The Dichotomy of Blogging and American Agriculture

I was talking to my  friend and teacher Leisa Rich the other day about the blog. I'm like a kid with a new toy, so I asked if she'd seen it since I'd given her a shout-out, and (thankfully) she had...but then she turned "that look" on me and said, "you know, Margaret, I'm just so OVER blogs. I'm blogged out." Quickly followed by assurances she didn't actually mean ME, of course, but you get the picture.

Since I can't leave anything alone, I asked why. "People just over-communicate. I don't need to read one more person talk about going out for Mexican food and it gives them gas." Heard that, sistah. Gross.  BUT...what interested me was the "over-communication" part of her complaint. So the first thing is...if you wouldn't tell someone at a party about your gas, why would you charm--that IS used with an ironic tone--complete strangers with the details?? Keep a lid on it.

But the over-communication comment also got me thinking about folks in agriculture. For so long, producers and people in small communities have kept their efforts, stories and successes to themselves. Is it modesty? Lack of know-how? An ingrained reluctance to toot your own horn? Whatever the reason, you can't afford to keep silent anymore, and the tools--FREE tools--are at your fingertips to talk about what you do, why it's important and why people should care about you, your product and what's involved in creating it. Case in point? You're reading it.

Now, more than ever before, people are interested in where their food and other products come from. Who grows it? Makes it? What is it like living on a farm? (For some people that's like asking, "what's it like living on the moon?") Tell them. They'll never know, otherwise.

When you have something new going on at your operation, let someone in the news know. A great place to start is the Georgia Farm Bureau, which has a weekly television show, daily radio show and TWO magazines. If you don't live in Georgia, here's a tip--there's a Farm Bureau AND an extension office in every state. Help them tell your story--sometimes that just means letting them know you're here and you have something interesting going on. Other farm journals and websites abound--do a Google search and get started. Or, if you don't want to go to the trouble, call me. It's what I do. Either way, reach out. People don't understand what you do or how you do it. They don't come across agriculture every day. That makes you unique, and makes your story unique, too. Find someone and communicate with them--we're ready to listen.

On Cowboy Boots Made in China

My grandmother, Alvis Fincher Austin of Klondike, Texas

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So I've had the itch for some time now to get myself some cowboy boots. Now, having said that, I first have to admit that for years, I mocked my older brother who lived in the country and adopted himself a rather country “way.” For instance, when we moved to Baton Rouge from Michigan back in 1979, he took me out for ice cream at Baskin Robbins, and horrified me when he asked “summa that PRAY-leens and CREE-yum” ice cream. Almost died. Let me explain. First, we sounded like the worst sort of pandering Yankee nitwits and our northern accents were so thick most folks couldn't understand us in Louisiana anyway, and Second--and this was probably the greater sin--south Louisiana folks call those damn things PRAH-lines, not  PRAY-lines, for God's sake, and I, who just wanted to fade into the crowd and go unnoticed, knew he'd marked us as fakers the second we opened our mouths. 

The hilarious joke fate has played on me is that the life I dogged my brother about is the life I now aspire to. He ended up owning horses and living in the country before his difficult death and truly, that place and those animals were probably the only thing close to real peace he ever found in his life.

Back to the boots. Most of the farmers and ranchers I know work in steel-toed pull-on Brahman workboots, not cowboy boots. But I've been pining for a fine pair of boots for a long time, and the need has just been wearing me out. I don't know where any boot stores are in Atlanta,  so when I went to Baton Rouge for a business trip I thought I'd just pick up a pair there.  So I'm looking, not finding anything that made me crazy--which would have required some sort of red trickery and sass--but I really had my heart set on some so I found a serviceable pair of brown ones I thought I could live with.  And then, the tag: Made In China. I put them down like my hand was scalded. China doesn't have COWBOYS! 

As fate would have it, I went to San Antonio shortly thereafter on a trip for Farm Bureau. My lovely friend Jim Monroe told me he'd take me to find some boots there, because as he says, “If you can't find some kicks in San Antonio you’re not gonna find ’em anywhere.” Then I got the big bonus, because Ronnie Anderson, president of Farm Bureau and a true cowboy himself (so's Jim in case you're wondering) came along and I had a lovely time with my two friends picking out boots for me. I wound up with two pairs (!), some very slick and fancy city boots that will be perfect for going out in Atlanta, and then another pair of good-looking rugged ones for every day. Pix are coming.  I did something with the fancy ones that I haven't done since I was a little girl: I put them on the night stand so I'd see them as soon as I woke up. Yes, they ARE that fine. 

AND...they're made in Mexico, where they do indeed still have cowboys and some of the finest cowboy boot artisans around. If you're interested in finding out more about cowboy boots as an art form--and they ARE--check out Tyler Beard's books on the subject--gorgeous!! For some really fine pix of modern day cowboys, check out the December 2007 National Geographic (http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/12/vaquero/draper-text) and photographer Robb Kendrick's transcendent tintypes  of 21st century cowboys. They accompany Robert Draper's evocative story about enduring individualists.

The final note on the boots--for my birthday in March, my parents sent me such an amazing gift: my grandmother's cowboy boots, which have been in a closet in their house for about 60 years. They're tiny--she was at best 4'10" on a good day, and when I knew her as a child she was always Done Just So: hair, panty hose, lipstick... the whole nine yards of proper southern lady-hood. And I got these boots, and the heels are worn down to the nail heads, and it gave me the most wonderful vision of her as a beautiful young woman in Dallas, dancing and stomping and having a ball. I wish I'd known her then--we probably would have had a lot to talk about, between dances.

Mike Danna On the Myths & Facts of Ag

Well, since I mentioned Mike Danna in my blog, I thought I'd share with you an article he wrote about agriculture--the myths of the industry vs. the facts. Some interesting reading that may get you thinking tonight. Enjoy!

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Urban legends about about many things these days — just check www.snopes.com for page after page of myths that are mostly more myth than fact. However, there are some "urban" legends about agriculture these days that seem to persist despite all the facts to the contrary. Here's a list of some of my favorites and the real deal behind them:

Myth:  The only sustainable form of food production is organic.

Fact: If the world converted to all-organic food production, yields would decline 30 to 40 percent and crops would become much more vulnerable to diseases such as the potato blight that caused the Irish food famine. In addition, to product the nitrogen needed to fertilize crops organically, we would need to convert one-third of all crop acreage into production of "green manure" plants which release nitrogen as they biodegrade, or increase the number of cattle on the planet 700 percent to produce it.

Myth: A person's genes can be changed by eating a genetically modified food.

Fact: If you eat corn, you don't become corn. Your body digests the proteins and absorbs the amino acids to use them to build proteins. Your body cannot tell where a protein originates. It treats all proteins alike and problems only occur when someone is allergic to the protein, such as those in peanuts and shellfish.

Myth: Only genetically modified tomatoes have genes; ordinary tomatoes don't.

Fact: All living things contain genes whether they are genetically modified or not. Yet consumers in many countries answer the question "Do only genetically modified tomatoes have genes?" incorrectly, in the affirmative.

Myth: Globally, hunger is caused by a shortage of food.

Fact: Hunger is due to economic, political and social reasons. The world produces enough food for everyone. Even Africa produces enough food to feed that continent. Poverty results in lack of access to that food and hunger also may be induced for political or social reasons, especially in war-torn areas of the world. Unfortunately, producing more food will not solve these problems.

Myth: We are losing family farms because large, corporate farms are taking over American agriculture.

Fact: Less than one percent of farms are non-family-owned, corporate farms. Family farms still produce the majority of our food and fiber (about 86 percent). While it's true that farms are becoming larger in order to spread costs and risks over more production and many incorporate for tax purposes, they're still family-owned farms.

These myths and many others can be found in the booklet "Addressing Misconceptions About Agriculture," produced by the American Famr Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. To learn more, please visit www.ageducate.org.

Developing Creative Businesses Here in Georgia

Yesterday I went to an all-day workshop in Macon, GA on developing the creative economies of the state. The creative economies defined by the Georgia Tourism Foundation are slightly different from Richard Florida's famous "Rise of the Creative Class" creatives, who include researchers, scientists and the like. The GTF literally means CREATIVES -- dancers, photographers, painters, jewelry-makers, fiber artists and more.

Many of these folks are women, and many also are struggling to make a name for themselves and elevate their work into a full-time business. The workshop I attended is to find and develop trainers to work with creative, mostly rural businesspeople and give them skills they need to succeed. Many rural towns in Georgia and other states were founded on the presence of a particular industry or company, and have fallen on hard times after losing that business. These folks don't want to abandon their town or homes, so creating an alternative business infrastructure is vital. The workshop featured presentations on "discovering your heritage" for these towns, and featured towns such as Savannah as success stories. It can happen if enough people become committed and band together to effect change.

I sat next to a lovely fiber artist named Carla Powell in the session. If you don't know what a "fiber artist" is, it's someone who works with and creates art with textiles. She is PHENOMENAL. Go to www.carlapowellstudio.com and see if I'm lying. More on textile artists in a minute...the great deal about sitting with Carla is that she was there to offer creatives training in making a website to promote themselves and their art on blogspot. HELLO--where is my new blog? She inspired me to sit down and take care of my OWN business, finally--something I've not focused on nearly enough lately because I've been working a lot.

So the trip was worth it, the creative economies project is DEFINITELY worthwhile, and I'm going to post some links for you to follow to find out more about the creatives in Georgia and, if you're a creative or microbusiness, there'll also be some links on resources you can access for help.

Back to fiber artists--I've learned there isn't a big fiber artists community in Georgia, or at least Atlanta. I learned this from Leisa Rich, an AMAZING fiber artist and also my teacher. I've been taking classes from Leisa for a couple of months at Callanwolde here in Atlanta (www.callanwolde.org)--an arts center where you can take classes on anything from dance and pottery to drawing and acting. We're very blessed to have that resource here. Leisa is so busy working as a teacher, mentor and artist that I wanted to give her a shout-out and direct y'all to her website, www.monaleisa.com. She does custom commissioned art pieces and has many works in traveling and permanent exhibits. Check her out!