Tag Archives: Iowa State Fair

Get a First-Hand Look at Where Food Comes From

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“Musings of a Pig Farmer”
by Larry Sailer

The Iowa State Fair provides many wonderful opportunities to get a first-hand look at how food is produced from Little Hands on the Farm and the Ag Magic Show in the Animal Learning Center to Farm Bureau Park and the Back to the Farmer exhibit in the Varied Industries Building.

Take a day – pack up your whole family – and head to Des Moines. If you visit the fairgrounds today, stop by Farm Bureau Park between 8 a.m. and noon to visit me. (Sorry about the misprint in last week’s blog post when I mentioned that I’d be at the fair on Thursday, Aug. 16!)

Between now and Aug. 19, will farmers like me will be talking about we do and why we do it. We’ll answer (or at least try to!) questions that people, who are unfamiliar with current farming methods ask. Plus, visitors to Farm Bureau Park can register for drawings and even health screenings. Games can be played to test your knowledge of agriculture. And on particularly hot days, Farm Bureau Park is the best place to sit on a park bench in the shade!

Just a short walk from Farm Bureau Park is the Varied Industries Building. Enter on the building’s south side where you’ll find the Iowa Food & Family Project’s exhibit entitled, “Back to the Farmer.” This exhibit features a very unique creation made of canned and packaged food. Also register for chance to win Casey’s pizza for a year and a $250 Hy-Vee gift card.

Another “must see” at the Iowa State Fair – regardless of whether you were raised on a farm – is the Animal Learning Center where you’ll find everything from newly hatched chicks to newborn pigs. (The Animal Learning Center is conveniently located just east of the Midway between Ye Olde Mill and the Little Hands on the Farm exhibit.) The Animal Learning Center is one of my favorite spots to interact with fairgoers as people line up for hundreds of feet, all day long, to see the farrowing display. A two-hour shift here feels like it’s about 20 minutes long; time passes quickly because there are so many people who are enjoying themselves and asking questions.

In addition to the newborn animals, the Ag Magic Show is a popular attraction in the Animal Learning Center. Magician Rhonda Renee Ross starts off her show by telling kids the magic words are not “abracadabra,” but instead, “Thank a farmer.” Rhonda grew up in Chicago, the first of six generations in her family to not grow up on the farm. Because she understands the importance of educating urban folks about agriculture, she reaches her audience in the most unexpected yet relevant ways. For example, Rhonda holds up a tube of lipstick and explains that lipstick is creamy because of an ingredient called glycerin. “Glycerin is made from the fat of cows, sheep and my favorite…pigs! So the next time your mom, sister or grandma puts on lipstick, tell her she is as pretty as a pig,” she says with a laugh.

Speaking of pork, be sure to grab a Porkchop on a Stick from the Iowa Pork Producers stand. It’s one of the tastiest and most nutritious fair foods – and a personal favorite of mine. Did you know you can eat three, square meals on a stick? It’s true! There are 50+ foods on a stick at the Iowa State Fair.

“Square meals” reminds me of school lunch programs. Thursday, during the Franklin County Farm Bureau Board meeting, I’ll have an opportunity to speak with area superintendents and learn more about how new regulations impacting school lunch programs. I’ll look forward to talking about this topic in an upcoming blog, so stay tuned!

On Friday, Aug. 17, I’ll be one of the speakers in Ames at the AgIowa 140 Conference. It’s not too late to buy your ticket!

Food & FamilyServing Breakfast, Dinner & Supper on a Stick (Yep. There’s an app for that!)

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Tens of thousands of people from across Iowa, the Midwest, the United States and even foreign countries will make their way to Des Moines for the 158th annual Iowa State Fair. Some will go for the livestock shows while others will be more interested in the live concerts. Some love the Midway, while others will be sure to check out the 4-H Exhibits and the Varied Industries buildings.

Regardless of their interests, there is one thing all fair-goers have in common… food!

The Iowa State Fair plays hosts more than 200 food vendors each year. Every major livestock commodity group is represented, from the famous Hot Beef Sundaes at the Iowa Cattlemen’s Beef Quarters and Iowa chops at the Iowa Pork tent to whole-smoked turkey legs fresh off the big grill and burgers at the Lamb Stand.

One of the more popular food trends at the State Fair is food on a stick. While surfing the Iowa State Fair website, I recently learned they have over 50 different foods served on a stick. I thought to myself, “I wonder if it’s possible to find three square meals (breakfast, dinner and supper) on a stick at the Iowa State Fair.” “Square meals” might be used a little loosely, but here’s the menu I came up with:

Breakfast

  • Griddle Stick (sausage on a stick wrapped in a pancake)
  • Fruit on a Stick with Yogurt Dipping Sauce – NEW for 2012!

Lunch

  • Turkey Drumstick
  • Corn on the Cob
  • And for dessert, deep fried butter on a stick. (Just kidding! I’m not brave enough to go there, but I hear it’s actually pretty good.)

Supper

  • Salad on a Stick
  • Porkchop on a Stick
  • Carmel Apple on a Stick or Chocolate-Covered Deep-Fried Cheesecake on a Stick for dessert

While I have my favorite “must-have” foods at the Iowa State Fair, I’m always curious about the newest “on-a-stick” trend to debut each year and where to find them on the grounds. Now, iPhone users can download the Iowa State Fair Food Finder application.

This app allows users to see where various food booths are located, look up nutrition facts and photos plus calculate how long it will take you to walk off those calories! Another great feature is the events calendar that details what’s going on at the fair each day. Looking for a more healthy food option? The app can do that too!

So now the burning question, what are your foods of choice at the Iowa State Fair?

In Pursuit of Fair and Balanced Communications, Part II

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Larry Sailer is constantly connected to ag news and market information via his smartphone, iPad, office laptop and piles of newspapers at home near Iowa Falls. Photo Courtesy of IFT Photo by Zoe Martin

“Musings of a Pig Farmer”
by Larry Sailer

Last week I shared with you my Pursuit of Fair and Balanced Communications, but I didn’t have enough space to go into detail about my experience trying to “speak up for agriculture” as a panelist on live television. Let’s begin by setting the stage, so to speak…

Mike Haley, one of the founders of AgChat, asked me to appear on a live panel hosted by the Huffington Post. Since AgChat’s mission is to empower farmers and ranchers to connect communities through social media platforms, I have no doubt that Mike believed this panel would represent both sides of the issue. Panelists were supposed to include a person from the American Meat Institute, another hog farmer in addition to me, a food blogger from California, and an animal rights activist.

Nothing went according to plan from the start. When I arrived on the campus of Iowa State University that Tuesday morning (July 31) for the live news feed, IT pros worked diligently to get me connected. The live video feed kept dropping, so the show’s producer told me via the telephone that our panel discussion would take place as audio only.

The next thing I know – without any introduction at all – the panel “discussion” got underway. Someone with an English accent started talking about pigs being tortured, and then the foodie blogger chimed in with similar opinions. Then without any setup, I was introduced as a hog farmer and asked to explain how I raise pigs. I explained that animals today are raised in environmentally-controlled buildings that keep them safe from harsh weather like we experience during cold Iowa winters and excessively hot summers.

So far so good, right? Wrong! Although I couldn’t see it, I could hear a video playing that was narrated by Bob Barker. (Apparently, the video feed was working for everyone else but me.) Very eerie sounding music was playing in the background as horror stories of animal abuse were shared.

After the video ended, the animal rights person and the foodie blogger proceeded to tell everyone how horrible these pigs were treated. I wanted to interrupt their one-sided conversation and explain that no farmer or rancher condones abuse or neglect. But, the other two guests never stopped talking! When I tried to talk, I realized they could not hear me. My microphone had been muted.

This so-called “panel discussion” ended without any discussion. I don’t know what happened to the other hog producer or representative from the Meat Board Institute. This Huffington Post “panel” was nothing more than a platform for animal rightists to broadcast their video.

While I knew about the leanings of Huffington Post before agreeing to be a guest, I felt it was worth the risk because I try very hard to communicate (and that includes listening) with anyone who’s interested in how I farm. I’m not sure if my participation ended up hurting my cause in this case, but I’m not giving up! The experience only made me more determined to share my message.

Next week is another busy week with speaking engagements. I’ll be attending the Iowa State Fair on Thursday, Aug. 16. Come visit me on the fairgrounds in Farm Bureau Park between 8 a.m. and noon. I’ll also be speaking in Ames on Friday, Aug. 17, during AgIowa State of Now Mini-Conference at the Scheman Building. Tickets are available, and I hope to see you there!