Paper #4 “Why We Get Fat: Adiposity 101 and the Alternative Hypothesis of Obesity”

This was one of my favorite opening sessions of the three mornings at RMC. This one challenged me to think about different ideas behind obesity causes and effects. Mr. Taubes was a very good speaker and was excited to speak about this topic, which was shown by his excitement up on stage. I thoroughly enjoyed this topic and the thoughts that were risen in my own mind and ideas that were formed. 

“Why We Get Fat: Adiposity 101 and the Alternative Hypothesis of Obesity”

                The opening session for RMC this year was a presentation by Gary Taubes. Mr. Taubes spoke about the standard of obesity as being blamed on an energy balance disorder. Taubes believes that obesity is not a result of energy imbalance, but in fact a result of the imbalance of insulin due to carbohydrate intake.

                Mr. Taubes expressed how important it was for us to realize that it is important to better understand the fundamentals of different diseases caused by obesity. Obesity is the host to different diseases such as fatty liver disease, type two diabetes, cancer, sleep apnea, and insulin resistance. Premature death can be a result of obesity, giving us another reason to expand our understanding.

                The World Health Organization claims that an energy imbalance between calories in and calories expended is the sole reason for obesity. Too much food is considered over-eating because the energy entering the body is greater than the energy exiting the body. Mr. Taubes states that eating less doesn’t work and has been proven as clinically insignificant. He stated that “there is something in the fat cells that is causing obesity”. He explained that triglycerides are too big to fit through cell membranes, causing it to be broken down into fatty acids for entrance, and then is built back up within the cell. The question is what controls the flow?

 Excess fat accumulation is the cause of obesity. Overeating and inactivity are compensatory effects, not causes, of obesity. Growth is the cause for fat production. Overeating is the effect of growth. Insulin is the main fat tissue controller. An increase in insulin causes an accumulation for fat tissue. A decrease in insulin releases the fat, causing the cells to shrink. An increase in carbohydrate intake causes an increase in insulin being secreted. Carbohydrates are driving insulin, which drives fat.

Taubes believes one of the main causes for obesity is the intake of too many carbohydrates in our daily lives, and that we should stop counting our calories. 

Paper #3 “Swine Nutrition and Management Systems that Alter Productivity and Carcass Traits”

“Swine Nutrition and Management Systems that Alter Productivity and Carcass Traits”

                Dr. Mike Tokach spoke about a topic I found very interesting due to my summer internship at Audubon-Manning Veterinary Clinic in swine production. The swine industry has pushed for higher productivity, larger litter sizes, and the use of dried, distillers grains (DDGS) and ractopamine. Dr. Tokach spoke about how these expansions have also caused negative impacts on the pork industry.

                Since 1930 the United States of America has decreased its number of sows by more than 40% while increasing production by 230%. In 2010, sows were producing 20 piglets per year, which is up 3 pigs per year from ten years ago, and averaging 10.1 pigs per weaning in 2011. Dr. Tokach explained that as we increased the number of pigs weaned per litter, with an increase in the number of pigs per sow, there was an increase in pre-wean mortality. Dr. Tokach’s question was “How does the number of pigs weaned per litter effect meat quality?” I thought Dr. Tokach did an excellent job answering the question he posed.

An increase in litter size causes a more variable birth weight. Within the birth weight, the smallest pigs are effected, but not the larger pigs. Smaller birth weight piglets have larger myofibers which leads to an increase in longissimus dorsi drip loss. Although litter size is a cause of pork quality decrease, DDGS and Ractopamine do not help the situation either.

                DDGS are a result of more ethanol production. As an increasing amount of corn is used for ethanol production, there are more bi-products that need to be used. DDGS are often cheaper than regular feed, but have an increase in unsaturated fats increasing the fiber within a pigs diet. DDGS and the fiber increase cause softer fat composition than that compared to pigs fed corn or soy diets. Introduction of DDGS to the pork industry  has brought about a new challenge to capture quality within our pork production practices.

                Ractopamine is also another cause of decreased pork quality. Although there is an increase in growth rate, feed efficiency, lean deposits, dressing percent, and loin muscle area, the additive results in a decrease in tenderness and color. This additive also alters heart rate, makes pigs difficult to handle, and increases pigs their susceptibility to stress.

                Although the facility I am working at this summer does not feed DDGS or use ractopamine, we do have many controversial conversations about litter size. This speech really helped me better understand how pork production is increasing in size, pork quality is looming behind. It was nice to be able to take this new information back to my swine farm and explain to them what I had learned. 

Paper #2 “Cutting for Internal and External Customers; Evaluating Your Product Presentation”

“Cutting for Internal and External Customers; Evaluating Your Product Presentation”

                On Monday of RMC I attended the reciprocation presented by Amy Steward and Jason Behrends. This was one of my favorite presentations of the entire week. It was hands on, exciting, and educational all at the same time. Although I don’t get into presentation of products, it was very interesting to learn how to deal with a product, and how to make it catch the customers’ eye.

                When dealing with customers, I learned that you need to be prepared to present both the cost, and the data behind a project. Consumers want to know what’s in the product, how expensive is it, how easy it is, if it’s healthy or non-healthy, etc. They briefly explained this part of a products presentation, helping us better understand why it is important to know our products. You need to know about a product to sell the product.

                The next part of the reciprocation session was the hands on experience. We needed to present a plate for a “key customer”. The plate had to be set up as though we were going to present it to this customer, whether it be in person or through photographs. They had four different products; sliced ham and turkey, Mc Donald’s 24 piece chicken nuggets, Mc Donald’s 10 piece chicken nuggets, and a pre-cooked ham. Four different groups had to come up with different presentation styles using the products and a few given additives such as packaging, sauces, plates, and other food items.

                After the groups had compiled their presentations, Amy and Jason explained what was good about them and what was bad about them. They explained how, with the lunch meat, that a white cutting board brought out the color of the meat, compared to a black cutting board which made the two different meats look the same colors. They also explained how sauces, such as mustard, honey, ketchup, and barbeque sauce made the chicken nuggets look more appetizing, as well as how the containers should be placed to present a better view of the product.

                After explaining the presentations, we learned about versatility and how different cuts and presentations make the meat look more appealing. With the ham, we were shown that making it more versatile helped with attraction. They cut some ham into ¼ inch slices, cubed some into ½ inch cubes, as well as left some of the ham whole. We also learned that sometimes simpler is better. You need to show specific items while not overpowering with other products such as greens or containers.

                The presentation always depends on the targeted customer. While some customers won’t like the presentation, others will fall in love with it. Different products are presented in more versatile ways to target a larger set of customers, making a product more popular. This reciprocation really taught me a lot about the presentation of products and how to ensure your customers target. 

Paper #1 “Consumer Insights and Where They are Driving Processed Meats in the Future"

I have been informed that my papers I wrote for a summer course from RMC this year have been granted approval for my blog. I'm posting the four papers I wrote for the course here, on my blog, for others to know what I learned at RMC this year. I enjoyed going to RMC this year, more than I did last year, and I hope that once again, in the future, I will be able to attend the annual meeting. I learned a lot this year, and what I learned stuck with me better than last year. I was challenged this year because I had to write these papers. It allowed me to think more in depth during the speeches that I sat through, as well as allowed me to open my mind to other peoples ideas. I took a lot away from this years RMC and look forward to applying my new knowledge of meat science in my future career, hopefully within the pork industry. I hope you all enjoy my papers, and IF you have any questions feel free to ask! 

“Consumer Insights and Where They are Driving Processed Meats in the Future"

 Janet Riley, AMI, spoke during her session about consumers and how they influence the meat industry. As one of my favorite speakers, I absolutely had to go listen to her. She makes the session humorous as well as educational.

                Mrs. Riley explained how consumer attitudes and behavior need to be considered. We don’t want to use “big sciency” words towards them, as Mrs. Riley put it. Consumers flee at the sight of science. They trust word of mouth advertising more than they trust scientist and company advertising. She also explained to us how consumers tie emotions to food. Food is part of a person’s culture, which doesn’t change easily, and consumers tie food with memories from the past.

                Over the past, consumers have become overwhelmed, anxious, and have gained a lack of trust in institutions, but listen to journalists. It’s all in the “what they know, what they hear, and what they read”. There is a ping-pong effect that comes from this. Scientists and institutions are declaring that their products are safe, healthy, and cheap, while journalists are saying the opposite. There is confusion as consumers are being jerked around in what they are hearing.   Mrs. Riley explained, more consumers would rather do their taxes than figure out what was healthy to eat according to a survey that was done.

                Along with this, there is a lack in abilities for, and knowledge of, cooking. Home economics classes are decreasing around the US and convenience and cost are starting to drive the market. People want simple and “natural” products. One of Janet’s main questions was; Does the next generation know how to cook? Simplicity and authenticity has become an interest because it’s more convenient for busy lifestyles and the confused consumer.

                Consumers expect convenient, affordable, tasty, simple, healthy, and fresh products with transparent labels. She also encouraged us to emphasize natural cure, fewer ingredients, and traditional products. When you can’t simplify a label, explain why. The customer doesn’t understand what we’re doing, none the less, why.

                It was very interesting to hear about how consumers view our 


industry and how they feel towards our products and advertising. The 


consumers drive the future of processed meats, so maybe we should listen to 


them and their concerns? Without consumer satisfaction, there would be no 


meat industry, without a meat industry, there would be no customers. We 


need to satisfy our customers to insure a future. Customers drive the 


processed meats future.

Internship Days 28-32

This week has been just another week at the farm. I worked my regular shifts Monday - Thursday. Nothing new and exciting, just the same stuff as every other day.

Thursday afternoon we had a seminar based on body language. The Interns and I had a lot of fun learning body language and what it means from Ann Randeris, the intern coordinator. I was very interesting to sit and talk about what different movements and gestures mean, while watching others do that same pose sitting there. We all had a few laughs throughout the hour and enjoyed our time away from the farm.

Friday we all visited Boehringer-Ingelheim Vetmedica (BIVI or BI) in Ames, Iowa. Our farms use a lot of their vaccinations on our pigs and they have done a lot of work with us through the summer such as the shooting range, and the oral vaccination sessions (in previous posts). We got to learn about how vaccines are made, the processes it takes, how long the process is, and how much it costs to run these vaccine tests and analyses. We also got to tour their diagnostic lab where there were multiple people working on different tests. They do a lot of ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) and PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests in this lab. They receive blood and tissue samples from hogs around the US to process and determine if their drugs/vaccines are working correctly. I learned a lot about vaccines and everything that goes with them yesterday and it was a really good experience to be a part of. Laura and I got to experience a ride in the back of an open-topped jeep all the way back from Ames to Audubon. It was quite the experience for both of us. (see pictures below)....... =/

Next week I am winding down my project at the barn. We present our project presentations on August 3, which is considered our last day. I plan on staying at my farm until August 8 to draw out more time to finish a majority of my project before I return to school. When I present on the 3rd I will only be presenting raw data and a few charts and graphs that will not include all of my data. The data I am collecting will go well into September due to me collecting data from gestation, farrowing, and the breeding line. All together my data collecting for a single group of sows takes 6 weeks. I have 2 groups of sows that have not even entered into farrowing yet, so I will JUST be getting done with the farrowing when I am ready to leave in August. The barn crew will finish out my project for me. I am very excited to be getting near the end and extremely excited to start putting some data into charts. I look forward to seeing what my research presents and if our hypotheses were correct or not. I'll let you know more about my project when I start making "pre-mature" conclusions of non-finished data, next week.

Internship Days 23-27

Monday, Tuseday, Wednesday: Nothing new and exciting. I've been doing the same old stuff as always. We have been busy farrowing, like always, weaning, giving shots, treating sows, checking feed, and I have been doing a lot of work on my data collection. I give my presentation for my research on July 27th, so we're not too far off!

Thrusday: Typical day at work. We had a seminar at 2, which I missed, because my boss informed me and the other intern at my barn that it was at 4. They did a necropsy seminar, which would have been extremely fun, but I missed. After that we all met out at the Audubon County conervation club where we preceded to shoot clay pigeons. This was a blast. Some of the interns had never shot a gun, some of us had enough experience where we didn't need instructions! :) I haven't shot my own gun in nearly 2 years so, it was high time for me to practice again. I shot a 20 gauge Remington 870, identical to mine, only mine is a youth model. I hit 7/25 targets my first time and 14/25 my second time. I had a blast, along with the other interns and our mentors. Afterwards we ate pizza and joked around. It was a lot of fun!

Friday: Today the interns didn't have to work at our regular farms. Instead we went and toured the Fremont, NE Hormel Plant. This was very interesting for me. I have been to the Denison, IA plant and have seen all of the processing side of the plant, but had never seen the kill floor and unloading section of the plant. It amazed me at how fast they were able to process a hog. I had a lot of fun learning about the plant operations and it was very interesting to see all the different types of jobs that are offered throughout a plant like that. We all had to laugh because we realized that we were going to a meat packing plant on Friday the 13th. I told everyone it wasn't going to scare me because I was born on Friday the 13th and nothing has ever happened to me on any Friday the 13th throughout my entire life! :) I don't know whether that helped them or harmed them in their thoughts, but, whatever! :)  After the plant we stopped at the De Soto Wildlife Refuge on our way home, we got to stop by the river and see some birds (not the hundreds like Dr. Bob said we would see, but we saw a few!), as well as stopping at Dairy Den for ice cream. It was a great day to get out and about and away from the farm! Plus, it gives me the weekend off for down time! :)

Interns 2012 at De Soto Wildlife Refuge. July 13, 2012.

<3 Roz

Internship Day 21/22

Yes, Day 21 of my internship just so happened to also be the 4th of July! 

Happy 4th of July! Hope everyone enjoyed their HOT day of celebration! 

While everyone else was out enjoying (?) the heat of the 4th, I was at work from 6 AM until 2PM. We DID manage to get off work a little early for the holiday, but we still had lots of stuff to get done! The Farm MUST be tended to, animals MUST be fed, and Piglets MUST be born to continue production! 

I did a lot of "filling in" today. Many people had the day off so I filled whatever position was needed at the time. I helped with anything. Setting feed, weighing up for tomorrow, disinfecting the nursery, power0washing, putting down lime and cardboard, checking heat lamps, as well as filling in as farrowing monitor for a few hours. 

Thursday, July 5th:

Today was pretty busy. We were able to farrow over 70 Sows today (our average for the past week has been about 30)... With a total of over 900 piglets born alive, we had a killer day. I helped a lot with monitoring today as one of our monitors had the day off. I also assisted with weaning, scraping, unloading, pulling PL's, recording data for my research, liming, checking heat lamps, replacing light bulbs, fixing a water pipe break, and much more. Today was a very exciting day! We were constantly on our toes with so much stuff going on. We also managed to load another room, hopefully helping us lower the work load for tomorrow. :)

I'm very excited for tomorrow as I will be getting off early again (2pm). My dad is coming camping here in Anita and I am looking forward to seeing my little sisters! :) I'm excited to have a weekend on the lake, watching the mud bogs, and spending time with a few people I love! 

Today I saw a video, and thought I'd share it with you. This is one of the many things pigs do at work that makes me laugh. When baby pigs are sleeping, you wouldn't believe how hard it is to wake them up. Sometimes you can even pick them up by their back legs, hold them like a baby, clap your hands, and they don't wake up. I often confuse sleeping piglets with dead ones because they are IMPOSSIBLE to wake! :) But, they are definitely adorable while doing so! 

http://www.kcci.com/news/entertainment/Sleeping-piglets-react-hilariously-to-sound/-/9356786/15412416/-/kbd1ge/-/index.html#.T_XUaGKAgw0.facebook

These Videos are something I found while searching the Smithfield Website. I think these videos are GREAT resources for those who do not understand what goes on behind the doors of swine production. 

Animal Care: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeXAqvj5nvg&feature=relmfu

Sow Farms:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK9tUYkRh2Q

Nursery Farms:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ITq9I-zC8Y&feature=relmfu

Finishers: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsGcMDEgqug&feature=relmfu

Hope everyone learns something new! 

<3 Roz 

A Few Engagement Pics.... N&C

Nathan and Catherine (Sister-in-law and Brother-in-law-to-be) are Engaged to be Married on April 12, 2013. I was privileged enough to photograph their engagement pictures. Here are a few previews! These are my favorites. I'm hoping they enjoy their images as much as I enjoyed taking them! Good luck you two!  

Internship Day 19/20

Monday:

Today was yet another typical day at the swine farm. I helped with weaning, unloading sows, scraping, breeding, and day one shots. I did a lot of data work for my project. I plugged numbers into my excel sheet for over 2 hours this afternoon. I also got caught up to date on writing things onto my data sheets, and started doing feed intake calculations as well. I also assisted with day 1 shots in room 12, which took up the rest of the day.

Tuesday:

This morning started off as the typical morning. Wean, unload sows, scrape. After that I calculated random sample feed intake for the farm manager. They started doing a feed trial at work and I was the one who got voted to do all of the math for it. After calculating feed intake of 6 rooms of 72 sows, my fingertips were numb from tapping the calculator! After the feed intake was done, I had to go through gestation and tally up how many sows were due on what days. I went through over 1,500 sows today, tallying up how many were due on which days within the next 50 days. This afternoon I got put to work doing day 1 shots with another girl. In 2 hours we did the entire room (72 litters of piglets), which is hauling butt! I put up my feed tags in rooms 4 & 5, and then it was time for me to head home!

Now, Time to go relax before another day of work tomorrow!

<3 Roz