Tayshaun Prince, Whitney Wade, Commissioner Farmer launch 'Eat to Win' campaign for 2010-2011 school year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
For more information contact:
Bill Clary
(502) 564-1137

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Basketball star Tayshaun Prince and professional golfer Whitney Wade joined Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer to kick off the Eat to Win program for the 2010-2011 school year on Tuesday at Bridgeport Elementary School in Frankfort.

Eat to Win is a program Commissioner Farmer launched earlier this year to encourage Kentucky students to adopt a healthy lifestyle by eating more fruits and vegetables, eating more Kentucky Proud foods and getting more exercise.

“Whitney and Tayshaun believe – as I do – that you need to eat the right foods to do your best in the classroom, on the field of play, and in the game of life,” Commissioner Farmer said.

Prince, Wade and Commissioner Farmer spoke to fifth-grade students from the Franklin County and Frankfort Independent school systems in an assembly in the school gymnasium.

Commissioner Farmer said sometimes it’s hard to find time to eat right and exercise. “Adopting a healthy lifestyle requires time and effort, but the benefits will last a lifetime,” he said.

Kentucky Proud foods are part of a healthy lifestyle, Commissioner Farmer said. He told the students Kentucky Proud foods come from close by, not from across the country, and Kentucky Proud fruits and vegetables arrive on their plates at their peak of nutritional value. Buying Kentucky Proud products helps Kentucky farmers make a living, Commissioner Farmer said.

Commissioner Farmer launched Eat to Win in response to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that revealed that:

• Only 13.2 percent of Kentucky’s youth eat fruits and vegetables five or more times a day, compared with the national average of 21.4 percent;
• 40.5 percent of Kentucky students drink one or more soft drinks per day, compared with the national average of 33.8 percent;
• 59 percent of American high school students skip breakfast three or more times a week; and
• 37 percent of Kentucky youth are either obese or overweight.

Prince is a former University of Kentucky basketball star and Southeastern Conference Player of the Year who plays for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association. Wade, a native of Glasgow, plays on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour and the Duramed FUTURES Tour.

More information about the Eat to Win program is available by going to www.eattowinky.com.

Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer, left, speaks to fifth-grade students about the importance of healthy eating as Whitney Wade, center, and Tayshaun Prince listen Tuesday in Frankfort. (Photo by Chris Aldridge)

Time to welcome the world to our old Kentucky home

by Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer

The Alltech 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games will be Kentucky’s time to shine. The eyes of the world will be on the Commonwealth Sept. 25-Oct. 10. Kentucky is ready to put her best foot forward.

The Office of the State Veterinarian literally has been preparing for years to receive hundreds of equine athletes for the Games. Led by State Veterinarian Robert C. Stout and Rusty Ford, the equine program manager, the dedicated men and women of the state veterinarian’s office are ready to safeguard the horses that come to Kentucky for the Games as well as those already housed at the Kentucky Horse Park. This is the largest, most complicated event they’ve ever managed, but they’ve worked big events before, and they’re among the foremost experts in the world on equine health. The horses could not be in better hands.

Some of Kentucky’s leading kitchen wizards will join forces with celebrity chefs from throughout the nation for the Cookin’ in the Bluegrass dinner series during the Games. Sponsored by the James Beard Foundation, the dinner series will give the local and national chefs the opportunity to showcase some of our great Kentucky Proud foods. This event will put Kentucky’s culinary heritage, and our talented chefs, on a national stage.

I encourage all our visitors to stop by The Kentucky Experience, an interactive facility where you can enjoy Kentucky’s culture, history, natural wonders and, of course, food. The Kentucky Proud pavilion will enable guests to sample some of Kentucky’s outstanding food products – and even take some home. Whether you’re from down the road or around the globe, I hope you’ll visit the Kentucky Proud pavilion and check out all the fine foods Kentucky has to offer.

Company’s coming, Kentucky! Let’s welcome our guests with the best Southern hospitality and show them why we love our old Kentucky home.