U.S. Speedskating team connected to dairy

The U.S. speedskating team that competed in Beijing got to experience and learn how dairy farmers treat their cows like athletes and visit one of the farms that supply their  self-stable milk from Gossner Foods. Jaclyn St. John, registered dietitian and director of community wellness for Dairy West, shares about the relationship, dairy farm experience and nutrition behind dairy. Holly and Mitch Hancock, dairy farmers and owners of Noo Sun Dairy, also shared their perspective of the farm visit and questions asked from the U.S. Speedskating team. 

Learn more about dairy at usdairy.com

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Transcript

Joanna Guza:
U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action's Honor the Harvest Forum is September 10th through the 12th at Noo Sun Dairy located just outside Salt Lake City, Utah. This is a one of a kind experience where leaders and agricultural producers meet on a farm to generate new ideas, partnerships, and actions to advance sustainable food, fuel, and fiber. Showcase your brand of thought leaders across the food and agricultural value chain by becoming an Honor the Harvest sponsor. Learn more at https://usfarmersandranchers.org/honor-the-harvest/honor-the-harvest-sponsor/

Joanna Guza:
Welcome back to Farm + Food + Facts, where it's the mission of U.S Farmers & Ranchers in Action to bring all of American agriculture together with farmers and ranchers at the center to collectively identify and tackle critical long-term issues. Today on the agricultural value chain, we are looking at a dairy promotion checkoff organization and professional athletes and in particular Dairy West and the U.S. speed skating team. Our guest is Jaclyn St. John . She's the registered dietician and director of community wellness for Dairy West. She's also the Dairy West liaison to the U.S. Speed Skating team. We will cover the relationship between Dairy West and the U.S. speed skaters their tour to a dairy farm in Utah, even get the farmer's perspective of hosting them, explaining health behind dairy and how we can get more creative with sharing dairy's nutritional value. Well, Jaclyn, can you start off by sharing the relationship between Dairy West and the U.S. speed skaters and your role?

Jaclyn St. John:
Thank you so much for having me, Joanna. I'm really glad to be here as the Sports Nutrition Partnerships and program manager for Dairy West, I have the opportunity to work with athletic organizations like the U.S. Speed Skating team to develop, grow, and expand their sports nutrition offerings to deepen dairy's performance benefits for athletes and their active bodies.

Joanna Guza:
It's a big responsibility I think, about how much of an impact dairy has on the United States and in particular in Dairy West's territory. You were a part of Dairy West's team that brought U.S. speed skaters to Noo Sun Dairy, which is owned by Mitch and Holly Hancock, who are hosting the 2024 USFRA's Honor the Harvest. Can you explain why it's an important experience to have the speed skaters visit a farm?

 Jaclyn St. John:
Yes, absolutely. At Dairy West, you know, one of the ways that we work to inspire trust in dairy foods and dairy farming is to take the individuals to the farm themselves. This opportunity for the U.S. speed skaters for the majority of the athletes as well as their staff. This was their first time on a dairy farm, and so for them to get to connect with the farmers themselves, to get to see the farming practices in action and to be able to ask their questions and get their answers right then and there, we have found that that experience really does build value and impact in long-term trust for dairy foods and farming.

Joanna Guza:
We also gained the farmer perspective from Mitch and Holly Hancock. They're the owners of Noo Sun Dairy and will be hosting the USFRA's Honor the Harvest and also hosted the U.S. speed skating team. Holly and Mitch, can you share from your perspective, what was the experience like?

Holly Hancock:
We were very excited to host them enough that our kids wanted to get out of school so they could meet people who competed in the Olympics. And I feel like they had lots, lot of different unique backgrounds that being on a dairy farm was unusual for them.

Mitch Hancock:
As Holly mentioned, they come from a very diverse background, and so we had very diverse questions, which from a dairyman's point of view, we see those questions quite often, but we very rarely see them from one group of individuals. We see them from different groups, from different backgrounds, from different hosts. We very rarely see that much diversity in one group. And that was very unique and very exciting, very fun. They had wonderful questions, had wonderful insight. You could see the interest and the genuine interest. When they would ask their question, the answer would make sense. What they saw came to be be factual when they saw what we told them and then they, you know, that was, that was the answer to their question. It was very, it was a very wonderful experience.

Joanna Guza:
What were some of those questions that the U.S. speed skating team asked you?

Mitch Hancock:
They asked questions about water conservation, water being a hot topic in the state of Utah. They asked questions about food and nutrition and several were very intrigued that I spend time every two weeks - I spend three to four hours every two weeks with a nutritionist who comes and helps me formulate a total mixed ration that takes 15 different ingredients. Seven or eight of them are recycled ingredients, repurposed ingredients, and then we feed them to optimize the health and the wellness of the cow while optimizing herd capacity to produce milk. And I think to them that is very relatable. They know that when they're out to perform, they know that they have a regimen, they know they have an exercise program and they know they have a diet program that they follow to get to their peak performance. And uh, I think the common even came up about how the cows are a lot like athletes. We feed and take care of. We make their beds, we clean up after them, and they are very well pampered so that the day it comes to performing, they're prepared. 

Joanna Guza:
Right. And that was a very interesting and unique experience hosting the speed skating team. Now let's go back to Jaclyn and from your perspective, what were some of the questions that you noticed the speed skaters asking?

Jaclyn St. John:
You know, they loved the opportunity to hear more about the cow's nutritionist and their full mixed ration. The food and the determination and commitment that goes into that for a high performance athlete is incredible, right? And to understand that that amount of care and intention is done for the animals as well. They were really intrigued by that and had a lot of questions there. They also enjoyed, uh, new sun, dairy, water recycling and re usage practices. Their compost operation is incredible and one that's of very high scale, as I imagine, you know, um, their sustainability practices and how the farmers really care and show that, um, dedication to their animals and the best care that's for the cows.

Joanna Guza:
This episode in particular might be bringing a lot of dieticians and people that are health conscious to this episode. So Mitch, do you mind sharing that recipe or your total mixed ration that you mix every day for your cows?

Mitch Hancock:
So we use about 15 ingredients and then we use those ingredients based on what they can provide. We do make a concerted effort to find recycled materials or repurposed materials, such as cotton seed is very popular, uh, shredded beet uh, byproducts, wheat byproducts, corn byproducts, and we even use a whey byproduct that is not used. So, so we use all of those ingredients and based on what we know the animal needs for her health and wellness, and then what she's going to need in addition to make sure she's a high producing athlete. We formulate that ration around the products that we can harvest on our farm, creating the other, the other eight or 10 components in a total of 15 components that we feed, and then we adjust the volume or the need of those components we buy based on the quality of the components we put in, uh, that we farm, that we harvest.

And so we talk a lot about the science behind harvesting, on time, harvesting it, maturity, harvesting, uh, accurately and and promptly. We talk about fermentation and the benefits to the gut health, uh, that fermentation brings. We talk about the, the variety of commodities that we feed and what that brings to the, to the rumen. We talk about, uh, why each one of them delivers a certain component, fat, sugar, protein, how they affect butter fat, how they affect affect protein, and how they affect volume of milk. I could go on for hours, but it's <laugh>. We have a great time hosting nutritionists.

Joanna Guza:
Now, Jaclyn in your role, how are you showcasing the connection between the dairy farm and their nutritious product?

Jaclyn St. John:
Very much like, you know, the nutrition that goes for a cow. We know that nutrition for our bodies is just as important, right? And for these athletes, protein, carbohydrates, their electrolytes, their hydration is so incredibly important. And when you think about the mixed ration, when you compare that to a human body, all five food groups play such an important role. And so you think about dairy and the high quality protein that it provides. It has hydration, uh, properties, it has electrolytes that refuel and replenish post-workout. And so these athletes were like, oh, wow. Like, you know, they could relate to what they care so much about in trying to perform their best day in and day out, why the farmers care so much in getting the cows what they need to perform their best day in and day out.

Joanna Guza:
Then even how much innovation has changed on the dairy farm with the technology that we have? I know when we talked to Mitch and Holly, they talked about some of the automation that they have and you know, certain animal comfort items that they have. So Jaclyn, now the tour's done. How do you keep athletes still connected to the farm after the visit?

Jaclyn St. John:
Great question. One that we're continually trying to find, you know, unique and creative ways to do. We have a lot of different ways that we try to keep the athletes connected to the farmers and really agriculture at large, right? The opportunity to understand how it's a full food system. We can't do this alone. We can't continue to feed our growing population without one another. And so educational opportunities where we further, um, you know, talk about that sustainable agriculture conversation where we share, um, research and information that's upcoming or new products and innovation that are coming online, higher protein, lactose free, for example, having the contact information that Mitch and h were very much willing, if the athletes ever had any questions or they had others who wanted to come and visit their farm, they welcomed that opportunity. And so by working with these athletic organizations and sports nutrition partners like the U.S. speed skaters, I don't go away, you know, that experience was not a one and done. We are here, um, we're doing a full academy for sports dieticians across the Idaho and Utah region to further their knowledge and expertise in understanding so that they can be advocates on behalf of the dairy farmers and agriculture industry.

Joanna Guza:
Before we jump to, you know, talking about how food is health and how we can talk better about dairy and the nutrition behind it, I know when we were preparing for this interview, one thing they talked about is the, uh, one of the products that's made from dairy is a shelf stable product and they actually got to bring it to their competition. Can you tell us about the product and like kind of how they then brought it to their competition?

Jaclyn St. John:
Yes. So the U.S. speed skaters have been being fueled by Gossner Foods, which is directly where the milk from Noo Sun Dairy goes to be processed. And that is an aseptic shelf stable product, which allows the convenience and adaptability that it can travel, right? So we worked with Gossner Foods and the speed skaters to take that whole chocolate milk product that they enjoy fueling with day in and day out across the world to Beijing when they were competing in the Olympics. And what that allows the athlete's body to do is minimize stress. You know, any consistency that they can maintain in their fueling practices, especially while traveling and especially while competing at such a high level and across the world really does help limit any additional challenges or barriers. You know, you can imagine perhaps the gut and just working through travel and different things that we all have to deal with when you're doing that same foods that they're used to feeling with helps limit that stress on the athlete's body. And was a really neat story to tell of how the product traveled from Kerns, Utah all the way to Beijing,

Joanna Guza:
Right? I mean, I think about your your preparing to for the actual competition, but all the logistics that go into getting your food there and keeping that consistent routine. I mean, even if we went back to our interview talking with Mitch and Holly, the consistent routine is so key for the cows too. So there are so many similarities between the, the animal and, and humans. Now, a couple more questions as we wrap up this episode of Farm  + Food + Facts. Well, it's trending, food is health and that's a focus of our society. How do we explain the health of dairy to athletes and to just the average consumer?

Jaclyn St. John:
You're right, food is, health is trending and you may have heard of it communicated as food is medicine as well. Similar concept, right? And really neat to see programs coming online to make that connection in that we have an opportunity preventatively for health through food. You know, once you hit the crisis and the chronic diseases, yes, food can play a role, but our opportunity is for that healthy lifestyle and how food fits day in and day out. And so when we talked about the five food groups previously, you know, dairy is one of those, but it goes in tandem with grains, proteins, fruits and vegetables. One without the other. You're missing something. You know, there is a purpose and a reason why all five food groups fit and why there's benefits of each. So you don't want to miss one of those. You don't wanna take any of that out. The well-rounded approach really provides the nutrients, the nutrition you need to fuel and be your best, regardless of whether it's me and you or it's the U.S. speed skating team.

 Joanna Guza:
One of the items that I've heard is talking about gut health, the microbes in your gut, and within the last year I interviewed a few companies talking about how farms are looking at the microbes in dairy cows. Have you done any research or know anything in particular about gut health and maybe dairy's impact on it?

Jaclyn St. John:
There is a lot of emerging research around gut health, digestive health and dairy and how that fits. As you can imagine, the innovation in dairy products and um, fermented dairy foods and yogurt and the probiotics and the prebiotics that you find in dairy have health benefits to your gut, as well as decreased inflammation, as well as improved heart health and um, blood sugar control for diabetes. There is a wide array of research that has been completed and continues to evolve around dairy foods. I direct listeners to USdairy.com. For the majority of that research, you will find some, you know, on other organizational or institution platforms, but  usdairy.com has a well-rounded research offerings that National Dairy Council has constructed in partnership with other institutions across the country.

Joanna Guza:
And we'll make sure that we drop that link in this podcast description for our listeners to learn more about that. Now, last question for you, Jaclyn. We have such a great story to share and so many great outcomes that can happen for consumers. How do we continue to share the nutritional message with consumers and how can we get more creative with telling that?

Jaclyn St. John:
Yeah, it's a tricky one, isn't it? <laugh>? One approach that we've taken that we've found some really great success is meeting the audiences where they are. There are so many platforms available these days, whether it's Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, X, you know, as Twitter, LinkedIn and various others. Our opportunity, we have to provide the story in a way that's captivating, engaging to the audience when they want it, how they want it, whether that's an 8 second video to a 32 second video, to an interview like this. You know, all the different ways that we can share these messages. I think ultimately that's surround sound, right? We have a consumer facing brand here at Dairy West called Unbottled, and we've been able to use that platform in a new, fun and engaging way in that we're encouraging everyone to be their best self.

You know what that looks like for you, what that looks like for me, it may look different, but do it. Don't look back. You know, that kind of encouraging coach that can come alongside you and enjoy dairy, but also celebrate dairy and trust dairy and so fun videos and creative ways like the UnBottled matchmaker. If you haven't seen that pairing cheeses with your favorite beverage, we've got a greatness guy. That's all simple tips, some fueling your best self. There's a lot of really great things on un rebuttal.com that I'd encourage listeners to check out.

Joanna Guza:
Well, we appreciate your excitement and we thank you. Our guest has been Jaclyn St. John. She's the registered dietician and director of community wellness for Dairy West, for sharing your experiences and expertise with us today. USFRA plays the critical important role of creating opportunities for collaboration, information sharing, and solution development for the full agricultural value chain. We are that connective and unifying voice for U.S. agriculture. We hope that you enjoyed this episode and it inspired an idea or informed you on an agricultural topic from the expert in the field. Well, we appreciate your precious time. If you enjoyed listening to our podcast, please subscribe and rate us on your favorite podcast app. Tune in again. I'm Joanna Guza for Farm + Food + Facts.