It sure is nice to once again share with you the beloved beef story. As we all know, this weekend is the one weekend in which almost the entire nation prays for one thing on a Sunday. Sadly, most aren’t praying on this coming Sunday for farmers and ranchers to have good weather in which they can tend to their cattle herds or praying to a faith, it’s more likely on this particular Sunday to be praying for either the Giants or the Patriots to win the all mighty SUPER BOWL!!

I can admit that I may not be the most avid watcher of football, but when Super Bowl Sunday rolls around each February I always try to catch the nearest pregame party and enjoy the many dishes of food and fellowship with friends and family.  Being able to have a gathering with friends and family by watching a football game is one way in which you can dazzle them with your cooking abilities. I am not always the greatest cook in the world, and most of the time I screw up a dish here and there, but one dish that no one can EVER mess up is a nice piece of juicy, delicious, and even mouth watering steak or other cut of BEEF!

Yesterday, as I was checking out of the Nashville Hotel from the Cattle Industry Convention I noticed the Wall Street Journal had printed an article about Super Bowl Sunday and the predicted food choices people would consume over this weekend. Although that article stated that over 100 million lbs of chicken wings will be consumed this Super Bowl Sunday, I believe that the chicken wing won’t be winning any bowl game when it comes to a juicy steak. I mean let’s get real here, how much meat is actually present there in that chicken wing? Although it does seem tasty and oh so flavorful, you must add hot sauce, barbeque sauce and maybe other ingredients that can add to the sodium intake as well as increasing your calorie count.  Let me ask you this single question, when you go out to celebrate a special occasion, what do you primarily choose to enjoy your special night? STEAK of Course! Who has ever heard of a celebratory chicken meal and felt like a winner or the honored guest? Since its Super Bowl weekend why not celebrate like a CHAMPION regardless of the score?!

A fast and easy meal to prepare for a party with many guests is going out to the grocery store and purchasing ground beef and making tacos for all your guests to enjoy. It tastes great, it’s flavorful and your guests will have consumed zinc, iron, and protein which are all essential nutrients that your bodies will need to yell and scream loud at your TV to try to change the outcome of a play/call. Trust me I know, you’ll run out of energy probably after the first quarter because the ref called something dumb.  If you have more time on your hands you might care for a nice juicy T-bone steak or possibly going out to your local sports grill and ordering that sirloin steak.

If you do get a chance to look up the article from the Wall Street Journal that was published on Thursday February 2, you’ll also see that the title of the article states: “ Carrots Vie for a Spot on Game Day”. Although this source states that carrots are a healthier choice for this Super Bowl weekend, please keep in mind that BEEF is one of those healthy choices.  Who really gets excited about eating carrots? Sorry Wall Street, but this Beef Ambassador has a different game plan! EAT BEEF, it’s your best DEFENSE!  I hope everyone enjoys their Super Bowl weekend and I’ll be back next week for another exciting blog. Until then I’ll keep riding for the brand!

With a Cattle Calling,

Arika

We also attended the American Cattle Women Membership meeting and got interviewed by Cattlemen to Cattlemen so look for us on RFDTV!!!

The general session was great! There were introductions and welcomes and then we heard from a very entertaining speaker. Marcus Luttrell, a Navy SEAL, has a book titled “Lone Survivor”. He told us about his experiences in combat but still through all that he went through he had an incredible sense of humor and kept everyone on the edge of their seats. It has been a great start to this convention and there is plenty of great information to come! If you are at the conventions and see a sea of red shirts stop us, we would love to interact with more beef enthusiasts!

Alright I’m back! Last week we explored the promotion aspect of the Beef Checkoff. This week I will move on towards the next piece of this multi-faceted organization- Research

In the beef cattle industry, two key topics often stand out when prioritizing research goals. The first being nutrition, and the second one feed efficiency, or sustainability.

Ethanol: Well known in the standard population is the fact that ethanol is made from corn. Less contemplated, is the potential for impact this represents to cattle producers.

The Concern: As one ton of corn is being shipped off for this revolutionary type of fuel, that same ton of corn will not be fed to cattle, the very cattle which will produce the main course for the American family-BEEF.

What did the Beef Checkoff alongside NCBA discover?

Check it out at: http://www.beefresearch.org/CMDocs/BeefResearch/Ethanol%20Co-Products%20Summit%20Executive%20Summary.pdf

Ultimately through the Checkoff and NCBA’s work, distiller’s grain (ethanol by-product) is now fed to cattle as part of a balanced diet. Cattle ranchers are dedicated to sustainable agriculture, and aren’t we proud to have a program such as the Checkoff to aid in this reality.

Cholesterol: Stop eating red meat and you will lower your cholesterol. What do you think? This is the word many of us have heard from medical experts and nutritional websites. Is it true? The following is a statement posted on RKM-Research and Knowledge Management funded by the Beef Checkoff.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) in January 2012 provides strong scientific evidence that eating lean beef every day as part of a heart-healthy diet improves cholesterol levels. This research shows that adding daily servings of lean beef to the low saturated fat, high fiber, heart-healthy diet typically recommended by health professionals (such as DASH, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) can lower heart disease risk by reducing levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol. Go to Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet (BOLD) to access the full study on the AJCN website. 

We all desire to maintain optimal health, and wouldn’t it be nice to truly know the causes for cholesterol, cancer, and high blood pressure? The Checkoff is working diligently to analyze the part beef plays in our lives when it comes to nutrition.

Check out other nutritional research projects funded by the Beef Checkoff at: http://www.beefresearch.org/humannutritionresearch.aspx

The research department of the Beef Checkoff, is actively exploring the uncharted of both human nutrition and the health of our beef cattle. The studies they publish are implemented as industry standards, and trust worthy enough to be held as fact in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. An efficient, reliable program, funded by cattle producers, applicable to everyone-Genius

Thanks and Gig’em

-Emily E. Jack

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 knowing that they have produced a safe,wholesome and nutritious product from the labor of their own hands.

With a Cattle Calling,

Arika Snyder

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

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

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

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