healthy food - New ag specialists in Northern New York - SIBEJO

Cornell Cooperative Extension has made 7 unique specialists available to northern New York farmers over the past year. Their expertise covers everything from business planning to technical crop and livestock knowledge.

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healthy food - BRING A LEGISLATOR TO THE TABLE - SIBEJO

State legislators are in a unique position to tackle hunger and increase access to healthy food. Legislators simultaneously wear the hats of policymaker and community leader. They can direct and provide incentives for state agencies to implement new programs, catalyze coordination among agencies, give start-up or expansion funding to promising initiatives, and establish an award to recognize an organization fighting hunger in their communities.  As community leaders, they can bring together the public, nonprofit, corporate, and foundation sectors to inspire meaningful change and imagine innovative solutions for low-income communities. A new publication from the National Conference of State Legislatures offers nine examples of innovative programs that involve partnerships among multiple organizations and state-level support to support SNAP, food distribution, child nutrition, and access to healthy food.

Source: NCSL, 8/16, Legislative Outreach

healthy food - NEW FINDINGS ON FOOD INSECURITY AND CHILDREN - SIBEJO

Much recent research links food insecurity with negative outcomes for children�s health, education, and other areas. Other research shows that programs like SNAP can have large and long-lasting benefits, especially when the benefits are received by mothers during pregnancy and by children at a young age. A recent study that examines the impact of the rollout of the original Food Stamp Program in the late 1960s shows that receiving  Food Stamps during pregnancy reduced the incidence of low birth weight by between five and 12%. The same researchers also found that among adults who grew up in disadvantaged households, access to Food Stamps in utero and early childhood led to: a 16 percentage-point decline in the likelihood of being obese as an adult and significant reductions in metabolic syndrome (a cluster of conditions associated with heart disease and diabetes); an 18 percentage-point increase in the likelihood of completing high school; and significant improvements in overall health and economic self-sufficiency among women. This and other research findings on food insecurity are highlighted in recent newsletter from the Food Research and Action Council.

Source: Food Research & Action Council, 8/3/16, Food Insecurity Research

healthy food - FOOD AND A PLACE TO SLEEP COULD LEAD TO BETTER HEALTH - SIBEJO

Patients� social and economic circumstances powerfully influence their health and well-being. But until recently there�s been relatively little effort to systematically address these factors. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, a government organization established by the Affordable Care Act to test new ways to deliver and pay for health care, is trying to change that. It recently announced a pilot program to help health systems close gaps between medical care and social services in their communities. The program, known as Accountable Health Communities, will invest $157 million over five years to study whether helping patients with social needs in five key areas � housing, food, utilities, transportation, and interpersonal safety � can improve health and reduce medical costs.There�s good evidence that social support can improve health and cut costs. Research suggests nutrition assistance for low-income women and children reduces the risk of low birth weight, infant mortality, and developmental problems � at a cost that�s more than fully offset by lower Medicaid spending. Other work suggests providing elderly patients with home-delivered meals can help them live independently and prevent expensive nursing home stays. The program will award grants to 44 organizations around the country to build partnerships among state Medicaid agencies, health systems, and community service providers to identify which strategies are most effective for linking patients to the services they need.

Source: New York Times, 7/20/16, Food for Health

healthy food - Farmer Friday - 8 O'Clock Ranch - SIBEJO

Intern Amands Korb offers us another reflection on food and farming issues on the last day of her internship...

In the 21^st century, the rise of grass-fed, all-natural, free-range, cage-free, pasture-based animal products is certainly evident. We buy the bloodless package of ground beef with a sticker of a picturesque red barn and white chickens in the yard and the cleanly washed pearl-white eggs. We are living in a food illusion, and the lack of transparency between the farmer and the consumer is only getting wider. I believe we must ask ourselves what are our personal beliefs are in terms of food, or rather, what do we demand as consumers when we purchase items. On a more personal level, we might ask what is it like for a chicken to live in a cage, to be given certain feeds or various medications? And furthermore, do we care?

From pig to cow to chickens, the large-scale production of animal meat (think 2 million hens per �warehouse�) personifies the broken American food system. We all know the horror stories of the industrial farm�some of us turn a blind eye, thinking, �How else will be feed the world?� while others choose to eliminate the product from their diet as a form of animal solidarity.

These were a few questions Kassandra and John Barton asked when they first started 8 O�clock Ranch in 2001. Their 200-acre mission to raise non-GMO, soy-free, pasture based meat is far from the images Food Inc. portrays. On the larger farms, �ag gag laws� forbid any form of filming or photography of farms without the consent of owners. Even with consent, the images do not portray the full story. This was not the case with Kassandra, who specifically invited me to come on butcher day. I pulled into the ranch�s driveway, greeted by her amiable face. She instructed me to the barn where her sons and neighbors were at the head of the butchering assembly line. They were in charge of killing, scalding and then chilling the birds. I was impressed by the cleanliness, efficiency and humaneness of the process. One might think the birds would be squawking as they faced death, but these hens cooed sweetly.

After chilling, the hens were then cleaned and split into parts. All portions of the bird are consumed except for the head. (Customers do actually ask for them, but Kassandra hasn�t figured out a way to package them safely.) The liver, heart, necks and feet are packaged for sale elsewhere. 8 O�clock Ranch used to work at the Canton Farmers market, but slow demand led the couple to �follow other marketing strategies,� like shipping all over the east coast or delivering milkman style to one�s doorstep.

�We wanted to do what they used to in the 1700�s,� Kassandra remarked. �Sure I use new technologies, and I utilize YouTube a lot too, but a lot of what we do now comes from old books. If it worked then, why can�t it work now?� Their land is called a ranch and not a farm to reflect how they believe animals should be raised�free to roam with ample amount of fresh land, air and grass. They practice block pasturing and intensive grazing, which has reduced the unwanted growth of thistles and instead encouraged clovers to flourish. As Michael Pollan writes, �It is doubtful you can build a genuinely sustainable agriculture without animals to cycle nutrients.�

Kassandra is a firm believer in healthy soil: �If the soil is healthy, then the rest falls in line.� They regularly add minerals to the ground, although they recognize it takes 18 months system integration. Prevention, it seems, is a better method of treatment. In fact, John and Kassandra have only called the vet 4 times in 8 years. �If you�re calling the vet, then there is something lacking in your management practices.�

Around 1,000 hens a year are processed at the ranch, alongside 40 lambs and 100-120 beef cattle. I asked the inevitable, given their success, would they consider getting bigger? �Any bigger and our job would be harder, especially since we insist on sticking to our standards,� John responded. Their morals are tried and true�a few years ago the couple threatened to shut down when USDA regulations had them shipping their meat to far off processing units. Kassandra and John are firm believers in giving their customers what they desire- transparent, healthy, truly natural meat because �customer service is what keeps [them] going.�

�Taste is our biggest advertisement,� she further commented. �When selling meat, the hardest part is getting people to actually cook the meal. But once they taste it and show their friends, they understand why we do what we do.� On average, Kassandra and John have a 90% CSA renewal rate. The word of mouth sales are certainly proving to be fruitful.

Promoting local healthy food is an easy feat, but to actually execute the philosophy is a more strenuous process. 8 O�clock Ranch used to participate in GardenShare�s Bonus Bucks program, but had to demure their participate due to USDA regulations. When I asked Kassandra what role she thinks government should play in small-scale meat production, she quickly responded none. �Because they [the government] is involved the cost of food increases. People who can afford food don�t care that much and we secure their business no problem; however, this makes access to low-income or working households difficult.�

Currently, out of house sales are illegal unless permitted otherwise. This means Kassandra�s customers must pre-order meat, a process deemed inconvenient due to our instantaneous society. �If a customer could simply come and go it would be easier. Also, this would help keep prices lower for people to try new meat. It would be easier for people to say, �I want to eat healthy, local food.��  

When I asked how to fill the gap the USDA creates between her meat and the customer�s plate, Kassandra further said, �Many mothers ask, how do I cook, look up recipes, share that knowledge, and have the ability to eat? You can�t expect to cook all meats equally. Visits to a farm, where a meal can be shared, are conversational and relatable way to cook food.� I invite all North Country residents to give Kassandra a call. 8 O�clock ranch is a 100% transparent operation that produces ethical and sustainable meals for families and friends. 

healthy food - Scholarships for Young Farmers Conference - SIBEJO

Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture  is offering a limited number of farmer scholarships to the 2016 Young Farmers Conference on December 7, 8 and 9. Scholarships cover the cost of conference registration only; recipients are expected to cover the cost of lodging and travel expenses to and from the conference.

For more info and an application, please click here. Applications are due by 5PM EST on Saturday, August 20, 2016. 

healthy food - BANNING SNAP USE FOR �JUNK� FOOD IGNORES REALITY - SIBEJO

Maine Governor Paul LePage threatened to end his state�s participation in SNAP unless Maine was permitted to ban recipients from using their benefits for �junk� food. The average SNAP benefit for a household is just $254, but healthy food costs more than low�nutrition options, leaving low�income families struggling to afford quality meals. Denying them SNAP benefits would only exacerbate this problem. But many strategies have been shown to improve nutrition among low�income and SNAP households:
? Increasing monthly SNAP allotments provides households the purchasing power to make healthy food choices. A recent study found that $30 more per month can improve consumption of vegetables and other healthy foods.
? Incentives promoting fruit and vegetable purchases increase consumption, as evidenced by programs that allow SNAP households to get more for their SNAP dollars at grocery stores and to use their benefits at farmer�s markets.
? Enhancing nutrition education and healthy food practices in local communities improves attitudes, knowledge, and behavior, resulting in increased fruit and vegetable consumption.

Source: Center for Law & Social Policy, 7/22/16, Junk Food