"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.
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!
|