February 9, 2012

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White House chef touts upcoming “Let’s Move” party in Iowa (audio)

February 7, 2012 By

Sam Kass

The assistant White House chef who is coordinator of the first lady’s food initiatives says Michele Obama’s trip to Iowa later this week is intended as a salute, a celebration and, hopefully, an inspiration to Iowa kids. 

As you may know, the first lady launched an initiative aimed at America’s kids, to promote healthy eating habits and encourage exercise. The goal is to end childhood obesity within a generation. Over 10,000 Iowa kids are expected in Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines Thursday to see First Lady Michele Obama and participate in “Let’s Move Day” in Iowa.

Sam Kass is the first lady’s chef and chief assistant in the nationwide “Let’s Move” effort.  During a telephone interview with Radio Iowa early this morning, Kass said Iowa Governor Terry Branstad’s “Healthiest State Initiative” is the reason Obama’s coming.

“We want to celebrate the great work that’s going on there, show how the country’s really unifying around these issues: trying to ensure that our kids and our communities are as healthy as they can be,” Kass said.

Republican Terry Branstad has been a vocal critic of Obama Administration policies, but on this particular issue he’s in harmony with Mrs. Obama.

“We share the goal of a healthier nation and people taking ownership of their own health,” Branstad said.

Private companies in Iowa are participating in the governor’s “Healthiest State” iniatitive, along with hundreds of individual Iowans who’ve signed up for this winter’s “Live Healthy, Iowa” 100-day weight-loss challenge. Kass, the chef in the White House, suggests one way to live healthier is to buy local.

“In Iowa, I know there’s great work being done to try to produce more food and more vegetables for Iowans to eat and, you know, we think that’s great,” Kass said. “But every community is going to have to step back and take a look at what’s happening around them and figure out what are the best solutions.”

AUDIO of Radio Iowa’s five-minute interview of Sam Kass.

Kass helped plan and plant the White House garden. From that garden experience, Kass understands kids can play a role in improving their family’s approach to food.

“When they dug up a carrot, they ended up taking it home and saying, ‘Mom, dad, let’s have some carrots tonight.’ When a kid’s asking for that, you can’t say, ‘No,’” Kass said. “We’ve kept in touch with these kids and they telling us how they’re eating (differently) in their home…They’re baking the chicken instead of frying it. That’s the true power and essense of all that we’re doing here.”

Thursday’s “Let’s Move” party in Wells Fargo Arena will feature some notable sports figures, like skater Michele Kwan, gymnast Shawn Johnson and NASCAR driver Carl Edwards. TV star Bob Harper — one of the trainers on “The Biggest Loser” — will be there, as will Iowa State basketball coach Fred Hoiberg, a former player in the NBA. Kass hopes Thursday’s event will be a motivating experience for the more than 10,000 sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth graders who’ll participate.

“I honestly believe, and I know the first lady does as well, that kids who are stepping up and making changes and being leaders in their communities is maybe our greatest tool in overcoming some of these challenges,” Kass said.

Kass has been involved in behind-the-scenes discussions about federal strategies that could improve the health of America’s children.

“Just two weeks ago, the first lady celebrated the finalizing of the new standards for school lunch and they’ve been raised for the first time in 15 years,” Kass said. “These new standards are going to be transformative to the food that kids are being served every day. Thirty-two million kids every day eat breakfast and lunch — or some combination — in our schools, so knowing that our kids are going to school eating the best food possible is just critical.”

The new standards call for doubling the amount of fruits and vegetables served in school cafeterias and cutting in half the sodium content in school lunches. Kids can still drink chocolate milk, but it has to be skim — fat-free — milk.

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Food prices not expected to rise at the 2011 pace

January 13, 2012 By

A federal analyst says Iowans will see food prices rise at their grocery stores this year, but not as quickly or as high as last year. Ricky Volpe, a food economist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, says our supermarket bills will go up, like everything else, but the price increases won’t match the record pace of 2011.

“The inflationary pressures that have driven prices up through 2011 have mostly been incorporated into retail food prices,” Volpe says. “Looking ahead to 2012, we are looking forward to a more normal year in terms of what we’ve come to expect in year-over-year inflations.”

Last year, overall food prices for consumers rose 5%. For the year ahead, the U.S.D.A. is projecting an increase of %3.5. Due to conditions that may still arise, Volpe says we may see prices on certain products fall.

Volpe says, “If we have great weather, if we have higher-than-expected supplies, if our exports cool off a little bit, then we may very well see some deflations in some food categories but on the whole, we have no reason to expect that right now.” Volpe says barring any of those conditions, food likely will cost consumers more in the year ahead.

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Some businesses see a boost from the Iowa Caucuses

January 3, 2012 By

The Iowa Caucuses provide a boost for many businesses every four years as presidential candidates and media members flock to the state. One Des Moines restaurant, Centro, has reported a 10% increase in revenue during caucus years.

Chris Diebel is marketing director for Orchestrate Hospitality, which runs about a dozen restaurants and hotels in central Iowa. “The caucuses have a great impact on our businesses, specifically in the downtown (Des Moines) restaurant core,” Diebel said.

“This is a huge spot for people coming in, not only for the press covering the Caucuses, but also for star gazers who want to see the press.”

Iowa State University Economist Dave Swenson doesn’t believe this election cycle will pack the same punch as 2008 since only one party’s nomination is in play. He said the spending around the competitive 2008 caucuses added up to just about 1/100th of the state’s GDP — or about 230 jobs.

“It’s not a big deal. It doesn’t drive our economy,” Swenson said. “But what it does do is provide a lot of exposure for the state of Iowa. To a certain degree, it covers our issues that people think are important.” That’s why many candidates make promises to support federal policies that benefit agriculture. Dave Miller is with the Iowa Farm Bureau.

“We care a lot about biofuels policy. The Caucuses allow us an opportunity to have interaction and debate with regard to that type of policy,” Miller said. According to Miller, favorable federal policies have helped grow Iowa’s agriculture sector at a time when other sectors of the economy are struggling.

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Buffalo is on the menu for this holiday meal

November 23, 2011 By

Hunters in Iowa have a long history of turning the animals they harvest into food donations for the needy. The programs usually include deer, but a different kind of hunt annually provides for those in need.

Every year since 2003 on the day before Thanksgiving the Iowa Chapter of Safari Club International serves a meal at The Bethel Mission, the Central Iowa Shelter and Freedom for Youth Ministries in Des Moines. The meal is made up from a gift from club members of some 800 pounds of buffalo meat.

Club president Nels Spevak says contrary to many opinions, there are abundant numbers of buffalo. Spevak says there’s an estimated 500-thousand head of buffalo in the United States. He says the area where they go in South Dakota is some 200,000 square miles.

Before the meat is donated however, it needs to be processed, that’s where Randy Ruth comes in. Ruth owns the Frederika Locker in Northeast Iowa. He says after eight years of practice, he and his staff have the routine down to a science .

He says they can usually skin a buffalo, power wash it and get it ready to hang in the cooler in 45 minutes. Ruth says it hangs in the cooler a couple of days and then it can take up to four hours to butcher and package the animal. And once the packaged buffalo arrives in Des Moines it’s up to the cooks at the various shelters to prepare it.

Bethel Mission chef, Lou Dawson, says the buffalo meat is 99% fat free, so it is healthier than hamburger. He says you can prepare any menu item with buffalo meat that you would use hamburger for, so they make soups, chilis, enchiladas and tacos. The Safari Club’s Spevak says he’s impressed with the generosity of the those who bring in the animal, those who tan the hide and prepare the meat without charge.

He says the club members are looking for the trophy, but most can’t use the 2,200 pounds of meat, so it works out perfectly for everyone. Hope Ministries’ David Burrier says being able to secure meat to help feed the hungry is often a difficult task because it can be expensive and often doesn’t have a long shelf life.

And with an increasing number of people seeking their help, donations like the great buffalo giveaway are more important than ever.

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Group questions impact of federal cuts on food programs

November 23, 2011 By

The U.S.D.A. estimates 12% of Iowa households struggled with “food insecurity” last year — sometimes going without meals. Mike Owen of the Iowa Policy Project think-tank says the government’s “food stamp” program has helped put food on many of those tables, but there’s a looming challenge.

“That still is a question as to whether this budget-cutting frenzy that seems to have taken hold in Washington is going to hit programs that have a critical impact on peoples’ lives, without a supporting replacement,” Owen says. Andrew Cannon, an Iowa Policy Project researcher, says about 340,000 Iowans have gotten food stamps in the past year.

“As many Iowans are deciding how to dress their Thanksgiving table, thousands more face more pressing questions: Where will my next meal come from? Do I skip breakfast or lunch today? Is this enough food for the rest of my family for the rest of the week?” Cannon asks.

The budget deal reached in August already outlined cuts in the “Women, Infants and Children” program which pays for staples like baby formula, eggs and some fruits and vegetables to women who have children under the age of five.

“In Iowa, an average of 54,000 infants and children were served per month (and) 16,000 women were served per month by WIC in the first eight months of this federal fiscal year ’11,” Cannon says. There are over 1,100 food pantries and other charities that provide food to needy Iowans and Cannon found nearly one-third of the Iowans who received food stamp benefits in the past year also got food from a pantry.

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Governor gives two turkeys a Thanksgiving pardon

November 21, 2011 By

A long-time Thanksgiving tradition continued this morning at the governor’s mansion in Des Moines. Radio Iowa’s Dar Danielson reports: Pardon report :61

Governor Branstad and granddaughter Bridget inspect pardoned turkeys.

Governor Terry Branstad issued his 17th turkey pardon on the rear steps of Terrace Hill. The lucky birds this year came from a farm in Ellsworth.

 ”It’s a great tradition,” Branstad said. He says the Turkey Federation and the grocery industry have each made $1,000 contributions to help feed the needy on this Thanksgiving.

The pardoned birds will be sent to Living History Farms in Urbandale. This pardon ceremony was different from the others Branstad presided over in his first stint as governor as his granddaughters were on hand along. Watching them reminded him of his son.

Branstad says he remembers when his son Marcus chased turkeys all around the back yard “and the turkey kind of wobbled when it walked and so did Marcus.” Now the daughters of his oldest son Eric try to play with the turkey. Two-year-old granddaughter Bridget petted a bird and tried to say “gobble, gobble.”

Governor Branstad with son Eric and granddaughters Alexis, Bridget, and turkeys Mildred and Marty.

The big white birds sat still as Bridget tried to gem them to move around. Iowa Turkey Federation representative, Cal Halstead, said the 30-degree weather probably made them a little sluggish as they’re used to the climate-controlled building where they normally live.

Halstead says the birds are 16 to 17 weeks old with the male or tom weighing about 38-pounds and the hen about 20 pounds.

The two are among the nearly 11-million turkeys raised in the state every year. Unlike Marty and Mildred who’re retiring, most of those birds will end up in lunchmeat used by sub shops.

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Turkey prices in Iowa look good for the holiday

November 18, 2011 By

 

An Iowa turkey. (file photo)

An industry official says Iowa consumers will find good bargains when buying the big bird for their Thanksgiving feast. Gretta Irwin, executive director of the Iowa Turkey Federation, says even after you’ve purchased your great gobbler, you may still find that your pocketbook is stuffed.

“We’re seeing really excellent prices here in Iowa,” Irwin says. “The Farm Bureau Foodbasket Survey came out and the turkey’s average on that was around $1.45 a pound but here in Iowa, I’m seeing much lower prices than that.”

Irwin says Iowa’s turkey industry continues to grow. “It’s looking very good for us here in the state,” she says. “In 2011, we are scheduled to raise about 10.7-million turkeys, but in 2012, we’re looking at about 11-million turkeys. We’re continuing to add family farmers into our realm of raising turkeys.”

Earlier this month, the ribbon was cut to open a new turkey hatchery in Osceola. Learn more about the industry at: “www.iowaturkey.org”

By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City

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