America's Heartland - Episode 412 Summary

Episode 412

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On this special edition of America’s Heartland host Paul Ryan is on board the USS Ronald Reagan to find out how the harvest from the heartland is serving those who serve us. See first hand, the hard work that goes into fulfilling the 6,000 personnel’s hearty appetites each and every day. Then Paul meets the men and women onboard who have their roots and values buried deep in the heartland. They come from the ranches, the farms and the small farming communities throughout the country. One such sailor is Toby Snowden. We follow Toby home on leave to the small farming town of Mattoon in central Illinois. Toby, along with his family, gives us a first hand look of the life he yearns to go back to once he retires from the Navy.
	USS Reagan Overview Welcome on board the USS Ronald Reagan as we slip out to sea past the skyline of San Diego. And you might well be asking what does an aircraft carrier have to do with America’s Heartland, with a show about agriculture. Well, a couple of things quickly come to mind.
	USS Reagan Below Deck This is a story not so much about the exciting life topside but the more routine life below decks. While seemingly mundane, the galley crews like "Culinary Specialist" or "C.S.", Torry Mitchell, take enormous pride in their work.
	Supporting Our Troops What would it be like on the farm after so much time away? We wanted to find out. After our stint at sea, we followed Toby home on leave, to the small farming town of Mattoon in central Illinois.

The Monsanto Company and the American Farm Bureau Federation make presentation of America's Heartland possible.

Additional production and promotion assistance is provided by the American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Cotton Council, United Soybean Board and U.S. Grains Council.