Putting a face on the beef industry

I'm lucky it rained last week, as I had plenty of things to do that had nothing to do with driving a tractor to bale hay! When the clouds blocked the sun and buckets of rain began to fall, my husband was frustrated; I was relieved! I had plans to spend the day in the grocery store!

I guess I better explain that--the new Ray's Apple Market store in Manhattan had scheduled a Meat Sale and I had volunteered to hand out beef samples all day. Ray's is the only grocery outlet for Certified Angus Beef and less than a month ago, I sold a pen of steers that 66% met CAB specifications, 22% graded Prime and the rest went to the Nature Well program. So with the push to know where your food comes from, I volunteered to connect with shoppers to tell them about the beef they were purchasing.

I had a great time! We cooked CAB ribeye steaks, handed out samples to approximately 400 shoppers and talked about the benefits of beef in a diet, as well as what CAB is all about. If you are interested in information, check out the website for Certified Angus Beef. In above picture, I am on the left, my daughter Meghan Blythe and my mom Jan Lyons are with me.  Three generations of ranching women connecting with shoppers and talking about raising beef. It was an awesome day! Meghan is working for Certified Angus Beef in a student position. She coordinated the day at Ray's. My mom is a rancher, agriculture leader and former president of the National Cattleman's Beef Association.


In the small photos, Meghan and another CAB employee visit with a shopper. In the middle photo, one of my best buddies is with me to display ribeye samples. She is a rancher who runs marathons! She ran the Boston Marathon this year--fueled by beef! She is a perfect example of eating healthy with beef as the foundation of her diet. And in the last photo, the CAB ribeyes are displayed in the meat case along with the amazing sale price: $7.99/lb!

One of the things that I talked with shoppers about was to not be afraid of the butcher and ask questions. He or she should be able to talk about each cut and advise you on cooking methods, as well as cut your meat to your specifications. For example, I had 20 CAB ribeye steaks cut to 5/8" thick to cook quickly on the grill and then serve on a bun. That thickness is a special request, but the price is the same--so talk to your butcher and ask questions. We'll be serving those steaks at a family picnic at the end of the month. I'll supply photos then!

Connecting with shoppers was a lot of fun and a great face-to-face opportunity to talk about ranching. I try to never turn down a chance to talk about my life on a Kansas cattle ranch.

2 comments:

  1. Debbie, I just stumbled upon your blog and the picture of you with your Mom. Your Mom and I were best friends growing up and I had a lot of good times visiting her family's farm, but haven't seen her in years. I look forward to reading more about you and your family and cattle ranching.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for your comment/visit to my blog. I am so very much enjoying 'getting to know you' through reading yours. You are doing a good job of portraying the wonderful blessings of being in the beef industry. So nice to find someone with the same appreciation for the industry.

    ReplyDelete

Let's talk!

Thank you for reading! If you like this post, I would appreciate any comments and shares. You can see a bit more about me and my family here, and connect with me on facebook and twitter! Please do! Connecting is the WHOLE POINT of blogging! I'd love to hear from you.