Something to Chew On – Details, episodes & analysis

When a rural grocery store becomes untenable, the repercussions can be far-reaching. Access to fresh and healthy foods is crucial for community vitality and overall well-being. By cultivating robust partnerships, embracing diverse ownership models, and formulating a comprehensive transition plan, rural grocers can proactively address sustainability and operational challenges before they escalate beyond control.

In this episode of Something to Chew On, we feature Rial Carver, Program Leader for the Rural Grocery Initiative and Extension Specialist for K-State Research and Extension. Drawing on her expertise and deep understanding of the challenges faced by rural grocery stores in Kansas and beyond, Ms. Carver identifies, develops, and shares vital resources that sustain grocers and support rural communities across the United States.

Water, the essence of life itself, stands as our most indispensable resource, yet often goes unappreciated. Water scarcity and sustainability pose formidable hurdles with far-reaching implications for communities, economies, and ecosystems. To navigate these challenges effectively, innovative research endeavors, advancements in agricultural technology, and collaborative partnerships across academic, governmental, and community sectors become imperative.

In this episode of Something to Chew On, we highlight the work of Dr. Susan Metzger, Director of Strategic Interdisciplinary Program Development, Kansas Center for Agricultural Resources and the Environment (KCARE), Kansas Water Institute, and Institute for Digital Agricultural and Advanced Analytics (ID3A) - Engagement. At the intersection of water resource management, agricultural productivity, and interdisciplinary academic research, Dr. Metzger offers evidence-based solutions for confronting the toughest water challenges of our time.

The sustainable production of beef cattle and other animal protein is complex, and the achievement of ‘net zero’ production from an environmental perspective is challenging at best, making it difficult to know where to begin. Areas of focus in this field include using food waste streams as quality animal feed, gathering all the areas of expertise need to tackle sustainability, impacting the microbiome of feed and reducing greenhouse gases.

Phillip Lancaster, clinical assistant professor and member of the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University, joined “Something to Chew On” to discuss the work he is doing to tackle these issues.

The study of cereal grains comes in many forms, from the fundamental investigation of grain components and their functionality, to processing technologies, to the development of healthy food products ready for consumption. 

In this podcast, we welcome Sajid Alavi, professor of grain science and industry, to discuss the importance of cereal grains research in the sustainable production of grain-based foods that represents close to 70% of the world’s calorie consumption.

When a mechanical engineer, a microbiologist and a food scientist collide, big things happen in a very small way. The old adage, “it takes a village,” appropriately describes the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to solving food challenges.

In this podcast we talk with Dr. Shih-Kang "Scott" Fan, professor of mechanical engineering at Kansas State, about his work on the development of a “lab on a chip” using microfluidics in the identification of STEC producing e-coli and other pathogenic organisms.

The country of Ukraine is a major worldwide producer of cereal grains and cooking oils.  The recent Russian invasion of Ukraine has put food security at risk for many parts of the world.  Our guest for this episode is Antonina Broyaka, former dean of the faculty of economics and entrepreneurship at Vinnytsia National Agrarian University in Ukraine.  Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Broyaka came to the United States as a refugee with her two children and is now an extension associate of the department of agricultural economics at Kansas State University. Her focus here at K-State is on the economic impact of the Russian military aggression on both Ukrainian agriculture and global food security.

This summer, 24 recipients from the 2022 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders program joined K-State faculty in learning about leadership in civic engagement.

In this episode, we are pleased to welcome one of those participants, Saykwayee Harmony Henry from the Republic of Liberia. Saykwayee is a mother, public speaker, entrepreneur, advocate for the rights of women and children and is the executive director at Kids Development Initiative.

Children in Liberia go to school hungry while companies from other countries use Liberian land to grow and export crops around the world. The heart of Saykwayee’s work focuses on agriculture development and her country’s need to produce food for themselves through practical education and prioritizing healthy food production as a lifestyle and profession from a very young age.

This podcast episode features a team of K-State lipid researchers to help us understand food through basic lipid research and how this work improves what we eat. For this conversation, we welcome Ruth Welti, distinguished professor of biology and director of the Kansas Lipidomics Research Center; Kathrin Schrick, associate professor of biology; and Timothy Durrett, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics.

In this podcast, Jeongdae Im, Jeffrey and Joy Lessman keystone research scholar and assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering discusses destructive greenhouse gases in the food system. From hay bales to landfills, plastics to wastewater, the intersection of engineering and microbiological science has allowed Im to tackle multiple challenges in studying ways to mitigate the negative effects of those greenhouse gases.

In this podcast, we talk with Prathap Parameswaran, associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at K-State. Parameswaran’s research focuses on the use of anaerobic microorganisms in a continuous system that produces energy and isolates materials that might be used to increase soil nutrients and more. Parameswaran discusses his approach to combating water contamination and its importance within agricultural systems.