Thoughts Filled with Farming, Family and Forkfuls of Food
Musings of a Pig Farmer
by Larry Sailer
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of celebrating? Many people may think “cake and ice cream.” I have to admit that I most often think “pork” first – more specifically grilled pork.
Grilling pork means a feast for our family, and that’s how we spent Mother’s Day and my wife, Janice’s, birthday last weekend. It’s also how we plan to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary and my birthday today. (Yes, my birth date and my wedding date are one in the same. When you get married on your birthday, you never have an excuse to forget your anniversary!)
We have had a lot to be thankful this week. My seed is all in the ground, thanks to great help from my family over the past week. Our youngest son, Corey, took a few days of vacation. He’s a conductor for the Union Pacific Railroad but enjoys spending a few days every spring driving tractor. My grandson, Devin, had a week-long break between the end of his spring semester at Iowa State University of the start of football practice / summer school. He also had a blast running the tractor, and I was also glad for his help doing hog chores. My granddaughter, Jessie, and grandson, Darin, helped do some yard work.
Many hands make light work, whether you’re farming or grilling. Last weekend my grandsons, Devin and Darin, helped me grill approximately 300 pork burgers for Mort’s Water Company of Latimer, Iowa. As we were flipping patties, I couldn’t help but think once again how government regulations could impact my farm.
We must keep a close eye on the Department of Labor’s proposed regulations that could limit the extent to which the younger generation gets involved. We must follow the Farm Bill debate as it, in a lot of ways, dictates how we farm. We must also keep a close watch on organizations like the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) that try to influence how we produce the safety, most abundant food in the world. Americans also enjoy one of the most economical food supplies in the world. That’s not just my opinion, it’s fact.
Regulation, specifically over regulation, costs money. Duplication of laws and regulations creates added expense for government, businesses, farmers and even consumers!
