May 2024 issue of the Farmworx Magazine

May 2024
→GRASS-FED BEEF
Calhoun County Producers
Work with Heritage Highland Farms
→
→
→
FARMER OF THE FUTURE:
Re-Assessing Risk Management
"ONE IS TOO MANY:"
Local Residents Express Concerns About
Proposed Wind Farm
IT'S OK WHEN THINGS
MAKE YOU HAPPY

May 2024
contents
Free Publication by Dudley Printing. 515 4th St. Rockwell City, IA 50579
If you would like a free copy sent to you, please email us at farmworxmagazine@gmail.com
Publisher - Jason Major
Graphic Designer - Teri Marsh
Advertising Account Executive - Dianne Julian
Editorial Content - Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
→
4
grass-fed beef
Calhoun County Producers
Work with Heritage
Highland Farms
→
12
"one is too many:"
Local Residents Express Concerns
About Proposed Wind Farm
→ 6
Farmer of the
future:
Re-Assessing Risk Management
→
15
it's ok when things
make you happy
Page 2 May 2024

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Page 3

Jonathan and Stephanie Wetter, shown here with their Highland cattle near Lake City.
Grass-Fed Beef:
Calhoun County Producers Work with Heritage Highland Farms
By Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
When you’re choosing meat for your
summer cookouts, you have more locally-grown
options—including grass-fed
beef—now that two local cattle producers
are expanding their beef business
through Heritage Highland Farms.
“We’ve always sold beef, usually
halves and quarters,” said Jonathan Wetter,
who owns Rainbow Raccoon Ranch
southwest of Lake City with his wife,
Stephanie. “Now we’re part of Heritage
Highland Farms, which sources beef
from three Iowa families who raise Scottish
Highland cattle.”
Customers can purchase beef cuts
of all kinds, from ribeye steaks to ground
beef and pre- made burger patties, online
at heritagehighlandfarms.com. “Grassfed,
Highland beef is 30% leaner, on average,
than corn-fed beef,” said Jonathan
Wetter, whose cattle operation takes its
name from the historic Rainbow Bridge,
which is located nearby. “It doesn’t have
the cap fat, but the meat is well marbled.”
(The fat cap on beef is a layer of white
fat that runs along one side of a steak or
roast. Marbling includes the white flecks
of intramuscular fat that affect the meat’s
juiciness, tenderness, texture and flavor.)
While the Wetters began raising Scottish
Highland cattle a few years ago as a
hobby, their herd has expanded to 100+
cattle. As they connected with other Scottish
Highland producers, including Deardorff
Highlands near Yale, Iowa, and Mud
Ridge Ranch near Red Oak, Iowa, a new
idea took root.
“We met these two families through
the Heartland Highland Cattle Association,”
said Stephanie Wetter, who also
serves as director of animal welfare and
sustainability at the National Pork Board.
“We discovered they were using the same
sustainable ranching practices and were
experiencing the same issues providing
enough beef to meet demand, like we
were.” What if we teamed up to provide
healthy Highland beef to our customers?”
The three families launched Heritage
Highland Farms in March 2024. By working
together to raise and finish more cattle,
the families of Heritage Highland Farms
Page 4 May 2024
can utilize a USDA-certified packing plant
to allow for the sale of individual cuts of
beef.
“The partnership has been a win-win
for all involved,” said Stephanie Wetter,
who noted that Heritage Highland Farms’
beef has been shipped to customers from
coast to coast.
Great Scots! Highland cattle offer
many advantages
An ancient breed, Scottish Highland
cattle have withstood the test of time.
They’re one of the oldest registered
breeds of cattle, dating back to the 1880s.
Scottish Highland cattle are raised primarily
for their meat, which is lower in cholesterol
than other types of beef.
In years past, Scottish Highland cattle
caught the attention of the Livestock Conservancy,
an organization devoted to protecting
endangered livestock breeds from
extinction. The good news? When the
Livestock Conservancy released its 2019
Conservation Priority List, it announced
that Highland cattle had officially “graduated”
off this list, Stephanie Wetter said.

One of Scottish Highland cattle’s most
distinctive characteristics is their impressive
set of horns, which can reach up to
3 or 4 feet from tip to tip. These animals
tend to be docile and calm, however, and
do not stress easily.
Scottish Highland cattle are a hardy
breed that originated in the mountainous,
cold, windy, wet region of Scotland known
as the Highlands. The cattle’s distinctive
long hair keeps them warm in winter and
protects their eyes from flies. “When people
see Highland cattle for the first time,
they often ask, ‘Is that a bison? What do
you do with it?’” Stephanie Wetter said.
This medium-sized cattle breed is versatile
enough to find a use on just about
any farm. Highland cows average 900 to
1,200 pounds when mature. Bulls average
1,500 to 2,000 pounds, depending
upon forage conditions.
Scottish Highland cattle require little in
the way of shelter, feed supplements or
expensive grains to achieve and maintain
good condition. “Our cattle spend their
days grazing annual grasses and perennial
pastures,” Jonathan Wetter said.
Scottish Highland cattle are slow growers.
It takes 24 to 30 months to get them
to market weight, which is 1,000 to 1,200
pounds, he added.
Making the farm-to-fork connection
This niche specialty beef can be a key
part of a healthy diet. Studies by the Scottish
Agricultural College have determined
that Highland beef is significantly lower in
fat and cholesterol and higher in protein
and iron, compared to other beef breeds.
May 2024
“Highland cattle are about 38 percent
leaner than a typical Angus,” Stephanie
Wetter noted.
Highland beef is rich in protein and
iron, plus it’s a good source of vital minerals
like zinc and essential trace elements
including selenium. It’s also packed with
vitamins A, E, B3, B6 (which is important
for blood formation and energy metabolism)
and B12, an essential nutrient for
brain and nervous system health.
In addition, Highland beef also contains
higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid
(CLA), which helps protect against heart
disease, type-2 diabetes and cancer.
Grass-fed beef offers great taste,
as well. “We were shocked at how wellmarbled
Highland beef can be,” Jonathan
Baseball-cut sirloin steak
Wetter said. “It strikes a really good balance,
with no ‘gamey’ off-flavor.”
Highland beef lends itself to a range
of cooking methods and different recipes.
“We recommend cooking Highland beef
at a lower, slower temperature,” Jonathan
Wetter said.
If you want a medium-rare steak, for
example, cook the meat to an internal temperature
of 135 degrees Fahrenheit. The
remove the meat from the heat and let the
beef “rest” for about 7 to 10 minutes. This
allows the juices to redistribute throughout
the meat, which results in a more tender,
flavorful eating experience.
Among Heritage Highland Farms’ top
sellers are the filet mignon. Dubbed the
“queen of the steaks,” this elegant filet is
cut from the tenderloin and provides a rich,
buttery flavor and texture. When cooked
properly, the filet creates a steakhouse experience,
Jonathan Wetter said.
The Wetters also enjoy the baseballcut
sirloin steak. Like the filet mignon, the
cut is lean, thick and flavorful, but at a
smaller price. “We like to cook these cuts
in a cast-iron pan with butter,” said Jonathan
Wetter, who noted the baseball-cut
steaks are cut from the center of the top
sirloin.
The Wetters appreciate the opportunity
to expand their Highland beef business
and help others make the farm-tofork
connection. “We help keep people in
touch with where their food comes from,”
Jonathan Wetter said.
Pre-made Highland beef burger patties
Page 5

Scott Caine, Aimpoint Research
Farmer of the Future 2.0:
Re-Assessing Risk Management
By Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
There’s an old joke that the only
people who like change are babies
with a dirty diaper. As major changes
continue to propel agriculture
through the digital revolution, the art
of resiliency and ability to manage
risk become more important than
ever.
“Agriculture is deep in the middle
of a fourth revolution,” said Scott
Caine, president of Aimpoint Research,
an Ohio-based global strategic
intelligence firm specializing in
agri-food. “This is the digital revolution,
where ag is a high-tech industry.”
Change has defined agriculture
ever since humans began cultivating
crops thousands of years ago,
which historians define as the first
revolution in ag. The second major
revolution flourished in the 1800s,
when the industrial revolution
spurred the development of laborsaving
machines, from reapers to
steam engines to tractors.
The green revolution of the post-
World War 2 era ushered in the third
major wave of change in agriculture,
when synthetic fertilizers, crop
protection products and new plant
breeding techniques accelerated
farm productivity by the 1960s and
1970s.
As today’s farmers navigate the
fourth revolution driven by big data
and all things digital, it’s vital not
only to understand technology, but
be willing to meet what the market is
asking for. In the next five years, for
example, consumers’ demands for
more environmentally-responsible
farming practices shouldn’t catch
farmers by surprise, said Caine, who
spoke at FB Grit, a professional development
program the Iowa Farm
Bureau Federation offered earlier
this year in Amana, Iowa.
The demand for high-quality,
nutrient-dense food is also growing.
“Food as health will position
the farmer closer to the consumer,”
Page 6 May 2024
Caine said. “Productivity alone may
not be enough. Quality can be a
competitive advantage.”
Also, don’t count on existing export
markets to remain unchanged.
“There’s no guarantee that China is
going to continue to buy as much as
they’ve been buying from U.S. farmers,”
Caine said.
While these potential changes
don’t mean commodity markets will
go away, they highlight the need for
farmers to re-evuluate risk management
and be willing to meet what the
market is asking for. “It’s not scale
that matters,” Caine said. “It’s how
you approach your business and develop
a plan to weather the storms.
Just because your father did something
a certain way doesn’t mean
you’ll succeed doing it his way.”
Where do you fit into the Farmer
of the Future?
What kind of farmers will best
adapt to these changing times?
Aimpoint Research launched Farm-
Continued on page 8

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Page 7

er of the Future in 2018, an in-depth
study focused on audience segmentation
of U.S. farmers. Moving beyond
demographics, Farmer of the
Future segments farmers by psychographics,
such as growth-orientation,
business acumen, innovation
and willingness to take risks.
“None of these categories are
right or wrong, good or bad, but they
reflect a willingness to manage risk,”
Caine said.
The segments include:
• Ambitious architects These
forward-thinking innovators
are growth-oriented, willing
to take risks, highly collaborative
and view change
as an opportunity. “They are
not bound to the past,” Caine
said. “Instead, they look to
shape the future. They want
partners who can help them
figure out the best way to fit
new ideas into their operations
to maximize value.”
Ambitious architects comprise
19% of the farmers in the Farmer
of the Future 2.0 research. “The
number of ambitious architects will
slightly increase in the next decade,”
Caine added. “Their output will also
continue to increase as they grow
and expand.”
• Confident tacticians. These
farmers are independent,
confident, focused on stability
and willing to embrace technology.
They also value the
opportunity to consult with
trusted partners as they seek
ways to boost their profitability.
“Their profitability is not
dependent on legislation or
the whims of commodity markets,”
Caine added.
This group is confident in their
ability to evolve with the times, but
they favor stability rather than aggressive
growth. Confident tacticians
comprise 23% of the farmers
in this study. Their numbers—and
their respective output— are projected
to increase in the future.
“Confident tacticians will adopt new
technology and new practices to
bring strength and stability to their
operations,” Caine said.
• Connected stalwarts Driven
by safety and stability, these
farmers value partnerships
and are hesitant towards innovation.
They comprise 27%
of the farmers in the Farmer of
the Future 2.0 research. Connected
stalwarts need trusted
partners who can interpret
and translate advancements
in agriculture into meaningful,
realistic actions. The stalwarts
will likely divide into two
groups going forward, Caine
said. “The ones who build
networks they need will gain
confidence to advance, while
those who are unable to do so
will move into the lone ranger
category,” Caine said.
• Lone rangers. These farmers
are highly individualistic, are
generally averse to change
and prefer the way things
have always been done.
While they may have growth
aspirations, they aren’t seeking
collaboration. Lone rangers’
response to changing
times is to work harder, not
necessarily smarter, Caine
said. Their go-it-alone attitude
will expose them to risk,
and they will not anticipate
new opportunities. While they
comprise 15% of the farmers
in this study, their number will
continue to decline going forward.
“They are confident to
a fault and are only willing to
change when they recognize
a direct, tangible benefit,”
Caine said. “Their overconfidence
and go-it-alone approach
will not allow them to
see the full scope of the risks
they’re taking. They will watch
and stay the course as their
neighbors gain a competitive
advantage over them.”
• Resolute defenders view
farming as a lifestyle, prioritize
traditional farming practices,
and tend to be resistant
to change. They comprise
16% of the farmers in the
Farmer of the Future 2.0 research.
The number of resolute
defenders will slowly decline,
Caine said. They likely
have off-farm income, and
their operations are existing
on positive cash flows but declining
balance sheets.
“As the future sets in, the gap will
widen between resolute defenders
and the rest of the pack,” Caine said.
“Even if they acknowledge the world
is changing around them, they want
to continue doing what they want to
do anyway. Their lack of desire to
adopt practices that help them grow
in the future will make it difficult for
them to remain financially sound.”
The bottom line? Don’t find fault;
find solutions in these changing
times, Caine said.
“The operating environment is
evolving rapidly, commodity risk is
increasing, the acceleration towards
consolidation in ag is happening
rapidly, and compliance costs will
continue to escalate. Farmers and
ranchers must increase net operating
income, diversify income
streams, reinvest in their business
and innovate. Just maintaining the
status quo is a death sentence over
time.”
Page 8 May 2024

MAY IS BEEF MONTH
Nutritional Benefits
Beef is not just an incredibly flavorful food with delicious
versatility; it also has many nutritional benefits. Protein is one
of the essential nutrients in beef, important for muscle growth,
brain function, and overall health and well-being. Lean beef
is also rich in vitamins and minerals, including iron, zinc, and
vitamin B12.
When it comes to cooking beef, there are numerous recipes
available that it’s easy to incorporate it in one’s diet. Whether
you prefer grilled steaks, slow-cooked stews, or savory
hamburgers, everyone can enjoy the benefits of beef.
Nutritional Benefits
Farmers and ranchers work hard every day to provide us with
high-quality beef products. Besides, their work supports the
local economy and creates jobs. National Beef Month is a perfect
opportunity to show gratitude to the farmers and ranchers who
dedicate their livelihoods to provide a key staple of our food
culture.
By choosing to buy local and high-quality beef products,
we help support the livelihoods of those directly involved in
the industry. This support also helps pave the way to a more
sustainable and ethical industry, prioritizing the welfare of the
animals and the environment.
Celebrating with Delicious Beef Dishes
In celebration of National Beef Month, it’s the perfect time to
gather with friends and family and enjoy some delicious beef
dishes. Whether you want to fire up the grill for some juicy
steaks or slow cook brisket for a true Texas-style meal, there is
no shortage of mouthwatering beef recipes to enjoy.
You can show support by purchasing local, high-quality beef
and incorporate it into your diet as a nutritious, delicious food
option. With plenty of options, you can find a beef recipe that
suits your taste buds and nutritional needs. Let’s continue
showing gratitude and appreciation to the hardworking folks
who keep the agriculture industry alive and thriving.
Thank You To Our Sponsors:
Bleam Seed & Service, Manson
Carquest Auto Parts, Sac City
Essentia Protein Solutions, Lytton
Farm Bureau Financial Services-Clayton Garrells, Rockwell City
Farm Bureau Financial Services-John Scott, Sac City
Farmers Lumber Building Supply, Sac City
Godbersen Herefords, Arthur
Hawley Insurance, Vail
Hogemeyer Seeds, Arcadia
JW Construction/Wirtjers Trucking, Sac City
K.C. Nielsen, Ltd., Algona, Buffalo Center, Estherville, Harcourt, Humboldt,
Kanawha, Laurens, Manson, Titonka, Webster City, West Bend
Lake View Veterinary Services, Lake View
Landus, Lake City, Rockwell City, Ulmer, Yetter
MGM Plumbing, Heating & AC, Sac City
Mid State Milling, Buckeye, Carroll, State Center
Next Generation Buildings, Lake View
Pete's Seeds, Schaller
Reis Trailer, Westside
Roland L. Geyer Agency, Sac City
Rosener Equipment, Westside
Security Savings Bank, Boxholm, Dayton, Farnhamville,
Gowrie, Harcourt, Lehigh, Manson, Stratford
Town & Country Insurance Agency, Lohrville
Triple H Truck Wash, Odebolt
Van Horn Insurance, Glidden
Western Iowa Energy, Wall Lake
Western Iowa Equipment, Correctionville, Pomeroy
Western Iowa Risk Management & Insurance, Halbur,
Wall Lake, Westside
May 2024
Page 9

Page 10 May 2024

May 2024
Page 11

“ONE IS TOO MANY:”
Local Residents Express Concerns About
Proposed Wind Farm
By Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
When land owners in western
Calhoun County started receiving
letters a few months ago about a
proposed wind farm, word spread
quickly about the Camp Creek
Wind Farm (CCWF). So did questions
and concerns.
During a public meeting at the
Calhoun County courthouse on
March 18 regarding the proposed
wind farm, the first comment from
a local citizen summed up many of
the 70+ attendees’ thoughts. “One
is too many,” said the speaker, referring
to wind turbines.
Minnesota-based National Grid
Renewables (NGR), which develops
renewable energy projects nationwide,
is promoting CCWF as a
way to produce home-grown, clean,
renewable energy. The Camp
Creek project is a 300-megawatt
(MW) wind farm whose footprint
will span roughly 40,000 acres in
the townships of Elm Grove, Garfield,
Twin Lakes and Lake Creek.
The company has indicated that
the project could include 60 to 70
wind turbines.
“It’s anticipated to positively impact
the environment, as well as
the local economy, by producing
tax revenue, jobs and contributions
through a charitable fund,”
according to NGR’s economic impact
study.
NGR anticipates approximately
$47 million in landowner payments
to participating landowners during
a 20-year period. The company
also projects 300 construction and
related service jobs as CCWF is
built, along with eight full-time jobs.
NGR’s CCWF economic impact
study projects an impact of
about $766,000 in tax revenue a
year, said Carl Legore, a Calhoun
County supervisor. The eight wind
turbines that were built in Calhoun
County around 2012 generate
about $20,000 a year in tax revenue,
for a total of $160,000, since
the county uses the state’s special-use
valuation, Legore noted.
“My figures came to around $1.2
million or more in tax revenue for
60 wind turbines,” added Legore,
who noted that Calhoun County’s
budgeted expenses for fiscal year
2022/2023 totaled $19,366,847.
For comparison, Marshall County
in central Iowa has 116 wind turbines,
and their 2023 tax revenue
collected was $2.4 million. “Ida
County in western Iowa has 215
wind turbines and are expecting
that their peak tax revenue in 2027
will be $3.6 million,” Legore added.
NGR touts the strong market
Page 12 May 2024

During an open house at the Calhoun County Expo building in Rockwell City earlier this year, the public could visit with National Grid Renewables’ team members to learn
more about the proposed Camp Creek Wind Farm.
for wind energy. “Given historical
pricing during a production tax
credit (PTC), electricity generated
by wind turbines on average
costs between 2 and 5 cents per
kilowatt hour,” according to the
company’s promotional materials.
“This is cost- competitive with traditional
energy sources and is the
least expensive renewable energy
source available in many areas of
the United States today.”
Citizens speak out
Many residents who live and
work in the proposed CCWF don’t
view it as a good thing. “We chose
to move here, because Calhoun
County is a great place to live,”
said Ashley Schwartz of rural
Lytton. “When we were considering
this area, however, we wouldn’t
have given Calhoun County a second
look if there had been a wind
farm here. We would have missed
the opportunity to be part of a great
community.”
Schwartz’ husband, Dr. Trevor
Schwartz, DVM, also opposes the
proposed wind farm. “I’m deeply
concerned about proposed wind
turbine farm in Calhoun County.
While renewable energy is commendable,
it’s crucial to consider
potential negative effects on the
local environment and community.”
Many home owners who live
near wind farms say the turbines’
sound is irritating, said Schwartz,
who works with Suidae Health and
Production, which offers swine
veterinary services, herd health
consulting and more. “Also, when
turbine blades pass in front of the
sun, a shadow moves across the
landscape. As a veterinarian, I’ve
seen how this flickering effect can
stress livestock, making them anxious.
There are also reports of lowered
rate-of-gain for livestock near
wind turbines.”
The construction of wind farms
can take a huge toll on the landscape,
he added. “Farmers report
that their ag drainage tile lines were
disrupted by the construction of
the turbines, and this damage has
never been fully repaired. On top
of all this, the electricity generated
by the turbines won’t power any
of your electrical needs or mine.
Continued on page 14
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Page 13

(Left to right) Calhoun County Supervisor Scott Becker and Lytton-area residents Doug and Jamie Bartels, listen as
a National Grid Renewables’ representative shows the area of the proposed Camp Creek Wind Farm.
Transmission lines will take that
energy far from Calhoun County.”
Doug Bartels, who farms near
Lytton, also opposes the CCWF.
He thinks of the person who told
him, “This will divide your community,”
referring to the CCWF.
“This statement has stuck with
me as I’ve been talking with people
about the wind farm.”
Blinking lights from two existing
wind farms in the area are
visible from the front porch of his
family’s home. “When the sun
passes behind these turbines,
this creates a disturbing flicker,”
he said. “I question the integrity
of anyone who would subject
their friends and neighbors to
the incessant flicker and hum of
these eyesores.”
Bartels is also concerned
about ag drainage issues related
to the turbines, especially after
visiting with farmers who have
experienced this first-hand. “One
farmer reported drainage issues
on either side of the access road
to the turbines,” Bartels said. “Before
the turbines were installed,
he had no drainage problems in
those areas.”
The turbines also hinder the
aerial application of crop protection
products, Bartels added.
“Why would we want all these
drawbacks, especially when agriculture
drives Calhoun County’s
economy?”
Power hungry?
There’s a lot of talk locally
and nationally about the “energy
transition” to renewable energy,
including wind and solar power.
But there’s a lot more to the
story when it comes to supplying
the reliable, affordable electricity
people need to power their
homes, farms and businesses—
all of which are at risk, according
to Robert Bryce, an author,
journalist and host of the “Power
Hungry” podcast.
In May 2023, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency
(EPA) proposed a greenhouse
gas (GHG) rule that aims to cut
carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
roughly 90% from the electric
sector. “Where will we get the
juice?” asked Bryce, who spoke
at the December 2023 annual
meeting of the Iowa Association
of Electric Cooperatives in West
Des Moines.
He’s skeptical that a complete
shift to renewable energy is feasible.
For the first time, the North
American Electric Reliability Corporation
(NERC) has cited energy
policy as a reliability risk factor,
stating that “policy decisions can
significantly affect the reliability
and resilience of the bulk power
system.”
NERC has also identified reliability
risk priorities, citing concerns
about “wind and solar
droughts,” noted Bryce, who
added that there have been approximately
603 wind and solar
rejections in the United States
from 2015 to 2023. “If we’re facing
more extreme weather, why
would we ever make our most
important energy network dependent
on the weather?” Bryce
asked. “It makes no sense.”
Bartels encourages people
to contact their elected officials
and respectfully convey concerns
they have about the proposed
CCWF. “While we’re Iowa nice,
we won’t be pushed around.”
Page 14 May 2024

It’s Ok When Things Make You Happy
By Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
One of my guilty pleasures is trolling
thrift shops, garage sales, antique
shops and other secondhand stores.
My mom’s father, Ralph Brown, was
one of the original fans of Goodwill, and
he passed his love of thrifting onto my
mom, who passed it onto me--so that
makes me a third-generation thrifter,
right?
Some of my favorite finds revolve
around dishes and farm-themed items.
I savor the moments when I’m sipping
green tea from my blue Fiestaware teacup
and saucer, which I scored at the
Coralville Goodwill last summer. One
of my latest, quirky finds came from the
Goodwill in Spencer—two cow-themed
mugs for 99 cents each. Cartoon designs
of Holstein cows on vacation to
the Black Hills, Florida, Mardi Gras in
New Orleans and a ski resort in Colorado
just make me smile.
When I posted a picture of these fun
mugs on my Facebook page, one of my
friends shared this comment:
“Adorable! I have a picture on my
wall of a farm wife milking her Jersey
cow, out in a pen with a chicken or two
and a small cat. I bought it at an auction
years ago and love it -- just because. I
couldn’t begin to explain to anyone what
thoughts it conjures up for me when I
look at it. Some days I am so thankful
that I’ve lived long enough to have the
May 2024
time to just sit and think and remember.”
This got me thinking--can things truly
make us happy? Is it ok if they do? For
years, we’ve been advised that if we
want to be happier, we should invest
in experiences rather than things. But
what about those go-to purchases of
ours — maybe those comfortable boots,
an interesting coffee mug or fresh-cut
flowers — that just make us feel good?
Turns out that the material things in
our lives aren’t incidental to our happiness.
That’s according to Ingrid Fetell
Lee, author of Joyful: The Surprising
Power of Ordinary Things to Create
Extraordinary Happiness. Her research
shows that the objects in our surroundings
can have a surprisingly powerful
influence on our emotional well-being.
Take flowers, for example. Studies
show that just being exposed to flowers
can lift our mood, reduce anxiety,
improve memory and even decrease
the amount of pain medication used by
patients in a hospital after surgery.
Manmade objects can have similar
effects. Did you know that objects
with round or symmetrical shapes are
known to elicit positive emotions, while
sharp, angular, asymmetrical objects
are associated with tension and sadness?
That helps explain why I love the
glossy, round, bright red teapot I recently
purchased at a local thrift shop for a
whopping $2.
It’s clear that objects can affect our
happiness in deep ways, some that
we aren’t even consciously aware of.
My advice? Choose items (even everyday
things like teapots or cups) that
enhance your joy and well-being, rather
than detract from it.
There’s one more than thing that objects
accomplish that experiences (like
traveling, or going to a concert) do not.
They stick around. Objects that inspire
joy give you a lasting sense of pleasure.
Not only do these items connect you to
the past (I’m thinking of the antique oak
secretary/desk with a beveled, oval mirror
in my living room), but the feelings
they evoke are equally potent in the
present.
Rather than thinking of our favorite
things as wasteful or unnecessary indulgences,
let’s think of them as treasures
that can bring out our best selves.
So—do you have an item that makes
you happy every time you look at it or
use it? Tell me about it at yettergirl@yahoo.com.
I look forward to hearing from
you.
Darcy Maulsby, Iowa’s Storyteller, is
actively involved her family’s Century
Farm near Lake City. She is an ag journalist,
author of the book “Iowa Agriculture:
A History of Farming, Family and
Food,” and owner of a marketing/communications
company, Darcy Maulsby &
Co. Visit her online at www.darcymaulsby.com.
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