I wake up each morning to some visitors in my backyard. Goslings now and ducklings very shortly.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Fogo de Chao
I've been ruined.
When we were up in Minneapolis this week one of my co-workers insisted that we go to Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian steak house. My first reaction was to question just how good of a place this was going to be. I'd never heard of it before.
We walked in the door and were quickly ushered to our table. Fortunately we had reservations. They quickly brought out our drinks and then led us to the ample salad bar. It was full of good traditional American salad bar stuff but then it had loads of Brazilian dishes as well like cured meats, palm hearts, fresh farm cheese, green salsa and much more.
Time for the main course. We were each given a flip card - green for go, red for stop. A flood of chefs/waiters, maybe as many as twenty, poured out of the kitchen doors and stormed the restaurant. Each with his own wand of skewered meat. If they saw your meat card green side up, they would race to fill your plate. Every cut of meat imaginable from lamb chops and sausages to rib eye and fillet. Each morsel was perfectly cooked with meat at the top end of the fire roasted skewer well done and at the bottom rare. Just say what you like.
The attempt is to try every cut of meat offered but you quickly feel like you've gorged yourself on a whole bison. Just a flip of the card to the red side and the waiters will avoid you like the plague while you catch your breath and take a break. Flip the card back to green and once again they trip over each other to serve you.
This first rate service says nothing of the deliciousness of the meal. The meat was perfectly marinated, some in a brine, some with a dry rub and so each piece melted in your mouth. While the salad bar could easily be a meal in itself, this is a place for carnivores! The meat was so good that I have been ruined from all other meats. Nothing I've had before quite compares.
The restaurant apparently has a long history, and I can only be thankful that we will shortly have one of our own in Indianapolis. The service, the meal (delicious and all-you-can-eat), the experience could easily demand $80 or more a plate. It's that good. But, it is more moderately priced at $44 a plate. None of us felt the slightest bit of remorse at the price, especially since the man picked up the check.
Dinner concluded with a decadent dessert called Tres Leches - Three Milks cake. It definitely satisfied my sweet tooth. If you come visit me in Indy, remind me about Fogo de Chao and we'll go have dinner there. I'm always up for good food and good company.
When we were up in Minneapolis this week one of my co-workers insisted that we go to Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian steak house. My first reaction was to question just how good of a place this was going to be. I'd never heard of it before.
We walked in the door and were quickly ushered to our table. Fortunately we had reservations. They quickly brought out our drinks and then led us to the ample salad bar. It was full of good traditional American salad bar stuff but then it had loads of Brazilian dishes as well like cured meats, palm hearts, fresh farm cheese, green salsa and much more.Time for the main course. We were each given a flip card - green for go, red for stop. A flood of chefs/waiters, maybe as many as twenty, poured out of the kitchen doors and stormed the restaurant. Each with his own wand of skewered meat. If they saw your meat card green side up, they would race to fill your plate. Every cut of meat imaginable from lamb chops and sausages to rib eye and fillet. Each morsel was perfectly cooked with meat at the top end of the fire roasted skewer well done and at the bottom rare. Just say what you like.
The attempt is to try every cut of meat offered but you quickly feel like you've gorged yourself on a whole bison. Just a flip of the card to the red side and the waiters will avoid you like the plague while you catch your breath and take a break. Flip the card back to green and once again they trip over each other to serve you.
This first rate service says nothing of the deliciousness of the meal. The meat was perfectly marinated, some in a brine, some with a dry rub and so each piece melted in your mouth. While the salad bar could easily be a meal in itself, this is a place for carnivores! The meat was so good that I have been ruined from all other meats. Nothing I've had before quite compares.
The restaurant apparently has a long history, and I can only be thankful that we will shortly have one of our own in Indianapolis. The service, the meal (delicious and all-you-can-eat), the experience could easily demand $80 or more a plate. It's that good. But, it is more moderately priced at $44 a plate. None of us felt the slightest bit of remorse at the price, especially since the man picked up the check.
Dinner concluded with a decadent dessert called Tres Leches - Three Milks cake. It definitely satisfied my sweet tooth. If you come visit me in Indy, remind me about Fogo de Chao and we'll go have dinner there. I'm always up for good food and good company.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Trekking Morgan-Monroe
I decided to explore one of Indiana's state forests and so I geared up for an 11 mile hike through the woods. Morgan-Monroe State Forest is located approximately 45 minutes south of Indianapolis and offers a number of hiking trails.
People taking advantages of the public lands can go hiking, hunting, mushrooming, gold panning, camping and a variety of other activities. Along the trail I found some wild garlic which gave me foul breath for the rest of the day.
Signs of spring were everywhere however faint.
About six miles into the hike my cell phone rang. It really startled me because I hadn't seen another person the whole time and I had forgotten that I was even carrying my phone. Amazing what kind of cell reception is possible when you are in a flat state like Indiana.
The person on the other end had some exciting news. One of my favorite FFA chapters had just won the state parliamentary procedure competition. I do miss teaching and the connection with students but at least I can live vicariously through others.
People taking advantages of the public lands can go hiking, hunting, mushrooming, gold panning, camping and a variety of other activities. Along the trail I found some wild garlic which gave me foul breath for the rest of the day.
Signs of spring were everywhere however faint.About six miles into the hike my cell phone rang. It really startled me because I hadn't seen another person the whole time and I had forgotten that I was even carrying my phone. Amazing what kind of cell reception is possible when you are in a flat state like Indiana.The person on the other end had some exciting news. One of my favorite FFA chapters had just won the state parliamentary procedure competition. I do miss teaching and the connection with students but at least I can live vicariously through others.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Shaking Things Up
I was awoken this morning thinking I had been transported to a very cheap hotel with a vibrating bed. Immediately, I new what was happening and judged it to be a quake not worthy of immediate action.
The epicenter registered 5.2 on the Richter scale but after traveling 170 miles through the ground the vibrations reached Indianapolis were noticeable and rather fun. Later that morning a four point something aftershock rocked then center and started a flurry of murmurings that rose above the cubicle walls.
Only last week I had the pleasure of sitting through an hour long briefing on the company emergency preparedness plan. Curiously, when the aftershock struck no action was taken. I guess that by the time the powers that be flipped through the sixteen page plan to find earthquake actions steps, the 12 second tremor was long since finished.
The epicenter registered 5.2 on the Richter scale but after traveling 170 miles through the ground the vibrations reached Indianapolis were noticeable and rather fun. Later that morning a four point something aftershock rocked then center and started a flurry of murmurings that rose above the cubicle walls.
Only last week I had the pleasure of sitting through an hour long briefing on the company emergency preparedness plan. Curiously, when the aftershock struck no action was taken. I guess that by the time the powers that be flipped through the sixteen page plan to find earthquake actions steps, the 12 second tremor was long since finished.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Papal Visit
D.C. was the place to visit this week. Business took me to our nation's capital on Wednesday, the same day on which Pope Benedict XVI arrived.
We were trying to get around downtown but they had completely closed off Pennsylvania Avenue along which the Popes motorcade was scheduled to ride. We walked forever trying to get across to our 11:30 appointment.
We followed the route for more than a half an hour and ended up missing seeing the Pope by only ten minutes. I'm not sure which I would have been more excited to see, the Pope of the Popemobile.
The crowd was enormous. I believe Catholicism is alive and well in the Spanish speaking world. The Latino community was out in full force to welcome his Holiness. They were singing and dancing up a storm.
We were late to our meeting but we did make it eventually. All of our meetings went well and it was a really nice day to be walking around D.C.
We were trying to get around downtown but they had completely closed off Pennsylvania Avenue along which the Popes motorcade was scheduled to ride. We walked forever trying to get across to our 11:30 appointment.We followed the route for more than a half an hour and ended up missing seeing the Pope by only ten minutes. I'm not sure which I would have been more excited to see, the Pope of the Popemobile.
The crowd was enormous. I believe Catholicism is alive and well in the Spanish speaking world. The Latino community was out in full force to welcome his Holiness. They were singing and dancing up a storm.We were late to our meeting but we did make it eventually. All of our meetings went well and it was a really nice day to be walking around D.C.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Aggies are everywhere!
I just landed in New Hampshire and who did I sit next on the plane? None other than Dennis Quaid. Either that or an incredible look-a-like. And what did he happen to be reading? The latest issue of Dairy Herd.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Agri ‘Culture’ – CRP
Plow up the front lawn, it’s time to plant wheat.
With the high current price of commodities (wheat, corn and soybeans), farmers are looking for a way of cashing in. Global shortages of these cereal grains have been caused by a combination of factors including poor weather conditions, increased demand, and fewer acres being planted.
This decrease supply and increased demand has driven the price skyward prompting farmers to plant more acres. Crops with which they can cash in won’t be harvested until August and September but farmers are already salivating at the promise of a pay day.
Many producers are now taking lands out of CRP. The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was started in 1985 pulling nearly 45 million acres out of production due to a surplus if food production. The current cap on the program is 39 million acres having been renewed with the 1996 and the 2002 Farm Bills.
Though the key reason it was enacted was economical (food prices were too low), CRP was sold on environmental reasoning. With the land not being plowed up on an annual basis, vegetation returned to a somewhat natural state and provided excellent habitat for upland game birds, deer, and a variety of rodents, birds, predators and prey.
All this brings up several items for question.
1. What happens to that habitat and what will be the result of displacing those animals?
Hunters and other outdoorsmen will be affected and government management of hunting programs will have to be adjusted. This brings groups like Pheasants Forever and Ducks Unlimited into the mix, not to mention the state departments of fish, wildlife and parks.
2. If even a portion of that CRP is put back into production, won’t another surplus of food result?
Most land gets put into multiple year contracts but any contracts that are coming up due will unlikely be renewed. Unless distribution of the surplus grain is well managed and put into export markets as well as domestic markets, we could see a surplus of grain.
3. If there is a surplus of grain, then will prices be driven down again?
With current demand the way it is and the world needing to support an every increasing population, a major food surplus driving prices down would be unlikely. However, top economists often have problems predicting the temperamental supply and demand curve.
4. Is it the best policy to restrict how many acres can be planted through a program such as CRP?
At the onset of the program in the mid-1980s, food prices moderated but a negative impact was felt with implement dealers. Farmers didn’t have as much land to plant and harvest so they stopped buying tractors. Implement dealers went out of business and entire communities felt the economic loss. Some small communities lost a sustaining population and actually became ghost towns. The program has since had numerous positive benefits that seem to out weigh any negative impact.
5. How else can we bring stability to the supply and demand curves that affect commodities?
Producers should be getting fair prices for their crops. It seems they tighten their belts for years and years before receiving a windfall. Meeting the world food demand is by no means easy. With uncontrollable factors like weather, it would be nice to manage the food supply in other ways. Any suggestions?
With the high current price of commodities (wheat, corn and soybeans), farmers are looking for a way of cashing in. Global shortages of these cereal grains have been caused by a combination of factors including poor weather conditions, increased demand, and fewer acres being planted.
This decrease supply and increased demand has driven the price skyward prompting farmers to plant more acres. Crops with which they can cash in won’t be harvested until August and September but farmers are already salivating at the promise of a pay day.
Many producers are now taking lands out of CRP. The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was started in 1985 pulling nearly 45 million acres out of production due to a surplus if food production. The current cap on the program is 39 million acres having been renewed with the 1996 and the 2002 Farm Bills.
Though the key reason it was enacted was economical (food prices were too low), CRP was sold on environmental reasoning. With the land not being plowed up on an annual basis, vegetation returned to a somewhat natural state and provided excellent habitat for upland game birds, deer, and a variety of rodents, birds, predators and prey.
All this brings up several items for question.
1. What happens to that habitat and what will be the result of displacing those animals?
Hunters and other outdoorsmen will be affected and government management of hunting programs will have to be adjusted. This brings groups like Pheasants Forever and Ducks Unlimited into the mix, not to mention the state departments of fish, wildlife and parks.
2. If even a portion of that CRP is put back into production, won’t another surplus of food result?
Most land gets put into multiple year contracts but any contracts that are coming up due will unlikely be renewed. Unless distribution of the surplus grain is well managed and put into export markets as well as domestic markets, we could see a surplus of grain.
3. If there is a surplus of grain, then will prices be driven down again?
With current demand the way it is and the world needing to support an every increasing population, a major food surplus driving prices down would be unlikely. However, top economists often have problems predicting the temperamental supply and demand curve.
4. Is it the best policy to restrict how many acres can be planted through a program such as CRP?
At the onset of the program in the mid-1980s, food prices moderated but a negative impact was felt with implement dealers. Farmers didn’t have as much land to plant and harvest so they stopped buying tractors. Implement dealers went out of business and entire communities felt the economic loss. Some small communities lost a sustaining population and actually became ghost towns. The program has since had numerous positive benefits that seem to out weigh any negative impact.
5. How else can we bring stability to the supply and demand curves that affect commodities?
Producers should be getting fair prices for their crops. It seems they tighten their belts for years and years before receiving a windfall. Meeting the world food demand is by no means easy. With uncontrollable factors like weather, it would be nice to manage the food supply in other ways. Any suggestions?
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