Professional Background

Educational Background

Comments on Organic 3.0 paper

Commentary on the Organic 3.0 IFOAM Paper:

Okay, first off, I have a problem with the idea that Organic 1.0 is when we started realizing what we ate and how we grew it effected things like our health. I mean, really? We really had to state that in a paper and we put the date at 100 years ago (1917? I've got agricultural books dating back into the 1600s, come on)? Hunter/Gatherers realized that when they died after eating something near contaminated water. Pasturalists realized it when their animals ate something bad for them and died. See a trend? So, let's get back to the paper.

Teaching Resources for All Subjects

With school back in session for many, I thought posting some of the resources I've used would be helpful. All of these are free and online, so you can use what you want or share with your kids. The Multiple Subjects section is probably the most useful of all of them, but take a look around and use what you want. I'll keep updating as I come across sources.

Have fun!

Anthropology: Magic & Religion: Blood of my Blood

I found a stack of some of my old papers from my Bachelors in Anthropology that I thought would be fun to share. They are from two of my classes: Magic & Religion and Theories of Culture. Enjoy.

Course: Magic & Religion
Title: Blood of My Blood
Year: 2003
Grade: 12/12

Education: Wageningen University (Netherlands)

Next month I am moving to the Netherlands to begin my Masters in Organic Agriculture at Wageningen University & Research. My goal is to complete the Double Degree which involves going to school at WUR and also attending ISARA in Lyon, France. The Double Degree will be in Organic Agriculture and Agroecology. At this point, I do not know if I will be able to complete the program due to enrollment, but it is my hope that after I speak with my adviser at WUR I will have a better idea as to if this is an option for me.

Food Science: Stuffed Quail and Three-Sister's Soup Recipe

As I prepare to move to the Netherlands for Grad. School I am taking advantage of more time to cook for my family at home. Tonight I am making a First Nations inspired meal: Wild Rice stuffed Quail in a Cranberry-Bourbon Sauce, Three-Sister's Soup, and Naan. Granted, Naan isn't Native American, but it's very close to Flatbread and quite frankly, I already had some so it's silly to waste the food. I'm also going to serve with a Backhand Chutney and Pickled Carrots, both of which I made previously.

Animal Science: Gestation Crates

A gestation crate is a pen where the sow is held away from other pigs during pregnancy. The pen is usually 2 foot by 7 foot. This allows for individualized attention and an area free of the close quarters of the general housing area. The farrowing crate is a two pen system where the sow is on one side of bars and the piglets on another. This is so the mother doesn’t accidentally step or roll on the young, and so the farmer can assist in the births, as well as heat/cool each area separately (Allan Schinckel, n.d.). The pens allow for the pigs to move forward and back a few inches, but not turn around. They are also big enough for the sows to lay down. Pork producers say the pens provide security for the sows and produce “bigger litters, heavier piglets and reduced workforce costs” (Jackson & Marx, 2016). The industry says that if the sows are placed together in communal settings they will fight for food and establish a hierarchy where the weakest may not eat at all. If they are in the crates, they say research shows that “feed can be precisely calibrated to the pig's stage in her life cycle, and workers can easily track the well-being of individuals” (Jackson & Marx, 2016).