Food Education Starts Early!

Photo credit: Judy Baxter (Creative Commons)

A few months ago I was asked to create a PowerPoint presentation for children.  The subject was to be “Where our food comes from.”  Easy enough, right? 

I thought so too.

As it turns out, the task was far from easy.  I started by opening the PowerPoint program.  I titled the first page “Where our food comes from.”  I was rolling along pretty well, huh?  Then it hit me.  I couldn’t create this presentation. 

It wasn’t the fact that I didn’t know where food comes myself, or that I didn’t know how to tell kids where food comes from.  It was the fact that I didn’t know what these kids knew.  I had no idea what kind of knowledge base children have about where their food comes from.  And if I remember correctly, I got pretty upset when, as a sixth grader, all these adults came in telling me stuff that I had already learned in the third grade.

The gears in my brain started to turn.  I didn’t want to be the adult who upset these kids.  Who will hear this presentation?  Will it be pupils in urban schools?  Or in rural ones?  Will it be kids with a rural background, going to an urban school?  Or will it be kids with an urban background attending a rural school?  What have their parents and teachers already taught them?  How do I address these different audiences?  Who IS my audience at this point?

So I did what any logical PhD student would do at this point.  I researched it!  And I researched it…  And I researched it…  And I found two documents describing children’s knowledge of where their food comes from.  TWO.  Both documents were surveys done in countries other than the United States.  I searched the USDA, the FDA, the US Department of Education, and found no documentation that I could use to help me understand how much children in our country learn about food production.

This was very disappointing to me.  We have consumers raging about wanting to know where their food comes from, but we don’t even teach it in schools.  We’ve got people spending hundreds of dollars more in grocery bills just to have natural and organic products, and they don’t even know the difference between naturally and conventionally-produced food.  And we have people throwing fits about GMOs when they have no clue that their dog is technically a GMO.

As an industry, have to change these things.  And not just within the beef industry.  All agricultural industries will have to be involved. 

We have to teach people how food is produced, so they aren’t afraid of it.  The adult population has been so inundated with misinformation from television, the internet, and other media sources that many will not change their ways.  Children, however, still have open minds about the world.  They are sponges.  They take in all the information they are given, and then use it in the future.

We must provide the correct information for them to utilize in their futures.  We must open their eyes to the fact that food does not just come from the grocery store. We must teach them how their food is grown, processed, and packaged so that they are confident in not only the product they buy, but the way it came to them.  And we must teach ourselves how to do this.

Our jobs are changing.  We do not just feed people in a hungry world anymore.  We inform the world about how we are feeding those people. 

It will start with understanding what to teach and who to teach it to.  Then we will need to devise a strategy as to how to teach it to them.  I propose that we start with children.  We teach them how their food is grown, and even how to grow food themselves.

My 10-year-old nephew lives in a city of 65,000.  He hunts, he fishes, and he’s coming to my family’s farm to spend a summer learning how to drive a tractor, feed cows, and haul hay (among many other things).  He is so excited about it!  He’ll go back and tell his friends, and they’ll be excited about it!  Children get excited about things!  They learn, they do, and they are happy doing it!  We need to use this enthusiasm to help them learn, and to get them involved.  That is our calling as educators, mentors, parents, and contributing members of society—we can make a difference, and we need to make it now!

Cheers,
Tiffany Lee

I love this website, and you will too!

Want to learn more about how beef is produced? I stumbled upon a great website today and I think you'd like it too!

EXPLORE BEEF

The link is to my favorite part, but you can tool around on it and find all kinds of information. Everything you'd ever want to know about how a steak ends up on your plate.

I had beef brisket for lunch today. It was delicious and I know it was grown in the United States under the watchful eye of a rancher who cares about the meat he produces.

What did you find most interesting about beef production?

Enjoy!

Tera

Since when is any Education Useless?

I'm glad I’m not the only member of FFT who has some opinions about Yahoo! Like Tera mentioned, this week a Yahoo blogger posted “College Majors That are Useless,” with a degree in agriculture topping the list of the five majors listed, closely followed by horticulture and animal science (which in most universities falls under the college of agriculture). By now, if you haven’t seen the article already which was a hot topic across social media yesterday, take a look. Let us know what you think.

Here’s my spin:

Agriculture, Useless? Really?

While the list is based on U.S. Labor Department projections and the author’s opinions—it lacks some serious inaccuracy in my opinion. In the general scheme of things, yes, overall, the number of self-employed farm producers and manager positions will decline in the next few years. But this is because farms and agricultural producers are consolidating, making technological advances that allow them to work more efficiently, requiring fewer workers to be needed to work more land and complete more tasks around the farm. Today the average age of the American farmer is just shy of 60. And more and more farmers are looking to retire. Does retiring farmers mean retiring food, fuel and fiber production for the world? Absolutely NOT! The demand for these products certainly remains steady if not increasing in certain parts of the world, demanding more from U.S. farmers and ranchers. This demand means greater opportunities for college graduates who want to enter the Agricultural field; regardless of whether students aspire to return home to the family farm, become an agronomist, veterinarian, a professor in the college of
agriculture, or what have you. If you ask me, I’d say it seems as if finding a career in agriculture is more promising than just about anything.

Take a look at the article “Employment Opportunities for College Graduates” released by the USDA. Which states, during 2010-15, five percent more college graduates with expertise in agricultural and food systems, renewable energy, and the environment will be needed when compared to 2005-10. In fact, employers have expressed a preference for graduates from colleges of agriculture and life sciences, forestry and natural resources, and veterinary medicine that tend to have relatively stronger interests and more extensive work experiences for careers than those from allied fields of study.

http://www.ag.purdue.edu/usda/employment/pages/default.aspx

You see, the goal or mission of farming and ranching or any job in the agricultural industry for that matter; is to produce a safe and more abundant food supply for not just their own table, but to provide nourishment for the entire World. No one cares more about being good stewards of the land, caring and protecting for their animals and family more than the American farmer and rancher. It’s because of their passion, dedication and EDUCATION in agriculture that allows them to provide you and your family with an affordable, nutritious meal every day, the fuel for your transportation to work each morning and just about 99% of any other product you come into contact with each day.

Honestly, Agriculture is just as valuable of a subject in school as math and reading. Without it, how are students going to learn:

1. Where their food comes from
2. Being good stewards of the environment and...
3. The life cycle!

Kiley

Yahoo Didn't Make Friends in Agriculture Yesterday.

Yahoo! didn't make very many friends in the agriculture community yesterday. When they came out with a list of college degrees that are "useless," several of my friends blew up my social media feeds with outrage. What is most interesting to me is that Mr. Loose quoted a statement, "Just don't expect farms and ranches to be calling you."

Farming and ranching is a huge player in the agriculture industry. It is not, however, the only job available! Agriculture is probably the most diverse degree you could obtain. I know many of my peers who studied in the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University and have gone on to obtain careers in law, banking, medicine, nutrition, event planning and even international relations. They don't seem to have a "useless" degree.

Here's a blog post that was written by a woman who majored in Ag Economics from Oklahoma State University. She did a pretty good job of responding, and the post is pretty funny!

I also can appreciate this commentary on the post from Allen Levine. He presents the facts!

Want to see another rebuttal? Check this one out on another blog. She also posts the e-mail address to Mr. Loose, the author of the Yahoo! post, so that others can join in on bombarding him with our disappointment.  

Enjoy!

Tera

Foods You Don't Have to Give Up in 2012

First of all, whenever I read an article in a magazine or on a website, I tend to err on the side of skeptical at best. While it's important for a journalist or writer to be responsible when gathering facts and figures, it's just as important for readers to be responsible when deciding which facts and figures come from reliable sources.

That's why when I found this article, I bought it all. Hook. Line. Sinker.

The Top 5 foods You Don't Have to Give Up in 2012?

1. Beef
2. Roasted Nuts
3. Chocolate 
4. Whole Eggs
5. Coffee

It comes from a reliable website.
The author is a registered dietician.
The author quotes scientific studies for which I can verify the facts.

Don't give up the "bad foods" you thought you needed to in order to get healthy in 2012. The author of this article says it best, "how depressing!" Instead, try embracing these foods and choosing better portion sizes of all food groups.

Enjoy,

Tera Rooney

Making Our Own Food

I wanted to learn how to make noodles like my Grandmother used to make for her prized Chicken Noodle Soup recipe, so my mom decided to share the recipe and process with me. While we were creating these noodles, I thought about all of the farmers who had a hand in getting the ingredients to our table.

The recipe started out with these guys. Eggs are produced in many states across the US, but the top three egg producing states are Iowa, Ohio and Pennsylvania. In 2009, US Farmers produced 246 eggs for each person living in the US. That's a lot of omelets!

 

We mixed the eggs with some flour. Flour is made from wheat which is a crop grown very readily in the state of Kansas. Over 240,000 family farms in the US grow wheat. About 2/3 of that wheat crop is grown on farms in the Mid West, the belt that stretches from Montana down to Texas. Of the wheat grown in the US, over 70% of it is used for human food products. Every year each American consumes around 136 pounds of wheat in different food products. 

We mixed the eggs and flour together. I kneaded it until it was smooth and stretchy for the noodle roller. The noodle roller made the dough very very thin for cutting.

Here's a shot of my mom running the dough through the pasta roller to get it very thin.

And here we are cutting the noodles into the shape we wanted to do for our Chicken Noodle soup recipe.

We had to let the noodles dry on the rack before we were ready to store them or cook them. Mom told me that her mom had laid them out on tea towels on their beds to dry all day. We used the clothes drying rack to consolidate the space. They didn't need to dry very long at all.

Here is the final product! Our noodles were very delicous in the soup that we made. These noodles could be used in a lot of dishes, but they are very thin so you have to be careful how much you handle them once they are cooked. In the US, people consume 9 kg of pasta every year, which seems like a lot to me. Until you look at the 28 kg of pasta every year a person consumes in Italy.

If you'd like the recipe for the Chicken Noodle Soup or the noodles my mom and I made, just share a comment and I'd be happy to share this family recipe with you. Enjoy!

Best,

Tera



All facts and figures from this post were taken from the USDA website.

This littly piggy went to market...

A friend of mine sent me this picture and I thought it was a wonderful representation of all the products animals provide for us. It also reinforces my belief that it is very difficult to live a truly vegan lifestyle. I didn't know a couple of these on the list!

My best,

Tera

Red Meat - Green Facts

That's a fun little way of saying meat is sustainable and environmentally friendly. It's also the name of a website, which was created by Meat and Livestock Australia, that aims to "discuss the issues of sustainable farming practices." On the site you can further explore information about the "impact of farming on our environment and the proactive initiatives undertaken by farmers and processors across Australia."
One of my favorite features is a visual aid that helps consumers better grasp the supply chain from farm to fork. Check it out below:

Image courtesy www.redmeatgreenfacts.com.au

Other links include facts about reducing water usage, myth busting (similar to this post), responsible land management and school projects. The myth busting tab is one of my faves.

 

For anyone looking to delve further into the facts behind food production, I highly encourage you check out this site. Although it was developed in Australia, many of the same principles and practices apply to farmers and ranchers here in the U.S. Furthermore, it's always a bonus to learn about agriculture in other countries, because it fosters critical thinking on how the global agriculture industry can improve worldwide.

 

Until next time,

~ Buzzard ~

 

Ivy League Cowgirl

Jen Johnson holds a degree from Princeton and has a strong tie to the land her family has been ranching for generations. This video is a great example of how one passionate young woman has decided to make agriculture her livelihood.

Watch the full episode. See more America's Heartland.

Hope you enjoyed the video as much as I did!
Chelsea

The changing faces of the food pyramid...err plate!

You probably all remember this old food pyramid that the USDA used to use to help guide healthy eating decisions...

And then they came out with a sleeker version that added exercise into the game...

And the editors are at it again! The USDA unveiled an even newer version of the food pyramid. Oh wait, what food pyramid?

Check it all out at the new CHOOSEMYPLATE website. Which has now replaced the MYPYRAMID website that used to house the triangular counterpart to this nifty educational tool.

What are your thoughts on the switcharoo?

Ask Me About Agriculture: Bluestem Bistro

I was in the coffee shop here awhile back avoiding the work I needed to do. What can I do to avoid work, I thought? Then I noticed, the coffee shop was full of sorority girls, popped collars and Polo hats. People who looked like they needed an education on agriculture – and I was just in the mood to give ‘em one.

I however was looking for a method to engage with my fellow coffee shoppers outside of accosting them. Climbing on top of the espresso machine and calling the room to attention I feared would shorten my welcome. Humm.

I will make a sign I proclaimed! It wasn’t pretty, but it worked.

I placed this beauty of a sign in view of my fellow caffeine cronies. Apparently there were others who didn’t want to be working… I was entirely occupied with conversation for the rest of the evening.

The questions were far from profound. Most people just wanted to know what a crazy man was doing soliciting conversation about – of all things – agriculture. I was a point of interest to say the least. I feel like people just want to ask questions and get answers that aren’t full of crazy science and political motive. “What was it like growing up on a farm?” it was great; let me tell you about it.

The conversations that Ag Advocates (Agvocates) are having with people need to be basic, connecting with people on a personal level. The quickest way to run someone off is to start preaching about how PETA and HSUS are ruining our lives and how veg-o’s need to go kick rocks. No matter how insignificant or kindergarten the conversation may seem to you, keep it up and be patient, it might be life-altering for someone else. The connection that you have with the person you are talking to is as important as the education.

Also, branch out! A wise man from the Judd Ranch once told me: “Love the ones who need it, not the ones who like it.” He was referring to very friendly pen bulls, but the principal works here. If you make a sign and fly it at the local coop during farmer coffee hour, you will probably be preaching to the choir. So, go to Starbucks, the mall, the park – somewhere where people aren’t wearing boots – and tell your story. Don’t be afraid of the Sperry-wearers; they are the ones who need the love. We have to educate the masses, the mainstream. We have a great opportunity, and judging from my coffee shop experience, people are willing to listen.

So make a sign and head to your local bistro. You might learn a thing or two too. I discovered this amazing little thing called espresso – it’s like black coffee only stronger!

Until next time-

B. Harder

Pfizer IMPROVES Pork Production

Recently announced by Pfizer, an animal health and pharmaceutical company, Improvest has been approved for use by the FDA. Anytime a new pharmaceutical product comes to the market, it has to be approved through the rigorous standards of the FDA.

Castration in the pork industry is common practice to eliminate an off odor that is referred to as boar taint. An intact male pig (boar) will produce this odor in the meat and make the pork very unappetizing for consumers.

Improvest is a gonadotropin releasing factor, diphtheria toxoid conjugate that will be utilized in the pork industry as an alternative to physically castrating male pigs. Those are some long words, but what you need to know is that it is NOT A HORMONE, rather an immunological product that uses the pigs natural immune system to reduce boar taint substances.

There is nothing in Improvest that stays in the meat of boars that will affect human health in anyway. What is great about this product is that it allows producers to take advantage of the natural efficiency of a boar while not compromising consumer taste demand for pork. Intact male pigs will convert feed to muscle more efficiently so that producers are using less feed, pigs are producing less manure and further reducing the overall carbon footprint of pork production.

Improvest is approved for use in 58 countries. Consumer education and acceptance of such a useful technology is important for pork producers. They want consumers to understand the change and have confidence that pork is still being produced in a safe and environmentally conscious manner and with an even higher regard to animal well-being.

Do you want more information?

https://animalhealth.pfizer.com/sites/pahweb/US/EN/Products/Assets/Improvest/index.html#15

http://www.bioportfolio.com/news/article/634716/Fda-Approves-New-Pig-Castration-Option.html

Hats off to the pork industry,

Tera Rooney

Pasture to Plate

Food For Thought is all about getting good information about agriculture out there to consumers. You deserve to know how your food is made if you are willing and ready to see it. Food production isn't easy or glamorous, but it needs to be done because there are a lot of hungry people out there!

Here is a video that was shared by a colleague of mine. It's a great example of a man who is passionate about what he does. He takes his job seriously and understands the value of an animal's life. He is a great advocate for the meat and agriculture industry and I happily send you to this link:

http://gizmodo.com/#!5793294/watch-how-animals-turn-into-delicious-meat-plus-bonus-shot-of-blowtorched-pig

There are a lot of videos circulated on the internet that show meat packing plants in a negative light. Here's the truth, straight from a small packer in New York.

My Best,

Tera

Where were you in 2002?

Two-thousand and two. At first glance it doesn't seem like it was that long ago. Where were you in oh-2?

I was...a lanky, boy crazy 7th grade student at Satanta Jr.-Sr. High School. Fresh into a sweet, maroon, 1990 model Cadillac DeVille loaned to me from my grandfather as my first official set of wheels to take me from the farm to school and back per the farmer's permit I had obtained. George W. Bush was the President, no comment. The Olympics were in Salt Lake. After school I probably rocked out to a mix of Dashboard Confessional, 50-cent (pronounced "fiddy-cent" for you vintage readers!), and Nickelback that played on my cassette-to-CD converter on a CD I am sure was burned off of Napster downloads.

In 2002, Michael Pollan began telling the story of how food goes from farm to fork with his article, Power Steer.

And ever since then Agriculture has been fighting to set it straight. If you are interested in Pollan's article and the information presented in it, I would encourage you to talk to an actual Agriculturist. Rather than taking the word of a journalist who lives in the confines of a over-populated concrete jungle, maybe you should check out what these people have to say.

• Garden City, Kansas, missed the suburban building boom because it retained the rural lifestyle in a corner of Kansas that produces a lot of food for a large portion of our population.
• POKY Feeders is located in Scott County and is managed by Joe Morgan. My dad delivered a bull to Mr. Morgan this past Tuesday that we picked up on a trip through Nebraska. You want to learn about cattle feeding? POKY Feeders runs a fine business and you can find more out on their website - http://www.cattlefeeding.com/
• Blair Brother Angus raised the calf in the article. They would be a reliable source to hit up on all things cattle - http://www.blairbrosangus.com/index.cfm
• The Hadricks refuse to let people like Pollan tell their story any more and have done an amazing job promoting agriculture -http://advocatesforag.blogspot.com/

I guess my point is that these are great examples of people who could tell you more about how cattle go from the farm to your table. They are all accessible on the internet and would answer the phone too! I like to go to the source for my information. When I have a health concern, I don't check out the New York Times, I ask my doctor. When I have a question about clearly getting a point across to group members, I ask my mom who is an educator and is pretty good at conveying messages to others.

When you want to know more about where your food comes from, call a producer. Agriculture has to do a better job of telling agriculture's story. We have some pretty good ones to tell...

Partying like it's 0h-2,

Tera Rooney

If you liked this post about experiencing agriculture first hand. You have to check out this place!

Fair Oak Farms

Bringing the consumer on to a farm to view how dairy products go from farm to fork is the best way to educate...now booking birthday parties!

Agricultural Extension: Still relevant?

Recently, the Progressive Farmer ran a cover story to herald in the upcoming centennial anniversary of the University Extension system and to discuss its relevance to today's farmers. Over the past few decades, Extension has been in the crosshairs of legislators looking to find places to trim budgets. Critics argue that Extension has outlived its usefulness and that it fails to reach out to a populace that has changed over time.

In 1914, 31% of the population in the U.S. were employed in agriculture. Extension was created as an experiment that would attempt to bring a science-based approach to an industry that had been based on tradition and trial by error by providing a middle-man between land-grant universities and farmers. The system was put in place before the U.S. became the agricultural power that it is today, and Extension deserves enormous praise for effectively disseminating scientific discoveries into practice in rural America. With advancement, today's farms are larger and more efficient at producing our food, with less than 2% of the populace employed in agriculture. Although today's farms are still 98% family-owned and operated, their operators are more educated and business-savvy than their counterparts at the turn of the century, and thus some are not always as reliant on Extension as in the past.

1910-2010

While I understand that times have changed, that is not necessarily a justification for the end of a program that has changed rural America for the better. Extension was founded on three principles: research, education, and family living(which includes 4-H) and it still has a tremendous value in communities across the nation. From my limited experience abroad (South Africa and now Australia) you hear very little about the link they have in place between farms and universities. Furthermore, I've yet to see a country with a youth program like 4-H that not only helps train the up and coming generation of farmers, but exposes over 7 million kids a year to agriculture and its values.

I'd have to agree with Alison Robertson, a native of Zimbabwe now working in Iowa State Extension who states, "The Extension system has been the envy of people around the world. I hate what is happening to it."

No one can argue that for Extension to remain a viable, it must be able to reach out to an increasingly urban population. However, it also needs to take more credit for its role in disseminating information to the 2% of people who put food on the table for the rest of the country.

For those interested in the full article, check it out at http://www.mykglr.com/Extension--Still-Relevant-/9404253

Cheers,
Hyatt Frobose

Hormone Casserole

I've seen some prevalent advocacy being done by a veterinarian from my home county, Haskell County, Kansas, lately. Dave Sjeklocha (pronounced like "so close ya" almost missed it!) is a DVM at the Haskell County Animal Hospital and I have seen his response to hormone usage in food production to many articles on the internet. This is his response, as a licensed veterinarian, and it has been posted on several parenting sites, the Wall Street Journal, among others.

He breaks down a response to the hormone debate in a way that consumers, like myself, can easily understand! I also trust his break down because he is the veterinarian working with cattle producers to regulate the use of growth-promoting hormones in production. Great job Doc Sjeklocha!!!

• Hormones: Growth-promoting hormones used in beef production include estrogens, trenbolone acetate (TBA) and melengestrol acetate (MGA, progestin). Estrogens are the most commonly used.

• Safety: Growth promoting hormones in cattle production have been declared safe by several scientific organizations worldwide. These would include the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization, the European Commission Agriculture Division and the Codex Committee on Veterinary Residues.

• Hormone levels: Hormone levels are measured units called nanograms. A nanogram is one billionth of a gram. Three ounces of beef from a steer that was raised with growth promoting hormones contains 1.9 ng of estrogen. Three ounces of beef from a steer that was not raised with growth promoting hormones contains 1.3 ng of estrogen. Three ounce servings of other foods would contain the following levels of estrogen:
• Soybean oil 168,000,000 ng
• Milk 11 ng
• Potatoes 225 ng
• Ice cream 520 ng
• The human body naturally produces many hormones. Estrogen is just one of those hormones. Levels of estrogen in the human body would be as follows:
• Non-pregnant woman 480,000 ng
• Pregnant woman 3,415,000 ng
• Man 136,000 ng
• Male child (pre-pubertal) 41,500 ng
• Female child (pre-pubertal) 54,000 ng

• Summary: Growth-promoting hormones used in beef production have been scientifically tested and proven to be safe. When compared to levels in other foods, or to levels naturally occurring in the human body, beef hormone levels are very low. Also, the use of these hormones helps to conserve our natural resources by improving the efficiency of beef production.

I'm making a casserole tonight for dinner that contains: meat, potatoes, corn, green beans, carrots and some milk products. I might just change the name of the recipe because it is clearly a hormone casserole! Now that I have read Doc Sjeklocha's response, I know that it is a naturally occurring hormone in a lot of the foods I eat.

My best,

Tera Rooney

Been there, done that!

Have you noticed how so many critics of the food industry go on and on about how they "think" food is produced on "factory farms" here in America? How many of them have actually been to the farms, ranches, feeding lots, and packing plants where food is produced? Maybe before writing a book or article condemning the food industry, one should take a look at it first hand.

Check out this article about Ryan Andrew's, self-proclaimed plant-based eater, visit to Magnum Feedlot in Colorado. A good friend of mine's family owns Magnum, and I am proud that they opened their gates, allowed for their operation to be transparent, and took the time to educate a weary consumer.

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/cattle-feedlot-visit

Before you've been there and done that...don't read everything you believe. Know the truth behind where your food comes from!

Finding a Voice for Agriculture

In the recent January edition of BEEF magazine, Mike Apley DVM, PhD in clinical sciences at Kansas State University, expressed his thoughts on the next generation of agriculturalists. "Our agricultural youth are teaching us about finding our voice as a food animal industry in the seemingly hopeless maze of social media that is flying around in "the cloud" of cyberspace." explains Dr. Apley. Check out the full article Here.

His example of the next generation of agriculturalists is KSU's Food for Thought group. Food for Thought's members work to effectively educate, and engage others in conversation about the animal agricultural industry and where their food comes from.

"We have a whole new generation of leaders in agriculture bent on aggressively communicating our story to their peers." Dr. Apley continues.

Members of Food for Thought aren't the only ones striking up conversations...check out what some of these folk's have to say...

http://advocatesforag.blogspot.com/
http://www.midwesterngold.com/
http://ksgrains.wordpress.com/
http://cdycattle.blogspot.com/

Don't forget to follow along with us on Twitter @fftgroup and join along in conversation on Facebook! We'd love to hear from you!!

Down on Main Street

Food For Thought members at Operation Main Street training

Thank you Bob Seger, for the introduction. Last Thursday and Friday, 10 Food For Thought members participated in Operation Main Street (OMS). OMS is a pork industry media training program sponsored by The National Pork Board. The goal of Operation Main Street is to educate trainees on pork production, current issues in the pork industry and how to communicate with the public and media about the pork industry.

During the two day event, FFT members learned how to prepare and conduct a telephone interview, deliver an informative speech and how to field tough questions about pork production. Chelsea Good was a participant in the telephone interview exercise. After her interview, she was able to hear what the reporter would have aired on a news program. All OMS participants agreed that having a live example was extremely valuable in learning the proper way to conduct an interview.

Participants took their first-hand knowledge of pork production, combined with the speaking skills learned from the program, and developed a 5 minute speech about the pork industry. After delivering the speech, each participant fielded tough questions from OMS peers and pork industry leaders. Some of the tough questions asked of OMS participants included:

- How do today’s pork producers control odor on modern pork farms?
- Why do you enjoy raising pork?
- Isn’t it true that today’s pork farms employ a large number of illegal immigrants?

Other questions dealt with common misperceptions in animal agriculture such as antibiotic use, euthanasia and undercover videos.

Additionally, the program provided FFT members with valuable current information on the economics of pork production, current government policy that affects pork producers, animal well-being and environmental issues.

OMS was a valuable experience that provided participants with the information needed convey to the truths, and bust the myths, about U.S. pork production.

If you would like to host an OMS speaker, you can visit the Operation Main Street website or contact a FFT member directly.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~