Dairy Farm/Locovore Brunch

    Our trip to the dairy farm was very interesting. I learned a lot about the way milk goes from the cows to the grocery store shelves. I have to admit that I feel a lot more confident that the milk I am drinking is safe considering the rigorous guidelines that dairy farms like the one we visited have to follow. It was amazing to me how "clean" everything on the farm was considering it's home many cows and is not a place that I would think of as being clean. I always knew that farmers worked very hard, but after visiting the dairy farm, I appreciated their work even more. I also found it amazing that the whole family pitched in and worked together to make the family farm a successful business.

     On Thursday, we had our locovore brunch and it was amazing to see all the good food everyone prepared from local products. There was so much good food in one place, and I thought that it was a good time. Buying local products is beneficial to our local economy and I would like to try to buy as many local products as I can now and throughout life as I move away from Athens.

Dairy Counsil

On Tuesday, Karen, the spokeswoman from The National Dairy Counsil came to give us an intriguing presentation about the program. I did not know anything about the counsel previously, and I learned a lot of new information from her, not only about the Dairy Counsil, but also about becoming an R.D., internships, and other resources available for our major. The National Dairy Counsil provides science-based research information to promote a healthier society, as well as up-to-date and reliable information for nutrition and health professionals, the consumers, media, and educators, among others. They promote the role of healthy dairy products in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and also educate on the dietary guidelines such as MyPlate, and where all of the food categories fall. The Dairy Counsil, as well as My Plate recommends at least three servings of low-fat dairy products per day. The Dairy Counsil is involved in a lot more than I had ever known, and have even teamed up with the NFL to promote physical activity in children. The NDC also funds many different programs promoting health and well-being. The NDC is funded by local farmers and producers.
     Karen is a registered dietitian and was a former president of the American Dietetic Association (now AND) and is currently the Nutrition Affairs Director in the Ohio sector of the National Dairy Counsil.

Good Earth Farm

The trip to Good Earth farm was one of my favorite "field trips" of the quarter. Although I have been out on the farm to volunteer in the gardens before, there was a lot that I did not know about. The farm is beautiful and is funded primarily by grants and all of the produce is donated to food pantries and served at the home to visitors, volunteers and the people who live there. Good Earth Farm is primarily an educational farm, and enables them to teach other people about their livestock and growing practices. They have chickens, cows, sheep, and many different types of fruits and vegetables and I think it's awesome :)

WIC

     On Tuesday a woman who was a graduate of Ohio University came in to talk to us about the WIC program. I am already fairly familiar with WIC, however, some of her experiences and information were very interesting to me. The speaker talked a lot about the nursing of children who are participants of WIC and the requirements to get baby formula and for how long. All of that was new to me, and she seemed like an expert because she just had a child of her own. WIC is federally-funded and she stated that her job requires a lot of paperwork. Basically, if a prospective participant does not meet all of the guidelines on the form that is filled out, they can not participate in the program at that time.

Go Green!

    I really enjoyed taking a drip to the compost site and EcoHouse which is a part of Ohio University that I had never had the opportunity to visit before. I never even knew where the compost site was! Annie Laurie Cadmus was our guide during our tour of the facilities and was very interesting and informative. Her job is partially funded by a grant for the compost facility. Funding from Ohio University also helps to sustain the compost and EcoHouse as part of the learning experience at OU.  I learned about the techniques that are used to compost and here at our facility, they use an in-vessel system. Food from the Central Foods Facility as well as Shively Dining Hall are currently are composting, by placing their food waste into separate trash cans that are picked up everyday and taken to the compost site off of Dairy Lane. Eventually, all of the dining halls will participate as space at the compost site expands with their new equipment. The compost is used for landscaping around OU as well as the intramural fields.

    The next stop was the EcoHouse where three students live and maintain the property while learning about what it means to live a sustainable lifestyle. Some of the energy that powers the house comes from the solar panels, and heat also comes from a thermic panel. The students that live there will take projects that they are interested in relating to sustainability in some way. There are also gardens around the EcoHouse where many different herbs and plants are placed. Garden plots are also available near the EcoHouse and are free-of-charge!

OSU Extension

     On Tuesday we went to the OSU Extension Office located near the Fairgrounds. We heard from two employees about different jobs that they offer as well as how we can become involved. First, Brittany Pangburn informed us about 4-H which I did not know much about before except that I thought it was about raising and then selling livestock at the fair to be eaten (not really my thing). However, Brittany explained that there are many different aspects and topics of 4-H such as farming, agriculture, as well as family and consumer sciences, which includes things like fashion, cooking, sewing/quilting, etc. 4-H participants can also participate in projects for drug/alcohol awareness which sounded like it was a fairly new addition. Brittany interned for Disney, which I had never thought of or heard of anyone doing before and she said that she had a great experience. Anyone can apply to be a coordinator of 4-H, regardless of degree which could be something to keep in mind for people who enjoy these types of activities. Her job is funded by the city commissioner by federal and state dollars as well as fees from 4-H participants. Many 4-H programs have been cut because of lack of funding in many communities.
     Next, we were able to hear more about the history and mission of OSU Extension from Joyce Shriner.Joyce is the extension educator, and 4-H Youth Development Hocking County Director. As stated above, her job is funded by state and federal dollars, and the allocation of money is often hard to justify for each county. Joyce informed us that there are different programs that they provide, some of which are required by certain assistance programs in some counties. One of these programs is the Family Nutrition Program (FNP) which discusses health and nutrition emphasizing MyPlate, grocery shopping, and food safety practices. The extension office also does programs for money management, which we participated in an example during the session. It was very eye opening to see the types of small, everyday items that many people spend their money on. A drink from the vending machine doesn't seem like a lot on a day-to-day basis but it adds up to lots of money in the long run!

WellWorks Events and More!

    Heidi Anderson is an education and events coordinator at WellWorks within Ohio University. Heidi Anderson is a registered dietitian who offers health coaching, coordinates WellWorks events at OU and in the community, works with the Risk Reduction Program, and provides news letters and other interesting and informative health information such as weekly newsletters and meatless mondays. Anderson has many different roles and responsibilities than most people would think an R.D. would have, which prompts my thoughts on everything that I am capable with doing as an R.D. in my future career. I have realized there is more to a dietitian's job than simply nutrition counseling and working strictly in a clinical setting. I first met Heidi while volunteering at a cooking event for WellWorks, and have worked with her several times since then. The cooking demonstrations are some of my favorite activities to attend as a WellWorks volunteer, and a lot of work gets put into them, by not only Heidi, but also Francie Astrom and others who are associated with WellWorks! (Below are some of the dishes that myself and other members of WellWorks and volunteers made for the most recent cooking demonstration at UMC for learning how to move towards a more plant based diet!) Yummmm! (Below are some of the dishes that myself and other members of WellWorks and volunteers made for the most recent cooking demonstration at UMC for learning how to move towards a more plant based diet!) Yummm!