submitted by Aaron Putze
Director of External Relations & Coordinator
Iowa Food & Family Project, Iowa Soybean Association

Iowa is distinctly agriculture. Eighty-six percent of its land area is devoted to farming, the most of any state. Yet many Iowans admit to having little understanding about the origins of their food and what farmers do. As a result, they have sincere questions about agriculture as it relates to food safety, affordability and choice, livestock well-being and environmental quality.

Farm families welcome this interest. Farmers — many second, third and fourth generation — respect the land, treat their livestock with dignity and honor an ethical obligation that’s been handed down from generation to generation to produce safe and wholesome food.

Bottom line: Farmers have a story to share and consumers want to hear it. The time is now for the Iowa Food & Family Project!

The mission of the Iowa Food & Family Project is to inspire positive and enduring relationships between farmers and consumers through personal engagement, advocacy and education.  To help carry out this mission, today the Iowa Food & Family Project (Iowa FFP) will be announced as the presenting sponsor of the Iowa Games and supporter of the Live Healthy Iowa program.

The Iowa Food & Family Project is a collaborative organization created by the Iowa Soybean Association involving the participation and guidance of Iowa families, farmers, food retailers, commodity and food relief organizations, civic and community leaders.

Iowan, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Norman Borlaug, whose pioneering work in agronomy helped billions avert starvation, once said, “The first essential component of social justice is adequate food for all mankind.”

As we look to the future, Iowa’s farmers and America’s farmers stand ready to answer that call by providing healthy, abundant and affordable food. That indeed is a miracle, one that will be celebrated and championed by Iowans and the Iowa Food & Family Project.

To learn more or to get involved, log on to www.iowafoodandfamily.com!

Upon entering a store recently, the owner greeted me with a friendly smile and excitedly told me about the new grain-based snack food that she wanted me to try. “It’s all natural and 100% organic,” she explained and gave me a look implied it had to be better for you if it was organic.

Honestly, my purchase decisions are not at all affected by whether or not a food item is certified “USDA organic.” It concerns – and even frightens – me that so many well intentioned and well meaning people are getting the idea that “organic” means that these foods are better or safer. It’s of even greater concern to me that they believe organic or non-genetically modified (Non-GMO) foods are a realistic way to feed the world’s growing population.

Modern production practices have led to increased production and efficiency. Crop yields continue to increase and innovations continue to be made to make today’s products even more environmentally friendly. For example, farmers in India are buying BT cotton even though the seed is more expensive because it requires less spraying and consumes fewer fossil fuels.

In addition, today’s seed technologies offer even more benefits. A GM-breakthrough has saved the Hawaiian papaya crop. The fruit was being destroyed by papaya ringspot virus, which resisted all attempts to control it, until researchers at the University of Hawaii bred a variety that is resistant to the virus. Transgenic papayas now make up 75% of the total Hawaiian papaya crop.

It’s unfortunate that resistance to GM foods is keeping many populations from experiencing similar benefits. According to a recent article in Seed World, the release of GM eggplant has been blocked in India. This eggplant variety could help stabilize food prices, as well as increase Indian food crop yields by mitigating the effects of climate. Another GM breakthrough that has yet to be accepted is inserting vitamin A in rice.

With time, I believe the benefits of such technologies will lead to their acceptance. Transgenic crops will become an important – and necessary – part of sustainable agriculture. With that said, however, I won’t refrain from buying organic products. While I believe organic food production has its niche, I won’t buy something merely because has been organically produced. I merely want to choose foods – and to teach my kids how to make food choices – that taste good and offer nutritional value.

The Gor-tex® / Thinsulate® boots that had been back-ordered for months finally arrived in March, just in time for my Spring Break trip.  While many females would prefer to pack their swimsuits and head south, I chose to pack my snow gear and head north.  (One compelling reason to head to a colder climate is there’s no need to lose those unwanted 10 pounds!)

My brother, Rod, and I spent about nine hours on the road, Sunday, March 20, before we arrived at Sportman’s Lodge. The farther north we drove, the deeper the snow drifts.  There were also fewer farmsteads and more forests dotting the countryside.  By the time we reached Baudette, Minnesota, we had entered the frozen tundra.

Upon checking into a two-bedroom cabin at Sportman’s Lodge, we made our way to the Riverside Dining Room.  There we enjoyed the most delicious meal while overlooking the frozen Rainy River and the Canadian border.  Topping off our dining experience – like the cherry on top of a sundae – was the company we kept.  We met three of the nicest and most entertaining gentlemen, who were embarking on their annual Lake of the Wood fishing expedition.  They gave us some much needed advice and even shared some of their favorite jigs with us.  We also shared lots of laughs.  Oh, the stories they could tell!

“The fish tales are true,” said Wayne Sletten of Two Harbors, Minn., as he pulled from his wallet a business card-sized ID that showed him proudly holding the 32-inch walleye that he caught on a trip last winter.

The hope of catching my own trophy walleye is what brought me to the Walleye Capital of the World in the first place.  Fishing Lake of the Woods was on my Bucket List, and at last, I was living the dream!  It was 7:45 a.m. on Monday, March 21, when our group first loaded into a bombardier and took a bumpy 45-minute ride across the ice and through the slush to our fishing site.

My first catch of the day was a keeper walleye, which is more than I can say about my brother’s.  He was a good sport, however, and let me photograph his first catch.  But by the end of the day Tuesday, it was a different story.  Rod had put more “keepers” in the pail than I had, and he even had bragging rights to the “biggest fish.”  Even though none of our fish were big enough to mount, they’ll make good eating.  I’m looking forward to trying these two recipes that Wayne was kind enough to share.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy the “fresh catch of the day”?

Ranchero Walleye

Serves Four

Ingredients:

• 4 – Walleye fillets (about 8 oz. each)
• 1 c. finely crushed tortilla chips
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 3 T. lime juice
• 1 T. vegetable oil
• 1 c. salsa

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a baking pan.
2. Mix crushed tortilla chips and chili powder in a shallow dish or on a piece of wax paper.
3. Mix lime juice and oil in another shallow dish.
4. Dip walleye in the lime juice mixture, then immediately dredge in the seasoned tortilla crumbs to coat.
5. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Sprinkle walleye with remaining tortilla crumbs.
7. Bake 10 minutes or until crisp and golden, and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
8. Warm salsa in a small sauce pan over low heat.
9. Arrange walleye on serving plates and spoon salsa across the center.
10. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its eagerly awaited Prospective Plantings report March 31,  revealing U.S. farmers intend to plant 92.2 million corn acres (4.5% increase from 2010), 76.6 soybean acres (1 percent decrease), 12.6 million cotton acres (15% increase), and 58 million wheat acres (8.9% increase), in 2011.

USDA Chief Economist Joseph Galuber stated that while there were increases in most major field crops, the March 1 Grain Stocks report indicates continued strong demand and usage of each of these commodities, suggesting the current tight supply situation will continue into 2011 and 2012.

If realized, this corn crop will be the second-highest planted acreage in the U.S. since 1944. Acreage increases of 250,000 or more are expected in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and Ohio. South Dakota captured the largest intended increase with 850,000 additional acres, while Texas marked the largest decrease (150,000 acres), due to an increase in cotton exchange.

Intended soybean acres mark the third largest soybean crop on record. Compared with last year’s record planting intentions, declines of 100,000 acres or more are expected in Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska and Ohio. If realized, the planted area in New York and North Dakota will be the largest on record with 1.5 million and 4.35 million respectively.

Sources: USDA news release, Business Insider, Dairy Today

April is National Garden Month.   Although it might be a few weeks before I actually till the soil, planting preparations are underway.  I’ve already purchased the seed packets that I need.  Now I’m eagerly awaiting a trip to the Mennonite greenhouses where I’ll pick out tomato and pepper plants, as well as my annual flowers.

Each year I look forward to trying something new in my little garden.  Last year it was sweet potatoes, and the year before I grew three types of potatoes: red, white and blue ones.  This year I’m trying my hand at growing edamame.  (Pronounced “ed-a-mommy.” If you don’t like my phonetics, you can listen to a pronunciation here.  I had so much fun listening to it that I saved the link in my favorites!)

Edamame are green soybeans that are harvested at the peak of ripening, right before it reaches the hardening stage.  Because they grow in clusters on bushy branches, they’re aptly named: eda means “branches” and mame means “beans” in Japanese.

These “bush soybeans” grow larger than bush green bean plants and tend to flop, according to the limited research I conducted online.  Since I like my garden to look as neat as possible, I’ll probably put up a few stakes and strings to keep my edamame upright.  I’ve also read that edamame is great for container gardens, so encourage your non-farming friends and relatives to also give it a try!  Growing edamame is also a great children’s activity, and research shows children are more apt to eat what they helped grow or make.

It seems only fitting to promote soybean consumption as April is also National Soyfoods Month.  Send me your soyfood recipes, so we can feature them this month.