Farm Manager's conference

Mon. Mar.2, 2009

Dear Elder & Sister Hansen and all my children,

Last week we had our annual Farm Manager Conference, except this year we had it in Boise Idaho (way to go, Idaho). Actually it was in (or near) Caldwell Idaho (40 min. away), with our hotel being in between in Nampa Idaho, 20 min. away. I was told it was in the Treasure Valley (I would have thought that it would all be the Snake River Valley, but not so). I flew from Fresno to San Francisco, our turbo prop plane flew right over the farm (our raisin vineyard), and just alongside Hwy 99 all the way up past Modesto before turning west to the Bay Area. I saw the two High Schools at Madera, and I waved and said “hello D, J, & M." Then the Pilot Truck Stop, County Landfill, Chowchilla including the High school and my parent’s house; then Jessup’s Dairy & the land Schuh Bros. farmed where I worked as a teenager, etc.

My flight was late, and I literally ran from gate 11 to the gate 71, where they were calling my name, but as it was, there was still a short line, waiting to board the jet, so I did not hold them up at all. After we took off and curved around heading NE, I had a beautiful view of the Bay Bridge, Treasure Island, Alcatraz, The Golden Gate Bridge, Oakland and San Francisco. The Oakland Temple was on the other side of the plane. [On the way home, as we took off at night from SF airport going to "Fresberg", our plane banked and made a beeline for the Oakland Temple – shinning like “a beacon on the hill”. It really was being used by that pilot as his beacon, guiding his (our) course. If an airline pilot uses our Temple to chart his course, oh how much the more do we need to set our course by its guiding light that it gives to us, and to the whole world!] Then over all the patchwork of farmland of the Sacramento Valley, and over the Sierra’s to the Desert of Nevada, SE Oregon, & SW Idaho. I saw the Football Stadium at Boise State, but the (Blue) “Smurf Turf” was covered up (otherwise geese & ducks think it’s water, and try to land on it, creating terrible flop-flop-flop-wap crash landings for the previously unwary water fowl).

Once I landed in Boise, I was wondering if there was a shuttle to the Fairfield Inn at Nampa, or if I was going to have to take a Taxi,… when I see this guy waving at me, and I recognize him as Steve B, the Farm Manager for the Caldwell Orchard (he has cherries, apricots, peaches & apples). He was there to pick up myself & Reed R from Hurricane Utah (apricots & peaches). Steve’s son is a recently returned missionary in the Calif. Santa Rosa Mission, and later when I talked with him, I found out that he knew Elder (Jordan) H very well, and they were in the same Zone together, and good friends. He said he was a good worker. He is also engaged to be married. ...
  John N from Medford Oregon (pears), and Bruce L from Ogden Utah (peaches) both drove to the Conf. All the HQ guys, Martin O (my immediate boss) and Brent C (head of all Welfare Farms) also drove. When I first started with the Church farms, there were at least 18 – 20 orchards & vineyards. Now we are down to 5, and we have increased the production on those 5 farms, to the point that we now out produce what the 20 farms used to do (except for the oranges that we used to have in So. Cal., and concord grapes that they used to have in Utah). But in recent months, the demand on our Welfare Projects and Bishop’s Storehouse have increased in total needs 30%, with the demand for peaches up 125%. So the Church bought some additional land near the Caldwell Orchard, so it is over twice the size now. Some of the new acreage has plums on it, and alfalfa. They will mainly be planting peaches and pears. Plus it also included an existing packing shed. Steve B is going to have his hands full, with all those crops. I think that I have it bad with only one crop (raisins), and the pressures of a little over a month of harvest from late Aug. to early Oct. But Steve B will start in early May with the first of monthly hay cuttings, then start in the cherries and then go right into the apricots, next comes plums, then peaches, then pears and finishing off with apples! And all the while overseeing the packing shed t’ boot! He will be in a constant harvest mode from May through October, what a grind on the Manager and members as well.

The Church has a hiring freeze in place (except in Welfare), and we all have been asked to cut back on expenses, to “do more with less”. But with the current situation in our national economy, the over all needs for Welfare are going up. Our Church leaders are preparing for whatever the future holds. They are asking us to increase our production!

On one hand the Church is gaining huge favor in PR all over the world for all of our Humanitarian efforts, and support and cleanup following natural disasters. But on the other hand there are those who will always hate us, and will try to do all they can to thwart the work (including our Welfare Farms). Brent C told us about a wheat farm with giant storage silos, in Oregon. The Church was in court facing charges of tax evasion on this farm. The government people could not believe that we had all these giant silos full of wheat, and not making any money off of it! We tried in vain to convince them, that we were storing it for time of need, and then we would give it away directly to the poor and needy, or make bread and other products from it, and GIVE that to the poor and needy (the unemployed as well as disaster victims etc.). We did not receive one penny for that wheat in compensation. That as a Church and “Non-Profit Organization” we should not have to pay taxes on the value of something that we were storing, to give away!

 Finally the head prosecuting attorney picked up the large “swearing-in Bible”, and shook it at them and said, “you show me one place in here where it talks about storing grain!” The Judge looks down at the prosecuting attorney, shakes his head in disgust at the arrogance & ignorance of this alleged attorney and states “I can’t believe you just said that!” Then the Judge lifts up his hand to Brent C and silently motions for him to come get that Bible. From that very Bible, Brent C reads to the whole courtroom the account in the Book of Genesis how Joseph interprets the Pharaoh’s dream, and how he stored grain in the 7 years of plenty, to be measured out in the 7 years of famine. He also told them about the Book of Ruth, where Boaz left the corners of the field for the poor, and the widows & orphans to glean, as commanded by Moses. Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi were widows and had great kindness shown them by Boaz. Brent told the courtroom, that God has commanded his people though the ages to care for the poor and needy, and that we were trying to follow that command today. We made no money whatsoever from that wheat! We just wanted to be able to give it away! Needless to say, we won the case, and did not have to pay taxes on the value of the wheat in storage for welfare purposes. [“No unhallowed hand…”]


May “The Master of the Vineyard” keep you all in his watchful care.
 Love always, Jamie