Chinese Milk and America's Heartland

You've likely read it in the newspaper and caught it on the TV news...Chinese milk contaminated with the dangerous chemical melamine. The facts are shocking: More than 50,000 kids sickened and 4 babies killed. The crisis has spread outside of China's borders as milk and dairy products are discovered to contain the chemical.

So what does this have to to with our show? Coming up on episode 417 we take a look at the dairy industry in China. As incomes rise in that region more people are drinking milk. Historically China's milk only went to the elite. Because of the low demand, the dairy industry in China has been about 50 years behind the U.S. We visited China as part of our special looking at overseas grain trade. US farmers see opportunity in that increasing milk demand. More milk = more cows. More cows = more feed. You get the idea.

It's hard to guess what kind of long term impact the current milk crisis in the country will have on the dairy industry (and US interests). But after seeing the a small traditional dairy farm in our program, you'll get an idea why there are some serious challenges in the country's dairy industry.

Check your local listings for episode 417! In the meantime, here are some photos from the trip:

Interviewing Charles Shao, co-founder of HuaXia Dairy Farm. HuaXia is US owned and uses western-style dairy management practices.

The milk from HuaXia Dairy Farm is tested at a laboratory for quality and safety. The lab is a joint project with the U.S. Grains council, an organization that works to improve trade for U.S. grain products.

HuaXia sells it's milk under the "Wondermilk" brand name. They charge about 25 percent more because of its higher quality.

Season Four is Underway

We've been hard at work over the past several months...and you finally have the opportunity to see the fruits of our labor.

Season 4 is now underway...in high definition. I hope you'll enjoy watching the stories this season as much as I did putting them together.

Here are a few highlights from my travels:

- Beer-sampling in Minnesota. The good folks at Schell's Beer in New Ulm, Minnesota showed us around their historic brewhouse. It's been in the family for several generations, and they are darn proud of their brew. My only mistake was doing the sampling BEFORE the interview with the president of the company. Not all of the questions made sense!

- Visiting the world's largest balls of twine. Yes there are two of them. A town in Kansas and a town in Minnesota both lay claim to the title of possessing the giant twine balls. "One has to be bigger, right?" Yes...one is bigger, but by using some interesting stipulations they both get the title.

- Clams from Florida's "Alligator Harbor." What is it about Florida and alligators? For some reason I always end up hanging around them when I visit that fine state. This time chef Chris Hastings from the "Hot and Hot Fish Club" in Birmingham, Alabama introduced us to some interesting clammers. Then he cooked up a fantastic paella dish with all local ingredients. Good stuff.

So there's a small sample of what to expect from me this season. We really do appreciate the loyal viewers who tune in each week. You're support keeps this show going strong!

Jason