Last week I had the pleasure of serving as a guest teacher for one day in the Hampton-Dumont High School. It’s been 44 years since I graduated from Hampton, which wasn’t part of a consolidated school system at that time. While many changes have occurred over the years, I found the students to be engaging and interested in the facts I shared with them.

I certainly enjoyed my time “at the head of the class,” teaching two of Jane Hoegh’s Food and Nutrition classes and had three of Sara DeBour’s Vo Ag classes as part of the National Pork Board’s Operation Main Street program. I’ve given about 50 presentations to civic groups as part of this group, but last week was the first time I spoke to young students in a classroom setting. In fact, I spoke to 95 kids in just one day!

Although we live in a rural county, many kids in that classroom had never visited a farm. I gave them a virtual tour by showing videos and explaining how we’ve improved our pig operations from the time I started farming 50 years ago. We have become much more efficient in producing pigs. We use much less ground and water per pig, and we have changed the pork we produce to be much healthier.

The food classes learned how many nutrients are in pork, making it a very nutritious food. Easy to prepare and very versatile. In 2006, pork passed chicken in leanness.

In both classes, I shared that there are 7 billion (with a “b”) people in the world today. Half of those seven billion live on less than $2 dollars per day. Then we talked about what it’s going to take to grow enough food – on the same amount of ground we have now – as the population gains another 2.3 billion people by 2050. U.S. farmers will need to grow 100% more food by 2050 because these people will want to eat better as they acquire better incomes. (Click here to watch a short video explaining this.)

Specifically in the Vo Ag classes, I went more into detail about how the hog buildings work.  I explained the We Care^TM initiative and how pig farmers work hard to do the right things for our pigs every day. We talked about how pork producers use medicines according to our veterinary recommendations, making sure all withdrawal times are met. Antibiotics leave the pigs bodies just like they do in humans, so there is no residue in the meat at the time of market.

Antibiotics are used to keeps our pigs healthy. We have other precautions in place, such as posted warning signs, to help prevent diseases from spreading through our herds. I explained to the students that these signs aren’t posted to hide anything. Instead, signs like “STOP Authorized Personnel Only Beyond This Point” are in place to protect pigs from disease. We had a good discussion on how cleanliness is key to animal health. I explained that pigs are raised on different sites as they grow to break the disease cycle, and I shared photos of how my barns are cleaned and sanitized before a new group of pigs arrive.

From the photos I shared of my hog barns, these students saw all of the technology involved to regulate temperatures and regulate fans. Kids understand technology since they’re growing up in the age of iPads, iPods, and things I can’t even name. Yes, today’s kids understand new ways to raise pigs!

I had a great time being “back” in school. I’m hopeful these kids will explain to their parents what I do every day and why I do it! I also hope they’ll be able to shop the grocery store and buy food for themselves with confidence.

Finding unbiased information about food and farming is, at times, a quest. Instead of leaving Iowans feeling like they’re lost on a road trip without a compass, the Iowa Food & Family Project and trusted blogger Kristin Porter (aka “Iowa Girl Eats”) are taking people on a journey to feed their curiosity.

“Join My Journey” started last year when Kristin visited several Iowa farms, meeting the families who grow the products she features on her popular blog. This season, Kristin is bringing those experiences along with her to new locations including restaurants, grocery stores and the “kitchen table.”

Recently, I had the opportunity to cook up a storm with Kristin in my own kitchen where she showed me how easy it is to cook with tofu. (Confession time… I’m a meat and potatoes kind of girl, whose parents and grandparents took great pride in raising their own meat and potatoes for our dinner table. I wasn’t too keen on trying on tofu. Since I married into a family whose primary business was raising soybeans – even some food grade beans for the Japanese market – I decided it was time to give it a try.)

Kristin’s visit forced me to literally eat my words. Why? Because I often say to my kids, “It’s good to try new things.” I couldn’t expect them to eat something I wouldn’t eat myself, right? Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised when I took my first bite of Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry. It was like taking my taste buds on spring break after a long winter of feasting on comfort foods.

Cooking with Kristin was more fun than a person should have on a work day! Click on this link to see how colorful and fresh the ingredients were that we used. Imagine hearing them sizzle in the wok. It all smelled so tantalizing and tasted even better. Truly, this meal was a journey for my five senses.

Like me and Kristin, many moms and food purchasers are on a journey to gain confidence in the safety and quality of the food they provide for their family. Greater confidence comes from knowing how and why foods are grown. To help feed that curiosity, Kristin is working with farm families, food safety experts and chefs to take a closer look at actual food products, ranging from tofu to tenderloins.

Feed your curiosity! Here are the top five ways you can enjoy the journey:

1. Follow along at iowafoodandfamily.com.  Each month Iowa Girl Eats and several guest bloggers will document their adventures with new stories, voices and info nuggets each month.
2. Face(book) the facts. Track the trip at the IFFP’s Facebook page where friends can find facts about food, ranging from riveting data such as identifying five JELL-O flavors that flopped to discussions about GMO safety.
3. Ready-to-go recipes. ‘Iowa Girl Eats’ is known for her no-nonsense, easy-to-prepare-and-source, healthy recipes and she’ll feature some with each visit whether it’s preparing pork at one of Iowa’s hottest new restaurants, to enjoying beef at one of Iowa’s most popular summer attractions to dishing about dairy at a grocery store.
4. FREE STUFF! Each month, IFFP will offer fun, food-related giveaways to enhance any kitchen.
5. Join the journey in person. Come along and experience the journey for yourself. Several stops are open to the public and feature giveaways, samplings and more. Watch online for upcoming visits.

“Join My Journey” is an activity of the Iowa Food & Family Project, funded in part by the soybean checkoff and involving nearly 35 partners including Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds. The IFFP sponsors innovative and engaging activities providing Iowans with the real scoop on food from the people who best know it and grow it — Iowa farm families.

Last Friday a group of Iowa State Ag Entrepreneurship Initiative spent the day visiting three family-owned companies in North Central Iowa: Sukup Manufacturing, Hagie Manufacturing and Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds.

These industry tours gave student an opportunity to go “behind the scenes” and meet with owners about what it’s like to start a business and how to strike a balance between work and family life.  Students also asked us to share some best practices for aspiring entrepreneurs.

If only I would’ve known that Harry Stine’s “7 Insights for Entrepreneurs” was going to be published March 28 by Forbes, I could have saved myself some prep time! Many of the insights that Stine shared in this article are similar to my beliefs:

• Entrepreneurs don’t work traditional hours. Business hours may be posted as 8 AM to 5 PM, but you’re never really “off the clock.”
• Any industry is constantly changing. You either need to adapt and change or get out of the way.
• Always be mentally and emotionally prepared to walk away from any deal. Desperation leads to bad decisions.

Whether you’re engaged in a farming operation or operating a retail outlet, chances are you exhibit these characteristics. You’re doing what you love. You’re a planner. You’re using technology to your advantage. You’re accessible. You’re getting involved. You’re part of a team. You’re making a difference. You’re persistent, and you’re also an eternal optimist.

Sometimes entrepreneurs, including farmers, find themselves working another job in order to support their hopes for the future. If you dream of farming full-time but don’t have the opportunity to do so right now because your resources are limited or the timing isn’t yet right, the team at Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds might be able to help you plant seeds for the future!

By operating your own Latham® seeds dealership, you could earn the equivalent of full-time employment. Some benefits of a Latham dealership include:

• Accessing new seed traits and technology before they’re widely available.
• Gaining first-hand knowledge of the industry’s broadest, deepest product lineup through product training and Hi‑Tech crop planning / management tools.
• Belonging to a group of people who share your passion for farming and value honesty, integrity and family.

To learn more about farmer-dealer opportunities available with Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds, talk with your local Latham representative or call 1-877-GO-LATHAM (1.877.465.2842).

In a race against the clock, nine local businesses and civic organizations “fought over food” on Wednesday morning during the 3rd annual Breakfast Battle sponsored by the Franklin County Farm Bureau.

“This event helped raise understanding of finding solutions to eating healthy on a stretched budget plus raised awareness of food insecurity in Franklin County,” says Val Plagge, public relations chairman for Franklin County Farm Bureau.

Food insecurity isn’t unique to Franklin County. One in eight Iowans – approximately 400,000 – is food insecure, meaning they lack the resources to live an active and healthy lifestyle. One out of 5 Iowa children does not know where his next meal will come from. Many of these individuals have been faced with a job loss or unforeseen expense that has brought on the burden of wondering how they will put food on their tables.

Ten local families will have food on the table for at least three meals, thanks to groceries gathered during Wednesday’s event. These bags of groceries included perishable items like butter, milk, meat and vegetables, so families could make three well-balanced meals. Each family also was given the Healthy Homemade Cookbook published by Iowa State University Extension.

Trying to buy enough groceries for three meals in less than 3 minutes is an experience to be sure! Breakfast Battle team members raced around the grocery store – in an organized frenzy – to feed breakfast, dinner and supper for a family of four between $45 and $50. Teams were timed from the moment they left the cart area until they reached the checkout lane.

Time bonuses were given to those that answered ag trivia questions correctly before the race, and Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds received a time bonus for having the most votes on the Franklin County Farm Bureau’s Facebook “Fan Favorite” team poll.

Time penalties were given for every dollar over or under the $45 to $50 cart total range. Coming in $18 over budget, Team Latham incurred some stiff penalties! We bought entire bags of onions and potatoes even though our shopping list only listed 1 onion or 2 potatoes. We also bought a full gallon of milk and 18 eggs plus a bag of dinner rolls.

Although Team Latham didn’t win a plaque for winning the competition, we can feel good knowing that one family will receive additional perishable items. Following the race, grocery items were delivered to the Franklin County Food Pantry in Hampton and the Immanuel UCC Food Pantry in Latimer.

“The Breakfast Battle is for a great cause, providing for those in need here in Franklin County and also reminding folks that our groceries came from a farm,” said Jackie Dohlman, Franklin County Extension Youth Coordinator, who was a member of the winning Breakfast Battle team. “In one way or another, the products we all buy at the grocery store came from a farm.  It’s important to remember that only 2% of our nation’s population is feeding U.S. consumers and also helping feed people all over the world.”

In honor of this week’s Breakfast Battle – and the winning team – today we’re sharing a recipe from the Healthy Homemade Cookbook.

guest blog post by Larry Sailer

Today is the 100th birthday of Norman Borlaug, an Iowa farm boy who went on to father the Green Revolution. How fitting that this momentous occasion coincides with National Ag Day on March 25!

How fitting that also today a statue of this pioneering Iowan will be dedicated in Washington, D.C., where it will inspire lawmakers and visitors alike for the next 100 years or so. The 7-foot bronze likeness of Borlaug will be one of two statues representing Iowa in the National Statuary Hall. To help put the magnitude of today’s event into perspective, note that statues of Civil War-era Statesmen Samuel Kirkwood and James Harlan have represented Iowa in the U.S. Capitol for more than 100 years. Borlaug’s statue will replace one of James Harlan, secretary of the interior under President Andrew Johnson.

“Feeding the world” is Dr. Norman Borlaug’s legacy as he is known as the man that saved a billion people worldwide from starvation.  He spent his life’s work developing grain varieties that would help farmers in mostly lesser developed countries like India and Mexico produce more food.

“My grandfather focused on talking to, training, and investing in the young scientists, researchers and farmers,” says Julie Borlaug, associate director of external relations at the Borlaug Institute. “His guiding philosophy was ‘take it to the farmer’ and he truly believed everything started by going to the field.”

Dr. Borlaug realized the importance of encouraging other researchers and scientists to share their findings with farmers, who could benefit from it. That’s why the Borlaug International Scholars Fund, international field internships, and the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute help inspire and finance the next generation of people who will make great contributions to feed the world’s people.

Ken Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation, is helping carry on Dr. Borlaug’s legacy by increasing awareness of The World Food Prize. Headquartered in Des Moines, each fall the World Food Prize Foundation recognizes people for making huge contributions in the fight against hunger. Last October, I had the pleasure of meeting with the 2013 World Food Prize Laureate Dr. Robb Fraley of Monsanto. Often referred to as the Father of Biotechnology, Dr. Fraley has literally changed the world of agriculture.  Yet, he and others in the industry are constantly being asked to defend what they do.

When asked what her grandfather would think about all the “food fights” today, Julie Borlaug acknowledges that GMO PR falls short. She is quoted in a March 21 Des Moines Register article as saying, “He would be angry … (about) this anti-GMO, anti-big ag, anti-technology (movement). And how there seems to be so much ignorance and so much of a backslide of where people think we should be going.”

Isn’t it ironic that well-fed people try to dictate how food is raised across the globe? People with full bellies are trying to tell farmers and ranchers how to grow food. Scare tactics and fear mongering –powerful emotions – limit biotechnology and the very technology that Dr. Borlaug proves can help save lives.

Isn’t ironic that well-fed people in developed nations want to “say ‘no’ to starving people” who could benefit from increased yields and large foods supplies provided by seeds with built-in resistance to insects, disease, weeds and even drought? But don’t just take my word for it. Take it from a Zambia native who says, “Protesting GMOs condemns millions to poverty.”

Growing food around the world can vary drastically. What grows on my farm, with my technology, may not grow sustainably in a neighboring state. It’s hard to understand what seed technology works on the far side of the world, but Dr. Borlaug understood this. He developed wheat that could withstand pests to feed hungry people.

Believe it or not, many people and companies still have this goal in mind! Yes, a profit needs to be made but profit is not the root of evil. After all, no practice is sustainable if you can’t afford to keep doing it! Profit can be a huge motivator, just like eliminating hunger motivated Dr. Borlaug.

Please join me this National Ag Week by putting behind us the silly arguments that prevent safe and proven technology from feeding the world. Buy what you think are the best products for your family, but allow the same right to all other families!