Something To Chew On - Global Food Systems At Kansas State University

This episode of Something to Chew On brings us a timely discussion, the current world-wide Coronavirus challenges the topics discussed with Dr. Megan Neiderwerder are not only timely, but instructional on helping us to understand what a virus is and how they impact the world around us. Megan’s teachings cover viral diseases in swine, equine, avian, bovine and canine species. Dr. Megan Niederwerder, Assistant Professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine here at K-State research investigates control strategies for endemic and foreign animal diseases of swine.

The production of food includes everything from large-scale growing and processing facilities to small backyard gardens. Our guest this episode, Dr. Jeremy Cowan discusses teaching future growers —and eaters— the importance of growing food with people in mind at every point in the production-consumption loop. As a land-grant institution K-State is challenged to teach, learn and research ways to feed the world. Local fresh produce has long been lacking in most diets and questions on the sustainability of current large farming practices is top of mind when considering our long-term ability to produce food. So where does the small farm fit in today’s food production realm?

Governmental organizations, universities and the food industry carry out research relating to food-system challenges. These challenges can deal with agronomic, nutrition, engineering, safety and even sociological impacts on food systems worldwide. Today’s guest, Jeanette Thurston, newly appointed director of the K-State Food Science Institute, has had an influence on many of those supporting organizations and now works with diverse interests in the area of food science at K-State. Jeanette brings a rich background in the science of food system-related research that has led to advances in areas as diverse as norovirus detection and water quality run off from small-scale dairies.  Jeanette specializes in water-related public health, waterborne and foodborne virology and protozoal parasites, and food safety. In this episode, Jeanette shares some of her work with university- and government-based research and discusses her goals as she embarks on the organization and future direction of the integrated work carried

The history of agriculture can be viewed from many different perspectives including breeding crops with improved quality and yield characteristics, understanding fertilization requirements, challenges with water and weather patterns, but there are also historic social and political accounts that had profound effect on the landscape of today’s farming communities.  In this podcast,  Dr. Bonnie Lynn-Sherow shares a sobering look at some of the challenging  events uncovered by her research as she dug into changes that occurred in land ownership and farming practices of white settlers, Native Americans and African Americans on the United States great plains.   

At the very heart of sustainable food production is the health of soil.  Not only does soil health and microbial community impact the production of food for humans and animals, soil can be a major player in the sequestration of carbon – a main variable to climate change.  Through focused research goals in finding ways to improved and protect the environment while also boosting agricultural productivity, Dr. Chuck Rice shares his thoughts on many facets of the complex agriculture system, new technologies, water policies and soil health. 

Dr. Jay Weeks is a recent graduate in the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University where is research focused on soil chemistry.  Jay joined with the Global Food Systems Initiative at K-State early in its relaunch and has been instrumental in the development of “Something to Chew On”.  Prior to his new professional journey into the agriculture industry with Indigo Ag, Scott, Jon and I talked with Jay about the student experience, the expansion of information sharing at K-State through podcasting, and his personal and professional development during his time here.

Linda Duke is the director of the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art at Kansas State University. Formerly the director of audience engagement at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, she joined K-State in June of 2011 and has worked diligently to develop the atmosphere within and opportunities to engage with the museum, while also educating students about the roles of art in our lives. Our conversation covered the many ways we can experience art and its complex relationship with what we eat and drink. Scott and Jon joined for this one as well. For more about Linda and the Beach Museum check out: https://beach.k-state.edu/  

Dr. Jim Stack is a professor of plant pathology at Kansas State University and director of the Great Plains Diagnostic Network. His areas of research emphasis include detection and diagnosis of diseases in natural and agricultural plant systems, threat identification, vulnerability assessments, and risk analyses for natural, accidental, and intentional threats to plant systems, as well as epidemiology and management of field crop diseases in the Northern Great Plains. Additionally, he is a great thinker about the food system in general. This conversation largely centers around the more “wicked” problems that humans face, and how we may need to rethink our approaches in future. We definitely do not have all of the solutions, but only by talking through ideas are we going to make progress. Dr. Maureen Olewnik, the Global Food Systems Initiative Coordinator, joined Scott, Jim, and Jay for the talk as well. Enjoy! For more information about Dr. Stack check out: https://www.plantpath.kstate.edu/people/faculty/stac

Dr. Jeremy Marshall is an associate professor in the Department of Entomology and the new Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry faculty director at Kansas State University. He has training and degrees in biology, chemistry, environmental and evolutionary biology, genetics, genomics, and philosophy, and teaches courses on insect biology, behavior, genetics, and evolution, as well as interdisciplinary courses like Art and Insects and Bees, Plato, and Who Knows What. In 2016, Dr. Marshall developed a new model of undergraduate research experience capable of providing research education opportunities for more students than most traditional approaches. Scott, Jon, and Jay had a really great conversation with Jeremy about a number of factors that can make or break learning for students. This conversation is a little lighter in regards to food, but it does come up throughout the conversation. For more about Dr. Marshall check out: https://entomology.k-state.edu/people/faculty/Marshall-Jeremy.html

Dr. Kim Kirkpatrick is a University Distinguished Professor of Psychological Sciences here at K-State where she is the director of the Cognitive and Neurobiological Approaches to Plasticity Center (CNAP) and leads research at the Reward, Timing, and Decision Lab. The main focus of her research is the role of timing and reward processes in determining impulsive and risky choice in rats. This was a very interesting conversation where we discuss the role of diet, specifically those containing foods high in certain types of fats or sugars, in promoting impulsive behavior that may be linked to obesity. There are all kinds of implications for this type of work in our personal lives as well as governmental policy and we try to dig into all of that. A fascinating topic that surely many of you will enjoy! For more about Dr. Kirkpatrick and the projects she is working on check out: https://www.k-state.edu/psych/research/kirkpatrick/

Dr. Sandy Procter is an assistant professor and extension specialist focusing on maternal and child nutrition in the Department of Food, Nutrition, Dietetics and Health at Kansas State University. A registered dietitian and former coordinator of the Kansas SNAP-ED nutrition education program, she possesses a wealth of knowledge surrounding human nutrition that spans from pre-pregnancy all the way through advanced age. Our discussion was quite wide-ranging covering some more technical topics relating to maternal health and breastfeeding to the more social considerations of how to demonstrate healthy eating habits to children and provide recommendations to adults. For more about Dr. Procter check out:                    https://www.hhs.k-state.edu/fndh/people/faculty/procter/

Dr. Nathan Nelson is a Professor of Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management at Kansas State University. A native of Manhattan and an avid outdoorsman, he possesses a strong interest in developing agricultural systems that not only maximize productivity but protect environmental quality as well. Our discussion in this episode covers how and why farmers make the fertilizer decisions that they do and what that means for water quality. Nathan directs the Kansas Agricultural Watershed (KAW) Field Laboratory, a unique 18 plot watershed project, to better understand how cover cropping and fertilizer application practices impact phosphorus dynamics on Kansas no-till fields. For more about Dr. Nelson and the KAW project check out: https://www.agronomy.k-state.edu/people/faculty/nelson-nathan/

Dr. Harry Klee is a Professor in Horticultural Sciences at the University of Florida working to understand the chemical and genetic make-up of "flavor" in fruits and vegetables. After starting his career at Monsanto, in 1995 he accepted an endowed chair position tasked with developing better tomato varieties through traditional breeding techniques. Enjoy this wide-ranging conversation covering plant breeding, genetic modification/gene editing, why tomatoes at the supermarket don’t taste very good, how Harry’s lab is producing a better tasting tomato, and much more! For further information about Dr. Klee and his lab check out his website at: http://old-hos.ifas.ufl.edu/kleeweb/index.html

Dr. Jessie Vipham is a K-State alumna and food microbiologist currently serving as the faculty hire in global food systems and nutrition for the USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sustainable Intensification (SIIL). This was a fantastic, wide-ranging conversation that started with Jessie’s graduate studies using direct-fed microbials in cattle systems and then moved on to the work she does now managing food safety projects in several developing countries around Africa and Southeast Asia. Some of the highlights include how she tackles large challenging issues related to food safety, the importance of trust to the success of a project, and the benefits of bidirectional learning. For more information about Dr. Vipham and SIIL check out their website at: https://www.k-state.edu/siil/about/people/index.html

Our guest today is Dr. Segenet Kelemu. A native of Ethiopia and alumna of K-State, Dr. Kelemu is, by training, a molecular plant pathologist. Following a postdoc at Cornell University, she worked fifteen years as a senior scientist with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) where she eventually became the leader of Crop and Agroecosystem Health Management. In 2007 she decided to move back to Africa to work on agricultural development. Currently, she is the Director General of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Nairobi, Kenya. Our conversation digs into some of the major issues African farmers are facing and the fascinating insect-centered solutions that Segenet and her team have developed. For more on Dr. Kelemu and ICIPE check out their website at: http://www.icipe.org/about/staff/segenet-kelemu

Dr. Melanie Derby currently holds the Hal and Mary Siegele Professorship in Engineering where her research focuses mainly on thermal-fluids problems. She is part of the newly founded KSU R3 NRT team that is looking to leverage interdisciplinary collaboration to tackle some of the greatest challenges at the Food, Energy, and Water Nexus. In today’s interview we cover engineering approaches to improve water use efficiency in both the agriculture and energy sectors as well as Melanie’s experiences in science education. For more about Dr. Derby and KSU R3 NRT please check the team’s website: http://nrt.research.ksu.edu/

Dan Stone is a Washington D.C.-based writer with a passion for covering all topics related to environmental science, agriculture, and botany. Formerly a White House correspondent for Newsweek and editor of National Geographic, his work has also been featured in The Daily Beast, Time Magazine, The Washington Post, Vice, and Literary Hub. Additionally, Dan serves as an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins University teaching environmental policy. His book, The Food Explorer, is the story of K-State alumnus, David Fairchild, a late-19th-century food explorer that traveled the world as an emissary of the United States government. His mission: search for new foods that would strengthen the agricultural sector and enchant the American eater. For more about Dan Stone and The Food Explorer, check out his website at: https://www.danielstonebooks.com/  

Dr. Jon Herington is a political philosopher of applied ethics focusing mainly on the concept of risk within the fields of science, health, and technology. In today’s discussion we cover the definition of security and what it means to be food secure as well as why simply labeling food as containing genetically engineered ingredients may not actually be in the best interest of individual consumers. This interview was recorded in late 2018 before the USDA made a final ruling on the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Law. The standards have been set since, but we still feel that listeners will find this conversation interesting and useful. More information about labeling requirements can be found at: https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/be For further reference to Dr. Herington’s work, you can check out his personal website: https://www.jherington.com/index.php

Plant pathology is the study of diseases in plants and importantly in those plants grown to feed the world.  Dr. Martin Draper shares his thoughts on how these diseases affect food sustainability historically, now and in the future.   For more information on the important work carried out in the area of plant pathology you can read more at:  https://www.npdn.org/.  Or read more about Dr. Draper and his work at: https://www.plantpath.k-state.edu/about-us/

Welcome to ‘Something to Chew On.’ Here is a brief discussion between co-hosts Jay and Scott and Global Food Systems Coordinator Maureen to discuss the ideas behind and hopes for this podcast.    Maureen Olewnik is coordinating the Global Food Systems Initiative at Kansas State University. She received her Ph.D. in Cereal Chemistry from K-State in 2003 while working for AIB International. Her work there dealt with basic and applied cereals based research and, more recently with food industry regulatory oversight in the area of international food safety. She is working to expand knowledge and understanding of the complexity and broad reach of the food system as it affects and is affected by research campus-wide at K-State.  Jay Weeks is a Ph.D. candidate in K-State's Department of Agronomy, studying soil and environmental chemistry. Originally from central New York, he completed his B.S. in Agricultural Sciences at Cornell University in 2012 and began at K-State shortly thereafter. One of his research interes