1 00:00:01,431 --> 00:00:04,364 America's Heartland is made possible by 2 00:00:04,364 --> 00:00:09,431 ...They make up a small part of our population, 3 00:00:09,431 --> 00:00:12,864 but have a huge impact on our lives. 4 00:00:12,864 --> 00:00:15,498 They take business risks that few others would tolerate 5 00:00:15,498 --> 00:00:18,031 all on our behalf. 6 00:00:18,031 --> 00:00:22,831 They're American farmers who feed, fuel and clothe the world. 7 00:00:22,831 --> 00:00:26,864 Monsanto would like to recognize them for all they do, 8 00:00:26,864 --> 00:00:30,464 for the rest of us, because ultimately our success 9 00:00:30,464 --> 00:00:36,364 and everyone else's depends on theirs 10 00:00:36,364 --> 00:00:38,031 ...and by the American Farm Bureau Federation 11 00:00:38,031 --> 00:00:41,331 - the voice of agriculture. 12 00:00:41,331 --> 00:00:43,564 COMING UP. 13 00:00:43,564 --> 00:00:45,331 it goes from field to fabric...practically 14 00:00:45,331 --> 00:00:46,631 right down the road 15 00:00:46,631 --> 00:00:49,464 ...the whole cotton-pickin' story of Texas denim 16 00:00:49,464 --> 00:00:53,564 ...a mushrooming business earns dollars in the dark 17 00:00:53,564 --> 00:00:56,264 ...AND  chile conditions in New Mexico mean hot times 18 00:00:56,264 --> 00:00:59,631 for growers...and festival-goers. 19 00:00:59,631 --> 00:01:02,098 America's Heartland is next. 20 00:01:02,098 --> 00:01:08,298 ♪ You can see it in the   eyes of every woman and man ♪ 21 00:01:08,298 --> 00:01:14,231 ♪ in America's Heartland   living close to the land. ♪ 22 00:01:14,231 --> 00:01:20,331 ♪ There's a love for the country   and a pride in the brand ♪ 23 00:01:20,331 --> 00:01:30,698 ♪ in America's Heartland living   close, close to the land. ♪ 24 00:01:30,698 --> 00:01:38,631 ♪ In America's Heartland. ♪ 25 00:01:38,631 --> 00:01:40,164 Hello and welcome to   America's Heartland. 26 00:01:40,164 --> 00:01:41,798 I'm Paul Ryan. 27 00:01:41,798 --> 00:01:44,998 Farming is like any business. To stay profitable 28 00:01:44,998 --> 00:01:48,331 and competitive, you have to find new, more efficient ways 29 00:01:48,331 --> 00:01:50,731 to create your products. 30 00:01:50,731 --> 00:01:53,664 That's what our Pat McConahay found in Lubbock, Texas, 31 00:01:53,664 --> 00:01:56,231 where a group of clever cotton growers not only 32 00:01:56,231 --> 00:01:59,431 plant the fields and pick the crop, they also own 33 00:01:59,431 --> 00:02:03,031 the nearby factory that turns it into denim 34 00:02:03,031 --> 00:02:04,931 - a fabric used to make some of the world's 35 00:02:04,931 --> 00:02:08,598 most popular fashions. 36 00:02:08,598 --> 00:02:11,731 These machines are turning out one of the most 37 00:02:11,731 --> 00:02:15,098 widely used fabrics in the world - denim. 38 00:02:15,098 --> 00:02:18,064 Chances are your favorite pair of jeans started out 39 00:02:18,064 --> 00:02:21,431 in a cotton field near Lubbock Texas. 40 00:02:21,431 --> 00:02:23,498 So this is a pretty good year? 41 00:02:23,498 --> 00:02:25,331 Yeah, it's pretty good, real good. 42 00:02:25,331 --> 00:02:28,498 We are, a lot of these bolls up here have opened up real nicely. 43 00:02:28,498 --> 00:02:32,398 Good news for Dahlen Hancock, a 4th generation cotton grower. 44 00:02:32,398 --> 00:02:35,398 He's a member of the Plains Cotton Cooperative Association, 45 00:02:35,398 --> 00:02:39,631 the worlds largest producer and supplier of Texas style cotton. 46 00:02:39,631 --> 00:02:43,564 It's also the only farmer-owned cooperative that operates it's 47 00:02:43,564 --> 00:02:45,864 own denim manufacturing plant. 48 00:02:45,864 --> 00:02:47,698 So what's picked in the field one day 49 00:02:47,698 --> 00:02:51,431 could be fabric the next (day.) 50 00:02:51,431 --> 00:02:54,264 But here's where the denim story actually begins: 51 00:02:54,264 --> 00:02:56,698 This ominous-looking machine, the cotton picker, 52 00:02:56,698 --> 00:02:59,498 has certainly made the fall harvest a lot easier 53 00:02:59,498 --> 00:03:03,198 than in the days when people picked cotton by hand. 54 00:03:03,198 --> 00:03:04,931 IT TAKES IN EIGHT ROWS AT A TIME. 55 00:03:04,931 --> 00:03:08,731 IT HAS SOME LITTLE BATS AND BRUSHES. 56 00:03:08,731 --> 00:03:12,264 BY THAT I MEAN LITTLE RUBBER BATS AND BRUSHES THAT ACTUALLY 57 00:03:12,264 --> 00:03:17,831 WIPE THE COTTON, AND IT BRUSHES AND IT TAKES IT OFF THE PLANT. 58 00:03:17,831 --> 00:03:20,764 A combination of saws and brushes extract the cotton 59 00:03:20,764 --> 00:03:22,198 from the burr. 60 00:03:22,198 --> 00:03:24,898 The cotton or  lint is dumped into what's called a boll buggy 61 00:03:24,898 --> 00:03:27,431 and taken to an area where it's packed into what looks like 62 00:03:27,431 --> 00:03:30,931 huge loaves of bread with wrappers on the top. 63 00:03:30,931 --> 00:03:32,931 ONCE THE COTTON IS HARVESTED FROM THE FIELD, 64 00:03:32,931 --> 00:03:35,264 IT GOES ONTO THE NEXT STEP, THE GIN, WHERE IT'S 65 00:03:35,264 --> 00:03:38,798 CLEANED OF ALL THIS TRASH, AS THEY CALL IT. 66 00:03:38,798 --> 00:03:43,264 YOU DON'T WANT THIS WINDING UP IN YOUR DENIM JACKET. 67 00:03:43,264 --> 00:03:46,064 The cotton is sucked into the building through powerful pipes 68 00:03:46,064 --> 00:03:49,498 that send it to various cleaning processes to remove dirt, 69 00:03:49,498 --> 00:03:53,831 leaves and even plastic that may have wound up in the field. 70 00:03:53,831 --> 00:03:57,998 Next the seeds are removed from the lint so the fiber can be 71 00:03:57,998 --> 00:04:01,498 made into your next pair of jeans. 72 00:04:01,498 --> 00:04:03,464 And where that happens? 73 00:04:03,464 --> 00:04:05,731 This textile plant that's not too far from 74 00:04:05,731 --> 00:04:08,164 Dahlen Hancock's cotton field. 75 00:04:08,164 --> 00:04:11,964 The Co-op was formed in 1953 to help farmers get the best price 76 00:04:11,964 --> 00:04:13,864 for their product. 77 00:04:13,864 --> 00:04:15,964 About twenty years later members wanted to 78 00:04:15,964 --> 00:04:19,898 even more to boost their agricultural operation. 79 00:04:19,898 --> 00:04:23,564 BACK IN THE 1970'S MANY OF US FARMERS REALIZED THAT 80 00:04:23,564 --> 00:04:26,264 THE COTTON WE PRODUCED WAS GOING INTO DENIM, 81 00:04:26,264 --> 00:04:29,098 AND DECIDED WE SHOULD BE PRODUCING A VALUE-ADDED PRODUCT 82 00:04:29,098 --> 00:04:32,331 RATHER THAN JUST AN AGRICULTURAL, RAW MATERIAL. 83 00:04:32,331 --> 00:04:35,131 So they created American Cotton Growers Denim Mill 84 00:04:35,131 --> 00:04:37,664 in Littlefield, Texas near Lubbock. 85 00:04:37,664 --> 00:04:39,998 Today the mill turns out enough denim to make 86 00:04:39,998 --> 00:04:43,064 20 million pairs of jeans a year. 87 00:04:43,064 --> 00:04:45,331 Darneille says this plant is just one place 88 00:04:45,331 --> 00:04:49,564 where the cooperative's cotton goes, but it's an important one. 89 00:04:49,564 --> 00:04:53,264 IT HAS BECOME SUCH A COMPETITIVE MARKET NOW WITH SO MANY 90 00:04:53,264 --> 00:04:56,298 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES GETTING INTO IT, THAT IT'S STILL A PROFITABLE 91 00:04:56,298 --> 00:04:59,864 BUSINES FOR US, BUT NOT NEARLY AS MUCH AS IT WAS BEFORE. 92 00:04:59,864 --> 00:05:03,098 HOWEVER, OUR MEMBERS THINK IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE MAKE A 93 00:05:03,098 --> 00:05:04,764 VALUE-ADDED PRODUCT. 94 00:05:04,764 --> 00:05:07,364 A product that begins with the baled cotton being separated 95 00:05:07,364 --> 00:05:10,064 into small tufts and then blended 96 00:05:10,064 --> 00:05:12,064 with various cotton fibers. 97 00:05:12,064 --> 00:05:15,498 Darneille says this is one of the few mills where everything 98 00:05:15,498 --> 00:05:23,864 happens under one roof from spinning...weaving...dyeing 99 00:05:23,864 --> 00:05:27,464 ...finishing...packing and shipping. 100 00:05:27,464 --> 00:05:30,131 WHEN WE CONCEIVED THAT IT WAS A TURNKEY OPERATION, WE SAID 101 00:05:30,131 --> 00:05:32,331 WE WANT TO GO ALL THE WAY FROM COTTON TO FINISHED DENIM. 102 00:05:32,331 --> 00:05:35,464 That denim is sent to Mexico or Latin America 103 00:05:35,464 --> 00:05:39,464 to be turned into apparel. 104 00:05:39,464 --> 00:05:42,164 Darneille says there isn't much difference between 105 00:05:42,164 --> 00:05:44,864 the quality of denim in a ten dollar pair of jeans 106 00:05:44,864 --> 00:05:47,164 and a 300 dollar pair. 107 00:05:47,164 --> 00:05:49,864 The difference is in the styling. 108 00:05:49,864 --> 00:05:52,531 WE WERE IN A FACTORY THE OTHER DAY. THEY SPEND 18 MINUTES 109 00:05:52,531 --> 00:05:54,764 MAKING THE PERFECT PAIR OF JEANS. 110 00:05:54,764 --> 00:05:57,631 THEN THEY SPEND 32 MINUTES TEARING IT APART 111 00:05:57,631 --> 00:06:01,031 - SANDING IT, SAND BLASTING IT, CUTTING IT WITH SCISSORS, 112 00:06:01,031 --> 00:06:03,231 DOING ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS TO ACHIEVE 113 00:06:03,231 --> 00:06:04,831 THIS VINTAGE LOOK... 114 00:06:04,831 --> 00:06:06,564 ...which helps make cotton the single 115 00:06:06,564 --> 00:06:08,564 best selling fabric in America. 116 00:06:08,564 --> 00:06:11,498 As for the future, Co-ops like this one are always looking 117 00:06:11,498 --> 00:06:14,864 for new ways to uses that time-honored fabric 118 00:06:14,864 --> 00:06:17,698 - good news for US cotton farmers whose product 119 00:06:17,698 --> 00:06:23,098 is still in demand worldwide . 120 00:06:23,098 --> 00:06:25,664 There's something else America makes with its cotton crop: 121 00:06:25,664 --> 00:06:29,431 money. Cold cotton cash. 122 00:06:29,431 --> 00:06:31,131 The people who work for the U.S. 123 00:06:31,131 --> 00:06:34,831 Mint can turn one bale of cotton into more than 300-thousand 124 00:06:34,831 --> 00:06:36,864 100-dollar bills! 125 00:06:36,864 --> 00:06:40,698 That's 30-million bucks if you care to count 'em . 126 00:06:40,698 --> 00:06:42,631 Denim jeans are just the kind of comfortable 127 00:06:42,631 --> 00:06:45,798 - rugged clothing you might need for our next story 128 00:06:45,798 --> 00:06:48,431 on the shores of Lake Superior. 129 00:06:48,431 --> 00:06:52,164 Cold, vast and deep. It's virtually an inland ocean, 130 00:06:52,164 --> 00:06:54,464 and it can be a foreboding. 131 00:06:54,464 --> 00:06:56,931 But at the far western end of the lake, just north of Duluth, 132 00:06:56,931 --> 00:07:00,264 Minnesota, a productive harvest is going on virtually 133 00:07:00,264 --> 00:07:04,431 year-round: lake herring, a smokehouse favorite. 134 00:07:04,431 --> 00:07:07,331 And it takes a special kind of character to brave Superior 135 00:07:07,331 --> 00:07:19,298 alone, in an open boat, (and) to chase down this native fish. 136 00:07:19,298 --> 00:07:20,831 There isn't that much sea or wind, 137 00:07:20,831 --> 00:07:23,398 so we're kind of blessed this morning. 138 00:07:23,398 --> 00:07:25,631 Somewhere behind the lead-gray clouds, 139 00:07:25,631 --> 00:07:28,764 the October sun's just rising on Lake Superior. 140 00:07:28,764 --> 00:07:33,164 Steve Dahl is pulling his living from its bitterly cold water. 141 00:07:33,164 --> 00:07:37,898 That was a good pull. Wake you up. 142 00:07:37,898 --> 00:07:41,331 It's only gonna be about 60, 70 pounds. 143 00:07:41,331 --> 00:07:45,098 But that's ok. That's the way it is, too. 144 00:07:45,098 --> 00:07:47,364 You can't do anything about it. 145 00:07:47,364 --> 00:07:49,298 His harvest? The lake herring. 146 00:07:49,298 --> 00:07:52,431 A whitefish native to Superior's icy depths. 147 00:07:52,431 --> 00:07:54,331 A favorite of the many descendants of 148 00:07:54,331 --> 00:07:56,664 Scandinavian settlers in these parts 149 00:07:56,664 --> 00:07:59,464 - now in the midst of a comeback from pollution and parasites 150 00:07:59,464 --> 00:08:03,364 that nearly drove it extinct thirty years ago. 151 00:08:03,364 --> 00:08:06,331 I can go a couple of months without fish, or very little. 152 00:08:06,331 --> 00:08:09,698 You just have to hope they move in, and when they do, 153 00:08:09,698 --> 00:08:13,931 it's a lot of fish. You never know. 154 00:08:13,931 --> 00:08:16,298 Dahl's herring nets are set semi-permanently 155 00:08:16,298 --> 00:08:19,398 a few miles outside the Knife River Harbor 156 00:08:19,398 --> 00:08:22,231 on the shore of this huge and temperamental lake. 157 00:08:22,231 --> 00:08:25,798 He works alone, and he plays the waiting game: his nets catch 158 00:08:25,798 --> 00:08:29,564 herring only at night, only when they're feeding, 159 00:08:29,564 --> 00:08:32,964 (and) only when they happen by this part of the lake. 160 00:08:32,964 --> 00:08:36,231 There is just no other way to fish here. That's only 300 feet, 161 00:08:36,231 --> 00:08:38,564 and I have a hard time making sure it stays there. 162 00:08:38,564 --> 00:08:42,064 Superior doesn't give up its fish easily. 163 00:08:42,064 --> 00:08:44,831 Wind and waves change in an instant. 164 00:08:44,831 --> 00:08:46,431 In the good winter fishing months, 165 00:08:46,431 --> 00:08:49,798 Dahl will be fishing in temperatures far below zero 166 00:08:49,798 --> 00:08:53,064 if the lake hasn't frozen over. 167 00:08:53,064 --> 00:08:54,564 It's a tough way to make a living, 168 00:08:54,564 --> 00:08:57,831 but I wouldn't trade it for anything: to be out on the lake 169 00:08:57,831 --> 00:08:59,898 every morning. 170 00:08:59,898 --> 00:09:02,998 Dahl cleans his herring in a shed near his home in the hills 171 00:09:02,998 --> 00:09:04,731 above the lake. 172 00:09:04,731 --> 00:09:06,864 This is a pretty simple order. 173 00:09:06,864 --> 00:09:09,298 In the fall, then I'm back-splitting. 174 00:09:09,298 --> 00:09:12,198 I can do 70 pounds every 15 minutes. 175 00:09:12,198 --> 00:09:16,131 (In) the bulk of the year, it's local markets, restaurants, 176 00:09:16,131 --> 00:09:20,798 supermarkets, (and) smoke houses. 177 00:09:20,798 --> 00:09:23,431 An hour out of the water, Dahl's catch is in the hands 178 00:09:23,431 --> 00:09:26,031 of Gordon Olson at Kendall's Smokehouse, 179 00:09:26,031 --> 00:09:28,431 on the shore road near Duluth. 180 00:09:28,431 --> 00:09:35,398 We sell his herring filleted, or scaled and headless, or smoked. 181 00:09:35,398 --> 00:09:38,998 It's a ancient process of smoking that we do here. 182 00:09:38,998 --> 00:09:41,531 It's nothing new - nothing very sophisticated about it. 183 00:09:41,531 --> 00:09:44,198 The fish are brined overnight in a salt solution, 184 00:09:44,198 --> 00:09:46,131 (then) they're placed in the ovens, and they're smoked 185 00:09:46,131 --> 00:09:47,864 over open fires. 186 00:09:47,864 --> 00:09:51,731 And we use exclusively Maplewood. 187 00:09:51,731 --> 00:09:54,831 The electric ovens don't add the natural flavor 188 00:09:54,831 --> 00:10:01,231 that the wood does on the old-time ovens here. 189 00:10:01,231 --> 00:10:10,698 Dealing with Steve and shoremen like that 190 00:10:10,698 --> 00:10:13,764 is absolutely fantastic. They're down to earth. 191 00:10:13,764 --> 00:10:19,164 Everybody gets along: from catch the fish to when you sell it 192 00:10:19,164 --> 00:10:24,364 - that's what you gotta have. So Steve's a good man. 193 00:10:24,364 --> 00:10:27,331 A local delicacy will keep its place in Minnesota kitchens 194 00:10:27,331 --> 00:10:31,531 and restaurants, thanks to a few fishermen like Steve Dahl. 195 00:10:31,531 --> 00:10:35,198 Because regardless of the odds, they like working alone. 196 00:10:35,198 --> 00:10:38,631 They like challenging the vastness of Lake Superior. 197 00:10:38,631 --> 00:10:42,098 They like putting food on people's tables. 198 00:10:42,098 --> 00:10:46,264 My job is to supply people who can't access the resource, 199 00:10:46,264 --> 00:10:51,498 but have a right to it. 200 00:10:51,498 --> 00:10:54,498 Lake Superior alone holds an astonishing 10-percent 201 00:10:54,498 --> 00:10:56,631 of the earth's fresh water. 202 00:10:56,631 --> 00:10:58,964 - nearly 3-thousand cubic miles. 203 00:10:58,964 --> 00:11:02,998 That's enough to flood the entire continents of North and 204 00:11:02,998 --> 00:11:07,064 South America with a foot of fresh water. 205 00:11:07,064 --> 00:11:10,198 Still ahead. 206 00:11:10,198 --> 00:11:12,798 Rooting around in North Carolina for the crop that can command 207 00:11:12,798 --> 00:11:15,831 2-thousand dollars a pound. 208 00:11:15,831 --> 00:11:20,864 And the real  red-hots hit the big time in the Southwest! 209 00:11:20,864 --> 00:11:23,998 Let's move back onto dry land and head east 210 00:11:23,998 --> 00:11:27,498 to the farms and fields of Chester County, Pennsylvania. 211 00:11:27,498 --> 00:11:29,564 That's where we found another specialty crop that grows 212 00:11:29,564 --> 00:11:34,164 in entirely different conditions - dark, dank and humid! 213 00:11:34,164 --> 00:11:36,431 We're talking mushrooms. And Pat says 214 00:11:36,431 --> 00:11:39,998 this fantastic fungi is fueling a small fortune 215 00:11:39,998 --> 00:11:43,198 for one farm family that's been growing them commercially 216 00:11:43,198 --> 00:11:47,231 for more than eighty years. 217 00:11:47,231 --> 00:11:51,698 Mushrooms seem to go with about anything - from soup to salad. 218 00:11:51,698 --> 00:11:54,031 One reason they're so versatile is that there are so many 219 00:11:54,031 --> 00:11:55,464 different kinds. 220 00:11:55,464 --> 00:11:58,464 And here's one family that knows about them all. 221 00:11:58,464 --> 00:12:03,198 The Basciani family's been making mushrooms 222 00:12:03,198 --> 00:12:04,931 since the 1920's. 223 00:12:04,931 --> 00:12:08,664 It started with grandfather, Emedio, an Italian immigrant. 224 00:12:08,664 --> 00:12:12,131 Their farm is in Chester County, Pennsylvania, where the U.S. 225 00:12:12,131 --> 00:12:15,364 mushroom industry began in the early 1900's. 226 00:12:15,364 --> 00:12:18,231 Today, it's Pennsylvania's leading crop. 227 00:12:18,231 --> 00:12:21,164 Farmers produce nearly five hundred million pounds 228 00:12:21,164 --> 00:12:23,531 of the fungi each year - almost half 229 00:12:23,531 --> 00:12:25,164 the nation's total. 230 00:12:25,164 --> 00:12:27,131 The key to growing mushrooms? When you get up in the morning, 231 00:12:27,131 --> 00:12:30,031 you look up the sky. The sun's shining, 232 00:12:30,031 --> 00:12:32,064 the sky's out, (and) you gotta be ready to work. 233 00:12:32,064 --> 00:12:33,264 You have to enjoy what you're doing. 234 00:12:33,264 --> 00:12:35,331 And it's hard to do that 7 days a week. 235 00:12:35,331 --> 00:12:38,498 The process begins here in the compost pile. 236 00:12:38,498 --> 00:12:40,264 It's a mixture of very ripe manure 237 00:12:40,264 --> 00:12:42,531 and different kinds of straw. 238 00:12:42,531 --> 00:12:43,898 SO MICHAEL THIS IS THE SECOND STAGE 239 00:12:43,898 --> 00:12:45,698 OF THE MUSHROOM GROWING PROCESS. 240 00:12:45,698 --> 00:12:46,698 YES. 241 00:12:46,698 --> 00:12:48,031 LET'S OPEN THE DOOR. 242 00:12:48,031 --> 00:12:50,098 THIS IS THE PASTEURIZATION STAGE. 243 00:12:50,098 --> 00:12:54,964 OOH, IT'S LIKE ROTTEN VEGETABLES. 244 00:12:54,964 --> 00:12:59,431 It's the smell of ammonia as the compost is pasteurized 245 00:12:59,431 --> 00:13:02,164 or steam-cooked so the growing environment is sterile 246 00:13:02,164 --> 00:13:04,098 and free of impurities. 247 00:13:04,098 --> 00:13:05,964 The temperature in this room will eventually reach 248 00:13:05,964 --> 00:13:09,998 150-degrees Fahrenheit before the process is complete! 249 00:13:09,998 --> 00:13:12,798 In about two weeks, once the compost is ready, 250 00:13:12,798 --> 00:13:16,264 it's seeded with a tiny cultured fungus called a spawn. 251 00:13:16,264 --> 00:13:18,764 NOW IF I DIG INTO THIS WITH MY HAND, 252 00:13:18,764 --> 00:13:21,698 (THEN) YOU SEE HOW IT'S GROWING IN THE COMPOST. 253 00:13:21,698 --> 00:13:23,298 (YOU) SEE THE WHITE SPECKS STARTING TO GROW. 254 00:13:23,298 --> 00:13:26,064 THEY'RE GETTING A BLUISH, WHITEISH, GREY LOOK... 255 00:13:26,064 --> 00:13:29,264 And in a few more weeks, those specks become mushrooms 256 00:13:29,264 --> 00:13:32,231 - their growth monitored every step of the way. 257 00:13:32,231 --> 00:13:34,498 Anybody can just close their eyes and just pick every 258 00:13:34,498 --> 00:13:36,631 mushroom on the bed. A good harvester can tell 259 00:13:36,631 --> 00:13:38,864 when a mushroom's ripe or not ripe. 260 00:13:38,864 --> 00:13:40,998 The Bascianis produce a million pounds 261 00:13:40,998 --> 00:13:42,264 of mushrooms a week. 262 00:13:42,264 --> 00:13:45,231 One type, the Shiitake, does well in Asian markets. 263 00:13:45,231 --> 00:13:48,464 Sales of this exotic mushroom are growing about 15-percent 264 00:13:48,464 --> 00:13:50,264 a year in the U.S. 265 00:13:50,264 --> 00:13:53,398 And the Shiitake is grown like this - on wood logs. 266 00:13:53,398 --> 00:13:55,731 THIS IS BEAUTIFUL. IT'S SO UNUSUAL. 267 00:13:55,731 --> 00:13:57,464 THAT'S THE OLD-FASHIONED TRUMPET. 268 00:13:57,464 --> 00:13:59,131 THAT'S A TRUMPET MUSHROOM. WE CALL IT 269 00:13:59,131 --> 00:14:00,564 A CANARY YELLOW OYSTER. 270 00:14:00,564 --> 00:14:02,031 THESE ARE JUMBO - JUMBO PORTABELLAS. 271 00:14:02,031 --> 00:14:07,631 WE CALL THEM HUBCAPS...I GUESS SO. THEY'RE AS BIG AS YOUR HEAD! 272 00:14:07,631 --> 00:14:10,298 Portabellas are actually Crimini mushrooms 273 00:14:10,298 --> 00:14:13,564 that have been allowed to grow to their distinctive large size. 274 00:14:13,564 --> 00:14:16,831 They've become one of the Basciani's top sellers. 275 00:14:16,831 --> 00:14:19,331 Commercial mushroom growers make up a relatively small 276 00:14:19,331 --> 00:14:23,031 farming community - less than three hundred nationwide. 277 00:14:23,031 --> 00:14:25,764 But business is booming: Americans eat more than 278 00:14:25,764 --> 00:14:28,031 a billion pounds a year. 279 00:14:28,031 --> 00:14:30,664 With this growing fungi fondness comes new opportunities for 280 00:14:30,664 --> 00:14:32,864 growers like the Bascianis. 281 00:14:32,864 --> 00:14:34,998 It's the challenge, and it's just the love. 282 00:14:34,998 --> 00:14:36,898 I like feeding people. 283 00:14:36,898 --> 00:14:41,498 We're actually feeding the world  . 284 00:14:41,498 --> 00:14:43,864 Of the world's more than 70-thousand species 285 00:14:43,864 --> 00:14:47,231 of mushrooms, only 250 ever make it 286 00:14:47,231 --> 00:14:48,798 to the dinner table. 287 00:14:48,798 --> 00:14:52,064 Most are tough, bitter, or tasteless. And a few contain 288 00:14:52,064 --> 00:14:55,564 potentially lethal poisons. 289 00:14:55,564 --> 00:14:58,964 If white mushrooms are the  Chevrolets of fungi, 290 00:14:58,964 --> 00:15:02,264 then these next products must be considered the  Cadillac's ! 291 00:15:02,264 --> 00:15:05,531 Truffles are an expensive delicacy usually grown 292 00:15:05,531 --> 00:15:07,831 and harvested in the forests of France. 293 00:15:07,831 --> 00:15:11,264 But Jason Shoultz met one truffle lover who discovered 294 00:15:11,264 --> 00:15:14,631 they also do well in the hills of North Carolina. 295 00:15:14,631 --> 00:15:16,764 And now, he's convincing other farmers to give up 296 00:15:16,764 --> 00:15:21,531 their tractors and grow this new crop  underground . 297 00:15:21,531 --> 00:15:26,698 TRUFFLE, GINGER, TRUFFLE! 298 00:15:26,698 --> 00:15:29,098 Franklin Garland isn't just taking his dog Ginger 299 00:15:29,098 --> 00:15:30,798 for a walk in the park. 300 00:15:30,798 --> 00:15:33,964 Garland is demonstrating truffle hunting for us. 301 00:15:33,964 --> 00:15:36,764 You can't see the truffles, but Garland is certain 302 00:15:36,764 --> 00:15:39,198 there is a  fungus among us . 303 00:15:39,198 --> 00:15:41,264 The fungus grows on the roots of the trees 304 00:15:41,264 --> 00:15:42,598 - the actual fungus. 305 00:15:42,598 --> 00:15:44,631 It's a symbiotic relationship, so it is mutually beneficial. 306 00:15:44,631 --> 00:15:48,031 Wait a minute, you say, I've eaten truffles many times. 307 00:15:48,031 --> 00:15:49,864 They didn't come from the ground, 308 00:15:49,864 --> 00:15:51,631 and sure didn't taste like a fungus. 309 00:15:51,631 --> 00:15:54,664 You are right. Those were chocolate truffles. 310 00:15:54,664 --> 00:15:57,864 But if Franklin Garland has his way, this black round 311 00:15:57,864 --> 00:16:01,598 Tuber Melanosporum fungus is the truffle that we will 312 00:16:01,598 --> 00:16:03,831 come to know and love instead. 313 00:16:03,831 --> 00:16:06,431 So, breakfast, lunch, dinner? 314 00:16:06,431 --> 00:16:09,264 Anything. Truffles are good anytime  . 315 00:16:09,264 --> 00:16:13,098 To prove it, Franklin invited me to try a truffle omelet! 316 00:16:13,098 --> 00:16:14,764 You won't find them on the breakfast menu 317 00:16:14,764 --> 00:16:16,931 at your local greasy spoon. 318 00:16:16,931 --> 00:16:20,264 Black Perigord Truffles are popular but expensive dishes at 319 00:16:20,264 --> 00:16:22,031 upscale restaurants. 320 00:16:22,031 --> 00:16:24,298 It's very tasty. If you like them, you really 321 00:16:24,298 --> 00:16:26,331 really like them a lot. 322 00:16:26,331 --> 00:16:27,198 And what if I don't? 323 00:16:27,198 --> 00:16:29,598 Then tell me. I'll eat the rest. 324 00:16:29,598 --> 00:16:32,664 There's a small percentage of people who don't like them. 325 00:16:32,664 --> 00:16:35,031 I can describe what people who don't like them 326 00:16:35,031 --> 00:16:36,098 think they taste like: 327 00:16:36,098 --> 00:16:37,798 They think they taste like dirty gym socks! 328 00:16:37,798 --> 00:16:39,931 Ha. Ha. 329 00:16:39,931 --> 00:16:41,898 Well we are going to have a  dirty gym sock omelet, then. 330 00:16:41,898 --> 00:16:46,164 I've never eaten one, so I don't really know. 331 00:16:46,164 --> 00:16:49,364 This  fun guy often invites guests to his kitchen 332 00:16:49,364 --> 00:16:51,731 to sample fungi cuisine. 333 00:16:51,731 --> 00:16:53,898 He says the omelet is the perfect partner 334 00:16:53,898 --> 00:16:57,731 for the black truffle's distinct earthy and nutty flavor. 335 00:16:57,731 --> 00:17:00,831 This is really truffly. 336 00:17:00,831 --> 00:17:02,831 That's really good. 337 00:17:02,831 --> 00:17:04,398 And it's unique. 338 00:17:04,398 --> 00:17:07,298 The origin of the truffle can be traced back to France. 339 00:17:07,298 --> 00:17:10,931 As far back as the 15th century, pigs were used to sniff them out 340 00:17:10,931 --> 00:17:13,498 from the roots of trees in the forests. 341 00:17:13,498 --> 00:17:17,398 Today they are grown using trees inoculated with fungus spores. 342 00:17:17,398 --> 00:17:20,164 But until recently the only place they would grow 343 00:17:20,164 --> 00:17:21,398 was in Europe. 344 00:17:21,398 --> 00:17:25,064 Until 1979 when Franklin Garland bought inoculated trees 345 00:17:25,064 --> 00:17:27,098 from France, planted an orchard on his 346 00:17:27,098 --> 00:17:29,798 North Carolina property, and waited. 347 00:17:29,798 --> 00:17:32,164 And even then, it was not until 1992 that I had my first truffle 348 00:17:32,164 --> 00:17:34,464 in my hand. 349 00:17:34,464 --> 00:17:37,898 So we are talking close to 12 years from the time I planted 350 00:17:37,898 --> 00:17:39,998 to the time I actually harvested truffles. 351 00:17:39,998 --> 00:17:42,231 Garland's discovery, that truffles could grow 352 00:17:42,231 --> 00:17:44,764 in the North Carolina soil, was ground breaking 353 00:17:44,764 --> 00:17:46,298 in the world of truffles. 354 00:17:46,298 --> 00:17:49,898 Now he supplies his truffles to chefs at upscale restaurants 355 00:17:49,898 --> 00:17:52,498 around the country and just down the road. 356 00:17:52,498 --> 00:17:55,231 As a flavor, you can't get anything that's even 357 00:17:55,231 --> 00:17:56,464 remotely close to it. 358 00:17:56,464 --> 00:17:59,331 Garland shares truffles with Chef Sam Poley to create 359 00:17:59,331 --> 00:18:02,031 interesting dishes at Starlu restaurant in Durham, 360 00:18:02,031 --> 00:18:03,264 North Carolina. 361 00:18:03,264 --> 00:18:05,764 They are too expensive to be a regular menu item. 362 00:18:05,764 --> 00:18:09,464 But Poley says the fungus is perfect for experimenting: 363 00:18:09,464 --> 00:18:13,531 like truffle popcorn or even truffle martinis! 364 00:18:13,531 --> 00:18:16,031 That's a seriously good martini! 365 00:18:16,031 --> 00:18:18,264 Franklin Garland and his wife Betty's latest venture 366 00:18:18,264 --> 00:18:21,698 is selling specially treated trees for truffle-growing. 367 00:18:21,698 --> 00:18:24,764 And they are getting interest from all over North Carolina. 368 00:18:24,764 --> 00:18:26,698 Seems lots of folks want to get into 369 00:18:26,698 --> 00:18:28,264 the truffle-growing business. 370 00:18:28,264 --> 00:18:29,764 Why? Money. 371 00:18:29,764 --> 00:18:31,898 The lowest they have been in the last five years is 372 00:18:31,898 --> 00:18:33,898 $500 dollars a pound. 373 00:18:33,898 --> 00:18:37,331 And they got up to  $1600 and in some cases 374 00:18:37,331 --> 00:18:39,231 $2,000 a pound. 375 00:18:39,231 --> 00:18:40,231 Yeah, I'm in truffles now. 376 00:18:40,231 --> 00:18:43,764 So I am a certified truffle farmer. 377 00:18:43,764 --> 00:18:47,064 In 1999 Charles Bradley invested $5000 dollars to 378 00:18:47,064 --> 00:18:50,231 plant 500 of Garland's treated hazelnut trees. 379 00:18:50,231 --> 00:18:53,864 Anytime now, truffles should start growing in the roots. 380 00:18:53,864 --> 00:18:56,631 Which brings us back to why Garland's dog 381 00:18:56,631 --> 00:18:58,598 is nosing around here: 382 00:18:58,598 --> 00:19:01,331 Ginger's snout is sniffing for underground truffles 383 00:19:01,331 --> 00:19:03,598 like the pigs used to do. 384 00:19:03,598 --> 00:19:05,631 It's sight unseen. 385 00:19:05,631 --> 00:19:08,098 You have to have a little faith to know what's going on under 386 00:19:08,098 --> 00:19:09,398 the ground  . 387 00:19:09,398 --> 00:19:10,998 Some quick math tells you why Charles Bradley 388 00:19:10,998 --> 00:19:12,264 is taking the risk. 389 00:19:12,264 --> 00:19:14,664 A good year could produce 100 pounds of truffles an acre. 390 00:19:14,664 --> 00:19:16,898 He's got two acres of trees. 391 00:19:16,898 --> 00:19:19,698 Let's say he gets 1-thousand dollars a pound.that would total 392 00:19:19,698 --> 00:19:22,731 2-hundred grand for that good year. 393 00:19:22,731 --> 00:19:24,298 Sound to good to be true? 394 00:19:24,298 --> 00:19:25,498 A lot of naysayers. 395 00:19:25,498 --> 00:19:27,064 Especially my brother. 396 00:19:27,064 --> 00:19:27,731 " "What did he say? ". 397 00:19:27,731 --> 00:19:29,831 "Well, He says I'm crazy. 398 00:19:29,831 --> 00:19:30,998 Ha ha. " 399 00:19:30,998 --> 00:19:32,764 Or nuts! 400 00:19:32,764 --> 00:19:35,098 Hazelnuts are growing on the branches of these inoculated 401 00:19:35,098 --> 00:19:38,798 trees .but no truffles underground - so far. 402 00:19:38,798 --> 00:19:40,998 But these guys are confident that they will. 403 00:19:40,998 --> 00:19:44,131 And while Franklin makes no guarantees of success. Charles 404 00:19:44,131 --> 00:19:47,564 Bradley is looking forward to proving his brother wrong! 405 00:19:47,564 --> 00:19:49,164 So when I get the truffles in hand. 406 00:19:49,164 --> 00:19:53,298 I can go show him! 407 00:19:53,298 --> 00:19:55,564 Why did nature cheat North America out of its own wild 408 00:19:55,564 --> 00:19:57,098 truffles? 409 00:19:57,098 --> 00:19:58,364 It didn't. 410 00:19:58,364 --> 00:20:01,831 Edible native truffles are harvested in Texas and Oregon. 411 00:20:01,831 --> 00:20:04,798 Oregon white truffles now command 150-dollars 412 00:20:04,798 --> 00:20:07,531 or more per pound. 413 00:20:07,531 --> 00:20:10,298 Let's wrap up this edition of America's Heartland with another 414 00:20:10,298 --> 00:20:13,598 specialty crop that's pretty hot right now - both in popularity 415 00:20:13,598 --> 00:20:15,598 and flavor. 416 00:20:15,598 --> 00:20:18,164 You may think the chile pepper is a relative newcomer in 417 00:20:18,164 --> 00:20:22,831 American ag, but fact is, George Washington cultivated hot chiles 418 00:20:22,831 --> 00:20:25,698 on his farm at Mount Vernon. 419 00:20:25,698 --> 00:20:29,964 Since then, it's evolved into an astounding array of species and 420 00:20:29,964 --> 00:20:31,398 varieties. 421 00:20:31,398 --> 00:20:33,864 I recently visited the small town of Hatch, New Mexico, 422 00:20:33,864 --> 00:20:37,498 and discovered it's a real hotbed for learning about - and 423 00:20:37,498 --> 00:20:42,164 sampling - this hot crop. 424 00:20:42,164 --> 00:20:45,931 WELL, I HAD ALWAYS DREAMED OF BECOMING AN AIRLINE PILOT AND 425 00:20:45,931 --> 00:20:48,498 AFTER HIGH SCHOOL HERE IN HATCH 426 00:20:48,498 --> 00:20:52,164 I ATTENDED COLLEGE AT NEW Mexico state UNIVERSITY 427 00:20:52,164 --> 00:20:57,931 AND HADN'T PLANNED ON COMING BACK TO HATCH AND FARM. " 428 00:20:57,931 --> 00:21:00,931 Chris Franzoy's high-flying dreams of getting behind the 429 00:21:00,931 --> 00:21:04,531 wheel of a jetliner took a back seat when the family farm 430 00:21:04,531 --> 00:21:07,864 beckoned.. It was hard for Chris to ignore almost one hundred 431 00:21:07,864 --> 00:21:11,864 years of family history in this warm fertile valley, 432 00:21:11,864 --> 00:21:15,631 where growing conditions for all things chile turned out to be 433 00:21:15,631 --> 00:21:17,231 ideal. 434 00:21:17,231 --> 00:21:18,631 "Before coming here I had never heard of hatch, 435 00:21:18,631 --> 00:21:21,331 new Mexico or even a hatch chile for that matter. 436 00:21:21,331 --> 00:21:23,298 But these little things right here have put this 437 00:21:23,298 --> 00:21:25,098 tiny town on the map. 438 00:21:25,098 --> 00:21:28,498 a town that claims to be the chile capital of not just 439 00:21:28,498 --> 00:21:32,264 New Mexico or America, but the world. " 440 00:21:32,264 --> 00:21:36,631 Many of Hatch's 2000 residents are involved in some aspect of 441 00:21:36,631 --> 00:21:38,298 the chile business. 442 00:21:38,298 --> 00:21:41,864 It all started around 1888 when a horticulturist at the 443 00:21:41,864 --> 00:21:44,098 New Mexico College of Agriculture 444 00:21:44,098 --> 00:21:47,598 began experimenting with different types of chile pods. 445 00:21:47,598 --> 00:21:50,864 As time went by, some did especially well in the fertile 446 00:21:50,864 --> 00:21:54,464 New Mexico soil, turning the state into a mecca for chile 447 00:21:54,464 --> 00:21:55,998 growers. 448 00:21:55,998 --> 00:22:00,898 Chile fanatics soon followed and Hatch became their ground zero. 449 00:22:00,898 --> 00:22:04,064 Among the biggest players in the local chile business is the 450 00:22:04,064 --> 00:22:07,764 Franzoy family and their "Young Guns Produce Co. " 451 00:22:07,764 --> 00:22:11,264 "Hatch chile is very famous, very popular because of its 452 00:22:11,264 --> 00:22:13,498 spicy flavor. 453 00:22:13,498 --> 00:22:16,364 Our business is growing at the rate of ten percent a year. " 454 00:22:16,364 --> 00:22:19,964 And what is it that's heating up our taste for chiles? 455 00:22:19,964 --> 00:22:21,164 "It's addictive. 456 00:22:21,164 --> 00:22:22,298 Once you've had it the first time you're gonna want it 457 00:22:22,298 --> 00:22:23,898 again and again. " 458 00:22:23,898 --> 00:22:25,798 "This is the Big Jim variety. 459 00:22:25,798 --> 00:22:27,798 It's a large pepper. 460 00:22:27,798 --> 00:22:31,564 it's a medium hot pepper and it's used primarily for making 461 00:22:31,564 --> 00:22:33,131 chiles rellenos. " 462 00:22:33,131 --> 00:22:35,764 The chile harvest begins around the first of August and 463 00:22:35,764 --> 00:22:37,331 is done by hand. 464 00:22:37,331 --> 00:22:40,398 That's because these chiles must be picked carefully without any 465 00:22:40,398 --> 00:22:43,964 bruises, cracks or breaks which can occur with mechanical 466 00:22:43,964 --> 00:22:46,431 harvesters. 467 00:22:46,431 --> 00:22:49,131 By mid-to-late September, these green chiles have turned red. 468 00:22:49,131 --> 00:22:53,398 They're picked by machine and ground into chile powder or red 469 00:22:53,398 --> 00:22:57,831 pepper flakes that you sprinkle on pizza and other foods. 470 00:22:57,831 --> 00:23:01,498 vOY A HABLAR CON LARRY." 471 00:23:01,498 --> 00:23:04,164 AFTER HARVESTING, Chris oversees sorting 472 00:23:04,164 --> 00:23:06,098 IN THE YOUNG GUNS WAREHOUSE, 473 00:23:06,098 --> 00:23:12,898 where the fresh chiles are BOXED UP OR SEALED IN BURLAP SACKS. 474 00:23:12,898 --> 00:23:16,464 hatch chiles CAN BE ROASTED, PEELED, AND CANNED whole, 475 00:23:16,464 --> 00:23:19,698 or ROASTED, PEELED AND CHOPPED FOR DISHES LIKE green chile 476 00:23:19,698 --> 00:23:21,764 enchiladas, or CHILE. VERDE, 477 00:23:21,764 --> 00:23:24,664 A GREEN CHILE STEW. 478 00:23:24,664 --> 00:23:27,964 THE FAVORITE DISH AROUND HERE FOR WHOLE fresh CHILES IS CHILES 479 00:23:27,964 --> 00:23:30,964 RELLENOS-GREEN CHILES STUFFED WITH CHEESE AND COATED WITH A 480 00:23:30,964 --> 00:23:32,964 LIGHT BATTER. 481 00:23:32,964 --> 00:23:37,031 OUR WEB SITE FEATURES AN AUTHENTIC NEW MEXICO RECIPE. 482 00:23:37,031 --> 00:23:46,331 ♪ 483 00:23:46,331 --> 00:23:51,498 "The hotter the better. Want some? " 484 00:23:51,498 --> 00:23:55,231 "No" No place is better to sample the authentic taste of 485 00:23:55,231 --> 00:23:59,631 Hatch than at its annual Chile Festival on Labor Day Weekend. 486 00:23:59,631 --> 00:24:02,998 That's when this little town swells with thousands of people 487 00:24:02,998 --> 00:24:05,831 crazy.about chile. 488 00:24:05,831 --> 00:24:09,531 WADE WORRELL HAS BEEN INVOLVED FOR SOME THIRTY YEARS AND LIKES 489 00:24:09,531 --> 00:24:12,398 HIS CHILE ON THE HOT SIDE. 490 00:24:12,398 --> 00:24:13,764 "You can tell when you got some good chile. 491 00:24:13,764 --> 00:24:16,698 you kind of start perspiring on your face. 492 00:24:16,698 --> 00:24:18,031 Your eyes water a little bit. 493 00:24:18,031 --> 00:24:19,131 That's just about right. 494 00:24:19,131 --> 00:24:21,264 Any hotter than that It's a little tough for me. " 495 00:24:21,264 --> 00:24:27,331 AND FOR ME, too, since a little heat goes a long way. 496 00:24:27,331 --> 00:24:29,498 The next time you pick up a can of chiles or 497 00:24:29,498 --> 00:24:32,231 buy 'em fresh at the grocery store, 498 00:24:32,231 --> 00:24:33,998 remember the little town of hatch. 499 00:24:33,998 --> 00:24:38,564 where green chiles have turned to gold  . 500 00:24:38,564 --> 00:24:40,531 Well, those chili peppers may be tasty, 501 00:24:40,531 --> 00:24:43,764 but don't even think about trying a hot one unless you've 502 00:24:43,764 --> 00:24:46,398 got plenty of milk on hand to neutralize the heat, 503 00:24:46,398 --> 00:24:50,198 water won't do it believe me, or you might be able to slam back a 504 00:24:50,198 --> 00:24:52,964 few margaritas to dull the pain! 505 00:24:52,964 --> 00:24:55,631 Thanks for joining us, and we hope you'll come along again 506 00:24:55,631 --> 00:24:59,231 next time when we discover more great farms, families, 507 00:24:59,231 --> 00:25:03,031 and their fascinating stories. in America's Heartland. 508 00:25:03,031 --> 00:25:07,698 I'm Paul Ryan.. I'll see you next time 509 00:25:07,698 --> 00:25:11,364 To learn more about this edition of America's Heartland, 510 00:25:11,364 --> 00:25:13,431 or to give us your feedback, 511 00:25:13,431 --> 00:25:17,064 visit americasheartland - dot - org. 512 00:25:17,064 --> 00:25:18,631 To order a copy of this broadcast, 513 00:25:18,631 --> 00:25:24,964 visit us online or call 1-888-814-3923. 514 00:25:24,964 --> 00:25:32,098 The cost is 14.95 plus shipping 515 00:25:32,098 --> 00:25:38,298 ♪You can see it in the eyes of every woman and man♪ 516 00:25:38,298 --> 00:25:44,431 ♪in America's Heartland living close to the land.♪ 517 00:25:44,431 --> 00:25:47,464 ♪There's a love for the country♪ 518 00:25:47,464 --> 00:25:53,198 ♪and a pride in the brand in America's Heartland♪ 519 00:25:53,198 --> 00:25:59,631 ♪living close, close to the land.♪ 520 00:25:59,631 --> 00:26:03,631 America's Heartland is made possible by 521 00:26:03,631 --> 00:26:08,931 ...They make up a small part of our population, 522 00:26:08,931 --> 00:26:11,731 but have a huge impact on our lives. 523 00:26:11,731 --> 00:26:14,864 They take business risks that few others would tolerate 524 00:26:14,864 --> 00:26:17,031 all on our behalf. 525 00:26:17,031 --> 00:26:21,864 They're American farmers who feed, fuel and clothe the world. 526 00:26:21,864 --> 00:26:25,798 Monsanto would like to recognize them for all they do, 527 00:26:25,798 --> 00:26:29,631 for the rest of us, because ultimately our success 528 00:26:29,631 --> 00:26:33,531 and everyone else's depends on theirs 529 00:26:33,531 --> 00:26:36,631 ...and by the American Farm Bureau Federation 530 00:26:36,631 --> 00:26:40,264 - the voice of agriculture.