Blog
Credible nutrition information, cooking tips, product recommendations, and reflections on sustainability from Dietitian Ann.
Rained Out: A Story of Mitigating Risk
For all of the technology in modern agriculture – the GPS device in the combine, the weather app on the phone, the wireless electronic truck scale – our food system is still in the hands of Mother Nature. It’s never more apparent how small we humans are in the universe until your game of Pegs…
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Volatility
Unpredictability is the name of the game when it comes to farming. Weather, pests, breakdowns, and (perhaps most frustrating), the marketplace. Things have been especially good this year: plenty of rain and sunshine at just the right time. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) it’s been good everywhere. The Former Soviet Union and Europe had record-breaking wheat harvests…
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But Where Does it All Go?
A few months ago I wrote about the volatility of the farming economy – the Invisible Hand of supply, demand, and incentive programs. Today, that picture is more evident than ever as you drive across the plains of Kansas: mounds of grains are piled high outside of elevators that have been at capacity for months. I mentioned…
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The Next Generation of American Agriculture
My Dad was featured in the Wall Street Journal last month. That’s right, I’m basically the daughter of a celebrity. He and several other farmers in Central Kansas (like my high school classmate Mason!) were interviewed for the article: The Next American Farm Bust is Upon Us. Unfortunately, the tone of the article was less than…
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Sustainability in Agriculture
Farm to Table. Locally Grown. Sustainably Made. These buzzwords are becoming more than marketing phrases – they are becoming the demands of consumers. Consumers understand now more than ever that climate change isn’t a probability anymore; it’s a reality – and one that needs addressing right now. The wind turbine powers the irrigation system at…
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Sustainability Spotlight: Industry Perspective
Last December, Marvin showed up on my parents’ doorstep. Marvin works for ADM (Archer Daniels Midland Company – although nobody ever calls them by their full name) as a marketing agent who procures grain from local farmers. Grain elevators in Saxman, KS – one of the many small towns in Kansas in which the number…
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Sustainability Spotlight: Large-Scale Commodity Farm
If there is one word I could use to describe Lee Scheufler, my father and the co-owner/operator of Scheufler Farms, Inc. it would be efficient. Margaret & Lee Scheufler, co-owners/operators of Scheufler Farms, Inc. “I wasn’t going to marry a farmer!” declares Margaret, wife of efficient Lee, my mother and co-owner/operator of Scheufler Farms. “But…
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How a Global Pandemic could Change our Food Supply
From producers to supply chains to restaurant workers to how often Americans cook and eat at home, the COVID-19 global pandemic has caused big changes in the food supply. A few weeks ago I opened the milk crate on our front porch which holds the weekly delivery from a local dairy. I was surprised to…
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Healthy Halloween Treats
I haven’t been this excited about Halloween since I was a senior in high school when my parents finally let me dress up and go trick-or-treating for the first time since I was a kid, thus breaking their strict big-kids-don’t-beg-for-candy rule. I deftly talked my way into this by arguing that Halloween was an important American…
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Probiotics & Yogurt Parfaits
Today we’re going to talk about germs. Or rather, we’re going to talk about yeast and bacteria. These delightful little organisms are often thought of in a less-than-happy light. Yeast infection. Strep throat. Need I say more? But, as it turns out, these tiny creatures live in, on, and all around us — in peace…
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