Episode 26

Dumping Dairy | Recycling Plant Tour | Turkey Tries Curfews

Teachers, episode resources including worksheets, guides and access to Google Classroom can be found at the bottom of the page. Want to hop to there now? Click here

Keep an eye out for these vocabulary terms in the episode:

curfew (noun) a law keeping people indoors for certain hours.

equilibrium (noun) in economics, when supply and demand are balanced and a price is determined for a product that both consumers and producers agree on.

Ramadan (noun) a holy month celebrated by Muslims during which they fast from sunrise to sunset.

self-sufficient (adjective) not needing outside help to take care of one’s basic needs.

TOP NEWS: Too Much Milk Means Dairy Gets Dumped

Hello everybody, welcome back to NewsDepth!

We begin today’s Backpack just like you might start your day - with a big glass of milk. Unfortunately for dairy farmers, the coronavirus has been hurting milk sales.

With schools closed and restaurants limited, the big demand that farmers rely on has dried up. Just think about how many mini cartons of milk your school went through in a day or how many jugs of milk a coffee shop would use for all their milk-based lattes! Without those large orders, farmers are worried.

Jayne Sebright, executive director of the Center for Dairy Excellence, said that smaller sales - that is, buying milk at the grocery store - are doing well, but it isn’t enough to make up for losing bulk buys.

Here is where the economics get tricky. Usually when demand decreases, suppliers will just make less of a product to keep equilibrium. Equilibrium is when supply and demand are balanced and a price is determined for a product that both consumers and producers agree on.

Even though overall milk demand has gone down, the supply has not. Cows need to be milked even if no one wants the milk. That has left some farmers dumping dairy down the drain or trying to donate as much as possible to food banks.

Reporter Rachel Wulff met with one dairy farmer in California to see the situation first hand:

A surplus of milk is making dairy farmers worried. _{[photo credit: NaturalBox / Shutterstock]}

When demand decreases, but supply does not, farmers are left with too much milk.

Equilibrium is when supply and demand are balanced and a price is determined for a product that both consumers and producers agree on.

Thanks, Rachel.

SPOT ON SCIENCE: Inside a Recycling Plant

Well whether your milk comes from a carton or a jug, hopefully the container ends up at the same place - a recycling plant.

What happens when your paper, plastic, and glass make it there? Margaret Cavalier and Mary Fecteau find out in this week’s Spot on Science!

Thanks, Margaret and Mary.

TOP NEWS: Curfews to Curb Coronavirus

Now that you’ve finished that glass of milk and recycled the empty jug, let’s turn to Turkey, no not the Thanksgiving kind - the Middle Eastern country.

Folks here are just beginning the month-long celebration of Ramadan. Ramadan is a holy month celebrated by Muslims during which they fast from sunrise to sunset.

The holy month began on April 23 and usually includes families gathering to eat once the sun has set and a big celebration at the end of the month.

Nearly the entire country practices Islam, but with the current pandemic the traditions of Ramadan might not look the same. The government in Turkey is testing out a new strategy for combating the coronavirus - curfews. A curfew is a law keeping people indoors for certain hours.

In this case, the curfew applies to people under 20 and over 65 years old. These folks must stay inside over the weekends. Critics say the policy isn’t tough enough.

Reporter Arwa Damon visited one of Turkey’s largest cities, Istanbul, to see the impacts firsthand:

Where in the world is Turkey? Here it is! _{[photo credit: Google Earth Pro]}

Ramadan is a holy month celebrated by Muslims during which they fast from sunrise to sunset. _{[photo credit: Zurijeta / Shutterstock]}

Streets in Istanbul, Turkey are empty due to the government's curfew. _{[photo credit: Zurijeta / Shutterstock]}

Thanks Arwa.

For children in Spain, the opposite is happening. While the European country is on lockdown, its prime minister made an announcement last week that children under the age of 14 would be granted an exception.

Spanish children are now allowed to go on supervised walks outside of their homes. The prime minister said he knows the lockdown has been difficult for families and hopes that this change will help ease some of the pressure.

Children in Spain play outside after the country's prime minister gave them permission. _{[photo credit: CNN Newsource]}

Children in Spain play outside after the country's prime minister gave them permission. _{[photo credit: CNN Newsource]}

POLL RESULTS & INBOX

Meanwhile back in Ohio, kids are at home for the rest of the school year. We told you last week about the governor’s decision to keep classes online-only. Now Rick has a poll question for you all about it and the answers you sent us from last episode’s question:

We've got more of your great answers on the NewsDepth Inbox page.

For this week’s poll we want to know: how did you respond to hearing that school will be online the rest of the year? Choose the emoji that fits your reaction best!

Vote below or click here if the poll does not load!

Now write to us: tell us about your favorite teacher and why they are special to you.

You can use the inbox form below to submit your great letters. If the form doesn't load you can also write to us by clicking here.

Rick will share some of the best answers next week!

A+: Olivia Breinich's Royal Acts of Kindness

Speaking of story settings, this week’s NewsDepth A+ goes to a middle schooler who is bringing Disney fantasies to life.

Olivia Breinich, a student at Sidney Middle School, is spreading a little joy during the pandemic. A few times a week, she dresses up as Disney princesses and reads books to children on Facebook Live. She even did a drive-up visit one weekend, where she stood by a busy street in full costume and makeup and waved at cars passing by.

Olivia said this all started a few months back when she planned to hold a princess party, but that had to be canceled due to COVID-19. Since she had the costumes and makeup already, she decided to take her party idea online. She said she wants her videos to bring smiles to kids and a minute of relaxation to their parents.

“My favorite part of all of this is knowing that just this little gesture is making people smile, giving them something positive to talk about and maybe look forward to,” Olivia said. “Being in the middle of a pandemic causes a lot of uncertainty, fear, frustration, and more. We can all do our part to make the world a little brighter and kinder.”

She said she hopes to start a princess party business once this is all over and people can gather in person again.

“I hope that this venture will help me pay for college and support me financially while I explore career paths. I’m super interested in literature, forensics and anthropology,” she said. “Whatever I do, I want to make sure I’m still contributing to the world around me in a positive way.”

Way to go, Olivia! We’re proud to award you this week’s NewsDepth A+ for spreading a little kindness - and Disney magic - when the world needs it the most.

Submit your ideas for our NewsDepth A+ segment to newsdepth@ideastream.org for consideration.

TOP NEWS: Flower Factory in Full Bloom

Did you miss out on a sunny spring break vacation? Maybe this next story can make up for it!

Let's head inside one of the largest greenhouses in the United States – for a visual vacation and some spring stimulation.

As ideastream producers Mary Fecteau and Stephanie Jarvis discover, engineering the perfect plant – indoors or out – involves far more than a seed and soil:

Thanks, Stephanie and Mary.

In case you were wondering: the most popular orchid color that Green Circle grows is white! Their flowers are sold across North America.

Petting Zoo: Little Chicks are New Big Buy

Maybe you’ve tried baking cookies or helping cook dinner while you're studying from home. Now some folks are taking that self-sufficient mindset even farther. Self-sufficient means not needing outside help to take care of one’s basic needs.

Turns out people are buying up baby chicks so that they won’t have to go to the grocery store for eggs!

Lexie Johnson has the scoop in NewsCat’s pick of the week:

Thanks, Lexi and NewsCat!

Stay in Touch

That’s all the news we have for you in this week’s Backpack edition of NewsDepth. But there are plenty of ways to stay in touch!

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NewsDepth is made possible in part by the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation. Backpack episodes are made possible in part by The Stocker Foundation.