Clueless Newscaster

[soilbabe]

I just wrote an email to FOX News regarding Shepard Smith's gaffe on his newscast...

He was reporting on a downed hot air baloon in Iowa.  The video showed a farmer combining corn in the background, going around the balloon and keeping on working. 

He said something like this..."The 'worker' just 'plowed' the field right around the balloon....."

Clueless.....

I urged him to do his homework and get in touch with the food system in this country....especially in the breadbasket! 

[mbullock471]

Really embarassing. Shep grew up in north Mississippi and went to school in Oxford, MS. Of course back when he lived in Mississippi there weren't that many planters putting in corn, mostly cotton and beans. Rice was next. Oh well, I guess us Mississippians have our share of city folk as well.

[suey1973]

When I first saw the clip I was a little surprised that the farmer didn't seem to be helping.   But... on second thought, I bet he was combining his beans as fast as he could before the power company and balloon rescue people ended up trampling them over.    With the price of soybeans I'd rather get them harvested if they would give me time.   As long as the people were in no immeadiate danger I would think they would rather wait for the combine to go by rather than have to file with their insurance company for damages to soybeans. That looked like a pretty big header.   I figure one pass was all that was needed.  Plus,  they are going to pay to the power company for damages too.   Hopefully the power was already off  cause that combine was going to be awfully close to them.  Too close if they were still carrying electricity. 

Just my best guess...

[old and rusty]

I saw the clip and thought immediately that the farmer was clearing a path for the emergency vehicles to get through. They probably didn't want to have  their ambulances and fire vehicles  wind up with dry bean plants wrapped around their axles and would become a hazard themselves. There is always someone who has driven out into the dry fields and wind up with something wrapped and smoking underneath.

With the fear of a fire starting from the downed power lines, the best thing possible would be for there to be less to burn all around the balloon. It never entered my mind that he was out there combining for monetary reasons, I could see so many reasons that getting the crop out around the accident that would benefit everyone. 

[lln50nwin]

What do expect it was Fox!!