Minnesota, U.S.A. — The Land O’Lakes Foundation awarded the 2012 John Brandt Memorial Foundation Scholarships to a graduate student studying what information affects consumers’ dairy purchases and a graduate student studying nutrition in ruminant animals.

Molly Paterson of Johnston, IA, who is attending Iowa State University and Sam Fessenden of King Ferry, NY, who is attending the University of Minnesota received the scholarships for the 2012-2013 school year.

The John Brandt Memorial Foundation scholarship program supports graduate students pursuing work in dairy animal, food science or agribusiness at one of four eligible institutions: Iowa State University, South Dakota State University, University of Minnesota and University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The scholarships are awarded in memory of John Brandt, an industry organizer who formed and remained president of Land O’Lakes until his death in 1953. The Land O’Lakes Foundation awards one or two scholarships each year to students who have demonstrated exceptional commitment and aptitude toward their field of study.

Paterson earned her bachelor’s degree in dairy manufacturing with a minor in food safety from South Dakota State University. Her research focuses on consumer perceptions, preferences and behaviors with fluid milk and will examine consumers’ perceptions and preferences regarding how milk is processed and how it tastes. The information, she said, will provide information about what affects consumers’ milk purchases.

“People have so many alternatives to dairy. I want to show consumers the advantages of drinking milks and choosing other dairy products for themselves and their families,” Paterson said. “I want to impact the consumer’s mindset about the dairy industry. I want to help bridge a gap between consumers’ preferences, purchasing habits and the information they know about the options available to them and also provide this critical information to dairy processors and industry professionals.”

Fessenden received his Bachelor’s with Honors Distinction in Research in Animal Science from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. His research focuses on the use of hops acids—the compounds responsible for providing flavor and aroma to brewed products— in animal feeds.

“My goal is to understand how ruminant animals adapt to the addition of hop acids,” he said. “Ultimately we would like to understand if milk production efficiency can be increased with the use of hop acids. This could provide an alternative to synthetic antibiotics and enhance consumer perception of dairy production.

“I grew up on a dairy farm. After dinner, my father would ask if I wanted to go with him to check on the cows. In the middle of the barns was a tractor seat mounted on one of the gates,” he said. “My father and I would watch the cows and talk. This is where I began to learn about cattle, what they ate and how to care for them.”

Those interested in applying for the 2013-2014 school year can find more information and download an application form at www.landolakesinc.com/company/corporateresponsibility/foundation. Applications for the 2013-2014 school year will be accepted after March 1, 2013.

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California, U.S.A. - Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) announced the release of the first Organic Land Grant Assessment Report, measuring research, education and outreach in the federally funded Land Grant system. The system, initiated by President Abraham Lincoln’s visionary Land Grant Law, includes universities, research stations and Cooperative Extension.

In the past decade, the organic food industry has more than quadrupled in growth, and OFRF sheds light on America’s ability to meet growing consumer demand with trained organic farmers and useful research. Conducting the first and only national assessment of the Land Grant system’s organic activity, OFRF scored each institution on 8 points including maintaining organic research land, cultivating student organic farm, offering an organic minor, major or certificate, and employing a dedicated organic faculty or staff member.

The Top Six campuses scoring a perfect ’8′ include: Colorado State University, University of Florida, Michigan State University, University of Minnesota, University of Tennessee (the newest addition to organic), and Washington State University. Five years ago, Washington State University was the first in the country to offer students a major in organic agriculture. Today, eight Land Grant Universities provide students this opportunity.

“We look to the Land Grant system to be responsive to public needs, economic growth, rural communities, and ultimately, access to healthy, safe food,” said Maureen Wilmot, Executive Director of OFRF. “While land dedicated to organic research has nearly doubled from 2003 to 2011, and universities providing organic programs have grown from zero to eight, public universities must do a great deal more in order to meet the growing needs of organic demand.”

Rich in data, OFRF’s Organic Land Grant Assessment illuminates the need for public investment in organic research and education in order to prepare the U.S. for future organic food production challenges. The quantitative data provides tools to drill deeper into answering questions including: What elements of organic research are most relevant to the urgent needs of organic farmers? What programs best train future organic farmers? To what degree do student organic farms build organic awareness and consumption?

The information gathered for this report yielded a vast amount of state-specific data on organic programs. Daily, OFRF experiences demand for this information from farmers, scientists, students, organic advocates, policy makers, industry representatives, funders, and citizens. OFRF plans to organize and present state-specific information and make it accessible to all interested parties.

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Baby boomers will control 52% of the total dollars spent on groceries, making them the largest food influencers and making iconic brands like Orville Redenbacher and Reddi-wip even more important, according to Phil Lempert, founder of Food Nutrition & Science and CEO of The Lempert Report and SupermarketGuru.com. Lempert’s Top 10 Food Trends for 2012 is featured in an article in the December issue of Food Nutrition & Science.

For more than 30 years, Lempert has predicted the top 10 food trends for the upcoming year. In 2012, Lempert says to expect farmers to become the next big food-celebrities and for mobile phones to become the new way to check out at a market.

“2012 is going to be an interesting year,” says Lempert. “Food prices will continue to increase, but more people – including dads – will cook at home. While technology in the store will move us forward, resurrected nostalgic brands will remind us of the past.”

Also in this month’s Food Nutrition & Science, an article on fat with results from a study that explain how good fats are actually essential to a person’s diet, and an update with Frito Lay’s Senior Director of Sustainability, Al Halvorsen, who discusses the company’s sustainability efforts – including completing a ‘Near Net Zero’ plant in Arizona and moving on to creating the most fuel-efficient transportation fleet in the country.

December’s Food Nutrition & Science includes information about a recent report that concludes a majority of people are concerned about the amount of food being discarded daily. According to Unilever’s World Menu Report Global Research Findings 2011, 84% of respondents are worried about the amount of food being thrown away at home and in restaurants.

Unilever talked to 3,500 people – from eight countries representing both the developed and developing world – who eat out at least once a week. Their first key concern is that there is too much professional food-waste. The second key concern is making sure that food-waste disposal is environmentally-friendly.

Other research results include a study from the University of Minnesota that examines if nutrition-facts labels are optimally designed to help consumers make healthier food-choices.

“The study shows that consumers have a limited attention span when it comes to reading nutrition-facts labels,” says Lempert. “Since they stick to the top few lines, they may miss important nutrition information that could be stored lower on the list that is important to their health and wellness. This is an opportunity for grocers to connect with their clients by educating them on labels and improving merchandising.”

Food Nutrition & Science also includes a video tour with St. Paul, Minnesota sheep Farmer Malissa Schentzel, and an article about ‘School Dudes,’ an innovative cafeteria ambassador-program in Forest City, Pennsylvania,  where students create and promote menu items.

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