Small Changes Can Have Big Results: Push for a Better You
When we think about new year resolutions, “health and fitness” often bubble to the top of the list. As a member of Team USA at the World Triathlon, Jen (Farrer) Schweigert has that part down. And yet she says her goals for 2023 are bigger (and scarier) than ever. For example:
Run the Boston Marathon in under three hours.
Win a “70.3” — which is a half Ironman-distance triathlon before national and world races begin.
Place in the Top 5 in both the sprint and standard (Olympic distance) at the US National Championship races.
Place in the Top 10 (preferably Top 5) for the 70.3 at the World Championship races.
To be fair, Jen is not a newcomer to the world of competitive sports; she has mastered health and fitness across the globe. She travels frequently with her husband Jim, who — like the owners of Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds — is a third-generation seedsman. Jim is president of Gro Alliance, which produces seed in the U.S. and abroad. The couple owns and manages a SNAP Fitness franchise in Platteville, Wisconsin.
Jen and her husband Jim
“It’s important to me to get in my workouts, so I treat a day of traveling like I do a day at home,” says Jen, who shares her experiences online (#runtheworld), using the handle @jendoestri.
Her road to becoming an elite global athlete wasn’t exactly textbook. Jen recalls being unhappy with her weight in college and deciding to make very small, deliberate changes in her diet. “Instead of 50 Cheese-Its, I would count out 25,” she says. “Instead of drinking three gigantic Cokes each day, I cut down to one.”
Eventually, Jen started running with a roommate. At first, she could only run one block before having to stop and walk. She worked up to running two blocks, then three . . . and, well, the next thing she knew “my roommate and I were running a 5K on Thanksgiving Day.”
Last year, Jen was a World Triathlon podium finisher in Dubai, where she placed 2nd in the Super Sprint — a finish she admits she didn’t expect. “My goal in the super sprint was to race hard, have fun, learn the course and shake off the cobwebs,” Jen says. “I had no idea I would do so well.”
Jen finished 2nd place in the Super Sprint in Dubai
While in Dubai, Jen was able to spend a few days absorbing the “beauty and opulence” of the city. She especially enjoyed the diversity (more than 200 nationalities), touring Burj Khalifa (the world’s tallest building) and eating “amazing meals” of hummus, pita, tabouli and kebabs.
Jen’s advice for anyone wanting to have a healthier new year is pretty simple: Remember the work is worth it.
“As long as you continue to put in the work and stay consistent, it will pay off,” she says. “You will see results. I may be getting older, but I’m also getting better. I can’t wait to see what I accomplish in 2023.”
To help you prepare a healthy meal, today Jen is sharing with us one of her favorite salads. Once you begin eating more vegetables, she says your body will crave them. Here’s to craving salad with cheese and fresh berries!
Motivation Monday: 10-Minute Walks Can Change Your Life
Schlichting Family
Oftentimes there’s one defining moment that leads to big changes in someone’s life. It might be a heart attack at age 40 as it was for Melissa Murphy or a humiliating moment on the wrestling mat in middle school as it was for Casey Schlichting.
Casey shared so many insights and provided a wealth of easy exercise tips that we’re sharing his story in two parts. (Click here to read Part I.)
“Everyone is busy. We all have time commitments. That’s why you must make a conscious effort for fitness,” says Casey, who raises corn and soybeans on his family farm near Clear Lake in North Central Iowa. “You can get the exercise you need anywhere – literally anywhere. You don’t even have to go to a gym. You can learn so much on YouTube without it costing you a dime.”
Casey finds inspiration, as well as gains knowledge about health and nutrition, by following body builders and triathletes online. The White Rhino, who holds the all-time raw world record of 2,226.6 pounds in powerlifting, is one professional whom Casey particularly enjoys following.
One of the best cardio workouts, according to The White Rhino, is taking three, 10-minute walks daily. Who can’t make time for that?
“Rhino Rants is a 12-minute podcast. If I’m waiting in a field with a seed tender, I can take a walk while listening to Rhino Rants. If I’m waiting for a combine to onload, I can take a 10-minute walk around the field.”
“I encourage my farmer friends to make time for healthy practice, especially during spring planting and fall harvest,” adds Casey. “Not only will it get your circulation flowing, it will provide you with more energy to power through the field work.”
Schlichting powerlifting at a meet last spring.
Taking short walks also gives your brain a break, says Casey, who has been known to take periodic walks during all-day industry meetings.
“I’m not used to sitting all day. I feel better when I get out of my seat and get moving during breaks,” says Casey, who serves on the board of directors for Five Star Co-op and for the Cerro Gordo Farm Bureau. He also has served as the Iowa Soybean Association’s (ISA) District 2 director since 2017.
There is always so much good food served at farmer meetings. Donuts for breakfast and Scotch-a-Roos for afternoon snacks are one of Casey’s downfalls.
“If I travel to a meeting, I run in the morning or do the elliptical to get my blood flowing before the meeting starts. It works best for me to workout first thing in the morning whether or not I have to travel. My morning workout is my time to clear my head,” says Casey, who takes on more household responsibilities while his wife, Teresa, works full-time off the farm as principal at Lincoln Intermediate School in Mason City, Iowa. Casey takes their active twins, who are in fifth grade, to and from school. He also works his schedule around their extracurricular activities.
Casey participating in a Sprint Triathlon.
It can be hard to stay on track, as Casey knows first-hand. He says maintaining a healthy weight has been a life-long struggle. He started making a conscious effort to build muscle and fuel his body the summer before his freshman year of high school. He had been doing well for years. Like many of us who get married and get busy with our jobs and families, Casey put his own health and wellness needs on the back burner.
“Thanksgiving Day 2015 I stepped on a scale and almost went into shock,” says Casey. “Our scale went to 330 pounds, and I weighed more than that. Talk about a wakeup call! I started going to the Y (YMCA). I made a conscious effort to eat better.”
It was during that time that Casey also got active on social media, following health and wellness professionals. He also stayed in close contact with friends who encouraged him to mix up his exercise routine.
As a former high school athlete who played college football for one year at Waldorf College, Casey is motivated by competition and is always looking for his next challenge. He ran his first triathlon in 2017 – almost on a whim.
“From my days of go-kart racing, I have a buddy in North Carolina. He’s a strength and conditioning coach there, and he does IRONMAN competitions. Another buddy in Nebraska is into athletic training. I was chatting back and forth with both guys, and they convinced me that I should switch up my exercise routine by biking and swimming. Since our farm is connected to Clear Lake with a bike trail, I bought a bike. It’s a 13.7-mile ride to the lake, so I started doing that regularly. Then I swam 32 laps at the Y. It took me 90 minutes, but I made my goal of swimming 1 mile without dying.”
As the chat continued, one of Casey’s buddies says he read that Mason City was hosting a spring 2017 triathlon. That meant Casey had three months to train for it.
“Never in a million years did I think I’d be able to compete in a triathlon. My biggest challenge was figuring out the nutrition needed to get the macros needed. I learned a lot about nutrition from Triathlon Taren on YouTube and Twitter. However, race day nutrition was another challenge.”
Casey learned that it’s important to time snacks to keep your body fueled throughout the competition. He didn’t drink enough on the bike ride, so his legs cramped when he got off the bike and started running.
“I had passed a ton of people on the bike, and then they all ran past me. My goal was to finish – and I did,” said Casey. Then he entered a second triathlon in 2018 to improve his personal time.
All the exercise and attention to diet allowed Casey to maintain his weight loss from 2015 until January 2019. For no apparent reason, Casey started gaining weight. He was irritable and lethargic. He had a hard time getting out of bed in the morning and lacked the focus to complete daily tasks. A visit to his local doctor suggested he was depressed, but he didn’t believe that was the right diagnosis.
Casey advocated for his own health and sought a second opinion at Mayo Clinic. More blood work and a sleep apnea were completed. The sleep apnea test revealed Casey slept better than nearly 90% of people, so an appointment was scheduled with an endocrinologist.
The diagnosis was low testosterone, which he learned is a common problem that is very often misdiagnosed. Symptoms of sleep apnea, depression, hypothyroidism and low testosterone are very similar. Casey has been on a testosterone replacement therapy regiment for about six months and says he’s feeling like his old self again. He encourages anyone who has questions about it to reach out to him on social media (@getfitfarmer).
With his energy levels returning, Casey is now focused on a new goal. He plans to compete in the Strongman competition during the 2020 Iowa Games. Events will be decided on the day of competition but they may include: Farmers Walk, Tire Flip, Vehicle Pull, Loading Relay, Arm Over Arm Pull, Ground to Overhead Relay, Car Deadlift, and/or Overhead Press.
Best of luck to Casey as he works toward yet another health and fitness goal!
Middle school is a time riddled with self-doubt and self-consciousness for nearly everyone. For Casey Schlichting of Clear Lake, Iowa, that time in his life was downright humiliating. One defining moment prompted him to make a lifestyle change.
“I was in eighth grade. At an Eagle Grove wrestling tournament, there wasn’t a heavyweight in my age bracket. They brought a Junior down to wrestle me, and you can about imagine how that went!” says Casey. “I was big, but I wasn’t strong. I couldn’t even do one chin-up. I decided I needed to do something about it, so I started going to the weight room.”
“When I was a freshman, my sister was a senior. All her friends looked out for me in the weight room,” adds Casey. “The senior class was supportive and encouraging. I was there every morning at 6:15 and completed an hour-long workout.”
Because the school didn’t serve breakfast at that time, Casey got the protein he needed by opening old school cans of tuna and packing boiled eggs. He says eating a well-balanced diet doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Rather than downing sugary drinks and empty calories, he continues to look for foods that are low in both sodium and added sugars.
“There are literally 100 different types of diets, but the ‘right one’ is the one that you can follow,” says Casey, who has learned that Keto isn’t right for him. He needs complex carbohydrates to provide energy to train for powerlifting and triathlons. He believes in eating all food groups in moderation.
Casey participating in a Sprint Triathlon.
Casey finds inspiration, as well as gains knowledge about health and nutrition, by following body builders and triathletes online. The White Rhino, who holds the all-time raw world record of 2,226.6 pounds in powerlifting, is one professional whom Casey particularly enjoys following.
With two triathlons under his belt, Casey is once again focusing on weightlifting. He competed in bench press competition while he was in high school. For many years, he was focused on power lifting. Now he’s has a goal of competing in the Strongman competition at the 2020 Iowa Games.
Summer also means Casey will log many miles again on his bicycle. He and Teresa enjoy going on bike rides with their twins. Their home is close to the trail, so they often bicycle to Big Blue or Clear Lake where they enjoy swimming before riding back home. Their daughter, Josie, also enjoys playing basketball and volleyball. Their son, Jack, isn’t sure if he wants to continue playing baseball this summer. He enjoys helping his dad and grandpa on the farm.
Schlichting Family
“I enjoy raising my family in the house where my grandparents lived,” says Casey. “At night, we can sit around the fire in our Adirondack chairs and watch the crops grow.”
While the Schlichting family eagerly awaits the change of season, they’re staying active inside. The family enjoys their Y membership where they can swim, as well as play basketball and racquetball. Teresa also enjoys yoga.
For more ideas on how your family can stay active this winter, follow Casey and the other members of Iowa Food & Family Project’s Farm Team during their 10 Week Wellness Challenge. Better yet, join along! Although it’s too late to register for this particular challenge, it’s never too late to begin your own health and wellness journey! To help you get started, today Casey is sharing one of his favorite post-workout breakfast recipes, Stan Efferding’s Monster Mash.
Some days, it can feel like connecting with consumers is nearly impossible.
With each trendy diet, noisy advertisement or misinformed social media comment, it seems like the distance between the 2% who farm and 98% who don’t is widening.
In my consumer-facing role with the Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) and Iowa Food & Family Project (Iowa FFP), I work to unite Iowans in conversations about modern agriculture. I work to showcase the work farmers do to raise safe, nutritious products to feed their families, neighbors and the world.
Each time I speak with a farmer, their question to me remains the same: “What do consumers really want to know about farming and how can I connect with them?” This leadership and openness are the first steps in shrinking the seemingly significant divide between consumers and farmers.
And the bridge goes both ways. More than 130,000 Iowa consumers (that’s the combined population of Iowa City, Cedar Falls and Boone!) are engaging with Iowa FFP content, activities and events. They’re hungry to meet farmers and have authentic conversations about how food is grown and raised.
Each year, Iowa FFP conducts a Consumer Pulse Survey among food purchasers in the state. Now in its eighth year, the survey gauges grocery shopping habits, food label influence and attitudes toward farming.
These objective survey findings shape Iowa FFP’s approach to connecting farmers and consumers. And best of all, these findings can help farmers answer the question: “What do consumers really want to know about farming and how can I connect with them?”
Here are three key takeaways from the most recent survey:
Iowans are fans of farmers: 83% of grocery shoppers agreed they have a positive opinion of farming in Iowa. In fact, 9 in 10 agree that farmers are on the right track with building strong communities and providing safe foods.
Trends aren’t that trendy: Only 3% of food purchasers shop for groceries online. Almost 9 in 10 shoppers agree they are unlikely to replace meat with imitation meat for any given meal.
Mistrust in food marketing: Half of shoppers seek information on front-of-package food marketing (call outs like “organic,” “hormone-free” or “all natural”), with 83% finding it misleading. Since 2016, the purchasing influence of front-of-package marketing has dropped from 32% to 19%. Food quality and price of food top the list as the most important factors when grocery shopping.
The November 2019 survey had 597 responses and 307 were engaged with Iowa FFP as monthly newsletter subscribers. Respondents’ age groups, income levels, education levels and geographic regions closely follow the state’s population, resulting in a 4% margin of error. Blue Compass, a digital marketing agency in West Des Moines, conducted the survey analysis from data collected through Dynata’s business-to-consumer panel.
For additional survey insights and resources that connect farmers and consumers, visit iowafoodandfamily.com.
Content fills Dr. Seuss books with relatable messages and fun pictures for all ages. We took bits and pieces from Dr. Seuss’s collection and celebrated Rachael Bruns and baby Bruns last week at Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds.
Rachael has been a part of our team since May 2018 and currently serves as a Sales Account Manager. She has a knack of building relationships with dealers and regional sales managers she works with daily. We wanted to turn Rachael’s attention from helping others through the shipping season to celebrating herself and baby Bruns by throwing her a surprise baby shower!
Green (deviled) eggs and ham (balls) starred as the main appetizers for Rachael’s celebration. We also had goldfish in a fishbowl accompanied with Red Seuss Juice & Blue Seuss Juice. Members of Team Latham had the chance to offer their advice for the soon-to-be parents of Baby B. We wrapped up the celebration with gift opening and exquisite Dr. Seuss sugar cookies for dessert.
Celebrating team members started with Evelyn Latham by sharing the gift of presence. Surprise baby showers and bridal showers do just that – it allows us to take a break and enter conversation with each other. I am thankful to be a part of a family-owned company that honors these values and celebrates one another’s milestones.
From all of us at Latham Seeds, we wish Rachael, her husband Jeff, and Baby Bruns the absolute best. Congratulations again, Rachael!
Today we are sharing the delicious ham ball recipe from the shower. These can be used as an appetizer or main dish. Enjoy!
5 Secrets to Becoming the Best Version of You in the New Year!
Photo credit to the Iowa Food & Family Project
guest blog post by Anne Hytrek, Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator for Ankeny Prairie Trail Hy-Vee
You may have pictured it in your head numerous times – the best version of you. The best could mean the healthiest version, the happiest version, the smoke-free version or the less-stressed version of you.
Whatever your best version means, the following 5 secrets can help you reach your maximum potential in 2020:
Balance Your Diet – Take a good hard look at your daily food intake. Does it include at least a couple of servings of fruits and vegetables per day? Is it made up of sugary processed foods? Are you skipping meals? According to Forbes, only 8% of Americans achieve their New Year’s resolutions. Take this opportunity to be part of that 8%! Your Hy-Vee registered dietitian can work on your nutrition goals. He or she can keep you accountable and ensure that your diet is balanced and fulfilling.
Water, Water, Water – Most of us have heard it before, “You need to drink more water.” Take this message to heart and focus on making the majority of your daily beverage intake water. To help increase your intake, take a clear water bottle and draw hash marks evenly spaced along the side of the bottle. Starting at the top, label each hash mark with a time of the day (i.e. 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., etc.). Use that as your hour-by-hour water intake goal.
Relax, Renew and Refocus – Let’s admit we could all use some stress reduction in our hectic lives. Whether you like to listen to music, read, meditate or exercise, try to take time each day to give yourself a mental break. This mental break can help you refocus your time and perhaps make you more productive because you gave yourself a chance to just breathe.
Move More – According to The Huffington Post, it takes 21 days to develop a new habit. Start slowly. Do something you enjoy. Move more throughout your day, and after about three weeks, it will become a new healthy habit for you.
Give Yourself Some Attention – In 2021, make it a point to write down the things that make you happy. Keep this list handy and add to it throughout the year. Focusing on your happiness may inspire you to have a better outlook on life. We only get one life, so make it your best!
Whether you work on all five of these secrets at once or just one at a time, it’s a step in the right direction toward being the best version of you. Your Hy-Vee registered dietitian can help you throughout the entire journey. In the words of Zig Ziglar, “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”
To wrap up the past year of Food & Family Features, we’re highlighting the top five most viewed blogs from 2019. Each one of the following posts contains a recipe that is special to the family being featured.
Click on the links below to revisit each of these top stories from the past year:
Filzens Work Together to Carry on Family Legacy. No matter what job you have, it’s all about relationships. That’s a lesson Latham® seed dealer Dale Filzen learned from his father, and it’s a lesson he’s passed along to his three daughters. Click on the link to read the rest of the story and to download one of the Filzen family’s favorite recipes. Celebrate January soup month by downloading their hearty recipe, which is sure to warm you up on a cold winter’s night.
These Super Fans Bring Superb Tailgating Skills to the Table. Ryan and Meg Schon (pronounced “shown”) honed their tailgating skills when their favorite team didn’t have a hope or a prayer of post-season play. The Schons met when they were both students at Iowa State University. Like many Cyclone fans, they’ve been loyal and forever true to their school. Their eternal optimism prompted them to develop the mantra of “Tailgate Victoriously.” It’s a tagline that has become so ingrained in their fall activities that Ryan created Cyclone jerseys with the numbers “19” and “95” to commemorate the year he and Meg were married.
Iowa’s First Authenic Farm Stay Opens. One travel trend is local experiences you can’t find at the office, down the street or from mainstream motel or hotel. A North Central Iowa dairy family offers a unique travel experience by combining a sleep experience with agritourism. Dan and Lynn Bolin of Clarksville, Iowa, have opened New Day Dairy Guest Barn. Attached to their dairy barn, the loft of the Guest Barn features two cow-gazing windows. Each of the three bedrooms has a private attached bathroom. A kitchen and dining area finish out the space. You can book a stay now through AirBnB and Sleep with the Cows: AirBnB at bit.ly/sleepwiththecows
Broedlow Family is Living their Legacy in Southeastern Wisconsin. Their families owned land adjacent to one another. Their childhood homes were just one mile apart, yet Brady and Lynsey Broedlow didn’t meet until they were both out of high school. Even their first meeting is unusual for teenagers raised in a small town… When she was 16, Lynsey joined the Helenville (Wisconsin) Volunteer Fire Department because her dad has been on the department since he was 18. His service ignited Lynsey’s desire to serve. Brady joined the department a few years later when he turned 18, which is where their love story begins.
Pozarski Finds His Niche in Niche Markets. When you think of maple syrup production, chances are you think of New England. You wouldn’t be wrong. However, Wisconsin is the fourth top maple-producing state. Maple syrup is uniquely a North American product due to our climate. Freezing nights and warmer days are required for the sap to flow properly from the trees. Latham® dealer Blake Pozarski of Pozarski Family Farms grew up on a dairy farm and says there are many similarities between dairying and producing syrup. “I joke with my kids, ‘I’m milking trees today’. When you grow up farming, it’s in your blood.”
Meeting our dealers, customers and friends in agriculture is something we truly enjoy. We enjoy telling stories that showcase how farmers are making an impact in the agricultural industry and in their communities.
We’re always looking for a good story to tell – and every family has one! Feel free to call our office at 641.692.3258 or drop us an email at TeamLatham@gmail.com. It would be an honor to share your story on “The Field Position” in the year ahead. We wish you a happy 2020!
To wrap up the past year of Food & Family Features, we’re highlighting the top five most viewed blogs from 2019. Each one of the following posts contains a recipe that is special to the family being featured.
Click on the links below to revisit each of these top stories from the past year:
Filzens Work Together to Carry on Family Legacy. No matter what job you have, it’s all about relationships. That’s a lesson Latham® seed dealer Dale Filzen learned from his father, and it’s a lesson he’s passed along to his three daughters. Click on the link to read the rest of the story and to download one of the Filzen family’s favorite recipes. Celebrate January soup month by downloading their hearty recipe, which is sure to warm you up on a cold winter’s night.
These Super Fans Bring Superb Tailgating Skills to the Table. Ryan and Meg Schon (pronounced “shown”) honed their tailgating skills when their favorite team didn’t have a hope or a prayer of post-season play. The Schons met when they were both students at Iowa State University. Like many Cyclone fans, they’ve been loyal and forever true to their school. Their eternal optimism prompted them to develop the mantra of “Tailgate Victoriously.” It’s a tagline that has become so ingrained in their fall activities that Ryan created Cyclone jerseys with the numbers “19” and “95” to commemorate the year he and Meg were married.
Iowa’s First Authenic Farm Stay Opens. One travel trend is local experiences you can’t find at the office, down the street or from mainstream motel or hotel. A North Central Iowa dairy family offers a unique travel experience by combining a sleep experience with agritourism. Dan and Lynn Bolin of Clarksville, Iowa, have opened New Day Dairy Guest Barn. Attached to their dairy barn, the loft of the Guest Barn features two cow-gazing windows. Each of the three bedrooms has a private attached bathroom. A kitchen and dining area finish out the space. You can book a stay now through AirBnB and Sleep with the Cows: AirBnB at bit.ly/sleepwiththecows
Broedlow Family is Living their Legacy in Southeastern Wisconsin. Their families owned land adjacent to one another. Their childhood homes were just one mile apart, yet Brady and Lynsey Broedlow didn’t meet until they were both out of high school. Even their first meeting is unusual for teenagers raised in a small town… When she was 16, Lynsey joined the Helenville (Wisconsin) Volunteer Fire Department because her dad has been on the department since he was 18. His service ignited Lynsey’s desire to serve. Brady joined the department a few years later when he turned 18, which is where their love story begins.
Pozarski Finds His Niche in Niche Markets. When you think of maple syrup production, chances are you think of New England. You wouldn’t be wrong. However, Wisconsin is the fourth top maple-producing state. Maple syrup is uniquely a North American product due to our climate. Freezing nights and warmer days are required for the sap to flow properly from the trees. Latham® dealer Blake Pozarski of Pozarski Family Farms grew up on a dairy farm and says there are many similarities between dairying and producing syrup. “I joke with my kids, ‘I’m milking trees today’. When you grow up farming, it’s in your blood.”
Meeting our dealers, customers and friends in agriculture is something we truly enjoy. We enjoy telling stories that showcase how farmers are making an impact in the agricultural industry and in their communities.
We’re always looking for a good story to tell – and every family has one! Feel free to call our office at 641.692.3258 or drop us an email at TeamLatham@gmail.com. It would be an honor to share your story on “The Field Position” in the year ahead. We wish you a happy 2020!
This week marks another milestone as Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds hosted its 10th annual Christmas potluck. Our first potluck was held in 2009 when Latham Seed Company and Latham Hi‑Tech Hybrids merged to become Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds. To symbolize our coming together, that year each employee hung an ornament bearing his/her name on our company’s Christmas tree. Those ornaments continue to hang, and each year new ornaments are made as needed.
Last year we added the Ugly Sweater theme. Those sweaters provided so many good laughs that we hosted our 2nd Annual Ugly Sweater Party in conjunction with this year’s potluck.
This year we also allowed for more serving space on the buffet line. That got me to thinking… Not everyone is used to planning parties or hosting large gatherings. Potlucks are such a great team-building activity plus they give people permission to slow down during an especially hectic season. Yet it seems that fewer people “open up their doors” to host others. How can we encourage more people to share a little holiday cheer?
Below are five quick tips for hosting a holiday gathering:
Spread the Word. Keep it simple. Your invitation doesn’t need to be Pinterest-inspired nor worthy of an Instagram moment. Just make sure the people you want to gather around your table know when and where to show up!
Sign Up. We’ve learned that duplicates and triplicates can happen, so now we put a sign-up sheet at the front desk. This way we can see what others are bringing. Since we’ve started the sign-up sheet, we’ve had a much wider variety of foods from salads to desserts.
Set up the Space. Many hands make light work. If need be, recruit friends and family members to help. If you’re a small business, set up a committee if need be. Be sure to consider the flow when you set up tables. Keep the crock pots hot and the cool dishes cool. Set desserts and small dessert plates by the coffee pot.
Dish It Up. Supply Sharpie markers, Ziploc® bags and disposable containers to help divvy up the leftovers. There’s no sense in having good food go to waste! Plus, you can always freeze smaller portions to enjoy for lunch.
Clean Up Crew. Don’t just eat and run! Many hands make light work, so do your part to help put away tables and anything else that needs to be done. In a matter of minutes, our office was even cleaner than before the potluck began.
Not everyone is an extrovert, and we often chose to sit next to the people with whom we work most closely. Consider place cards to help people get to know one another and develop a few “conservation starters” in advance. I enjoy asking people which dish they brought and why. There’s usually a good story behind the “why” a recipe is special. Another idea for a conversation starter is to ask the person next to you for his/her favorite Christmas carol, but be sure to ask “why” his/her chose that song.
Table Talk
This week we asked our management team members to share their favorite Christmas movies. Classics like “White Christmas,” “Holiday Inn” and “Miracle on 34th Street.” The most popular were “A Christmas Story” and “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” “Home Alone” received an honorable mention because one team member said she has watched it with each of her sons, and it allows her to see it through his eyes. One of our team members said “A Christmas Story” is her favorite because it brings back great memories of movie marathons at her grandpa’s house. One reason I love “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” is because it brings back a great memory of uncontrollable laughter when I first watched this movie with one of my cousins who tends to be very serious.
Each year there is an “it” recipe that gets requested by multiple team members, so we do our best to share that with you on “The Field Position” blog. This year’s pick is a simple, but festive cranberry gelatin salad from Becky Lane. Becky says this is one of her favorites because it is an unconventional way to use cranberries over the holiday season.
Did you know that our affinity for Jell-O dates to the 1930s and 1940s when refrigerators became more common? The first dish often made was Jell-O because that couldn’t be made in a traditional icebox. No wonder church and community potlucks are filled with so many Jell-O recipes… they’re a family tradition. In my family, we call one dish “Christmas Jell-O Salad.” You can learn more facts like this in Darcy Maulsby’s book, “A Culinary History of Iowa.”
Experience “Farm to Spoon” Delivery in World’s Ice Cream Capital
These days consumers are interested in tracking where their food products originate. Visitors to the newly renovated Wells Visitors Center and Ice Cream Parlor in Le Mars, Iowa, get a “farm to spoon” view from an interactive display that shows how fresh milk is delivered from local dairy farms to Wells Enterprises where it is turned into ice cream.
Wells collects and processes more than 20 tankers of milk daily, 365 days of the year. It makes nearly 1,000 different products like Blue Bunny® Peppermint Stick Ice Cream and the original Bomb Pop.® In fact, more ice cream is made in Le Mars than anywhere else. That’s why in 1994 the Iowa Legislature officially declared this Northwest Iowa community the Ice Cream Capital of the World.
During National Ice Cream Month in July, I got the pleasure of touring one of the local dairy farms that supplies milk to America’s largest privately held, family-owned ice cream and frozen treat manufacturer. Plymouth Dairy is aptly named as it is located amongst the beautiful hills of Plymouth County. Owned and operated by the Feuerhelm family, this dairy farm is a mere 10-minute drive from Wells’ ice cream plant.
Scott & Jill’s daughter, Abby, shows the cow photo that was considered for State Fair.
Plymouth Dairy was founded in 1999 to diversify income because crop prices were extremely low. Scott Feuerhelm, who graduated from Iowa State University in 1995 had returned home to farm with his father, Alan. They milked their first cows in August 2000. Scott’s older brother, Brad, joined them in 2002. Kurt Weirda serves as general manager of Plymouth Dairy. While Weirda focuses on managing the dairy herd and its 35 employees, the Feuerhelms focus on crop and forage production.
In addition to their day-to-day duties, they believe it’s important to be involved with the industry. Alan Feuerhelm is a past board member of the Western Iowa Dairy Alliance and serves on the Midwest Dairy Association. Kurt Weirda has served as chairman of Dairy Iowa. Plymouth Dairy owners and managers also have hosted Breakfast on the Farm during June Dairy Month, plus they host numerous tours for school groups and other organizations throughout the year.
“We want to show consumers that we care about producing a high-quality product and the way to do this is by making sure the cows are well taken care of and comfortable” says Scott Feuerhelm.
Understanding consumer preferences and viewpoints is especially important to Scott’s wife, Jill. She grew up on a Central Iowa row crop and cattle feeding farm and majored in Agricultural Business. Upon graduating from ISU, Jill began working at The Meyocks Group in West Des Moines where she was an account executive for food and animal health accounts.
Developing strategy for marketing and communicating agricultural products served Jill well as she began her career at Wells and has held various roles within marketing, brand management and sales.
“I enjoy working for Wells because it is a family-owned company with a commitment to manufacturing high-quality ice cream and novelties,” says Jill. “I have been able to grow in my career at Wells by holding various positions within the company.”
Scott & Jill’s son, Luke, participates in bike races through the year. He races with LUX cycling based in California.
The Feuerhelm family is working hard to live a legacy that allows their children to become fifth generation farmers. In 2019, they expanded their farming operation to include Perry Creek Dairy. The new facility, also in located in Plymouth County, includes 7.5 acres of under-roof freestall barns. These barns allow for maximum cow comfort, safety, and environmental stewardship. As many as 3,600 cows can be milked three times daily in the 80-stall parlor.
“The comfort of our cows is of utmost importance,” explains Scott. “Our cows all have sand beds. Fans and sprinklers keep them cool in the summer and the barns keep them warm during the winter. They are given plenty of fresh water and food.”
Milk from Perry Creek Dairy supports the Agropur mozzarella cheese production facility in Hull, Iowa. Today they’re sharing with us a family favorite recipe that makes use of the products they produce. Why not top off a great homemade meal with a dish of Blue Bunny Peppermint Stick ice cream?
Chicken Deluxe
6 to 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
½ small package Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix
¼ c. butter
Arrange chicken in pan or casserole dish so pieces are touching. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Pour one can cream of chicken soup over cheeses. Roll Pepperidge Farm stuffing to fine crumbs; sprinkle over everything. Drizzle melted butter over dressing. Bake 1 ½ to 2 hours at 300 degrees.
