Following Mr. Serverson’s instructions, I set off to find mislabeled items at my local grocery store. One product in particular that I found to be mislabeled was Sunny D Orange Juice. What makes this orange juice different from freshly squeezed orange juice is that it contains water, high fructose corn syrup, and it contained a mix of several different fruit juices. With that being said, it can be argued that Sunny D Orange Juice isn’t really “Orange Juice”, due to the simple fact of it not being made from real oranges. So whenever you decide to go grocery shopping, and are in the mood for some orange juice; take the time to look at the label. If it contains additives such as: potassium sulfate, corn sugar, or absorbic acid, stay clear of it and make sure you pick an orange juice that wasn’t made from concentrate. For example, Simoly Orange is a good choice because it’s 100% pure squeezed pasteurized orange juice.
All posts by peaches
Delaware as a Foodshed
Ed Kee visited or Agriculture class to discuss Delaware Agriculture as a foodshed. Delaware is a key component in the Agriculture world. As a state, we are able to distribute food to one third of the population within eight hours. This surprised me because of how fast other states surrounding Delaware can get access to food. One thing I found the most interesting, is that Delaware has yielded corn for 145 years. In comparison to the broiler chickens I had mentioned in a previous post about Ms. Cartanza, corn has also been improved by better genetics, and irrigation. In saying this, I really enjoyed Mr. Kee’s lecture. I learned so much about probability and market, and hope to learn more things from him about the Ag community on his next visit!
Mrs. Michele Walfred on Personal Branding and Social Media
Mrs. Walfred discussed Personal Branding, and the Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media. One thing that caught my eye about this presentation was when she asked “What’s your brand?” That question is very important, because it involves knowing who you are, and what you want to be known for. During her lecture, she gave really good life advice. She stated that it was a good idea to have two specific social media accounts. A personal one, and a professional one which focuses more on “your brand” or career. Mrs. Walfred made note of this particularly because of the way social media affects our lives. Having a more professional account will help brand yourself in a positive way, and it protects you from the consequences of what may be on your private social media account. It’s a great idea to start knowing what your brand is because it may help increase your chances of getting a job. The example Mrs.Walfred used was becoming a Veterinarian. If this is your particular career goal, then it’s best to start following former veterinarians, and vet schools, and to post pictures of you doing animal related activities (I.e volunteering at an animal shelter). I really learned a lot from this lecture, and took some things to heart because my image is important to me and I don’t want my actions on social media to affect my life forever.
Guest Lecture Georgie Cartanza on the Evolution of the Poultry Industry
On September 9, Ms. Georgie Cartanza visited our classroom to teach us about the Evolution of the Poultry Industry. In teaching us about the Poultry Industry, she elaborated more about the field trip we took to her farm. One thing that I found to be the most important thing about her lecture, was when she showed us a picture of what meat chickens used to look like from 1957 to 2005. In seeing this picture, I understood why others would think that farmers were pumping the chickens up with steroids because of how big they seemed in year 2005. In 1957, chickens were only 905 grams, but as time progressed the average chicken was 4,202 grams. The reason why we have bigger and better chickens today is all due to better genetics. The better the genetics, the better the bird will look. She also mentioned that the number one challenge in the Agriculture Industry was image. Being able to shed a positive light on the Ag Industry is highly important because people always have misconceptions about what happens within the Ag community. In stating this, I learned from Ms. Georgie that we have to understand where the miseducated person is coming from, and then try to inform them on what actually happens. As a whole, I really liked Ms. Cartanza’s lecture because it gave me more insight and knowledge about the Industry, and this is something that I’ll always remember.
Georgie Cartanza’s Organic Poultry Farm
On Saturday, September 7, my classmates and I traveled to Dover to visit Georgie Cartanza’s Organic Poultry Farm. I enjoyed this field trip a lot because I saw how dedicated Georgie was about raising these organic chickens. For two years in High School, I took care of our chickens. From only working in a little chicken coop, it was nice to witness someone doing it on a larger scale. Here on Georgie’s farm, she has 4 chicken houses. Each contain 37,000 chickens (Ross 708), which is equal to 148,000 chickens on the farm. These chickens are straight run Broilers, meaning that 50% are girls and 50% are boys. In regards to taking care of these birds, it takes a lot of time and hard work to get these birds in the right conditions for them to be processed. Although there was mention of mortgage payments, electricity bills and feed costs, not once did Georgie complain. She kept a huge smile on her face, and continued to educate the class about her poultry farm. I could tell that Ms. Georgie loves what she does, which is something that I admire about her. This field trip was a great experience for me, and it was interesting to learn about what goes on inside an Organic Poultry Farm!!
