"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...THE ROOTS OF
AMERICA'S HEARTLAND ARE DEEP AND

DIVERSE...WE'LL MEET SOME OF
THE MANY MEXICAN FARMWORKERS WHO

HELPED FEED OUR NATION DURING
WORLD WAR TWO...

A TEXAS RANCH DATING BACK
TO THE EARLIEST SPANISH

SETTLERS ADJUSTS TO MODERN
TIMES...AND TOURISM...

THE PEACH STATE HONORS ITS
NAMESAKE FRUIT AND

CELEBRATES THE HARVEST...

AND A CALIFORNIA FARMER WHOSE
JUICY CROP EVOKES SOME OF OUR

SWEETEST CHILDHOOD MEMORIES.

AMERICA'S HEARTLAND IS NEXT.

You can see it in the eyes of
every woman and man an 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 I'm Paul Ryan AND
WELCOME TO AMERICA'S Heartland.

This time coming to you from
the corn and chili fields of

southeastern Arizona.

ONE OF OUR GREAT AMERICAN IDEALS
IS OUR BELIEF THAT HARD WORK AND

DEDICATION REWARDS ANYONE,
REGARDLESS OF BACKGROUND, race,

OR religion.

HISTORY SUGGESTS THAT
AGRICULTURE CAN PROVIDE A

STEPPING STONE FOR NEW
GENERATIONS TO ACHIEVE THE

AMERICAN DREAM.

And WE FOUND A GOOD EXAMPLE
IN THE DARK EARLY DAYS OF

WORLD WAR TWO.

OUR NATION DESPERATELY NEEDED
WORKERS TO WORK ON OUR FARMS AND

IN OUR FIELDS.

MILLIONS OF MEXICAN Men ANSWERED
THE CALL - PROVIDING INCOME FOR

THEIR FAMILIES AND
Food and FIBER for us.

I RECENTLY HAD A CHANCE TO MEET
SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO TOOK PART

IN ONE OF AMERICA'S
MOST SUCCESSFUL GUEST

WORKER PROGRAMS.

THEY ARE CALLED...BRACEROS..

Braceros: the name comes
from the Spanish word

for "arms": brazos.

And the need for these
strong-armed men began shortly

after the United States
entered World War Two.

When American men left their
jobs to fight overseas, the void

had to be filled.

So an agreement was
drawn up between the U.S.

and Mexican governments allowing
Mexican men to work thousands of

temporary jobs in the US -- some
on the railroads but most in

agriculture, primarily in
the southwest, northwest,

and California.

The news about this new
"braceros" program spread

quickly to every
corner of Mexico.

To get started, all a man had
to do was to apply at a local

recruitment center.

"And one of the first cities
that opened up the centers was

Mexico City in 1942.

And in 1942 they
attracted braceros.

Too many of them,
actually, to be contracted.

They figured they'd get
four or five thousand.

They got about 50,000 people
just in the city of Mexico the

first time they tried
to contract them."

While still in Mexico,
prospective braceros were

screened to make sure they
had no criminal record.

Once accepted, the men
were transported from

Mexico to the U.S...

The program worked so well that
it continued far after World War

Two, officially ending 1964.

For many braceros, their first
stop was southwest Texas.

"Just outside the city of
El Paso is the community of

Socorro, Texas where you will
find this collection of historic

buildings known
as Rio Vista Farm.

It began as a poor farm,
a refuge for rural poor

back in 1915.

But in 1951 it became a
processing center for bracero

crossing the Rio Grande
from Mexico into El Paso.

Thousands came through here
and today some have returned."

"It was years and years ago but
I still remember all this..."

Mauro Rodriguez left his
family's farm in Mexico to forge

a new life in the United States.

If I didn't pass as bracero,
we would die over there.

We die because we was
poor people up there."

"My father was a farmer.

I born in the country and
studied agriculture at

school in Mexico."

This background in farming made
Jose Ramirez Delgado a natural

for the braceros program.

He came through Rio Vista after
having farmed cotton in Mexico.

That gave him an advantage since
picking and processing cotton

were skills in high demand
in Texas and New Mexico.

Today, he lives in Juarez,
Mexico near El Paso.

This was the first
time he'd been back to

Rio Vista in decades.

"Thank God I've been able to
come back to see where I was

contracted to work
in the fields.

I even worked at that
ranch across the street."

Today, while part of Rio Vista
is a community center, much of

it remains in a state
of arrested decay.

But that makes it
easy to reminisce.

"This one was contracting
and this one was contracting

As a new high school graduate
in 1957, Minerva Cheatum's first

job was in the Rio Vista typing
pool processing contracts for

incoming and outgoing braceros.

For many, their earnings
supported families back home and

supplied enough money
to buy a few extras.

"When they all came back they
all were wearing western shirts,

Levis, boots.

Nice western hats and most
of them had sewing machines,

bicycles, and everything so when
we took them back the buses had

the sewing machines on top,
you could see all the little

wheels...you could see all the
sewing machines and the bicycles

that were going back to Mexico."

In total, more than two million
Mexican men worked as braceros.

The program ended in 1964 in
part because of concerns that it

undermined wages for U.S.
citizens.

But as immigration and labor
issues continue to be a topic of

considerable debate, some
politicians and agricultural

leaders are lobbying for a
new and expanded guest worker

program similar to the
successful "braceros".

Many of those who worked in the
program from 1942 through the

late 40"s were entitled to
receive monies deducted from

their wages in accounts
to be paid when they

returned to Mexico.

A large number of Braceros never
received that money and several

lawsuits have failed
to resolve the issue.

WE FOUND ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THAT
HARD WORK AND SUCCESS IN SOUTH

TEXAS IN A PLACE CALLED
'LLANOS MESTANOS'

THE 'WILD HORSE PLAINS."

THE HISTORY OF THAT REGION
IS BEING KEPT ALIVE ON CATTLE

RANCHES THAT HAVE BEEN IN
OPERATION FOR 2-HUNDRED

YEARS...SOME IN HANDS OF THE
DESCENDANTS OF THOSE

ORIGINAL SETTLERS.

JASON SHOULTZ HAS THE STORY.

"We have a 40 percent
chance of rain today."

"We might get a few drops.

Rain may be in the forecast, but
rancher Isidro Gutierrez isn't

hopeful today...

"There's a lot of clouds, but
they don't look like rain clouds

to me."

On this day, south Texas is in
the middle of a tough drought.

Isidro often worries how the
arid heat might affect his 150

head of cattle.

It's a concern no doubt shared
by the many ranchers who worked

this land before him.

"I remember, as a little boy,
maybe five or six years old, the

drought of the 50's it was a
heck of a drought back then.

But the story of this
ranch dates back well

before the 1950's.

It's part of a legacy
unique to the United States.

This area was settled by the
Spanish in the 17-hundreds.

"This ranch was founded back
in 1740 by my great great great

great grandfather.

A fellow who's name
was Simon DeHinahosa.

And he came to this area with
his three or four brothers and

they all founded
ranches in the area."

The land is called
"Noriecitas Ranch."

Spanish for "little wells."

Named after the many
springs that once quenched

this parched land.

At one point, Isidro's ancestors
owned 25-thousand acres.

Now, Isidro and his sister
Idela manage only about

7-hundred acres.

"My grandfather said, 'someday
you are going to run this ranch,

and I want you to
know how to work it.'

"I was one of those girls that
instead of playing with dolls, I

was riding horses."

"I was helping them
work cattle, you know.

And my grandmother
would say, 'No no no!

Today is sewing lesson, today.'

And I would go, 'oh gosh,
not sewing lesson today.

I have to go ride my horse."

This area is considered the
North American birthplace of

Spanish cowboys or "vaqueros."

Over the years many of the
historic ranches were divided

and sold to different owners.

But others, like Noriecitas,
are still in the same families.

Not far from Noriecitas
is Randado Ranch.

The restored church was built in
the 1830's by the ancestors of

Bernardo Delagarza.

Now it's part of the two
thousand acre ranch owned by

Bernardo and his wife Alma.

Just as Randado Ranch welcomed
travelers in the 1800's, today

it's a popular spot for "winter
Texans" - folks coming here from

the northern U.S.

to escape chilly temperatures.

Most of the old buildings are
gone, but explore the property

with Bernardo and you'll still
find some interesting remnants

of the past.

"As you can tell, these old
wooden doors, there's not a

single nail on them.

They're all wooden pegs.

They're the original
doors that are on here."

"They had at least 44 families
living here at one time.

With many skilled
workers in many trades.

They had a cotton mill,
they had a sugar mill.

They had a mason, they had
bakers, had carpenters."

Whenever they would
butcher beef, you had to

have a big fandango.

A big party in order to
utilize all that meat."

Today fandangos are few
across this quiet countryside.

Like everywhere else, cattle
go to market for processing.

Times have changed, but these
families share the same values

with those who came before them:
a willingness to answer life's

challenges with hard work....
a deep desire to preserve

their history.

"I like the ranch and I
like to work with cattle.

And I love history.

And I just want to keep
this up as much as I can."

"There's not too many people
that can say that your ranch is

over 200 years old and
still in the same family.

You know, that's
quite an honor."

As far back as 1775, Texas was
teeming with cattle and horses

which had reproduced by the
thousands from stock left behind

by Spanish military troops that
explored and settled the region

from 1680 to 1760.

Still to come on America's
Heartland...We'll Take you down

south to savor the flavor of
Georgia's famous peaches....and

meet the farmers who grow them.

Plus a trip to California
and a peach farmer poet!

THERE ARE FEW TASTES OF SUMMER
MORE SYMBOLIC AND SUCCULENT THAN

THIS RIGHT HERE.

THE PLUMP, RIPE, JUICY PEACH!

OF COURSE THE FUZZY FRUIT
IS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH

THE PEACH STATE.

PAT MCCONAHAY RECENTLY VISITED A
GEORGIA FARM THAT'S BEEN RAISING

PEACHES FOR A HUNDRED
YEARS...AND DISCOVERING NEW WAYS

TO SHARE THEM WITH FRUIT LOVERS
ALL ACROSS THE HEARTLAND.

June is the height of peach
season in, where else, but the

state known for this juicy
sweet fruit: Georgia.

That means things are in high
gear at Lane Packing Company-

home to extensive orchards
and Georgia's largest peach

packing operation

MY GREAT GRANDFATHER
WAS A PIONEER IN THE PEACH

INDUSTRY IN THE EARLY 1900S AND
HE DID THINGS YOU KNOW, HIGHLY

DIFFERENT THAN WE DO THINGS NOW.

HE DIDN'T HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY

Duke Lane is a fourth generation
family member who's carrying on

the legacy:.

Despite technological advances,
one thing that's pretty much

stayed the same is harvesting
- one by one...each peach is

picked by hand.

WHY IS IT SO LABOR INTENSIVE
IT'S JUST A DELICATE FRUIT.

IT BRUISES EASY David
Lane is Duke's cousin.

He oversees the family's
nearly 3 thousand acre orchard.

Home to 237,000 trees
that produce 20 million

pounds of peaches.

Out of the 40 commercial
varieties of peaches grown in

Georgia, Lane Packing produces
about 30 that mature at

different rates through the May
to August harvest season

THESE ARE A CARAMAC.

These are a caramac

WHICH IS A
FREESTONE AND FREESTONE MEANS?

When YOU CUT THE PEACH IN HALF,
IF IT'S RIPE IT,

this is an early freestone it

WILL COME
AWAY FROM THE SEED

In spite of its distinction
as the "Peach State",

today Georgia ranks

third in U-S production behind
California and South Carolina,

with more than 15 thousand acres
of trees-still there's just

something about a Georgia peach.

ONLY PLACE YOU'RE GOING TO GET
A PEACH LIKE THIS IS RIGHT WHERE

YOU'RE STANDIN.

(LAUGH) THAT'S RIGHT.

YOU WANT TO TASTE IT?

SURE why not?

IT DOESN'T GET ANY FRESHER
THAN THIS AND MESSY.

LOT OF JUICE.

After the peaches are harvested
it's onto the packing shed.

SOMETHING YOU'LL RARELY GET TO
EXPERIENCE ON ANY OTHER FARM IS

WATCHING THE PEACH PACKING
PROCESS EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

You can enjoy a bird's eye view
of all of the activity from an

elevated walkway that
extends the entire length of

the operation.

These free-self guided tours
are available throughout the

harvesting season.

If you follow the peach journey
from beginning to end you'll see

how they're first cooled
from 97 degrees to 36.

That stops the ripening process
so when the peaches make it to

market they have a
longer shelf life.

They also have to be washed
graded sized ....and something

else very important-that
fuzz has to be removed.

AND BACK IN THE OLD DAYS WE USED
TO BRING THEM IN WE WOULD DUMP

THEM ON A DRY BELT AND THE PEACH
FUZZ WILL BE IN THE AIR AND MAKE

YOU ITCH. WOW.

IN THE PROCESS OF THE PACKING
SHED IT WILL WASH AND TURN...OF

COURSE THE BRUSHES LIKE THAT
ON TOP AND BOTTOM...AND THEN IT

WASHES IT OFF, SHINES IT UP AND
MAKES IT PRETTY FOR THE STORE.

But, If you happen to be in the
area You can get fruit fresh off

the trees when you pay
a visit to Lane Packing.

This roadside market was built
in 1990, along with a gift shop

where you can pick up all things
peach.... and a café where you

won't want to pass up
the peach ice cream.

THESE ARE THE BEST
PEACHES THAT I CAN FIND.

I'M HAPPY WHEN THEY'RE
PACKIN..SO WHEN I'M COMIN

THROUGH TOWN I ALWAYS STOP HERE
AND I HAVE TO MAKE SURE I GET

SOME OF THAT ICE CREAM, TOO.

HAVE YOU BEEN HERE BEFORE?

YES, I HAVE..I'M FIXIN TO GET
SOME OF THESE PEACHES NOW In

2005 Lane packing added tram
tours of the peach and pecan

orchards The short fat trees are
peaches and you can see plenty

of peaches on the trees.

During the 30-minute ride tour
guides explain the history of

Georgia's peach industry as well
as how the fuzzy fruit is grown

and harvested.

Even though lane Packing is
always expanding - whether

through agricultural tourism or
new produce selections...it will

still always be about WHEN YOU
TALK LANE THE FIRST THING YOU

THINK ABOUT IS A
PEACH AND GEORGIA.

WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT GEORGIA
AND PEACHES I THINK IT'S

ALL SYNONOMOUS

Georgia is known as the "Peach
State", but two other crops are

more significant to the
state's agriculture.

Georgia leads the nation
in the production of

peanuts and pecans.

THOSE DELICIOUS GEORGIA PEACHES
ARE ONLY AVAILABLE SIXTEEN WEEKS

EACH YEAR, FROM
MID-MAY TO MID-AUGUST.

AND MOST OF THEM ARE GROWN
IN THE CENTRAL PART OF THE

STATE...INCLUDING the
apply named PEACH COUNTY.

WHICH IS WHERE WE FOUND
GEORGIA'S BIGGEST CELEBRATION OF

THE FABULOUS FRUIT!

It's definitely all things
"peach" during this June weekend

in Fort Valley- home to
the world famous,

Georgia Peach Festival.

The tiny town 90 miles south of
Atlanta pays homage to the fuzzy

fruit that put it on the map

WE HAVE A LOT OF PEACH FARMERS
AND A LOT OF PACKING SHEDS AND

SO WE WANTED TO HONOR THE PEACH
FARMERS AND WHAT THEY BRING TO

THE COMMUNITY

FORT VALLEY HAS BEEN THE HOTBED
OF PEACH PRODUCTION FOR OVER

A CENTURY.

AND A LOT OF THE COMMERICAL
PEACH INDUSTRY STARTED RIGHT

HERE AND IT'S SOMETHING
WE'RE CONTINUING TODAY.

The festivities begin with a
parade through the center of

town -complete, of course,
with bulging bins of peaches,

colorful balloons
and a lot of fanfare.

But there are some other
activities that you may not find

in any other festival.

For one thing theres the
competition for the "Best Peach

Hat", which drew some
pretty unusual entries.

SHE WORKED HARD ON THAT.

LOOK AT ALL THAT STUFF

The winner of
this year's contest was

Jean O'Shields

THIS IS OUR SESQUECENTENNIAL AND
I FELT LIKE 150 YEARS AGO A LADY

COULD HAVE COME RIGHT DOWN
HERE AND WORN THIS HAT.

People know peaches
aren't native to Georgia

THE SPANISH MONKS, THEY
BROUGHT PEACHES OVER AND WERE

DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE
STATE, AND WHEN SETTLERS CAME

THERE WERE SO MANY PEACH TREES
THAT THEY THOUGHT IT WAS A

NATIVE FRUIT AND SO IT
BECAME THE PEACH STATE.

The first Georgia Peach Festival
was held in 1986 and today draws

a crowd of Ten thousand people.

One thing they come for is
what Fort Valley claims is the

largest peach
cobbler in the world.

Propane tanks actually fuel
burners beneath the giant

11-by-5 foot pan in front of
the peach County Courthouse.

Chef Rich Bennett and his
crew start putting the dessert

together at 5 a.m. for a 2 p.m.
unveiling

WE DIVIDED THE MIXTURE INTO SIX
PARTS IN TRASH CANS, CLEAN TRASH

CANS, AND MIXED IT UP
WITH BOAT OAR and rakes.

That mix includes 90 pounds of
butter, 150 pounds of both flour

and sugar, 32 gallons of milk
and 75 gallons of fresh peaches

from Lane packing Company

THIS IS A FIRST FOR ME.

I GET TO TRY FOR THE VERY
FIRST TIME THE WORLD'S

LARGEST PEACH COBBLER.

FRESH OUT OF THE PAN.

VERY HOT.

IT'S HOT BUT IT'S GOOD.

RICH, THINK YU'VE DONE
SOMETHING RIGHT HERE

The crew used five gallon
buckets to dish out individual

servings to a hungry crowd
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT?

I JUST WONDER HOW THEY WERE
ABLE TO MAKE IT SO BIG.

IT'S REALLY GOOD

THE COBBLER IS REAL GOOD.

AND OF COURSE I'M WONDERING WHO
FIGURED THE INGREDIENTS.AND HOW

MUCH TO PUT PEACHES AND HOW MUCH
OF THIS AND THAT AND THE OTHER.

THEY DID A GOOD JOB.

it's clear Georgia is proud of
its peaches and peach County is

pleased it can grow the
fruit that gave this

state its nickname!

It may be hard to believe, but
the peach is actually a member

of the Rose Family and there's
a bit of romance behind the name

of one of the best
known kind of peaches.

In 1870, a Georgia peach farmer
developed a new variety on his

farm in Marshallville.

He decided to name it in honor
of his wife and the "Elberta"

peach was born.

WELL GEORGIA MAY BE SYNONYMOUS
WITH THE PEACH, BUT YOU WILL

FIND THEIR MOST IMPASSIONED
ADVOCATE IN CALIFORNIA'S SAN

JOAQUIN VALLEY.

You'll nowmeet a farmer WHO'S
BECOME THE POET LAUREATE OF

PEACHES...AND TURNED SOME OF OUR
SWEETEST CHILDHOOD MEMORIES INTO

A BEST-SELLING BOOK

Here's an excerpt from Epithet
for a Peach: "Suncrest is one of

the last remaining truly juicy
peaches when you wash that

treasure under a stream of
cooling water your fingertips

instinctively search for the
gushy side of the fruit, your

mouth waters in anticipation,
you lean over the sink to make

sure you don't drip on yourself
then you sink your teeth into

the flesh and the juice trickles
down your cheeks and dangles on

you chin.

This is a real bite, a
primal act a magical sensory

celebration announcing
summer has arrived."

Well I was born on this farm
and my dad and mom had come back

from the relocation camps
after world war two.

My grandparents immigrated from
Japan at the turn of the century

and were farm
workers in this area.

I decided like a lot of farm
kids I didn't want to stay and I

ran off to college and
I ended up coming back.

I BEGAN TO LISTEN TO MY
NEIGHBORS BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE I

WAS GOING TO LEARN A LOT ABOUT
HOW TO FARM AND UNDERSTANDING

THE THINGS THAT THEY'VE LEARNED
THROUGH GENERATIONS AND I BEGAN

TO HEAR THEIR STORIES AND
THEIR STORIES ATTRACTED ME .

THAT'S PROBABLY ONE OF
THE REASONS WHY I FARM.

I FARM FOR STORIES, I THINK
EVERY YEAR, EVERY PEACH HAS A

STORY IN IT SO I ENDED UP
WRITING A BOOK ABOUT THIS

WONDERFUL PEACH AND THEN
A COUPLE MORE BOOKS

ABOUT THE FARM.

I think our family's
realizing that we are

becoming such an anomaly.

A very small percentage of
people live on the land,

actually work the land
and work it as a family.

So in that sense we can think
of ourselves as being very rare.

I like to think of
ourselves as being special.

My daughter says she'd
like to come back and take

over the farm.

I didn't realize how much a farm
girl I really am until I got to

UC Berkeley and I realized that
walking on sidewalks was a new

event for me because out
here I walk barefoot on dirt

all the time.

I LOVE LEARNING AND STUDYING BUT
I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT I WANT TO

COME BACK AND WORK WITH MY DAD.

HE WAS THE ONE WHO TAUGHT ME HOW
TO DRIVE A TRACTOR, HE WAS THE

ONE WHO TAUGHT ME HOW
TO DRIVE A FORKLIFT.

LAST SUMMER I LEARNED HOW TO
WELD, AND ALL THOSE FATHER AND

DAUGHTER MOMENTS ARE JUST SO
TIED TO BEING ON THE FARM, I

JUST CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE EVER
ABANDONING THIS PLACE OR THIS

WAY OF LIFE.

Wonderfully there's a home for
these kind of heirloom variety

peaches and also a home and
audience for the stories I write

about the land and our
family on the land.

I'm not sure what the farm will
look like 10 to 20 years from

now and I would like to think
stories still have a place.

following a farm disaster like a
storm that destroys a years work

a joke starts to circulate in
the farming community, farmer to

farmer, farm to farm, like good
humor it makes all of us smile

even just a little as we grapple
with the grief from a disaster

the story goes like this, they
did an autopsy on an old farmer

and when they opened him up they
found he was full of next years.

I feel like an old farmer
full of next years.

I will tell you firsthand, these
plump, juicy, delicious peaches

they do bring back some of my
sweetest childhood memories.

And I can't wait
to bite into one.

So I want to thank you
for joining us today.

And we hope you'll come along
next time when we discover more

great farms, families, and
their fascinating stories...

in America's Heartland.

I'm Paul Ryan and I
will see you next time.

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

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americasheartland - dot - org.

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