Musings of a Pig Farmer
by Larry Sailer

Last week in “Musings of a Pig Farmer,” I shared how new school lunch regulations are limiting portions of certain types of food offered through the national school lunch program.  These regulations are a key component of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act championed by First Lady as part of her “Let’s Move” initiative to help end childhood obesity.

One reason given by proponents of the new school lunch rules is the need for children to have a “balanced diet.”  Balanced means that a diet meets your nutritional needs while not providing too much of any one nutrient. To achieve a balanced diet, you must eat a variety of foods from each of the food groups.

Given my experience feeding livestock, I understand the need for “nutritionally balanced rations”:

• A balanced ration is one that has all the nutrients the animal needs in the right proportions and amounts.
• A ration is the amount of feed given to an animal to meet its needs during a 24-hour period.
• Animals need proper nutrition to efficiently produce meat, milk, eggs and wool.

Active kids, like active animals, have different nutritional requirements.  Performance athletes, like show animals, have different feed needs.  That’s why I’m opposed to the federal government’s “one size fits all approach” to school lunches.

Through the years, I’ve learned that you can’t remove everything animals like to eat or they will simply refuse to touch everything in the feeder.  They “go off feed.”  Animals will not eat enough to grow bigger if they do not like the diet you feed them.

This same concept may be applied to human diets.  As a parent and a grandparent, I’ve seen kids simply refuse to eat foods they do not like.  For example, Janice and I had a rule that our kids had to at least try the different types of food served at dinner.  They couldn’t be excused from the dinner table until they tried everything on their plates.  That rule didn’t work for tomatoes – but gagging did!  To this day, we have kids who will not eat tomatoes.

Fact is, it doesn’t matter how good the food is for them (animals or humans) if you can’t get them to eat it!  It doesn’t matter if the federal government requires school-age children in the Midwest to take a serving of black-eye peas or collard greens.  Chances are, most of those foods are going to end up in the garbage disposal.  Lean proteins, however, are appealing to many children.  By setting a maximum allowance for Meat and Meat Substitutes (verses “minimum requirements” as stated under the former regulations), the U.S. government implies that meat isn’t healthy.  There’s also a new limit set for grain servings.  New regs, however, increase the amount of fruits and vegetables served.  Well, too much fruit isn’t good for you either because there is such a thing as consuming too much natural sugar.  Too much of “good thing” is still too much!

Guest Blog post by Mark Hanna,
ISU Extension agricultural engineer with responsibilities in field machinery

Extremely warm, dry and windy harvest conditions in 2011 were credited for the above-average number of combine and field fires we experienced last fall. Hot, dry conditions all summer long – plus the likelihood of warmer than normal temperatures at harvest time due to an early harvest – mean even more sparks could ignite during the 2012 harvest season.

Prevention is a key to avoid personal and property damage.

• Keep the machine clean, particularly around the engine and engine compartment. Use a high pressure washer or compressed air to remove caked-on oil, grease and crop residue.
• Check coolant and oil levels daily.
• Check the pressurized oil supply line to the turbocharger for wear areas that rub and may start an oil leak.
• Frequently blow leaves, chaff and plant material from the engine area with compressed air or a portable leaf blower. Remove plant materials wrapped on or near bearings, belts or other moving parts.
• Examine exhaust or hot bearing surfaces. Repair leaking fuel or oil hoses, fittings or metal lines immediately.
• Inspect and clean ledges or recessed areas near fuel tanks and lines.

Preparation is also key. Carry these items with you during harvest:

• Cell phone to call the fire department (911).
• Two ABC-type fire extinguishers: a smaller 10-pound unit in the cab and a larger 20-pound extinguisher at ground level on the combine.
• A shovel to throw dirt on small flames.

Since fires can start from plant materials that have smoldered unnoticed for 15 to 30 minutes or more, it just takes a gust of wind to literally blow it out of control. Hanna advises farmers to discuss a plan for emergency tillage in the event of a fire break, so harvest crews know what to do should the need arise. Remember, personal safety is more important than harvest loss.

For more tips, click here.

Today will be bittersweet.

“The Big Show” will be broadcasting live from Latham headquarters to cover preparations underway for our company’s 65th anniversary celebration on Saturday, Aug. 23.  Unfortunately, we’ll be doing today’s broadcast without one of the ag community’s most-loved personalities.

But Mark Pearson, longtime host of WHO Radio’s “The Big Show” and Iowa Public Television’s “Market to Market” program, will be with us in spirit!  That’s why today through Saturday we’ll be honoring Mark’s memory in a way that’s fitting of his fun-loving spirit.

Tune into Newsradio 1040 WHO today between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. CST to hear the details of our Cow Chip Bingo game.  WHO listeners and Mark Pearson fans even will have an opportunity to participate “virtually” through lathamseeds.com.  Visitors to the Latham Country Fair on Saturday can participate “in person.”

Proceeds from our Cow Chip Bingo game will benefit the Mark Pearson Endowment, a scholarship program available to junior and senior students at Iowa colleges who have chosen to major in agriculture journalism.  (Side bar: This scholarships is also near and dear to my heart since I majored in agricultural journalism at Iowa State University.)

How to “Place Your Chips” to Benefit the Mark Pearson Scholarship Endowment
Those attending the event will select one of 64 Bingo squares. Those who cannot attend the event are invited to pledge online by visiting www.lathamseeds.com and selecting the “Cow Chip Bingo” icon at the bottom of the page or by mailing a check to:

WHO Radio
c/o Janine Van Vark
Note: Cow Chip Bingo
2141 Grand Ave.
Des Moines, IA 50312
Virtual and mail pledges will be put into a drawing for prizes, including $100 worth of beef certificates from the Iowa Beef Industry Council.

The national school lunch program is becoming one “hot potato” of an issue!  I deliberately chose to use the word “one” as much of the changes revolve around limiting the portion size, especially of meat, offered through the school lunch program.  In her blog post this week, Missouri pork producer Chris Chinn describes it as a One Size, Fits All Lunch Program.

Chris is not alone in her concern.  Even school hot lunch managers are concerned.  Here’s a comment one area hot lunch manager posted on my Facebook page:

Oh, you sure hit a sore spot with me. It just me over two weeks to formulate a menu that usually takes less than two hours, and I have Middle School and Elementary ages to go.  The meat allowance for students in grades 9-12 is 2 ounces.  I can hardly wait until some of my older kids come through the lunch line on the first day and can’t find the meat on their sub sandwich!  Our schools have always served at least 1 fruit and 1 vegetable a day. We can serve it, but we can’t make them eat it!  And now I’m adding more fruits and vegetables, but I’m sure there won’t be a rush for Garbanzo beans, black beans and kidney beans.  Get this… lettuce and dressing must fit into the calorie ranges.

How long will a 2-ounce portion of meat satisfy a 240-pound football player, who has already been at school for hours and has to attend practice right after school?  The above-mentioned hot lunch manager goes on to write that she’s concerned about the number kids that will go hungry thanks – ironically – in part to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.  She encourages concerned citizens and interested parents to contact their congressman.  She emphatically writes, “School cooks need all the help they can get to get back to basic cooking!!!!”

Even school administrators are concerned about the new regulations.  Last Thursday a group of area superintendents met with the Franklin County Board of Directors.  When talking about school food, one of the supers confessed that he takes his lunch break in his office where he can use his own “secret” salt shaker.  He said the food is so bland that he couldn’t tolerate to eat it otherwise.

Another super said that the “Food Gestapo” stopped in and checked their food last year.  His school failed the inspection, and one reason was because that particular school added too much salt to the food.  They all agreed that there will be major problems with the program.

As classes resume, I’m sure we’ll hear even more “school lunch stories.”  You can be sure that I haven’t written my last word about it either.  To be continued…