European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 18, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                John Sneed right with son Jim and grandson Brian dry ing plants before extracting pollen from them. Farmer encourages All his weeds to Breed by Keith Schneider new York times Ohn Sneed s farm near Sedalia mo., is either a Weed Waikiki or a Hay fever sufferer s hades. Ragweed and Lamb s quarters flourish on this Hilltop 90 Miles East of Kansas City spreading their leaves luxuriously in the Sun and sinking roots deep in the Sandy Loam. Pigweed Horsetail and Golden Rod unmolested by chemicals and cultivators mature to robust adulthood producing seeds that Are spread by the wind. Indeed Sneed encourages All his weeds to Breed. Long ago Sneed discovered that Weed pollen is Worth a considerable amount to a handful of pharmaceutical manufacturers who turn it into medications to diagnose and treat allergies. Some Weed pollen Sells for $6 a Gram. In 1986 Sneed and two sons turned this Runny nose Harvest into nearly $150,000 in Cash. Along with the soybeans Corn and livestock they produce the sneeds 800-acre farm earns enough to support three families. The dictionary defines a Weed As an unwanted Plant said Sneed As he gingerly stepped across rows of milk Weed and English plantain he sowed several weeks earlier. Erma Bombeck As far As i m concerned we Don t have any weeds because i want them  across the United states family Farmers Are turning away from traditional crops and livestock and finding new ways to earn Money. Sneed though is a rare Breed who has discovered the delicious greed in weeds. He s the Only commercial Weed Farmer i know of and i would have heard if there Are any others said George m. Coleman director of manufacturing for Hollister Stier an allergy Medicine manufacturer in Spokane Wash., and a division of Miles inc., a pharmaceutical company in Elkhart ind. Weeds grow everywhere around Sneed s place in the Fields beside the Road around the barn even along the walk leading to the Back porch. Rumours swept through the farmhouses and Church pews. Neighbors wondered whether Sneed whose family has been farming North of this Middle Western City since 1854, was heading toward a sheriff s Sale or a psychiatric Hospital. For a Long time we were considered the neighbourhood nuts said Mary Francis Sneed who is known in the area As the Weed Farmer s wife. Today the mutterings have a different tone. Several years ago Sneed explained to his neighbors Why his farm looked As though it had just fallen out of bed. Then he told them the kind of Money that was involved. Now he said laughing they want to sell me their  if Only it were that simple. Weeds like Field mice or escaped convicts prefer to scatter. Bringing the agronomic principles of Corn production to the planting and harvesting of spiny pigweed or Southern ragweed can be a formidable feat. Over the years Sneed and his sons James and not Robert have solved most of the technical problems of sowing and harvesting weeds. The family uses its Ordinary Corn planter to form straight rows of weeds. In other instances they simply plow the soil and wait to see what turns up. This year a thick stand of Lamb s quarters a Weed that invades Corn Fields sprouted in one Field. Sneed also designed a self propelled mechanical vacuum Harvester to collect pollen. The whimsical machine which draws pollen through massive air ducts into a giant vacuum bag looks like what might happen if a Tennessee still was crossed with a car Wash. After harvesting pollen is dried and sifted then poured into plastic containers for shipment to Hollister Stier and two other companies that Are leaders in the allergy Medicine Industry. It takes pounds of harvested plants to produce just a few Grams of purefied pollen Sneed said. Sneed in time has Learned More about weeds and pollen than Many scientists. He harvests pollen from cultivated weeds As Well As the Hardwood Trees on his farm including locusts american elms cottonwoods and sycamores. From february when the Trees begin producing pollen through August when the crops of ragweed mature Sneed and his family Are harvesting. For now nothing appears to threaten the profitability of the Market Niche Sneed discovered when a Crew from an Oklahoma company hired him in the late 1960s to help them collect pollen around Sedalia. Biotechnology companies have shown Little interest in producing synthetic pollen. The number of people suffering from pollen related allergies is rising according to medical specialists. And As yet neither Sneed nor anyone else in his family has developed an overwhelming need for antihistamines or tissues. If it s True that life begins when the kids Are grown and the dog Dies then Why do mothers have All that Wisdom left Over you d think at the end of 20 years of child raising we d All come out even but we Don t. I be seen mothers fight to keep from running Down the aisle at their daughter s or son s wedding screaming wait i m not finished with you yet we feel compelled to pack them full of every bit of Sage advice handed Down from our mothers plus All the omnipotence we have assembled on our own. When mothers talk about the depression of the empty nest they re not mourning the passing of All those wet towels on the floor or the music that numbs your Teeth or even the bottles of hapless shampoo dribbling Down the Shower Drain. They re upset because they be gone from supervisor of a child s life to Spectator. It s like being vice president of the United states. It s some kind of fall from Grace. Kids look up at you and say Mommy am i going to throw up and you reply of course you Are not going to throw up. What a silly idea. You re going to March right out on that stage and play there s a fairy in the Bottom of my Teacup on that big piano and not make a single  they buy it. On family vacations the last thing you do before you pull out of the driveway is to threaten everyone in this car is going to have a Good time or i m going to break every Bone in your  you Tell them what to eat what to Wear where they re going and How they re going to act when they get there. You Tell them when they re sleepy and when they re cold. Then it begins to taper off. After my kids were in College the Only things they wanted to know from me were what do you do when All your underwear comes out of the Washer Pink and do you still have that Book on condensed plots of american literature classics i had so much to Tell them. I wanted to share How the number of checks left in a Check Book does not always coincide with the amount of Money in their checking account. How Federal taxes Are not an option like joining a fitness club. How food that becomes restless left in a refrigerator cannot be made Well by reheating. A Mother in Michigan writes that overnight she became a Mere adviser to her son. He too used to depend on her for everything. However when it came to his getting married and enlisting in the army she was the last to know. The Only thing he uses her for now is to Check to see what dad needs for his birthday. That s Why the empty nest hits so hard. Once you were the Center stage in their lives and now you look out and the audience has left the theater. They did t even turn out the lights when they left. Why am i not surprised c 1988 Erma Bombeck Page 16 the stars and stripes monday july 18,1988