Tagged With "small fruit"

Yesterday, we hosted a webinar led by Jessica Larson - Public Affairs Specialist, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, U.S. Department of Agriculture. She provided a research review that offered insights on how various SNAP-eligible audiences use social media channels, particularly when it comes to health and healthy eating. Participants had a chance to find out which platforms are preferred by different lower income populations to more effectively communicate healthy eating messages...

Green infrastructure is a strategically planned network at the city and even regional scale that includes both land (parks, urban forests, raingardens, bioswales, greenspace, to name a few), and water (rivers, watersheds, etc.). Working in green infrastructure also enables the clear illustration of often forgotten connections between local and regional food systems and water (roof gardens, community gardens, urban farms, fruit orchards, etc.). Other benefits of green infrastructure include...

Last week, we hosted three wonderful folks from the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). They took us “behind the label” to share background on the changes and provide an in-depth tour of the updated Nutrition Facts label. CFSAN staff also shared educational materials and resources on the updated Nutrition Facts label for both health professionals and consumers. If you didn't get a chance to catch this presentation - the recording is available here ! By popular demand,...

A couple of weeks ago, we had Stephenie Fu and Elizabeth Rahavi join us from the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy & Promotion to discuss the new Dietary Guidlines for Americans for 2020-2015. The U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 to reflect the current body of nutrition science. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is the nation’s source for nutrition guidance to promote health and...

By LT Dennis Anderson-Villaluz, MBA, RD, LDN, FAND, Nutrition Advisor, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion , U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Establishing healthy dietary patterns early in life can provide young Americans with the foundation to continue those behaviors throughout later life stages. Unhealthy dietary patterns and inadequate physical activity in children and adolescents ages 2 to 18 contribute to overweight and obesity — as well as increasing the...

Last week, we were joined by the MyPlate team from the USDA Center of Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) for a preview of two MyPlate tools that will help Americans make healthy food choices. Big thanks to @Barbara Jirka from USDA-CNPP for helping to organize this! New to the USDA - Shop Simple with MyPlate , allows individuals to find cost-saving opportunities in their local area and discover new ways to prepare budget-friendly foods. The panelists presented the background on the...

Starting any new venture can be scary. Deciding to tap into our creative entrepreneurial spirit can take a lot of courage, patience & a bit of ignoring our insecurities. "Why not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is!" -Mark Twain Recently heard Tim Ferriss Podcast interview with Sir Richard Branson. One of the stories Branson told was of how he got into the airline business. He was trying to get home after a 3-week business trip when his flight was cancelled. He really wanted to...

UBUNTU is the social philosophy that Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu used to unite post-apartheid South Africa. It says... I am only because you are. Quick story: An anthropologist visited a village in Africa and set up an experiment. He put a basket of fruit under the biggest tree in the village, lined up all the kids in the village and said they were going to have a race. The first one to the basket got to enjoy the fruit. He lined them up and sent them off with a "ready, set, go!" None of...

This week, Julia Quam from the HHS Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion joined us for a wonderful webinar on Using the Dietary Guidelines for Americans to Promote Healthy Aging. For the first time, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 provides nutrition guidance by life stage, including specific guidance for older adults. Older adults have unique nutrition needs, experience changes in body composition, and face increased risks of malnutrition and chronic disease,...

INTRODUCTION The University of Connecticut (UConn) Department of Extension is seeking applicants for a full-time (11 month) non-tenure track Assistant/Associate Extension Educator. The successful applicant will assess, develop and deliver impactful extension programs on soil health, regenerative agriculture, and conservation practices. These programs will build an Extension program focused on creating more climate and economically resilient agricultural systems through improved knowledge of...

Between a four-decade record high for inflation and rising interest rates, many Americans are being squeezed financially.

As any parent can tell you, it can be tough to get your kids to eat healthy foods. Proper nutrition is an important part of raising happy and healthy families. But what happens when proper nutrition is difficult to obtain? Not having enough food to eat is a growing problem for many families, so it can be hard to eat healthily when food is limited. Whether a family is facing a lack of access to healthy foods or affordability issues, this challenge of food insecurity puts families through...

Sixteen land grant universities will receive first-year CDC awards totaling more than $11 million to help reduce disparities in US counties with high rates of obesity. The awards are part of the 5-year High Obesity Program (HOP) . Through these awards Cooperative Extension at these sixteen institutions will work to increase the availability of affordable, healthy foods and safe, convenient places for physical activity. HOP serves counties where more than 40% of adults have obesity. Obesity...

The 1862 land grant institutions face a large task to move beyond their troubled legacy and meet the needs of contemporary people of color. To address racial inequities in extension, we embarked on educational and institutional change activities. We share three key lessons: the need to take time for building relationships of trust, to tailor individual communication about diversity, equity, and inclusion work for different colleagues, and to re-think the sources of expertise in extension work.

We are launching a national online outreach effort to hear from America’s smallest businesses on what we can do to help them hire, keep, and support disabled workers. We would love to hear from the folks that reach out to extension services and businesses in the agricultural sector. Please feel free to distribute this information, below and in the attached flier, to your extension services’ networks. Reach out if you have any questions. Thanks! - Did you know that more than 90% of businesses...

This position is located at Extension’s Hillsborough County Office in Goffstown, N.H. The field specialist will provide technical assistance and develop educational programming in fruit and vegetable production to both new and experienced growers. Expertise in fruit or vegetable production is a priority for this position. Additional expertise in soil nutrition, integrated pest management or agricultural engineering is desirable. The candidate will work individually and as part of a team to...