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Agribusiness: Bringing the past into future

When our editorial team decided to feature an Agribusiness Roundtable, there was no question who would select panelists and moderate that discussion. My early childhood was spent on a small dairy and grain farm, and I returned to a rented farm for a respite during college — planting corn, peppers, pumpkins and melons — while chasing away skunks, raccoons, barn swallows and the occasional coyote. The owner of that land had cows on the acres behind my acres, and when they managed to break down a fence, I saddled up with neighbors and brought them back to pasture. Great memories for sure.

My cousin Julie is the second largest farmer in Illinois. Her sister Deanna raises sheep. I love to visit their places and I'm thrilled with their successes. Our family comes from seven known generations of farmers, and we're all darn proud of that.

The girls farm. Me ... I interview farmers for print and for radio these days. And every single time Joan and I interview a farmer on air, I admit I am a little bit envious. After one such interview, I impulsively stopped my car by a rural farm and dragged an amazed grandson out of the backseat and into a cornfield, just so Patrick could see all the bugs and touch corn silk and appreciate what it feels like to really connect with his food.

"Connecting with food" is a local buzz phrase, for sure, and agribusiness is huge in Dane County. Statewide, the dairy industry accounts for nearly 40 percent of all agriculture jobs, employing 160,000 people. There are an average of 92 cows on a typical Wisconsin dairy farm (many more than the two dozen or so my daddy milked by hand), across 13,603 herds in the state. That's 1,252,000 cows producing, on average, over six gallons of milk each per day.

That's our present, and much of our shared history. But going forward, claims the Wisconsin Focus on Energy program, farming energy will be profitable, too. Five cows can provide renewable power for one average home, every single day, 24 hours a day. That's our future. Adds WFoE, "With 22 on-farm bio-energy systems in operation, and more on the way, Wisconsin leads the nation in converting manure into renewable energy."

Add to that a Madison-area technology of portable, controlled environments which could double a Wisconsin growing season. Do we have to have a food/fuel debate? What if more corn-for-food could be raised without sacrificing the corn-for-fuel market, and vice-versa? [The technology is explained by Michael Gay in the roundtable discussion].

The Dane County farms I visit with my grandkids (and yes, I get permission for most of them) somewhat resemble the farm I grew up on. I'm partial to Schusters' farm, just east of Madison, which has a hen house similar to the one we had, the few goats and sheep and the barn full of corn. Ah, it takes me back.

Meanwhile, interviews with folks like John Biondi, C5-6 Technologies and board chair of Thrive, pull us all forward, with a vision of more efficient farms tomorrow.

Farming is a mixed bag today, and our experts tell us it's going to become even more diverse. The old barns may disappear, but the soil is being replenished and many farmers are returning to open range. Madison-area consumers, in particular, are leading a movement to reconnect with food sources, to "buy local." A concurrent demand to know a food's energy footprint is changing distribution channels — and allowing for premium pricing from smaller, yet successful farmers.

One thing that hasn't changed are the farmers. I'd echo Jordan Lamb's sentiments in the roundtable: Farming families care deeply about the land. They are connected to it in ways they can't explain. "Forever," I'd add.