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Ain't It Beautiful

from Songs From the Science Frontier by Monty Harper

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about

This song was inspired by the work of Cheryl Baker with the USDA. She breeds new wheat varieties to be resistant to aphids so that farmers can use less pesticides on their crops. The fact that natural resistance found in hand-grown Afghan crops helped save our commercially grown wheat here in Oklahoma just blew me away!

lyrics

Behold the Oklahoma plain
Planted with a single strain
A blanket spun from golden grain
A trillion stalks of wheat

On every stalk a perfect head
The kernels keep the combines fed
Then off to manufacture bread
So everyone can eat

Ain't it beautiful; Ain't it clever
Ain't it just about the best news ever
A farmer feeds a nation's needs
When man and nature work together

About a half a world away
An Afghan farmer starts his day
He swings a scythe to cut his hay
He threshes it by hand

He grows a mix of wheat out here
And when the weather turns austere
A strain or two may persevere
Enough to meet demand

Ain't it beautiful; Ain't it clever
Ain't it just about the best news ever
A farmer feeds a family's needs
When man and nature work together

Back in Oklahoma, disaster in the fields
Farmers ponder pesticides while Russian aphids cut their yeilds
But scientists have a weapon to help us fight this pest
The USDA wheat gene bank has more than fifty thousand types to test

And they find resistance built right in
To a plant from our Afghan farmer friend
They cross it with our own and spin
A strain that can't be beat

And so the Oklahoma plain
Ripples proudly once again
A blanket spun from golden grain
A trillion stalks of wheat

Ain't it beautiful; Ain't it clever
Ain't it just about the best news ever
How science feeds our global needs
When man and nature work together

credits

from Songs From the Science Frontier, released November 11, 2010
Monty Harper: vocals, acoustic guitar
Rob "Dr. Rock" Martin: drums, percussion
Chris "Boom" Wiser: keyboards
Dave Spindle: bass
Produced by Chris Wiser
Recorded at Bell Labs Recording Studio, Norman, OK
Additional recording at 20 Sparrows Recording Service, OKC, OK
Engineered by Trent Bell
Mastered by Garrett Haines at Treelady Studios
Cover design by Monty Harper and Paul Fleming
Funded through Kickstarter.com
Boom and Dr. Rock appear courtesy of the Sugar Free Allstars

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Monty Harper Stillwater, Oklahoma

Monty Harper is a children's musician in Stillwater, OK. He performs for elementary schools and libraries, helps kids write their own songs in workshops and residencies, does informal science education, and writes songs for clients.

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