Why ag on the forefront?

Today I want to link up with a group of Nebraska bloggers and they are each sharing why they started blogging and the reason their blog name is significant to them.

There are many reasons I started this blog, but I decided to take a look back at my very first post. I want to be an advocate for agriculture. I have a somewhat unique ag background and career path. At least I think I do.

I was raised on a cow-calf ranch in Eastern Colorado – no crops except for some alfalfa for hay. And I didn’t really understand the whole crop thing. Why would you grow crops when having cows was so much fun!? I started to gather some knowledge of crops at a young age when we’d visit my grandparents in Eastern Kansas who are row-crop farmers. But for some reason, going to Grandma’s meant cooking, shopping and playing more than really learning about the farm. Really later on in college and now in to my career have I been asking Grandpa questions about his farm and grasping a better understanding of the family’s farming history.

My interest in a career in agriculture came from 4-H. I was a 12-year 4-Her and state officer and saw myself being involved in an ag career from early on. My original life plan was to be a teacher and an author. I could do both of these in ag! I then had an awesome opportunity to intern for Farm Credit in my hometown. I’ve always loved business/economics (I used to sell beef sticks to my classmates during our yearly testing – I had a pretty good business plan. Mom bought the beef sticks, I raided the pantry, sold the beef sticks for $0.50 and kept all the profits!).

That took me to my educational goals in agricultural economics. Some of my focus changed when I got to college at K-State. Being a girl who loves to write and wanting to be an author, I decided to include a public relations focus to my major – which I still credit as some of the most useful classes I took at K-State, but I can’t discredit my awesome Ag Econ professors! I loved ‘em so much I stuck around for an extra year and a half to earn my masters.

Being at college and having a fun social life with all of my ag friends introduced me to my wonderful hubby. Thank goodness he was an ag boy! An ag boy who was two years older and moved off to Nebraska for a job while I was still in school. Thankfully, things worked out and we got married, I found a job, defended my master’s thesis and moved to Nebraska all in one month’s time. My job working for Nebraska corn farmers has almost been more educational than college. I have grown so much (thanks to my awesome co-workers and board) and have really been able to expand my ag knowledge.

Seeing the importance in this new job of communicating ag issues inspired me to start ag on the forefront. The name literally popped into my head the moment I started thinking about this blog and it just stuck! I really enjoy blogging as I contribute to the Nebraska Corn Kernels blog, Nebraska Agribusiness Club blog, as well as my diy/family blog, a little birdie told me.

I hope to continue using my passion for writing, educating, answering questions about agriculture through this venue and thank God everyday for all that He has blessed me with!

Nebraska Bloggers Connect

Things moms get wrong at the grocery store

Moms aren’t always right when it comes to the grocery store, according to the new Gate to Plate survey of more than 1,000 moms. The survey found that moms are often misinformed, especially when buying “all-natural” and “hormone-free” products. (Click on the graphic to the right to see entire results.)

Findings of the survey include:

ORGANIC FOODS

• Eighty-four percent of moms surveyed believe that organic food is farmed without any pesticides, fertilizers or herbicides.

The facts –Organic is a labeling term that indicates that the food or other agricultural product has been produced through approved methods. Synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering may not be used and organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides. 1 However, more than 50 synthetic substances may be used in organic crop production if other substances fail to prevent or control the target pest. 2 All foods – whether organic or nonorganic – must meet certain health and safety regulations before being sold to consumers.

GMO FOODS

• While one-fourth of the moms who participated in the survey said they had never heard of genetically modified (GMO) foods, the majority of moms question the safety of GMO foods. Nearly half – 43 percent – of moms in the survey believe that GMO food is nutritionally and chemically different than non-GMO food.

The facts – All GMO foods are still exhaustively assessed for safety by groups like the Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 3 In the 12-plus years that modern biotech crops have been commercially grown, there has not been a single documented case of an ecosystem disrupted or a person made ill. 4 GMO foods are nutritionally and chemically identical to food grown from non-biotech crops.

HORMONES IN MEAT

• More than half of moms in the survey said they believe it is important to feed their families hormone-free poultry and pork – even though it may cost more to do so.

The facts – There’s no need to pay extra for poultry or pork that’s labeled hormone-free. USDA prohibits farmers from using hormones to raise chickens and pigs.

ALL-NATURAL FOODS

• More than half – 53 percent – of moms surveyed said it’s important to purchase food labeled “all natural,” whenever possible, because it is a more nutritious choice for their family.

The facts – All-natural doesn’t mean nutritional benefits. As required by USDA, meat, poultry and egg products labeled as “natural” must be minimally processed and contain no artificial ingredients. However, the natural label does not include any standards regarding farm practices and only applies to processing of meat and egg products.

LOCAL FOODS

• More than half of moms surveyed said locally produced foods are always better for the environment.

The facts – Purchasing locally grown food is a great way to support farmers in your community but does not always benefit the environment. Sometimes it takes more energy to grow and harvest local food than it does to grow it elsewhere and have it shipped.

FAMILY FARMS

• Seven out of 10 moms surveyed believe the family farm is dying in the United States.

The facts – Between 96 and 98 percent of the 2.2 million farms in the United States are family farms.

Seven out of 10 moms in the survey agree that farmers should be a key resource for individuals seeking information related to food and farming, yet only one out of five moms surveyed seeks information from farmers.

This study was commissioned by CommonGround, a grassroots coalition of farm women who want to foster conversations among all women – on farms and in cities – about where our food comes from and how it is raised. CommonGround is to be a resource to provide moms with facts and information that can help them make informed food choices.

Japan, TPP and agriculture

On Friday of last week, the Obama Administration announced bilateral consultations with Japan about its interest in joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) have concluded and the U.S. welcomes Japan joining TPP negotiations. The TPP is an ambitious, next-generation, regional trade agreement that seeks to create a “new millennium model for trade.” As the world’s third largest economy, the addition of Japan will provide the platform for a Free Trade Area of Asia Pacific and will strengthen the U.S./Japan economic and strategic relationship.

The agreement brings Japan closer to entering talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which Japan hopes to participate in as early as July. Japan needs formal approval by all 11 participating countries to take part in the talks. If Japan does join, the pact would cover an area that accounts for almost 40 percent of world economic output.

What does the TPP mean for agricultural products?

TPP is a U.S.-led free-trade agreement in the Asia-Pacific region which represents a positive development to expand market access for U.S. exporters in one of the world’s largest economies. Additionally, U.S. food and agricultural exports to the Asia-Pacific region have previously reached more than $80 billion, and account for more than 70 percent of total U.S. agricultural exports to the world.

The U.S. Grains Council strongly supports the announcement of bilateral negotiations with Japan regarding the TPP. The Council has enjoyed over 50 years of cooperation and relationships working to innovate the Japanese feed, livestock and starch industries. Because of this mutual relationship and the U.S.'s commitment to be a long-term reliable supplier, Japan has been the number one customer of U.S. corn exports.

TPP will also provide opportunities for free and fair trade. And when trade works, the world wins. The TPP objective of removing tariff and non-tariff barriers will require adjustments both in the U.S. and Japanese agricultural sectors.

The Council believes that Japan is well positioned to not only remain a strong customer of the U.S. feed grains industry, but that it will have enormous opportunities to meet future Asian consumer-driven demand for high value and quality food.

When I was in Japan two years ago and three years ago, there were many discussions about TPP and how it would affect trade and agriculture. It is exciting to see this work through, as well as the 30-Month and Under Beef trade limitations changed from 20-months in February. Working relationships are so important when it comes to trade.
Flickr Source

Germs in your food?

Perusing through my Twitter feed today I found this tweet from National Geographic (@NatGeo):

I was instantly interested. Do I consume germs? (My germaphobe husband might gag if he read this tweet.)

What I discovered was really interesting. There are “living” germs in a lot of our foods today (like yogurt – I knew that, but didn’t really understand why). You can also buy pills for your gut, creams for your face, tablets for your breath – all that include a living germ.

There is a lot of research being conducted right now on the benefits of germs in your food and products you use daily. The article’s author, Carl Zimmer shares that there is ample evidence that the 100 trillion microbes that call us home–the microbiome–exert important influences on our biology. While some of them can make us ill, for the most part they help maintain our health–nurturing our immune system, moisturizing our skin, breaking down food and toxic compounds.

Actual research on humans has been rare. Scientists have only been able to study the microbiome with much clarity in the past couple decades, so they’ve got a late start. Another reason is that the microbiome is different from our own cells and organs. It’s an ecosystem made up of hundreds of species, with lots of diffuse, interlinked effects on our bodies.

The cool thing I took from this article is that many of these microbiome’s uses in food and body products can be “enriched with DNA fragments of beneficial bacterial cells” much like genetic modification in our crop production.

The technology and science in our food industry is amazing – and they are doing years of research to verify that this food is SAFE for us. They don’t take anything for granted, but through the use of technology, we can benefit. Even if it does mean ingesting germs. ;)

Agriculture majors face future with confidence

Just over a year ago, remember that not-so-lovely article by Yahoo! stating that ag degrees are worthless?

Well I have a come-back for Mr. Loose (author of that article). In USA Today, there was well-written article on March 26th - Agriculture majors face future with confidence. Who could argue?

The author, Ms. Wickel says it all in the first line, “People are never going to stop needing food.”

Her research leads into the article that agriculture science is seeing an increase in enrollment at the college level. The industry is leading to broader and more diverse careers than just being a farmer/rancher.

And there are jobs out there waiting for these graduates. Agriculture and natural resource majors have little to worry about, according to the Georgetown Public Policy Institute. Only 3.5% of experienced college graduates in the field are unemployed, rivaled only by 2.2% of health care grads.

This is exciting for the future of ag, but also for the future students knowing there are jobs to find and probably even thousands more waiting to be created with the increase of technology in agriculture. The future is bright!

‘Growing Season’ mini-series shows life on the farm

Are you ready for Growing Season?!

We’re not talking about the actual growing season of our crops, this Growing Season is a yearlong documentary mini-series about the Bartak family from Anselmo, Nebraska and their job of growing a crop for this year’s harvest.

Although a few of these guys look like they could be straight out of Duck Dynasty, this series follows the challenges of the Bartak boys throughout a year’s time, with monthly episodes to keep viewers updated on the progress of the farm.

Once a month a new episode will be uploaded to the web for viewers and followers to watch and interact with one another. Some of the activities in the series include: planting, spraying, harvest, branding, auction of cattle, chores, weather, celebrations, emotions, and, hopefully, a successful Growing Season.

They take a behind-the-scenes look at the agriculture community and really see all of the struggles, conflicts, victories, and successes that are entangled into a growing season. Their goal is to get a better grasp of the different challenges each farmer faces.

​Farmers and non-farmers alike will be able to enjoy and share in the experiences with the Bartaks as they tackle this year’s Growing Season. The show is produced and supported by Cooperative Producers, Inc. (CPI) coop and is a great educational tool to see how new products actually work on the farm, test the precision ag technologies, watch how crops go from seed to yield, and then off to your table. This story embraces the importance of family, friendships, and the ability to work extremely hard for a goal. Everyone coming together, struggling to make it, to accomplish their goal.

Check out the teaser below – or any of their quick clips on YouTube.

The season premiere is Thursday April, 4 2013 at 7pm CST on www.itsgrowingseason.com.

What is Whole Foods’ non-GMO risk?

The cyclical interest in GMO foods being labeled or not even included in some retail stores is uncanny.

Recently, an interested article arose on SuperMarketGuru.com regarding the decision by Whole Foods Market to push for full GMO transparency. A question was asked, “What if suppliers shrugged and said something like, ‘They’re just 340 stores. We won’t be in there.  So what.’”

The growing phenomena of the Whole Foods stores in urban and suburban areas has grasped the interest of foodies, moms, organic customers, animal welfare standards and seafood sustainability. Their website touts healthy eating, recipes and their values. It even features a “Cattle Cam” with videos on what your “meat eats”.

The article notes that The Lempert Report sees Whole Foods adding risk to its supply chain, since it clearly lacks the scale of Walmart to push the vendor base.    The chain currently sells 3,300 Non-GMO Project verified products, more than any North American retailer.  Its 365 Everyday Value store brands were the starting point in 2009.

That 3,300 figure is notable not only for its progress, but for the distance that remains for grocery suppliers to transition to non-GMO sources, or to clearly label products that contain GMOs. 

Whole Foods says 2018 is its deadline for 100% transparency.

While admire Whole Foods for reaching out to a niche market – not that I shop there because I plainly believe that food I buy in any grocery store is safe – I don’t agree with the route they are going to go to all non-GMO sources. Some may question if this is really the consumers demanding or activists who are pushing their agenda. Is Whole Foods willing to risk this huge step with their suppliers to demand non-GMO products.

These are some questions food makers would likely ask before complying with the Whole Foods request—especially since science is inconclusive and FDA sees “no meaningful difference between foods that use organic ingredients and their genetically modified counterparts,” describes The Washington Post.

In that paper’s Q&A with Whole Foods co-CEO Walter Robb, he said, “How do you argue with the fact that a customer has a right to know what’s in their food?  It’s so fundamental.”

True. But what if the chain is overestimating its customers’ demand to know?  And what if enough major brands choose not to go along—and the Whole Foods supply chain is disrupted come 2018?

Good questions from The Lempert Report. What are your questions?