Beef Ambassador

Hello All!

I’m back once again to discuss a brand new topic thats waiting for feedback! Since I was a little kid I’ve had the occasional fast food cheeseburger from the highly popular franchise McDonalds. I’ve wondered as well as many others probably of how they get a burger to taste so good. Many people will tell you the myths of where McDonalds’ burgers come from, but in reality most don’t understand is that our very own American farmers and ranchers work each and everyday to ensure that there is still supply for the well known burger joint.

If you haven’t seen McDonalds newest commericial ads yet, I suggest you click this link and check it out for yourself. I can personally tell you that this is one of the best ads I have seen from McDonalds in a long time and it really tells the story of why their product is so good.  You’ll noticed its not like other ads that McDonalds has produced before in the past, like “Come try our delicious burger, mouth watering juicy flavor… ” Although this tends to drive consumers to the fast food chains, some still are wary of fast food and where their food truly comes from.

Steve Foglesong, a cattle rancher from Vermont, Illinois is one of the many farmers that supplies McDonalds’ with it’s beef. In the commercial he shows consumers his family run cattle ranch and explains the daily life of a beef rancher. Once an abandoned coal mining site, Foglesong’s ranch has now transformed into a 5,000 acre cattle ranch. He currently has a herd of approximately 6,000 cattle and is currently one of the major suppliers for the fast food chain.  He takes pride in what he does each and everyday and makes sure that consumers are consuming a product that he himself would serve to his own family.

So just remember that the next time you’re out of the house and need something quick to eat at the local McDonalds, that burger you’re eating has been cared for and properly handled so that you can enjoy a delicious meal. Farmers and ranchers have a twenty-four hour job that continues to put obstacles in front of them to overcome and they do this all for the thousands of consumers around the nation and in the world. Nothing is more important for a farmer or rancher than nothing that they have produced a safe,wholesome and nutritious product from the labor of their own hands.

With a Cattle Calling,

Arika Snyder

I spent a good portion of last week driving half-way across the country. With that much time on your hands, there is a lot of time to think. One thing that always comes to mind is current events and how people react to what is going on in the world. I often find myself at the question, “How could someone possibly think that?” This is a question I am sure that producers and ag advocates alike often find themselves thinking.

A very "Blessed Paradigm"

One of the greatest things that I learned from the “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” is the idea of paradigms, or the way that one sees the world. As members of the agriculture industry, we are so blessed in the paradigm that we live in. When someone approaches us with a question or a view point, we must realize that their paradigm is entirely different than ours. While this idea seems so obvious, it is also so easy to forget. Sometimes we have to step out of our favorite pair of broken-in work boots and take a walk in that businessman’s dress shoes or that fashionista’s designer heels. They haven’t had the opportunities that a member of the agriculture field has. Their horizon may be a city skyline instead of rolling hills. Their biggest commitment after school may be their XBox, not their livestock.  So while playing the biggest role that agriculture has, educating the public, (aside from…you know…feeding, clothing, and employing the world), keep in mind that their questions are not unintelligent, but simply come from a different paradigm.

Loving the Ag Paradigm

– Kim

Howdy,

Often, people recognize a large red check inlayed with the image of a cow, and black letters as the symbol of the Beef Checkoff, but what is their goal? Consisting of 6 primary targets the Beef Checkoff is funded through the sale of cattle. $1 off every head sold is implemented into programs and research, aiding in industry best practices and marketing. The next few weeks I will be exploring and sharing the impact the Beef Checkoff has on our great industry. Let’s start out with mission statement number one.

The following information can be found at http://www.beefboard.org/producer/CBBFinalUnderstandingBrochure.pdf

Promotion

Includes advertising, merchandising, new-product development and promotional partnerships with restaurants and supermarkets designed to stimulate sales of beef and veal.

This week I will target two promotional endeavors the Beef Checkoff is crucial in sustaining.

National Beef Ambassadors

Yes that’s right!  Our very team if funded by the Checkoff.  Traveling to the PA farm show, 2012 annual cattle convention in Nashville, on towards Boston and ending in California this team is dedicated to promoting our industry. Outfitted in Bright Red Shirts we teach, we share, we learn.

Learn more at http://www.nationalbeefambassador.org/

Team BEEF

Team BEEF competes in athletic events, showcasing their checkoff jerseys and beef’s ability to sustain high performance activity. This is the invitation from Team BEEF.

Join Team BEEF to demonstrate how BEEF protein provides FUEL FOR THE FINISH!

There’s no better way to demonstrate the nutritious, high quality protein found in beef than to run a 5k, a half marathon, or a full marathon with beef giving you that extra surge to push through the finish line, hands in the air, and that big red check on your jersey. Promotion at its finest!

Check out Team BEEF at: http://teambeef.org/

Without our hardworking ranchers supporting the Beef Checkoff we wouldn’t have this program dedicated to promotion, research, consumer information, industry information, foreign marketing, and producer communications. Thank your nearest rancher, they are the backbone of these programs.

Next week we’ll explore: Research

Thanks and Gig’em

-Emily E. Jack

There is a great new game on the Explore Beef Page! This is titled Cow Chow, Exploring What Cattle Eat. There is a short video exploring some of the concepts behind the cattle feeding program. Then the player is asked to “Get Started”.  The player gets to be either Farmer Jill or Farmer Bill and then the quiz kicks off. There is a short quiz that asks questions about the video that was just played and the happiness of the farmer and the points earned depend on how fast the question is asked and the accuracy of the answer.

Cow Chow

If the player gets a question wrong they are asked to watch a video further explaining the question and then they have a reattempt. This is a great way to learn a little bit more about what goes into the belly of a cow and is done in a fun and encouraging way. Teachers, this is a great activity to do with your class on a Smartboard because it is so interactive! Also State Beef Ambassadors, take advantage of these great tools in your next classroom sessions!

Props to the Explore Beef Team to go above and beyond in telling the beef story. It is great to get the beef story out there in a positive way and put a spin towards a slightly younger generation so they can feel included!

You can find the game at http://www.explorebeef.org/cowchow.aspx

RB

2011 was a year that flew by. It seems like yesterday we were in Rapid City, SD, at the 2011 NBAP Contest competing for our chance to be a National Beef Ambassador. I can’t believe the places we as a team have traveled. Having the chance to travel around the country for a year and talk about beef, who wouldn’t want that experience. I am so sad to be done, but extremely excited for the 2012 team to experience the duties of a National Beef Ambassador.

To my team; Kristin, Austin, Jess and Maddy- Thank you for always being there to offer your individual skills and talents. You are all stunning agricultural advocates and are going to blaze an amazing path in this world. I couldn’t have asked for a better team to share the American beef story to consumers with then any of you! Kristin- You witty personality is always entertaining, especially your eastern accent. Your knowledge for this industry is second-to-none and I have learned so much from you, thank you. I would also like to thank you for your superb driving skills; and not killing Ruby, Maddy and I in PA! Austin- Thanks for being the man of the team and dealing with four women during all of our travels. Your uncanny ability to strike up a conversation with consumers is captivating. Thanks for all your political updates it was always fun to hear and debate with. Jess- Your bubbly personality is so much fun and captivating to everyone around you. You ability to reach out to all consumers and lour them in was always fun to take part of. Thank you for always sharing your California knowledge to all of us. Maddy- Being able to travel with each other was always a great time. Your passion for life and experiencing new things was always exciting. You certainly were the team member that was great with children, they always loved being able to interact with you and learn about your cows.

To the American National Cattlewomen; Thank you ladies. Your passion for this program and the youth of the beef industry is something that is truly admired. You are all great role models for us.

To the Cattlemen’s Beef Board; Thank you for believing in this program. The experience this past year gave me is something I will never be able to truly explain, and has shaped me as a young adult and future leader within this industry.

To all the State Beef Councils; Thank you for all that you did for us as a team, you are all great role models and we learned so much from you.

To all the American Beef Farmers and Ranchers; Thank you for being a part of this industry, it’s your job to feed and clothe the world today.

To the 2012 Team; Enjoy every minute of this experience and make sure to never overlook an opportunity to share your beef story, you are the future of this industry! “You are the change you wish to see in the world”

Thank you everyone for this year and offering me a chance to serve an industry,

2011 Team

I love so very much!

Bless the beautiful bovines,

Kelli

With the beginning of the new semester school has been a huge part of my life, and thoughts. A couple days ago as I sat in Bio 151 the professor caught my attention with one statement. The lecture was covering the topic of trophic levels in ecosystems and focused mainly on photosynthetic algae and deep sea ecosystems. Now normally this would not be my sort of lecture then she opened her first slide with the comment “and this is why people choose to be vegetarians”. My ears instantly perked up as she started her reasoning for that statement. She went on to say that because of the loss of energy by tropic level it is more efficient to eat the “producers” aka plants. Now I know her intention was not to convert the class to become vegetarians but I felt it was an argument that needed to be addressed. The first point is that eating beef does not mean that you are wasting energy for the planet. In fact the opposite is true! Beef cattle have a rumen which allows them to eat grasses and forges that people simply can’t eat. Beef cattle allow us to harvest the plants and break down the cellulose into a nutritious, wholesome, protein source.  I have always been one who advocates sustainability and living off the land. And for that reason I feel eating beef is an excellent way of going green. Today everyone is looking for a new technology to conserve more and leave as little impact on the earth as possible. Who knew that all along there has been a all natural way of feeding people using rangeland for years! EAT BEEF!

Hey ya’ll,

This week as I started classes once again, I seemed to have a new look on the semester. Instead of being bogged down my multiple papers, test, exams and reading assignments I’ve committed myself to being a better student. In doing so, I have felt more engage and involved with my classes, not because I have to but, because I want to influence others around me with the knowledge I will learn while attending college. Interestingly enough, I decided this semester to take and AG Ethics class. The definition of ethics is a moral norm of an individual or a group and the morality is a person’s beliefs of feelings concerning their values, rules and principles. I know what you’re all thinking right now as you read this: “Arika we all know what ethics are, why are you trying to teach us a lesson in ethics?”  The truth is, ethics is vitally important, especially in the agriculture industry.

My professor decided that we would take part of the class time to discuss any current ethical issues in agriculture. As we all known, one of the most talked about issues is the use of antibiotics on livestock. I personally believe that antibiotics should be used in livestock production because it is essential for the animal’s health as well for the farmer to produce quality product. If you neglect to treat an animal for such illnesses, it can have a negative outcome for the animal as well as the producer.  Many consumers though, believe that it is not ethical to treat animals for diseases via antibiotics due to misconceptions of such drugs.  Antibiotics are also known as antimicrobials that fight bacterial infections. These drugs specifically to the beef industry are to help cattle regain or maintain superior health and produce safe beef.  Antibiotic use should be limited to prevent or control disease and should not be used if the direct intent is to improve performance.  A comment was made by a non-agriculture student in my ethics class that the opposing side would view consuming animals that have taken antibiotics as unhealthy and unsafe to consumers. He believed that animals given antibiotics could be consumed by a consumer, resulting in a harmful effect on the human’s body.

Hi there Beef Friends!

The holidays are over and everybody is getting back in the swing of things. Everybody has their new years resolution to be more proactive, plan ahead, get fit and so many other vague goals. I started classes on Monday and it already seems like I am bogged down with work. The 7 Habits that I learned last week are really coming in handy. I made a weekly plan for myself which mostly consisted of getting together materials for classes and settling into my new home. I have tried to stay on top of tasks and make them quadrant two (effectiveness) tasks so they don’t creep up on me and become quadrant one (necessity) tasks that are urgent and have to consume my attention right away.

Now for the fun part. I need your help in a project that I am working on. I am currently enrolled in Agribusiness Marketing and my first project is a one-on-one sale with my professor. He said that we could choose any product we wanted to make the sale. So what have I chosen to sell him? Beef of course!

So I need your help… I am planning on getting a time slot around lunch and serving my professor a delicious steak sandwich. So I need some awesome recipes for marinating my savory steak! If you have any ideas please comment on my blog. And of course it will be a buttered toasted bun for the bread of the sandwich. Any help would be appreciated and i will keep yall updated on my progress of the project!

RB

As I began the new year it was a time for new beginnings and a time for our team to jump right in and start promoting beef to the public. This past weekend two other fellow beef ambassadors and I had the privilege of talking to the public at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This gave us a great opportunity as a team to meet with the public and get to know our team members better.

            We spent the two days in an exhibit called Today’s Agriculture. The focus of the exhibit was to show what it is like inside the barns that you see driving down the road. To show this it had live animals in the setting you that they would be typically raised in. We stood in front of the display that showed the set up of a typical feedlot in Pennsylvania. It featured two local farmers and had two live steers, a Hereford and an Angus donated by Del Valley College. The exhibit was extremely well accepted by the public and reached everyone from young kids to the Governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett. After speaking with the governor we found out that he is a lean burger lover himself and that he also enjoys the leaner cuts of beef such as flank steak. On a simpler level it was awesome to see all the kid’s faces as they looked at the seemingly big steers and found out that they were only nine months old! From the young to the old, to the experts to those who have never stepped foot on a farm, everyone we talked to seemed to have a genuine interest in beef and where their food comes from. I felt very accomplished leaving the show and that we had reached many people. I look forward to the many events to come.

Eat Beef!

Howdy y’all!

Observing from a young age, I have been show that agriculture, especially the beef industry, is comprised of some of the hardest working, most dedicated individuals. Their passion shines through, offering an honest presence and warm countenance. Our industry leaders have great demands placed atop their shoulders, and consistently innovate to surpass expectations. What is the key to both effective and efficient work ethic?   In the program titled 7 Habits of Highly Effective People this very thing is the focus incorporated into a thought provoking, interactive learning experience. What a great week we, as the National Beef Team, have had. We learned to be efficient not only for the beef industry but as uniquely individual people. Taught by our very own Sarah Bohnenkamp, attended by a few State Beef Ambassadors and American National Cattle Women, the generational spread was both intriguing, and highly effective at shifting paradigms. The 7^th and final habit, titled Sharpen the Saw, brought the building blocks of success together into one concept. With so many demands on our time, emotions, and bodies, we must schedule to renew and sharpen our saw in EVERY part of our lives. Ask yourself these four questions:  Taken from the 7 Habits workbook.

Physical: Assume you had a heart attack in the last month. How would you approach exercise and nutrition?

Social/Emotional: Assume that everything you say about people will be heard

by them. How might you choose your words differently?

Mental: Assume your knowledge and skills will be obsolete in two years.

What new learning avenues would you explore?

Spiritual: Assume you have a year to live. What legacy would you want to leave?

Actively building strength in every circle is crucial. Without it we are not operating at full potential.
Thanks for reading!

-Emily E. Jack