An offering of fresh fruit — pears, bananas, apples and oranges — was an omen of healthy snacks at the Growth Energy Executive Leadership Forum in Phoenix. (Jerry Hagstrom/The Hagstrom Report)

PHOENIX — Coffee breaks at farm meetings are known for big cookies with hundreds of calories, but the Growth Energy Executive Leadership Forum showed a trend toward healthier eating.

Ethanol producers may be considered “Big Ag” leaning toward conventional production method, but Growth Energy’s lunch featured egg salad from cage-free chickens.

At an outside luncheon, Growth Energy heard that FFA (formerly the Future Farmers of America) now has more than 600,00 members.

FFA leaders said they tell youth there is a place for them in agriculture even if their inclination is more toward finance than farming.

But the sun was so hot that the luncheon guests needed the latest in convention swag: sunglasses paid for by two companies, in this case, New Holland and Mycogen.

In the afternoon, Growth Energy attendees had a choice of Häagen Dazs Chocolate Dark Chocolate ice cream bars or Helados Mexico mango paletas, a fruit-based ice cream bar.

The Häagen Dazs bars, chocolate ice cream dipped in and drizzled with dark chocolate, were 280 calories, 180 from fat.

The Mango paletas came in at 200 calories, but only 90 from fat.



Walnuts, candied mixed nuts, smoked almonds and pecans.


Healthy dried fruit: Dried apricots, raisins, peanuts and dried cranberries. (Jerry Hagstrom/The Hagstrom Report)

 
Small, less healthy snacks: House-made garden herb fruit snacks, left, and dried berries in dark chocolate bark, right.


Lunch was enjoyed outdoors at the Growth Energy Executive Leadership Forum in Phoenix. (Jerry Hagstrom/The Hagstrom Report)