We live in the middle of no where, surrounded by wheat fields. We’ve lived here for, gosh, 12 years now?! (wow, this is the longest I’ve ever lived in one place in my whole life!)… anyway, my husband works for one of the local farmers and is trying to start his own farming business.
Land isn’t cheap around here… but we have a little over 3 acres of property. Ryan decided to plant 1 of our acres into corn this year. Not yummy sweet corn, but commodity corn, just like the other farmers. It seemed a little crazy to me quite frankly, to plant one little acre of corn… but it’s a start, and it’s actually been quite a lot of fun.
As with everything, I saw this corn as the perfect opportunity for learning. In fact, I found an entire curriculum online about corn!! We started by learning about seeds, and how they sprout and grow. I am still utterly amazed by the fact an entire 10 or 12 foot corn plant and entire ears of corn comes out of one little tiny corn seed. It really is a miracle.
But I digress… after the corn sprouted and we could finally see it above ground (and yes, we did dig up kernels a couple times to see if they were sprouting ~ and my husband tried to tell me “all the farmers do it” lol). We talked with Hanna about the important elements our corn will need to grow. We put together a chart so we could collect data on our corn through the Summer. We decided to track the date, the height of our corn, how much water it got, and the high temperature for the day. We’ve already seen some interesting things happen when it got really warm. Now every night, after dinner, we go out with our chart and our measuring tape and measure, check the rain gauge, and write down our findings. We usually get the temperature reading off the news or weather.com.
This has been amazing practice for Hanna to learn her numbers (which she’s been struggling with a little), as well as measuring and learning about growing. It was interesting at the last parent teacher conference I had, Hanna’s teacher was talking about how next it would be good to start doing measuring with different things, like blocks, and pencils ~ whatever, just start getting the idea of measuring. I was like “ummm.. we use feet and inches mostly”. She looked a little surprised… but I’m no teacher, and we’re just having fun learning. I don’t know if I’m doing things in the “right order”. but I have also started pulling in what we’re learning with the measuring tape to other things as well.
Here’s where it gets tough for me… I’m a mostly organic gardener. I have a big garden where I grow our food. Unfortunately commodity corn is not really an “organic” crop. Nor is commodity farming an organic endeavor. So I’m in a quandry about what to tell/teach Hanna, about living naturally, taking care of the Earth, and us poisoning it in one acre of our space.
I’m also at a loss, because I can’t really believe that my family is now adding to the overwhelming corn surplus of the world, and contributing to the high fructose corn syrup, GMO, and corn fed beef  industries. That truly appalls me, but what can you do? A farmer has to make a living… and right now corn prices are through the roof. We have watched the movie King Corn together, and we do teach her about making healthy choices when it comes to her food, and what’s good for her body (although my husband and I disagree on some of this as well… including not using food with HFCS in it).
How do you teach your kids what you value when it’s being undermined in your very yard? It’s a tough topic, one that my husband and I go around and around about, and at this point I haven’t found an answer… I’d love to hear how you would tackle this issue, and living with beliefs at both ends of the spectrum in our home.
First… keep in mind that what we ‘think’ we’re teaching our kids isn’t always what they actually ‘learn’. So relax a bit about thinking you can even gauge what has been successfully ‘taught’.
Second… celebrate the fact that you are providing her with a very rich and close-up experience that mirrors the ‘reality’ of the world she lives in… which is a world filled with variety. Including a variety of ideas about what is best and how we can live in a world where others don’t share our idea of ‘best’.
And Finally… understand that we are teaching our kids what we REALLY value every minute of the day with every breath we take and every move we make. Along with this contemplating how you ‘teach’ what you value, especially within a world full of contradiction, also grab the opportunity to contemplate (and don’t be afraid to do some of it out loud with your daughter) about what your internal feeling combined with your actions is really telling you about the TRUTH of what you value. If you’re human, đŸ™‚ you may discover, like me, that what I ‘claim’ I value is not quite in alignment with my expression. The good news here, if we’re willing to take a sincere look and acknowledge the truth, is that we can gain insights that let us get back into alignment and be at peace with ourselves.
For instance… after reading your post it seems to me that you might hold a higher value for the love and respect you have for your husband’s freedom to do what he feels is best, than you have for taking a stand for your beliefs about growing commodity corn. Doesn’t mean you DON’T value healthy choices. Maybe it means you see accommodating your partners choices, even when they contradict your preferences, as the healthiest choice right now. And there’s nothing wrong with teaching THAT to your child.
wow Mary K,
As always a wonderful and thought provoking comment. I will certainly think about what you’ve said, and it is always fantastic for me to get a glimpse of a different way of looking at things. I especially like the last paragraph… and the thought that I value Ryan’s freedom to follow his dream… like that a lot. đŸ™‚ Thanks.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think commodity corn is in surplus. That’s why it’s so expensive. We not only use it for feeding livestock, but for making fuel as well.
My father used to grow about 40 acres of corn and soybeans. It never was a money making venture. It could only be his hobby. Then, between his age and the extensive regulations, he stopped farming. Before I was born, my parents raised chickens and hogs. They too got too expensive to raise due to stricter regulations. It is extremely difficult for small farmers to make it. So I wish Ryan good luck.
If Hanna is interested in learning about measurement using the real instruments, Go For It! I commend you for teaching so much to Hanna. As a school psychologist and special education teacher, I don’t see many parents go to such extremes teaching their children.
Completely agree. It’s a lesson that’s important to learn – Not everyone shares the same beliefs and concerns, and it’s often necessary to compromise, often out of love and respect for each other.
Love your sharing your farm work experiences with us readers. I grew up on a cash crop farm and understand the frustrations you are having. We didn’t have much, and it was a whole lot of hard work, but it was one of the best experiences of my life. We just went to a Fathers Day brunch today put on by the local Plowmen’s Association, in Ontario, Canada today and the room was full of some of the most honest , proud and REAL people out there. Although we don’t farm anymore I am proud to be part of that special group. Best of luck to you on your corn crop.