Utah Farm and Fork - Spring 2020

Utah Farm Bureau

Spring 2020

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Welcome to Utah Farm and Fork

By Ron Gibson, President, Utah Farm Bureau Federation

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want to welcome readers to this second issue of Utah Farm and Fork and thank you for the feedback we received on the inaugural issue of our revamped magazine.

As we enter the spring season, I am eager for the beginning of the new growing year and the newness of life that comes with it. I know most Utahns — whether you’re involved in agriculture or not — typically enter this season with a feeling of optimism. This spring, however, has brought many unique challenges.

Many of us in our state have dealt with significant interruptions of our normal routines due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For some, it may have involved learning to work from home and care for children at the same time. For others, it brought serious medical attention and great concern.

At the time I’m writing this, none of us know exactly how the future is going to play out, but I can let you know that Utah’s farmers and ranchers are doing all we can to assure we have a steady food supply available for all of us.

I know that we are also part of a complex system that takes food from the field to your home. I am grateful for the many others involved in this process, like the truck drivers taking food to market, grocery store employees stocking shelves, inspectors making sure our food supply is safe, and so on.

This challenge has helped me realize how connected our economy and society are, but also, that these connections will help us as we work together to get through what’s ahead of us.

I hope this magazine helps connect you to some of the great Utah-grown food we have, as well as wonderful families that are the real story behind the food. There are also tips from experts on growing some of the food yourself. We look forward to having you join us in this ‘Miracle of Agriculture.’

Thank you for your membership in the Utah Farm Bureau.

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CONTENTS

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I'm Not a Farmer But ... Owner of the Utah Jazz Shares her Memories of Food and Family BlueTree Farms — It’s From Our Roots Marvelous Mushrooms Oakdell Eggs: An Incredible, Edible Family Tradition When to Plant? That is the Question Family Dinner — The Proof is in the Pudding How Food Affects Us All: From a Farm Girl Turned Food Blogger Caputo’s Market and Deli — The Beloved Utah Market That Almost Never Happened Let’s Talk Herbs!

Farmers and Ranchers Working to Make Every Day ‘Earth Day’ Farm Bureau Names 2020 Farm Dog of the Year Food Holidays

@utahfarmbureau

@utahfarmer

"Our Mission: To Inspire All Utah Families to Connect, Succeed, and Grow Through the Miracle of Agriculture" 9865 South State Street | Sandy, UT 84070 | 801-233-3000 | utahfarmbureau.org Ron Gibson, President, Utah Farm Bureau Federation | Rex Larsen, Vice President, Utah Farm Bureau Federation | Dale Newton, Chief Executive Officer, Utah Farm Bureau Federation | Matt Hargreaves, Managing Editor & Vice President of Communications | 4770 S 5600 West | West Valley City, UT 84170 | 801-204-6500 | utahmediagroup.com Brent Low, President & CEO | Megan Donio, Publications Manager | Kristy Kuhn, Editorial Coordinator | Camille Durtschi, Layout & Design Utah Farm and Fork is the official publication of the Utah Farm Bureau Federation. ©2020 by the Utah Farm Bureau Federation.

UTAH FARM AND FORK (ISSN 1068-5960), March 2020, volume 66 number 2. Published five times per year by Utah Farm Bureau Federation, 9865 S. State Street, Sandy, Utah 84070. Subscription price $10 a year. Periodicals Postage Paid at Sandy, Utah, 84070.

POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to the Utah Farm Bureau Federation, 9865 S. State Street, Sandy, UT 84070-3205.

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tah Farm and Fork caught up with Gail Miller to talk about her growing up in Utah, involvement in the community, her connection to food and the memories it brings up, and more.

Miller is the chairman of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies, which includes the Utah Jazz professional basketball team, auto dealerships, movie theaters, restaurants and more.

What’s your hometown? Where have you lived during your life?

I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, the sixth of nine children, but the first of my parent’s children to be born in a hospital. The first five were born at home. I have lived mostly in Salt Lake City, in the same house until I got married. When I was 25, my husband and I moved to Colorado and lived there for 8 ½ years during the ‘70s.

Tell us about your family. Do you have siblings?

Where do you fit in the birth order?

I have five brothers and three sisters. My parents had four boys, then four girls and then another boy. The last girl only lived 11 hours before she passed away, when I was about six. My father was a shoemaker and

shoe repairman and owned his own shoe shop for 17 years before he sold it and went to work as a salesman.

He had a stroke at age 54 and died two years later, just 10 days before I got married. I remember him as a very gentle man. My mother spent most of her life raising her children. She was a great mother, did a lot of church work and loved to garden. She never worked outside the home and never drove a car. After my father died, she decided she would go to college to become a nurse. She graduated after finishing nursing school, took the state exam and worked as a registered nurse for 10 years at LDS Hospital in the maternity ward, caring for new mothers. She was a very good nurse and loved her job. She lived to be 95 years old.

My childhood was carefree and fun. We were poor but everyone in the neighborhood was in pretty much the same boat, so no one worried about it except our parents. All the neighborhood kids would play together and go home when it was dark. It was safe, wholesome and fun and I wouldn’t change it for anything. I lived a half block away from the grade school, a half block away from church, three blocks from junior high and four blocks from the high school, so my world was close and fairly contained in a small area. I grew up in the Marmalade District,

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near downtown. When I started dating, my boyfriend (Larry) and I walked everywhere we wanted to go. We mostly went to movies and to dinner, or to a church dance. Nothing fancy but it was all good.

Did you grow up on a farm or ranch? If not, did your family have a garden when you were growing up? What experiences did you have growing food?

I was not raised on a farm but when I was in high school, I watched children for a family who had a farm in Nyssa, Oregon. One summer, the mother wanted to take her children home to the farm for a vacation, so I was invited to go with her to help her on the long bus ride and watch them while we were on the farm. It was my first visit to a farm, and I was very impressed with all the fresh food they had available, as well as the wide-open spaces and the beautiful country. Because of that trip, whenever I drive through a rural area, I have warm feelings for the simplicity of the farm life, and I love the feelings that come back to me when I look at the comfortable houses and remember the homeyness of the farm.

We had fruit trees in our Marmalade yard and every year we canned the fruit they produced. My dad and I would often sit on the grass under the biggest apricot

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tree, eat apricots and talk. After I had children, my mother let my boys build a tree house in the tree. I remember those times with great fondness.

Did you have favorite things to do as a child?

As a child, I loved playing ball, any kind of ball. I also gathered all the neighborhood kids in my back yard to put on trapeze shows in the swing my dad built for us.

My best friend and I were real daredevils in that swing.

Also, my sister and I would play school on our front porch and use the red bricks as our chalk board and write all over the house with our “lessons.”

Were you the perfect child? Or perhaps a little less than perfect?

I think I was a perfect child most of the time! I was the peacemaker in the family and really didn’t like conflict.

However, when I became a teenager and my sisters started wearing my clothes without asking, I could get pretty angry with them.

What kind of student were you growing up?

I was a very good student and loved school and learning. I got good grades and had a nice group of friends. One of my favorite things to do was to play

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ball, so I went out for all the sports teams. I did well in almost all of my classes with the exception of English in the 11th grade. I was taking Latin and English from the same teacher and I got A’s in Latin but only C’s in English. Latin was a lot more fun.

Did you go to college?

I started college at the University of Utah but my father had a stroke after the first term and I opted to drop out and take care of the family. I had a younger brother and sister at home and because I had a job, I was able to take care of them while my mother stayed in California with my dad who had suffered a stroke during our vacation to visit my brother and his family.

Dad was in the hospital there for three months before he could come home. I never did go back to college, but I now have three honorary doctorate degrees!

Tell us about your work experience.

My one and only real job was being a telephone operator at Mountain Bell when I was in high school and for a few years after I graduated. I quit when Larry and I moved to Colorado. We got into the automotive

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business quite by accident in 1979. We had moved to Colorado so Larry could play softball. He worked for an auto dealer there for several years until that man’s sons became old enough to take over the business.

When he was asked to mentor them, he knew that his career was not going to be long term like he had expected. We came to Utah for a vacation and when he went to lunch with a friend who owned a Toyota store, Larry asked him when he was going to sell his store, knowing the answer because he had talked with him about it many times. Larry was surprised when the friend said, “How about today?” That is how we got into the car business as owners of a dealership. Six years later, when the Jazz were in danger of being sold out of state, we took a huge leap of faith and decided to buy half of the team to keep them in Utah. The next year, the same scenario was playing out and we had to buy the other half. That’s how we got into the sports and entertainment business. It has been quite a ride!

I was a stay at home mom until Larry passed away and then I started going to work just so I could know how things were going. My oldest son was the CEO and he did a great job for several years. When he stepped down, I took a larger role in the company. I put a board of directors in place and became the chairman

of the board — a position I still hold today. My typical workday is not very typical. I go to the office every day, but we have very good people who run the business, so I mostly do administrative things. I also make sure our mission, vision and values are at the core of everything we do. I also do a lot of things in the community that take a lot of my time.

Larry and I have five children, 37 grandchildren, and 22 great-grandchildren with two more on the way.

After Larry died, I married Kim Wilson. He has four children and seven grandchildren. We make our home in downtown Salt Lake in a high rise, so I don’t have room for a garden. Before we moved there, I had a garden with all kinds of vegetables and raspberries and strawberries. I do miss that luxury.

What is your favorite food? Your least favorite?

I love all Mexican food, but my favorite place just closed so now I go to a Mexican restaurant at Rio Grande. It is always good, and they have a great chicken taco salad.

I don’t think I can remember eating anything that was “the worst” to eat. There are a couple of things that are not at the top of my list — like eggplant and portobello mushrooms — but I will eat those if they are included in the right recipe.

I still like very simple meals and because I eat out almost every night, and I work every day, my husband does most of the cooking. He also likes to make simple meals and loves leftovers.

How would you classify yourself from an eating standpoint?

Are you an omnivore (someone who eats any and everything), an herbivore (someone who just eats plants), someone on a paleo diet (just meats and dairy products), or something else?

I like all kinds of foods and would classify myself as an omnivore. I am a person who loves to eat but have to restrain my appetite at my age because it is so hard to control my weight.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I am grateful for all the farmers and ranchers who supply us with healthy food and a wonderful way of life. I know it’s hard work, but without this profession, the rest of us would have a very hard time surviving so THANK YOU!

All photo courtesy of LHM Enterprises.

Whenever I drive through a rural area, I have warm feelings for the simplicity of the farm life."

Growing up, our food was very simple. We often had soup and sandwiches with Jell-O for dessert. If we were lucky, we had fruit in the Jell-O and whipped cream on top, but not very often.

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BlueTree Farms It’s From Our Roots

By Susan Furner, Vice President, Consumer Engagement

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chool ended and the summer months were ahead. Shanna Carlson remembers getting in the family car and meeting her grandparents at the half-way point between Duchesne, Utah and Ramah, New Mexico. She and her three sisters spent summers with their granddad, moving cows from one grazing range to another, vaccinating animals and anything else that needed to be done.

It was during those working summers when Shanna fell in love with livestock and the ranching lifestyle.

Meanwhile, Bjorn Carlson’s family moved from the Wasatch Front to a ranch that was purchased by his dad and grandfather in Bluebell, a small community in northeastern Utah. His parents were both schoolteachers who wanted their children to enjoy the benefits of being raised on a ranch. Bjorn recalls being 5- or 6-years-old and knowing that ranching was what he wanted to do.

lamb is a rich source of Omega 3 fatty acids, the cancer fighting, heart healthy fatty acids most often touted in fish like salmon.

The Carlsons raise 100% purebred KurobutaBerkshire hogs, a breed that originated from Berkshire, England. Berkshire hogs produce the finest quality pork due to shorter muscle fibers and lots of marbling, which contributes to both the flavor and the tenderness of the meat.

Farmers Markets are important to their small business. More than half of their ranch revenue is raised from sales at local farmers markets. You can find BlueTree products during the summer and fall seasons at Utah Farm Bureau’s Murray Park Farmers Market and at the Evanston, Wyoming, Ogden, Liberty Park, Salt Lake Downtown and Daybreak Farmers Markets.

How do the Carlsons compete in the volatile livestock market where prices swing dramatically from highs to lows? They chose to provide their products at consistent prices to level out the “price roller coaster”. BlueTree Farms is truly a farm-tofork business that sells directly to its consumers, whether it’s one pound of hamburger or a full beef.

Greg, a BlueTree Farms customer, said, “I was worried that getting natural free-range beef would be way too expensive, but I bought a quarter cow

One of the difficulties Bjorn and Shanna face is the lack of processing facilities in Utah. They have their meat processed at a family-run butcher shop which is limited in the number of animals it can process. This restricts the Carlson family’s ability to expand into big grocery stores, hotel food services and restaurants, because they can’t consistently guarantee the needed supply.

The summers came and went, and one day Shanna’s sister introduced her to Bjorn. It didn’t take any time at all for them to fall in love and marry. Both grew up on cattle ranches and shared the dream of continuing the ranching tradition.

But as dreams usually go, ranching didn’t happen right away. They knew they needed to work hard, plan, and prepare for the day when they could start a farm of their own.

During the early years of their marriage, both worked in law enforcement. Shanna was a corrections officer and Bjorn was an adult probation agent. In 2011 they took a big leap of faith and started BlueTree Farms and began raising beef cattle full-time. They started with 50 Angus beef cows and now have 150 cows.

Their Angus beef cattle graze on privately-owned pastures and are USDA grass-fed certified. Grassfed beef is high in Omega 3 fatty acids, and when compared with other types of beef, may have some heart-healthy benefits such as less fat.

Shanna says Angus cows are smart, predictable and easy to work with. She learned how to work with cows from her “old school cowboy” grandad, and that’s how she raises her cows.

Responding to their customers’ demands for all-natural lamb, pork and chicken, the family diversified and began raising lamb, KurobutaBerkshire pork and free-range chickens.

Lamb is an excellent source of B12, niacin, zinc and iron. While other red meats also offer these same nutrients, lamb stands out with a surprising benefit:

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from BlueTree Farms and I got even the expensive cuts for what I would expect to pay for hamburger.”

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work but was willing to let his daughter figure it out for herself. She turned around and admitted, “Your way is easier.”

Farm kids learn valuable lessons along the way.

Shanna says her philosophy of “slower is faster” came from her granddad. If you get into a pen of cows and start to hoop and holler, the cows are going to go in all different directions. He taught her to keep calm and that quiet is better.

“If we had a state-of-the-art processing plant in our area, we could take our business to the next level,” Bjorn said.

What does this Utah farm family love most about what they do? Both Shanna and Bjorn answer in unison: "The opportunity to work with our family."

The Carlson’s have four children: Alyssa, 16, Adrianna, 14, Kristian, 12, and Kaitlin, 10. The love of ranching runs through the veins of the Carlson children. They participate in Future Farmers of America competitions and are looking for related careers in animal sciences and veterinary services.

Their son, Kristian, has given Shanna and Bjorn fair warning that someday he wants to live in their current family home, the home his great-grandfather built. He’s itching to carry on the family ranching tradition.

This couple is quick to tell you that BlueTree is a family farm. Everyone in the family has a chore

and you never know what the day is going to bring. The typical summer day starts at 6 a.m. and ends at 10 p.m. The hours are filled with feeding the pigs twice a day, moving and fixing irrigation lines, fixing fences and riding the range to check on cows.

The Carlson children have learned to work hard, be responsible and develop an entrepreneurial spirit. Shanna remembers a business deal that her son recently pitched to her.

“Hey mom, I want to go into the egg business,” Kristian said. “If you lend me money to buy chickens, I can pay you back when I sell the eggs.”

Carlsons have perfected their production and processing methods. They know how to effectively manage their pastures and animals for optimal health and growth. It makes them happy to provide quality products from start to finish — products they are proud to serve their family, friends and customers.

Not everyone can farm or raise animals, so the Carlson family feels blessed to own and operate BlueTree Farms, a business born from their roots.

More information about Bluetree farms is found at bluetreefarms.com.

All photos courtesy of BlueTree Farms.

Bjorn says the children are always thinking of a better way or a new idea. He calmly stood aside as his daughter tried out an idea for a better way to load the freezers on the truck to get them ready for the farmers market. Bjorn knew it wasn’t going to

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MARVELOUS MUSHROOMS

By Hannah Haslam, Food Writer & Programs Assistant, Utah Farm Bureau Federation

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fter decades of being relegated to the shadows as a low-nutrient food, mushrooms appear to be having their moment in the sun. Mushrooms and fungi are everywhere and many of the uses and properties of these mushrooms are largely still undiscovered. According to National Geographic magazine, there are more than 1.5 million species of fungi on the planet, and the largest living organism on earth is actually a fungus — a specific honey mushroom that spans 3.7 square miles across the Blue Mountains in Oregon.

Scientists and engineers are discovering that mushrooms can be used in a lot more than just food.

According to Tradd Cotter of Mushroom Mountain, a mushroom research facility in South Carolina, scientists are researching ways to use mushrooms to produce medicine, textiles, laundry detergents, fiber, building materials, furniture and even biofuel.

One of their projects in the field of medicine involves injecting mushrooms with drug-resistant bacteria. The mushroom can then “sweat out” metabolites that can kill the drug-resistant bacteria.

two weeks for Cox to start and finish his furniture.

Which means that if he can get people to accept fungi furniture, Cox will be able to sell quite a lot of it with minimal cost and labor.

Engineers are also studying ways to use fungi as a building material in place of wood or brick in countries that have been hit by a natural disaster.

While there is much to learn about what mushrooms can do scientifically and architecturally for the world, Mountain View Mushrooms in Fillmore, Utah has the process for growing culinary mushrooms down to a science. Mountain View was founded in 2003 and is the largest commercial mushroom farm in Utah.

Jennifer Ogle of Clemson University said, “Fungus bricks could be a more portable and durable material for reconstructing homes. It is lightweight, has antibacterial properties, and can filter water and pathogens.”

According to National Geographic, the fungi also grows quickly and is quite durable, as Sebastian Cox discovered when he mixed fungi with woodchips and then let the fungi grow within the confines of plastic molds shaped into stools and lamps. It only takes

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While visiting the farm, I learned quite a lot about how mushrooms go from the farm to your table.

Mountain View’s three varieties of mushrooms (white button, cremini and portobello) take 60 days from the beginning to the harvest, and it all starts with composting. Wheat straw is the main ingredient in mushroom compost, and over the 24 days that it takes for the compost to mature, the piles can reach 170º F.

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LENTIL WALNUT BURGERS: ¾ cup of lentils 1 ½ cups of water 2 tsp. white wine vinegar Once the compost is ready, it is placed in trays and pasteurized to ensure that the dirt is free of harmful pathogens — this pasteurization takes eight days to complete.

Next, the compost in the trays is mixed with mushroom spawn and taken to a dark room for 15-17 days to allow the spawn to grow in the compost.

Once the spawn begins to grow, trays are covered in a two-inch layer of peat moss and Lyme and transferred back to a growing room for 16 more days before the mushrooms are ready for harvest. If grown in these proper conditions, mushrooms can double in size every day, and they need to be watched carefully, as they will never stop growing.

Top middle photo: Mountain View Mushrooms Owner Bart Adams Other photos courtesy of National Mushroom Council.

The mushrooms are harvested by hand and can be picked for 21 days before the trays are dumped and the whole process begins again. Not wanting to waste anything, the compost that Mountain View produces is sold to the public after it has been used for the mushrooms and is a great addition for vegetable garden soil.

While the uses of mushrooms are very diverse and still being discovered, my favorite way to use them is in food. Mushrooms are packed with vitamins and minerals, such as selenium, are high in protein and low in calories, and are used in commons ways — like sautéed and served on a steak or a veggie tray — to very creative ways (think mushroom “pork rinds” or chips). One of my favorite ways to use mushrooms in is in my mother’s lentil walnut burgers (see recipe at right). So, do yourself a favor and pick up some Mountain View Mushrooms at your local grocery store and make your favorite recipe now.

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Bring the lentils and water to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook until you can pick up a lentil and squish it easily between your fingers. You may need to add extra water as the lentils cook, so watch for that.

When lentils are done, add 2 tsp. white wine vinegar and then mash the lentils up. This can be done the day before as a time saver.

1 onion, minced 2 stalks celery minced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 carton cremini or white button mushrooms, minced ½ cup toasted walnuts, chopped finely Red bell pepper, zucchini, or any other vegetables you like, minced (Optional) 1 tsp mustard powder A dash of Worcestershire sauce 1 egg Salt and pepper to taste Sauté the onions and celery in a splash of olive oil until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more, until fragrant. Add any other veggies you may be using, including the mushrooms and cook until soft.

Add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, and salt and pepper to taste and stir until combined. Stir in mashed lentils and chopped walnuts and set aside to cool down. Once the mixture has cooled off, beat the egg and add it to the mixture. Form patties and brown them in a pan with some melted butter or a little olive oil, adding more as needed. The patties may crumble a bit when flipped, but just push them back together.

Once both sides are browned, melt a slice of cheese on top and serve with whatever you like on a burger — lettuce, tomato, avocado, pickles, etc.

Oakdell Eggs: An Incredible, Edible Family Tradition

By Matt Hargreaves, Editor, Utah Farm & Fork magazine

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ith the arrival of spring, thoughts turn to renewal, new growth and the promise of warmer days ahead. Green thumbs get excited about the prospect of new adventures in the yard and many families celebrate the Christian holiday of Easter.

Closely associated with Easter are family traditions involving eggs. According to History.com, eggs have been linked to Christian traditions, with Easter eggs: “Said to represent Jesus’ emergence from the tomb and resurrection. Decorating eggs for Easter is a tradition that dates back to at least the 13th century, according to some sources. One explanation for this custom is that eggs were formerly a forbidden food during the Lenten

season, so people would paint and decorate them to mark the end of the period of penance and fasting, then eat them on Easter as a celebration.”

But it’s not just for decoration that eggs are in demand around Easter. Local poultry farms have donated millions of eggs to the Utah Food Bank over the past number of years to help families in need.

These small packets of protein are so commonplace in our lives, that we almost take them for granted and may forget about how they get to our kitchens.

With countless ways to eat and use eggs, you could say they are a culinary gift, and for one recognizable Utah brand, a gift is exactly how it started.

A Better Gift Than a Toaster Oakdell Eggs can be found in major and small-town

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grocery stores throughout the Intermountain West ... but its beginnings are more humble. It all started when Cecil Woodward received 10 chickens as a wedding gift in 1905. From there, the Woodward family found out they were pretty good at raising chickens, and the farm expanded in Franklin, Idaho.

With a commitment to quality and the customer, the family business continued to increase in size, which led to another farm being built in Riverton, Utah in the late 1960s. They also came up with a name for the farm, with Oakdell coming from the street on which one of the founding partners lived.

While the farm was growing, so was the population along the Wasatch Front. By 1977, the farm’s time in Salt Lake County was coming to an end as it moved to the Cache County town of

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All photos courtesy of Oakdell Eggs.

Top right: Cecil Woodward (adult on right).

Middle right: Marlow stacks eggs with vacuum suction.

Bottow right: Oakdell ‘Milk White’ eggs.

Lewiston, where it remains today. As additional family members came into the business, the farm continued to grow with new facilities being established in Pasco, Washington.

Not All Eggs Are the Same As the family farm has grown in size, the commitment to the health of the birds and focus on customer preferences stayed strong. Focusing on the demands of their customers has helped Oakdell expand the varieties of eggs they provide — that’s right, not all eggs are the same. The company today provides conventional white, cage-free white, Omega-3 brown and organic brown eggs.

The birds live in a climate-controlled barn, with 24-hour access to all the feed and water they want while being fully protected from predators and pests. And a quick fact, did you know that whether you’re buying brown eggs or white eggs, all hens are receiving great care and nutrition? The feed the hens eat has nothing to do with the color of the egg you buy. The breed of the chicken actually determines the shell color of an egg. In general, a brown chicken produces a brown egg and a white chicken produces a white egg. Because brown chickens are usually larger and require more food to make an egg, brown eggs cost more than white eggs.

lately, Oakdell’s eggs were originally cage-free back in the 1960s. When food safety wasn’t on the top of everyone’s minds, the use of antibiotics to keep birds healthy was more widespread because farmers couldn’t control what the cage-free chickens were eating. In the 1970s, birds were moved indoors, and their diets were more closely controlled, eliminating the need for antibiotics. While some birds have been moved back to cage-free environments, antibiotics haven’t been used for years. Because of increased food safety practices and advancements in nutrition and animal care, eggs are safer than ever before.

Though it has been a growing market category

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Still Going Strong While nutritional fads come and go, eggs remain a staple in the American diet. Much of this is tied to their versatility, affordability, and the protein punch that comes in each one. They are also filled with more than 13 other essential vitamins and minerals.

That’s not to say the industry hasn’t had its challenges: misunderstood nutritional information in the 1980s wrongly pointed to eggs as the culprits for increasing cholesterol.

Over the years, nutritional experts have come to better understand the different types of cholesterol

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Photos courtesy of Oakdell Egg Farms.

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and the role of family history and food. Blood cholesterol occurs naturally and can increase the risk of heart disease. According to Oakdell’s website, dietary cholesterol, however, comes from the food we eat, like meat, eggs, dairy and seafood.

Research shows that dietary cholesterol does not significantly increase blood cholesterol levels in most people. The big culprits are foods high in saturated or trans fats, which are often the food you pair eggs with.

In addition to progress in nutrition, technology has allowed poultry farmers to improve food safety and the traceability of eggs. Every day of the

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year, employees at Oakdell wash, sanitize, grade, package, do quality checks, and use new codedating printers on packaging for better traceability and easier consumer visibility.

All of this has contributed to more eggs being eaten today than even 10-20 years ago. For one of Utah’s preeminent poultry farm families, you could consider quality eggs as their gift to you.

WHEN TO PLANT? THAT IS THE QUESTION

By Taun Beddes, Utah State University Extension Horticulturist, Utah County

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ne day it is sunny and warm, and the next day it is raining and cold.

Or, in northern Utah it could even be snowing.

Determining when to plant a garden can be especially confusing in Utah’s unpredictable, varied climate where last-frost dates can vary by many days within just a few miles. In fact, many experienced gardeners have planted and later lost their plants to frost.

As you determine when you should plant, consider the geographic characteristics of where you live.

When a yard is located in a populated area or on a mountain bench, it usually has a longer growing season. Areas located at slightly lower elevations where cold air drains and cannot escape have a shorter season. This is why local commercial orchards are generally located on benches.

Additionally, urban and suburban areas are slightly warmer than surrounding areas due to the urban heat effect. Heat from buildings and warmth generated by sunlight reflected from roads and other surfaces increases temperatures and delays frost. It can be helpful to chat with a local farmer or experienced gardener in your area to determine what works for him or her regarding when to plant.

In addition to frost information, it is important to take into account the needs of the plants. Vegetables planted locally fall into four basic categories: hardy, semi-hardy, tender and very tender. Depending on which category a plant belongs to, planting dates vary from early spring until early summer. Consider the following: • Hardy vegetables, including asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, onions, peas and spinach, can be planted as soon as the soil is workable in early spring. This usually ranges between 45-60

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days before the average last frost. These same vegetables can be safely planted until the average last frost date.

• Semi-hardy plants, such as beets, carrots, lettuce and potatoes, can be planted one to two weeks after the hardy group. These can be planted until the average last-frost date.

• Tender vegetables, such as celery, cucumbers, corn and most beans, should be planted on the average last-frost date.

• Very tender plants, such as squash, beans, melons, tomatoes, eggplants and peppers, should not be planted until at least a week after the average last frost. Even if frost does not occur before this time, these plants will not grow well and are more susceptible to disease until warmer weather.

If you have lost plants to frost, you are not alone, and all you can do is try again.

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Frost Dates City

Last

First

Frost-Free Days

Alpine Blanding Cedar City Delta Farmington Fillmore Huntsville Kanab Lake Town Logan Morgan Moroni Ogden Park City Price Roosevelt Salt Lake City Spanish Fork St. George Tooele Tremonton

May 20 May 13 May 10 May 17 May 5 May 16 June 11 May 7 June 15 May 14 June 6 June 1 May 1 June 9 May 12 May 18 April 20 May 1 April 6 May 7 May 3

Sept. 30 Oct. 12 Oct. 5 Sept. 28 Oct. 10 Oct. 4 Sept. 9 Oct. 20 Sept. 10 Sept. 25 Sept. 11 Sept. 18 Oct. 24 Sept. 1 Oct. 7 Sept. 25 Oct. 31 Oct. 13 Oct. 28 Oct. 14 Oct. 10

136 153 148 134 158 140 89 166 87 135 98 109 176 92 148 130 193 165 205 159 160

Average Frost Dates for Various Utah Locations (Note that these dates are averages and can vary from year to year.)

Photo on left courtesy of Getty Images.

Photos on right courtesy of USU.

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Family Dinner —

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finger on the pulse of their children’s lives. The magic happens when there are three key ingredients according to Anne Fishel, Executive Director and co-founder of The Family Dinner Project. The key ingredients are food, fun, and conversations about things that matter.

Would you be surprised to learn the one activity that provides such a powerful punch is simply eating a meal together as a family?

Involve your children in the dinner-time routine.

When it’s time to plan the week’s menu, sit down with a stack of cookbooks, or review online recipes and have them bookmark the pictures that look most delicious. Go grocery shopping together. Prepare the meals together. There is great satisfaction in serving a meal that the family helped put together. This can be enhanced by preparing a meal the family helped grow in your own garden. You can also consider farmers

f you were promised that spending one hour a day engaging in a simple activity could help your family thrive, would you try it? What if the activity could help your children achieve better grades in school, be well adjusted, have good manners and communication skills, be happier and less stressed with higher self-esteem, more resilience, healthier lifestyles, better vocabulary, and a sense of security and belonging?

Building meal-sharing into your daily schedule strengthens family bonds and allows parents to keep a

Food

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markets this summer to buy food for your meals, or grow things together as a family in your own garden.

Fun Making dinner time fun is the best strategy for getting the family to the table and keeping them there.

Find great ideas for family fun around the table at thefamilydinnerproject.org. Here are a few examples: The Alphabet Game — As a family, choose a category such as animals, countries, singers or “people our family knows.” One family member starts the game by naming a person/thing from that category that starts with the letter “A.” Then the next person names a person/thing that starts with the letter “B,” the next person finds something for the letter “C,” and so on.

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— The Proof is in the Pudding

By Susan Furner, Vice President, Consumer Engagement

Different Drummers — Pick one person to be the leader. The leader begins tapping a beat on the table (or clapping). The others around the table begin tapping or clapping along with the leader. The leader can change the beat whenever they choose, and everyone else must follow suit. Then, without warning, the leader stops drumming. The last person to stop drumming is out.

Conversations About Things that Matter A well-worded question is the quickest way to connect after a long day. Get a deeper conversation started with these ideas for all ages.

• If you woke up tomorrow and could do one thing you can’t do right now, what would it be?

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• If you had superpowers what would they be and how would you use them to help people?

• How do you know when you can trust another person?

• What’s the funniest or strangest thing that happened to you today?

Obstacles Picky eaters, busy schedules, arguments or criticism at the table, distractions, or choosing Snapchat at dinner instead of “Familychat” are all roadblocks, but roadblocks can be overcome. A commitment to family dinners (or breakfasts or lunches for that matter) can pay big dividends.

Put away your phones, turn off the television, and discover the magic that happens when your

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family engages in meaningful conversations around your table.

The proof is in the pudding, or as it was originally stated, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”

Which means you must eat the pudding to know if it is good. The proof of family dinners is in the doing. Try it, and discover for yourself that it is good. Enjoy!

Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock.

HOW FOOD AFFECTS US ALL:

FROM A FARM GIRL TURNED FOOD BLOGGER

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By Bailee Woolstenhulme, Communications Specialist, Utah Farm Bureau Federation

lli Kelley with Longbourn Farm always longed to be a farm girl. She craved and had a great love for that lifestyle even though she was raised in a more suburban setting. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Animal, Dairy, and Veterinarian Science and a Master’s Degree in

Animal Nutrition from Utah State University, Alli finally got her dream as she convinced her husband to buy a small farm property in Cache Valley, Utah. This is where the Longbourn Farm story began.

Her blog started out as a way to share how they were managing their property and

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providing property and home management tips. Alli was able to evolve her blog to start talking about what she is truly passionate about; agriculture and food. We were able to visit with Alli about her successful food blog to give you an inside look at why she does what she does.

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Q. Why do you feel it is so important to

connect people and families together with food?

A. First, there are a lot of scientific articles that

Q. What influences your food purchases? I.E. Does price/cost or labels/brands have more of an affect?

prove how having meals together as a family helps to raise healthier and happier kids. For me, I feel that the kitchen is the heart of the home. Food just has a way to bring people together and start conversations.

A. I am probably a bit of an anomaly because of my higher education and background. I don’t pay attention to food labels because they can be misleading and confusing. I mainly focus on the quality and price of the food item.

Q. What inspires your recipes? What is your

Q. How do you determine if an ingredient is

A. My heritage and family is my #1 inspiration. My mom’s family is Italian and has really influenced my love for food. My dad’s family has been influential in my love for baking and my baking recipes. I also try to focus on seasonal food recipes and what is available from my garden.

A. I will literally by two or three brands or type of the same food product and test them out in my recipes and meals. I have found that there usually isn’t a big difference in quality between different brands.

process for developing recipes?

quality if you don’t base that on food labels?

Q. What do you feel influences consumers’s

food purchases? What do people look for when Q. What are the current food trends that you are buying groceries at the store? seeing? What new food trends are starting?

A. I think labeling and marketing really A. Pressure cooking and slow cooking are still influences consumers decisions. Fear-based marketing seems to be the biggest influences a big deal, along with smoking meat and Sous lately and that makes it hard for consumers to Vide style cooking. decide what food to purchase. If I could offer any advice, I would tell those purchasing foods Q. Do you get requests for specific food that if a company or person is trying to scare content/recipes? If so, what is most commonly you into buying something, you should look at asked for? their product twice.

A. I get a lot of requests for gluten free recipes.

However, I don’t exclude gluten from my diet, Q. What have you found to be the biggest so I don’t develop those types of recipes. All concern about food amongst consumers? my recipes reflect what I make for my family. I would say my next most requested recipe is for A. Most consumers are concerned about quick and easy meals and slow cooker recipes. labeling and where their food comes from.

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As farmers, we can help fix that problem by connecting them to where their food comes from. For anyone who would like to know more about where their food comes from, I recommend researching the farm or company mentioned on the label or even better, find a farmer or rancher and ask about how they are raising and growing your food.

Q. What do you feel is the best way that

farmers and ranchers could reach out to consumers to help make that connection to who grows their food?

A. Social media is a great way to reach out.

Talk to your neighbors and people in your grocery stores. It’s important to remember that it’s your job to share the information; it’s not your job to change their minds.

Q. What is the most important message you hope to spread to your readers?

A. Choices in the grocery store are where our true freedom lies. So many people are trying to tell us what is right or wrong when it comes to food, but what really matters most is that you have a choice and can decide for yourself.

Editor's Note: Make sure to check out her blog at longbournfarm.com to learn more about Alli's farm and how that influences the food she cooks.

Photos courtesy of Alli Kelley.

CAPUTO’S MARKET AND DELI The Beloved Utah Market That Almost Never Happened

By Kristy Kuhn

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hen Tony Caputo was downsized right out of the job he loved, working the counter at Granato’s Italian Deli, he knew exactly what he needed to do — open his own place. The gregarious Italian had no trouble finding investors to back his new venture, and it wasn’t long before he found what he considered to be the perfect location, on the corner of 300 West and 300 South in Salt Lake City. But not everyone agreed.

“At the time, a lot of people thought he was nuts to go down there,” says his son, Caputo’s CEO, Matt Caputo.

The building’s location, right across the street from the Greek Orthodox Church and Pioneer Park, had a reputation for both transient and drug activities.

Nevertheless, Matt says his dad loved everything

about it: the building, the area’s Greek and Italian history — just the overall feel of it.

His father would not be swayed, and in 1997 Caputo’s opened its doors to long lines and rave reviews.

A Fortuitous Dilemma The Caputo family patriarch originally intended to open a simple sandwich shop, but he ran into a fortuitous dilemma when he tried to order products.

He quickly found that local food service suppliers did not carry the specialized meats and cheeses he needed.

Unwilling to compromise on quality, Tony decided to order products directly from the manufacturer. Since that meant sourcing many items from out of state, it was more cost-effective to order everything in bulk: pallets rather than boxes.

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Bulk ordering would keep the prices reasonable on food in the deli, but it also led to a new dilemma: where to store all that extra product. A clever solution found the Caputo family bringing in shelving and deli cases. They would store their backstock right in the shop, as retail offerings.

“When we opened up, our display basically included all the things we used for our menu,” Matt says with a laugh.

Little by little, the family began adding additional specialty items to their retail selection — a few different cheeses, some new olives — working hard to create a vibrant retail marketplace.

When the opportunity presented itself, Tony jumped on the chance to expand the business by purchasing utah farm & fork

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Only the Best Will Do Matt says that while many people think of Caputo’s as an Italian place, he doesn’t think of it like that. He thinks of Caputo’s as a culturally-rooted, southern European food establishment, but it doesn’t mean they only sell foods from that area. You’ll find products from all over Europe and America in the store; they just have to fit into the southern European style of eating.

According to Matt, honey fits perfectly into that category because it’s used a lot in Greek cooking and a fair amount in Italian cooking as well.

“Some of the best honeys I’ve ever had are from right here in Utah,” says Matt. “The unifying theme for the local products we offer is that they’re absolutely amazing. I won’t put something on my shelf unless it can compete with the best that’s available anywhere in the world.”

the building next door. The new location offered a lot of additional space, so Matt, who worked in the store from the beginning, was given the green light to order as he pleased. The only caveat: he was expected to continue operating within his dad’s way of business — you don’t order things unless you know they will sell.

Matt hired a crew of like-minded people he calls “cheese-mongers and food geeks,” to work alongside him in the new space and he began ordering products to fill the shelves.

“We had a bunch of passionate cheese geeks that not only sat behind the counter but got out there in the aisles — whether it was chocolate or olive oil or cheese or charcuterie — and really helped tell the stories, making it a full-service deli.”

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charcuterie to olives and chocolate. When asked about one food or tradition he carried over from his youth, he says “pasta” and Yelena laughs.

“She knew I was going to say that because I’m obsessed,” Matt quips.

He enthusiastically shares a fraction of his knowledge on what he calls “the Italian culture for bronze-cut airdried pasta,” going into great detail about the different types of wheat, the regions from which they hail, how the wheat is harvested, how the pasta is produced, the preparation of pasta, and finally, how complicated it is to prepare it properly. Then, he stops and laughs, and concludes with: “I probably should have just said pasta, but I’m also known for waxing poetic about pasta.”

Food, Family and Bonding

He says he’s grateful the state has incredible agriculture Matt says his love of food was instilled in him from and craftmanship, with amazing artisans who make it easy a young age when their home was always filled to buy the best products and support local business. with family and the gatherings were almost always centered around food. And, with his father working in restaurants before opening Caputo’s, he says the Sharing Their Passion restaurant culture became formative for him.

Caputo’s has been sharing their love of food with the local community since the day they opened their “My dad’s coworkers were his brothers and his doors. Tony Caputo even began offering cooking sister, so when I would go see him at work as a kid, I classes as a way to introduce people to the products would be hanging out in the kitchen of these Italian offered in their store. restaurants with family — to me, food and family are almost inseparable,” he says.

“He thought of a unique way to encourage people to interact with foods they may not know about and Today Matt and his wife, Yelena, share their love encourage them to incorporate them into their own of food and family with their two daughters, Gia households,” says Matt.

(10) and Frankie (7). Matt says the first time they purchased a home it was the kitchen that won them Today, the Caputo family continues to share their knowledge of, and love for, food by offering a variety over because, to them, it’s the most important room in the house. of classes and tasting tours. Matt says customers are welcome to sample most anything in the store and “It’s basically our gathering area: whether we have the staff is eager to answer questions or help with friends or family over, we’re having dinner and making product selection. a meal,” Matt says. “There’s plenty of room for everyone to sit — it’s kind of where things go on in my house.”

“It can be really intimidating to walk into a specialty place, especially for someone who knows very little about your category of products — we try to remember Matt says meals at their home aren’t part of the entertainment, they are the entertainment. He stresses that,” Matt says. “Caputo’s isn’t just for people who that when you host guests in your home, once you already know a lot about the foods we carry.” stop putting out food, there’s an inherent pressure to either go do something else or go home. But if you Matt wants everyone to feel welcome at Caputo’s. He continue to bring out food, even something simple, says, for them, it’s really about sharing their knowledge about the foods they carry and the stories behind them. like a cheese platter after dessert, it sends a message to people that they’re still welcome and wanted.

“Our people are not food snobs, they’re food lovers,” “At our house, sometimes people are there for many he says. hours, because we want them to be,” he says. “To us, it’s about keeping the people you love near you for longer.”

A self-proclaimed “food-geek,” Matt’s passion for sharing the history and stories of the foods they sell is evident as he talks excitedly about everything from Photos courtesy of Caputo's.

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LET’S TALK HERBS!

By Julia Misiego, Member Services Coordinator & Farmers Market Manager

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ardening is intrinsically connected with spring. Spring is a traditional time of birth, renewal and planting for the season ahead. Many people (especially farmers) love spring for the freshness and promise of warmer days.

Herbs are a very popular addition to any garden, whether you’re a novice or expert gardener. Most herbs grow well in Utah since many are from the Mediterranean and like hot climates; however, they still need plenty of water!

I interviewed Heather Peeters, Co-owner of Solstice Spices and vendor at the Utah Farm Bureau’s Murray Farmers Market about all things herbs. As a reminder, the Utah Farm Bureau manages Farmers Markets in Murray and South Jordan City Hall.

Q: Please tell me about your farm and business.

My husband, Tony, and I have been growing food for market for 13 years. We started growing in backyards around Murray and have ended up on two beautiful acres in Millcreek, in the middle of Salt Lake County.

This is because of an opportunity we were given from the Salt Lake County Urban Farming division. The program is called Farmlink, and it connects private landowners with urban farmers. We are grateful to have been paired with our farm's landowner, Bonnie, as she is generous and kind and a lover of the land.

We sell heirloom tomatoes, fresh herbs, and make amazing spices from farm-fresh produce. Our biggest market is the Murray Park Farmers Market, which runs from the end of July to the end of September. But we also participate in the Downtown SLC market from November through July.

Q: Walk me through what you grow and sell on your farm?

Our largest crop is our unique, quality heirloom tomatoes. Our second-largest crop is the best fresh basil available. We grow many other herbs and hot

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peppers for our spices. During the summer, we usually have Armenian cucumbers and a variety of unusual eggplant and zucchini. In the winter and spring, we try to have lettuce, carrots, radishes, and beets.

Q: Did you ever think you would be a farmer?

Not in the sense that it would be our profession. We’ve always had an affinity to all things food and gardening — many people do. I think a lot of people also have a neglected inner desire to farm, maybe not knowing how hard it is, but still longing for that indescribable satisfaction that is missing.

Q: Which herbs are your favorite to eat and/or grow?

The basil plants seem to get our biggest affection.

We eat and grow them the most, but their season is limited. Most of the other spices we grow are dried for our farm-to-jar Solstice Spices. We eat and grow as much as we can.

Q: How difficult is it to grow herbs?

My best advice is to watch your plants and trust your intuitions when it comes to herbs. It is not hard, and I believe that, at the very least, everyone should have a few herbs in their yard. Thyme, Sage, Parsley and Rosemary will not need much attention and will taste a million times better than anything you could buy at the grocery store.

Q: Where and in what seasons can herbs be grown?

Perennial herbs will survive year-round (thyme, sage, oregano, mint, however, they do go through a dormant stage when the daylight is short. Annual herbs, such as basil and parsley, only grow in Utah from May-toOctober and may reseed if dead plants are left through the winter.

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Q: What advice would you give to someone wanting to grow herbs inside or outside?

Herbs don't really love to grow inside, but it is possible to make them last. The best chance is to get them nice and strong in the summer before you bring them inside. When you bring them in, keep them in a sunny window and water when the soil is dry.

Also, a note about those live plants available in the produce section. These are raised in the perfect climate of a greenhouse and are usually not very happy when we bring them inside our homes.

Q: What are your favorite recipes using fresh or dried herbs?

I honestly believe you should add herbs to anything you are cooking. And you don’t have to follow any rules. If all you have is Thyme, then use Thyme.

Taste the herbs first to decide how much you want.

Once you start using them and tasting them, you’ll learn what you like. And you’ll also learn that the added flavor of herbs is what brings your cooking over the top.

Of course, my favorite summer dish is sliced tomatoes with lots of fresh basil, olive oil, and fresh spices.

Q: What are your favorite herb combinations?

There are so many different combinations and they cross through cooking cultures like spider webs. It may be helpful to know that more hardy herbs like rosemary and sage can be cooked for a while, but tender herbs like basil or parsley should be added at the end after the heat is off.

Q: Do you have anything else to add about herbs?

Taste them! Have a little nibble of each leaf and you will know.

Photos courtesy of Solstice Spices.

Top left photo: garlic.

Bottom left photo: chamomile and dill.

Bottom right photo: celery.

Top left photo: basil.

Top middle photo: oregano.

Top right photo: dill.

Farmers and Ranchers Working to Make Every Day ‘Earth Day’

By Matt Hargreaves, Editor, Utah Farm & Fork Magazine

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ith the arrival of spring, many are drawn to the outdoors to enjoy the warming weather and the renewal of life that takes place with the plants and animals. Spring is also the time when many come to celebrate ‘Earth Day,’ which this year takes place on April 22.

Many strive to improve the environment in which we live, and tops among them are the farmers and ranchers who work the land every day — you might consider them the original environmentalists.

Food is the most obvious connection between farmers and ranchers and their customers, but they also share a love for the environment. Farmers, ranchers and others who work in agriculture know they need to take care of the land and water in their care to make sure they produce food for years to come.

Farmers work hard to keep the land and soil healthy

now and for future generations. They know their actions affect the environment. No one is closer to the earth than farmers, and it is important to them to care for the land, water and natural resources.

“One thing my father taught us is if you have land, you leave it in better condition than you found it, for the benefit of the next generation,” said Steve Osguthorpe, a sheep rancher and farmer in Summit County. “Protecting the soil and watersheds, that’s been the focus of our farming operations because we know that if we’re going to be in business tomorrow, we’ve got to take care of the land today.”

A Partner in Conservation The Sand County Foundation, a prominent conservation group nationally, has been working with farmers and ranchers throughout the country to encourage voluntary conservation practices on private land. They’ve set up the ‘Leopold Conservation Award’ to recognize private landowners in 20 states for extraordinary achievement in 30

conservation and have been presenting the award in Utah since 2007.

In Utah, the award is presented annually by Sand County Foundation, Utah Farm Bureau Federation, Western AgCredit and Utah Cattlemen’s Association. It has recognized ranchers from Box Elder County in the north and Tooele County in the West, all the way down to Kane County in the South.

The organization came to work with farmers, ranchers and foresters because they own and manage most of the private land in this nation and felt they held the keys to environmental improvement. The group believes conservation by landowners, either voluntarily or through incentives, provides more ecological benefits, at a lower cost and with lasting results than through more regulations.

The commitment of farmers and ranchers to conservation is evident by the variety of projects and utah farm & fork

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feedlot, the Jensens have fenced livestock out of active waterways, built runoff ponds, and drilled a well to supply water for their livestock, all of which helped to solve the issue of water pollution there.

measures many farmers and ranchers undertake, intending to leave the land better than how they found it.

This was certainly true for the Selman family of Box Elder County. The Selmans have employed many conservation practices through the years on their sheep ranch, including planting windbreaks for wildlife and bird nesting, rotational grazing, planting native vegetation, developing alternate water sources to protect stream areas, preserving water quality and quantity, and enhancing habitat for rare wildlife.

Water Water is the lifeblood of agriculture, especially in an arid state like Utah. That’s why many farmers and ranchers make a special effort to conserve water for future use. This is the case with Butch and Jeanie Jensen’s fifth-generation T.N. Ranching Company and Tavaputs Ranch located in Carbon County.

Although the Jensen’s operation is primarily a cattle ranch, the family diversifies its income through hunting, birding and scenic tours of the ranch, including the Fremont Indian archaeological sites in Range Creek, which include pristine ruins and rock art. The ranch has also been home to several University of Utah and Utah State University research projects.

The family manages natural resources on its land in a manner that allows them to improve and flourish over time. The location of the Jensen’s ranch makes it prone to drought every 10 years. Because of this, they conserve water as much as possible. They have developed springs and constructed a large number of ponds. At their

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The Ferry family of Box Elder County has also taken steps to improve water quality, along with their cattle ranch and waterways.

The Ferrys removed invasive species along the Bear River before contouring and re-vegetating its banks. To reduce erosion and improve water retention, they’ve planted cover crops and use no-till practices on their corn and wheat fields.

They have also worked to remove invasive plants, which hurt soil quality and waste large amounts of water. The Ferrys removed several hundred acres of salt cedar trees, which lower the water table and create large deposits of salt in the soil.

Rather than burning or spraying an invasive plant like phragmites with chemicals, they have their cattle graze on the plant, naturally increasing the diversity of desirable wetland plants and improving wildlife habitat.

More of the Same Down South The Heaton cattle ranch in Kane & Garfield County has more than 140,000 acres of private and federal land that supports abundant wildlife populations of sage grouse and mule deer herds.

The Heatons believe that natural resources conservation is critical to the success of their ranching business. They utilize conservation practices to improve grassland, water quality and wildlife habitat.

Improvements to water quality have included creating and restoring more than 50 stock ponds, improving an irrigation system, and developing a spring through the installation of a solar pump.

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Different Scale, Same Commitment While the conservation projects ranching families have undertaken certainly are impressive because of their scope and size, farmers in the more urban areas of Utah are no less committed.

Farmers look to balance productivity with conservation efforts related to water and air quality, and ways to promote pollinators, such as bees and monarch butterflies. Farmers plant crops using a rotation system to improve soil health, plant buffer zones to keep soil in place and prevent damage to water sources, and plant cover crops, which are plants grown to protect and enrich the soil by putting nutrients back into it.

Many farmers have found that innovation can lead the way to productive agriculture and reduced environmental impacts.

Farmers have also partnered with companies to push for innovative solutions to agricultural and environmental problems. One example is the Purple Plow Challenge, sponsored by the American Farm Bureau and Corteva Agriscience. The effort lists multiple challenges on its website — purpleplow.org — and enlists the ideas of teachers and students to come up with solutions to challenges like water quality and runoff, energy use, pollinator health, food insecurity, soil health, urban sprawl and more.

No matter the scale, location or type of agriculture they’re involved with, Utahns can rest assured that local farmers and ranchers are committed to the wise use of natural resources. They see feeding and clothing the world as a noble profession and are committed to passing on this legacy to the next generation.

Photos courtesy of Utah Farm Bureau members.

FARM BUREAU NAMES 2020 FARM DOG OF THE YEAR

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he winner of the 2020 Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year award is Flint, an Australian shepherd owned by Utah Farm Bureau members Rhett and Beth Crandall.

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), with support from Nestlé Purina, recognized Flint, four runners-up and a People’s Choice Pup at its recent Annual Convention in Austin, Texas.

“It is great to see interest in this award grow in just a few years to become a great point of connection with the public,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “We celebrate the important role dogs play on farms and ranches. Their stories inspire people on and off the farm, providing a glimpse into farm life for some. Farm dogs are loyal work partners that enhance the lives of farm families.”

The contest celebrates farm dogs that work alongside farmers and ranchers to produce nutritious food for families and their pets across America. It caught the attention of more than 100,000 social media followers who voted, commented, shared or liked their favorite dog.

Flint, the grand prize winner of the 2020 Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year award is 11 years old and has been part of Beth’s family since she was a teenager.

At the age of 7, he became an accomplished and passionate working dog relatively late in life. Herding beef cattle and other livestock is Flint’s primary responsibility on the ranch. He’s also certified through the Canine Good Citizen program and spends time lifting the spirts of residents at senior centers with his gentle presence.

“When moving livestock on the ranch, it’s very important to have a well-trained dog that’s bred to do this type of work,” Beth emphasized. “The dogs are truly part of our family,” Rhett said, referring to Flint and the couple’s two other dogs. “They enrich our lives and make ranching the best job in the world.”

Purina donated prizes for the contest again this year.

This included $5,000 in prize money, a trophy plate, a year’s worth of Purina dog food and other Purina products for Flint. The company has been a leader in pet care for more than 90 years.

32

“At Purina we recognize the important role dogs play on the farm and in the hearts of families everywhere, and we congratulate the Crandalls and Flint on winning this award,” said Jack Scott, vice president of sustainability at Nestlé Purina. “We truly believe that pets and people are better together, and all of the entries for Farm Dog of the Year are great examples of how dogs enrich our lives, both on and off the farm.

We salute farmers and their dogs and the important work they are doing to steward their land and help feed generations of people and pets.”

A panel of judges with expertise in the pet care industry, veterinary medicine and communications reviewed 80 nominations to select the Farm Dog of the Year.

Dogs were judged based on their helpfulness to the farmer and his/her family, playfulness and their role in making life better on and off the farm. Farm Bureau members submitted written responses to questions, photos and video clips to nominate their dogs for Farm Dog of the Year. A video showcasing Flint and his contributions to the Crandall family ranch can be found at https://youtu.be/uxNxYtoVrHQ.

utah farm & fork

| spring 2020

Photos courtesy of Nestle Purina.

Flint on the ranch with owners Beth and Rhett Crandall.

utah farm & fork

| spring 2020

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utah farm & fork

| spring 2020

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utah farm & fork

| spring 2020

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