Food, Weather and Enlightenment

After missing a couple of days of posting it is a struggle to get back into the groove.  It has been a long week packed into the last couple of days and I just didn't have the time to write.  Sometimes the things we must do get in the way of the things we desire to do.

I got to see a pretty good swath of country this week.  The wheat crop in Kansas looks to be off to an excellent start.  I say start, probably it is past mid-point and looks to be well on its way to a good finish.

The same moisture that has been good for Kansas wheat has created problems in other ways though.  There continue to be many areas that are struggling to get ground prepared and planted.  There is flooding in Texas where many crops have already sprouted.

Further north into Nebraska I understand they are still struggling with the aftermath of the huge "bomb cyclone" that swept through earlier.  The impact will be felt for several years.

Agriculture is dependent on the weather.  For those not in the business of producing food there is little understanding of how important the weather can be for farmers and ranchers.  It would probably be good for everyone if they better understood that element of food production.  As populations grow throughout the world, the fine line between plenty and want will become more and more critical.  A single massive weather event could trigger widespread food shortages.

I had the good fortune this week to meet some young men from the other side of this planet who are developing and managing state-of-the-art facilities for producing a wide range of food products.  They are eager to learn and focused on applying the best technological advances to their art.  I was very impressed.

We struggled a bit with the language, but with the aid of an interpreter were able to have meaningful conversations on many subjects.  In this country we tend to think of ourselves as set apart -- as different from people in other countries.  I have been fortunate to learn that is far from the truth.  We need to remember that there are good and bad people everywhere and in every country.  The young men I met this week are some of the good guys and they are devoted to feeding the world.