The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) will be holding its annual Egg Quality Assurance Plan Training, October 16 at UDAF offices in Salt Lake City.

“Food safety is paramount to our mission and that starts with regular preparedness and training of our industry partners,” said UDAF Commissioner Kerry Gibson. “The role our inspectors play is equally important as we provide industry surveillance, appropriate responses, and containment plans that address the risk factors impacting Utah citizens.”

Industry participants of the training include state egg producers, graders, and inspectors, along with state and federal officials from UDAF, FDA, Health Department, USDA/APHIS/VS, and the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Lab.

The agenda includes poultry rodent control, disease, and foodborne outbreak prevention, biosecurity, food safety, assessment guidelines and updates to those guidelines.

“This training is required by our plan and is an important part of our efforts to ensure our poultry in the State remain disease-free and  provides assurance that consumers are getting safe, wholesome, quality eggs, egg products, and poultry,” said Dr. Robert Erickson, field veterinarian for the UDAF Division of Animal Industries. “This and other trainings ease our job of enforcing uniformity and compliance to match industry standards.”

Utah’s egg industry consists of 3.6 million egg-laying chickens that produce one billion eggs annually. That represents nearly $150 million in revenue and nine percent of Utah’s agricultural industry.

In May 2018, UDAF’s Egg and Poultry Grading team received Governor Herbert’s Award of Excellence at a special ceremony at the Capitol. The recognition was given for consistently demonstrating outstanding contributions to consumers of Utah, seven days a week and including holidays.

Commissioner Kerry Gibson

Most Utahns don’t know this but in the last couple of years our ranchers, government partners, and others have come together to create an important evolutionary step in rotational grazing agreements. The key to this accomplishment was communication, commitment, and collectivism.

It may seem most citizens will feel little or no impact from this effort, but the lessons learned are a great reminder for all of us. Healthier rangelands mean a stronger more natural ecosystem, an ability to capture and hold precious water resources, and stronger economic prosperity for ranchers.

Let me explain how we got here because I believe this application is viable in urban business settings, with social issues, and strikes at the root of so many challenges each of us face in life.

In 1833, British economist William Forster Lloyd penned an essay theorizing that uncoordinated animal grazing will ultimately destroy the richness of resources neighboring ranchers enjoy. Lloyd felt it was critical for landowners to understand that the decisions of individuals can harm the collective if everyone keeps to themselves.

More than a century later, American biologist Garrett Hardin amplified the work of Lloyd, publishing an expanded version of his own application of the theory and calling it The Tragedy of the Commons. This time-honored principle of organizing with neighbors extends far beyond ranching. We can all learn to better communicate with one another, share one another’s burdens, and create a synergy that simply accomplishes more.

Even before I assumed the role of commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF), our agency has worked tirelessly as a convener of this effort in a project called The Three Creeks Grazing Allotment Consolidation, located in the northeast corner of our state. Prior to the agreement, the Three Creeks area was struggling. Riparian waterways were drying up, plant varieties and wildlife were disappearing, ranchers were limited in their resources and growth, and the area’s entire ecology was significantly strained.

Seeing this was the case, in 2009 UDAF, 39 area agriculture producers in Rich County, and federal partners came together to invoke the powers of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1970. These pioneers of grazing cooperation knew their communication was the key to turning things around and the federal NEPA process was the first step.

NEPA was designed to empower federal agencies with authority over managing environmental concerns impacted by projects – preventing a Tragedy of the Commons.

The entire process from beginning to final approval in 2017 took a lot of years, but it was collaborative and set up an important precedent. We’re only a couple of years in but are already seeing progress with improved water resources, the return of plant and wildlife, and an opportunity for ranchers to flourish. However, we believe much can be improved. So allow me to share with you what I feel we can do better the next time.

First, we learned the critical importance of continuity and communication with our federal partners, specifically the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and US Forest Service (USFS). Simply put, leadership turnover in these agencies hurts momentum, and we need to find new ways to strengthen that consistency and commitment.

We also discovered that there is too much redundancy in the NEPA process. Thousands of environmental assessments and impact studies have been done on routine grazing infrastructure improvements, such as water developments and fencing. Do we really need to keep doing them?

Finally, I propose that we need to empower the BLM and USFS to review and evaluate State Water Rights before a decision is made – preventing the customary sluggishness that occurs after. And, we feel that NEPA processes should be spearheaded by one agency’s process as opposed to multiple agencies to help alleviate confusion and complexity.

The early and future successes of the Three Creeks project are attributed to relentless collaborative efforts of all. As I toured the project recently, I couldn’t help but feel proud of the teamwork, high level of detail, and communication on display, something we can all learn from in every walk of life.

Truly, Three Creeks is an example of common entities, public and private sectors, coming together for the common good. I have no doubt this project, and similar ones we embark on in the future will help avoid the Tragedy of the Commons.

Commissioner Kerry Gibson

Who’s ready to eat local? If you are like me – and most of you are – I’m always going to support Utah producers and of course love the freshness and quality only they can give us.

So, I’m extra excited to see Eat Local Food Week is just around the corner, September 7-14. I hope you will join me as we indulge while paying homage to the hard work of our farmers and ranchers. Each year their organization and precise execution, in concert with what Mother Nature grants, are what fuel our day-to-day lives.

And this time of year, local produce coming into farmers markets, roadside stands, u-pick operations, and more are at their peak of freshness and quality. Farm-fresh is guaranteed to punctuate those final summer weekend barbecues and outings you have planned.

It’s no secret that buying locally-produced food is on the rise across America, particularly our state. Ask any Utahn on the street where they would rather get their peaches from, Utah or elsewhere and they’ll take the former almost every time – even though states like California, Georgia, and South Carolina produce far more.

Why is that? We can talk about supporting our local economy or that the quality and freshness exceed out-of-state imports if you like. That’s all true. In fact, a recent study showed that if everyone in Utah spent just 10 percent more on local, it would add $1.3 Billion to our state’s economy. And science has taught us that there’s a degradation in quality and nutrients the longer it takes for food to go from farm to table.

But I believe it goes deeper. While the digital age has improved lives it’s also created an unfortunate divide. I believe we are longing for a more personal connection with the people we cherish and the food we eat – and they quite often go hand in hand.

Those connections are all about trust and awareness. Humans hunger for knowledge as much as food, so it’s no surprise we want to know where our food comes from. We also like to Google things about how our food is produced – the types of gardens and treatments they are given. But ultimately we seek sources with simpler and shorter distribution points – fewer touches from dirt to dinner plate.

Utahns are communicating that with their wallets and producers are responding. While we continue to see a decline in Utah’s total farming acres, there’s an upswing in the number of farms – pointing to an increase in smaller urban farms that are more directly connected to consumers. We also saw a sharp increase in organic farm production, producing $9.1 million in 2012 to $30.8 million in 2017.

Yes, local is where it’s at. It’s where I’m at and many of you as well. It’s why the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food has invested so much in our Utah’s Own branding campaign. It’s why we will continue to push for and support local food and its producers.

For those that haven’t been nudged enough yet, consider Eat Local Week your special invite to join us. We’d love to have you aboard, as would our wonderful producers. Check out some of the festivities organized by Urban Food Connections of Utah by visiting slcfarmersmarket.org, or go to our Utah’s Own website to learn more about local food producers and markets statewide at utahsown.org/markets

Commissioner Kerry Gibson

As September is National Suicide Awareness Month, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) is partnering with the Cattleman’s Association, USU Extension, and other industry organizations to create a stronger connection between existing programs and resources available for agriculture producers in crisis.

Together, we are circling the wagons around all who are experiencing a sense of hopelessness. Regardless of one’s station in life, profession, or religious preference, suicide is far too frequent in Utah. When times get tough, the lives of every citizen matter and far too many of our precious family, friends, and neighbors are not feeling that. I have seen it first-hand in my own life and I know many of you have as well.

When it comes to agriculture, there are no shortages of challenges for farmers and ranchers between access to market issues, weather, pests and diseases, regulatory changes, and trade policy. According to the latest USDA Agriculture Census, 56% of US farmers report a net loss in cash income on their farms. But worse than that, in Utah, that number rises to 65%.

One of my most important messages and efforts as Commissioner will be to ensure we are doing more to love and care for one another as communities. We must do more to extend resources and programs out to the farmers and ranchers experiencing pressures that lead to hopelessness, depression, and thoughts of suicide.

In Proverbs 27:23 it states, “Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.” Through our partnerships and outreach efforts, we are circling our wagons around those who need it most and encourage you to join us.  Be a listener, an encouraging, and a helping hand as there is no shortage of work that can be done here.

I’m optimistic that if we can all do a little more, in close coordination with our available resources and professional partners, that we can turn this trend around. It’s we do things here – it’s the Utah way.

Please allow me to share below some of the resources available in Utah right now that we have posted below. If you would like to join our circle of wagons to suggest additional resources, please call me personally at 801-538-7100.

• Generalized behavioral health resources available to all citizens through county health departments, and numerous private behavioral health specialists;
• Religious community programs of support and counseling, along with their directives to locate qualified licensed counseling for those seeking help;
• Farmerhealth.org, an international organization dedicated to helping farmers with all kinds of health issues, including behavioral health;
• 2018 Farm Bill allocated $10 million for five years to create a Farm and Ranch Assistance Network Program in four regions of the country;
• The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food has two financial assistance programs available to farmers and ranchers to improve the economic viability of their operations: the Agriculture Resource Development Loan Program (ARDL), and the Rural Rehabilitation Loan fund;
• FarmAid.org, a national organization that is equipped to helping farmers who are struggling with behavioral health issues and more at 800-FARM-AID; and
• Utah Suicide Prevention Coalition has a hotline and can direct to additional resources at 800-273-TALK (8255).

Don’t be surprised some evening if, in a quiet Logan neighborhood on a back vacant lot between homes, you hear the excitement of Burmese children playing as they gather with parents and grandparents to tend their community garden plots, tell stories, play and dine together.

Faced with untold persecutions in their home countries, these first-generation Logan-ites have endured a lot to reach the Cache Valley. Upon entering refugee camps, they had to patiently wait several years of interviewing and vetting before making their way to the US and eventually Utah. Those who made it represent a class of only one percent who have done so.

There are an estimated 500 to 600 refugees from Burma, Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia who ended up settling in the neighboring towns of Logan, Hyrum and Nibley. Not long after their arrival in 2011 community leaders and volunteers began work to create the Cache Refugee and Immigrant Connection (CRIC) an adjustment resource center for newcomers to rebuild their lives.

In the years that have followed, CRIC has been instrumental in providing walk-in support, citizenship and driver’s license study groups, back-to-school drives, potlucks and other events. But most noteworthy here is the creation of the community garden in 2017.

For about a year CRIC was able to help obtain a short lease on a garden plot in Smithfield. However, the distance made participation difficult for the refugees. So, in 2017, CRIC officials asked about a lease on a plot of land in a neighborhood near where many of the refugees were living, making access simple. The landowner agreed and with some donations and a grant from Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) through NRCS, engineering and water improvement projects were arranged.

“The first year before the irrigation system was installed they were getting water from a ditch with buckets,” says Crista Sorenson, Cache Refugee Immigration Garden Coordinator and USU Extension Incubator Farm Manager. “But now, with this new system, we are educating them about overwatering as it only takes about 15 minutes to saturate their plots and significantly increase their production.”

The garden has grown in terms of interest as well, attracting about a dozen families when it started to this year’s 29 plots and 32 gardeners. But it’s also become more than just a garden, each night for several hours entire Burmese families gather and the whole area becomes erupts with the sounds and smells of music, laughter, and open-flame cooking.

Sorenson said that presently the gardeners are getting acclimated to what grows well in the shortened Cache Valley growing season, and learning about local foods that grow best. However, she hopes to introduce them to concepts of marketing their goods at the Cache Valley Farmer’s Market, CSAs, and roadside stand opportunities in the years ahead.

“You will see quite a diversity of foods – things you will not see in our supermarkets. If it’s from their home country and they can grow it, they will. However, some of their tropical favorites from the homeland probably aren’t going to happen,” Crista laughs.

“This project is truly what Utah is about,” said an emotional Kerry Gibson, commissioner of UDAF. “We take care of our own, but we also look out for our neighbors – even those from far off lands. The refugees in Logan, Salt Lake City and other places represent a wonderful opportunity for us to blend our cultures of agriculture and community together as one people under God.”