There is a New Meat-Naming System in Town!

Just in time for grilling season, you will start seeing some changes to how meat at the grocery store is labeled. The USDA has approved this new labeling system (created by NCBA and the National Pork Board) that aims to make meat perusing in the store easier for customers. For the past 40 years or so, meat labels have been anatomically based- describing where that cut is located on the animal’s body. So, for those customers that didn’t grow up on a livestock farm or enroll in a meat science class in college, how does knowing where a cut of meat came from help them know what they are getting or how to cook it?

The new labeling system will identify species, whether the meat is from the chuck, loin, rib or round, the retail cut name, and provide cooking instructions to the buyer. The biggest change is expected to be in pork chop labeling. Thanks to modern pork production methods, trichinosis is no longer a problem so the cooking temperature of pork was lowered in 2011. This means pork chops can be cooked similar to steaks now, so they will be naming different pork loin cuts more similarly to beef steak cuts (i.e. ribeye, sirloin, New York, etc.) Hopefully, this information will be helpful to customers when browsing meat at the grocery store.

 

This article explains in greater detail the changes that we can expect to see on meat labels: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/04/03/new-meat-cut-names/2049713/

I think this is a good idea based on consumer research done by the National Pork Board and the NCBA Beef Checkoff program. As we learn more and more about what our urban consumers are not understanding and the importance of communicating with all of our customers, it is changes like this that are going to help everyone be on the same page. We should start seeing label changes this summer, so it will be interesting to see everyone’s reaction to it!

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Last week I was given the opportunity to be a feature in the Faces of Agriculture Blog. Here was my story... check out their blog to see more!

If I told you I grew up in a town with a population of 48, you would probably assume that I grew up with that typical “small town girl” story… and you would be correct. Anything you can think of to insert into a small town girl story could probably be applied to my childhood: I learned how to drive a Super M tractor before I learned how to drive a car, I crashed a go-kart or two into my dad’s grain bins, I spent my summers showing cattle, was constantly begging my parents for a horse (which I still haven’t gotten, by the way), and I had decided by age 4 that I was going to be a veterinarian when I grew up!

My brother, Trent, and I checking pigs with dad.

I was raised on a livestock and grain farm in northern Illinois. (No, not all of northern Illinois is Chicago! Population 48, remember?) My dad farmed with his dad and brother, so I was lucky enough to grow up with my dad, uncle, and grandpa at our farm every day. When I was little, we always had pigs out on the pasture at our house. I can remember riding out to the pasture in the truck with my dad to check the piglets, but he always made me stay in the truck (much to my dismay) because sows are very protective.

Me with my 15 year old cow, Wise-Guy.

As I got older, our farm shifted from pigs to cattle. I got my first bucket calf when I was 7, and I was in love! I named her Wise-Guy (don’t ask me why, I don’t get it either). To this day, my grandpa tells the story about how sick my Wise-Guy got when she was just a small calf, and how I would lay in her calf hutch and sleep with her because I didn’t want her to be alone. As an experienced livestock farmer, of course my grandpa thought “Great, she is going to get attached to this calf and it’s not going to survive.” Well, she did! In fact, she is the cow that started what is now our herd of over 50 cattle. 15 years later, she is still on pasture at my parent’s farm.

With the help of Wise-Guy, I started showing cattle in 4-H when I was 8 and continued to show calves from our farm until the summer of 2008 when I moved to central Illinois to attend Illinois State University. Moving to college was a huge change for me. Not because it was away from home, family, friends, and grandma’s cookin’… but because these people had no clue about anything agriculture!

As soon people found out I was an agricultural animal science major, the first question was always “Wait, you are from a REAL farm???” I thought to myself “Who are these people and where did they come from!” Where I grew up, everyone I knew was another farm kid. I had never met anyone that hadn’t seen a cow before. I thought I must have met the only people on this earth who had never been to a farm. People would ask me about chocolate milk coming from brown cows, brown eggs being healthier than white, if cow-tipping was a real thing… and all I could do was laugh! Were these people serious?

As I made my way through college and met more people, I realized that this wasn’t an exclusive group of people who had never been exposed to farming. In fact, I began to feel like the weird one because I HAD experienced these things first-hand. I started to realize that people wanted to know about farming, but they didn’t know where to go for the information. They didn’t have access to farming like I did growing up. This was a problem, and it was here that my passion for discussing farming and food production with farmers and urban folks alike.

So I quit laughing when people asked me what I thought were silly questions, because I was their closest connection to farming. If they couldn’t ask me about these things, where did I expect them to go for their answers?

My family in front of the house in Norway that our ancestors left 170 years ago!

In 2011, my family had the amazing opportunity to travel to Norway and go to the farm that our ancestors left in 1843. We feel so lucky that we got the experience to stand in the house that they lived in and explore the farm that they left to bring us to where we are today. Farming has been in the family for longer than record books have been around! It is hard to wrap your head around how far we have come but how much has stayed the same, too.

I still have some cattle on pasture at my parent’s farm today, but I hope to move them to my own farm someday, just like all of my ancestors have done. When I have my own farm, I know that I will take with me the important lessons that I learned growing up on our family farm; including the importance of sustainability. Both crop and livestock production are jobs that come with a responsibility to conserve the environment, and that is a responsibility that my family has always taken seriously. Today our farm is more sustainable than ever with the help of new technologies. If that interests you, you can learn more about what we do at our farm’s website: www.sandersonag.com. In 2010, our farm even received an award for Illinois Soil & Water Conservation Family of the year from Orien Samuelson!

My family receiving a conservation award from Orien Samuelson.

One thing I wish people understood about my farm family is that we want to answer your questions! Farming is our livelihood, our history, and our passion. We take pride in what we do. If you have a question about agriculture, why not go straight to the source and ask a farmer?

Me riding Mare; One of the many perks of living in the country!

I love what I do, and I think most farmers would say the same thing if you asked them. I feel so blessed to have been raised in “God’s Country” where I learned the importance of hard-work, responsibility, and most recently the importance of sharing what I know with people like you!

If you ever have a food-production related question but don’t know where to start, visit my blog or facebook page and ask me! I will always be happy to answer your questions or get you in contact with someone who can!

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Fructose- Here we go again.

Well, fructose is in the news again. The findings from this latest preliminary research suggest that fructose does not send signals to our brain to tell us that we are full or satiated. I find it interesting that they are reporting this as new information when I remember learning this 2 years ago in my college nutrition class. Is this really new information? Or just the media generating hype because “new and exciting discoveries” will get a larger audience than “we have known this for a while but we decided to tell all of you about it again”? I digress…

Here are my thoughts on sugar in general: We all know we shouldn’t eat the cookie, but we like cookies, so we are going to eat it anyway. Why everyone is so captivated by this research on sugar is beyond me. To explain it in the simplest way possible, sugar breaks down into starch in our body, which is then either burned as energy or stored as fat. If you eat a ton of sugar and don’t burn the energy, it is going to be stored as fat. Since fructose doesn’t tell your brain you are full the way glucose does, when we eat something with fructose in it we tend to eat more.

So, what has fructose in it? HFCS often receives the most blame when it comes to fructose issues, but the truth is that fructose is present at comparable levels in lots of other foods, so we can’t focus on that one sweetener. Table sugar is 50/50 fructose/glucose whereas HFCS is most commonly 55/45 fructose and glucose respectively. Fruit is a healthy choice right? Not if you don’t want to eat any fructose, it is the naturally occurring sugar in fruit. Have you heard of agave nectar? It is a popular sweetener in health food circles; but guess what, it has one of the highest levels of fructose among all sweeteners! The list goes on.

Fructose is in a lot of different things that we all eat, and you know what? That’s OK! It’s just like our parents used to tell us: “Everything in moderation.”  The fact of the matter is that this preliminary research finding isn’t news. If nothing else, it is a reminder to do your research on these things so you can make an informed decision that is right for you. Don’t wait for the news casters to tell you what you should and shouldn’t eat. 

It's a Tough Job, But Someone's Gotta Do It!

Growing up on a livestock farm, you learn about the “circle of life” at a young age. Most, if not all, farm kids will get attached to a particular animal at one point or another, and ask questions about why the animal has to be sent to market. There are various explanations that a parent can give at this point, but the bottom line is that it is part of your job as a farmer.

I was thinking about this as I talked to my dad recently about what to do with one of the cows in our beef cattle herd. I have had her since I was 7; so that would make her 15 years old now. Needless to say, I am attached to this one. She has been one of our best cows, she was my first bucket calf, my first show calf, the cow that started our herd of 50 head today… and now she is getting old and her health is less than perfect. So, my dad is giving his 22-year-old daughter the same-old speech about the “circle of life” and making a good business decision as a livestock farmer.

Now, having grown up on a farm and experienced this before, I know how this is going to have to go at some point. (Really, I am lucky to still have her around after 15 years!) But what I think a lot of people need to know about farmers is that this is not always an easy decision to make, and it isn’t a part of our jobs that we would generally describe as “enjoyable.” I have had individuals with no farm experience ask me about this part of being a livestock farmer, and the best way I know to answer them is to be honest: It isn’t our favorite part of the job, but we know going into it that sending animals to harvest is part of the deal.

Numerous surveys show (and any farmer can probably tell you) that farmers are at the top of the list of people who are happy with their job. Farming is a great profession and one that I am proud to be a part of, even though it isn’t always easy. It can be tough work, but it has a lot of great rewards that make it all worth it at the end of the day!

In Case You Aren’t Tired of Being Told to Vote…

Over the past several days, the media has been bombarding us with “GO VOTE!” messages. While I agree that this is an important message, I also think that those Americans who were not going to vote in the first place will not be affected by these messages.

If you ask me, this can be attributed to our tendencies to take things (such as the right to vote) for granted. We see this tendency often within the agriculture industry. In the U.S., consumers have the privilege of being able to be picky at the grocery store. Many people look for food that was produced organically, without sub-therapeutic antibiotics or hormones, grass-fed, etc. All of these production methods are great-- except for one thing: they often don’t produce the high yields that we can achieve with the use of modern farming practices. This abundance of food in turn gives us the ability to be picky at the grocery store.

The problem is that most of us have had the privilege of an abundant food supply for our entire lives. We have not experienced anything different, so it is easy for us to take it for granted. This same idea applies to our right to vote. Obtaining this right took years of fighting and sacrifice- and yet so many of us choose not to take advantage of it.  

No one can force you to vote, but if you take a step back and try to realize what you are giving up by not voting, it may change your mind. Billions of people around the world are still fighting today for the rights that you have always had as an American; don’t take that for granted.  

Everyone together now… GO VOTE!!!

The Importance of Farmer/Consumer Discussion

There is no doubt that in recent years, consumers have become more and more concerned about how their food is produced, and why shouldn’t they be? Everyone wants to make sure that they are providing themselves and their families with safe, nutritious food that was produced in a way that they deem fit. I personally believe that one of the biggest contributing factors to this concern is the modern day “gap” between the farmer who grows the food and the urban mom/dad who makes the purchasing decisions regarding food for their family. Many modern day farming practices are simply misunderstood by many urban consumers because they have little or no experience with food production or farming.

So what do we, the agriculture industry, do about bridging this gap between farmer and urban consumer? Well, this is where the Illinois Farm Families program comes in. The Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Beef Association, Illinois Pork Association, Illinois Corn Marketing Board, and Illinois Soybean Association work together in this program to bring mom’s from Chicago, IL (called “Field Mom’s”) out to farms throughout Illinois to speak directly with the farmers who produce their food. This gives those urban moms an opportunity to ask their questions and voice their concerns about food production. It also gives the farmers an opportunity to explain not only how food is produced, but WHY we use different farming practices.

I think this program sets a good example of what should be happening in today’s society of food production concern. Consumers with questions should be asking FARMERS about the concerns they have! And as farmers, we should be happy to take their questions and answer them as honestly as possible. As a “real farm girl” I have often had friends ask me questions about food production and things they are concerned about- and more often than not, they leave the conversation with a better understanding and more positive opinion about their concern.

So, consumers with concerns: Ask a farmer! We are probably a much more reliable source than TV shows or news stories that are often biased one way or the other.

And farmers: Welcome those consumer questions! If urban consumers can’t ask the people who grow their food, who do you expect them to ask?

I love having these discussions with people, and I think it is discussions like these that will really make a difference in consumers having a better understanding of food production and modern farming practices.

To keep up with the IL Farm Families program, “like” them on Facebook or follow them on twitter!

You Can't Have Your Corn and Eat it, Too.

As harvest gets underway, farmers are waiting to see how much damage this year’s drought has really done to their crops. We are not only hearing concern on the producer side of things, many consumers have also expressed concern regarding the higher corn prices and how it is going to affect their grocery store expenses.

With new drought resistant corn hybrids becoming available and expected to be more sought-after in years following this growing season, I am beginning to wonder: Are consumers more concerned with low yields driving the price of corn up or their qualms with GMO crops? If (heaven forbid) next year we have another drought, but farmers had all planted drought-resistant corn, would consumers be happy to see unwavering yields? Or would farmers get criticized for planting genetically modified organisms?

Of course, each consumer would have a different opinion on this matter, so I do not have the answers to these questions. But it’s an interesting thought. Some may say that farmers are caught in a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation here, but I see a learning opportunity for those concerned with how their food is grown. This year’s drought and the resulting drought-resistant hybrids are a perfect example of why the agriculture industry has been and continues to use GMO crops. There aren’t scientists sitting in a lab somewhere conjuring up different ways to mess with your food just for the fun of it. These crops give farmers a fighting chance against the many factors we cannot control (i.e. weather, pests, disease, etc.) They help to make your food supply safe and abundant.

So, to those consumers who want high crop yields to keep our economy strong and our food prices affordable without the use of technology on our farming operations… think about what you are asking farmers to do. We can’t compete with the weather, we simply have to use the tools we are given to help our crops along the best we can. So the more tools we have available to our farmers, the better!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: 2012 Corn Edition

The good: Most of Illinois got some rain this weekend! Nearly 2 inches reported in some parts of the state.

The bad: That storm also produced some brutal 50mph winds, knocking down many acres of corn in the southern part of the state.

The ugly: Corn after the storm.

A few farmers are beginning to harvest their corn already. So far, there have been reports of yields ranging from 0-130 bushels per acre at best. ICMB board member Jim Raben has been hearing of yields between 0 and 40 bushels per acre in non-irrigated fields and higher yields of about 130 bushel in irrigated fields. On average, most southern Illinois counties are expecting a 50 bu/acre yield.

Yield isn’t the only number farmers are keeping an eye on. Early harvest brings with it the threat of high moisture ratings. Of those farmers beginning harvest early, the current range is 18-30% moisture. Grain elevators want to see corn coming in at less than 15% moisture, so this means more drying cost and/or premium reduction for these farmers.

If nothing else, this year has been a prime example of the volatile nature of being a crop farmer. No matter how much time, money, and work a farmer puts into their crop, the weather gets the final say in how productive a field will be. Last year, farmers were celebrating yields approaching 200 bushels per acre, and this year most are just hoping for their average to be 50 bushels per acre! Calling this a “tough year for corn farmers” seems to be an understatement throughout most of the Midwest.

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Social Media- Are you doing it right?

If you are reading this blog, you already know about and are participating in social media. Chances are you are also aware of how popular social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blogging (to name a few) have all become. But what can we do, as representatives of the agriculture industry, to make our use of social media more effective in reaching more diverse demographics and creating a positive image of the industry that we are all so passionate about?

Today, I watched a Ustream video on U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance’s website Food Dialogues. The live video stream today was called “Hollywood and “Vine”: The Intersection of Pop Culture and Food Production” and included representatives from both the agriculture and media industries. The discussion was largely based on how agriculture and the media need to work together to bring real facts and honest stories to the consumer. It was mentioned that the next generation of kids will be able to operate an iPad or laptop without any problem, but they won’t have a clue about where there food comes from. Examples from current “educational” cartoons were depictions of bulls with udders and an understanding that “if it has horns, it must be a bull.”

Most of you reading this (I hope) understand that those things are not true, but how are we ensuring that our kids know and understand these concepts? Another suggestion in the Food Dialogue was that agriculture needs to be a source for these materials. If we are making the cartoons and other informational outlets, we have control over the messages and information being presented to kids in our schools.

There is one thing in particular that stands out to me from the video stream: Social media is NOT a “magic cure-all” for agriculture’s challenges today. It is a tool, and if used correctly, it can make a big impact. When it comes to reaching a large and diverse audience and getting them to listen to your message, there is a right and a wrong way to use social media. Jeff Fowle, one of the panelists today, is a farmer/rancher who knows how to use social media effectively. He is one of the founders of the Ag Chat Foundation, which has this mission: “to empower farmers, ranchers and foresters to share their stories effectively through social media platforms.” More recently, he began the  Just Farmer blog with a few other colleagues. This is a social media platform for dialogue between consumers and producers that has seen a lot of success.

Check out some of these organizations and ideas to learn more about how you can make better use of you social media skills to start more discussions about food production! My generation has already accepted and flocked to social media, now all you have to do is find a way to keep their attention and tell them your side of the story!