#AskAFarmer: A Response to EZChicken

 

It’s been nearly a month since I first posted about my anger towards Panera Bread.

And it turns out, I’m not the only one who was upset by their EZ Chicken campaign.

DairyCarrie wrote a fantastic blog post that went viral.  She’s even been contacted by the Chief Marketing Officer of Panera because of it. And while Panera has removed some of their offensive images online, they have not completely ditched the campaign.

However, I’m not nearly as angry as I was a month ago.  The truth is, some good has come out of this campaign.

First, farmers have united over this issue.  It’s so great to see dairy farmers, beef cattle ranchers, and row crop farmers supporting the poultry farmers who were targeted in the ad.  I think it shows the pride that all farmers have in their calling.

Second, it has opened up general conversations about food.  I have had real, legitimate questions about food production posted on my blog’s facebook page and my personal facebook wall.  From an uncle asking exactly what the tolerances are for antibiotic residue in meat to a friend who’s a food blogger asking about GMOs, the conversations have been wonderful.

Third, Panera’s campaign has offered us a chance to clear up misconceptions about antibiotics in food, which I’d like to reiterate right now.

1.  There are NO antibiotics in food.  Every single flock is tested for antibiotic residues before being sent to market.  Most antibiotics have a zero-tolerance level, meaning that there can be NO TRACES of the medicines in the animal. (For a complete list of the tolerances for all animals and medications, check out the U.S. National Residue Program here.)

2.  There are strict regulations farmers must follow when using antibiotics.  Strict dosage guidelines, strict withdrawal times, and strict penalties for not following the rules.

3.  Antibiotics are used under the guidance of a veterinarian when they improve animal health.  Farmers have the work of scientists, vets and researchers behind them to tell them when antibiotics should be used or not.

4.  Last but not least…

 

As a CommonGround volunteer, these conversations excite me.  They are an opportunity for us to do what we do best – talk about our experiences on the farm and answer questions from consumers. 

So let’s keep the momentum going.  As Troy Hadrick said during a presentation on Tuesday, “Don’t ask Google where your food comes from.  Ask a farmer.”  Keep asking questions.  Keep questioning marketing campaigns.  Keep asking farmers where your food comes from.  We are ready to talk to you!

 

If you have a question, visit the Squaw Creek Facebook page or the CommonGround facebook page and post it, using the hastag #AskAFarmer!

Easy Rainbow Behavior Chart

 

I don’t know why I haven’t shared this with you before.  I was telling a friend about it and realized it would be a great thing to tell ALL my friends about.  I apologize for not sharing it sooner, because if you have a child who sometimes misbehaves, this could just be the sanity-saver you need.  And if you don’t have a child who sometimes misbehaves, you must not have any children.

I cannot take credit for this idea.  I learned about it almost 10 years ago, when I worked at an afterschool program for K-6th graders in college, with this amazing friend as my boss.

We had a big “rainbow chart” and used clothespins with each child’s name on it to track their behavior.  Everyday, the kids started on green.  If their behavior was positive, they got to “move up” a color.  Poor behavior meant they had to move down.  We recorded the color they were on at the end of the night, and then they got reward tickets depending on the color.  The tickets were spent on Fridays at our “store.”

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This spring, I decided to try using this system at home.  I scribbled some crayon on a piece of paper and then cut off the sides to make a rainbow striped piece of paper.  Then, I painted an “A” for Adam on a simple round magnet, and Boom!  I had a new system to monitor behavior!

Adam started on green everyday after school.  He had the chance to move up by doing certain chores or if I “caught” him being good.  He moved down for various misbehaviors, too.  He and I sat down and listed the biggest misbehaviors I’d be watching for.  This helped him identify what I wanted to see from him.

Adam earned or lost privileges depending on what color he was on.  For example, purple meant he could watch a superhero tv show.  Yellow and orange meant no TV and red meant no computer games.  We also discussed these ahead of time.

It’s important that there is a “reset” time that is consistent everyday.  At the afterschool program, we started at green every afternoon.  At home, you might start at green every morning, but since bedtime was/is a tough time for us, I needed to have consequences for misbehavior then, so whatever color Adam was on when he fell asleep carried over to the next morning.  Instead of “resetting” to green in the morning, we did it after school.  You can adjust this system so it works best for you.

 

One of the most important things when dealing with behavior challenges is to have a system in place to guide your response. Consistency and following through with consequences can be tough, but a simple system like the Rainbow Chart helps you and your child (or student) know what to expect when misbehavior occurs.  Plus, it also encourages positive behavior.

 

 

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Summertime is a Funner Time

 

Well, technically, summertime is a more fun time, but that just doesn’t have the same ring to it, now does it?

We’ve been so busy this summer, but most of it has been so FUN!

 

Father’s Day weekend, we went bowling…

 

and played a bit at the arcade. 

 

 

We’ve been swimming,

 

t-balling,

 

and playing outside. 

 

(Giant Outdoor Waterbed Instructions from Utah County Mom)

 

And on the 4th of July, we played with friends.

See?  Summertime really is  a funner time!

How a Messy Mom Cleans: Clean Categorically

 It's time for another Messy Mom post.  (In fact, it's time for this messy mom to clean her house!)

Last time, I shared The 15 Minute Method.  While that is still my favorite way to clean, 15 minutes isn't always enough.  When the house is even more out of control, I break out the big guns and Clean Categorically.


Clean Categorically

Method: Clean Categorically How it works: Pick things up in a specified order. Purpose: To make large areas of the house functional and presentable in a short period of time.

Our clutter tends to fall into 4 different categories:

1.  Garbage
2.  Kitchen stuff
3.  Dirty clothes
4.  Toys


When I clean categorically, I pick up junk in that order.

First - the garbage.  Wrappers, toddler paraphernalia, junk mail, "fluff" the kids tore out of the couch cushions.  You get the idea.

Second - kitchen stuff.  Usually includes sippy cups, water glasses, and empty bowls from the kids' snacks.

Third - dirty clothes.  Are my kids the only ones who seem to shed clothing all over the house?

Fourth - toys.  At this point, I throw all the toys in the ottoman or toy baskets

Before:	After:

Finally, the room is ready for dusting/vacuuming.  Occasionally there is a stray piece of "stuff" that doesn't fit into one of those categories, and I put that away before moving on.  But usually, those four categories cover it.

I put the categories in the order of least forgivable to most forgivable.  I figure, if someone called to say they were coming over, I'd start with garbage, and if I didn't get all the way to toys, I could just say something like, "The kids have been playing so well today!  I didn't want to interrupt them to clean up the toys!"


Those categories work best for the living room, dining room and kids' bedrooms at my house.  Other rooms might have different categories.  What would your categories be?  Leave some feedback here or on my facebook page.