Food For Thought

The "Ah-Ha Moment" of the day came to me this afternoon in Communicating Ag to the Public.  There I was, texting my Mom about the current weather conditions in an attempt to at least remain conscious while our wanna-be PhD "instructor" went on and on about public perception of American school lunch nutritional value and new USDA regulations and whatever else she may have mentioned  while I was trying to hide my phone from my front row seat.  All of a sudden she said something that actually caught my attention.  "What if we cut costs of fresh fruits and vegetables by utilizing local growers?"  And the light bulb flashed.

After doing a little more research on the subject,  I  have found an organization that really has the right idea.  FarmToSchool.org  The National Farm to School Network's mission best sums up the idea:  "The National Farm to School Network envisions a nation in which Farm to School programs are an essential component of strong and just local and regional food systems, ensuring the health of all school children, farms, environment, economy and communities."

The idea is that local farmers benefit from the greater demand of the schools and the students receive a more balanced, nutritional meal at school and, thus, healthier eating habits that they can carry with them for a lifetime.  Though the change to fresh produce from pre-packaged and preserved food will undoubtedly cost  schools more, if its an expense that will be necessary anyway due to newly mandated USDA regulations, who better to benefit than the local economy? And besides, with all that money to be allocated to "Nutrition Programs" in the next Farm Bill, there had better be some federal funding for programs with this much promise, right?  Anyway, its something to work toward.

On To Something,
JanLee

Spread the Word

This semester, I am enrolled in a sort-of experimental class called "Animal Agriculture Advocacy and Policy" and to say this course is right up my alley is an understatement. I LOVE IT!  We meet every Friday at 11:30 and will spend our weekly hour listening to the stories and wisdom of guest speakers who  are successful advocates of agriculture, training to represent this industry in a media setting, and discussing new methods of combatting animal rights activist groups.

It dawned on me today, sitting front and center,  absorbing fact after terrifying fact about the effectiveness of the Humane Society of the United States that, 'Sure, I can sit here revelling in how passionate I am about all this stuff, but it doesn't do any good unless I do something with all this knowledge."  So here we go, the first of many Friday posts to come, strictly dedicated  to passing  what I learn on to you, and encouraging you to  pay it  forward.

Drum roll please....

1. You know those heart-wrenching commercials with Sarah  McLachlan and Willie Nelson crooning in the background..."For only $19 per month you can save these poor, sick puppies and kittens from  neglect and abuse." Less than 0.5% of the Humane Society of the United States's annual budget actually makes it to pet shelters.  Only $1.03 of that $19 is used for what the commercial advertises.
2. As of yesterday, Justin Bieber is the newest celebrity to officially join P.E.T.A. Yeah, so over Bieber Fever.
3. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. states, "Large-scale hog producers are a greater threat to the United States and democracy that Osama bin Laden's terrorist network."

Run and Tell That,
JanLee

I Think...

1. That you should never wear black boots with a brown belt. (or vice versa)
2. I'd rather be cold than hot.
3. Nobody makes sweet tea like my Mom's.
4. George Strait is the sexiest man alive.
5. Spring is the best season of the year.
6. Vegetarians are crazy.
7. Chivalry isn't dead.
8. What goes around, comes around.
9. The book is ALWAYS better than the movie.
10. Chocolate is better than vanilla.

On Your Mark...

...Get Set...GO!

Tomorrow starts the spring semester and after several crazy days of running to and fro, I am ready to hit the ground running!

Wednesday morning I headed west bright and early.  After 10 (boring) hours on the road, I arrived in Stillwater about the time the workday ended and was welcomed back by Stillwater Rush Hour.  When I finally made it back to my apartment, I literally threw my stuff from one suitcase to another, took about 20 minutes to catch up with Katie, and after a short night's sleep, was off to The Big D  before 6 a.m. on Thursday.   After a couple of days in Dallas visiting potential employers with other CASNR Student Success Leaders, it was back to business as usual in Stilly, USA, complete with 11:00 a.m. breakfasts and doing the week's grocery shopping at midnight.

As of eight o'clock tomorrow morning, it will be back to the grind. All animal nutrition, breeding, and a little ag law and farm & ranch management thrown in the mix.  I really am excited about what this semester holds in store and can't wait to get back in the swing of things.  Here we go!

xoxo,
JanLee