“Eat chocolate” was the reported advice given by physicians in the 1800s to patients needing a remedy for anxiety and “broken hearts.”1 The lore of the “doctor’s order” combined with the centuries old tradition of Americans exchanging heart shaped cards and candy...
“Food waste is a serious issue!” was the first line of a blog I wrote in January 2019. Fast forward to 2022 and we’re still talking about eliminating food waste, but what are we DOING about it? Even with my “don’t toss food” upbringing, I admit that my refrigerator...
“What is old is new again” may be the perfect description of the coming food and agriculture trends in 2022. When you look at new products on the “must have” lists, it is clear that consumers desire to connect their health back to nature. Turmeric, sunflower seeds,...
For those of us who grew up with “dirt under our fingernails” or are currently engaged in raising cattle or crops from almonds to corn, it can be easy to say, “sustainable agriculture has always been at the core of our existence.” However, sustainable farming...
Drought and extreme heat in the western United States have dominated the headlines over the past couple of months. We see pictures of fallow farm land too dry to plant and Lake Mead in Nevada at its lowest point ever. Unless we are living with the stark realities of...
Speaking from experience, it’s not easy to be a dairy farmer regardless of the size of the farm or the era in which it operates. Even though it’s been 30 years since cows grazed the pastures of my family farm, the passion and commitment of my late father can still be...
The chorus of cicada sounds may be quieting in our backyards and woods but the sound of bug “crunching” remains. Seventeen years ago, when the last cycle of Brood X cicadas was populating our yards and sidewalks, the thought of eating them wasn’t top of mind for most...
Think about the last time you walked into a grocery store to buy a carton of milk. How many options awaited you in the dairy aisle? Growing up on a dairy farm, I had two options for milk, whole milk with cream on top or without (Holstein style 3.5% butterfat). It was...
It’s 1970. Peace, love, war and civil unrest dominate conversations in America. Earth Day appears on the scene and it’s recognized by few. For those of us on farms, we may have thought, “every day is earth day” and dismissed its significance beyond routine farming...
Spring is in the air! This year, as we see snow melting in the mountains and tulips blooming in the south, we awaken with a new sense of purpose and hope. Our “normal” is starting to return as we receive our vaccines and begin to reunite with family and friends around...