DHA link

I am preparing to post some of my school work in the evenings during my internship but I didn't want to wait to post this website.

I am currently working on writing an informative article on DHA (it's an Omega-3 fatty acid) and its importance to human health. I was looking through the information I was given and ran across this website: http://www.lifesdha.com/brainindex/Default.aspx
and found it to be pretty interesting and I enjoyed the brain quiz as well. I thought I would pass it along so you could test your brain health too! :)

Thanks and Have Fun!

A little info on DHA. There are 3 main Omega-3 fatty acids: DHA, ALA and EPA. They all help your heart and ALA and EPA do some with anti-inflamatory but DHA is the main one that helps brain and eye tisssue and also helps you lose weight because it gives you a full feeling! Some of the foods we eat have ALA or EPA but then in our body they convert to DHA and it much smaller quantities so if you can get fish or foods fortified with DHA then you get more DHA, which is really what your body is after all along. I know I kept this short- I am still figuring out exactly how it works but hopefully by the end of the week I will be a DHA expert! :)

Figuring it out, one conversation at a time

So it happened again...

When I was a freshman in high school I came to Mizzou during FFA Week and job shadowed Greg Horstmeier, an agricultural journalist at the time. I was given the grand tour around campus and even got to sit in on a class. It was a gorgeous fall day and I fell in love with Mizzou and knew where I was going after high school. Catch-22, I was ready to be in college, right then and there- it made the next three and half years a bit of a struggle because I knew I was just doing what I had to in order to get through high school and make it to where I really wanted to be, college. I was ready to be in classes that I enrolled it, with professors who loved their topics and others who were in class because they wanted to be, not because the law makes them. 

This past January, I went on a trip to Brussels, Belgium to study the European Union and the Common Agriculture Policy. Myself along with another undergraduate student went on the trip with seven graduate students earning their master's degrees in public policy and agricultural economics. It was an intense four day trip bouncing from one EU building to another listening to speakers. I was really able to learn more opportunities for international agriculture and had a great international experience. 

This evening, we met for the second time since returning. The firs time we got together and chatted over Shakespeare's pizza. This time we discussed our trip and the one-page papers we typed up for each place we visited in Brussels. We were there for three and a half hours, having a great conversation on the EU, what happened while we were there, projects and papers we have been working on upon returning, and hypothesis of the EU now and in the future. Just like a freshman in high school when it hit me that I was meant to go to MU and I had the desire and ambition to do whatever it would take to get there, I got that same feeling after having hours of conversation about the EU trip and what we learned and took from the trip. I rarely, if ever, get to have such an in depth, serious and intelligent conversation in my undergraduate classes, but talking with the group of graduate students and ag economist professor, I now know exactly where I'm supposed to be after my undergrad. 

I don't just plan on going to grad school but I WANT to go. I want to be surrounded by others who are studying something they feel passionately about, something they want to do for the rest of their lives. I have been sparked again with that passion and ambition to know where I am and where I want to go. It's a really good feeling to know where I am headed and that it's something that I truly want deep down inside with no hesitations or reservations. It's always a relief to know where I am heading in life- especially when it comes to the end of  the school year! :)

Dinner with Leonard Gianessi

I don't want to bog this down with introduction information but at the end of this post, I have pasted Mr. Gianessi's profile he sends out and offers the information I knew about him before supper this evening. 

I was invited to dinner this evening by the CAFNR Career Services Director Stephanie Chipman because of my strong interest in international agriculture and how they relates to the articles Mr. Gianessi has published. I had no idea what I was getting into but it was a great experience!

When I said yes I thought I was signing up for a simple meal (take out from Olive Garden maybe) in a room with a handful of other undergraduate students. I found out in a confirmation e-mail that the meal was at the Reynolds Alumni Center on campus- which is a very nice restaurant I had never been to before but walked passed on several occasions. I also noticed that I was the only undergraduate student, the rest attending were administration, campus researchers/professors and doctorate students. There were only eight people (counting myself) at the dinner table. 

By the end of the night I had experienced a spectacular five-course meal and three solid hours of discussion on topics ranging anywhere from Mr. Gianessi's topic of increasing herbicide use to educating the general public on why agriculture is the way that it is to talking about hometowns and personal histories. 

I really liked how Mr. Gianessi described himself, I feel we have much in common in this area. He works with scientists and researchers in the crop production field (entomologists, weed scientists, soil scientists, etc) and they are 1 inch wide but 5 miles deep- they generally have a very focused knowledge base, but they know their topic very in-depth. Mr. Gianessi sees himself as being 1 inch deep but 5 miles wide. He knows about a lot of different areas in agriculture and understands the lingo used in the different fields of study, but he also understands that he doesn't know nearly as much about any given topic than those who are chest deep. 

This reminded me of growing up and running anything I heard by mom because she went to college. I thought that when you went to college you gained an infinite amount of knowledge and thus knew everything! Imagine how I felt when I found out that you don't get to learn about EVERYTHING but only a lot about a certain topic! I had aspired to be a walking encyclopedia- my dreams were crushed! But with that, I stumbled across my passions in life- who would have thought a farm girl from a town of 668 people would fall in love with international agriculture? I am still trying to figure out what general path I want to take to be involved in that area. While I still try to go to various lectures and events to expand that encyclopedia in my mind, I find that I am strongly drawn to international agriculture topics and even when I am listening to a lecture or seminar on some very different topic, I find myself wondering what their ag situation is like and how this all connects to information I have gained from others and if the opinions are different because of the angles each are coming at, and so on and so forth. In high school, I would role my eyes at the thought of a "theory." Now, theories make it all possible to comprehend a certain idea and use it in different areas. I know this may seem obvious, but to truly appreciate something for what it is instead of just accepting it and taking it as it is given to you, but adding personal meaning and significance to an area, really makes it that much more exciting. (I promise I had decaf coffee with dessert!)

Coming back around, ;), I had a great evening. The best part was being able to feel comfortable in the group and easily add to the conversation, even though I was truly the youngest. I never felt inadequate, even when there were conversations about spores and arachnids going on with lingo I had never heard before.  Even though I didn't know exactly what they were discussing, I've received enough science in high school and college to follow the conversation and understand the bigger meaning. Now I could not write an article on the conversation based solely on what I heard, I would need much more clarification for that, but I could certainly blog about the experience. :) 

I was thoroughly engaged throughout the evening and was surprised when I got up to go to the restroom how stiff my legs and muscles were. I had not realized that I had been sitting there for over two and a half hours. You know the conversation is good and interesting if you don't feel your legs getting stiff. The people I met were fantastic and practically did the networking for me. I received a handful of invitations to various lectures and networking events that I never expected so that was a pleasant surprise as well. 

This is getting lengthy (typical Julia) so I will finish with the information Mr. Gianessi has provided for his lecture I will be attending Friday and/or Saturday. It should be very interesting- he was quite an insightful man who should have a great perspective to offer. 

Leonard Gianessi 

Director, Crop Protection Research Institute 

CropLife Foundation 

  

Food production problems in Africa are once again front page news. African crop yields average one-third that of the rest of the world’s harvest. As food shortages loom, public institutions, developmental groups, and government agencies are assessing technologies and policies that have the potential to significantly increase food production in Africa. 

 

One of the most serious threats to African food production- the problem of weeds competing with crops-is not being addressed in the ongoing assessments. And yet, solving the weed problem in Africa is critical if farmers are to attain optimal yields and gain the full value of additional use of fertilizer, irrigation and improved seeds. Currently, African farmers lose 20-100% of their potential crop production due to uncontrolled 

weeds. The primary method of weed control by smallholder farmers in Africa is hand weeding with short-handled tools. Weeding is backbreaking work done primarily by women. Because of labor cost and shortage and other demands on farmers time, not enough weeding is being done or is being done too late to prevent serious yield losses. Farmers are reluctant to apply fertilizer because weeds would be further stimulated and even more hand weeding would be required.  

 

In this presentation, Leonard Gianessi makes the case for increased use of herbicides by smallholder farmers as a solution for Africa’s weed control problems. Research has shown that, if smallholders used herbicides, hand weeding time could be virtually eliminated. Farmers would have significant time availability to plant additional crops, apply fertilizers, and harvest more crops.  

A Briefing on Brussels

It's time for another semester. I recently came back from Brussels, Belgium where I spent four days meeting with different European Union dignitaries to learn first hand about the EU and especially Agriculture Policy. The EU's equivalent to the Farm Bill in the US is the Common Agriculture Policy, which is an area of public debate, much like the US Farm Bill. I wish I could have stayed longer and met with more people associated with the EU but in all it was a great experience. 

I went with six students from the Truman School of Public Affairs at MU, as well as an undergrad and grad student, both majoring in Ag Econ. It was a great way for me to see some possible career paths that would allow me to be involved in international agriculture development. It is experiences like these that give me clear examples and open many other doors so that I can pursue a career in international agriculture. I am starting to understand the unlimited possibilities, which just three years ago I knew nothing about but was sure I could find something. 

I especially enjoyed that one grad student was from Kosovo and another was from Spain. It was always interesting hearing their perspectives and the questions they asked about the EU because they came from such different stances that most of us. We found out while in Brussels that most Europeans don't really understand the EU. While it is very complicated and even professors don't feel they thoroughly understand the EU, our group is now among a small percentage of people who have a good understanding of the EU, especially the Common Agriculture Policy! (Most of our lectures were on this topic so we were able to learn about it from different positions within the EU, now know more than I ever expected and sadly can say that I know Europe's agriculture policy better than the US's). 

In conjunction with the trip I am taking a class with Dr. Willi Meyers on EU Enlargement, which is a great way to help me make sense of everything I saw and heard as well as add to the experience. I love learning by doing and having buildings, faces and speakers abroad help me make the connection with what I am reading in a book and the people and places affected. 

One of the best parts of the trip was staying with MU grads Joe and Kelly Stange. Kelly graduated with a masters in Ag Econ and Joe has a degree from the School of Journalism. Both were great examples of working internationally. Joe has recently written a book on the 80 best beers in Brussels and Kelly is working at the U.S. Mission in Brussels. Our group visited the U.S. Mission where Kelly works and Joe led us on a tour of the only Lambic brewery left in Brussels. Some of my best memories in Brussels was coming in after a long day and getting to try a new and unique beer from Joe's cellar and then play Rock Band! It was a little bit of Brussels and a little bit of home but a great mix of the two. I always find it interesting how big of a role beer can play in a culture, especially when there is a large variety that is high quality. It also surprised me how many Irish Pubs were near the EU Commission, it was kind of funny watching people drink Guinness in Brussels. 

I am away from my notebook right now, but home to be able to share more about those that spoke with us and what things stood out. I am assigned to write a page for each place we visited, including what I found interesting, what I didn't understand or have questions about and my comments or thoughts. I will hopefully publish those here and in the mean time I can't wait to meet with the other grad students and talk about the trip- we had a great group of students and it will be good to see everyone again. 

Cross Cultural Psychology: Media Analysis Paper: Perspectives of Animal Agriculture Welfare

In the order of my papers for my cross-cultural psychology class this paper came second, the paper on my trip to the animal rights activist meeting was the third and final in the class. As you can tell this is an issue that I find interesting because I made it two of my three papers. This is a media analysis paper and I took a different perspective, how a certain media group infiltrates the media and that's how stereotypes are formed. I am by no means saying that this only happens in animal agriculture, this happens in every corner. My classes in PR and journalism have taught me everyone wants to get their 15 minutes of fame- this is just one example that I chose to take that and expand upon. Enjoy!

Media has the ability to form and perpetuate stereotypes within a society. But the media is not one entity that stands alone. It is made of many different sources and outlets. While news media’s goal is to achieve objectiveness this is often close to impossible since it is human nature to form opinions and journalists are not robots. Another weakness in news media is its susceptibility to being used or manipulated. Often times a certain group will try to make something as newsworthy as possible so that it can be presented to a large audience for free. The interception of news media, newspaper, television broadcast and Internet, also have the ability to form and perpetuate stereotypes, especially if only one side of the story is being told. As a major in agriculture journalism, I have gained knowledge about journalism and news media; growing up on a diversified crop and livestock farm I have the perspective of a farmer and attend numerous speeches and lectures every year that discuss the issue of the public’s lack of faith in the agriculture industry. I have seen what the agriculture industry has been going through and what animal rights activists see as the solution, but I think the real solution lies on the path that has yet to be walked down.

            On November 4, 2008, 63% of Californians voted yes on proposition 2, the Standard for Confing Farm Animals. This proposition eliminated cage confinement for egg laying hens, gestation crates for sows, and veal crates (Smart Voter: League of Women Voters). In the 1920’s the Great Deal included a program that paid farmers not to farm or produce more crops or animals because there was a huge surplus, at the time. The government began using subsidies, which guarantees a base price on their commodity and the difference between the market price and base price is what the government pays out. In order to make the most money, one needs to have as many crops/animals produced as possible. Hence the rise of the ‘factory farms,’ a phrase coined by animal rights activists. Now most agriculture producers are on the large scale because smaller farmers have gone out of business and now work elsewhere.

A majority of egg production comes from California; the ugly part is actually for the consumer. Unless the factories move to other states, the cost of eggs will go up, along with the price of pork (gestation crates are used so sows don’t roll over and squash their piglets. For farmers, cattle prices will decrease because similar to the horse ban, there will be no market for veal so they will become worthless and no one wants to buy a worthless product. Issues such as proposition 2 that are having a huge impact on the agriculture industry are stemming from the infiltration of media and the stereotypes being conveyed by specific interest groups. One organization that has been successful at manipulating the media and using it to gain mass support for the issues is the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

This HSUS is not associated with local humane societies, but instead is a non-governmental organization that boasts as being “the nation’s largest and most effective animal protection organization- backed by 10 million Americans, or one if every 30” (HSUS). Their annual budget received through donations was “$103 million, more than double the 1996 annual budget of $42 million” (HSUS).

Stereotypes concerning animal welfare include animals being confined to spaces so small that they are physically unwell and animals are treated roughly, being abused physically and mentally. Often times the situations that make it to the media, even if they are the exception to the rule and not how every confinement plant treats their animals. For example, the Hallmark case where downer cows were being slaughtered for meat consumption made headlines but no one showed a balance to the negative, such as a confinement plant that follows correct, humane procedures. A story much have a high degree of newsworthiness to be published and often agriculture is not seen as newsworthy because only a few percent of the entire population feel they are involved in the agriculture industry, even though most jobs have something to do with the food and fiber industry. When something as alarming as the Hallmark case occurs and only one side is shown, the consumers are ignorant since they have not been provided balanced information and don’t have reason to assume there are differences between confinement operations. This is an example of how the media has accepted the stereotypes of confinement operations and report nothing different. Also, people view animal welfare differently based on the degree to which they are in contact with animals.

A 2008 study by Velde, Aarts and Woerkum about animal welfare perceptions of farmers and consumers found that farmers view animal welfare as having enough food, water and space to be productive in growth, while consumers think that animal welfare means that an animal feels good mentally as well as physically and is happy. Both groups are charged with “functional ignorance” because neither side is attempting to learn more about animal welfare, often because they are not aware of solutions to problems that may arise. As a conclusion, the authors view that a domestic contract does exist and that the question should change from, ““Is there a domestic contract?” to “On the basis of whose values and norms should the contract be formulated?”… A public debate could enhance the development of norms and what I acceptable and what is not.”

One of the main social issues with animal welfare is that each side treats the issue as a win-lose rather than a compromise. If the different sides start to communicate and share with one another their perspective then I believe a solution could be made that is acceptable to society, farmers and consumers alike.

According to a 2004 study by Winders and Nibert, “As a result [of overproduction of crops], farms organizations and the state promoted “meat” production and consumption as a way to alleviate surplus. To handle this expansion, intensive and industrial methods reshaped “meat” production, resulting in more oppressive living conditions for animals raised as “meat.”(76)” This study linked market demand and government policies as the cause for animal oppression. While valid points are made throughout the article, it is in a very slanted tone that is concerned with animal welfare. Again, it is the slanted tone that can form people’s opinions for them without providing them balanced information in an even tone that allows the consumer to form their own opinion. While this article is well researched, it is often easy to find research and information that matches our own opinions, while ignoring opposing positions. This shows that not only does a conversation about animal welfare needs to take place, but both sides need to be willing to truly listen to one another to create a compromise. It may be difficult for each side to respect and fully understand what the other is saying, but it is imperative if the issue is ever going to be resolved.

References

The Humane Society of the United stae and Doris Day Animal League Announce Merger and Join Forces to Enhance Work for Animals / The Humane Society of the United States. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2008, from http://www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/press_releases /hsus_doris_day_animal_league_merger.html.

Proposition 2: Standards for Confining Farm Animals- California State Government. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2008, from http://www.smartvoter.org/2008/11/04/ca/state/prop/2/.

Velde, H., Aarts, N., Woerkum, C. (2002). Dealing with Ambivalence: Farmers’ and Consuemrs’ Perceptions of animal welfare in livestock breeding. Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Ethics, 15, 203-219. Retrieved October 20, 2008, from the PsychInfo database.

Winders, B., & Nibert, D. (2004). Consuming the Surplus: Expaning “Meat” Consumption and Animal Oppression. The International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 24(9), 76. Retrieved November 13, 2008, from the ProQuest database. 

Help! I've Been Robbed!!!

After working an 8 hour shift waitressing, I head to my car to go home- only to find out that my drivers window is missing and so is my purse.

Here are some fast and easy ways to prepare for the worst:

*Make photocopies of the front and back of all credit and debit cards, social security card, drivers license, checks and any other important cards or information you carry in your purse, car or wallet. Have a copy at your house and a backup with a parent.

*Save the emergency number on the back of all credit cards in your cell phone so if stolen, the card or account can be shut down quickly. Hopefully before the thief tries to use the information

*Check your credit for free once a year. At http://www.ftc.gov/freereports there is a link to get your free annual credit report. Check credit once a year regardless of whether or not you suspect anything- it is always nice to see what the car dealership or bank see when they run your credit.

These are tips that I have both heard about and learned the hard way. I got my purse stolen last winter from my car. I was parked underneath a street light in a restaurant parking lot surrounded by other cars and my driver’s window was busted out. The policeman who responded to the call told me that a few other purses had been stolen from cars that night at other near by restaurants. I had copies of all of my cards from when I had been abroad so I called my parents and we each began to call the 1-800 numbers and either close or put a freeze on all of my accounts. The banks track whenever someone tries to use a card and about a week later none of my cards or checks had been used. I was mainly irritated that my brand new purse was stolen but I had absolutely no cash in that purse, not even a penny. I was able to laugh in the end when I knew my credit wasn’t in danger and the burglar got nothing. If there is a next time, I might not be that lucky.

To learn more about credit/identity theft check out these helpful websites:

http://www.fightidentitytheft.com/

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/

Dining Etiquette

Tonight I went to a CAFNR Dining Etiquette session and was served a four course meal. Every one was wearing business professional outfits as we were taught how to act in a formal dinner setting. 

Over the years I have been to many dinner etiquette sessions but I always learn something new at each one. For the first time I learned how a host in a formal dining experience should act, which was really nice because no one has ever discussed that with me before and I feel that is something I will use in the future. 

For our Southwestern themed four courses we started with a thick soup that was delicious and had a hint of taco seasoning, although I am sure they didn't use spices out of a packet. Our second course, a salad served with a corner of taco shell included small diced, seasoned tomatoes, spiced corn and black beans. For the main course we were served a scoop of purple tinted mashed potatoes with slices of steak on top of the potatoes forming a teepee shape and topped with long green beans with a steak seasoning sauce on the bottom. Our final course was a dessert; a small apple dumpling served with a scoop of french vanilla ice cream. 

The event was sponsored by Helena Chemical Company so I was able to save $10 on my meal and only had to pay $12.50, which fit into my budget quite nicely!

The night was fun because or main speaker, Chef Jett, was full of great tips and random stories. Chef Jett had a lot of great stories to tell when it came to serving military officials all over the world while he served in the Navy. About six or seven of the tips we learned were accompanied with tales of losing his bread plate to a higher ranking officer and serving a tissue to a Korean officer on a plate, among others. He also had the occasional fact about skunks: did you know a skunk can spray with accuracy up to 10 feet? It can spray up to 16 feet but only in a general direction! (He claimed he had some time in the dessert and Wikipedia became a great way to kill time.) 

Chef Jett had a great sense of humor and has been all around the world, with it all starting on the dairy farm where he grew up, in the middle of nowhere. I have been to several dinner etiquette sessions over the years but this was by far one of the most entertaining. I also think that always smiling or laughing and the fun side stories will help me to remember some of the information he gave our group. 

One final fun fact learned from Chef Jett: Tips (what you leave a server after paying for the meal) stands for: To Insure Prompt Service. There is still a debate between the French and English who created the tradition, but it started when someone had extra coins and left them on the small plate their tea sat on, the waiter came to understand that money was for him or her and would fill their drink more promptly than the other guests. That was a fun fact of the day!