The Story of Wheat: As Told by a 3-year-old

Even though Kansas wheat harvest is long over and the stubble is the only remnant of this crop left scattered across fields in the U.S., the story of how wheat goes from farm to fork has never been more exciting to me!

Let me rewind. I am visiting home for a friend's wedding and it is County Fair time in my home county. My life used to revolve around the Haskell County Fair and the events leading up to, during and after. As I pulled into town, I was quickly reminded that tonight was the night my nephews were going to visit the fair and see the animals. Of course I wanted to be involved and tag a long, purely for entertainment value.

Cameron and Gavin are my bright-eyed, energetic, beautiful 3 and 2-year-old nephews. Tonight standing in the cattle barn on the fairgrounds, Cam on one hand and Gav on the other, I may have had my proudest moment ever! We were talking about the different things that cows eat to make them grow. Cam asked if they ate wheat and before I could answer he proceeded to tell me the story of wheat, and it goes a bit like this:

(his words, not mine)

1. Wheat starts as a seed and Papa puts it in the dirt with a tractor.
2. It grows up green first like grass and then turns yellow like Mimi's hair.
3. When it's yellow that means it is ready to be cut by the big big combine.
4. The combine puts the wheat in the bin thing and the auger thing comes out.
5. Then it's all dumped into the grain cart.
6. Then the grain cart dumps it into a semi-truck
7. Then the semi-truck takes the wheat to the elevator.
8. Then the elevator weighs it and puts it on the train.
9. My daddy helps fill the trains. I like trains.
10. Then the train takes the wheat to the trade house. (Chicago Board of Trade maybe? Oh yeah, he's 3!)
11. The trade house sells it to the food makers.
12. The food makers make food for us to eat!
13. Then wheat starts as a seed again and Papa can put it in the ground.
14. He would've continued in a round had it not been for the cow that stood up to defecate. That caused quite a bit of ruckus and a sudden fascination with fecal matter.

So that is how wheat goes from farm to fork according to my nephew. I'm sure most of that was told to him on one of his countless tours of the inside of Papa's combine this summer - especially that part about the Chicago Board of Trade! Either way, his fascination, memory and love for the process of growing food for people made me the proudest Aunt ever. No doubt about it, Cam's going to make an amazing agriculturist some day. If you want to learn more about wheat from a grown up, check out this post I wrote a few months back!

Take your kids, nephews, nieces, siblings, friends, etc. to a County Fair near you. It is an amazing opportunity to learn more about agriculture and the food industry!

Always,

Tera

Cargill and 4-H Team Up

Cargill, an international leader in food production and marketing, has recently written a large check to the National 4-H Council – a check in the amount of $500,000.

The funds will help to develop, strengthen and implement 4-H science programming in five key states. Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska will be the states affected by the grants. The funding will be delivered through multi-year grants, to help provide 4-H with the ability to reach even more young people with innovative, after-school programming in the fields of science, engineering, technology and applied mathematics.

A lot of times, “Big Ag Companies,” come under fire in the media for monopolizing the food industry and hurting the smaller, more local businesses. Today, Cargill will get a lot of positive press for their large contribution to the 4-H program and continual promotion of science and mathematics. This lends more to the idea that “Big Ag” simply means “Big Opportunities”. I commend Cargill on their continued dedication to youth in this country. By providing more opportunities for youth programs like 4-H - Cargill doesn’t just help feed us, they inspire us.

All my best,

Tera Rooney

Foodie Feature: Fast Food Facts

You can't drive down the main street of a decent sized town and not see 4-7 marquee signs luring you in to indulge in a calorie-ridden meal on the go. Fast Food - it's everywhere, it's convenient, it's tasty and it's cheap. No where else in the world could you get a double patty hamburger for $1!

There are a lot of instances when fast food is the only way to fit in a meal for your family. There are also a lot of instances when fast food is over-implemented into a family meal plan. This is not a "preaching" post about cutting fast food out of the diet, I like my quarter pounder just like the next guy. This post is about a new tool I found to be very useful when choosing just what it is you want to eat off the fast food menu. 

Fast Food Facts

This is a neat internet tool that gives nutritional labels to any fast food menu item you could think of. Just type in what you would like to know. You can search different menu items and sort by nutritional content. It's a super helpful way to make eating out just a little bit better for you and yours. 

Back to that Quarter Pounder I was talking about earlier. At McDonald's I always order a #3 with ketchup and pickles. After visiting this site, I realized that I could nix the cheese on that burger which takes the calories down by 110 and the sodium down by 470 mg. I don't need that cheese now that I see the difference it would make.

Let's talk about French Fries. Man alive those are delicious! If you order a meal they come with it, so avoiding them is next to impossible(for me too!). The problem with these little suckers is portion size. If you eat only half of the fries served up with most value meals, it cuts the sodium, calories and fat down to a decent enough level that your meal can really find a place in a person's daily intake - as long as we're not looking at every day!

The other interesting thing I found by searching on this handy site is that salads, while they may make you feel better about fast food, aren't any better at all! Wendy's Chicken BLT salad has almost 500 more mg of sodium than a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger. 

Play around on this site for a bit, see what interesting things you can find about the food that is served up fast to Americans every day. I know that I will be making more informed decisions at the counter.  Post a comment about interesting things you find on Fast Food Facts!

 

Open Minds and Full Stomachs

It always amazes me how opinions change when people take the time to talk with others who don’t necessarily share their same experiences. That’s exactly what happened to Ryan Andrews, a vegan who recently took it upon himself to visit a Colorado feedlot.

Ryan quickly realized that things he had thought about feedlots before weren’t necessarily true. For example, the classifications of “factory farm” and “family farm” fell apart when Ryan realized most production agriculture operations – including the larger ones – are in fact family owned and operated.

In addition, Ryan’s perception that cattle in feedlots eat only corn changed when he saw the rations at the Gabel’s feedlot were made up of anywhere from 0 to 50 percent corn.

Click here to read the full reaction straight from the vegan who visited the feedlot.

After criticism, Ryan clarified his position. In no way is he advocating for meat production. He is a vegan after all. Rather, Ryan is simply encouraging people to open their minds and talk to others with varying opinions about the best way to fill your stomach. In particular, he recommends reaching out to hear from the people producing the food. In doing so, you will definitely learn something and your perceptions may even shift. Ryan’s certainly did.

Racing for Team Beef

Happy first day of summer! Summer means lots of things – sun, pool, grilling and outside activities. I celebrated the first day of summer with the last two – a good burger and a bike ride. We talk a lot on this blog about food and the importance of a balanced diet. I think it’s important to remember that physical activity also needs to be part of the equation.

I love hearing about how people use beef to fuel an active lifestyle. NCBA’s Daren Williams maintains a great blog The Beefman Bloggeth - “A chronicle of the adventures of BEEFMAN and other ‘weekend warriors’ who fuel physical activity with lean, nutrient rich BEEF!”

Recently, Daren wrote a great post about how Kansas rancher Barb Downey ran in the Boston Marathon.

Now The Kansas Beef Council has announced the Kansas Beef Endurance Team made up of athletes from all over Kansas that believe in the nutritional benefits of lean beef and its vital role fueling their training. Athletes who are selected receive training on the nutritional value of beef, a team beef jersey and help paying for race entry fees. Click here for more information or to apply. Other states have introduced similar programs. Check the Beef Council Web site in your state to see if they’re participating in the race to recruit team beef runners!

Time for Grilling....Safely

Well, it's that time of the year again.  It's summertime and grilling and BBQ'ing are at their peak.  Backyard meals are a great time for everyone, whether youre grilling a flank steak for fajitas or preparing the perfect pork loin for a family reunion.  However, when you're armed with your fork in one hand don't forget to fill the other one with a meat thermometer.  Many people don't pay attention to meat temperatures - just because it looks done doesn't mean it is done.  Heck, it might even be TOO done and nobody likes tough, dry meat.  Did you know that even though you have taken it off the grill, meat temperatures still increase 5 degrees after removal?  To avoid improperly cooking your meat, refer to the following guidelines:

Ground Meats: Pork, Beef and Lamb:  160 °F
                       Chicken and Turkey: 165 °F

Steak and Lamb: Medium-Rare 145 °F
                           Medium 155 °F
                           Medium-Well 165 °F
                           Well Done 170 °F

Poultry:  Chicken & Turkey, Whole 180 °F
              Breast Meat 170 °F
              Thighs, Wings & Legs 180 °F
              Duck & Goose 180 °F
**Salmonella is killed at 165 °F

Pork: Medium-Rare 150 °F
         Medium 160 °F
         Well Done 170 °F
**Many people worry about trichinosis and tend to overcook pork. However, trich is killed at 140 °F.

To get some great recipe ideas for your next grilling experience,visit these sites for pork, lamb, beef and chicken recipes.  Hopefully, these tips will ramp up the safety, and flavor, at your next backyard gathering.  Enjoy!

Until next time,
 ~Buzzard~

Ninety Five

Corn Farmers Coalition has released a new ad. It's aim? To put a face on farmers. 

Most American farms are owned by families. More specifically, 95% of corn farms are family owned. The mission to spotlight these family farms comes at a time when it is important for consumers to understand that corporate farming is more of a myth than a reality. 

“They aren’t some myth, but are a critical economic engine that provides most of the food, feed and fiber produced in this country,” said Darrin Ihnen, president of the National Corn Growers Association. “This awareness is important to our survival."

Sometimes I wonder where the idea of corporate farming and big agriculture first began. Many farms that I know of are actually "incorporated" for the tax advantages only. Behind that label, is a hard working family of dedicated agriculturists. 

Family farmers deserve a face that is honest, realistic and shows the world exactly where food is being produced. A friend of mine did an excellent job of literally painting faces for farmers in this recent post. Just look at her photos and you can see the years of diversity, generations of pride, and hours of hard work it takes to keep the family farm up and running. 

Ninety five. I'm proud to be a part of that percentage of American Farmers!

Tera Rooney