2025 Tech Hub Live

Colorado Cooks Up Sustainable Dishes

Laura McNamara

Culinary School of the RockiesMore chefs are unleashing the tasty zest of American produce. The Culinary School of the Rockies is responding to the market for “sustainable cooking” with more courses involving the local flavor.

Call it farm to table, seed to fork, farm to fork, or sustainable kitchen — by any name, diners in today’s top restaurants are demanding locally grown seasonal food.

Whether in response to increasing concern for the environment or simply a desire for the delicious, restaurants around the country are finding ways to source local ingredients, even in bustling urban areas such as Manhattan, Houston, Seattle, Cleveland, Atlanta and Denver.

As the trend grows, so do help-wanted signs in these “sustainable” restaurants. Culinary education, primarily focused on classical training, has not kept up with the trend that requires chefs to know more than just the “back of the house.” Today, chefs are routinely unloading vegetables fresh from the farm — rinsing off dirt rather than unwrapping cellophane. Culinary School of the Rockies (CSR), located in Boulder, Colo., is the first private culinary school in the country to organize a culinary externship dedicated to the sustainable food movement. Called “Farm to Table,” the experience gives aspiring cooks and chefs the chance to gain both culinary know-how and a deep understanding of ways to source and use local ingredients.Read More

Agribusiness, Education, Environment, Farming, Food

eXtension Has Cotton

Chuck Zimmerman

extension.orgYou are probably familiar with the eXtension website but you may not know that there’s now a whole section on cotton.

eXtension is an interactive learning environment delivering the best, most researched knowledge from the smartest land-grant university minds across America. eXtension connects knowledge consumers with knowledge providers – experts who know their subject matter inside out.

Internet, University

Texas Gets Youth Involved in Ag

Laura McNamara

Young Chefs AcademyNo, we’re not talking future farmers of America. We’re talking future chefs of America. The Young Chefs Academy in Fort Worth, Texas is holding its grand opening today, Jan. 19, 2008.

The hottest craze for kids these days will soon be cooking up success at the new Young Chefs Academy located at 6333 Camp Bowie Blvd. Suite 260, Fort Worth. The school will hold its grand opening on Saturday, January 19, 2008, at 1-4 PM, with President and Chief Chef Melissa Weiner bringing fun back into the kitchen.

Young Chefs Academy is a cooking school designed especially for kids 3-18 years old. The grand opening, with hands-on cooking by youth, will be open to the public and the media at the new facility, which just completed major renovations to be suitable for the YCA.

“Whether a child becomes a scientist, educator, worker in a factory or business, a mother and wife or husband and father, or any other position, skilled and safe cooking will be critical for quality of life and family happiness.”

Weiner said that Young Chefs Academy has grown from a weekend-only operation, with founders Suzy Nettles (a Fort Worth native, who will attend Weiner’s opening) and Julie Burleson conducting classes and parties, to a quickly growing franchise throughout the country with over 180 cooking schools across 27 states.

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Food

Cinch Those Belts Tighter with Soyfoods

Laura McNamara

Soyfoods Association of North AmericaSoyfoods could be part of the answer for those looking to lose weight. The Soyfoods Association of North America is promoting research that shows that choosing protein-rich soyfoods instead of other sources of protein could help consumers lose the fat and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.

An evidence-based review by Dr. David Allison and Dr. Mark Cope at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Dr. John Erdman at the University of Illinois at Champagne-Urbana, finds soyfoods are equal to other protein sources, such as dairy or meat, in helping to battle weight by promoting fat loss.

This comprehensive review, published in the November issue of Obesity Reviews, examines current research on animals, human populations, and clinical trials related to soy protein and weight control.

The review, including results from eight human studies, finds that individuals lost equivalent amounts of weight and, in some cases, equal inches of fat around the waist, using soy protein, dairy milk meal replacements, beef or pork at equal calorie levels. This illustrates the value of soy protein in a varied diet for weight control. Findings also support the possibility that soy protein decreases short-term appetite and calorie intake. Extensive follow-up trials are needed to prove the satiety, or feeling of fullness, factor of soy protein.Read More

Ag Groups, Food

Florida Oranges Embrace Solar Energy

Laura McNamara

Florida’s Natural OrangesFlorida’s Natural Growers are getting more from the bright, Florida sun than just oranges. The association is also harnessing solar energy to power their visitor center.

The bright Florida sunshine that goes into every glass of Florida’s Natural(R) Brand Orange Juice is now helping power the Florida’s Natural Growers Visitor Center on Highway 27 North in Lake Wales. The Florida’s Natural Grower’s Cooperative just installed solar panels on the 5,000 square foot facility as part of their continuing effort to promote and utilize renewable energy sources.

The solar panels are estimated to supply 30% of the power needed to operate the Visitor’s Center and are being used as a test case by the Cooperative to explore more sources of renewable energy.

Ag Groups, Agribusiness, Environment, Food

What The Bayer Season Is

Chuck Zimmerman

Bayer Press ConferenceAt last week’s Beltwide we learned about the Bayer Season. Basically, it’s about taking care of your plants during the critical first 40 days.

One of the presenters was John Smith, Bayer CropScience director of marketing. He says that the Bayer Season is a collection of products, innovation and people. They’re meant to help the cotton grower during those first weeks of the season with important issues like seed and traits as well as crop protection products.

I recorded his presentation (he does refer to some slides but you’ll get the drift of it) which you can listen to here: beltwide-bayer-season.mp3

Agribusiness, Audio, Beltwide Cotton, Cotton

Farmer Dave Blogging About Oranges

Chuck Zimmerman

Farmer Dave's Orange DiariesFarmer Dave down in Florida at Florida Natural Growers has started a blog to fight against imported oranges, called The Orange Diaries. I guess just because they’re not natural from Florida. Actually it’s part of a new multimedia campaign to entice consumers to buy American. So besides their ads they started a blog. According to an article in Citrus Industry, the company started the blog because they wanted something “viral” that people would pass around.

Kind of like I’m doing right now. They have a number of pretty good video clips that you’re supposed to be able to embed on your website or blog but I couldn’t get them to work here.

Florida’s Natural Growers is a cooperative of citrus growers.

Ag Groups, Citrus

Meyocks Group Gets Creative

Chuck Zimmerman

Jill BrimeyerThe Meyocks Group has added to their creative team. Joining as a designer and art director is Jill Brimeyer.

Brimeyer had been a graphic designer with Dyton Creative, a Cedar Falls marketing and design agency. She earned a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from the University of Northern Iowa in 2004.

During her college career she interned for more than two years with the Deere & Company Human Resources and Public Relations Department. She is a native of Balltown, Iowa.

Agencies

Zimfo Bytes

Melissa Sandfort

    Zimfo Bytes

  • The Organic Trade Association (OTA) reiterated that meat, milk and other products produced from cloned animals will not be able to be sold as organic in the United States. OTA issued the reassurance after the FDA announced its conclusion that foods from cloned animals and their offspring are as safe as those produced from traditionally bred animals. FDA posted a risk assessment report, risk management plan and guidance for industry to outline its regulatory approach on animal cloning.
  • The Watershed Land Trust is pleased to announce the addition of former Division of Water Resources Chief Engineer David Pope to its Board of Directors. Pope comes to the position with a long history of involvement in water and natural resources related experience. Pope holds BS and MS degrees in Agricultural Engineering from Oklahoma State University, where he specialized in irrigation and water resources engineering. He is a registered professional engineer.
  • Bob Stallman was re-elected president of the American Farm Bureau Federation and Barry Bushue, a nursery and berry producer from Oregon, was elected AFBF vice president at the 89th American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting. Stallman, a cattle and rice producer from Columbus, Texas, was elected to a fifth two-year term as president. Bushue, from Boring, Ore., was elected vice president to succeed Steve Appel, a wheat and barley producer from Dusty, Wash., who retired. Click here for a full list of appointees.
    Zimfo Bytes

    The Greenest Generation at Alltech

    Chuck Zimmerman

    2008 Alltech SymposiumThis year’s Alltech International Animal Nutrition and Health Symposium is set for April 20-23 in Lexington, KY. It’ll be the 24th time and having attended last year’s it’s well worth the trip.

    Much like past generations have left legacies, our dream is that today’s agricultural decision makers will be remembered as the Greenest Generation.

    Don’t miss out on these and other topics:

    1) The energy crisis – how raw material prices are increasing rapidly
    2) Is fiber replacing corn? Hear how three PhD’s have just been awarded based on the concept of converting fiber into energy
    3) How carbon credits will revolutionize our industry
    4) Food Industry Branding: From chicken to superbrand. Hear former Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown, Jr. present how the Kentucky Fried Chicken brand was built

    Agribusiness