Missaukee Residents Learn the Importance of Eating Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Bringing Knowledge to Life! / Partner Report / MissaukeeCounty
6180 West Sanborn Road, Suite 2
Lake City, Michigan49651-9330
Phone: 231-839-4667 / E-mail:
Fax:231-839-5282
Web:msue.msu.edu/missaukee
October, 2009

MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status. Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Thomas G. Coon, Director, MSU Extension, East Lansing,MI48824. This information is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned.

Missaukee residents learn the importance of eating fresh fruits and vegetables

Missaukee county children along with their parents have been eating healthier with the help of Grow Your Kids with Fruits and Veggies 2009 Social Marketing Campaign MSU Extension.

The Grow Your Kids (GYK) social campaign originated in 2006 when materials and approaches were tested with food stamp eligible moms in Newaygo and Ingham Counties . The GYK campaign is designed to be delivered to food stamp eligible moms, within the confines of the approved USDA “proxy locations” for FSNE.

Goals include:

Convince mother’s of the importance of increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in their kid’s diets
Increase mother’s knowledge of ways to increase fruits and vegetables consumptions in their families diets
Kids will try more fruits and vegetables and as a result, increase their intake of fruits and vegetables

The GYK campaign was introduced this past spring and summer at the LakeCitySchool’s Health Fair, Farmers’ Market and the (WIC) Health Department in MissaukeeCounty. Participants were presented with information on the importance of daily consumptions of fruits and vegetables along with tips on physical activities for children and adults. Children were

given jump ropes along with fun veggies. Healthy recipes and food demonstrations

were included as well as taste testing. Families got to interactive hand out materials about fruits and taste homemade watermelon salsa, veggie tortillas, and fresh peach smoothies!

Over 179 adults and 153 children participated in the Grow Your Kids program. For more information about this program or other food and nutrition programs, please contact:

Sue Warren at the Missaukee County MSU Extension office at 231-839-4667 or email

Blazing Arrows hits the national bullseye

Seeing an arrow hit a target's bullseye can be a lasting memory for young people but especially

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for three members of the Blazing Arrows 4-H Club;Wade Norman, Ben Molitor, and Chris Reitz. They were selected to represent Michigan by participating at the national level in the 2009 4-H Shooting Sports Invitational Tournament. The young men, along with other members, are active in the Blazing Arrows 4-H Archery Club. The 4-H archery program provides a dynamic way to involve young people in MissaukeeCounty 4-H. It's a program that can target a broad range of young people. These youth learn the fundamental shooting skills for the bow and arrow. They are taught how to nock an arrow with emphasis on pointing the bow and arrow down range. They also learn how to draw, aim, and release an arrow. The important thing for parents is that the youth are being taught safety while increasing the success rate of target hits. This especially helps younger youth members who tend to get frustrated. Although the 4-H shooting sports project is not unlike other 4-H projects, it has a lot of unique characteristics. It is action-oriented activity that excites the youth who are involved. Just ask one of the youth who was able through hard work and dedication to be involved in a national competition. Most people don’t associate this project with traditional education strategies although there is a large amount of cognitive development as youth focus greater attention on fundamentals and strategies to hit a target. The young men who participated in the national shoot gained important life skills such as increasing their self-esteem, self- responsibility, character, and self- discipline. The 4-H shooting sports program offers a lot of positive opportunities. Project goals do not focus solely on developing marksmanship skills. They encourage developing life skills such as confidence, decision-making, respect for equipment, positive peer/adult partnerships and safety. The program also brings out messages of personal pride that come with mastery, personal discipline, responsibility and sportsmanship. For more information about

MissaukeeCounty 4-H, please contact Sharon Pintrick at 231-83-4667 or email

Youth Learn about Producing High Quality Milk

What popular cheese is a common ingredient on pizza? What is the name of the process that breaks down the milk fat globule when processing milk? During the milking procedure, what is the most important management practice for preventing an udder infection?

These are just a few of the types of questions presented to the seven dairy farm youth from Missaukee County who competed in the State 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl. The contest was held during Dairy Days on the MSU campus in July 2009. The team that competed in the senior division was comprised of Nathan Buning, Jake Buning, Mark Dick and Bryce TeBos. The junior team members were Nick Brinks, Matt Buning and Casey TeBos. They placed 4th in their division.

During the competition, the teams were asked questions to test their knowledge about dairy cattle, taking care of a dairy herd and producing a safe, nutritious food for consumers.

Each year the questions focus on a specific aspect of dairy herd management. The main topics for this year’s contest were animal health and milk quality.

To prepare for the contest, the MissaukeeCounty team met seven times from April through July. Several practice sessions were held at local farms to learn first hand about dairy herd management practices. Specific topics covered during the farm visits included the various parts of a milking system, proper milking techniques, anatomy of the cow’s udder, prevention of udder infections and the types of bacteria that cause mastitis.

The knowledge gained by these 4-H members will be valuable to them as they assume day-to-day work responsibilities on their family farms. For more information about Missaukee County Dairy Programs please contact Kathy Lee,