“Her presentation empowers agriculture to tell its story with credibility, respect, and impact. Michele helped me navigate tough conversations with compassion for the urbanites who have little connection to where their food comes from.”
- Jeannette Andrashewski, Canadian Canola Farmer
What drives Michele to write? ▶ Bridging the gap from farm to food with story and science.
"You are a gift to agriculture – you do an amazing job connecting non-ag folks to agriculture in a relatable and logical way that's welcoming and opens the door to a deeper understanding.”
- Lana Frantzen, PhD, RDN, DairyMAX
In today’s crazy world, we often miss the time to simply reflect on what makes rural America wonderful. Pictures bring that to life, and offer a celebration to “A Day in Ag”. Warning: cute shoes, cows, combines and computers are involved.
Mac and cheese or broccoli and carrots? Getting a toddler to eat healthy foods is tough. Mom blogger MRS discusses her desire for Blue to a balanced diet, his joy in throwing food – and some of the struggles and successes she’s had getting Blue to eat his vegetables.
The snow may be blowing, but it’s time to begin thinking about those gardens if you want to grow your own fresh food. Guest mom blogger MRS writes about her family’s plans for starting seeds in their basement in preparation for their family’s summer garden.
The Best Food in America Comes from Good People...
Entrepreneurship as a blessing… A plump,...
The Vance family farm grows some of the pumpkins that become our pumpkin pies at Thanksgiving.
Mark Gale pens an insightful guest post on the need for agriculture to listen and acknowledge people’s concerns. He points to a story from when he was a teenager working in a grocery store to help others in agriculture understand lessons of reputation management. Isn’t it time to engage in a genuine and heartfelt discussion with consumers?
The last line of Food, Inc. is “You can change the world one bite at a time” – a point Michele agrees with. She writes about how a conversation is in order to overcome the cultural divide between farmers and people not on afarm. You can change with world with a bite of your tongue and a bite of conversation. And remember, there are two kinds of forks – the ones you eat with and the ones you pitch manure with.
Three generations working side-by-side to bring...
Has “green” thinking gone too far? ...
Media outlets around the global have been in a frenzy with spreading fear about the flu, now known as H1N1. Pandemic is the best way to describe it – and I’m not talking about the sickness, but the sensationalism surrounding the mutated virus. You cannot get this virus from pork or pigs, contrary to misperceptons formed around the original name. More than 500,000 people around the world die annually from common season flu.
Entrepreneurs in agriculture work to create a truly sustainable society, one that includes food for people living in poverty beyond your imagination. Shouldn’t true sustainability put food production back in its rightful place of providing for basic human needs? The U.N. has called for 100% increase in world food production to feed an expected population of 9 billion by 2050. I fully believe that we need to leave the world a better place and protect environmental, but also believe in utilizing technology to meet human needs – and not just those closest to the Whole Foods Market.
Thermometers across North America descended to...
The following just came in from Sustainable...
If you want a dose of reality about the...
While enjoying game drives, a lion breeding farm, and cheetah research facility in South Africa, I realized wildlife and selling have many similarities. A few parallels can be drawn between salesmanship and a South African safari.
Every day is Earth Day in agriculture and we need to start sharing that message! Learn facts on how agriculture contributes positively to the environment and how you can share that message.
Commodity check-off programs are an excellent tool to both educate consumers about various ag commodities and increase consumption. Yet how can we make the the most of them?
The organic movement is an excellent case study of the profitability found in food producers responding to consumer demand. What does it mean to the face of agriculture?
How much do you know about where the food on your Thanksgiving table comes from? This is a great time to consider those who produce the food on our overflowing plates, particularly in a year that has seen food prices increase 6% according to the Economic Research Service.