"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. IT'S ENERGY
MADE FROM CORN.

ETHANOL IS FUELING MORE AND MORE
AMERICAN CARS FROM THE RACEWAY

TO THE HIGHWAY. THEN..

WE'LL TAKE YOU ON BOARD TO
SHARE A HARVEST AT SEA..

STONE CRABBING IN
THE GULF OF MEXICO.

AND A DAIRY FARMER WITH A

NEW TWIST ON FLAVORS
FOR HIS MILK.

READY FOR ROOT BEER?

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.

All you have to do today is pull
up to the gas pump

and check out the prices.

It probably won't take much
to convince you that America's

dependence on foreign
oil is a growing problem.

Most agree, it's not great for
our national security, and it

sure stings the pocketbook.

Lots of folks working on
developing alternative fuels.

but one in particular is gaining
momentum; ethanol,

made from corn.
American corn.

And though not everyone agrees
it's the best solution,

a recent visit to Wyoming
suggested a growing number of

entrepreneurs, automakers,
elected officials, farmers.

and, even race car drivers

are jumping on the ethanol
bandwagon.

Just before driver Bill Percival
pulls up to the starting line in

his dragster, he fills up
his fuel tank with corn!

Not literally, of course, but
Bill's dragster. and a number of

others at this Denver
speedway. run on ethanol,

a gasoline alternative that's
produced by fermenting corn..

"One of the main advantages of
using ethanol

is that it burns so much cooler.

And in this type of racing,
there's lots of times where we

have to go around and around and
around and we don't have time to

cool off the engine.

So by using ethanol, the
engines don't overheat. "

Race cars aren't the only
vehicles using ethanol.

Many farmers have used it for
years to power farm machinery.

And with more stations selling
it, many drivers are trying it

for the first time.

Dozens of models of flexible
fuel vehicles can use E-85,

85% ethanol and 15% gasoline.

E-10 has a 10% ethanol / 90%
gasoline mix -a formula that's

been approved for use by
every major car maker.

"With the new renewable fuel
standards-8 billion

gallons of ethanol by 2012

that's more than doubling what's
being produced today.

So, that's a bright future
for the corn market. "

Dan Schwartzkopf directs
production operations at

Wyoming Ethanol in Torrington

near the Wyoming-Nebraska
border.

The plant brings in dried corn,
grinds it to a powder, then

ferments the mash in
a chemical process

much like distilling whiskey.

When completed, the process
creates ethanol:

a form of alcohol that burns
like gasoline.

In 2005, the industry produced
almost 4 billion gallons of

ethanol - consuming 1.43
million bushels of corn.

I take as much as I can from my
rural growers here in Wyoming

and the balance of that I take
from a radius of about 150

miles: in the Nebraska panhandle
and Southern South Dakota.

Ethanol use and production have
increased dramatically

in the past two years, thanks to
new marketing efforts

along with state and federal
subsidies.

Many consider ethanol to be
beneficial in reducing

carbon monoxide and other
auto emissions.

However, it is not a
fuel without controversy.

Conflicting studies have
addressed everything from

its energy content to its
production costs

versus a gallon of gasoline.

"Not only do we feed the
distiller's grain, but ever

since the ethanol plant came
into production in Torrington,

we use gasohol in
all of our vehicles."

Blake Ochsner and his dad,
George, are ethanol supporters.

They say consumers benefit by
using American products and

easing our dependence
on foreign oil.

There's also a personal benefit:
The corn mash left over from

ethanol production. called
"distiller's grain".

can be used as cattle feed.

We were looking for a good feed
to supplement the straw and this

distiller's grain really worked
in that situation

About one third of all the corn
we take in goes back out

in the form of the distiller's
grain behind me

that goes back to those
feedlots. "

Wyoming Ethanol's Jon Calahan
says "distiller's grain" has

other benefits It's
considerably more nutritious.

When it leaves here, it's
running about a 32-33% protein

where normal corn is
running about 8% protein. "

Currently. ethanol fuel is
easier to find in the Midwest

and Plains states.close to
the corn from which it's made.

That may change with new federal
mandates on air pollution and

energy production.

And to up the profile, Wyoming
Ethanol is promoting the fuel

with a five car
drag racing team.

The cars compete for national
honors

at tracks across the country.

Dan Schwartzkopf says it gives
the fans a chance

to see ethanol in action.

They leave the racetrack, they
stop and fill gas and they see

ethanol on the pump.

They remember the car that ran
really good down the racetrack

on ethanol and say, 'Maybe this
isn't so bad, maybe it'll make

my car run better.' "

For a glimpse of an ethanol
future, some American farmers

are looking at one of their
biggest competitors - Brazil.

Brazil's sugarcane biorefineries
are on the verge of producing

enough ethanol to power
every one

of the country's
30-million cars!

There are other American crops

being turned into widely-used
products.

And no, I'm not talking about
alternative fuel.

although this is a liquid
product that's fueled good times

at many a weekend barbeque or
football game!

Beer lovers today are blessed
with more choices

than ever before.

And we (I) found out how fans
of the foamy beverage can make

their own pilgrimage to one
of the Heartland's oldest and

largest breweries. located
in Saint Louis, Missouri.

Take a tour of this museum and
you'll see race cars, old time

delivery trucks-even
streamlined jet planes.

But the real attraction at the
Anheuser Busch visitor center

is beer. lots and lots of beer!

Well, we've come a
long way since 1852. "

The tour guide will
tell you that St. Louis

was once home to dozens of
breweries. most of them started

by German immigrants
in the 1800's.

But Anheuser Busch is the only
one of those historic breweries

still in operation.

Today, visitors who tour the
brewery can see how modern

methods convert American farm
products into beers

that are sold in the U.S. and
around the world.

And this is the brew kettle.

This is where hops are added
to the wort

as the beer's being produced.

The hops are the
spice to the beer.

Dan Driscoll is the brew
master at Busch's

St. Louis brewery.

He'll oversee the production of
more then 40 thousand barrels

of beer a day.

That's more than one
point two million gallons.

We're responsible for the raw
ingredients that go into making

the beer so the water that's
used to brew the beer, the malt,

the barley malt that you use,
the rice, the hops.

all that is tasted. "

Brewing beer is big business
for American agriculture.

Making the beer requires huge
quantities of barley,

hops and other farm products.

North Dakota, Montana and South
Dakota FARMS grow substantial

amounts of malting
barley for beer makers.

Montana farmer Buck O'Brien says
it's an important part

of his income.

What we raise is malting barley.

We have contracted with
Anheuser Busch

for a certain amount per year
each year.

It has to meet rigid
specifications because they're

pretty picky about what
they use for malting.

Anheuser Busch is the biggest
maltster in the country.

They malt 40-50% of the
malt that's made in the U.S.

America's farm states produce
almost six million pounds of

barley for brewing
beer each year.

Rice is another key ingredient

used to flavor and lighten
beers.

Busch and other brewers use
about 16%

of America's rice crop.

This is the core ingredients,
barley converted into malt and

hops are the core
ingredients in beer. "

Steve Malin is the man
in charge of acquiring raw

materials for Anheuser Busch.

He says the "right" raw
materials are critical

to making good beer.

We knew we had to start at
production agriculture to have

those materials that we wanted
in the form that we wanted it.so

we kept backing up and
getting closer to the grower.

The St. Louis brew house dates
back to the 1890's

and is still used today.

There are richly tiled walls;
colorful portraits.

even chandeliers interwoven with
reproductions of the hops

used in the brewing process.

"It's the beer with the
wonderful flavor..P.O.C. means

pleasure on call" America once
had dozens of large breweries.

Today, a smaller number of
major manufacturers turn out the

lion's share of
the beer we drink.

But there's also a growing
industry in boutique brewing.

small brew masters turning out a
greater variety of beers.

And no matter what size the
brewery. whether its micro

or the size of this one, the
proof is in the tasting.

And you take the tour.
You get to taste. "

The tasting rooms at Busch offer
not only

their best selling brands,

but some of the company's
specialty and

seasonal beers as well.

Busch and others are seeing an
increase in beer drinking in

Asia. particularly China.

Dan Driscoll says no matter
where you're drinking beer.

quality is paramount.

It's up to the brew master to
blend and mix those ingredients

together year after year to
ensure the Bud that was brewed

today is the same as the Bud
that was brewed last year

and the year before. "

Anheuser Busch creates one other
product from its beer making.

"Spent grain". cereal grains
used in the manufacturing.

are recovered and sold
as animal feed.

The company says it produces
enough "spent grain" to feed 4%

of the cattle in
the United States

Anheuser Busch brews about
117-million barrels of beer

each year. That's equal to a
little over 40-billion

12-ounce bottles. almost enough
to quench the average

American adult's thirst

for 23 and a half gallons
of beer per year!

Still to come on America's
Heartland.

From boondocks to Broadway.
the back roads of the Heartland

hit the big time with their own
national television network.

And how a trip "back to the
future" rejuvenated this

dairyman. and his farm.

We love telling stories about
folks who live off the land.

There is another group of
hard-working folks in the

heartland who make their
living. on the water!

They supply our seafood.

Everything from the ubiquitous
kinds, like tuna, to specialty

crops such as the kind our Jason
Shoultz discovered in Florida.

They're called stone crabs. and
Jason says those who hunt them

have to be almost as
hard-shelled

as the crustaceans themselves!

Hours before the sun comes up,
stone crabber Kit Johnson is

navigating the murky waters
of Florida's everglades.

Guided only by navigational
markers

that appear in the darkness.

RADIO: SOUTHEAST WIND
1 0 TO 15 KNOTS.

and the radio's weather
forecast.

Meanwhile, his three-man crew
prepares bait

for the crab traps.

For generations, the sunrise
over the Gulf of Mexico has

brought the daily uncertainty

that is part of life for
fishermen.

Each year during stone crab
season from May through October,

stone crabbers venture
out. hoping for the best.

"Born and raised in it.

What else is there to say? " á

"It's the only
damn thing I know. "

With only water on the
horizon, Johnson steers his boat

along rows of hundreds of
buoys. attached to crab traps

on the sea floor.

One by one, his crew uses hooks
to pluck buoys from the water.

and wenches to pull up the
traps.

"With two men using two wenches
at the back of the boat they can

pull upwards of 1000 traps a
day from the waters of the gulf"

It's hard work.
that doesn't stop

for lunch breaks or bad weather.

Johnson has 11-thousand
traps in these waters.

"We work from 4 o clock
in the morning,

till a lot of times at dark. We
get home at dark.

Seven days a week
for seven months. "

Kit Johnson is one of
around 20 stone crabbers from

Everglades City, Florida.

they bring in nearly 4-hundred
thousand pounds

of stone crab each year.

For crabbers the bigger
the claw the more money.

Unlike other crabs even after
they are caught these critters

go back into the water with
a little less of themselves.

"See how it pops off like that,

he'll grow those claws
right back"

If the claws are more than
two and a quarter inches long,

they come off.

Fishermen say the crabs
can survive without claws.

And the stone crab can
regenerate its claws

in about a year.

"But we'll have 3-4 hundred
pounds at the end of the day. "

Boats loaded with crab claws
start arriving at the dock in

the late afternoon.

To stay fresh, the claws
are immediately boiled..

and put into a cooler overnight.

Then. in the blink of an eye.
every claw gets weighed and

sorted by size.
and packed in ice

to be shipped to restaurants.

"They are hard to beat. "

Folks here like to call this
the stone crab capital

of the world.

At City Seafood, they'll happily
serve up a plate of crab claws.

The preferred way -- cooked,
cracked, and served chilled.

"Just peel the shell
right off.."

Owner Richard Wahrenbergen
gladly shares his strategy

for enjoying his fresh crab.

The only part eaten is the
rich meat found in the claws.

It's pretty simple: Peel back
the shell, dip the claw in honey

mustard sauce and enjoy!

"I've never had a person say
they didn't like stone crabs.

Which I think is pretty good. "

Yeah, that's not
bad "Not bad at all.

" Well, it's not going to start
today, I can tell you that. "

That's great. Ha. "

Wahrenbergen catches
his own crabs.

so he's able to keep costs

down at this modest
waterside market.

A plate of that could go for 50
dollars at a Miami restaurant

costs about 20 bucks here.

The demand for stone crab
outpaces the supply

trapped in these blue waters.

And folks will pay top
dollar for the rare delicacy.

"it's good money when it's good.
It's bad when it's bad. "

Stone-crabbers face similar
challenges found throughout

agriculture. rising fuel prices,
labor costs and weather.

In 2005 hurricane Wilma picked
up traps from the seafloor and

blew them all over the gulf.

"Each one of those traps costs
on the average of 20-22 dollars

a piece. I've lost several
thousand. "

Kit Johnson fears hurricane
losses and tough economic times

will force some fishermen
to give up crabbing.

But Johnson looks forward to
brighter days.behind the wheel

of his boat.

"I'll be right here.

Be right here.
I'll make it. "

Fans of the Stone Crab are picky
about how they cook and eat

them. but the crabs themselves
are pretty picky

about where they live.

90-percent of the
world's Stone Crab catch comes

from the warm waters
surrounding Florida.

There are a thousand
stories in the Heartland.

And of course thousands
of ways to tell them.

Now, we'd like to think
we do a pretty good job.

But we're not alone.

In fact, there's an entire
television channel devoted to

the American rural life.

Our Pat McConahay visited their
Tennessee headquarters and

discovered a loyal following.
and not just the folks

down on the farm!

♪"Who'll buy my wheat?
Who'll buy my corn? ."♪

From country kooners
to colorful cowboys.

The RFD TV television network
is bringing rural America

to viewers throughout the
country.

"WE'RE NOT AN AG CHANNEL, WE'RE
NOT AN EQUINE CHANNEL,

WE'RE NOT A RURAL LIFESTYLE
CHANNEL.

WE'RE NOT A TRADITIONAL
MUSIC CHANNEL.

WE'RE ALL OF THOSE
ROLLED INTO ONE

PATRICK GOTTSCH IS THE CREATIVE
FORCE BEHIND

THIS FIRST OF ITS KIND NETWORK,

LAUNCHED IN 2000 FROM STUDIOS IN
NASHVILLE.

THE NETWORK ACQUIRES
PROGRAMS FROM

A VARIETY OF SOURCES, UPLINKS
THEM VIA SATELLITE, AND CARRIES

THEM INTO MILLIONS OF AMERICAN
HOMES ON DOZENS OF CABLE SYSTEMS

AND SATELLITE NETWORKS.

"I watch it religiously now,
maily the tractor

and calendar show or the
"tractorcades"

There's no other channel where
you can watch specials

on old tractors and there's no
other show on television

that can give that to you. "

GOTTSCH SAYS HIS MISSION IS TO
OFFER PROGRAMS

YOU WON'T SEE ON ANY OTHER
CHANNEL.

TO BE A 24-HOUR, SEVEN DAYS A
WEEK NETWORK THAT FOCUSED ON THE

GOOD NEWS IN RURAL AMERICA AND
ALL THE DIFFERENT INTERESTS,

FARM BUREAU, FFA, HIGH SCHOOL
RODEO,

THE NATIONAL CATTLEMEN
ASSOCIATION.

GOTTSCH SAYS IT ISN'T JUST
COUNTRY FOLKS WHO FIND THE

PROGRAMS APPEALING EVEN IF
ONE LIVES IN THE CITY NOW THEY

PROBABLY GREW UP GOING TO
GRANDMA AND GRANDPA'S FARM OR

M0M AND DAD HAD A FARM OR THEY
MOVED OFF THE FARM INTO THE CITY

AND AN AWFUL LOT OF FOLKS IN
THE CITY SEEM TO HAVE A GOAL TO

EVENTUALLY GET BACK TO RURAL
AMERICA

And that's pretty much the story
of Gottsch's own life.

He left farming for a varied
career that included

Director of Sales for the first
satellite-delivered

video cattle auction.

Which eventually spawned the
idea for RFD TV -

and the reconnection with his
rural roots

GROWING UP IN OMAHA, NEBRASKA

WE USED TO HAVE AN EARLY MORNING
AG REPORT.

IT USED TO HAVE A
NOON MARKET REPORT.

EVERY FRIDAY THERE USED TO BE A
FARM FAMILY OF THE WEEK HONORED.

AND EVERYBODY IN THE COUNTRY
LOOKED FORWARD TO THAT

SO PATRICK, THIS IS AN IMPORTANT
ROOM-MASTER CONTROL.

THIS IS WHERE IT ALL HAPPENS.

ALL THE UPLINKING
TAKES PLACE OVER HERE.

PROGRAMS ARE INGESTED
AND RUN OFF A COMPUTER.

OVER HERE ALL THE DOWNLINK
controls FOR THE DISHES OUTSIDE.

"It's RFD TV live.." While
producers around the nation

contribute most of RFD-TV's
programming, the network creates

a few of its own studio
productions,

including the popular
"RFD TV Live. "

It's hosted by Max Armstrong,

an agricultural broadcaster from
Chicago

EVERY MONTH WE DO SHOWS THAT
ADDRESS DIFFERENT INTERESTS.

WE DO SHOWS FOR THE
FFA ORGANIZATION.

WE DO SHOWS RELATED TO
FARM SAFETY, FOR EXAMPLE.

THESE SHOWS ALLOW THE
OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE

TO CALL IN

Armstrong sees some great
opportunities ahead for RFD TV

"The rural population
continues to gain.

We've seen that.

The department of agriculture
and census bureau figures show

that there are more people
moving out into rural areas.

Patrick Gottsch certainly has
big plans for his niche network,

including rural news shows
and program exchanges with a

Brazilian agricultural network.

Opening a new window for the
Heartland's hard-working

farm communities.

to look in on their colleagues
in the global community

Even if all of rural America's
2-point-1 million farm families

watched RFD-TV, they would
still have plenty of company.

The network reaches more than
90-million cable and satellite

subscribers in all 50 states.

Now I'm sure you've gathered
from watching our show

that farming is tough and the
business of farming

can be even harder.

Every year, plenty of farmers
give it up; it's certain that

plenty more think about it.

So take the case of
one Missouri dairyman.

On the verge of selling out, he
remembered the good old days -

the days of small-town
quality and personal service.

So he re-invented his dairy -
changed his way of life - and

revitalized his business.

"THESE TWO HERE ARE TWINS"

Not too many years ago Leroy And
Barbara Shatto

of Osborn Missouri were
seriously thinking

about selling these little guys
and the rest of the dairy herd

that had been in Barbara's
family for 100 years.

IT USED TO BE EVERY DAY I WALK
ACROSS THE ROAD I WONDER

WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?

Do you know you're WORKING
YOURSELF TO DEATH FOR NOTHING.

Milk prices declined while the
overhead to produce it grew

and Shatto considered
shutting down-

not easy for a man who's

milked cows twice
a day for 30 years.

But after some research he
came up with a way to turn his

failing farm into
a dream business.

WELL WHAT THE STUDIES SHOW
THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE

WANTIN FARM-FRESH MILK FROM THE
FARM

THAT THEY CAN EVEN GO OUT AND
SEE WHERE THIS MILK COMES FROM.

IN 2003 SHATTO STOPPED
SELLING HIS MILK TO A COOP.

HE OPENED A PLANT TO PROCESS IT
HIMSELF-

CUTTING OUT THE MIDDLE MAN.

HE TOOK HIS IDEA A STEP FURTHER
BY CREATING A NICHE

PACKAGING THE MILK THE
OLD-FASHIONED WAY

IN GLASS BOTTLES.

I THINK EVERYTHING
TASTES BETTER IN GLASS.

I MEAN EVEN WATER
TASTES BETTER IN GLASS.

SO IT MAKES OUR
MILK TASTE BETTER.

THE GLASS MAKES OUR MILK
STAY COLDER

Shatto now sells his milk to
more than 50 grocery stores in

the Kansas City area and
northern Missouri.

John Jackson, Dairy Manager
for this Hy-Vee market says the

product has really caught on.

WELL IF YOU GO BACK FAR ENOUGH,
MILK USED TO BE DELIVERED TO

THEIR DOORS IN WIRE HANGERS IN
THE GLASS JARS

AND THAT'S THE ONLY WAY
PEOPLE GOT IT.

THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN PART OF
THE INITIAL ATTRACTION TO IT

WAS HEY, THIS IS JUST LIKE A
BLAST FROM THE PAST

Jackson says customers tell him
they also like the rich,

fresh flavor.

Speaking of flavors, Shatto not
only comes in whole and low-fat

white. but chocolate and even
more unusual flavors

like root beer?

I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M ACTUALLY
GOING TO TRY ROOT BEER MILK.

BUT HERE it GOES!
NOT BAD!

TASTES LIKE ROOTBEER FLOAT.

I W0ULDN'T MIND BEING KNOWN AS

THE DAIRY FARMER
WHO MADE MILK FUN.

CUZ WE'VE GOT PEOPLE DRINKING
MILK THAT NEVER WOULD DRINK MILK

BEFORE SEE HOW COLD THAT IS?

FEEL THAT.

THAT WOULD BE GOOD WITH SOME
COOKIES, WOULDN'T IT

SHATTO ALSO ENJOYS PROMOTING HIS
DAIRY BY TAKING VISITORS

ON TOURS OF THE REVITALIZED
FAMILY FARM.

ON THIS DAY 80 STUDENTS FROM
GRAIN VALLEY ELEMENTARY NOT ONLY

HAD THE CHANCE TO
SEE HOW MILK IS MADE.

JUST SQUEEZE AND PULL
DOWN-

BUT WHERE IT COMES FROM.

I LIKE WHEN WE GOT TO MILK THE
COWS. THEIR UDDER FELT WEIRD

The Stattos also opened a
country store at their dairy

where customers can
buy milk right there.

THERE YOU GO MAM.

THANK YOU.

Christie Smith has been buying
Shatto milk since the beginning

"Love the flavors.
Our favorites are

the strawberries and the
chocolates. "

Those are words Shatto
never gets tired of hearing.

I CAN'T WAIT TO GET UP IN THE
MORNING AND GET OVER AND SEE MY

EMAILS BECAUSE WE always HAVE
THESE NICE PEOPLE EMAILING US

ABOUT HOW THEY LIKE OUR MILK.

Shatto says the changes he's
made have brought pride back

into what he does and hope that
perhaps his dairy will go on for

another 100 years.

Well Old Paint I want to thank
you for your help today.

And certainly want to thank you
for watching and hope you will

join us again next time when
we discover more great farms,

families, and their fascinating
stories in America's Heartland.

I'm Paul Ryan.

We'll see you next time

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

give us your feedback, visit
americasheartland - dot - org.

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