You can catch her on a Friday night playing basketball for the defending state champion Thunder Basin High School girls, but thats only a small part of what Sydney Solem brings to Gillette.

Theres a long list of organizations the junior has done volunteer work for, including Blessings in a Backpack, Special Olympics and the Hope Squad.

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TBHS junior volunteers much of her time and is motivated by faith - Gillette News Record

If there's any tried and true method for motivating a teenager, it's through his stomach, or at least it was Thursday night for East Hamilton basketball coach Andy Webb.

Down nine points against a hot-shooting Red Bank team at halftime of the late boys' game in the Times Free Press Best of Preps Tournament at Chattanooga State, Webb got his players' attention with the promise of free food. After a resulting rally and 73-72 win, it's a debt Webb will happily pay.

"At halftime we're down nine and Red Bank was shooting the ball great," the first-year coach said. "We didn't have an answer, so I promised the kids Buffalo Wild Wings if we pulled this one out. I guess we're going to Buffalo Wild Wings and celebrate. They played hard for food tonight."

It didn't work right away, though. Five quick Lions points, including a 3-pointer from Lucas Brown, pushed the lead to 14 to start the second half, but led by Darwin Randolph, Marcus Long and Ian Shropshire, East Hamilton put together a 23-8 run to end the period up 58-57.

Red Bank went right back up as Brown, a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football recruit, scored 10 of his game-high 30 points for a 70-65 lead in the first 4:43 of the final quarter. The Lions did not score again, however, until the final second as they settled for several 3-point shots down the stretch.

The Hurricanes (6-7), on the other hand, drove the lane on every possession, with Jordan Harris and Long each scoring four points for a 72-70 lead. Randolph, fouled after making a steal with 12 seconds to play, hit one of two free throws for a three-point lead.

Brown, perhaps thinking the lead was two, drove the length of the court for an easy layup, but the clock hit zero as the ball went through.

East Hamilton will face Baylor in a semifinal game at 8:30 p.m. Friday. Red Bank (7-6) goes against Notre Dame at 2:30 p.m. in the consolation bracket.

Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.

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Grub club: Motivated East Hamilton rallies to edge Red Bank in Best of Preps thriller - Chattanooga Times Free Press

Nicole Poole allegedly drove her SUV onto a curb to hit 14-year-old Natalia Miranda and a 12-year-old black boy in two separate incidents on the same day.

An Iowa woman who is accused of running over two children in separate racially motivated attacks will undergo a competency evaluation.

A judge approved the evaluation for Nicole Poole, 42, on Monday.

She is accused of driving her SUV onto a sidewalk in the Des Moines suburb of Clive on Dec. 9 to hit 14-year-old Natalia Miranda. Poole allegedly told investigators she targeted Miranda because the girl is Mexican.

The girl was hospitalized for two days but survived.

That very same day, Poole is accused of driving over a Des Moines curb to hit a 12-year-old black boy. He suffered minor injuries to his leg, the Des Moines Register reports.

Poole fled after both alleged attacks. Poole, who also goes by Nicole Franklin, eventually ended up at a gas station convenience store and allegedly threw items at a clerk while directing racial epithets at him and customers.

Poole has been charged with two counts of attempted murder. While she has not been officially charged yet with any hate crimes, Des Moines Police Sgt. Paul Parizek told the Register last week that the hate-filled motivation is apparent." She is expected to face a felony hate crime charge for the gas station incident.

Its not clear if she will face hate crime charges for the alleged hit-and-runs. The League of United Latin American Citizensand the Council on American-Islamic Relations have called for hate crime charges for the attacks on the two children.

Pooles attorney Matthew Sheeley told the court on Monday that he worries that his client has a mental disorder, which could make herincompetent to stand trial, the Des Moines Register reports. Sheeley met his client for the first time earlier that morning.

This is not the first time that Poole hasclaimed incompetence in the face of criminal charges.

Last year, she was accused of biting her boyfriend on an arm, and threatening to kill him with a knife.

Her attorney in that case said he was concerned that her pre-existing psychiatric diagnosis and the status of her mental health treatment made her unable to stand trial. A judge ordered an expert to evaluate her but concluded months later that she was competent to stand trial. However, charges were dismissed in that case earlier this year after the victim refused to cooperate.

In another incident, in 2017,West Des Moines police officers responding to a domestic disturbance found Curtis Jones, a 60-year-old black man, bleeding from a severe laceration on his shoulder outside an apartment building, records show. He was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Poole admitted that she used a knife to stab Jones, her then-boyfriend, and she was arrested on charges of willful injury and domestic abuse assault with a dangerous weapon, according to a criminal complaint. Police called the attack unprovoked. In that case too, charges were eventually dismissed after Jones denied he was stabbed. Hetold doctors his wounds were cuts from glass, according to the Associated Press.

Just a month before the attack on Jones, her probation officer recommended that she face jail time for repeatedly testing positive for drugs and alcohol and skipping mandatory treatment sessions. Poole was put on probation in 2016 after fleeing from police and driving with a blood alcohol content of more than twice the legal limit. After the stabbing arrest, a probation agent cited Pooles continued substance abuse and escalated threat to the public."

Poole is being held on $2 million bond.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Crime Time is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. Sign up for our Crime Time Newsletter and subscribe to our true crime podcast Martinis & Murder for all the best true crime content.

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Woman Accused Of Racially Motivated Hit-And-Run Attacks Targeting Kids To Undergo Mental Evaluation - Oxygen

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If you're searching for any bit of motivation to get to the gym, consider amping up your workout wardrobe. Hear us out: While a new pair of leggings isn't going to make or break your routine, the excitement of wearing something new could at least help you get out the door. Ifyou're stocked up on cute leggings, you're going to needsomewhere to wear them!

Whether you're finding your sense of calm in yoga, breaking it down in a dance class, running hills outside or heading to the gym to do your own dang thing, these leggings will support you every step of the way.

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If your outfit is right and tight and you're still looking formotivation to get moving, just rememberhow you feel after working out (so good!), remind yourself of your goals, take time to appreciate your own awesome abilities and my personal favorite, ask yourself if you've ever regretted a sweat sesh (probably not).

Check out these 21cute leggingsfrom polka dots and cheetah print to high shine and classic blackand get ready to be your healthiest and happiest self.

View post:
21 leggings that are so cute, you'll feel motivated to work out - Yahoo Lifestyle

ROME (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - As water shortages, high temperatures and rising greenhouse gas emissions threaten food production, countries around the world are looking somewhere new for solutions - the soil.

For decades, farmers wanting to boost their yields have focused their attention on fertilisers, technology and new seed varieties.

Instead, they should be looking under their feet, according to experts, who warn that years of erosion and degradation of the soil through intensive farming have created the conditions for a global food production crisis.

Data suggests that if we do not restore global soil health, it is highly likely the consequences within 10 years will be many, many millions facing food and water insecurity, British soil expert John Crawford told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

This could lead to civil unrest, mass migration, radicalization and violence on an unprecedented scale, said Crawford, until recently a science director at the worlds oldest agricultural research institute, Rothamsted Research.

Much of the problem is caused by erosion, which strips away the highly fertile top layer of soil. An area of soil the size of a soccer pitch is eroded every five seconds, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

While soil erosion occurs naturally, human activities such as intensive agriculture, deforestation and urban sprawl have significantly increased the rate at which it is happening.

Nearly a third of Earths soil is already degraded. At current rates, that will increase to 90% by 2050, the FAO forecasts, warning that pollution from human activity such as mining and manufacturing as well as erosion are to blame.

There are signs the world is beginning to wake up to the issue, which Crawford said it had only about 10 to 15 years to sort out.

Soil is one of the most important regulators of global climate because it stores more carbon than the planets atmosphere and vegetation combined, he said.

If you fix soil, you mitigate a whole bunch of other risks, added Crawford, now professor of technology and strategy at the Adam Smith Business School in Glasgow.

Whole Foods, the upscale U.S. retailer that made its name selling organic food, has put regenerative agriculture - farming that focuses on soil health - at the top of its trends for 2020.

LOW-COST TESTING

From Iowa to the Ayeyarwady delta region of Myanmar - known as the countrys rice bowl - farmers are trying to figure out how to make their soil healthier and more productive.

In a remote village in the Ayeyarwady delta recently, a group of farmers sat cross-legged on a wooden floor and discussed why their once-thriving farms had become less productive.

The men had started testing their soil for the first time with the help of Proximity Designs, a business that designs low-cost farming products.

The company only began offering low-cost soil testing services in Myanmar in 2018 and by last October it had already sold more than 7,600 tests at $17 each, highlighting farmer interest.

We didnt have anyone to teach us (about soil). We followed suggestions from others, thinking they might work, said Win Zaw, 44, who grows rice twice a year on his six-acre (2.4-hectare) farm.

We knew something was wrong, but didnt know what to do, he said, looking down at neatly-typed sheets of paper detailing the levels of nitrogen, phosphate, potassium, acidity and organic matter in the soil.

All the farms were showing very low organic matter, which is produced by decomposing plants and is key to good soil health.

Proximity Designs agronomists said this was likely due partly to the warm climate, which degrades organic matter more quickly, and partly to local farming practices.

Their recommendations were relatively simple: leave crop residues after the harvest to retain the moisture in the soil, or sow cover crops - those planted to protect the soil between rice plantings rather than for commercial reasons.

When it came to fertilizer use, the recommended amount was much lower than what the farmers were using.

Applying farming practices without knowing whats happening in the soil can lead to crop failures, soil degradation, environmental damage and ecosystem breakdown, said Proximity founder Debbie Aung Din.

In Iowa, a state in the U.S. Midwest known for its cornfields, farmers are increasingly seeking to improve soil health, said Richard Cruse, a professor at Iowa State Universitys agronomy department.

We see increasing numbers of cover crops that are being planted. Were increasing the rate of no-till adoption, he said, referring to a method of farming without tilling the soil that is said to reduce erosion.

Ive talked to several (farmers) in my area who are saying, We have to do something different.

But many lack the expertise and skills, while farmers who rent say it is not worth investing in land that they do not own.

In Iowa, more than half of the farmland is managed by farmers that dont own the land, said Cruse.

Ive had multiple farmers tell me, conservation practices on land that I rent is a cost.

Ronald Vargas, land and water officer for the FAO and secretary of the Global Soils Partnership - a key player in pushing this issue - said farmers had to be given advice and incentives.

Soil can be your ally or your enemy, he said. But in many countries, farmers are left alone. There is nobody advising them.

Reporting By Thin Lei Win @thinink, Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, and property rights. Visit http://www.trust.org

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Digging up the dirt: could soil contain the answer to food shortages? - Reuters

Back in 1971, the Food Conspiracy Co-op was formed by Tucson residents who sought to create a new approach to providing food to the community. These organizers used their collective purchasing power to obtain natural food products, which werent as readily available in stores back then.

The Food Conspiracy Co-op is now the citys sole full-service food cooperative. Being member-owned holds them accountable to their customers, so the focus can remain on the quality of the products. I spoke with board president Michael DeSantis and board vice president Kevin Hendricks about this iconic place for both a healthy food and healthy community as the organization approaches its 50th anniversary next year.

Hendricks called the co-op not only a place for food, but also a space for shared values, as food primarily brings people together.

The co-op has been celebrating diversity and inclusivity for 50 years.

DeSantis said the co-ops mission is solid, the organization has never been stronger, and there is a shared vision that will prepare us for long-term success.

DeSantis believes the organization has successfully created a healthy, transparent operation, where staff and board members can openly communicate. He now wants to explore exceeding typical practices and industry norms. One example: Their declaration of The Conspiracy Way, a community code of conduct that promotes healthy, positive behaviors and communication for a variety of scenarios. In addition to this declaration, the organization has focused on creating unity between the staff and the board, authoring a collaborative strategic plan (with their customer-owners in mind) and passing a resolution to provide ownership to all staff to share in the opportunities, resulting in high levels of staff engagement and retention.

With a strong team in place, expansion and innovation are possible. The Food Conspiracy Co-op has plans to expand their retail offerings and prepared foods, create a comfortable seating area, and provide increased parking and a new east entrance and parking area. Hendricks sees the new entrance as the tactic for bringing it all together. The second element of the project will include design ideas from owners, board members, and staff to integrate the gardens and existing parking lot to develop a campus/village feel from Third Avenue to Fourth Avenue, so that all holdings of the co-op are tied together by the community space of the gardens.

Both DeSantis and Hendricks are passionate about fostering communal space. DeSantis is proud of the co-ops strong partnership with suppliers, as well as their long-term farm loan program. He also believes in supporting outside educational organizations and other community organizations. There are strong relationships with service providers that range from students and farmers to designers and architects, as well as strong connections with the larger world of co-operatives.

Hendricks said the grocery and kitchen department managers are always looking to connect with local producers and they actively make visits to see the operations and go through the quality process to see if they can get the product on the shelves or be included in the prepared foods and highlighted in the newsletter articles and promotional avenues.

In essence, if it is on the shelves of the co-op, then it should be considered an endorsement because of the high quality of the food and being a local product.

DeSantis found on his first visit to Tucson that the co-op was the epitome of community. After volunteering and attending the board meetings, he formally joined the board of directors to contribute ideas. He had joined the Food Conspiracy first in the early 70s before moving to Northern Arizona and, later, California to work in project management for both renewable energy and community development. When he returned, he realized that all of the skills he learned while away would be of value to the challenges and opportunities being faced by the co-op. Today, he is proud of his fellow board members who each bring experience and perspective that contribute to the long-term viability of the organization.

After moving from Washington, D.C., to Tucson in 2008, Hendricks looked for the best place to find local organic food. His quest for organic, non-GMO foods led him to the co-op. He joined the board because hes is always seeking ways to educate the public about co-ops quality of locally sourced food.

DeSantis and Hendricks share a similar experience in the Food Conspiracy Co-op: It was one of the first community connections they made while first living in Tucson. This speaks to not only the well-known benefits of quality organic offerings, but also to how this Tucson institution is a magnet for inspiring collective community efforts.

Michael Peel is the Southern Arizona director of Local First Arizona. This is a regular series of columns from Local First Arizona on local sustainable economy issues. Get involved as a member or volunteer of Local First Arizona by signing up at localfirstaz.com.

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Fifty years of cultivating community at the Food Conspiracy Co-op - Inside Tucson Business

Its 2020. Weve entered a new decade. Its an exciting time and a fresh start. Remember the dawn of 2010? If you think not much has changed, I challenge you to think about the cell phone you owned on Jan. 1 that year. Yeah, the world has definitely progressed!

Personally, the last decade saw tremendous changes in my life. As the calendar turned to 2010, I was still in law school. I wasnt writing about agriculture. And the idea hadnt even crossed my mind yet.

Agriculture has gone through quite a bit since then as well. Weve seen a big economic downturn. Weve added new technologies in a meaningful way. And cutting-edge advancements from 2010 are now commonplace. Consumer preferences have also shifted drastically. We saw the rise of the non-GMO label and plant-based meats and milks.

So what does this new decade have in store for agriculture? Ive gazed into my crystal ball and read the tea leaves. And Im ready to give you my predictions for the 2020s.

1. The farm economy will turn around in a big way.

I promise this isnt just wishful thinking. Weve had bad economic conditions in agriculture for quite a few years now. The industry is changing in some good ways and a few bad ways. But eventually it will turn around, and well see positive economic conditions. The economy is cyclical, so the chances are pretty high. But the big question is whether weve hit the bottom of this downturn. And Im not sure thats the case. It might get worse before it gets better.

2. The non-GMO labels best days are over.

Too many food companies have plastered their products with those little monarch-butterfly logos in the 2010s. And companies unwilling to pay the big fees to The Non-GMO Project have come up with their own versions. But I think weve seen the heyday of these ridiculous labels. Why? Because the USDAs GMO labels will soon be commonplace. And while I was initially opposed to them, I think it will eventually become no big deal. The USDA designed beautiful labels that positively reflect biotechnology. So the negative associations will be less effective over time, even if it doesnt go away completely.

3. Organic sales will plateau.

Im cheating a bit on this one: The growth rate of organic food sales slowed in 2018. So I suspect the trend will continue. Its true the certification had a great decade. But sales are no longer expanding exponentially. And I sense that consumers are starting to catch on that organic marketing overblows its benefits. Why spend more money for something that doesnt really give you any benefits? Organic will always be an option; I just dont see it expanding at the same rate. Plus popular discord has moved away from organic and onto other trendy words, like regenerative agriculture. In the 2020s well move beyond organic to the next big thing (hopefully thatll be science!).

4. Were going to see big changes in technology.

Weve all seen the videos of little robots that can run around a field and pull weeds without human assistance. They arent necessarily ready for prime time yet, but theres progress. And last year at the Fort Wayne Farm Show, there were plenty of agriculture start-up companies with new products and technologies. So it feels like were at a point where were going to see some big things coming to the farm. Im willing to bet that by 2030, agriculture technology is going to look much different than it does today.

5. Biotechnology will offer solutions to persistent problems.

Orange groves decimated by citrus greening. Coffee threatened by climate change. Bananas hit with Fusarium wilt. The 2010s saw a lot of these serious challenges to popular crops. But we didnt make much progress in stopping it. The 2020s will be different. And biotechnology will make the difference. Well see crops that are resistant to major diseases and hardy enough to combat the effects of climate change. Biotechnology will be heralded as a hero, not a villain.

So those are my big predictions. What do you think? And what do you see happening over the next 10 years?

Amanda Zaluckyj blogs under the nameThe Farmers Daughter USA. Her goal is to promote farmers and tackle the misinformation swirling around the U.S. food industry.

Originally posted here:

Farmer's Daughter: The 2020s promise a new shift in ag technology and perspective - AGDAILY

ROME, Jan 3 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - As water shortages, high temperatures and rising greenhouse gas emissions threaten food production, countries around the world are looking somewhere new for solutions - the soil.

For decades, farmers wanting to boost their yields have focused their attention on fertilisers, technology and new seed varieties.

Instead, they should be looking under their feet, according to experts, who warn that years of erosion and degradation of the soil through intensive farming have created the conditions for a global food production crisis.

Data suggests that if we do not restore global soil health, it is highly likely the consequences within 10 years will be many, many millions facing food and water insecurity, British soil expert John Crawford told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

This could lead to civil unrest, mass migration, radicalisation and violence on an unprecedented scale, said Crawford, until recently a science director at the worlds oldest agricultural research institute, Rothamsted Research.

Much of the problem is caused by erosion, which strips away the highly fertile top layer of soil. An area of soil the size of a soccer pitch is eroded every five seconds, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

While soil erosion occurs naturally, human activities such as intensive agriculture, deforestation and urban sprawl have significantly increased the rate at which it is happening.

Nearly a third of Earths soil is already degraded. At current rates, that will increase to 90% by 2050, the FAO forecasts, warning that pollution from human activity such as mining and manufacturing as well as erosion are to blame.

There are signs the world is beginning to wake up to the issue, which Crawford said it had only about 10 to 15 years to sort out.

Soil is one of the most important regulators of global climate because it stores more carbon than the planets atmosphere and vegetation combined, he said.

If you fix soil, you mitigate a whole bunch of other risks, added Crawford, now professor of technology and strategy at the Adam Smith Business School in Glasgow.

Whole Foods, the upscale U.S. retailer that made its name selling organic food, has put regenerative agriculture - farming that focuses on soil health - at the top of its trends for 2020.

LOW-COST TESTING

From Iowa to the Ayeyarwady delta region of Myanmar - known as the countrys rice bowl - farmers are trying to figure out how to make their soil healthier and more productive.

In a remote village in the Ayeyarwady delta recently, a group of farmers sat cross-legged on a wooden floor and discussed why their once-thriving farms had become less productive.

The men had started testing their soil for the first time with the help of Proximity Designs, a business that designs low-cost farming products.

The company only began offering low-cost soil testing services in Myanmar in 2018 and by last October it had already sold more than 7,600 tests at $17 each, highlighting farmer interest.

We didnt have anyone to teach us (about soil). We followed suggestions from others, thinking they might work, said Win Zaw, 44, who grows rice twice a year on his six-acre (2.4-hectare) farm.

We knew something was wrong, but didnt know what to do, he said, looking down at neatly-typed sheets of paper detailing the levels of nitrogen, phosphate, potassium, acidity and organic matter in the soil.

All the farms were showing very low organic matter, which is produced by decomposing plants and is key to good soil health.

Proximity Designs agronomists said this was likely due partly to the warm climate, which degrades organic matter more quickly, and partly to local farming practices.

Their recommendations were relatively simple: leave crop residues after the harvest to retain the moisture in the soil, or sow cover crops - those planted to protect the soil between rice plantings rather than for commercial reasons.

When it came to fertiliser use, the recommended amount was much lower than what the farmers were using.

Applying farming practices without knowing whats happening in the soil can lead to crop failures, soil degradation, environmental damage and ecosystem breakdown, said Proximity founder Debbie Aung Din.

In Iowa, a state in the U.S. Midwest known for its cornfields, farmers are increasingly seeking to improve soil health, said Richard Cruse, a professor at Iowa State Universitys agronomy department.

We see increasing numbers of cover crops that are being planted. Were increasing the rate of no-till adoption, he said, referring to a method of farming without tilling the soil that is said to reduce erosion.

Ive talked to several (farmers) in my area who are saying, We have to do something different.

But many lack the expertise and skills, while farmers who rent say it is not worth investing in land that they do not own.

In Iowa, more than half of the farmland is managed by farmers that dont own the land, said Cruse.

Ive had multiple farmers tell me, conservation practices on land that I rent is a cost.

Ronald Vargas, land and water officer for the FAO and secretary of the Global Soils Partnership - a key player in pushing this issue - said farmers had to be given advice and incentives.

Soil can be your ally or your enemy, he said. But in many countries, farmers are left alone. There is nobody advising them. (Reporting By Thin Lei Win @thinink, Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, womens and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, and property rights. Visit http://www.trust.org)

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FEATURE-Digging up the dirt - could soil contain the answer to food shortages? - Reuters Africa

For some, the Pennsylvania Farm Show seems folksy, if not quaint.

From the Main Hall with its iconic butter sculpture to animal pens, chirping chicks and a bustling food court, a thread of Americana is evident inside the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg.

For eight days every January, visitors find Amish furniture for sale, a blue-ribbon apple pie contest, tractor square dancing, cooking demonstrations and horse pulls, among hundreds of exhibits. They sip Pennsylvania Dairymens milkshakes and stuff themselves with chicken corn soup, mushroom burgers and apple dumplings.

The Farm Show, after all, is a showcase of the states agricultural industry. It is the Keystone States version of a state fair.

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Lately the show has taken on a bit of a hipper vibe. You can actually - gasp! - buy wine and hard cider, sample beer, order gluten-free foods, buy hemp products and grab a glimpse of Gritty, the famed Flyers mascot, in all of his buttery glory.

Like everything, you have to constantly change. You cant standstill. You either go forward or backwards. So, were going forward, said Ron Frederick, who assists with the FFA horticulture and window exhibits.

Here are five hip things youll find at the 2020 Farm Show:

The butter sculpture is revealed at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, January 2, 2020 and features Gritty, the mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

Gritty in butter

Its not just that we predicted it when we came up with our list of butter sculptures we wanted to see. Its that we predicted a need for it. When Gritty, the mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers, first appeared, he was not warmly received by all. But it was only a matter of weeks before he was everywhere, and the Philly fans fully embraced their furry new friend. The memes were flying back and forth all through 2019 as the googly-eyed monster found a place in our hearts. And now hes got a place at our Farm Show, immortalized in that same buttery hall of fame - the annual butter sculpture - as figures like Benjamin Franklin and Milton Hershey.

Chiques Creek hemp tea is new in 2020. New items, and some returning favorites, are shown at the 2020 Pennsylvania Farm Show food court preview, January 2, 2020. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

Hemp and more hemp

Suddenly, hemp is big business in Pennsylvania, thanks to a change in federal law that makes it easier to grow the crop commercially. (Hemp comes from the cannabis plant, but the psychoactive chemical THC which allows marijuana users to feel a high, is removed.)

Naturally, hemp is popping up in several forms at the show, including a range of products for sale such as hemp kitty litter. A hemp exhibit will give visitors a peek inside a small hemp house and hempmobile," both with parts made from hemp products.

In the food court the hemp theme continues at the PennAg Industries booth where they sell Chiques Creek Hemp Tea from Kreider Farms in Lancaster County. The 12-ounce bottles run $2 in three flavors - original, passionfruit-mint and peach-lemon-dandelion - and are made from hemp seed oil.

We are promoting Pennsylvania agriculture and hemp is an important agricultural product of the state of Pennsylvania, said Dave Andrews, Kreiders vice president of sales and marketing. We are trying to be leaders in hemp agriculture because its the beginning of a renaissance and we want to be on the leading edge of that.

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman talks to FFA members before the butter sculpture is revealed at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, January 2, 2020. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

An unconventional lieutenant governor

Say what you will about our Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman or his politics, but hes a striking figure compared to his fellow Pennsylvania politicians. Even if he werent a tall, potentially imposing figure, youre not likely to see him in a suit and tie very often. And he certainly wasnt wearing one during the preview for this years Farm Show, as he posed with the butter sculpture - and mugged with Gritty for social media - and sampled new food court offerings. If the Farm Show is Graceland, the Dairymens milkshake is Elvis, he quipped, while sipping a Farm Show milkshake. He and his wife, Gisele, became political celebrities even before joining the Wolf administration - and did we mention that they hang out with Kim Kardashian sometimes?

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Farm Show attendees visit the Pennsylvania Cider Guild area in the Main Hall to sip and sample hard cider, January 5, 2019. File photo by Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

Lots of booze

Who would have thought you could drink alcohol at the Farm Show, let alone buy it? Weve come a long way in PA. In recent years, the Farm Show has tapped into the states booming booze businesses. For several years Pennsylvania wineries have had prime real estate at the show with a booth in the Main Hall where wineries pour samples and sell bottles of their best. Several years ago, hard cider followed and last year beer had its day with an inaugural craft beer competition. This year, for the first time, visitors ages 21 and older will be able to buy hard cider as well as sample craft beer. Of course, results from wine, hard cider and craft beer competitions will be announced on Jan. 4.

The Philly port sandwich, made with chopped portabella mushrooms seasoned with garlic, onions, salt, pepper and cheese, served Philadelphia cheesesteak style. is new for 2020. New items, and some returning favorites, are shown at the 2020 Pennsylvania Farm Show food court preview, January 2, 2020. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

Gluten-free, vegan and organic foods

In the past, if you followed a strict diet, you were likely out of luck at the Farm Show. Most of the food court offerings hardly pass as health food. But vendors introducing more options, making it easier for those who cant or dont want to eat deep-fried everything. (Look, if Burger King can sell Beyond Burgers, the Farm Show can certainly do its part.) This year, the Mushroom Growers of Pennsylvania are selling a Philly Port Sandwich that can be ordered sans roll as a vegan and gluten-free option. In addition, the Pennsylvania Livestock Association added gluten-free meatballs. (Although, it notes all of its meats are gluten-free.) And Bell & Evans has brought on board a full menu of organic chicken items, including a new entrant for 2020, parmesan crusted chicken meatballs.

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With hemp, Gritty and craft beer, Pa. Farm Show is hipper than ever - pennlive.com

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Global Organic Food and Beverages Market Estimated to Account for US$ 323.56 Billion by 2024 - Industry Chronicle 24