Lanea Donahoo spent much of her career, as a Family and Consumer Sciences Department
Head and Educator in Aztec, New Mexico. She educated numerous students in the discipline
of food handling and safety through a curriculum of culinary arts, nutrition, life skills,
leadership, and hospitality, tourism and recreation. She now spends her time in Cortez, Co,
her home town, ranching, farming, hosting guests, and raising her scrumptious beef on
Podunk’s Ranch. Teaching and education still remains a favorite hobby. ​ She is
This brings her to this year’s agricultural exposition. She is delighted to offer Food safety
and handling classes. The class will describe the handling, preparation, and storage of
food in ways that prevent food borne illnesses. This includes a number of routines that
should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards. In this way food safety
often overlaps with food defense to prevent harm to consumers/you.
Food can transmit disease from person to person as well as serve as a growth medium
for bacteria that can cause food poisoning. In theory, food poisoning is 100% preventable.
The five key principles of food hygiene will be the focus in this class.
1. Prevent contaminating food with pathogens spreading from people, pets, and
pests.
2. Separate raw and cooked foods to prevent contaminating the cooked foods.
3. Cook foods for the appropriate length of time and at the appropriate temperature
to kill pathogens.
4. Store food at the proper temperature.
5. Do use safe water and safe raw materials.
Lanea will also present a short class about the dreams, goals and story behind Podunk’s
Ranch. She is a third generation rancher/farmer and is proud to share her journey in the
Farm-to-table grass-fed finished beef sales, marketing and production at her ranch.