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Sent: 10/10/2013 5:43:13 P.M. Central Daylight Time
Subj: Celebrate Fall with a $50 Pork Certificate!

 

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October 10, 2013

"Join My Journey" goes hog wild! Kristin Porter, better known as “Iowa Girl Eats”, took her latest journey through Iowa agriculture at the Wiley Family hog farm near Vinton.  There she met three generations of Wileys and saw first-hand how pigs are raised with the help of Todd Wiley’s two Iowa State University degrees, a ton of hard work and a passion for doing things right. One of the first things Kristin noticed upon entering the farrowing room — where sows and their piglets are raised — was the wave of cool air that greeted her. She learned that since hogs can’t sweat, heat and humidity are tough conditions for hogs so the climate-controlled environment provides a safe and comfortable place for them to grow and thrive. Be sure to “Join the Journey” and follow Kristin’s past and future travels! Enjoying pork, helping others Denise Bubeck spends every Monday morning welcoming people to the Urbandale Food Pantry. Volunteering there since 2009, Denise understands the struggles that many families face and the importance of the food bank system. Denise didn’t think twice about making a cash donation to the Iowa Food Bank Association (IFBA) this summer when she visited Iowa Food & Family Project’s (Iowa FFP) “Get Connected to Farming” exhibit at the Iowa State Fair! Visitors to the Iowa FFP exhibit donated nearly $2,000 to the IFBA during the fair and those donating were eligible to win a special gift. Yesterday, Bubeck of Grimes was awarded five cases of fresh pork loins, that’s nearly 300 pounds of pork, courtesy of Iowa Select Farms. Bubeck and her family will enjoy one case of fresh pork while the remaining four cases were donated to the Urbandale Food Pantry and the Food Bank of Iowa. The strategy of water quality Whether you live on a farm, in the city or some place in between, water is essential. But, chances are, many of us just turn on the faucet and don’t consider how lucky we are to have it at our fingertips. Fortunately, a group of forward-thinking Iowans has formed the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. Sounds imposing, but the concept is fairly simple: Get smart people from urban (large municipal water treatment facilities) and rural (Department of Natural Resources) areas at the table working together to compare notes on best practices to further reduce the introduction of nitrogen and phosphorous into our waterways. This strategy is the first time such a comprehensive and integrated approach has been developed. That’s no surprise, this is Iowa and we get things done! "Be the Seed" grants challenge students The Iowa Food & Family Project is teaming up with DuPont Pioneer and the Iowa Soybean Association to award 12-$2,500 “Be The Seed” grants to FFA chapters. The goal of the program, conducted in partnership with the Iowa FFA Foundation, is to encourage FFA chapters to be the "seed" of innovation and progress in their schools and communities while promoting the importance of agriculture. Chapters can access information and a grant application at iowafoodandfamily.com. They must collaborate with a school group or club, civic organization or county farm organization to be eligible for grant funding. The deadline to submit an application is Friday, October 25. Grant recipients will be announced in November with activities to be completed by March 2014. The chapter determined to have conducted the most successful program be awarded $5,000 at the state FFA leadership conference April 28, 2014 in Ames. What's on your mind? The Iowa Food and Family Project wants to bring the family farm closer to your family’s table, but to best do that, we need your help! Be honest, be candid, be FRANK and tell us if you enjoy what you read in this newsletter, how we could improve and what you’d most like to learn more about. Email us with your input and you’ll be entered to win a $50 certificate for fresh pork that can be used like cash in your favorite grocery store. Celebrate October Pork Month! Enjoy fall's bounty There are many things to love about fall… football, brightly colored leaves, crisp temperatures, harvest time, sweatshirts and FOOD! In particular, apples and pumpkins. Iowa is home to scores of orchards and pumpkin patches and they are a must-visit this time of year. Whether you love that juicy snap of biting into a fresh apple or the comfort of a custardy slice of pumpkin pie, you can enjoy both flavors at once with these Apple Pumpkin Muffins with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Slather from Iowa Girls Eats. Bake a batch (or two) and fill your kitchen with fall!

Aaron Putze, APR Director of Communications and Coordinator, Iowa Food & Family Project Iowa Soybean Association [log in to unmask] Iowa Food & Family Project 1255 SW Prairie Trail Pkwy Ankeny, IA 50023 515-334-1099 iowafoodandfamily.com Funded in part by the Soybean Checkoff Instantly unsubscribe from Iowa Food & family emails.