Cranberry Red: A Novel

32. Cranberry Red Meeting

131 It was the Monday after the Ames County Fair had ended, and Ben was looking over the schedule of appointments that he and Brittani had gotten from sitting in their little booth and promoting Osborne University. Ben was having difficulty adjusting to the hard-sell approach of his new employer . True, when he worked as a county agricultural agent, he let people know what programs he had available, what new bulletins had come to his office for distribution, and what new workshops he had planned. But he did all this quietly and mostly through a weekly newspaper column he wrote, his regular radio program, and direct mail pieces to folks he knew might have an interest in the office’s educational programs. This morning Ben hadn’t gotten through the pile of phone messages that had been left on his voice mail, when the phone rang. “This is Ben Wesley,” he answered. “Ben, this is Dr. Phillips over in Oshkosh. How are you this morning?” “Little tuckered after spending three days at the fair.” “I heard from Brittani that it went quite well, that you got several appointments and some workshop requests.” “Yup, we did,” said Ben. “Ben, let me get right to my reason for calling. Do you have any workshops on your calendar for cranberry growers? We’ve got to get them acquainted with Cranberry Red.” “Not yet, but it’s on my ‘to do’ list.” Cranberry Red Meeting 32 “Better push it to the top of your list. Gunnar Godson over at the research station has early results to share, and Dr. Foley, our vice president for research here at Osborne, is anxious to get the word out.” “Shouldn’t we wait until this fall’s crop from Jeff Johnson’s bog comes in, so we can see if the results hold up under regular growing conditions?” “Ben, Ben. You’re thinking like a land-grant university person. Researchers take forever to release their findings. Testing, checking. Testing again. Holding something off the market way too long. In our business, we strike when the iron is hot. And the iron is hot. The cranberry growers need to know about Cranberry Red.” Ben was silent for a moment, but he was thinking. “Ben, you still on the line?” “Yeah, I’m still here.” “Well, are you planning to organize a workshop? I’d suggest you do it at the research station, give the cranberry growers a chance to see our research operation.” “Okay. I’ll get on it,” Ben responded. He hoped his voice didn’t convey what he was thinking. “Thank you, Ben. Have a nice day.” Ben pushed back in his chair. He knew why his employer was in such a hurry to promote Cranberry Red. It had little to do with education and much to do with selling the product. Ben surmised that if Cranberry Red was as good as early research suggested, cranberry growers would jump at the chance to buy the product. Ben wondered about the arrangement between Osborne University and the huge International Farm-Med organization that would be making and marketing Cranberry Red. Could it be that Osborne University was really a front for the gigantic IFM Company? Likely millions of dollars were involved. He didn’t like what he had to do, didn’t like it all. What he was doing was a long way from being an educator. Plain and simple, under the guise of teaching about better agricultural practices, he was hired to sell a product. True, Cranberry Red appeared to have enormous health bene- fits, from reducing heart attacks to preventing strokes, according to research findings so far, as reported in the media by Osborne officials. Maybe 132 Cranberry Red Meeting 133 Cranberry Red Meeting he should climb off his high horse and join with those trying to improve people’s health. Perhaps Osborne University’s approach was the way of the future. Discover something new, do some brief testing, and then try and convince people to use it. Still, Ben’s many years of training and experience raised flags. And Osborne University’s close ties with International FarmMed were an even more serious concern. Ben walked out to the front office, where Brittani sat with a smile on her face. She had obviously overheard the conversation with Dr. Sara Phillips. “Got to organize a workshop for cranberry growers...