Friday Feedback for March 31, 2017

Transcription

1 Friday Feedback for March 31, 2017 April Fools Day Traditionally April 1, April Fool's Day, is an opportunity for playing jokes or tricks on one another. The stranger and the more absurd, the better. The challenge is to carry out a trick that is believable, if only for a little while. Tricks are most successful if played earlier in the day before a person is wise to what is going on. Younger children are also more gullible. Any tricks or jokes must be harmless and in good taste for the unsuspecting "victim". World Health Day 2017: Depression: Let's Talk The World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nation's sponsors World Health Day each year. World Health Day 2017, celebrated on April 7, aims to mobilize action on depression. This condition affects people of all ages, from all walks of life, in all countries. It impacts people s ability to carry out everyday tasks, with consequences for families, friends, and even communities, workplaces, and health care systems. At worst, depression can lead to self-inflicted injury and suicide. A better understanding of depression - which can be prevented and treated - will help reduce the stigma associated with the illness, and lead to more people seeking help. Major activities on world health Day focus upon, awareness, education programs, and fund raising activities to help with the health issue for the year. Countries also work on resolving problems related to the theme.

2 Friday Feedback for March 24, 2017 March Quarterly Response Rates Collom The March 1 Agricultural Survey and Hog Survey response rates were up markedly from March The rate increases from the previous March are noted below by state. Thank you for your efforts to help increase response rates. It s much appreciated. State Ag Survey Hogs Indiana + 5.3% + 5% Michigan + 1.8% + 8% Ohio % + 8% Certified Organic Survey Due Date Change Collom Thank you for all of your hard work on the organic survey so far. Our region is doing very well. Headquarters has elected to extend data collection until April 8 to allow for some additional time to get to those hard to reach respondents. If you have any questions, please give Joe Samson a call in the office. ARMS III Erickson The end of the ARMS Phase III data collection is rapidly approaching. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their hard work so far. We realize that ARMS Phase III is a very challenging project. Please continue to keep your Supervisor informed of your progress. It is very important to adhere to the ARMS III due dates. As you work to complete any outstanding work, keep the following dates in mind: Saturday, April 1 Monday, April 3 Thursday, April 6 Thursday, April 6 Last day for Enumeration Last day to UPS to your Supervisor Last day to UPS to NPC (good reports with data) Last day to enter Refusals/Inaccessibles into MOST Pecan Day Pecan Day, always March 25, is a rather nutty day. It s a day to celebrate and enjoy popular, tasty pecans. This delicious nut may be single handedly dividing the nation due to its diverse pronunciation. Can you name the only nut tree native to North America? You guessed it... Pecan trees.

3 Friday Feedback for March 17, 2017 MI and OH Specialty Crop Growers Study Last Day to UPS Monday, 3/20 Laird/Saffell Thank you to everyone who called our regions fruit and vegetable operators for the Michigan and Ohio Specialty Crop Growers Study. I think the overall response to the survey has been better than expected thanks in part to your time and your efforts. This is a reminder to package and return via UPS ALL remaining forms that you have to the regional office in Michigan no later than Monday, March 20th. Thanks again! ARMS III Erickson Please remember that all ARMS non-responses (refusals & inaccessibles) and out-of-business records should be submitted on the ipad with notes. For records submitted on the ipad, shred the questionnaire, and do not send it to NPC. Also, please be aware that the end of data collection for ARMS is rapidly approaching. Refer to the Due Dates PowerPoint presentation on the ipad. To view this document, simply tap Due Dates (see Day 3 of the ARMS agenda). The Great Lakes Region continues to remain ahead of the National Average in both Percent Clean and Usable reports for ARMS3. Thank you for all your hard work on this survey! Keep up the good work. National Agriculture Day National Agriculture Day, March 21, 2017, is a salute to American Agriculture and everyone who plays a role in it. According to the Agricultural Day website, the purpose of National Agriculture Day is to "celebrate the abundance provided by agriculture". Every year, producers, associations, universities and other groups recognize and celebrate the contributions of agriculture. On this day: Spend a little time to better understand agriculture. Learn about how food is produced and distributed Encourage people to enter agriculture as a career. Eat well today. As you do, think about all that goes into bringing the food you eat to your table. Origin of "National Agriculture Day": On February 29, 2012, Agriculture secretary Thomas J. Vilsack proclaimed March 8, 2012 to be National Agriculture Day. While this proclamation stated a specific date and year, we believe that the Agricultural Secretary has annually proclaimed this date to be National Agriculture Day. This day is organized and promoted by the Agriculture Council of America (ACA).

4 Friday Feedback for March 10, 2017 Important Collom Avian Influenza has been reported in a commercial poultry flock in Tennessee. The poultry industry is very on edge about transmission of this virus. Please call an operation with poultry before visiting to ask the operator how he would like to meet. Many will ask to meet off site or some will make you sanitize before entering. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call Jim at Please do not act as a vector for this disease. Bird Flu News Kalaus Fewer US eggs will be exported after South Korea implemented a ban on US poultry products due to the avian influenza outbreak in Tennessee last weekend. Projected US egg exports for 2017 are down 20 million dozen due to the ban. That's a challenge for US egg companies dealing with rising supply, even though U.S. consumption has been strong. Spring Forward! Remember to turn your clocks ahead one hour on Saturday night. National Corned Beef and Cabbage Day March 17, is Saint Patrick's Day, and National Corned Beef and Cabbage Day. This is no coincidence. You may be surprised to learn, that Corned Beef and Cabbage is as American as Apple pie. A traditional recipe in Ireland was salt pork or a bacon joint with cabbage and potatoes. Beef is not popular in cooking in Ireland, as the ancient Celtic culture considered cows to be sacred, and cows were most often used as work animals on farms. In the mid 1800's, Irish immigrants who moved to America, found their Jewish neighbors had corned beef, which was similar in taste, but much cheaper. So, the American version of this easy to make Irish dish, became Corned Beef and Cabbage. Recognizing that Corned Beef and Cabbage really originated in America, you may wonder if you can truly call it "Irish". Well, of course it is! It was created by Irish people. They just happened to be Irish immigrants in the U.S.

5 Friday Feedback for March 3, 2017 ARMS III Erickson The Great Lakes Region is 23% clean. The national average is 17%. Also, 31% of our questionnaires are in the edit, compared to the national average of 24%. There are only 4 weeks left in the data collection period, so I want to remind you of a couple of benchmarks. Fifty percent of your work should be completed by March 10 and 75% should be completed by March 21. I realize that March Crops/Stocks & Hogs data collection has begun, but please try to meet these goals. Some enumerators are well short of these benchmarks. Please submit all refusals, inaccessibles, & out-of-business records on the ipad. Also, enter good notes for each record submitted on the ipad. There have been a few cases of records submitted on the ipad as complete, but there was no data and no notes. If the questionnaire is complete with data, don t do anything on the ipad. It will show up as complete when NPC receives the questionnaire. Thank you for your hard work on this survey and please be safe as you travel. National Frozen Food Day National Frozen Food Day, always March 6, celebrates all those yummy foods and snacks in your freezer. Sure, the invention of the freezer made this day possible. But, the methods and techniques of preparing and freezing foods is what makes frozen foods taste great, look great and store in a frozen state until you need them. Imagine how your busy life would be if you didn't have a frozen dinner to pop into the microwave in between a late day at work and your evening event. You'd have to stop and make a dinner from scratch! Did you know? Frozen foods first hit store shelves in 1930 in Springfield, Ma. Who developed the process?... Clarence Birdseye. In Proclamation #5157, President Ronald Reagan said: "Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim March 6, 1984, as Frozen Food Day, and I call upon the American people to observe such day with appropriate ceremonies and activities." And, so this became a true National day of recognition and celebration. Popcorn Lover's Day Many of us love popcorn. So, it only makes sense that there should be a special day just for popcorn lovers. Popcorn is good for you, when eaten plain. It is not as healthy, when it's loaded with salt and butter. Popcorn Lover s Day, the second Thursday in March, is intended to enjoy popcorn and share it with others. Bring some to work. Or microwave some and put it in a basket in your office. You can have it in a traditional way, with salt and butter. Or, you can add anyone of a number of flavors to it. Some popular flavors are cheddar cheese, parmesan garlic, and even hot pepper! Popcorn Lovers Day was created on January 6, 2012, by Bob Matthews of Rochester, NY. It is Bob's favorite snack. He and his wife have it on most Thursdays, all year long. Bob is also an avid gardener. He has grown and dried popcorn for popping. Indiana is the second largest popcorn producing State in the US behind Nebraska, according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture.