World Hunger and Food Waste

I've debated for a long time to post this paper or not, but finally decided, these are such huge, global issues and I must. Consider this fair warning, the below post is a very lengthy research paper I completed for my World Food Issues class this past semester. The statistics can be overwhelming and upsetting. Personally, the paper isn't really a fun read. However, the topics may quickly capture your attention as they did mine. I hope you take the time to read the entire document and challenge yourself to become part of the solution in the coming year!

The juxtaposition of devastating hunger issues and extreme food waste in this world, and across America, even in Iowa, is astounding. Despite being quite opposite dilemmas, the alarming truth is neither are brand new issues, and without significant effort, neither are going away. With strategic planning, it may be possible to reduce the impact of both harsh realities with one method: food recovery.

Hunger, especially world hunger, is one of the hottest food related topics today even though it has been a part of human existence for generations. There are documented cases of hunger since the beginning of record keeping. Many government agencies and hunger fighting organizations have statistics tracking the problem dating back to the founding of their institution (United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, 2013).

Many people simply don’t have enough, or they right type of food to sustain themselves in a healthy way. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), just over 11 percent of the current population doesn’t have enough food for a healthy and active life (FAO et al, 2014). The World Food Programme claims 805 million people on the planet are currently undernourished (World Food Programme, 2014). In other words, one out of every nine people on earth suffer from a lack sufficient nutrition or calories (World Food Programme, 2014). Meals from the Heartland claims hunger and malnutrition is the number one risk to health globally – greater than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined (Meals from the Heartland, 2014).

Hunger is a devastating problem not only because of the immediate pains it creates, but because it easily leads to other issues (World Food Programme, 2014). When people aren’t taking in the necessary amount of calories, or getting proper nutrients and vitamins they are more prone to disease (United Nations, 2014). Sick or undernourished women give birth to lighter babies with a more susceptible immune system (World Food Programme, 2014). According to the World Food Programme, over 2.3 million children under the age of five die as a result of malnutrition (World Food Programme, 2014). Ill and hungry children who survive, are less likely to attend school (World Food Programme, 2014). Even if they are able to go, studies show kids do not reach their performance potential when they are struggling with hunger (United Nations, 2014). The United Nations states the mental development of 40-60 percent of youth in developing countries is impaired due to iron deficiency (United Nations, 2014). Worldwide, iodine deficiency is the number one cause of brain damage and mental retardation (United Nations, 2014).

There is a common misconception that hunger only affects underdeveloped or third-world countries. This is untrue. Sadly enough, there are 15 million undernourished people in developed countries (World Food Programme, 2014). Feeding America, a network of food banks in the United States, claims one out of every six Americans struggles to have enough food (Feeding America, 2014). As of 2012, the United States Department of Agriculture reported 14.5 percent of households in America dealt with food insecurity for at least one member in the home over the course of the year (United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, 2013). The research also showed 5.7 percent of food insecure American households had “very low food security”, meaning their troubles were severe (Coleman-Jensen et al, 2012). According to the USDA survey, households that were identified as having “very low food security” reported concerns they would run out of food before they had the funds to purchase more, they couldn’t buy balanced meals, and people in their household were cutting back or skipping meals due to their financial constraints (Coleman-Jensen et al, 2012).

Even within the United States, hunger creates many of the same issues that face the global population.  No Kid Hungry, an organization that works to bring awareness and alleviate child hunger in America, says 90 percent of K-8 teachers in public school agree eating a healthy breakfast is key to academic success (No Kid Hungry, 2014). The organization cites research form the National Institutes of Health, Jama Pediatrics, and Harvard School Breakfast Research Summary all concluding that students who regularly miss nutritious meals show statistically significant suffering in their health, cognition and academics, as well as emotional and social well-being (No Kid Hungry, 2014). An article published by Michigan State University cited supporting evidence that hunger is associated with lower academic achievements (Bell, 2013).

The facts are clear, when children aren’t distracted by hunger, they are more likely to reach their productivity potential. Students who consistently begin their day with a healthy breakfast achieve higher standardized math scores and have better attendance on average (No Kid Hungry, 2014). Michigan State also found evidence from the National School Lunch Program and the Children, Youth and Families Education and Research Network that concluded better or more nutrition resulted in student improvements in the areas of concentration, energy, comprehension, learning, and memory (Bell, 2013).

For the sake of later examples, Iowa hunger statistics are also available. Feeding America alone has four feeding programs that serve the communities of the region because one out of every eight people in the state struggle with hunger (Feeding America, 2014). One in six children in Iowa do not have enough to eat (Meals from the Heartland, 2014).  In 2012, the Des Moines Register reported that at least one time a year, one in five children doesn’t know where their next meal will come from (Krogstad, 2012). Iowa Food Bank Association says this totals nearly 390,000 hungry Iowans (Iowa Food Bank Association, 2014). The Iowa Hunger Directory maintained by the World Food Prize lists 362 organizations that are needed to fight hunger within the state (The World Food Prize, 2014). In 2012 it was reported that 57 school districts within the region had more than half of their students qualify for free or reduced-price meals (Krogstad, 2012). In the 2014 fiscal year, there was so much need that Food Bank of Iowa alone distributed over 10 million pounds of food (Food Bank of Iowa, 2014).

Even within Story County and the City of Ames, many citizens struggle with hunger. Story County has more hunger than the state average, with just over 15% of the population not getting enough nutritious food (Iowa State University, 2014). County wide, 20.9% of the people are below poverty level (United States Census Bureau, 2014). There are seventeen food pantries within the county (United Way of Story County, 2013). This includes SHOP, Students Helping Our Peers, a student-run, on-campus food pantry serving students that attend Iowa State University (Iowa State Univeristy, 2014). The United Way reports 29.8% of students in the Ames school district qualified for free and reduced lunch in 2013 (United Way of Story County, 2013). Kate Mitchell, and elementary school within the district serves over 50% of their students free or reduced meals (United Way of Story County, 2013). 

It’s no secret that world population is climbing, soon to reach an estimated 9.6 billion people by the year 2050 (United Nations, 2013). Unless action is taken, naturally the reality of hunger will escalate for more people in the world, even in the United States, including Iowans. Through my heavy involvement in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University, I’ve witnessed all across the agricultural industry individual experts and a variety of organizations are dedicated to finding a way to feed the growing number of humans. Organizations working to help families deal with hunger are seeing a rise in the use of their services (Iowa Food Bank Association, 2014).

Astoundingly enough, in a world where millions of humans go hungry, a sickening amount of food is wasted each day. Globally, according to the FAO, about 33% of the edible food supply for people is lost or wasted annually (Gustavsson, 2011, p. 4).  In America, 40% of edible food is thrown out (Food Recovery Certified, 2014). This sums to approximately 1.3 billion tons, or 26,000,000,000,000 pounds per year (Gustavsson, 2011, p. 4). Research has found this waste occurs throughout the entire food chain, anywhere from production to consumption (Gustavsson, 2011, p. 4). Food waste is the number one item filling up America’s landfills (Food Recovery Certified, 2014).

In Europe and North America the per capita food loss rings in at 280-300 kilograms per person, per year. This means, on average, for every American there is approximately 620-660 pounds of food loss annually (Gustavsson, 2011, p. 5). For the United States, over 40 percent of the food losses can be traced to the retail and consumer branch of the food system (Gustavsson, 2011, p. 5). The Natural Resources Defense Council claims that in America, retailers, food service, and households are some of the biggest culprits in food waste (Grunders, 2012, p.10-12). When looking specifically at meat, half of the waste occurs at the consumer level (Gustavsson, 2011, p. 8). Similarly, in industrialized areas like the United States the FAO found that up to 65 percent of milk waste was on the part of consumers (Gustavsson, 2011, p. 9).

The Iowa Waste Reduction Center confirms across our state, food waste is the most common landfilled material. According to the University of Northern Iowa, 13.3% of all landfilled waste in Iowa is food waste (Iowa Waste Reduction Center, 2014). Between 1998 and 2011 landfills in Iowa saw a rise in food waste disposal of 62% (Iowa Waste Reduction Center, 2014). 

In the Ames, Iowa community, research has recently been conducted regarding restaurant food waste. This semester, as part of a market research project for Management 370 and the Office of Sustainability, a team of other students and I attempted to survey all Ames food service establishments listed in the Yellow Pages of the phone book. Nearing 60 responses varying from fast food to fine dining establishments, an overwhelming majority had no alternative to throwing food waste in the garbage. In the Ames waste system, this material will be rejected by the Resource Recovery Center and will be shipped to a landfill in another county (City of Ames, 2014). Merry Rankin, Program Manager I for the Office of Sustainability and the City of Ames notes disposing of food waste in the landfill is not only economically costly, but taxing on the environment, especially when no positive bi-products are created ([pers. comm.], 2014). With the exception of fats, oils and greases that some businesses sell to be recycled, all types of food waste, pre-sale and post-sale, were thrown in the trash. Because there is no cost consequence for the companies to pitch a larger volume of garbage, managers we talked to were unable to estimate the quantity of food they threw out. The only alternatives a few businesses in our survey pursued were composting, practiced by two establishments, and a handful, including Chipotle, make a donation to a local organization called Food at First. 

In my research for Management 370, interviews for my personal blog, Roots, and a classroom presentation in Agronomy 342, I’ve had many opportunities to talk with individuals connected to Food at First. I’ve had the most contact with an avid volunteer, Andrea, and the director of the program, Chris Martin. Food at First, or FAF, has two components: a free, no questions asked meal served seven days a week and a perishable food pantry. All programs are no charge, open to anyone who may need assistance and wishes to take part. No questions are asked and everyone is able to remain anonymous if they wish. For this reason, it is difficult to collect quantitative data and the best way of learning about the need in the Ames area is talking to a regular volunteer ([pers. comm.], 2014).

In discussing the program with Andrea and Chris, I learned a lot about the innovative ways FAF is feeding the hungry in Ames and rescuing thousands of pounds of food from the landfill. Gleaning area produce farms and an abundance of regular donations serve as the source for most meals and the free market. According to the Food at First pick up schedule listed on their website, there is at minimum one food pick up at a retailer in the area such as Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, or Hy-Vee every day (Food At First, 2014). Some days, food that would be otherwise be wasted is coming from six business sources in addition to any independent or unscheduled donations ([pers. comm.], 2014).

Recently, it was announced that Food at First was a recipient of a $20,000 holiday makeover from Wal-Mart. According to an article in the Ames Tribune, FAF plans to purchase an additional freezer to accommodate the growing donations and need (Erickson, 2014). Over 2,300 people participated in an online voting poll supporting the Ames charity (Erickson, 2014).

Thankfully, FAF is not an entirely unique program. Other food recovery and hunger fighting organizations can be found across the country. Specifically, exemplary programs include Second Helpings, serving Indianapolis, Indiana, and Society of St. Andrew, which operates in several locations across the nation. Additionally, the Food Recovery Network is active on college campuses to make a difference. Food Gatherers and HUSH are other excellent programs making a difference to feed the hungry and keep food out of landfills.

Around the United States, just to date, in 2014 alone, Society of St. Andrew boasts it has gleaned 16.6 million pounds of food and collected an impressive total of 25.3 million pounds of produce (Society of St. Andrew, 2014). The organization has delivered 76 million servings of food to hungry Americans this year alone (Society of St. Andrew, 2014). Several departments within the program fulfill different needs. The Gleaning Network is comprised of volunteers who travel to farmer’s fields to salvage crops that would otherwise rot. The fruits and vegetables that are harvested may not have met the farmer’s top-grade standards for sale, but are still healthy and nutritious (Society of St. Andrew, 2014). Next, the Potato and Produce Project intercepts truckloads of produce that are rejected by commercial markets and potato chip factories due to slight imperfections in size, shape, sugar content, or surface blemishes. If Society of St. Andrew didn’t take and redistribute these loads, it’s likely they would end up in landfill (Society of St. Andrew, 2014). Finally, Harvest of Hope is the organization’s education and recruitment effort. The program has a goal of educating its members and pushing them to be problem solvers (Society of St. Andrew, 2014).

In Indianapolis, Indiana Second Helpings is making a difference in the areas of food recovery, hunger, employment and poverty. According to the Second Helpings website, their organization rescues food from the retail and food service sector to prepare 3,500 nutritious meals every day, feeding hungry people that come to one of 75 agencies seeking assistance. In addition to rescuing food and preparing meals for the less fortunate, Second Helpings trains disadvantaged people to work on foodservice in an effort to eliminate hunger at its source, poverty (Second Helpings, 2014). Many alumni of the organization can be found employed across the state as cooks, executive chefs and culinary instructors (Second Helpings, 2014).

A fairly young organization, Food Recovery Network, is at work on more than 110 college campuses doing similar things. Students at the University of Maryland – College Park collaborated to start the organization after noticing all the waste at the dining halls and sporting events (Food Recovery Network, 2014). After winning several grant awards and media attention from the Washington Post and MSNBC, expansion of the program took off (Food Recovery Network, 2014). According to the group’s website, now efforts in 30 states and the District of Columbia have recovered 605,662 pounds of food (Food Recovery Network, 2014). Each campus team works with the dining establishments on and off campus to direct food that would otherwise be wasted in the landfill to community members in need (Food Recovery Network, 2014). The Network is growing and has set goals to be established at 150 colleges and universities and to have donated 610,000 pounds of food by the end of the 2014-2015 school year (Food Recovery Network, 2014). Within the state of Iowa, Drake University and Grinnell College have active chapters (Food Recovery Network, 2014).

Food Gatherers and their Plant A Row partners are also making a difference in the food recovery scene (Food Gatherers, 2014).  For example, Story County Iowa is served by an organization called Plant A Row for the Hungry. According to their Facebook posts, in 2014 they collected 8,486 lbs. of excess produce to share with those in need around the Ames area. It appears most of the donations have come from vendors at the North Grand Farmers Market, Reiman Gardens, and miscellaneous local gardeners. Members come together from Master Gardeners, Bethesda Community Food Pantry, ACCESS and Reiman Gardens (Plant A Row for the Hungry, 2014).

Non-profit organizations are not the only ones looking to make an impact in food recovery. The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, DNR, are two governmental agencies that have stepped up to keep food out of landfills.

The Sustainable Materials Management Program of the EPA announced the Food Recovery Challenge with the goal of preventing and reducing wasted food by partnering with organizations and businesses (Environmental Protection Agency, 2014). The multi-faceted campaign includes a webinar to be held January 2015 and several resources for food services and restaurants. Many of the literature promotes donating extra food. The effort already has several success stories including cases at Harvard University, Quicken Loans, Hannaford Supermarkets, University of Texas at Austin and Intel. Harvard has made efforts to reduce the amount of food sent to landfills through composting, food donation, and waste prevention. Quicken Loans in Ohio partnered with other local venues, including Browns Stadium, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, and Progressive Field to monitor and manage food waste. Total food waste was reduced by nearly two tons and the remaining food is sent to a compost program. In Austin, plate-auditing and going tray-less has resulted in 48% reduction of edible food waste. A combination of these strategies has been used by Intel to reduce food waste by 47% and food cost by 13.2% (Environmental Protection Agency, 2014).

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is in charge of another program that helps feed needy Iowans through food rescue methods. HUSH, or Help Us Stop Hunger, has been organized by Iowa deer hunters, the Food Bank of Iowa, meat processors, and the Iowa Department of Natural resources to help reduce the Iowa deer population and provide high-quality protein to hungry Iowans since 2003. According to the DNR website, over 60,000 donated deer have provided 10.8 million lean protein meals processed by 89 participating lockers (Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 2014). The lockers skin, bone, and grind the donations into two-pound packages of pure venison. Local social service agencies get the food to area families struggling with hunger (Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 2014). From personal experience I know many of the donations come from avid hunters who already have full freezers. The meat they give away may otherwise spoil or worse, go unprocessed, so this program is efficiently addressing several needs. 

Finally, a research paper studying food waste, rescue, and hunger called Understanding the Sustainability of Retail Food Recovery published in 2013 takes an in depth look at the economic scalability and sustainability of using organizations like those mentioned before to alleviate hunger in America (Phillips et al, 2013). Without getting too technical, they concluded that with sufficient resources, including volunteers, a significant amount of food can be redirected from loss and waste to feed hungry people in the country (Phillips et al, 2013). The researchers created a model that demonstrated the feasibility of a wide reaching program dependent on food expiration rate, and number of donor retailers (Phillips et al, 2013). 

In conclusion, hunger and food waste are enormous problems in and of themselves, even without regard to the other global economic and environmental issues they create. If strategic plans as explained in Understanding the Sustainability of Retail Food Recovery are developed and implemented by organizations such as Food at First, Second Helpings, Society of St. Andrew and others, food rescue and recovery has the potential to make powerful, positive, worldwide impact. 

Congratulations, you made it to the end! I hope you were as challenged by these topics as I have been and I encourage you to find a way in your local community to become involved in food rescue. If you need any help, don't hesitate to contact me! I'd love to get you in touch with someone. Thanks for reading!

References

Bell, Randy. 2013. Hungry children at higher risk of poor school performance.     Availableat http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/hungry_children_at_higher_risk_of_poor_school_performance (updated 23 February 2013; verified 4 November 2014). Michigan State University Extension, East Lansing.

City of Ames. 2014. Resource Recovery System. Available at 
http://www.cityofames.org/index.aspx?page=168 (updated 2014; verified 4 November 2014). City of Ames, Ames.

Coleman-Jensen, A., Nord, M., Singh, A. 2012. Household Food Security in the United States in 2012. 
Available at http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/1183208/err-155.pdf (updated September 2013; verified 4 November 2014). United States Department of Agriculture, Washington D.C.

Environmental Protection Agency. 2014. Sustainable Materials Management: Food Recovery Challenge. 
Available at http://www.epa.gov/foodrecoverychallenge/ (updated 8 December 2014; 14 December 2014). Environmental Protection Agency, Washington D.C..

Erickson, M. 2014. Food at First receives $20,000 in Walmart holiday makeover. Available at 
http://amestrib.com/news/food-first-receives-20000-walmart-holiday-makeover (updated 16 December 2014; verified 17 December 2014). Ames Tribune, Ames.

FAO, IFAD, and WFP. 2014. The State of Food Indecurity in the World. Available at 
http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4030e.pdf (updated 2014; verified 4 November 2014). FAO, Rome.

Feeding America. 2014. Feeding America: Home Page. Available at http://www.feedingamerica.org/ 
(updated 2014; verified 4 November 2014). Feeding America, Chicago.

Feeding America. 2014. Feeding America: Hunger in Iowa. Available at 
http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger-in-your-community/states/iowa/ (updated 2014; verified 4 November 2014). Feeding America, Chicago.

Food at First. 2014. Food at First. Available at https://foodatfirst.wordpress.com/ (updated October 
2014; verified 4 November 2014). Food at First, Ames.

Food Bank of Iowa. 2014. Food Bank of Iowa Distributed Over 10 Million Pounds of Food in 2014.
Available at http://www.foodbankiowa.org/Portals/0/pdf%20documents/Food%20Bank%20of%20Iowa%20distributes%20over%2010%20million%20pounds%20of%20food.pdf (updated 27 August; verified 14 December 2014). Food Bank of Iowa, Des Moines.

Food Gatherers. 2014. Plant a Row for the Hungry. Available at 
http://www.foodgatherers.org/?module=Page&sID=plant-a-row-for-the-hungry (updated 2014; verified 14 December 2014). Food Gatherers, Ann Arbor.

Food Recovery Network. 2014. Food Recovery Network: Home. Available at 
http://www.foodrecoverynetwork.org/ (updated 2014; verified 12 December 2014). Food Recovery Network, Washington D.C.

Food Recovery Certified. 2014. Food Recovery Certified: The Issue. Available at 
http://www.foodrecoverycertified.org/ (updated 2014; verified 14 December 2014). Food Recovery Certified, Washington D.C..

Gunders, D. 2012. Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to 
Landfill. Available at http://www.nrdc.org/food/files/wasted-food-ip.pdf (updated August 2012; verified 4 November 2014). National Resources Defense Council, New York City.

Gustavsson, J., Cederberg, C., Sonesson, U. 2011. Global Food Losses and Food Waste. Available at 
http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/mb060e/mb060e00.htm (updated 2012; verified 4 November 2014). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources. 2014. HUSH: Help Us Stop Hunger. Available at 
http://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/DeerHunting/HelpUsStopHunger%28HUSH%29.aspx (updated 2014; verified 7 December 2014). Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines.

Iowa Food Bank Association. 2014. Hunger 101. Available at 
http://iowafba.org/AboutHunger/Hunger101.aspx (updated 2014; verified 4 November 2014). Iowa Food Bank Association, Des Moines.

Iowa Food Bank Association. 2014. Hunger Study 2010. Available at 
http://iowafba.org/AboutHunger/Hunger101/Hunger%20Study%202010.aspx (updated 2013; verified 4 November 2014). Iowa Food Bank Association, Des Moines.

Iowa State University. 2014. Media Advisory: Iowa State Hunger Dialogue and meal-packaging event. 
Available at http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2014/11/12/hungerdialogue (updated 12 November 2014; verified 14 December 2014).

Iowa Waste Reduction Center. 2014. Iowa Waste Reduction Center. Available at 
http://iwrc.org/services/food-waste/ (updated 2014; verified 14 December 2014). University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls.

Krogstad, J., E. Schettler. 2012. Special report: More Iowa children go hungry. Available at 
http://archive.desmoinesregister.com/article/20121021/NEWS/310210053/Special-report-More-Iowa-children-go-hungry (updated 21 October 2012, verified 14 December 2014). Des Moines Register, Des Moines.

Lappe, F.M. , J. Collins, P. Rosset. 1998. World Hunger Twelve Myths. Second Edition. Grove Press, New York.

Meals from the Heartland. 2014. Facts. Available at http://mealsfromtheheartland.org/hunger/facts/ 
(updated 2014; verified 12 December 2014).  Meals from the Heartland, Des Moines.

No Kid Hungry. 2014. Childhood Hunger in America: Facts on Hunger, Poverty and Federal Nutritional 
Program Participation. Available at http://www.nokidhungry.org/pdfs/Facts-Childhood-Hunger-in-America-2013-grid.pdf (updated 2014; verified 4 November 2014). No Kid Hungry, Washington D.C.

Phillips, C., Hoenigman, R., Higbee, B., Reed T., 2013. Understanding the Sustainability of Retail Food 
Recovery. Available at http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0075530 
(updated 10 October 2013; verified 4 November 2014). PLOS one, Colorado.

Plant A Row For The Hungry. 2014. Plant A Row For The Hungry- Story County, Iowa. Available at 
https://www.facebook.com/PARStoryCounty/info?tab=page_info (updated 2 December 2014; verified 14 December 2014). Facebook, Ames.

Second Helpings. 2014. Transforming Lives Through The Power of Food. Available at 
http://www.secondhelpings.org/ (update 2014; verified 4 November 2014). Second Helpings, Indianapolis.

Society of St. Andrew. 2014. Society of St. Andrew: Gleaning America’s Fields—Feeding America’s 
Hungry. Available at http://www.endhunger.org/ (updated 2014; verified 4 November 2014). Society of St. Andrew, Big Island.

The World Food Prize. 2014. Iowa Hunger Directory: Organizations Fighting Hunger. Available at 
http://www.worldfoodprize.org/index.cfm?action=list&nodeID=51642&audienceID=1&letter=&name=&c_1=&c_2= (updated 2014; verified 4 November 2014). The World Food Prize, Des Moines.

United Nations. 2013. World population projected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. Available at 
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United Nations, 2014. Resources for Speakers on Global Issues: Hunger. Available at 
http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/briefingpapers/food/childhunger.shtml (updated 2014; verified 4 November 2014). United Nations, New York.

United States Census Bureau. 2014. State & County QuickFacts: Story County, Iowa. Available at 
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/19/19169.html (updated 4 December 2014; verified 14 December 2014). U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C..

United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, 2013. Household Food Security in 
the United States in 2012. Available at http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err-economic-research-report/err155.aspx#.U8_Z7rFwWzk (updated 31 October 2013; verified 4 November 2014). United States Department of Agriculture, Washington D.C..

United Way of Story County. 2013. United Way of Story County: Hunger. Available at 
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http://www.wfp.org/hunger/what-is (updated 2014; verified 4 November 2014). World Food Programme, Rome.

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday: Agricultural Business Learning Community Wrap Up

Last week was the last organized meeting I had with the Agricultural Business Learning Community I peer mentor. It was actually kind of sad to stand at the front on the class collecting student evaluation forms, congratulating each kid on a successful semester thus far, knowing I would never teach the class again. On the other hand, I couldn't help smile with each "Thank you", "I learned a lot!", or "You helped Iowa State feel like home."

Since the last Wordless Wednesday featuring our group, the team has done some exciting things! The pumpkins we decorated were personally delivered by a group of Team Leaders and Peer Mentors to Northcrest Community and received by smiling faces eager to hear about our Iowa State experiences.

Three faculty members came to class to answer questions about future coursework and their classroom policies. Each shared valuable advice about balancing involvements, studying abroad, and searching for jobs. As a student I feel so fortunate we have the opportunity to get to know our professors personally.

Our students were generously hosted by Roger Underwood for one last dinner with faculty and staff. As always, it was a great time of casual networking and delicious food. His beautiful barn was full of freshmen, transfer students, and Peer Mentors. Meals like that are what really makes the Ag Business program feel like family.

Finally, freshmen met in small groups to register for spring classes and ask questions regarding their coursework for the next 4 years. Of course the night wasn't complete without pictures and pizza!

Looking back, applying to be a peer mentor was one of the best decisions I've made in my college career. The past two years have flown by and I feel so privileged to have been a part of tomorrow's leaders' college experience. I can't wait to work with them all to feed and fuel the world in a few short years! Thanks for reading!

CALS Week: Highlights

There are so many things that make me proud to be a student at Iowa State University. Few things make me prouder than the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' celebration of CALS Week. The week is always jam packed with competitions between clubs, free meals on central campus, and inspiring speakers. It makes me feel so honored to be in the College of Ag to see all that my friends and peers have pulled off "Telling Our Story", while keeping up with full course loads and jobs.

Mr. CALS kicked off the week with a hilarious Miss America meets farm boys pageant. Hosted by Sigma Alpha as a fundraiser for a local charity, the event attracted quite a crowd of students. The young men that participated strut their stuff in three categories, formal wear, calendar boys, and dress your major. After judges narrowed the field down to five, the remaining contestants lip synched their way to the awards ceremony. This year's reigning Mr. CALS is Drew Mogler who represented the Agricultural Business Club.

Photo Credit: Katy Klopfenstein/Iowa State Daily

For me, another one of the highlights of the week was hearing Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey speak to a full auditorium of students, instructors, alumni, and engaged Iowans on campus. Over the course of his talk, he made some excellent points, but a particular story really stuck with me. Mr. Northey shared about his experience awarding the Century and Heritage Farm Awards each summer at the Iowa State Fair. He described the good ache in his hand after shaking hands with over 400 farm families last summer.

Photo Credit: Matt Kerns

Another student favorite during CALS Week is free meals on campus. The CALS Student Council always does a great job of finding generous supporters to help feed a few thousand hungry ag kids each day. For my classmates and I, it's a great opportunity to catch up, network with the sponsoring company of the day, or purchase CALS Week t-shirts.

Finally, Mr. CALS wasn't the only title to be claimed during the week. Ag related clubs also competed in Quiz Bowl and Ag Olympics. Quiz Bowl tested student's knowledge while Ag Olympics tested their athletic ability in a series of hilarious farm relays.

Photo Credit: ISU Ag Business Club Facebook Page

All in all, this year's CALS Week was one for the books! I'm so proud to be a Cyclone and can't wait to see what next year's celebration has in store. In the mean time, I look forward to "Telling Our Story" along with my classmates. Thanks for reading!

Wordless Wednesday: Foot At First

Recently, in my Agronomy 342: World Food Issues class, we had an enthusiastic speaker from an Ames organization called Food at First. This impressive group of 100% volunteers diligently prepare seven hot meals per week as part of a free, no questions asked service to the local community. The majority of food served comes as donations from area retailers and the ISU cafes or dining system. Fresh fruits and vegetables are also gleaned from farmer's fields and the organization has recently started a small garden that contributes a bit of fresh produce. I look forward to featuring this group on the blog more in the future, but for now, enjoy this Wordless Wednesday post of the delicious and nutritious meals they provide as well as the hardworking people that make it all possible.

I look forward to sharing more with you about these inspiring volunteers and their impact on the surrounding community. If you're looking for an opportunity to get involved, please check out their Facebook page. Thanks for reading!

Wordless Wednesday: Ag Business Learning Community Adventures

One of the most rewarding things I've been a part of on the Iowa State campus has been the Agricultural Business Learning Community. As a freshman, this group helped me find the clubs I'd most enjoy, answered my questions about business dress codes, and guided my class choices for the rest of my college career. For the past two years, I've been employed as a peer mentor in this program teaching students how to prepare for career fair and helping them discover their passion in agriculture.

The program is a class that meets twice a week. Most of the time we listen to guest speakers, explore campus resources, or work hard on improving resumes and 4 year plans. Occasionally, we have time to let loose and enjoy the fall season. This week, after many students completed their first round of midterms, we painted pumpkins for a local nursing home and visited Center Grove Orchard. The orchard took time to give us a behind the scenes tour and teach our team about marketing strategy. This week's Wordless Wednesday features the adventures of our relaxed week.

I hope you've enjoyed this glimpse of our Learning Community adventures as much as we enjoyed getting creative, jumping on the jumping pillow, and munching on caramel apples! Happy fall! Thanks for reading!

Agricultural Business Club Fall Industry Tour Recap

A couple weekends ago, Thursday through Saturday, I had an awesome opportunity to attend the Agricultural Business Club Fall Industry Tour. This was my first time participating in the annual trip, but it's a long standing tradition for the club. Our group visited a total of six businesses, and I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed each one.

First, we were hosted by Flint Hills Resources in Menlo, Iowa. Our group of nearly 50 students was divided in half for tours of the ethanol plant and a company overview presentation. During my internship with Iowa Corn I had the opportunity to tour another ethanol plant, and it was really interesting to compare the two businesses. Although their layout and facilities were a little different, they are both supporting local corn farmers and producing ethanol and dried distillers grains (DDGS). Ethanol is blended into the fuel supply because it's renewable and cleaner burning. DDGS are a protein and energy rich feed ingredient often fed to livestock raised in the area. 

It was a little rainy, but Flint Hills Resources was a great host. 

After the stop in Menlo, we drove the rest of the way to Omaha, Nebraska. Upon arrival, we quickly checked into our hotel rooms and put on our walking shoes to head to dinner with Scoular at Upstream in the Old Market area. If you've never been there, the Old Market area is definitely worth checking out, and Upstream is quite a treat!

We all enjoyed dinner and conversation with Scoular. Each table was fortunate enough to have a company representative to talk with for the evening.

In the morning, we were up bright and early to visit Scoular in their beautiful Omaha office. Todd McQueen, Senior Vice President, gave a company overview, introducing grain merchandising positions and more. Later, our group divided up to tour the remodeled office space. As we took in the Scoular Ballroom and the rest of the gorgeous facility, Kevin told us about grain merchandising and their efforts in sustainability.

The ballroom hosts many company and outside events each year.

After a great time with Scoular, we walked several blocks down the street to Gavilon. The two businesses have some very similar roles in the industry, so it was a great opportunity to compare company culture and work environment side by side. It was so interesting to see how the organizations have differentiated themselves.

The huge trading floor at Gavilon was quite impressive!

Gavilon served us lunch and presented on many aspects of their business. It was really helpful to hear from economists, operations managers, grain merchants and human resource staff.

After a wonderful lunch, we hopped on the bus and went across town to visit Claas, a German company that specializes in harvesting equipment. Our club toured the assembly plant and networked with sales staff. The international nature of their business and the fact that it is still family owned fascinated me.

Our group enjoyed investigating the large machinery in the Claas showroom.

Once our time with Claas was up, we loaded the bus one last time to head to Farm Credit Services of America for our final stop of the day. Along with a company overview, we were invited to tour the business campus. Their buildings were beautifully decorated with local art and agricultural themes. 

Each element of the office was carefully selected to represent the agricultural clients they serve.

After an excellent visit with Farm Credit Services of America, we headed back to the hotel to hang out and venture into the Old Market for dinner on our own. A bunch of Junior girls and I enjoyed a meal at the Tap House after getting recommendations from a local guy. It was a great experience.

At Tap House we all enjoyed funky burgers and our fill of fried pickles, cheese curds and sweet potato fries.

Saturday we got to sleep in a little and relax strolling through the famous Omaha Zoo. It had been a long time since I'd been to a zoo, so it brought back a lot of fun memories. No matter how old I get, I'm sure watching the monkeys interact with each other and the delicate jellyfish swim through the water will always capture my attention.

The zoo was a welcomed break from the previous day's fast pace.

I had a great time visiting Omaha, learning more about ag businesses and making memories with my classmates. I'm already looking forward to next year's trip! Thanks for reading!