lincoln,

so too are pumpkins!

Illinois farmers
grow nearly half the pumpkins

raised in the United States.

♪ ♪

>>If you had to guess
which farm crop

is found in the most products
at your local supermarket,

what would you think?

Plenty of corn
in cereals,

chips, and even baby powder.

Wheat?

That's easy!

Bread, pasta, crackers!

But how about soybeans?

Many folks
never make the connection

between soy
and products in their homes.

But if you look around?

You'd be surprised!

Out on the farm,
soybeans grow

as green leafy plants
that turn brown

just before they're harvested.

The beans inside are then used
for hundreds of products.

Cattle feed is one use,
but let's talk

about shopping at the store.

Baking or frying?

Soybean oil has no Trans fats,
plenty of omega 3

fatty acids
(that's the good stuff)

and also contains vitamin E.

You'll find soybeans
in baby food,

whipped toppings,
and of course,

soy milk and tofu products.

But let's go
directly to the plant

and sample some edamame,
baby soybeans in the pod

that are usually boiled
in water.

They have kind of a nutty taste
and are often served

with condiments like salt
or soy sauce.

Pop them open
and in your mouth,

it's a country connection
direct from the farm

to your fingers!

>>Still ahead,
come with me

to the hardware aisle
where folks in the country

are finding what they need
for their farmstead

and city folks
are getting some supplies

for their homes, too!

>>New information
on food these days

has consumers making choices
on everything from cooking oils

to foods with less fat
or more protein.

And it's a good bet
you're seeing more products

that use sea salt!

Well, getting that crop
from field to table

is a bit different
from any harvest

you've every seen.

♪ ♪

>>At first glance
it may look

like snow covered fields
in a mid Western winter.

But this is late summer
in Northern California,

and these wide expanses of white
are salt flats

on the southern tip
of San Francisco Bay.

>>We trace
the commercial operations

back to about the 1850's
where there were salt works

are all around the South Bay
in particular

but even as far north as Napa.

And through a number
of acquisitions and the like

over several years now,
Cargill is the remaining

salt manufacturer here.

>>The salt here comes
from the waters

of the Pacific Ocean.

Flowing south through the bay,
the salty water

is captured in huge ponds
just north of San Jose.

>>We typically bring in
sea water just during

the summer months.

We don't want to bring it in
during the winter time

because there's so much
rain water coming off the hills

that it actually dilutes the Bay
and makes it less salty.

>>The salty water
is pumped into what are called

concentrators,
shallow ponds ringed by levees.

Then sun and wind
evaporate much of the water

leaving behind a salty brine.

As the increasingly
salty water

is mixed with brine
from other concentrators?

A pinkish hue
becomes evident in the liquid.

>>And as it gets closer
to a salt precipitation,

it takes on a pink
or reddish color.

And that's because
of an organism

that lives in the brine
where nothing else can live

at that high saline level.

This can,
and it happens to be pink!

And when we drain it off,
and we wash it?

Then it turns back to white.

>>Pumped from pond to pond,
the sea salt

or solar salt brine
will sit under sun and the wind

for 3 to 5 years
before it reaches

the correct level of salinity.

>>So it starts at 3%,
and it gets greater

and greater
until it get into

the crystallizers which is where
we're standing right now.

And at this point
in the process,

the brine is about
25% sodium chloride.

>>At the end
of the evaporative process,

you're left with a thick layer
of sea salt in large ponds

known as crystallizers.

It looks like snow
on a frozen lake.

A crop ready to be harvested!

>>Each year we harvest
500,000 tons of salt.

We harvest 4 to 6 inches
in each crystalizer

during the summer
and during the fall.

And we try to leave
the remainder of the salt

underneath as a mantle
to have a good,

clean cut of salt
so that we're not digging

into the Bay mud.

>>After a grader
breaks up the top layer,

a harvester moves in
to fill large trucks

with tons of sea salt.

>>We do think of it as a crop.

In fact,
we talk about taking

just the new crop
from the crystallizer

which is about
the top 4 or 5 inches.

And we refer to it
as this year's crop.

>>Cargill will run the sea salt
through the first

of several washes
before stacking the harvest

in huge piles some 80 feet high.

All of this salt
will ultimately be processed

into various grades.

Most will be used
in different food products

like granules for canning,
a salt powder for butter,

or crystals for ice cream.

>>As we look at the data,
we find there have been

about 6000
new product introductions

in the last 6 years
that call out with sea salt

or containing sea salt
on the label or package

in some way.

>>And there other uses as well!

>>There are thousands
and thousands,

interestingly, uses for salt
from setting dyes in textiles.

It's used
in the petroleum industry

and many other uses,
swimming pools,

that kind of thing.

But much of the salt
from this facility

does go to food use.

>>Consumer preference
has prompted the growing number

of products using sea salt.

Some prefer the texture.

Some, the taste!

>>A number of people do say
that sea salt tastes different

from other salts
even among different sea salts!

It's typically courser
so people enjoy

just the feel of it
when they're cooking.

It tastes different
on the tongue.

So it's not just
the sense of taste

that comes into play.

>>These salt flats
are also important wildlife

and wetland areas.

The company has worked
with a number of groups

on recreational
and environmental projects.

We found an opportunity
to work with a number

of agencies and return nearly
40000 acres of marsh

and wetland
to public use and parks.

There are all types of wildlife.

So it's really neat to see
as we go out there?

From birds to harbor seals
that congregate around

some of the intake areas?

So returning that?

If we're not using it
(and I think it was really

the right thing to do)

Such a beautiful area
here to take advantage of!

>>There's no denying
that this is a very

different kind of harvest
from others in the heartland.

But getting
this crop to market

demands the same kind of focus.

>>It's a very
unique place to work.

Everyone takes pride
in what they do

here in the solar plant
especially!

It's a great group
to work with.

It's a fun time of the year
during harvest

when everyone prepares.

We've got a lot of people here,
and all the equipment is ready.

And we usually perform
really well.

So we're proud of that!

>>More than 20 million tons
of salt are produced

in the United States each year:
evaporated from salt water,

mined like coal,
or brought to the surface

from underground salt deposits
in a watery brine

which is dried
before the salt crystals

are processed.

There are early references
to salt being used

in Chinese medicine
almost 5000 years ago.

Roman military salt rations
gave rise to the English word

salary!

And ancient Greeks,
(in trading for slaves)

coined the expression
not worth his salt!

♪ ♪

>>Hi, my name is Moniqua Woods,
and I have a question

for a farmer!

When I go to the grocery store
or farmers market,

I like to buy sweet corn.

And when I'm driving
on the highway,

I often see
vast fields of corn,

and I wonder
if that's sweet corn

or something else.

How many kinds of corn
are there,

and what are they used for?

>>Hi, I'm Janice Thompson.

And I'm a corn
and produce farmer.

Everybody likes sweet corn.

It's one of the best things
that you can eat!

But when you're traveling
down the highway?

It's a good bet
that what you're seeing

is probably not sweet corn.

What you're probably seeing
is field corn or dent corn.

Field corn is used
for things like livestock feed

and making ethanol.

Sweet corn, on the other hand,
has a higher sugar content:

10% versus 4% in field corn.

Let me tell you about
2 other types of corn.

Popcorn which you probably
enjoy at the movies

and make at home with the kids!

Another type of corn
is flint corn.

It's the decorative kind
you see at Thanksgiving.

And it's used
for some types of corn meal

and polenta.

Not to be corny,
but that's the kernel of truth

about this piece of produce

>>The small town general store!

It gets romanticized
on stage and screen.

And in a lot of places,
it's been replaced

by the big box place
where you get

everything you need
under one giant roof!

But places
like Fred's Feed

and Supply
still do exist in towns

like in West Liberty, Iowa.

And trust me,
there's a lot more inside here

than feed and supply!

♪ ♪

>>There are less than
4000 people living here.

But before you label
West Liberty, Iowa

a sleepy small town?

Drive down West 3rd Street
to Fred's Feed and Supply.

Say howdy to Larry Miller
outside on the forklift,

go inside
and spend a few minutes

with his brother Bruce,
and sleepy isn't a word

that comes to mind.

>>See ya, Donna!

>>Have a good week!

>>Where else can folks go
to get stuff like this in town?

>>I don't think....
....there's nothing

that's very much duplicated here
by any other business.

So that means they have to go
20 miles to Muscatine

or 20 miles to Iowa City!

>>Wow, 20 mile drive
to get a wrench?

>>To get a wrench!

To get a 10 cent nut!

>>So you have definitely filled
a need in town!

>>Yeah!

I bet there's not a day
that goes by

that somebody doesn't say,
"Boy, we are glad

you are here!"

>>The corner feed store
was once a mainstay

of small towns
across the heartland.

And when Fred Miller
opened Fred's Feeds

back in 1966?

The store's purpose was simple:
sell livestock feed

to local farmers!

And they still do that!

But scanning a catalog
for home appliance prices

wasn't in the original
business plan.

But neither was selling
spray paint,

tools or garden hose!

These days,
just 2 out of 10 people

that walk through the door
are farmers.

As farming has changed,
so have the needs of farmers.

Larger livestock operations
have their own feed mills.

Many of the old feed stores
have closed their doors.

>>When we were kids,
I don't think we had a customer

outside of the West Liberty area
as far as address.

Now we've got customers
as far as Conesville,

Muscatine,
West Branch,

Iowa City addresses!

>>Why is that?

>>Fewer people to service them!

There's not as many
feed dealers.

No one cares to call on them,
and most of the time?

They are also smaller farmers!

So they grew up
walking into a feed store.

And they like
to walk into a feed store!

They don't want to go
into a fleet store

or anything like that.

>>We will see
what September brings.

>>Very good!

>>You might call it
supply-side economics

on a local level.

It's the supplies side of Fred's
that keeps them in business!

Plumbers, electricians,
and home-owners

can drop in
and pick up what they need

and be on their way.

And the personal touch
goes a long way at Fred's.

>>There you go, 1 dozen!

Thanks Len!

>>There are not many days
that go by

that I don't know
everybody's name

that comes in here.

>>Know them by their first name?

>>Know them by their first name

Know their kids?

>>Know their kids!

Know their grandpa's!

Know their mom and dads!

Yeah, it's a small town thing
all the way,

but it's helpful.

>>They will come back
the next day?

>>They trust us.

They can walk in here!

Bruce, Larry,
Ben or Fred

or Charlotte are going to say,
"Hey, how are you doing?

How is your daughter?

What do you need?"

>>And when you know everybody,
running lines of credit

for customers is pretty easy.

In many communities,
the small feed and supply store

has been replaced
by larger chains

that cater
to the weekend jobber,

the backyard chicken enthusiast,
or sportsman.

In Oregon, one of those stores
goes by the name Wilco.

>>I have to admit,
I'm a little lost!

I think I need a sage,
a guide to show me

around this place,
and I think I found one!

This is Merle.

>>Hi, I'm Merle!

Glad to meet you!

>>Man, this is like
the tool aisle?

You've got everything
from glue guns

to wrenches and sockets.

>>It's like a candy store!

>>Nuts and Bolts?

>>Nuts and Bolts!

Did you ever think
you'd see so many nuts

and bolts in one store?

>>You've got them right here!

>>We've got 'em!

>>Look at this: power tools!

Power tools, now we're talking!

>>A growing item
for stores like Wilco?

Chickens for backyard eggs!

>>There's a lot of birds here!

Hi, Ali!

How're you doing....

>>These are turkeys!

We have bronze turkeys
and white turkeys.

These are your turkeys
raised for eating.

>>So are there chickens
in backyards all over Portland?

>>Absolutely!

It's big!

>>What do you think, Merle?

You want some chicks?

>>I'm always
in the market for chicks!

♪ ♪

>>I guess if you want to weld...

♪ ♪

>>So here's your
gray meshed gates,

galvanized meshed gates,
2 inch bolt gates....

>>We need to look good!

Can you make us look good?

>>I can!

>>We want to be ready for work!

>>Ready for work!

We can set you up!

♪ ♪

>>Suzanne,
I'm not so sure about this.

What do you think?

>>I think you guys look great.

You are ready for work!

>>Oh Merle,
I didn't even see you there

with that camouflage!

You are hiding!

>>You are trying to take
all my glory, aren't you?

>>Back in West Liberty,
they're not worried

about fashion.

And Fred's Feed and Supply's
owners

know they can't compete
with the bigger stores

on all levels.

No backyard chickens
for sale here.

But they do have fishing worms
courtesy of local

11-year-old boy, Hank Mead!

>>So what did you do?

Start looking out
in the garden,

or where did you start
finding worms?

>>I started looking
out in the grass.

And then started
in the garden!

Stayed up till probably 2!

>>Two in the morning?

Looking for worms?

>>Yeah!

>>Did you find some?

>>Yeah!

>>After exhausting
the worm supply and his dad,

Hank gets his worms online
and sells them

to Bruce and Larry.

>>Nice little business for you!

Made some money this summer?

>>Yeah!

>>You've probably done
pretty well, right?

>>Yeah!

>>Congratulations!

You are a small town
business man now!

They are going to ask you
to join the chamber

of commerce.

>>What's that?

>>Ha ha ha!

>>Until then?

With every worm or work boot,
a slightly larger

small business
holds its own in this town.

>>That's going to do it
for this edition

of America's Heartland.

Thanks for traveling
the country with us.

We're always pleased
to introduce you

to some very
interesting people and places.

>>Don't forget,
we have lots more stories

and information
to share with you online

as well including video
from all of our shows!

Just log onto
americasheartland-dot-org.

And you can stay
in touch with us 24/7

through some of your other
favorite sites as well.

We'll see you next time
right here

on America's Heartland.

>>To order a copy
of this program,

visit us online
or call 1-888-814-3923.

The cost is $14.95
plus shipping.

♪ 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. ♪

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

Farm Credit ,
owned by America's farmers

and ranchers.

Celebrating 95 years of service
to U.S. agriculture

and rural America.

Learn more at farmcredit.com.

The United Soybean Board ,
America's soybean farmers

and their checkoff!

And by the American
Farm Bureau Foundation

for Agriculture
dedicated to building

greater awareness
and understanding of agriculture

through education
and engagement.

♪ ♪