Young Arizonans More Interested in Cooking! May 24, 2010
A survey sponsored by ConAgra Foods finds that younger consumers are more interested in cooking than the general population. The survey shows that 72 percent of those between the ages of 18 to 34 said they will cook more, while 52 percent of all survey respondents said they plan to cook more in the coming year.
One reason younger consumers are more interested in cooking may be that it increases quality family time. A whopping 81 percent said cooking is bringing their family together, compared to just 68 percent of the general population.
Rebecca Stinocher is one such young cook …
Discover Arizona’s Farmer and Rancher Chefs May 20, 2010
I recently wrote an article for Arizona Farm Bureau’s Fill Your Plate blog our our Farmer Rancher Chef’s and how you can find their recipes on Fill Your Plate. A lot of talent exists in the aggie community and I have the honor of highliting it!
Growing More with Less: American Agriculture’s Environmental Success Story May 14, 2010
By Bob Stallman, American Farm Bureau Federation
The latest National Resources Inventory (NRI) report, released April 27 by the Agriculture Department’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, puts some substantial meat on the bones of environmental message farmers and ranchers have long conveyed — that they are careful and caring stewards of our nation’s natural resources.
After scanning the massive NRI survey results, another very clear message has emerged: American agriculture is producing more with less. After looking over the NRI and the latest USDA productivity figures it becomes apparent that the shrinking environmental footprint of food and fiber production in the …
Leave it to farmers to Figure out How to Resolve the Gulf Oil Spill
It’s examples like this that leave me totally in love with the agriculture community. Here, farmers resolve the Gulf Oil Spill.
Farm Groups Wary of New Climate Change Bill May 13, 2010
Senators John Kerry (D, Massachusetts) and Joe Lieberman (I, Connecticut) unveiled climate-change legislation on Wednesday, although the bill’s chances of success are uncertain. The bill would focus on addressing the largest carbon-emitting sectors of the economy: heavy industry, power plants, and transportation infrastructure. It would target a 17% reduction in U.S. carbon pollution by 2020 and over 80% by 2050. It would contain a cap-and-trade system that would levy a tax against the largest emitters. Initially, the rate would be set at $12 a ton, increasing at 3% above inflation annually thereafter. An initial ceiling of $25 per …
American Agriculture Suffers Because of Government’s Failure to Act on Trade May 12, 2010
Ways and Means Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI), Agriculture Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Kevin Brady (R-TX) today released the following statements on the third anniversary of the bipartisan May 10 agreement as well as a report showing the harm suffered by American agriculture due to a failure to move forward on pending trade agreements.
Creating With Cotton — A Farm Experience May 10, 2010
By Tiffany Shedd, The Cotton Shedd
Cotton is so much a part of our lives that we may not even be aware that it is in most of our clothing, furnishings and even the food we eat. The most commonly used parts of the plant are its fiber and its seed. However, from an artistic point of view what is left in the field after harvest is very valuable indeed.
The cotton bur is a four of five locked wooden pod that holds the fiber. Once the cotton is removed it remains as a little golden dried flower. It is hard to …
Gov Brewer to Obama: No One’s Laughing May 8, 2010
The link is to one of Gov. Brewer’s political ads, but it’s spot on and everyone should watch it to know in part what we’re dealing with in Arizona. She’s right, it’s no laughing matter President Obama.
Do you feel as safe under President Obama’s leadership? The average Arizonan will tell you no.
One of our own local cowboy celebrities has it spot on too. In Baxter Black’s “The Border Gap in Understanding” points out how the Mexican border that once was a cultural bridge is a war zone.
Again, do you feel as safe under President Obama’s Leadership?
Rising Consumer Confidence Benefits Farmers & Ranchers May 7, 2010
The latest economic indicators suggest people are eating out more, which is good news for America’s farmers and ranchers. According to the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index, the sector is expected to show growth for the first time since September 2007.
During the first quarter of 2010, consumer spending on the hospitality industry, known as “foodservice and accommodations” increased by 8 percent compared to the first quarter of 2009.
“People are going to eat out. More meetings are going on, the sorts of things that encourage spending away from home,” said John Anderson, an AFBF economist. The anticipated growth in dining …
EPA Permitting Could be the Straw that Breaks the Dairy Cow’s Back May 5, 2010
[caption id="attachment_1615" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Wes Kerr and Bill Kerr: EPA’s greenhouse gas permit costs would put the Kerr Dairy out of business if enforced. Even the EPA has admitted that such an unprecedented regulatory expansion would ‘paralyze’ and ‘overwhelm’ permitting authorities."][/caption]
Editor’s note: Much of this article originally appeared in the May 2010 issue of Arizona Agriculture. Murphree interviewed the Kerr family to understand the impact of EPA’s potential regulation on their Dairy for Julie’s Fresh Air.
By Julie Murphree, Arizona Farm Bureau
The Kerr family in Arizona love what they do. They’re in the dairy business. In fact, they’ve been in …
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