CALF_News_October_November_2021

43 CALF News • October | November 2021 • www.calfnews.net how“humanity” is who they serve and who benefits from this program. From a beef industry perspective, Cactus Feeders, through their philanthropic foundation Cactus Cares, supports many of the above-mentioned university meat labs. Cactus Cares collaborates with these universities by purchasing meat from the universities and then donating that meat to local organiza- tions focused on feeding the hungry in their area. Through this partnership, Cactus Cares is “able to support both agriculture education and the groups within our community that work hard to feed the food insecure,” states Shelby Padgett, assistant director of Cactus Cares. With these universities beefing up support to address food insecurity by leveraging the resources of their meat labs and students, they are making a difference with food assistance programs that serve the needs of children and families in their 60 seconds per side, and I also seared the edges as well. After about 3 minutes of active searing, I pulled the steak and let it sit for another 5 minutes. So, what was the verdict on reverse searing? We loved it! The simplicity of the seasoning (salt and pepper with some butter at the end) was delicious, and as we cut into the steak, it was evenly cooked, with plenty of juices and abundant flavor. While it did take a little extra time, it made a huge difference in the outcome. I think we can all agree that keeping both the Weber and Traeger is a good idea!  HOT OFF THE GRILL Continued from page 41 states and local communities. Providing meat protein not only offers nutritional benefits, but it also allows for the sense of dignity and grace for the food assistance programs’ clients. The efforts of these universities are helping to train the leaders of tomorrow in the meat industry and equip them to make a lasting impact. It is inspiring to see the great strides that can be made when people work together to address food insecurity.  HEROES AMONG US Continued from page 42 important thing is we’re not any different than anyone else in this room. We are stewards of land,” Levi said. “If we don’t take care of our land, we don’t take care of our animals, those two entities don’t take care of us.” Five Rivers is big. But it’s important that they communicate that they’re noth- ing special, he said. “We do the same thing as everybody else, and we have the same regard for animals and animal welfare and the land as everybody else in this room,” he said. That’s the story they tell. “Any chance we get, we try to be louder, try to be more active in our communities, and tell people the good things we’re doing, as opposed to just letting the actions speak for us. Actions have helped, but we need to speak and act, not just act.” Then There’s Sustainability For many consumers, sustainability is a big issue. For many beef producers, sustainability is just something they do and they don’t see why it’s such a big issue. But it is and that’s one of the important messages that beef producers need to convey. FINDING COMMON GROUNDWITH CONSUMERS Continued from page 31 “When I’m reporting on some of these issues, you might hear people in metro Denver talking about climate change and environmental sustainability, and they assume that that is counter to economic sustainability or the economy of Colo- rado,” Brown said. “And maybe that one side is over here screaming about the economy and the other one just cares about the environ- ment. Well, that’s not really true when you can hear what everybody’s saying on this panel – that ranchers care just as much about climate change and the environment as anybody else, if not more.” That’s why Levi invites people to see what Five Rivers is about. “I try to invite as many people as I can to see our opera- tion. Once they see it, it sells itself,” he said. “It’s like, ‘Wow, this is what a feedlot is? It’s not what I read.’” Be careful, however, about the tone of your message. “Many times in my career, I’ve written about this urban/rural divide,” Brown said. “And you’ll hear lan- guage on both sides that divides people.” For instance, the oft-repeated phrase by ag producers that consumers don’t know where their food comes from. “I think when we talk that way, we use that language, it right off the bat sets up a divide. It needs to be those empathetic stories about families,” she said. Levi has seen the results of that approach. “Cattle production, I’ve often said, hits on all of my primary senses, including smell, and our ani- mals are beautiful. The land in which we grow is even more beautiful. Our families are even more beautiful than that,” he said. “We have the most beautiful pictures and that picture sells and that picture has always sold and will continue to sell. We can put a family with a product and we’re going to see the people with product. That will speak volumes and will speak loudly to what we’re trying to do, which is sell more of our wholesome nutrition.” Keith Belk, Ph.D., Colorado State University Animal Science Department head, agrees. “A lot of us are going to have to step out of our comfort zones to make that effective by interacting with cultures and backgrounds and folks that we have never had to before. But the act of making that effort will help us all communicate better and find more common ground.” Indeed, it’s time we talk. 