Beef Ambassador

We had a new mother on our farm on Mothers Day this year. So now we have a new little heifer scampering around the pasture. It is truly amazing to see how the cattle go through different stages of life and know exactly what is going on out of instinct. When humans go through child birth we are told exactly what will happen, what we need to do to prepare, and amazingly we still freak out! Cattle on the other hand have amazing insite to the whole process without our help. This particular birth was done completely by the first calf heifer which is what us farmers like to see! She had no trouble and even though my dad was there keeping a close eye on her, she was able to have the baby completely on her own.

I got home in time to see her trying to stand and being a little shaky on her feet. The funniest part of the process is watching the calf trying to stand and walk on their own and get used to their new legs. Several times a small lick from the proud mama would knock the calf right over, and not very gracefully I might add. Then the thing that really fascinates me started. The calf started looking for milk…they just know what to do! She knew that she needed that colostrum to grow strong and healthy! Now at first she was trying to find it in the brisket which as you can imagine wasn’t very successful. Then she made her way back, after several encouraging nudges from mom,  to the utter. Another thing that was interesting was the mom getting the calf to walk. The calf would get up and clumsily make her way over to her and then mama would back up a few steps to push her a little further. Mama knows what she’s doing.

The baby has been spending a lot of time sleeping which proved difficult for my other role as photographer today. She was nowhere to be found in the tall grass and mama was very proud. I’m pretty sure she was laughing at me while I walked around the pasture trying to find the baby.

I am ready for the running stage! They are so cute with their tails straight up in the air running through the pasture. But for now she will be looked over by her mom and will be taught the lessons of life in an unspoken language. Animals are truly amazing creatures!

RB

Even up in the frigid plains of South Dakota and Minnesota the days are getting longer and the evenings are sunny and warm. That can mean only one thing it is officially grilling season! This means it’s time to get out the grill stock up on charcoal (or check the propane tank) and get to the store for some delicious steaks! To prepare you for this it is time for a quick end of semester review session on what options are available for this grilling season so you can enjoy your favorite beef cut! The first thing to look for is the quality grades of your cut. Those are Prime, Choice, Select and Standard. These are awards given by the USDA so that you know what quality your steaks are. One of the contributing factors is the amount of marbling in the steak. This is the small flecks of fat in the muscle. These cook off while cooking and leave you with a nice tender steak. This means that the higher the quality the more marbling the steak will have. In addition to USDA quality grades you will see different brand programs such as Certified Angus Beef, Hereford Beef or Laura’s Lean. These brands all have additional quality policies to ensure a quality product. After you have picked from one of the 29 LEAN cuts of beef make sure to keep them refrigerated up until they are cooked.

My friend JT making his selection

Once you have decided on what quality and cut is right for you it’s time to let that grill sizzle! Remember to pre heat your grill to medium heat (for charcoal you should be able to hold your hand about 3 to 4 in over the grill). Then you need to pick how well done you want your steaks. There is Medium Rare which means that there is still pink in the center and would mean you need to cook your steak to 145 degrees F. Next is Medium which has no pink and is cooked to 160 degrees F. There is also well done which is cooked beyond 160 and is thoroughly cooked. For more information on expected cook times of different cuts go to the grilling section of beefitswhatsfordinner.com. There you will also find many recipes to try out for grilling season this summer!

As some of you may have heard there was a cow that tested positive for Bovine Spongiform Encepalopathy (BSE), also known as Mad Cow Disease, yesterday April 24, 2o12.  The animal was a dairy cow from central California that was never presented for slaughter for human consumption. I think the farmer suspected this illness and turned it in for testing should be applauded. This BSE case should not cause consumers to stray from beef if anything it shows how observant the farmers are in caring for their cattle and insuring food safety. All US Beef is safe for the consumer. 

There have been a lot of concerns on BSE with the consumer and cattle producers know that. The good news is that there are many food safety practices that are in affect for BSE to never enter into the food supply. In 1997 the Food and Drug Administration, with full support from the beef industry, banned protein supplements from cattle feed that could spread BSE. BSE is not a contagious disease, it can only spread through contaminated feed so this was an obvious solution. The brain and spinal chord are also removed before the animal is presented into the food supply to prevent food contamination.

With all of these efforts established there is less than one infected animal per million cattle in the United States. BSE is not found in Steaks or Roasts. And the consumer can still be confident that beef is a safe and savory product for their families!

Howdy,

Few written statements can surpass the power this video “Stand Up” emanates. As members of the beef industry, under the larger umbrella of agriculture, fate will soon be left in the hands of the next generation. We as National Beef Ambassadors, part of that next generation, strive to promote both our industry and encourage future advocates.

Sacramento, California will be the location of the 2013 National Beef Ambassador contest. The contest will be held September 28-30, 2012. Contestants from across the United States will compete for one of five prestigious spots on the National Beef Ambassador team.

“Stand up” and tryout for a spot on the 2013 NBAP team. It’s an experience of a lifetime.

Thanks and Gig’em,

Emily E. Jack

Telling the beef story, that is what being a National Beef Ambassador is all about right? Well the past couple of days has been jammed for me but the great part is I have been sharing my knowledge of the cattle industry with young and old! This Friday I traveled to Statesville, NC where I was the guest speaker at the Annual Hereford Sale Banquet. My topic was

Geust Speaker at the State Hereford Sale Banquet.

“Telling the Beef Story” so I helped the other beef farmers how to engage in effective communication with their customer. I told them about elevator speeches about and then how to listen to the customers concerns and answer their questions not just throw out facts that go around the question. I talked about the misconception of certain words that we use like “producer” instead of “farmer” and the misconceptions of “factory farming” vs. “family farming”. This was a great opportunity to spread the word with my fellow farmers about the information I learned in Nashville at the Cattlemen’s Conference.

The other cool thing I have gotten to do this week is participate in Farm Animal Days. Farm Animal Days is an annual event held at the North Carolina State University Beef Educational Unit. The event is held Wednesday through Friday and this gives children that are raised in Wake County and surrounding counties (urban areas) a chance to come see and interact with “farm life”. There are

Milking "Rosy" at Farm Animal Days

goats, pigs, horses, dairy cattle, and beef cattle at the event. There are also tractors and other equipment, a milking station with the cow I called Rosy as you see to the right and then they get ice cream from the NCSU Dairy! The kids typically range from 2-7 years old and last year over 10,00o attended the event. Kids from local daycare groups, homeschool groups, clubs, and public schools all come out to enjoy the fun. This morning my job was helping the kids milk our fake cow Rosy, there were calf bottles rigged to the underline of the cow to supply us with a great easy to use utter. And the best part was Rosy didn’t kick.

The past couple of days have been full of fun activities and telling the great story about, not only beef, but agriculture!

This week is Ag Awareness Week at North Carolina State University. Ag Awareness week is held in the center of our campus on what we call the “brick yard”, pretty self explanatory. During this week there are different parts of agriculture for the students to view and ask questions about. Most of the talk around campus is the animals in the brick yard. There are beef cattle, dairy cattle, pigs, goats, sheep and chickens on display. There are also signs on the pins that describe the different species and some of their history. It is really funny to overhear people on the bus asking their friend “Did you see the cow in the brickyard?”. There are also pieces of farm machinery, and booths of the different agriculture clubs. Along with the displays, lunch is sold by ag clubs throughout the week, there are different activities like milking competitions with the main competitors being local officials and faculty of the university, and roping with the rodeo club dummy bull. 

The students are given the opportunity to see animals that a lot of them have never seen in person and are also able to ask the club members displaying booths questions about agriculture. I worked a shifts on Tuesday representing the Animal Science Club. We are working with the NC Cattlemen’s Association and are set up under the EAT BEEF tent which brings in a little more interest. We have pamphlets about the different species and how they are raised with modern agriculture along with some recipes, charts, pins, and stickers provided by the Cattlemen’s Association. A person was redirected to me today from one of the other club members because of a blank stare that was given after her explanation. I could tell that the student was into the scientific sides of things because he started most of his questions with “I read that…”. The first question was about factory farming and how he read it was a myth, right off I knew by his tone that he was interested in our product and our industry. We discussed how most farms are family farms going back many generations and how there were misconceptions about the cattle being on concrete and new technology being redefined as factory farming. After we discussed this he said that he had read an article talking about how beef could actually be good for you. I of course brought up the new BOLD study, which he seemed to like  seeing as it was a scientific study. We discussed the nutrition for a little while and I sent him away with some packets of information and hopefully some answered questions.

If the colleges around you do not have this program try to suggest it. This week is full of information to the public. It puts a positive view on agriculture because the information is coming from peers. I am extremely glad that my university hosts Ag Awareness Week and I think the programs like this are what keep the agriculture community thriving.

Being a college student I am always looking for ways to do better in my classes, on my test overall get better grades. That can take quite a bit of time and effort. Combine your studies with club meetings, fraternity meetings and much needed social time and it’s hard to find any extra time left in the day. That’s why to me it’s important to be as effective as possible and squeeze every last min out of the day. That’s why I feel it’s important to take full advantage of all of the things that beef for breakfast has to offer!

You may be wondering how beef could have an impact on how much time you have during the day but I think it has helped me significantly. Take today for example. Starting my day with my sirloin, egg and cheddar bagel sandwich gave me the hardy breakfast I needed to get me through my math test as well as the rest of the day. When I take the time to get up and have a good BEEF breakfast I get that time back quickly in the time I save moping around tired and hungry. Few people can say that they are as effective on an empty stomach as a full stomach. But more than just being full eating beef for breakfast has other benefits to your body. Beef is a great natural source of Zinc and B vitamins that have been proven to enhance brain function as well are important to keeping a healthy immune system and nothing slows you down faster than getting sick! Zinc has many benefits from helping to treat the common cold, preventing ear infections to things such as even preventing night blindness. Beef is also a good source of B12 another brain food contributing to a healthy nervous system. Vitamin B6 is also found in beef and has been shown to improve brain function and is important with your body creating antibodies.

With so many naturally occurring vitamins and minerals found in beef how could you pass up beef for breakfast! That serving of lean beef will help you stay healthy and let your brain perform at peak function. For those who are trying to get every minute out of every day: BEEF its what’s for breakfast!

If you would like to find more information on delicious beef breakfast ideas go to

http://beefitswhatsfordinner.com/

Sources

http://www.webmd.com/diet/vitamin-b12-15239

http://www.newsmax.com/FastFeatures/benefits-of-b6-vitamin/2011/02/10/id/385671

Hey Ya’ll I’ve missed my BEEF friends!!

I do apologize for my long absence on the site. School’s had me bogged down with homework and I haven’t had the time to get my blogs posted in enough time. I know this was a couple blog posts ago but, Kim shared with the rest of you all how sustainable beef and other agriculture industries are. Not only do we want to produce more food with less land, but we want to continue to make sure we’re treating the environment such as the land and soil with the utmost respect in order to continue our way of life with farming. It’s important to understand how our actions affect one another and even if you aren’t a farmer yourself, you can still help our fight in making the environment sustainable for future generations. Although our blog primarily relates to beef nutrition and education of how cattle are raised, let’s think out of the box for a

moment and really appreciate the value of a simple piece of “dirt”.  “Dirt” or soil as most of us agricultural farmers and ranchers like to call it is the origin at which all life stems from. Our food is grown within, buildings are built upon it, it’s a natural air conditioner for the earth, and we are essential comprised of the very beings of this soil. Our beloved BEEF is one of those beings that depends on the quality of soil in order to produce a nice delicious and juicy steak. We as human beings cannot break down cellulose, a major building block in many plants.. Our bodies are just not designed to eat bland foods (: ! So we’ve worked out a deal with the thousands of cattle across the nation and for an exchange of free roaming privileges in our nation’s finest fields we’ve asked cattle to use their super complex stomach to break down the cellulose that our mere human bodies just can’t seem to digest like glucose.

For some, it may be shocking that something as simple as dirt has an effect on how our cattle are raised, but it’s the simple truth. Cattle are grazed on 2/3 of land in the United States that isn’t suitable for raising crops. Although these areas may not be suitable for crops to be grown due to the location of fields such as mountains, it is still important to make sure that we as a nation think of our actions and what the effects can result in either by soil quality or the quality of the grazing area for our cattle.  Did you know that cattle ranchers and farmers have a strong passion for the land? Over the last several years the NCBA has handed out several land stewardship awards to ranches and farms all across the United State for their participation in making the resources such as soil, rich and healthy for generations to come. Even if you don’t come from a farming background, you can help in this movement to make sustainability well known by following land management practices yourself. Recycle anytime you can whether that’s at work, school, and when you’re at home. The next time you’re about to throw out your leftovers, try starting a compost pile to use on your next garden project as fertilizer. By using organic matter such as compost, you are actually contributing to the soil and resupplying what you might have taken out nutritionally. Overtime the compost will start to decompose and organic matter will start to form and layer over the earth just like any other natural cycle.

Be sure to also visit explorebeef.org  and discover how farmers and ranchers all over the United States are giving back to the soil and making great beef in the process!

Please stop by to visit http://pathtosustainableliving.com/2012/sustainable-soil-management-practices-for-the-garden/ and find ways of contributing back to mother nature through soil and compost.

With a Cattle Calling,

Arika

One thing that I think is cool about beef cattle and the people who raise them is all of the new ways we are constantly improving.  This comes from things such as better using our resources to communicating better with our customers. This past week I was visiting Wulf Limousin a local beef farm and felt there were some cool innovations they were doing that I wanted to share. The first thing was something that I am very interested in and that is renewable energy. As we know cattle are already unique in the fact that they turn unusable grass into a delicious food but now the manure they leave behind is also valuable. Using methane digesters it is now possible to harvest the natural energy from the manure and turn it into electricity. The manure can also then be used as fertilizer to grow the crops as well as in some cases be dried down and used as potting soil or a soft bedding for the cattle. This is just another way that technology is helping us improve our practices and care better for the land and the planet.

Another innovation that I think is very cool was this family’s effort to start agri-tourism on their farm. Although while I was there this was still in the planning stage they hope to work with other types of farms in the area such as dairy, swine and poultry as well as crops to show those interested where their food comes from. They also the past couple of years have set up a small setting with many species showing what a farm was like in the early 1900’s to show the progress we have made. I would strongly encourage anyone who is interested in where there food comes from to find a farm to tour and see for yourself the great things that beef producers are doing today.

Cow Calf update: Cow and calf are doing well! the calf had to be treated for the disease scours this week however the treatment has brought his health right back to normal and he is growing faster than ever.

It is great to see new people interested in beef cattle. This weekend I had the privilege of helping with a beginners clinic for beef cattle showmen. There were all ages there from an 8 year old to an 18 year old and then all of the parents of the novice showmen. We covered a wide variety of basic tasks to take care of beef cattle and get them ready for a show.

First we told them about the equipment used in the “show cattle world.” We had a variety of name brand sprays and then the alternative “Walmart” options, great for somebody who is starting off.  Then we worked on tying halters. It is essential to know how to tie a quick release not when working with something as large as a steer or heifer. This took a little while to let everybody get the hang of it but they left without their calves halters being in uncontrollable knots.

After the basics on what you need we proceeded into a showmanship clinic. I was one of the test dummies and demonstrated what to do and what not to do. The showmen were able to ask questions and critique us on our showring techniques. 

After lunch it was their turn. We broke them up into two groups, the showmanship group, and the wash/brush group. They all grabbed a calf and went to work. The wash group took their calf to the wash rack and learned “proper wash rack etiquette”  aka not giving your neighbor a shower. They also learned about rinsing without soap to keep oil in the hair, and when they did wash, what kind of soap to use.

They then were brought inside to me, where I helped them work the calves hair. We went through the different tools such as brushes and combs and which direction to get the hair worked. Then they used the blowers to blow dry it. This was slightly entertaining especially when I tried to get them to hold the blower hose in their left hand when blowing out the right side of the calf.

In the showmanship side they got to put what they had seen earlier to work, learning that it’s slightly harder when you are on the end of the rope. They learned about feet placement, how to move in the ring and how to be as smooth as possible.

That night we had speakers about hard work and dedication and also show ethics and being a great beef producer!!!! Wonder who taught that one??? They learned how to give their elevator speeches and also how to talk to consumers.

The next morning there was a practice show. Everyone did what they learned the day before in groups of five. The rest of the showmen sat in the stands and gave tips and critiques to the showmen. There was huge improvement not only in the kids but also in the calves after the weekend. And two of our heifers finished getting halter broke by the end of the day!

This was a great experience and I am so excited to see them showing in the spring and fall!

Rossie