A feedlot and the fitness buff

I am not a fitness buff. No amount of ZUMBA! will ever make me a fitness buff. No amount of trailing my marathon-running sister on a bike will ever make me a fitness buff. And taking a look at my cooking habits guarantees I never will be.

Ryan Andrews, on the other hand, has an MBA in fitness. My kind of MBA and an actual master's degree. He was a nationally-ranked body builder for five years and has more health/nutrition/exercise certifications than I have red high heels.

Seriously, take a look on my closet floor -- it's red, shiny and ridiculous.

Ryan is also a vegetarian.

What?! How?! Why?! All that delicious, lean protein in one little 3 oz. serving, and he doesn't eat any of it?! But that doesn't mean he bashes the system... any more. Ryan recently visited a Kansas feedlot. His account of what he saw and learned is such a great story.

No, he didn't instantly convert to meatitarianism... if that's even something a person can convert to. But his perspective was certainly changed and broadened. Read all about it here.    

The beefy basics, part 1

These next couple posts will break down the basics of beef buying and talk about actually breaking down a beef carcass. Get your thinking cap on – there will be quizzes!

What??? Stop your groaning! I can’t just endlessly entertain you with stories about my travels, photography, cooking, nonsense and my naturally charming sense of humor. There must be education every once and a while, people. But you’re going to like it, I promise.

I had a pretty abrupt education on beef buying about five years ago, and I want to spare you from the same traumatic experience. I thought I was a fairly worldly college freshman – I traveled a lot with the National Beef Ambassador Program, promoting the beef industry and sharing the cattle production story. That was easy. The problem was, I had a hard time connecting with consumers’ stories.

 

Beef had always magically appeared in my freezer, straight from Nelson Farms. It showed up wrapped in crisp, white butcher paper with a red stamp that told us we were the only people allowed to pay for this product. An accompanying blue stamp described simple things: GROUND BEEF. STEAK. ROAST. BONELESS STEW. STEW BONES. PUT ME IN HAMBERGER HELPER. You see, I like simple things.

 Then one day, I ran out of beef from Nelson Farms. I had to go to the grocery store and venture into the meat case, just like 98% of our population does. I was completely and totally dumbfounded. I didn’t even know where to start. All the things my high school ag teacher tried explain in our meat evaluation segment jumbled around in this big ol’ blond head as I stood at the meat counter…. hmmmm…. quality grades… cutability… yield grades… USDA inspections…. marbling… oh, if only I had spent more time paying attention in ag class and less time talking boys into doing projects for me! I knew that was going to backfire eventually. I just knew it. They were just so gullible...

I resorted to the only thing I knew to do at the time – I called my mom. She walked me through it, explaining that yes, this beef looks a little different. Yes, that is OK. No, Select is not an instruction to pick that one... buy at least Choice. Yes, that ground beef looks kind of like worms, but it will taste the same. No, I will not reimburse you for this expense. You're a big kid now. Ugh.

Since then, I’ve made sure to truly educate myself on the beef industry, not just the cattle industry. That turned out to be a pretty good thing to understand, since making those connections pays my bills these days. I got a great refresher course on these concepts last weekend at the BEEF 509 course, which reminded me how confusing the meat case can be to consumers and cattlemen.

So this is where the education starts. I’m going to define a couple terms that we’ll need to differentiate here.

First, inspection. All beef sold in a retail store must be inspected through a branch of the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) called the FSIS (Food Safely and Inspection Service). This process ensures the wholesomeness of the product. The FSIS works very hard to make sure your beef is safe to eat. They’re nice like that.

Second, grading. Beef grading determines value (as in, price and enjoyment). A grade from the USDA is different than an inspection approval from the USDA. An inspection only determines it is a safe, wholesome product. A grade determines varying levels of quality in that product, which then helps determine its value. This is governed by the USDA’s AMS (Agriculture Marketing Service). This is not mandatory, although nearly all beef product sold in retail stores is graded.

Get the different between USDA inspected and a USDA grade? Good. If you don’t, read those two paragraphs a couple more times. Or persuade someone else to explain it to you. This is getting lengthy and I have a short attention span.

Now… about beef grading. There are two types of "grades." 

Quality grade predicts the eating experience of said "graded" beef. It’s a system that categorizes the predictability of that piece of meat’s tenderness, juiciness and flavor. In essence, quality grade is all about palatability. This is what most people want to focus on when buying beef. We'll address that more in a bit.

Yield grade shows a comparison of meat and fat on a carcass. This helps retailers predict how much meat they will have to actually sell when they buy meat compared to how much will be considered “trim.” This is called cutability. YG is a somewhat complicated calculation that doesn’t really have a lot of applications to the everyday consumer – the jest of it is this: a YG1 has more meat, less exterior fat; a YG5 has less meat compared to more exterior fat. YG2, YG3 and YG4 are in between. If you really want to know how to calculate YG, be my guest. Here's the formula:

Ya, that's what I thought. Stick to this mental picture of what the different YG numbers mean:

See the difference between the amount of muscle and exterior fat? I love being a visual learner. So in review:

Quality grade = palatability.

Yield grade = cutability.

Still with me??? Good. There’s more. Let’s dig a little deeper into quality grade. Quality grade is determined by two things: maturity and marbling.

Maturity, like YG, probably isn't something the average shopper needs to concern herself with. Just know that the nice graders from the USDA look at bone characteristics, cartilage ossification and color and texture of the ribeye muscle to determine the physiological, not chronological, maturity of the beef animal. That basically means it doesn't matter how many birthday candles were on the last cake, it's all about how well (or poorly) your little (or big) behind metabolized it. Depending on those things, the graders assign the carcass a maturity designation of A (youngest) through E (oldest).

That maturity ranking is only half of the quality grade equation. The other half is the marbling score. The marbling score indicates.... this is a tough one... the marbling of that carcass. Marbling is the little flecks of fat spread throughout the meat. This intramuscular fat is what gives beef its great flavor and juiciness. Marbling is also considered "good fat," which makes it a homerun in my book. You can see the differernce in marbling between these two cuts:

Once the graders have determined how much marbling is in the beef, they do another calculation that combines the maturity rank and marbling score and sha-bam! A quality grade is born. This is where that stamp that says USDA Prime, Choice or Select comes from. There are more classifications, but these are the only ones you should ever even consider eating. Trust me on this one.

Prime has the most marbling and youngest maturity classifications. Only about two percent of beef grades Prime. It's super tasty and delicious.
Choice is what the majority of beef grades. It can vary from really good (upper Choice, which is closer to Prime) to just OK (lower Choice, which is closer to Select).
Select has slight traces of marbling, which means you're going to have to do some digging to find those little flecks of flavor. Some folks like Select beef because it tends to be a little leaner. Personally, I want a really tender, juicy steak and am willing to sacrifice a couple extra calories for it. That's just me -- you don't have to agree. However, if you've read this far into my babble, it seems like you might just care about my opinion, so there you have it.  

Now just for good measure, let's review this all one more time.

• Beef inspection determines wholesomeness. ALL beef is inspected and equally wholesome and safe. 
• Beef grading determines value. Beef grading determines value by using two indicators:
• Yield grade, which determines cutability.   
• Quality grade, which determines palatability.
• Quality grade determines palatability by looking at two items: maturity and marbling.
• Based on these items, beef is graded into these important categories:
• Prime = Yum, every time.
• Choice = Yummy, but can be inconsistant in its marbling. Hence the advent of branded beef programs like the Certified Angus Beef brand to bring a little more quality consistancy to the table. Oh come on... like you didn't know that plug was going to show up eventually.
• Select = eh, if that's what you're in to. It's a wholesome, nutritious product -- just a little different flavor profile than what this girl likes.  
• Everything else (Standard, Commercial, Utility) = never, ever buy for human consumption. Ever.

Got all that? Excellent! Now it's time for the quiz. I warned you about this!!!

Q1.) Who is my No. 1 blog follower from California?
Q2.) Who gave birth to my wonderfully charming and sweet roomate?
Q3.) Who is celebrating a birthday today?

A1.) Kathy; A2.) Kathy; A3.) Kathy
Happy Birthday, Kathy!!!

Just checking to see if anyone is really playing attention out there.

But really -- I hope this was a useful little lesson on beef basics. I know it was lengthy, and I'm exhausted from writing it. But this is important, people. The process of getting food on the world's table is a long and complicated, but it has safety, wholesomeness and consumer satisfaction in mind all the time. That needs to be understood. I want you to always enjoy your beef eating experience, and an educated consumer is a happy consumer. So holla if I missed something or you are dying to learn more!

Goodbye cubicle, helllllooo Kentucky!

For the first time in what feels like forever, I got out of my cubicle and have been on the road this week. On Tuesday, I headed my beefy mini van south. Yes, I look awesome driving a mini van. Try not to be jealous.

After a near breakdown over the lack of Chuckwagon sandwiches in southern Ohio truck stops, I arrived in Carrolton, Ken. I arrived round about one in the morning and found myself in home-sweet-home Hampton Inn. I love me a good Hampton Inn. The pillows are to die for.... but only if you got to die while sleeping on them. For real.

Bright and early Wednesday morning, I headed out to meet with some of the folks at The Beef Connection in northwestern Kentucky. Owner Bob Sand started the Beef Connection to help cattlemen in the state realize more value in their cattle and ranch business models. Since then, they've expanded to having members all over the state and partners across the nation and in every facet of the industry.

I spent the day with Bob, his son, Travis, and a couple producer-members learning about their ranching systems, the power of data feedback in herd improvement and a couple of other interesting aspects of life and agriculture in Kentucky. Somehow I think I got volunteered to experience the miserable-sounding process of the manual labor involved in tobacco harvest. Suddenly, wheat harvest in western Nebraska seemed like a walk in the park.

My new camera also got broken in on its first work trip. After months of experimenting on photo shoots of Stones, snow and sunrises, my sweet little Cannon got to focus on cattle. It was love at first sight for all involved. Here are some of the highlights:

Yes, that is a photo of a Charolais calf, taken by a camera owned by Certified Angus Beef LLC. But he was sired by a registered Angus bull. And he was really, really cute. I couldn't help myself.

These guys were cute, too. Springtime in a cattle pasture nearly makes me down-right giddy with happiness. 

I finally came to terms with the fact that there are places east of the Mississippi that are every bit as gorgeous as the open skies of Wyoming. This was one of those places. It's a different type of beautiful landscape -- the green kind, which we don't usually see back home for several more months.

Hoards of trees don't have to make a westerner feel claustrophobic, either. Not being able to see an open horizon is nice, too... when there are pretty little calves hiding behind every corner.

 So green. So peaceful. I love my job.

Can I tell you again how much I love springtime on a cattle ranch? I'll also remind you I love Hampton Inn pillows. There are five of them calling my name right now. They win.

High fives for factual reporting on beef and the environment. Thanks, Washington Times!

I have a hard time blaming all the world's problems on the evils of misinformed and sensationalized media outlets. The four years I spent getting a degree in journalism makes that kind of disparagement seem a bit hypocritical.

Yes, a lot of reporters get it wrong when it comes to the facts about American agriculture. But they’re only reporting what their sources told them, and it is their job to determine what “news” is. Whether or not you like what their sources told them or how they constructed the story is irrelevant. If you want the story told otherwise, I guess you should have been a journalist, right? OR, I guess you could get your MBA, start a blog, and become your own news source that publishes whatever story you are so inclined to tell. Or you could just make a point to share factual information to everyone and anyone who will listen. But, I digress…

My point is; it’s nice to be able to pat a fellow journalist on the back. The Washington Times recently published an article titled, “Meat, dairy diet not tied to global warming: report finds claims flawed.” Thank you, Ms. Harper, for printing something factually accurate, informative and sensible. Read a couple excerpts from the story:

Forget all that indecorous talk of animal flatulence, cow burps, vegetarianism and global warming. Welcome to Cowgate.

Cows and pigs have gotten a "bum rap," said Frank Mitloehner, an air quality expert at the University of California at Davis who authored the report. He is plenty critical of scientists and vegetarian activists such as Paul McCartney who insist that livestock account for about a fifth of all greenhouse-gas emissions.

Mr. Mitloehner said the claims that livestock are to blame for global warming are both "scientifically inaccurate" and a dangerous distraction from more important issues.

He has traced the problem back to a 2006 United Nations report, "Livestock's Long Shadow." In the report, the damning livestock "emissions" included those of the digestive variety — along with gases produced by growing animal feed and actual meat and milk processing. But the transportation analysis factored in only fossil fuel emissions from cars.

"This lopsided analysis is a classical apples-and-oranges analogy that truly confused the issue," Mr. Mitloehner said.

"The developed world should focus on increasing efficient meat production in developing countries where growing populations need more nutritious food. In developing countries, we should adopt more efficient, Western-style farming practices to make more food with less greenhouse gas production," Mr. Mitloehner said.

Ahhh... how refreshing.

Follow the link to the full story and leave a comment for the author. Let Ms. Harper know you appreciate the article, and politely give the folks who are leaving negative comments some more information about the beef industry and the environment.

It's official... MBAs all around

Yesterday was a big day at the Certified Angus Beef LLC office. More than 40 employees went through our MBA graduation ceremony with NCBA Director of Communications Daren Williams.

I'll be expecting my pay raise any day now to go along with this new education level. That's not unreasonable, is it? Ok, maybe it is. I might not be getting the pay bump that would come with a real MBA, but my Masters of Beef Advocacy degree is certainly a valuable asset.  

The Masters of Beef Advocacy program is all about empowering agriculturalists to stand up and speak out about our industry. We talked a lot yesterday about the most effective ways to share our story, and how to tackle some of those tough topics the average consumer doesn't understand and most beef producers are a little uncomfortable talking about... like hormones in our beef, PETA and/or the HSUS, antibiotic use, animal welfare and health misconceptions.

Ever been faced with some of these tough questions? Or seen a news article that didn't paint the whole picture about the food we eat? Maybe you didn't think YOU were the right person to correct inaccuracies and share a positive story for the beef industry.

Well, quite simply... you are. If you care about the beef industry and want to be armed with the facts about modern food production, you are who should be talking about beef production. Sign up today to start working toward your MBA by e-mailing Daren at dwilliams@beef.org, call him at 303-850-3346 or contact your state beef council. It's free, it's simple and it's not time consuming.

Plus, you know you want one of these...

"Congratulations on completing all six courses in the Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA) program. You are one of more than 800 students who have completed the MBA online courses and are now ready to enter the “real world” of beef advocacy. Thanks again for your commitment to reclaiming our legacy as original stewards of the land, caretakers of animals, and producers of safe, wholesome, and nutritious beef."

PETA's trash-talk is garbage

Sorry, I couldn't help but make as many puns as possible in that headline... you'll understand soon.

My dearest Aunt C e-mailed me this "news" story, and I am still a bit baffeled. Below is the AP article that ran on 9 News in Denver, and here's a longer version running in the Colorado Spring's Gazette.

COLORADO SPRINGS (AP) - The animal rights group PETA is offering to help cash-strapped Colorado Springs by paying to put trash cans back in parks, if the cans carry an anti-meat slogan and a picture of a woman in a lettuce bikini.

The city stopped picking up trash in parks to save money, and all the trash cans have been removed.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals told city officials Wednesday they'd pay for new trash cans saying "Meat Trashes the Planet" and "Go Vegan." The cans also have PETA's logo and the lettuce-clad model.

Mayor Lionel Rivera says he'll consider the offer if it PETA also pays to have the trash picked up and hauled to the dump. But he joked that the Colorado Beef Council might demand equal time.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

I don't know why this struck me as such an unusual tactic from PETA; they've been known to do a lot worse. But for some reason the audacity this organization has never ceases to amaze me. Colorado ranks 10th in the nation for beef production. Here's a little more info from the Colorado Beef Council:

Nearly one-third of Colorado's counties are classified as either economically dependent on the cattle industry or having the cattle industry serve an important role in their economies. Cash receipts from the sale of cattle and calves at $2.5 billion represents over half of the gross farm income of $4.9 billion -- Colorado's largest industry.

Colorado Springs might be strapped for cash right now, but jumping in bed with PETA is not the way to fix the problem, especially when you look at what the beef industry brings to the state. I still can't tell from his comments in the article if Mayor Rivera is serious about considering this offer or finds it as laughable as I do. Just in case, send him a note in support of animal agriculture:

Mayor Lionel Rivera
Address: P.O. Box 1575, Colorado Springs, CO 80901
Phone: 719-385-5986
E-mail: lrivera@springsgov.com

Mary Kay's not-so-pretty partnership

The word's out: the agriculture industry is watching the Humane Society of the United States and making sure those who send them money know where it is really going. Mary Kay cosmetics recently tied itself to HSUS, and we need to let them know that's not OK. Read more about it on the BeefDaily blog.

Here's a copy of the note I sent Mary Kay. Please take a couple minutes today and do the same -- instructions are on the BeefDaily site.

I recently learned Mary Kay is planning to be a corporate sponsor at a Dallas, Texas gala with the Humane Society of the United States. What a slap in the face to the hardworking women who use and sell your products. HSUS is an extremist animal rights group that has made it clear they want to put animal agriculture out of business. I know dozens of female farmers and ranchers who supplement their income by selling your product. It will be awful hard for them to make a sale knowing their hard-earned money is going to an organization so set on destroying agriculturalists’ way of life.

I can only hope your partnership with HSUS is by mistake -- they are not the organization most people think. Less than half of 1% of their multi-million dollar budget actually goes to hands-on pet shelters. They hide behind the name "humane society," making people believe they are affiliated with local humane societies (the ones who actually do help animals). Learn more here. 

I noticed the gala you are sponsoring together is working to stop puppy mills and abuse. However, the HSUS sends some mixed messages on where they really stand on that issue, too.

Please, learn more about the HSUS and reconsider your sponsorship of this event. Support local shelters that will actually put your money to use helping animals, not paying fat salaries and lobbying bills. I have used your product for years, and will not pay another dime to your company until you reconsider. I will ask all my friends and Mary Kay consultants to do the same.

Respectfully,
Laura Nelson

I'm getting my MBA

One evening at Bob Evans at a time.

No, sitting at Bob Evens eating chicken and noodles by myself while using their free wi-fi will not earn me my Major BadAss certification any time soon. The good news is, I already got that. In case you didn't know, I was a dual major during my time as an undergrad at UW. COJO and MBA. But mostly MBA.

Yes. I seriously just wrote that.

You know it's true.

But today, I am working to earn a different type of MBA. It's one that might actually improve my lot in life. I started working on my Masters of Beef Advocacy program yesterday, and it's long overdue. It's a program put together by the Beef Checkoff that is working to empower agriculturalists to have a voice on the issues that affect them most -- consumer's perceptions of the beef industry. 

From Katie Couric's recent barrage against animal agriculture's use of antibiotics (twice) to [yellow tail]'s fall to [yellow fail] to the fact that well, everything the HSUS touches turns to muck, it is clear that agriculturalist need to have an educated, united voice to share our story.  

The program consists of six, 1-hour core courses on topics like beef safety, beef nutrition, animal care, environmental stewardship, modern beef production and the beef checkoff. They are interesting, easy to complete and forces folks in beef production to think like a typical beef consumer. It's all about equipping beef producers across the country to tell their story in presentations to schools and church/civic groups, through local media and in the “virtual” world of the Internet.

Some of the smartest, most incredible people I know are cattlemen and women. But it doesn't matter how smart you are or how great of a rancher you are or how right we know our way of life is if our story is told by groups like the HSUS and PeTA. So educate yourself on how to tell our story. Learn more about the MBA program here: http://www.beefboard.org/news/08_1010News_MBApressRelease.asp or by e-mailing Daren Williams at dwilliams@beef.org.

If you're reading this blog, I can only assume you are already a Major BA. Now go prove it with your MBA.

America's Future

This is something I worry about. A lot. Seriously, it keeps me up at night.

Has the society we live in completely lost touch with the ideals of past generations? Will the generation after mine even know about World War II and the Depression, or the significance those events had on the world? How will they, when the generation of my grandparents is gone? Who will tell those stories? Will our society as a whole ever grasp the concept of personal responsibility and stop blaming schools, the government, food and the media for all their problems? In another generation, will anyone understand the importance of physical labor and blue-collared workers? 

Aren't I an odd little 22-year-old? These are the things Stones and I think about in our free time.

These worries have only been intensified by reading the book The Greatest Generation. Sometimes Tom Brokaw gets a little liberal for my taste in the political ideals he draws in the book, but the story-telling is extraordinary. It confirms that there is no doubt in my mind that the generation of my grandparents is, in fact, the greatest generation this society has ever produced. And it makes me wonder – if that generation is now nearly in extinction, what does the future of America hold?

Turns out, Mike Rowe seems to worry about the same thing.

Ok, maybe not the exact same things, but it seems he worries about the general direction our society is heading in – that being a direction where people are scared of working hard and expect a lot of hand outs.

If you don’t know who Mike Rowe is, please crawl out from whatever rock you are living under and become familiar. He is the host of the Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs.” He’s a champion for hard workers, blue-collared values and patriotism.

Read his recent blog post, What is in America’s Future? Oh ya, and then watch this video:



Then put my name under it with a big “ditto.” If you didn't love Mike Rowe before today, you will.

PS – Please note: I am not an eternal pessimist and think our country is really headed to ruin. I think we live in the greatest country in the world. And I'm a pretty happy-go-lucky gal. I just worry. A lot. Again, this is why I think I need more hobbies.

Some thing are better left untouched...

...like this commentary by Mike Barnett of the Texas Farm Bureau. I've got nothing to add or further commentary to make on it. That doesn't happen very often. I always have something to say. Not today.

Here's an excerpt:

"Hope for agriculture, I’m here to tell you, is not lost. The bad news is these activist groups are strong, well funded, very vocal and successful in promoting their agenda. The good news is they're ultimately doomed to fail."

He addresses the strengths and weaknesses of the animal rights movement, "industrial ag" nay-sayers, GMO protestors and climate changers. And here's the bottom line we've all known since before those folks started developing thier anti-ag agruments: the facts are on our side.

Read his blog at "Texas Agriculture Talks" for the full story.

*And that's all I have to say about that*

I < 3 Beef

No, I don’t think I am less than three, or that there is something greater than beef. I “heart” beef. As in, I love beef. Which is especially convenient this first day of February, since today marks the beginning of Heart Health Month.

I “heart” beef because I love ranchers, I love cattle, I love the beef industry, and I love a heart-healthy diet of lean beef. And I love that the Beef Checkoff thinks of catchy promo campaigns like this:

So tonight, after an hour of flailing around in ZUMBA!, my new roomie and our friend are having a winter-time grill-out. Roomie just brought our Certified Angus Beef® flat iron steak (only the best will do) off the grill. YUM! We made a delicious concoction of diced potatoes, onions, garlic and jalapenos and piled it into some tin foil and threw it on the grill, too.

And now it’s time for me to eat this tasty little feast.

Oh. My. Delicious.

Did I mention beef is a great source of lean protein and an important part of a heart-healthy diet? Well it is. More than 80 percent of registered dietitians surveyed agree that lean beef can fit in a healthy diet (Technomic, 2007). In addition, a 3-ounce serving of lean beef offers the most protein with the fewest calories when compared to plant proteins such as peanut butter, black beans and tofu. AND, a 3-ounce serving of lean beef is about180 calories. You would have to eat 670 calories of peanut butter (more than 7 tablespoons) to get the same amount of protein (beefitswhatsfordinner.com).

Thanks for joining me for a lesson of Beef Nutrition 101. Rest assured, I will share more on that topic in the future.

Back to the task at hand. This is what is still to come in our evening meal:

It's right out of the box from the freezor section. So what. We're grilling with snow on the deck. I dance to Shakira songs at the YMCA. Crazier things have happened. Key Lime pie is amazing, anyway you serve it up.

But again, I digress. You know why else I heart beef? Because I love working for the beef industry. Once we demolish that key-lime pie and properly digest our steak dinner, I’ll start telling you about my week in San Antonio!

Saddle up to San Antonio!

Tomorrow morning, I will leave my home at the crack of dawn. Actually, before the crack of dawn. I’m talking about the REAL crack of dawn here, not the Laura-version-of-anything-before-double-digits-kind of crack of dawn. And I am ecstatic about it.

Why, you ask? Because I’ll be boarding a 7 a.m. flight for San Antonio to attend the 2010 Cattle Industry Convention!

The Cattle Industry Convention is to conferences what the glorious Cheyenne Frontier Days is to western celebrations – the daddy of em’ all. It’s a week full of education, sharing, meetings, entertainment and camaraderie for cattlemen across the nation. And it’s epically fun.

Five years ago, I attended my first NCBA convention as a National Beef Ambassador. It was an incredible eye-opening experience for a first-time-convention-goer who was just getting my foot in the door of the beef industry. It was, without a doubt, the experience that made up my mind – I would forever work in the beef industry. Preferably in a job that would take me back to NCBA Convention and other gatherings of the like.

Two years ago, I went as an NCBA intern – it was an amazing experience, professionally and personally. I worked with a group of wonderful friends who I still love dearly. I also made a connection with the folks at the Certified Angus Beef trade show booth. They told me to apply for an internship with them. I did. After my internship, they told me to apply for a full time job. I did. Now they are sending me back to NCBA convention as their employee – I can’t wait!

It will be a busy week – the kind where you run on absolutely ZERO sleep and thrive on it. Meetings start at 7 a.m., end at 9 p.m., then re-convene during social hours that usually last late into the night. My head will likely be exploding with information, and I will do my best to let some of it overflow here!

Props to my new home state

I've always been told a good writer is a good reader. That is a fact. So, I spend a lot of time reading. Reading for my job, reading for my entertainment, reading to pass the time and reading for research. If I were to re-hash my life pie chart, I would in all actuality give at least 60 percent of my time to reading.

When I was a little kid, I trained my stomach to be OK with reading on the hour-long rickety bus ride to school. Sometimes I read during recess (You should see pictures of me when I was little... you would understand). I can remember riding in the back of my dad's pickup during the summer months, reading while my older brother and sister fixed fence. They loved that.

You're getting the picture, right? My point is -- I spend a lot of time reading very interesting things that I think you should read, too. From time to time, I will take a break from writing here and let you make your own judgments on some of my favorite reading subjects, namely topics surrounding the beef industry.

One of my favorite things to read each day is the BeefDaily blog. Amanda Nolz is the editor, and she does an outstanding job of picking up three-four interesting beef industry news tidbits to share with her followers.

The headliner for her blog today was "Farm Bureau Discusses Ohio’s Stand Against HSUS." The people of the state of Ohio did a great thing when they passed The Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board last November. What they did and how they did it makes me proud to now call Ohio my home state (or at least the stateI now reside).

Folks took a stand against the Humane Society of the United States. Ohioans made it clear the HSUS was NOT who they thought deserved to make decisions and influence opinions on livestock husbandry. Right on, Buckeyes!

Read Amanda's blog to learn more: http://blog.beefmagazine.com/beef_daily/2010/01/20/farm-bureau-discusses-ohios-stand-against-hsus/. I also highly recommend subscribing to receive BeefDaily's e-mail updates. It is truly a great resource!