CALF_News_June_July_2018

32 CALF News • June | July 2018 • www.calfnews.net Shopping Cart By Blaine Davis Contributing Editor Beyond the Ranch Gate C atching a break from the road and spending a weekend in our hometown of Garden City, Kan., my wife and I recently attended a 10th anniversary celebration of the Beef Battalion. Over the past decade, this all-volunteer group has exhibited their apprecia- tion for the sacrifices of our military men and women and their families by serving tens of thousands of meals featuring all-American beef. Having the privilege of serving at a hand- ful of such events, I can attest to my new-found appreciation for these folks and their service to our country. Likewise, these honorees appreciate the fact that, unlike the past, we Ameri- cans do care. Reminiscing about one such “feed” at Fort Carson, Colo., a soldier asked for just a hot dog or a hamburger – he had never had steak, let alone one as good as these. Having none, this became a marketing opportunity to create a steak-lover and a future beef purchaser. For those of us involved directly or indirectly, the value of the beef industry is a given, but continual marketing and public relations are a must. Here in Kansas, Gov. Jeff Colyer has declared May is Beef Month due to its economic and social value. With more than 6.3 million cattle – twice the human population – on ranches and in feedyards, Kansas ranks third in the country and in 2017 ranked second in fed cattle mar- keted at 4.94 million. In 2016, beef cattle and calves represented 50.8 percent of the agricultural cash receipts. State-wide employment attrib- uted to the production, processing, distribution and sales of beef ranged upward of 20,000 with an additional 50,000 jobs in the supplier and associated industries. Kansas has approxi- mately 46 million acres of agricultural land. Not all of this land is suitable for growing crops such as corn, alfalfa or wheat. With more than 15 million acres of pasture and rangeland, ruminants like cattle grazing efficiently utilizes the grasses and native plants on these lands, turning these resources into essen- tial protein and nutrients for human consumption. With a short course in microbiology or animal husbandry, rumination derived from Latin ruminare, to chew again, is a process by which nutrition is derived from the plant-based diet by mul- tiple digestive/regurgitative cycles due to cattle’s four-stomach physiology, thus “chewing the cud.” Beef contributes substantially to our diets, providing 10 vital nutrients, including iron, zinc, protein and B vitamins, all for just 150 calories per three-ounce serving. Contrary to what many vegetarians would like you to believe, this serving of beef provides the same amount of protein as three servings (1.5 cups) of cooked black beans – at 341 calories. Much to the chagrin of these vegetarians and their cohorts, the vegans, I declare Mon- days, not “meatless,” but “Mom’s Meatloaf Mondays.” Taking this marketing scheme one step further and bor- rowing from the distilling and brewing industry’s precursor to the weekend with “Thirsty Thursdays,” shoppers pushing their carts through grocery aisles could make dinner decisions simpler with suggestions like “Tri-Tip Tuesdays,”“Flank Steak Fridays” and even “Sirloin Saturdays.” I can just picture it now, all the family gathering around the dinner table after church to Standing Rib (roast) Sunday with the trimmings of Idaho potatoes, fresh-picked roasting ears of corn, garden-fresh green Shopping for “Sirloin Saturday.” Marketing Continued on page 39  As the evening unfolded with socializing and reminiscences among the volunteers from near and far, it was obvious that a common bond existed, and each couldn’t wait to get out on the road again to recognize those making sacrifices for our country. With delicious aromas emanating throughout the room, we formed a line as if we were cattle lining up to the cake feeder as it crossed the winter pasture. Reaching the serving table with the same outstanding fare we offer our honorees, I was first offered a spoonful of buttery, golden corn of which I replied, “Make it two, as my freshly planted crop could use a market boost.” Actually, my corn doesn’t make the dinner table, but it does provide the nourishment required of the high-quality beef we were about to enjoy. Whether it be the military honorees push- ing a grocery cart through the base’s PX or any of the volun- teers here doing the same at their local grocery, marketing beef and other American agricultural products may actually start with a grassroots activity like this.