America's Heartland
is made possible by....
They make up a small
part of our population,
but have a huge impact
on all of our lives.
They take business risks
that few others would tolerate
all on our behalf.
They're American farmers
who feed, fuel
and clothe the world.
Monsanto would like
to recognize them
for all they do
for the rest of us,
because ultimately our success
and everyone else's
depends on theirs.
....and by
the American Farm Bureau
Federation
- the voice of agriculture.
Hi, I'm Sarah Gardner.
Jewel is known
around the world
as a platinum recording artist
for her singing
and song writing.
Her husband Ty Murray
is a world champion
in professional rodeo.
We'll take you
to their Texas ranch
and find out why cattle ranching
is an important part
of their lives as well.
Hi, I'm Rob Stewart.
Ever wonder
where that sugar in your kitchen
comes from?
There's a good chance
that it came from
a field like this.
We'll take you
to Montana
to meet
a multi-generational farm family
that is sweet on sugar beets .
I'm Yolanda Vazquez.
Americans love their ice cream!
And for one Delaware dairy farm,
the sweet creamy treat
was the answer
to keeping their farm alive.
It's all coming up
on American'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. ♪
Jewel
is a world-renowned performer
whose singing and songwriting
has earned her
three Grammy nominations.
Her husband Ty Murray
is well known
as a world champion
in professional rodeo.
But here on their Texas ranch,
the emphasis
is more on cattle
than celebrities.
As they saddle up
to move cattle
on this late summer morning,
Jewel and her husband Ty Murray
are a long way
from the bright lights
they often find themselves in.
Ty:
a world champion rodeo rider!
And Jewel:
a singer/songwriter
whose albums have sold
millions of copies world wide!
My favorite memories
of growing up
were probably horses and music.
Those 2 things
were bright spots
in a life
that was challenging
and difficult.
The hardships that pre-date
Jewel Kilcher's rise to fame
are well documented:
leaving her rural Alaska home
at age 15
for a prestigious arts school
in Michigan,
hitchhiking cross country,
singing in coffee houses
to pay the bills,
and learning first hand
what it meant
to be homeless in America.
But I just fell on hard times.
I had sick kidneys.
I couldn't afford antibiotics.
I almost died
in the parking lot
of the hospital
because I didn't have
insurance.
It was just this vicious cycle.
I'd get a job
but then get too sick
to keep the job
and would end up
getting fired again.
Chronicling those hard times
with honest,
lyric-driven songs
would whisk Jewel
out of the car she lived in
and onto the car radios
of millions of listeners.
♪ I am my father's daughter. ♪
I'm a 4th generation cowboy.
So you know
I grew up around it
my whole life.
Growing up in a family
where both his parents
had riding backgrounds,
Ty was at the top
of the rodeo game
by the age of 21.
You know,
I was horseback
before I could walk.
You know,
riding rough stock
and rodeos
and ranching,
those were the two things
that I was crazy about.
(Jewel's music)
The past decade
has been a whirlwind
for both Ty and Jewel,
new album hits
and the publication
of two books for her,
tours on the music
and rodeo circuit.
And don't forget television.
So how is it
you got roped into
appearing
on Dancing With The Stars?
Well you know,
they started coming to me
about 3 years ago.
For the PBR,
this was a chance
to expose
the sport of bull riding
and cowboys
to about 25 million new people
a week.
And that's just
an unbelievable opportunity.
And we felt like the show,
what it did for cowboy
and bull riding,
we felt like it did in spades.
♪♪
Out of the spotlight,
their 22 hundred acre
cattle ranch
is where Jewel and Ty
come to decompress
from their busy
professional lives.
Jewel: I think
it's a great place
to stay grounded.
I mean our job is a blessing.
And it's amazing,
but it can also be
really silly.
And you can get caught up
in the wrong things.
And I think this helps you stay
really grounded.
It's nice to do chores.
We'll be doctoring a cow one day
and at the Oscars the next.
Ty: When you get out here
and the gates are shut
and you don't even know
the rest of the world
is going on....
And I think
we both really enjoy that,
the privacy and the peace
and the beauty of it.
You know?
The lakes and the rivers
and all that!
Ranching has proven to be
the common thread
drawing Jewel and Ty together.
Away from the microphone,
Jewel's life centers
on ranching chores.
And Ty has co-written
a song with Jewel:
Till We Run Out of Road .
Sarah: So how does a guy
go about
finding a girl
who'll come out here
and live in the middle
of nowhere
and will help you work
the ranch?
She'd just look at me!
(Laugh)
It was the smile right?
I don't know.
You know,
me and Jewel
met about 11 years ago.
And at the time
Jewel and I met,
she was touring really hard,
and I was rodeo-ing really hard.
And we were both
just on the road constantly.
(Jewel singing)
Life on the ranch
gives Jewel
time to explore
different avenues of creativity.
I really enjoy drawing,
sculpture and visual art
as much as I enjoy singing,
as much as I enjoy
writing poetry.
It all feels like the same body.
It's just different limbs
that I need to exercise.
And she makes time
to support global projects
providing clean water
for impoverished communities.
While I was living in my car,
I had bad kidneys
and was having to drink
a gallon of bottled water a day.
And that was expensive.
I couldn't afford it.
And I thought
if we're having
such a hard time in America
drinking our tap water,
I wonder what it's like
in the rest of the world.
Ty's work
in advancing the profile
of the Professional
Bull Riders Association
is a natural fit
with his love
of the heartland's
wide open spaces.
And time on their ranch
provides Jewel and Ty
a setting to continue their work
as they look to the future.
You know I'm glad
that I was able to kind of....
....both of us were able
to go out
and do what we wanted to do
and have some success.
And now it's time
that we can be married
and look at having kids
and enjoying the fruits
of our success.
Texas has plenty of cows
to keep cowboys and cowgirls
busy.
The cattle industry
is a 13 billion dollar business.
And ranches
in the Lone Star State
round up
more than 13 million cattle.
If you did something
for 200 years,
you'd probably
get pretty good at it.
Well, one Delaware farm family
has been working their land
for more than two centuries.
And they face the future
with a sweet and creamy outlook
.
My great-great
-great-great grandfather
purchased the farm in 1796.
Joe Mitchell
works a Delaware farm
that his family acquired
when George Washington
was president.
Growing up on the farm,
I always wanted to farm.
I always said
I learned more
following my grandmother
and grandfather around.
And Joe's son Jim
is following
in those same footsteps:
plotting his future
as part of a dairy operation
that began
with milk and butter.
In 1928,
I'm not sure
why they stopped making butter
and started selling fluid milk.
And my father and I
continued that until 1961
when for various reasons
we gave up the dairy.
With the cows gone,
they produced pumpkins,
row crops and poultry.
But the economic realities
of modern farming
demanded some new directions.
So in the mid 90's,
the cows came back.
I gave Janet
a calf on Christmas
as a gift.
And that kind of started
our dairy herd.
But this time,
the Mitchell's decided
on a slightly
sweeter and creamier future .
We saw a show on PBS,
an ice cream show,
and they talked about
a course at Penn State.
And so my husband said,
"Why don't I go?"
Needing help
in their new venture,
they asked Jim's dad
to join them in making
the frozen treats.
I said I'm too old
to start something new.
I'll milk the cows
for you.
So that's what I do.
Today the Mitchell's turn out
dozens of flavors
and deliver
their home made ice cream
to area stores and restaurants.
It's also a favorite
at their dairy shop
serving thousands
of farm visitors each year,
visitors who have a chance
to encounter agriculture
in a rapidly expanding
urban environment.
....being able
to produce something
and sell it directly
to the public.
So people can see
where their food comes from.
Kids can learn
about agriculture.
We're in the middle
of suburban
Northern Newcastle County.
And yet there's a live
active working farm
that has transitioned
from maybe being
a straight type of dairy farm
to adding Woodside Creamery.
But ice cream
isn't the only thing
produced here.
Shiny panels capture energy
from the sun.
And the creamery
is one of Delaware's
largest solar powered farms.
And extensive composting
adds another layer
of sustainability,
enhancing the soil.
It's nice to be able
to produce our own power
on the farm
just like we produce
a lot of our own products:
our milk, our food....
It helps us be
a little more independent.
And it helps the country
be a little more independent
which I like.
More than 200 years
after plows first turned
this Delaware soil,
the Mitchell's see
continuity of family
and the land.
I know it'll keep on
during my lifetime.
And I hope something
will come along,
and it will continue.
It's nice to have the heritage.
A lot of folks
just don't have the heritage.
And people ask
how long we're been here.
And so many people
are surprised.
When I say the farm
has been for over 200 years
and I'm 7th generation
on the farm, it amazes them.
According to the Guinness Book
of World Records,
folks in Alberta, Canada
created the world's biggest
ice cream sundae in 1988.
It weighed 55 thousand pounds.
Like your ice cream
in sandwich form?
Well in the same year,
ice cream fans
in Dubuque, Iowa
put together
an ice cream sandwich
that tipped the scales
at 25 hundred pounds!
I'm Rob Stewart.
Still ahead,
we'll take you
to Montana
to meet a 5 generational
farm family.
Wait till' you hear their story
about how they bring sugar
to your table.
I'm John Lobertini.
Still ahead,
we'll take you
to Missouri
where heartland wheat
is transformed
into what some people call
The Staff of Life.
♪♪
If you're one of those shoppers
who stalks the aisles
for interesting flavors,
you've no doubt discovered
lemongrass.
This pungent herb
is often sliced very thin
and added to Thai
and Asian dishes
to add
a velvety fresh lemon flavor.
So what the heck is lemon grass?
Well, it's a grass
native to India
that looks almost as good
as it tastes.
If it looks a little
like sugar cane,
that's because
cane and lemongrass
are country cousins.
It's a perennial plant
where the bulb end
(call it the rhizome)
is stuck in the ground
and sprouts up
to create 2 to 3 foot stalks
that are cut and rushed
to your supermarket.
If you're looking for lemongrass
in the produce aisle,
look for firm,
fresh, gray-green stalks.
Once you get it home,
refrigerate it
in a tightly sealed bag
for 2 to 3 weeks.
The active ingredient
in lemongrass
is citral,
the same stuff
that's in lemon peel.
And it's the perfect partner
for seafood, curries,
chilies
or other dishes using garlic.
Lemongrass is also well known
for its medicinal qualities.
All I know
is that a big ol' helping
of lemongrass chicken
always makes me feel better.
Maybe it's the iron folate
or potassium inside.
Could be the manganese!
What's manganese you ask?
I didn't know either.
It's actually
a naturally occurring metal
that is found in rocks
that your body needs
to stay healthy.
And there's
175% of your daily value
inside a lemongrass.
Think about that
the next time
you take it of the shelf!
Wheat is the big
crop here in Montana.
The state's 30 thousand farms
have nearly six million acres
planted in wheat.
But farming demands diversity
these days.
And for one
multigenerational farm family,
that's means wheat
and something sweet.
That something sweet
can be found
in the 38 thousand acres
of sugar beets
planted in Montana.
It's a sweet deal, yes?
Brian Uffelman,
his dad,
and three brothers raise beets
on each of their farms
in the southeastern corner
of the state.
Wheat is a cash crop
for farmers in this region.
And with sugar beets
as part of their
planting rotation,
the family pulls
added dollars out of their land.
So how much more,
how much more of a cash crop
are beets?
Last year we averaged
right around 30 ton an acre.
The final paycheck
after it's
all said and done
is between 1,350
and 1,400 an acre.
The winter wheat crop,
if you make 80 bushel
times five dollar,
you're basically $400 an acre.
Wow, it's a lot more.
So there's a lot more money,
there's a lot more money
invested in sugar beets.
But the end results,
you're still making
a lot more money
raising sugar beets.
Farmers in the Northwest,
Plains States,
and Great Lakes Region
will raise
some 33 million tons
of sugar beets.
And while many people
think of cane sugar,
beets actually provide
more than half the sugar
that makes its way
to your table,
into your soft drinks,
or becomes part
of your family's desserts.
I don't know
if many people realize
this is where
a lot of the sugar comes from.
Yes, most of it.
Can I pull
one of these up?
Sure!
And how big
will that sugar beet get?
See?
That's the start
of the sugar beet right there.
Like a root?
That's the root right there.
And that root
will just keep getting bigger.
And it's going to grow
probably about this long,
this big and wide.
And that should get
to be eight to ten pounds.
Eight to ten pounds!
And that's sugar?
That's sugar!
Five generations of Uffelmans
have grown sugar beets
in this Montana Valley.
I've got about
10 acres left on the north end.
Grandson Brandon Uffelman
is a junior in college
and is ready
to return to the land
full time
to work side by side
with his dad.
You know,
one of the things
that we thought was so cool
was that whenever you guys
are all working together,
it's like family helping family
helping family !
After farm, farm, farm....
What does that
mean to you?
Oh, it's great!
I mean,
some people move away,
never see their relatives
ever again
or once a year
at Christmas or something.
We get to see them every day.
I mean,
I spend all day,
almost every day in the summer
with my dad.
I see uncles
and grandparents
and stuff
a couple times a week
and borrow equipment.
It's great.
Brandon's father Gary
says he's offering his son
the same opportunity
his dad gave him:
finish college
then start your career
in farming.
My dad came in,
and we borrowed equipment
from him quite a little.
We bought what we could
to get started.
And we just kept growing
and bought
what we could afford
as time went on
until we got to the point
where we're at now
where we pretty much
have all of our own equipment.
The family's cooperative efforts
have paid off for the Uffelmans:
enjoying success in good times
and finding help
when you need it.
Nobody's done
'til we're done,
'til everybody is done.
Don't make any difference
what it is.
Well, it's comforting to know
that when times get tough
you....
....somebody's going to come
and help you no matter what.
The challenges in farming
can come from nature,
the economy,
or fluctuating prices
for a crop
that takes months to mature.
But Bill will tell you
it's family values
that see them through.
Well, it makes me
a very proud father.
I watched the boys.
They grew up great.
They're great kids!
And now watching the grand kids
work with us,
it's just....
....I guess that's why
I'm still in it.
And young Brandon knows
his grandfather
is definitely still around.
Oh, yeah.
I mean,
if you don't do something right,
grandpa's on your tail!
You gotta....
He's standing right over
there watching.
Yeah.
The sweeteners from sugar beets
go into much more
than just that sugar bowl
on your kitchen table.
Several European countries
use fermented beet sugars
to create specialty liquors.
♪♪
Hi, I'm Paul Robins.
And here's something
you may not have known
about agriculture.
You may have heard
about range wars
in the old west
and battles over water rights
even today.
But did you know
that a common barn yard animal
played a role
in a conflict between
the United States and England?
They call it the Pig War !
Set the wayback machine
for June 15th, 1859!
Both the United States
and England were still debating
who owned
the San Juan Islands
off the coast of today's
Washington State.
Well, American settler
Lyman Cutler,
angry about some pigs
trespassing on his land,
gets out his long rifle
and pops one particular
porcine.
Trouble was
the pig was owned
by Englishman Charles Griffin.
Efforts at compensation
were refused,
and British authorities
threatened to arrest Mr. Cutler.
The United States
sent over an infantry unit,
and the English responded
by parking warships
off the coast.
Over the next couple of months,
forces grew on both sides.
And while no one
was backing down,
luckily no one
fired a shot in anger either.
When word reached Washington,
army brass
dispatched
a high ranking officer
to try and diffuse the conflict.
Eventually,
both sides cooled off.
But the issue
was never really settled.
And for a time,
both English
and American soldiers
occupied the islands.
Then in 1872,
an international resolution
gave the islands
to the Americans.
In the end,
there was only
one casualty to this conflict!
You guessed it.
The pig!
When you sit down for dinner,
chances are
your favorite bread or rolls
are right there on the table.
Food author James Beard
once wrote,
Bread is the most satisfying
of all foods.
Well right here in Kansas City,
there are some people
who think
creating distinctive breads
is the ultimate homage
to heartland wheat.
♪♪
How do the baguettes
look today?
They look pretty good!
Mark Friend
has had a love affair with bread
for 30-years.
I fell in love with bread!
Before I learned how,
I tried and I experimented
with sour dough.
And all I had
was a bunch of stinky pots
of flour and water
down in my basement.
Following the teachings
of some great sourdough bakers,
he would later reshape
those kitchen disasters
into what Friend now calls
Farm to Market .
We were looking
for a name.
And someone suggested
Farm to Market.
(It) seemed to fit the idea
of trying
to source our products
from our farmers
that we would have
a relationship with.
Farm to Market
wants you to know
its farmers
and the wheat they're growing.
Back in the pantry,
the ingredients have
a distinctly Midwestern flavor:
Illinois, Michigan,
Wisconsin and Kansas.
What we're trying to do here
is make a closer connection
to the farmer
and know who the family is
that's growing the wheat,
that's going into the flour,
that's going into the bread,
that's being sold in the store!
This is a boutique bakery.
Hands create
the special breads here,
not machines!
Fresh ingredients
are carefully chosen:
wheat,
oats,
raisins,
sesame seeds.
That's important
to Craig Flaker.
There's a big creative outlet
that's involved in this.
And that's where
the artistic side comes in:
the size,
the volume,
the crumb,
the shape!
Specialty products
require a special commitment.
Farm to Market
bakes breads and rolls
for 40 grocery stores
and 90 restaurants
in the Kansas City area.
They work 363 days a year
taking off only Christmas Eve
and Christmas Day.
What is
your favorite?
Rye, wheat,
white, dark?
We get a lot of grief.
Because
where's the ciabatta bread?
We'll we bought
a hundred loaves,
and they were gone by one.
And that's all there is.
Many of the communities here,
both in the city
and rural areas,
have populations
that came
originally from Europe.
People of German,
Polish,
French,
Russian
and Italian descent
clamor for these hearty breads.
Armen Bagiyants
gets the hand made dough
from Farm to Market
and bakes loaves fresh
at his store.
Customers walk through
the front door,
and they can see
how I bake bread,
how I put it in the oven,
and how I take from the oven
hot!
Farm to Market
completes a theme
at the Hen House
supermarket chain,
Buy Fresh, Buy Local,
even to produce
that carries the face and name
of the farmer that grew it.
The average item
in the supermarket
travels about
15 hundred miles to get here.
And these items
are all within 200 miles.
They have a sense
that it's fresher,
that it's better for them.
But Farm to Market
is going even further,
testing different ways
to mill the flour,
giving their breads
different textures.
It's easy to see differences
in the handling characteristics
of dough.
And that difference
has led them to seek out
farmers interested
in milling their own grain.
There's a big enough market now
in the U.S.
for artisan style bread,
(so) that there needs to be
a flour that's suited
for this too.
But bread is sometimes
a fickle partner.
Our Grains Galore,
that's one of our top sellers.
Those who work closely
with these ingredients
from the heartland
will tell you
this dough
is a living organism,
an organism
that let's them know,
everyday,
how well they're doing
their job.
When bread comes
out of the oven,
you know it has
this brown glow to it,
It's hot
coming out of the oven.
It's incredible.
It makes you feel proud!
And that's going to do it
this time.
Thanks for traveling
the country with us
on this edition
of America's Heartland .
And remember,
there's much more
on America's Heartland
at our website
including video
on the stories
from today's show.
Just log onto
americasheartland-dot-org.
See you next time.
To order a copy
of this broadcast,
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....
They make up a small
part of our population,
but have a huge impact
on all of our lives.
They take business risks
that few others would tolerate
all on our behalf.
They're American farmers
who feed, fuel
and clothe the world.
Monsanto would like
to recognize them
for all they do
for the rest of us,
because ultimately our success
and everyone else's
depends on theirs.
....and by
the American Farm Bureau
Federation
- the voice of agriculture.
♪♪