Reconnecting Nebraska's Farmers and Grocery Retailers

Sponsored by your Nebraska Grocery Industry Association

Message from Kathy Siefken, Nebraska Grocery Industry Association

We hope you enjoy this issue of Farmer Goes to Market. A lot of thought is put into the articles we print. If you would like to have a topic clarified or want to learn more about an issue, be sure to let us know. After all, this e-newsletter is all about providing interesting and accurate information to our readers.

The NGIA Annual Conference was held at Henry Doorly Zoo this year. We had a fantastic venue, great speakers and hot topics. The challenge we face is really quite simple: Our members do not want to spend a great summer day sitting in a classroom -- no matter how great the speakers are or how interesting the topics. As a result, we've made a big change, to meet the wants and needs of our members. On Jan. 22, 2015, NGIA will hold its 2015 Annual Conference from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. We will bring in another great schedule of events that features great speakers and important issues. At 5:30 p.m., our Legislative Reception will begin, followed by the Legislative Dinner with State Senators. UNL athletes will once again be invited to attend the Dinner as our guests. We invite you to put this date on your calendar and plan to attend.

We will finish out 2014 with our final golf outing. The Hackers & Snackers Golf Extravaganza will be held on Sept. 24 at Quarry Oaks with a 10 a.m. shotgun start. Go to our website, www.nebgrocery.com, for more information!

Sincerely,

Kathy Siefken

Executive Director

Nebraska Grocery Industry Association

Nebraska's soybean farmers are proud to bring you this information to help answer customer questions

Nebraska soybean farmers and their checkoff are proud sponsors of the Farmer Goes to Market program, realizing that this program provides an integral link in the food system chain. The information provided in this newsletter is a key step in our educational initiative, providing consumers with information on our effort to provide them with a safe, affordable, abundant food supply.

The farm and ranch families represented by Nebraska Farm Bureau are proud sponsors of the Farmer Goes to Market program. We take great pride in supporting Nebraska's agricultural foundation. A key part of that effort is to make sure we produce safe and affordable food. This newsletter is an important part of our effort to connect the two most important parts of the food chain -- the farmer and the grocer -- with the goal of increasing consumer awareness and information about how their food is raised in Nebraska.

An educational program produced by Food-Chain Communications and delivered to members of the Nebraska Grocery Industry Association. Farmer Goes to Market was established in 2008 to help bridge the growing gulf between today's grocery retailer and today's farmer, empowering them with full-chain knowledge to carry agriculture's true message to food consumers.

Foresight on Food Politics:
Do food prices really impact American hunger?
How much do food prices really impact hunger?

In America, where the average consumer spends only about a dime out of every dollar's wages to buy food, the question of whether high food prices lead to food insecurity and hunger has gone largely unexplored. Now a pair of USDA economists have delved into the issue and found some surprising conclusions, conclusions that may have important implications for how SNAP benefits are administered. Click here for more.

Translating Food Technology: A graphic glance at egg-laying farms

What does the average egg farm look like?

Some critics have tried to give a consumers a negative impression of modern egg farms. But how accurate is it? A new survey of the nation's table-egg farms with 3,000 or more laying hens gives a detailed look into the management practices of one of the least visible farm types in the United States today. How healthy are the birds on today's large operations? How are they housed? Who makes the decisions? Click here to view a quick-to-read graphic glance.

Navigating the New Food Movement:

Is it really wrong to 'waste' crops
by feeding them to livestock?

Can gardening really replace supermarkets?

On the heels of a widely reported study saying eating beef was worse for global warming than driving cars, the perennial claim again raised its head that the world's crops are "wasted" because they're fed to livestock. But is that claim really fair? A new report offers your shoppers a more nuanced view about the realities of feeding animals. Click here to read.

Competitive Commodity Insight:
Are we about to be awash in corn?

Are we about to be awash in corn?

A combination of weather factors has resulted in a corn crop that is nearly unprecedented in quality at this point in the season. USDA has reported only one other year in which the crop was better by the third week of July. That was 2004, when the crop went on to set a record average harvest. Does that mean we're about to "bust the bins?" And why is the corn supply so important to grocers? Click here to read.

Meet your Farmers...
A look at one of Nebraska's
high-producing dairies

The Engelman Family, of Jansen, is a mutigenerational dairy farm milking cows 20 hours out of every 24 hours, to produce about 6,000 gallons of milk every single day. Watch the process they go through to make sure those cows are comfortable and producing at their best.

On the Lighter Side:
Caveman diet humor

Has the paleo diet trend seen its better age? You know a hipster food fashion has finally outlived its PR campaign when the trendy New Yorker cracks snide jokes at its expense. Click here for this cartoon tribute to a diet fad that's so last ice age.

Click here for more details on today's Food Morality Movement