((PKG))  FROM THE EARTH 
((Banner:  Stewards of the Land))

((Reporter/Camera:  Arturo Martínez))

((Map:  Glenns Ferry, Idaho))

((Banner:  Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) 1.6%)) 

((NATS))

((Justin Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))
I am Justin Wootan and I am a farmer, Idaho potato farmer.  I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

((NATS))

((Justin Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))
My brother, my dad and I, kind of, run the farm.  It's definitely a family thing.  Our farm is unique in that we only raise 660-acres (260 hectares) of potatoes on the 4000-acre (1600 hectares) farm, and then we rotate it around, and so, it's a seven-year rotation before we get back to potatoes.


((NATS))

((Justin Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))
We are just out back, looking at the Omnitrac.  Thanks.  Love you.  Bye.  My wife came up.  She helps with the bills and helps keeping me organized in the office.  She does a lot, a lot.


((Shannon Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))

They need to be filed.


((Justin Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))

Well, they have to make copies and then be bound.

((Shannon Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))
We both have our master's degree and 10 years ago he said, "I think I want a farm."  Okay.  So, we moved down here and his whole idea was that this was the best way to raise a family and teach them how to work hard and how to play hard.


((NATS))

((Justin Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))

And if you look way over there, that's Oregon.  Over there.


((Shannon Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))

We have five children, so I stay pretty busy at home.  So, I come up and help him whenever he needs help, and I try and come up a couple times a week at least.


((NATS))

((Julia Wootan, Daughter))

We are so thankful for this day.  We are thankful that we could all have a good day today, that we could have a good day at school.  Please bless our physical and spiritual safety. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.


((Wootan family))

Amen.


((Justin Wootan, Black Mesa Farms)) 

We try to practice our religion in our daily life.


((NATS))

((Justin Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))

How are you doing José?
((José, Black Mesa Farms))
Good, how are you doing?

((Justin Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))
Good.


((NATS))
((Shannon Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))
We were talking to the kids and they said, “We don't practice our religion when we go up to work,” and I said, yeah, you do. We make sure that we're honest in our dealings with everybody and we're telling the truth and we're doing what we know is right and we're respecting people from all different walks of life.

((NATS))
((Justin Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))
And he's studying to be an engineer.

((Shannon Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))
Nice.

((NATS))

((Banner:  In the 1800s, the early years of their religion, Mormons often were met with suspicion and violence))  

((Justin Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))
The LDS Latter-day Saints, the early members of the church, they came into a city and pretty soon they're a majority of the population, and people are a little reluctant to change and so that created the persecution.  And today, you're seeing large movements of migrants.  I think everybody deserves a safe place to live and practice a religion in a way that's beneficial to society.  You can't judge a religion by the extremists out there.

((NATS))
((Justin Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))
The guys are out there right now, hooking up the solid set lines.

((NATS))
((Justin Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))
We hire laborers that come up on the H2 program and they're hired for a certain period and then they go back. These are jobs that we advertise a couple months here in the States, and in the last five years, we've never had somebody come and interview for the job, and so then, we go and pick these folks up from, in this case, Mexico and bring them in, and they help us in the fall.  As far as faith, I think it's important that people have a way to provide for themselves and, I think, that this H2 program does that.

((NATS))
((Justin Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))
Aren't you going to eat a little?  It’s midday.  Are you going to eat?

((Laborer))
You mean lunch? 

((Justin Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))
Yes, lunch.

((NATS))
((Justin Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))
As a farmer, I do feel like I'm a good steward of the land.  We go to great lengths to keep the weeds down.  We go to great lengths to keep the soil biology active and growing.  It's making the world fruitful.

((NATS))
((Justin Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))
We want to be good stewards of the land for the environmental impact as far as preserving for our future generations.  We look to build the soil, create a vegetative culture that's beneficial to the land.

((NATS))
((Justin Wootan, Black Mesa Farms))
When the Lord and Heavenly Father gave Adam and Eve the garden he said, “Go forth, till, work this ground, make it beautiful.”

((NATS))