Five Modern Twists on the Time-Honored Tradition of Giving Thanks for Food

From apps that make Thanksgiving meal planning a snap to social media campaigns to help Americans express #foodthanks, celebrating Thanksgiving has come a long way.

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 17, 2011 — While celebrating the end of harvest season is a tradition that can be traced back for centuries, modern-day twists on the custom have evolved since the 1621 Plymouth Colony fall feast. Just as pilgrims rejoiced in their first good harvest, Americans today have found meaningful ways to honor the bounty, and express gratitude:

1. Give #foodthanks. Farmers long ago traded in their oxen for tractors and other technologies to raise nutritious, great-tasting food. This year, a group of farmers and ranchers is cultivating a social media campaign to initiate meaningful conversations about food with Americans on Twitter, Facebook, blogs and beyond, says Kansas farmer Darin Grimm of the AgChat Foundation. “For farmers on the go, social media is a great way to connect with consumers,” he says. “We’re hoping to see everyone from chefs to foodies to farmers using the #foodthanks hashtag.” Check out www.foodthanks.com, then tweet what you eat, using the #foodthanks hashtag, now through Thanksgiving.
2. Plan your meal with an app. New recipe and meal-planning applications are a bounty in their own right. Try the Thanksgiving Menu Maker from Fine Cooking, which allows you to “tap your way to a customized holiday menu,” offering more than 75 of the magazine’s all-time favorite Thanksgiving recipes, along with a shopping list and schedule.
3. Preserve the flavors of fall. Early American settlers would salivate over modern-day canning equipment. Once dismissed as a bygone art, canning has attracted a growing number of enthusiasts in recent years, according to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, which provides tips on canning, pickling, freezing and more. To really make a food statement, create your own labels at www.myownlabels.com.
4. Host your own tasting party. The holiday table inspires us to create treasured traditions at home, including exploring new foods in the company of friends and family. Home entertaining expert Domenica Marchetti suggests a trend-worthy twist on the wine and cheese tasting part. The author of Big Night In (Chronicle Books, 2008) says, “Embrace the season’s bounty and host an apple tasting party!”
5. Share in the bounty. Thanksgiving is a great time to talk with your family about helping others in need, whether it’s a family down the street or a hungry child on the other side of the world. Charitable organizations like Farmers Feeding the World and Heifer International believe that giving families a source of food, rather than short-term relief, is a more sustainable way to lift them out of poverty and hunger.

About AgChat Foundation, Inc. A group of farmers created the AgChat Foundation after connecting through the now highly visible “#AgChat” community on Twitter, a weekly moderated chat where agriculturists discuss various issues, tell their farm stories and identify ways to connect with people outside of agriculture. The Foundation strives to educate and equip “agvocates” with the skill set needed to engage on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, YouTube, LinkedIn and other social media services, giving them the knowledge to unlock new tools to effectively tell their story. For more information, visit www.agchat.org.

Related Links:

http://foodthanks.com

Some of the posts already written

Join Us in Offering Your #FoodThanks Story

Several people have already been offering up their #foodthanks as we head to the Thanksgiving holiday in the US and a variety of holidays globally! In fact, as this post is written there have been 354 tweets of #foodthanks and we’ve seen them coming through Facebook, blogs, etc.

The perspectives on what you give #foodthanks for are as diverse as the people giving thanks and the

Swing batter, batter!

It’s no secret that farmers and others in agriculture are some of the biggest, most dedicated sports fans around. Whether it’s football, baseball or basketball, we like rooting for our teams whenever the opportunity presents itself!

It’s also no secret that farmers love sharing their own farm stories and showing how they’re doing their part to provide safe, wholesome food for all of us. Recently, Missouri hog farmer Chris Chinn had the opportunity to tell her story and draw on her family’s love of baseball at the same time. Read her story, in her own words.

World Food Day & Blog Action Day Through the Farm Lens

Today (Sunday, October 16) is observed for a couple of reasons that both impact the farmers who are empowering themselves with social media. If you didn’t know, today is both World Food day and Blog Action Day on food. Rather than try to tell a single story, we’ve asked some of the people who talk about food and farming on their blogs to share some of their favorite posts with us. We hope others will add their blogs to the post too highlighting several perspectives.

• Volunteering to Help the Harry Chapin Food Bank in Feeding America (jplovescotton.com) — We frequently hear of someone gathering food for those in need. and most Americans have probably participated in a food drive at a local school, church or business by bringing canned goods and or dry foods like rice. Is there a way to make sure fresh fruits & vegetables are part of the effort? Do you know how agriculture works with food banks? Get answers to those questions and a tour of the Feeding America efforts in Southwest Florida.
• Making It Personal (wagfarms.com) — “Going local” is one of the newest buzz words for consumers. Yet, in many areas, the chance of actually getting local food is very low. What is the definition of local food? Within county? Within state? Within country? This post takes a look at various counties in North Dakota (a largely agriculture state, without an enormous population base) and discovers what local would need to mean in order to feed its population.
• Organic vs. Conventional Dairy (TheWifeOfADairyman.blogspot.com) As one of the few dairies remaining in the county in which we live, here in northern California, meeting new people in town almost always sparks conversation about our family farm.  The conversation seems to often gravitate towards the topic of organic and conventional milk and the differences between the two.  This has inspired me to write a blog post explaining the differences which I hope you will find both  interesting and informative.
• High Fructose Corn Syrup and Corn Planting Decisions (daringrimm.wordpress.com)  As a grain farmer, I walk step-by-step through the decision making process of what I consider when I decide what crops to plant, that ultimately become the food on a grocery store shelf.
• Is it ok that I don’t buy organic food? (www.beyerbeware.net) We aren’t organic farmers. I feel that our non-organic practices are producing safe products for animal and human consumption. The pork in my freezer comes from my neighbor who has a pig farm that most would consider a factory farm. And it tastes good! Plus my kids helped butcher the pig. How do you get anymore intimate with your food? But, yet other moms who are not engaged in agriculture in a way besides eating make me feel guilty for not paying the extra money for organic food.
• Video Blog: Let’s talk about food on Blog Action Day (www.causematters.com/blog) Food is fundamental. It should not elicit feelings of guilt or elitism. Food is sustenance. So why waste Food Day or Blog Action Day posturing about our opinions on organic or conventional, small or large, animal or grain? I put together a quick video with some thoughts on food insecurity, farm values and faces behind our food.
• This Is So Country (www.agricultureproud.com) Most of my life and work has taken place on the beginning end of beef production – raising cattle that will one day end as beef on my plate. During calving season earlier this year I helped save a young calf with its mother got sick. Taking care of these calves and making sure they have a healthy start to life is just another day in my life on the ranch.
• Organic Propaganda (oregongreen.wordpress.com) In today’s society consumers are bombarded with Organic Propaganda. The Organic Food Movement, who doesn’t really care what your family eats, has done a great job of marketing organic food, mostly with scare tactics. It often times aligns itself with campaigns that create the illusion that it is healthier or safer for you, which is simply false.
• Veterinarians and food safety (cowartandmore.blogspot.com)  While I normally blog about art, I wanted to join in the conversation about food, especially since we all eat.  In my role as a large animal veterinarian, food safety is a part of my focus in working with farms.  What does a large animal veterinarian do to help keep your food safe?

Dust off those cameras!

Quick question for the crowd: how many of you like to take photos? I can easily answer that question. Photography has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and, as the photographer for Iowa Farm Bureau for the past 10 years, I’ve photographed farmers in fields, barns, farmsteads and along the dusty roads that make up rural Iowa.

If there is one thing that I learned over those years it is that farmers and agriculture professionals are some of the best people to photograph. The hard work ethic, richness of life and exuberance of families always shines through, regardless of the story. Here are some of my favorite photos from my travels.

I’m not the only one who has learned that secret. Paul Mobley, an award-winning photographer, traveled across our great country photographing farmers for a successful book called “American Farmer: Portraits of the Heartland.” I had the pleasure of working with him, identifying several farmers in Iowa who were included in his book. Now, he is offering the opportunity for farmers like yourselves and others to submit photos to a contest that celebrates your way of life.

The contest is called “Your American Farmer Photo Contest.” Mobley would like you to share your experiences with the country’s beautiful agriculture, farm, farmers’ market and garden world. Capturing your favorite fall harvest scene, summer fruit stand, farmer’s market or road-side stand, share your view of this country’s beautiful landscape, agriculture and harvest. The contest is open to both amateur and professional photographers from across the country.

So, my next question is just as straightforward as the first. Who do you think are the best people to tell your story? Obviously, with the success of and participation in #AgChat and other social media platforms, the answer is you. That’s right. Don’t look over your shoulder while you read this. I’m talking to you. It’s time for you to dust off your camera, dig through your photos and find an entry for this unique photo contest. You can share an intimate look at your life as a farming professional. I know you had to capture at least one early morning photo with the sun cresting the horizon while you did your chores. Or maybe there was the photo during harvest when the family met you in the field for a quick dinner. Any photo that is special to you has already won an award with your family, so now it is time to share it with the world and tell your story through pictures.

I am honored to be one of the judges for this photo contest and I look forward to seeing all the excellent entries that celebrate the fabric of America that is agriculture. So, with that, find your best photo or grab your camera and take your best photo today. Then submit your photo to this great contest. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to let me know either through Twitter, my Google+ profile or by email at jmurphix@gmail.com.

Can’t wait to see your photos!

Joe Murphy serves as a photographer and writer with the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation. In this position, he is responsible for the photography assignments of the weekly Iowa Farm Bureau Spokesman, the monthly Family Living, marketing photos as well as the website iowafarmbureau.com. He also writes news and feature stories, provides creative input, and publication pagination. Additionally, his work has been featured in  National Geographic Television, Time, New York Times, Atlanta Journal Constitution, United Press International, Associated Press, Liaison and the Chronicle of Higher Education.