Aaron Putze
Director of External Relations &
Coordinator, Iowa Food & Family Project
Iowa Soybean Association
aputze@iasoybeans.com

There are few celebrations more enjoyable and meaningful than the Iowa State Fair! After all, it’s not just every day that you can enjoy a pork chop on a stick, fried Twinkies and a full menu of entertainment – both new and old – that’s perfect for people of all ages.

Speaking of new, the Iowa Food & Family Project (www.iowafoodandfamily.com) will make its debut in a big way at this year’s Fair by bringing together thousands of canned food items and a committed team of volunteers. Together, they’ll create a first-of-its-kind exhibit at one of the most popular celebrations of food, fun and agriculture in America!

We’re calling it “Together We CAN!” – a celebration of food and farming benefiting the Iowa Food Bank Association, and you’re invited to be a part of the festivities!

The exhibit will feature the awe-inspiring work of Canstruction®, one of the world’s most unique food charities. Canstruction is a non-profit organization that holds annual design-and-build competitions to construct giant-sized structures made entirely of canned food. Since 1992, Canstruction has contributed more than 15 million pounds of food to community food banks.

Located in the south atrium of the Varied Industries Building 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily, this must-see exhibit will include larger-than-life replicas of the Iowa State Fair butter cow (in honor of its 100^th anniversary), a milk carton, market-size hog and landscape of soybeans and corn fields — all sculpted from thousands of cans of food (the actual build will take place Aug. 11-14). Following the fair, all food items used in the exhibit will be donated to the Iowa Food Bank Association (IFBA) benefiting Iowans struggling against hunger.

The purpose of the exhibit is to encourage conversations about farming, inspire greater awareness of the commitment of Iowa farmers to providing healthy food for everyone and provide a helping hand to people and families struggling with hunger.

You’re cordially invited to stop by and view this extremely innovative and unique exhibit. In addition to seeing an incredible work of art and donating to the Iowa Food Bank Association, you can also receive a free gift and watch “Celebrity Builders” lend a hand during the exhibits “Canstruction!” They include “Cy,” Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey, Des Moines native Rebecca Meyer (the Season 8 at-home $100,000 winner of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser”) and members of Casting Crowns, a Grammy Award-winning contemporary Christian rock band (see our web site for a complete list of Celebrity Builders!).

We’re looking forward to engaging fairgoers about the miracle of food and introducing them to the people who provide it! In the meantime, be sure to “friend” the Iowa Food & Family Project at www.facebook.com/foodnfamilies and check out our web site for more details!

See you at the Iowa State Fair!

WHO: Everyone!

WHAT: Pancake breakfast

WHEN: Sunday, July 17, 2011, from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.

WHERE: 4-H Food Stand on the Franklin County Fairgrounds

Help support the Franklin County 4-H Scholarship Endowment!  All are invited to enjoy food and fellowship during a pancake breakfast presented by Franklin County 4-H.  

Free will donations will be accepted to support the youth scholarship endowment fund.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWC8liHX_G8[/youtube]

We at Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds wish all of you a Happy and safe 4th of July holiday.  We’re proud to be Americans, and thank all soldiers and veterans for fighting for the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday.  God Bless the USA!

One reason I’m still celebrating “June Dairy Month” on the first of July is because I want to savor as much of summer as I can.  (It seems like the summer passes too quickly once we’ve celebrated the Fourth of July.)  Another reason that I’m featuring dairy recipes today is because they will make it easy to entertain guests over the holiday weekend.

Whether you’re planning to celebrate this weekend with a group of 4 or 40, TheFieldPosition.com has the perfect dessert for you!  This quick, easy Chocolate Mousse recipe is a cool treat on a hot summer’s day for a Party of 4.  The Buster Bar Dessert easily feeds 12 people, while Brownies in a Roaster serves 40.

May you and your family enjoy a safe and fun holiday weekend as you celebrate our nation’s independence and pay tribute to those who have fought for our freedom!  From patriotic printables to celebratory centerpieces and hand-made parade wear, FamilyFun offers dozens of craft and game ideas for kids of all ages.

If the weather cooperates, our family will spend as much of the weekend outdoors as possible.  We’ll golf, swim, bike and, of course, watch the fireworks.

What’s your favorite way to celebrate the Fourth of July?

Buster Bar Dessert

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Oreo® cookies
• 2 c. powered sugar
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1½ sticks margarine or butter
• ¾ c. chocolate chips
• 1½ cups Spanish peanuts
• ½ gallon of vanilla ice cream, softened

Directions:

1. Crush Oreos and then stir in melted margarine. Pat mixture into 9×13 pan. Set aside.
2. Mix together powdered sugar, evaporated milk, 1 stick margarine and chocolate chips.
3. Then boil these four ingredients for 8 minutes, stirring constantly.  Let the mixture cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, sprinkle ¾ c. Spanish peanuts over the Oreo crust. Then slice ice cream over the nuts. Sprinkle ¾ c. Spanish peanuts over the ice cream. Then pour the cooled chocolate sauce on top and place in the freezer.

COOK’S TIP: This dessert is also festive during the holidays.  Use the holiday Oreo cookies with peppermint ice cream.

Guest blog by:
Daniel Krohn
Sustainability Lead,
Becker Underwood

Becker Underwood located in Ames, Iowa, is a leading-edge developer of biological and specialty products, including seed colorants and polymers, inoculants, beneficial nematodes, mulch and turf colorants and a wide range of agricultural and horticultural solutions. The core of our business is based on increasing agricultural yields by utilizing biologically-based products, with high efficacy, but with low environmental and social impact. All while playing a role in feeding a growing global population.

In 2008, we set out on a mission to address sustainability throughout all of our business practices. Earlier this year we implemented our sustainability strategy, “NET positive,” a goal that Becker Underwood – through its processes, products and policies – has an overall positive impact on the environment and society.

One of our major projects has been our partnership with Iowa State University and the Gates Foundation to help small farmers in Africa by providing them with sustainable biological products that will help improve their yields through inoculation.

The soil conditions in these countries are one of the many hurdles these farmers face. Low amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen in the soil, in addition to extremely dry conditions, are challenges that must be overcome in order for optimal crop growth. Our introduction of inoculates to the land, while not a common practice, allows for more available nitrogen in the soil. Seventy-nine percent of the air we breathe is made of nitrogen and inoculated legumes are able to convert and use this nitrogren. The nitrogen provided by inoculated legumes grown in rotation with other crops helps boost yield and lower fertilizer costs of crops such as corn or small grains, all in an environmentally safe manner. It is our goal, with this process, to double bean production in these areas.

To learn more about ISU’s Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods program in Africa, watch this video. To learn more about Becker Underwood’s sustainability initiatives visit our website, www.sustainbu.com.

A recent article in Wallaces Farmer highlighted the benefits growers can receive from using Twitter. It highlighted the fact that even those growers who don’t wish to create content can receive benefits from the site’s 140-character messages by searching for terms or phrases that connect them with relevant information in the industry. For instance, this year farmers are sharing growing information with each other using the term #plant11.

The truth is, more and more of us involved in agriculture are increasing the time we spend on the Internet and using our mobile phones to connect with others or garner information. The below video from AgChat Foundation shares some interesting stats about our increased use of the internet and social media.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYoADgvJgE4[/youtube]

Des Moines recently hosted the state’s first 140 Character Conference, which featured businesses and individuals who are using Twitter’s 140 characters in influential ways.  Among the presenters were a few of Iowa’s agriculture voices, who are using Twitter to connect with those in agriculture, tell their company’s story and advocate for agriculture. I was proud to be among the group, sharing information about why we think it’s important to connect with our customers via our blog, Twitter and Facebook accounts to provide them with relevant information that can help them in their fields.  I was honored to join the influential individuals below.

• Tara Litzenbeger (@johndeeretara), Communications Manager at John Deere, is a well-known online voice in agriculture.  She makes social media conversation for a large company look easy. At the recent #140 conference, Tara shared her unique experience behind social media marketing for a company with more than 55,000 employees working out of approximately 60 facilities in 20 countries.
• Nathan Wright (@nathantwright) is founder of Lava Row, a social media consulting, strategy and education firm. He provides practical, how-to guidance for individuals and companies looking to connect in a relevant way using social media.
• Jeff Caldwell (@jeffacaldwell), Agriculture.com’s Multimedia Editor, is responsible for managing content and connecting individuals via outlets like Successful Farming’s Ning site, Farmers for the Future.

Click here to watch videos of the Des Moines 140 conference speakers.

In addition to the practical benefits of social media connections for both companies and growers, individuals in agriculture who get involved in social media and tell the story of their farm and modern food production are becoming a part of an even larger movement — agvocacy. With less than two percent of world’s population living on or near a farm, each generation’s understanding of how their food goes from farm to plate becomes more disconnected.

It’s never been more important for those of us in food production to agvocate — to tell the story of modern agriculture and remind people that a modern farm is nearly always a family farm.  We also need to explain that modern ag practices are developed not only to improve the efficiencies in food production but to improve our quality of life, animal care, as well as the quality of our land, water and air.

I encourage you to get involved advocating for agriculture today. I’ve been so inspired by those farm families sharing with us their stories — and recipes — for our Friday blog posts. I can’t wait to meet more of our customers’ families and hear their stories.

If you’re interested in getting involved using social media, I recommend taking a look at a few of those blogs on our blog roll to the right who are doing a great job of telling their stories. If you’re already involved, I would love to hear how you’re sharing your farm story with consumers.

Guest blog by Chad Huyser, Director – Sales & Operations, Lely USA.

It goes without saying that farmers in all food production industries work hard year-round, helping to feed our hungry world.  The need to more efficiently feed such a rapidly growing population is driving innovation.  The evolution in technologies that we use today to care for our livestock and to keep our crops safe is forever-changing the face of modern agriculture.

At Lely, we’re dedicated to providing dairy producers with tools to better manage their herds, including solutions that help increase herd health and improve milk quality.  The Lely Astronaut, for instance, allows dairy farmers to milk their herd automatically, which gives them the freedom to spend time with family or focus on other aspects of their operation. It’s because of this that we, at Lely, believe that robotic milking is changing more than the way producers milk their cows. It’s changing the way producers live their lives.

Ten years ago, the Knigge family became the first dairy producers in the U.S. to install robotic milkers on their operation. Hear their story in the video below.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vby2nR4m5_E&feature=channel_video_title[/youtube]

Join us to see robotic milking in action

As you know, June is Dairy Month and to celebrate, a number of dairy producers host events to connect with their communities and tell the story of modern dairy. A member of our “Lely Family,” Ehrhardt Dairy Farm, from Monona, Iowa, recently held an Open House inviting the community to see their robotic dairy operation in action. Meet the Ehrhardt’s below.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlJHjqGLWIg[/youtube]

Another member of the “Lely Family,” Nor-Bert Farms, in Bremen, Indiana, will open their doors June 18 to serve guests a free brunch and provide tours of their robotic dairy farm.

Today, in honor of June Dairy Month, I invite you to raise a glass of milk in honor of the many dairy farmers who provide safe and nutritious milk and dairy products.

More about Lely USA

Since 1948, the Lely brand has played a major role in the advancement of farm equipment, both in America and around the world. From the invention of the ground-driven wheel rake in the 1940s to today’s revolutionary Astronaut robotic milking system, Lely has always worked hard to recognize and anticipate the needs of the dairy farmer. The Astronaut is the latest Lely innovation, developed to enhance productivity, reduce overall operating costs and increase profitability through better herd management.

More information about Lely dairy industry innovations is available at Lely’s website, www.lely.com, or by calling  1-866-LELYUSA. You can also visit Lely’s Facebook page, Twitter page, blog or YouTube page.