Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/983621
Restaurant Daily News Tuesday, May 22, 2018 9 0 gas), commercial mobile smokers, corn roasters, deep fat fryers, high-end resi- dential grills and concession trailers. Holstein Mfg. operates with stainless steel and carbon steel fabrication using computerized design, laser tables, steel bending brakes, steel shearing equipment and welders. We pride ourselves on mak- ing everything from the ground up with all fabrication taking place at our facility in Holstein, Iowa. Our company was established in 1976 by Bruce Schmidt and now is enjoying the smooth and successful tran- sition to the second generation. I have been involved with the company since I was nine years old. Holstein Mfg. has the lifelong experience and reputation in the commercial outdoor food cooking equip- ment to satisfy any customer looking for a high quality grill, smoker, corn roaster or fryer. Holstein Mfg. prides itself on the innumerable NSF-approved grills, smok- ers, corn roasters and deep fat fryers. Holstein Mfg. has survived and pros- pered by continuing to improve upon and innovate new products for our consumers and improve upon current products. Our motto has been, "We can build almost anything." That statement rings loud and clear with the fact that we sell a charcoal Holstein Mfg. (Cont'd. from p. 1) grill for as little as $285 to our highest priced item which is an NSF-approved, stainless steel convection smoker for $27,900. Nobody covers the high quality, outdoor grilling market and food prepa- ration like Holstein Mfg. Ingenuity and the ability to build to the customer specifications is a natural and gratifying quality of the employees of Holstein Mfg. One of our proudest partnerships in development was with the late Bill Wall (Billy Bones). My father, Bruce Schmidt, and Bill Wall developed our Model 600 Chicken, Rib and Beef Convection Cooker with smoker for the Rib Cook Off Circuit and large event mass food production. Stop by our booth and help us cele- brate our 40th year in business and let us supply your needs for high quality com- mercial food equipment for large events, whether it is on the grill, in the smoker, in the corn/potato cooker, deep fat fryer or served out of a concession trailer. We have the products and service for you. Holstein Mfg. specializes in stain- less steel NSF cooking, grilling and smoking equipment that you cannot find anywhere else. It is durable, affordable and yes, can be custom made! For more information, call 712.368.4342 or 800.358.4342, visit www.holstein mfg.com or stop by booth #4476. Udi's is the No. 1 dedicated gluten- free brand in North America, with a full line of foodservice products including bread, hoagie rolls, hamburger buns, din- ner rolls, pizza crusts, tortillas and more. Udi's products make sure all gluten-free customers have food choices they love. For people seeking a healthier, plant- forward lifestyle, gardein offers plant- based cuisine in an abundance of flavors and varieties that will excite the palate and help create a wide selection of meat- free meals and snacks for any time of day. Try all the products gardein has to offer: chick'n breasts, strips and breaded items; beefless burgers, black bean burg- ers and veggie patties; beefless strips, meatballs, crumbles and more. With a portfolio of trusted and pre- ferred brands that meets your menu needs all day long, Pinnacle is your value- added innovation partner with back-of- house versatility and preparation conven- ience and efficiency. It's got you covered, Pinnacle Food Service (Cont'd. from p. 1) from breakfast with Lender's ® , to lunch with Udi's and Wish-Bone ® , to dinner with gardein and Birds Eye ® , to dessert with Duncan Hines ® and everything in between – including Globe ® fillings and toppings and Log Cabin ® and Mrs. Butterworth's ® syrups. Pinnacle is dedicated to providing high service levels with the highest stan- dards of quality. Its broad product line boosts distribution efficiencies, and that means better value for its customers. The company has a steadfast commitment to taking customer service to a higher level. That's the Pinnacle promise. Visit the Pinnacle booth to see what it's cooking up – like grilled cheese made with Udi's new and improved gluten-free bread, or gardein bourbon meatballs. Discover how Pinnacle Food Service can drive traffic to your restaurant and enhance your menu ... and your bottom line! For more information, visit booth #1874, go to foodservice.pinnaclefoods.com or call 866.816.7313. OTA Stumps for Farm Bill Priorities Twenty organic farmers – including one major league baseball player – stepped up to the plate for thousands of organic farm- ers throughout the country when they went to Washington on November 29 and 30 to participate in the Organic Trade Association's first Farmers Advisory Council fly-in and to talk with lawmakers and policy officials about organic priori- ties in the 2018 Farm Bill. The event was coordinated by the Organic Trade Association's Farmers Advisory Council -- the largest coalition in the U.S. of organic farmers and organic farming organizations, representing more than 8,000 certified organic farmers. It brought in farmers from states stretching from California to Montana to Georgia. The diverse group included seasoned organic farmers and farmers just transition- ing to organic, large organic grain farmers and the farmer of a five-acre urban organic garden in Atlanta, organic vegetable and fruit growers, dairy farmers and egg pro- ducers, the country's largest organic rice grower, and to round things off, one major league baseball player, Jayson Werth, for- mer Washington Nationals star player and owner of an organic farm in Illinois. "The input of organic farmers in the next Farm Bill is absolutely critical to move organic forward," said Perry Clutts, co-Chairman of the Farmers Advisory Council and organic dairy farmer and owner of Pleasantview Farm in central Ohio. Clutts, who in the 1990s converted his great grandfather's conventional grain farm to an organic grass-based dairy farm, noted, "It's not easy for farmers to take time to leave their operations and come to Washington, so we really appreciated their commitment to sharing their day-to-day challenges and successes in organic farm- ing with our elected officials and policy- makers, and looking at the ways that the next Farm Bill can help benefit organic farmers and advance organic." "Organic agriculture needs more funding for research, robust oversight of organic imports and crop insurance pro- grams that recognize organic prices," said Doug Crabtree, co-Chairman of the advi- sory council and organic farmer and co- owner of Vilicus Farm in northern Montana. Crabtree, who with his wife Anna owns and operates the diverse organic dryland crop farm that produces 12 to 15 crops a year, said, "The voices and real-life experiences of organic farm- ers carry a great deal of weight, and we were glad to bring those respected and trusted voices to Washington." Thirty Congressional Offices Visited The farmers visited the offices of 30-some lawmakers, meeting in person with several lawmakers including Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas and House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson of Minnesota. Moving off Capitol Hill for their second day in Washington, the organic advocates met with officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and with other farmer and commodity associations. Tim Raile is a fourth-generation farmer in northwest Kansas and eastern Colorado. Raile and his son are systemat- ically transitioning all of their 8,500 acres to organic, with the plan to have the farm fully organic by 2022. This was Raile's first fly-in, and he said he felt that it was important to represent his home state of Kansas in the effort to "promote organic's presence in the new Farm Bill." "My main messages were that organ- ic is no longer a niche market, but now mainstream and deserves to have a level playing field in the new Farm Bill," said Raile. "Also, that the inclusions that the Organic Trade Association is requesting in the Farm Bill are not just to help organ- ic farmers, but are good for the 82 percent of the households that buy organic and good for the confidence and integrity in the USDA Organic label." Raile, Jayson Werth and other farm- ers met personally with Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Roberts, and Raile said the meeting was significant because of the acknowledg- ment by Roberts to the group's message. It was also the first fly-in for Werth, who owns a 500-acre certified organic corn, soybean, and wheat farm in central Illinois, and it may not be his last. Werth told the Organic Trade Association at its 2017 Annual Policy Conference earlier this year that he's excited about working to advance organic agriculture. "As we look toward the future, we know how important it is for this industry to maintain and grow, and that we attack the challenges that currently face us," Werth said. "I'm excited to be part of the growth in solutions that deliver to the organic community and ultimately to the organic consumer." Mac Stone and his family have been farming in the Bluegrass farmland of Kentucky for over six generations. For the last five years, the 550-acre diversified operation has been totally organic, growing and raising a wide variety of meats, eggs, fruits and vegetables that supports a 400- plus membership CSA and provides fresh organic products to restaurants throughout Kentucky and in Cincinnati. This was not Stone's first fly-in experience on Capitol Hill. He said he keeps doing it because the direct contact makes a difference. "It is still fascinating that you can walk right in and talk to the people who are making the decisions," said Stone. "It's heartening to see that with all that's going on, the staffs now know as much as they do about organic. When I see staff I've met before, they remember I was there. We're seeing the needle move a lit- tle all the time." OTA Farm Bill Priorities The Organic Trade Association estab- lished its Farmers Advisory Council in 2013 to create a stronger voice for organic farmers. The council's member organiza- tions were instrumental in pushing out a comprehensive farm bill survey conduct- ed by the Organic Trade Association early in the year to their membership communi- ties. The survey received over 500 responses from certified organic produc- ers and handlers across 45 states, and has been critical in shaping the policies of the Organic Trade Association in the lead-up to the 2018 Farm Bill. Based on the survey responses from its members, the Organic Trade Association has identified its three top priorities for the 2018 Farm Bill: that it contain policies to promote a healthy organic marketplace, to ensure that organ- ic farmers continue to be successful and to expand organic production. The Organic Trade Association's Farm Bill platform calls for full support and adequate funding for the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) to keep pace with industry growth, set uniform standards, and carry out compliance and enforcement actions in the U.S. and abroad. It advocates organic-focused research, risk management tools, data col- lection and direct dialog between industry and USDA that are critical to organic farm- ers' success. It calls for improved access to land and capital, investment in distribution systems and infrastructure, and targeted technical assistance through the utilization of existing USDA conservation, rural development, and other programs to encourage orderly transition to organic. The member organizations of the Farmers Advisory Council who have endorsed the Organic Trade Association's Farm Bill priorities include California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), Georgia Organics, Organic Egg Farmers of America, Montana Organic Association, Oregon Tilth Certified Organic, Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative, Pennsylvania Certified Organic, and Tilth Alliance of Washington.