HFC - Meating In the Middle

Ben Rice - Prairie Land Dairy 

I realize this is two days late, nonetheless, here is the recap. Husker Food Connection, is actually a registered student organization on campus, but we just had our big event of the year. Meating in the Middle - was a way to connect students with where their food comes from. People are four generations removed from the farm today, so it is more important than ever to educate consumers with the correct information. HFC partnered with several companies to help sponsor the food and information packets that were handed out. We had a chicken, two baby pigs, a dairy cow and calf, a steer, and a tractor, along with a free meal!
One of the highlight attractions was the dairy cow and baby calf that Prairie Land Dairy brought. In addition to being a sponsor for the lunch, they were also there to represent the dairy industry.

12 week old piglet 

In addition to the dairy cow and calf, there we a couple baby pigs there as well. I'll admit, that I'm not much of a pig person, but I do love me some bacon! 

Milking Cow

One of the neat resources we had available to us, (HFC planning committee) was the "Milking Cow". This is a station where participants could learn how to milk a cow. When her udder gets empty, you can recycle the water back in through a port in the top. It was fun getting to teach students, even some Husker Football players, how to milk a cow. 

John Deere prototype tractor 

It wouldn't be a proper "Ag Day" without a tractor there! This is one from the tractor test lab here on campus! 

My favorite part of #HFC14 was getting to talk to students on campus about agriculture and why we do what we do. I was surprised by how open students were willing to be with the mis-conceptions about ag. This gave us the opportunity to help guide them in the right direction. Here are some of my favorite facts that I got to share with students: 

-Nebraska is the Beef State, meaning we have more cattle on feed than Texas, despite how much bigger they are than us. 

-In Nebraska, cattle out number people 4 to 1.

-It would take 7 cups of raw broccoli to equal the calcium found in one glass of milk!

-A dairy cow can produce 120 cups of milk a day!

-White eggs and brown eggs have the exact same nutritional value. 

Feel free to share these with all your friends too! 

*Little side note, the posters that you see displayed in these pictures were designed by me! 

Saturday Morning Coffee

Hanging with friends, listening to some great  music, drinking coffee (with the perfect amount of creamer), and eating a LaMar's donut equals a perfect Saturday morning! We call it: Coffee in Reid's room. This was a tradition that three of my friends and I started last year. We were all Resident Assistants in Cather Hall at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Let me start with, there are three factors that made Reid's room the optimum location for hanging out.

 #1: Walter. Walter the couch. One of the most comfortable couches, that a college kid could ever hope to have in their room. It's inevitable that you will fall asleep on Walter, but there's one rule when you do, you have to sign the couch.

Signatures on Walter 

#2: The hammock. Reid has a hammock hanging under his lofted bed. I would be lying if I said I haven't fallen asleep in it more than once. #3: Food. It never fails that Reid can brew the best pot of coffee. But I'll let you in on a little secret, he also usually has homemade ice cream. Or, one of my new favorites, animal crackers with Jiff's version of Nutella. Being RA's, we would have leftover food from programs, so we consumed lots of popcorn. We learned our lesson, and that was to not dump the bag of M&M's in the "body pillow sized" bag of popcorn. (All the M&M's fall to the bottom!). Needless to say, there is always something to snack on. It would do no good to describe a typical hang-out, because they don't exist. That's part of what makes it fun!

Coffee, donuts, and Reid's room! 

This particular Saturday morning, we walked down to the donut shop, came back, fixed our coffee, then took up our respected seats and settled in for the morning. No telling where the day will lead now!
 

Road Trip: part 3, 4 & 5

Well folks, it should be no surprise that there is little to no reception up in the Sandhills, which is what makes it so still and peaceful, but it prevented me from blogging in real time. My trip went off without a hitch! Also, I would like to add that it was a blast. To give a little background, I was born in Valentine, Nebraska so it is always fun to go back and visit. I had the great fortune of staying with the nurse who delivered me (which is something I don't think very many people can say!) Ruth is such a sweetheart, who knows everyone and is related to quite a few of them. This makes her the ideal tour guide. We made stops at the Easter Yucca, and the first house I ever lived in.

Easter Yucca

My First House!

Emma and I had a little free time that morning, so we headed out to the Wildlife Refuge. It's been a while since the Subaru has been off-roading, so it was fun to go exploring (staying on the designated paths of course!). While we were out exploring the raw uncut Sandhills we happened upon Clear Lake, and Pelican Lake, looked but couldn't find Swan Lake as well as my personal favorite, two Sandhills Cranes. There were some ducks, and some swans, and some black and red birds, that had we been prepared explores would have identified in our Bird Book, but we A) forgot to pack one and B) don't actually own one. 

Sandhills Crane 

Duck in the Sandhills.

Clear Lake - Wildlife Refuge 

Pelican Lake - Wildlife Refuge 

 I could talk about the trip all day, but to re-cap it was more fun than words can describe. Had the weather been warmer we would have gone Kayaking or tanking. There was one thing we didn't get to see, which boils down to I'm going to have to take another trip soon! There are supposedly some pretty neat waterfalls, so until then!

Road Trip Part 1: Packing

In my efforts to work on homework this afternoon,  I find myself distracted by the final details of my up and coming road trip. For instance it's 1:30 pm with an expected departure time of 4, and I have yet to pack. But where's the fun in begin 100% prepared??!
I am a planner, and had this been three years ago, I would have been packed Monday, but a couple years of college has taught me to let go and live a little. Being insanely over involved (which I couldn't imagine life any other way) has numerous benefits, for instance you have no choice sometimes but to fly by the seat of your pants. Here's all I really need: camera, toothbrush, Chaco's, water bottle, and my best friend who has graciously volunteered to be my traveling companion. Stay tuned for more updates and pictures as we venture off to the Nebraska Sandhills!

PEDV: It's impacts on the industry

This next post was a topic requested by a reader. PEDV – Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus hit the United States hard around May 13 of last year. I’ll preface with saying that PEDV does not affect the safety of pork meat. Since 2013 cases have been on the decline, however researchers are discovering that there is a second strain emerging. What does this mean for the pork industry or the animal industry as a whole? As usual, HSUS had taken full advantage of this unfortunate happening, and shed a negative light on the situation. Due to their somewhat large following, they have created a roadblock for the industry as they try to educate consumers about PEDV. PEDV is a highly contagious disease that is impacting both young and old pigs, however younger pigs have a decreased chance of survival. Pig producers are  doing everything they can to prevent the spread of this, however due to its nature, this is not an easy task. Because so little is known about this, it is hard to know how to combat it. According to Genesus: “Although PEDV and TGEV viruses are related and the clinical signs are very similar, there is no immune corss-protection. In the event of a PEDV outbreak, currently the best means of protection comes from aggressive bio-feedback. The primary goal is to ensure that every animal on the farm in infected as soon as possible. Bio-feedback includes fecal material and intestinal tracts from acutely infected piglets.” It is no surprise that this is the angle that animal activist groups have chosen to highlight, however it is critical to keep things in perspective. For many, increased bio-security is the best plan of attack. Constant washing of feed trucks, vehicles coming on and off the premises, and making sure that workers are cleaning and disinfecting their boots and clothes.

Ask yourself this question: How willing are you to give up the bacon on your bacon cheeseburger, or the bacon that goes with your eggs and toast in the morning? What about a BBQ pork sandwich, or the Christmas ham? PEDV has impacted the overall number of pigs in the United States, meaning that numbers are declining. It’s a simple supply and demand system; supply of the product is down and demand is remaining the same or increasing meaning an increase in the price that consumers are going to pay for the product.

What can you do? Be patient and understanding as the industry works on a way to combat PEDV, and keep in mind that swine farmers are doing everything to ensure that the animals welfare and overall well-being is of first priority. 

The battle over the VHS

My sisters and I, after a text from our mom last week, are currently battling it out to see who gets the VHS player and collection of Disney movies. It's odd to think that something that was once such a huge part of our lives, is no more. With the world turning digital, and the number of working VHS players on the decline, this makes the one that works at our house a hot commodity. We each have our own very valid reason for why we are deserving of it, but it's final fate has yet to be determined. My hope is that my mom and dad will keep it, so that sometime down the road (and I mean very far down the road) their grandkids can marvel at this piece of history. The idea for this post was sparked by the lyrics in Miranda Lambert's newest song "Automatic." If you haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, don't worry, I've posted the link below! Growing up in the 90's I can relate to everything in her story. "Drying laundry on the line" - which we still do, because lets face it...climbing into bed with sheets that have just been outside on the line in the sunshine is the best feeling in the world! "Watching sun tea in the sun" -an ice-cold glass of this after stacking small square bales is so refreshing. "Windows with the cranks"- which is what my first F150 had! But my favorite line is "Come on let's take a picture, the kind you gotta shake" - no explanation needed! 

Singing along to this song, and the battle between my sisters reminds me how important it is to cherish the memories we've made. The material things of life are going to come and go, but the memories we allow to live on will always be there. 

New Logo!

Water fountain ~ Charleston, SC 

 I had no option really, but to show off the new logos that a good friend of mine designed for me. Keep in mind, I am by no means a professional photographer, instead just someone who deeply loves their Canon Rebel. I love nothing more than just grabbing my camera and going for a drive to capture nature in it's most innocent moments. I will be the first to admit that I would much rather photograph animals, sunsets, and scenery long before people (no offense). The great thing about nature is it is either #1: stationary or #2: doesn't have an opinion about how it looks, or cares how it looks in a photo. All of these photos were taken last spring break when I went to Charleston, South Carolina to visit my best friend from high school. It was very cool getting to see the city, and our visits to the ocean were something you don't get everyday in Nebraska. (or at all actually!) As my photography has taken off, I thought it was time to invest in a logo or watermark for my photos. My reasoning behind this was twofold. First, I want people who look at my pictures and like them, to know who took them (and hopefully not steal them), and secondly, I wanted a logo that I could use as I work on developing my personal brand. I want there to be a sense of cohesiveness when someone looks at my photos, my business card, and my resume to know that they all three go together.

On a separate note, I would encourage anyone who has the chance to go visit Charleston, SC to go! It's a very fun city with lots to see and do! Plus the ocean is there, so it has that going for it!

Seabird ~ Charleston, SC

Sea birds in the ocean ~ Charleston, SC

Flowers ~ Charleston, SC

24 Cups of Broccoli?

I am an avid reader of BEEF Magazine, and a huge fan of their social media work. One of their recent articles which I stumbled upon this morning breaks down some of consumers misconceptions when it comes to beef products. The recommended amount of protein that active individuals, pregnant women and teenagers should get in one day is between 75-80 grams. To get this amount of recommended protein you would have to eat  24 cups of broccoli to match the protein in 1 9 oz serving of meat. I don't know about you, but I'd rather eat a steak!

The visual that the article had can be misleading without the facts to back it up, so lets break it down:

1 cup broccoli = 31 calories. You would have to eat more than 3 cups of broccoli to get 11.1 grams of protein. (Math isn't my strong suit, but 31 x 3 = 93 calories!)

on the other hand,  a 3 oz serving of beef = 25 grams protein, while the calorie count is only 180.

If you're anything like me, you just want the numbers to make sense, so let me simplify:

6.75 cups of broccoli = 25 grams of protein = 209 calories
3 oz of lean beef = 25 grams of protein = 180 calories 

(curious on how many calories are in Tofu, Black beans and Peanut Butter compared to lean beef? Check out this great resource! Beef Its What's For Dinner Fact Sheet )

My intent here is not to bash broccoli, but simply to present the facts and clear up some misconceptions. I have a small confession, I love broccoli too! The key to maintaining a healthy diet, is incorporating foods from all the food groups, in moderation. I will agree that eating only meat for every meal is not as healthy as eating meat, and vegetables, and fruit at every meal. (plus dessert, don't forget dessert!)