Meet Me At the Table
My goal with this blog is to bring you perspectives from my past, peppered with insights and facts on the future of food, farming and health – providing “food for thought, action and personal responsibility.” As a registered dietitian and a sixth generation farm owner in Kentucky, the connection of farm to plate is part of my DNA. I have spent my career navigating the connections between food, health, agriculture and consumer behavior. Together, we will dig into the complex and ever-changing story of who grows our food, what’s in our food, and how food affects our health and ultimately our lives.
Dairy Farm Memories: Santa Special Delivery
I still have vivid memories of Santa’s “arrival” when I was a small child growing up on a dairy farm. For me, Santa didn’t arrive on Christmas morning. After all, my father started milking at 5 a.m. every day, regardless of holidays or weekends. So, his one request of...
We Succeed or Fail … One Conversation at a Time
Today, as words race across the venues of social media with responses that are either filled with anger or enthusiasm on any subject from food and agriculture, to sports and the world in general, it reminds me of my introduction to fierce conversations over 25 years...
Confident or Concerned? Checking Your Pulse About the Safety of Your Plate
How confident are you about the safety of our U.S. food supply? If your answer is “less than before,” you’re not alone. According to the 2025 International Food Information Council (IFIC) Food and Health Survey,1 consumer confidence has dipped to an all-time low —...
A Tick Bite Can Change What You Eat … Fallacy or Fact?
A tick bite that makes you allergic to red meat might sound like a fallacy, but it’s a growing fact across the southern and midwestern parts of the United States (with a bull's eye on Kentucky). In fact, it's a reality experienced by some of our friends’ families,...
Can I Believe Scientific Studies? Sifting Facts from Fallacies Eliminates Fear-Based Decisions
Science is a funny “thing.” For one who thought science was relatively straight forward — more “black and white” than “grey” — in those early days of college chemistry, I’ve learned over the years that it’s quite the opposite, especially when food and nutrition issues...
Savoring the “Taste of Place” in Every Bite — Beyond Our Memory
When was the last time you stopped to savor a bite of food or a sip of a beverage? Food can bring back memories of places we’ve visited or conjure images of traditional culinary or wine making practices. But do our memories make those artisan foods taste “special” or...
The Viral Connection Beyond the Dairy Case — Chickens, Cows and the Price of Eggs
I’m a habitual NYT Connections (and Wordle) player, so solving the connection between words is one of my early morning routines. But when it comes to solving the connection between chickens, cows and egg prices, it’s more complicated than just matching the green or...
Healthy — An Overused and Misunderstood Word; Is Clarity on the Way?
In today’s environment, the term “healthy” is used in a variety of ways. We talk about how unhealthy we are as a society or that certain foods are healthy. We even use the term to describe a person’s appearance — “she looks healthy” — or for portion size — “that’s a...
Eating Without Fear? Reflections of the Past 5 Years of Food Trends
As we approach the halfway mark of our current decade, I decided to reflect on what I have written over the past five years about food and agriculture trends. Have we really changed? Regardless of the years or environment, there are consistent themes. The Past 5 Years...
Weighing the Risks and Benefits: Raw Milk Is a “Raw Deal”
We live in an interesting time. Advances in technology allow us to communicate instantly across the globe. The plethora of nutritional supplements and wellness venues strive to improve our longevity. Yet, decades-old technology and scientific discoveries that have...