Montana Beef Ambassador Contest!!

Beef Enthusiastic! 

Collegiate CattleWomen from Montana State University are holding a Montana Beef Ambassador Contest!

Do you love beef?

Do you love sharing your story?

Are you between 16 and 19?

We need you! 

Winner will have a chance to travel to the National Contest and represent Montana! 

The contest will be held at the Billings Holiday Grand Convention Center, in Billings, MT. 

Wednesday April 3, 2013, during State FFA Convention. 

You will be given an issue, in which you will be required to form a response and there will be a media interview. 

For more rules and regulations go http://nationalbeefambassador.org/ or contact msucattlewomen@yahoo.com .

Your local Extension office has the entry forms as well as FFA advisors. 

The deadline for registration will be March 15, 2013.

Email msucattlewomen@yahoo.com if you are interested or with questions.

Feel free to call Karoline for more information on this life changing experience 406-577-6310 

Horse Slaughter

Dear Editor,

It has come to my attention that horse slaughter is being portrayed as a negative event.  I see exactly where you are coming, from but let me give you a few facts that might change your mind.

I grew up riding horse and my childhood horses name was Muffin.  I loved him and looked forward to every adventure we had together.  He developed eye cancer when I was in 6th grade and reluctantly we had to sell him.  I knew where he was headed but it was reassuring to me.  He wouldn't be in pain anymore and he would be put to good use.

Yes, anytime the word slaughter is mention, people cringe. But as of now with hay prices on the rise and the cost of keeping a horse becoming too much for some families, they are just letting the horses loose in towns and in the wild.  So now tax payers, like yourself, are paying to feed these horses and take care of them when they could be put to a much better use.

We need horse slaughter to be legal and practiced here in the US, just like other working animals.  There are currently too many horses here and we need to control the population.  Starving horses along side the road is not something anyone would like to see in the future.

Thank you!!

Passing on the Family Ranch

The next generation is the future of America and of farming and ranching.  Every meeting I attend places an emphasis on getting the next generation involved.  Well, here we are!  We are ready to start to make some of the difficult decisions and we care about the success of the ranch.  A few tips and reminders I have learned along the road these past few weeks.

1. Parents, talk to your kids,  and kids, talk to your parents. I know its a touchy topic, but it's something that affects all of us.

2. Parents, have a little faith in your kids, but don't hand over the reins overnight.  Let them make little decisions, ones that don't sink the boat if they mess up.

3. Start to talk about money, investments, cost of inputs, everything!   The ranch work is second nature to most but is hedging, the futures market and hay prices.  Kids can't be successful if they don't know about bill and what it takes to be profitable.

4. Have fun while talking about this!  Many ranchers would love it if their kids wanted to be involved in agriculture.  Your kids do and passing on the ranch for generations is a blessing

5.  If your retirements depends on the ranch and you don't have anything in savings, tell your children that!  They need to know how important it is to you that the ranch makes money and a consistent amount.

6.I hope you and your ranch is successful for many years!

Producers-it's time to keep more heifers!

We are slowing hearing about cattle numbers dropping.  At the present time, we are at the lowest number sense the 1960's.   How are we supposed to feed the world if we are producing less calves each year? Well, it's time to keep more heifers.

1. Yes, I know corn is expensive but be creative.  Does your neighbor have corn stalks?  Make a deal with him, there is research out there to prove that using corn stalks to graze your cattle is beneficial for the land and for your cattle. Grazing on corn stalks

2. The cattle market is great! We are seeing future boards that are as high as they have ever been in history.  Wouldn't it be nice to have an extra load of calves to sell in two years? Future Market

3.  Self Magazine has proclaimed beef is a super food.  We have know for years that beef is a power protein but now a source that thousands of women trust, admitted to it as well.  I bet beef will be served for diner in more houses now! Steak-Superfood!

4. It is a great time to be a rancher!  We have a strong force in Washington and in Helena.  Snow on the ground, kids wanting to join our lifestyle and a Good Lord that provides for us.  I couldn't imagine why keeping a few more heifers would be a bad idea!

What does agriculture mean to me?

Agriculture is my way of life! It's not only my lifestyle but my passion as well.  Years ago when I first started 4-H  I couldn't have told you that agriculture would change my life.  But it has and I couldn't imagine my life any other way.

Agriculture has also saved my life.  I was born with a rare autoimmune disease that was found my senior year of high school when I had a stroke at basketball practice. I was airlifted to Salt Lake City and put on blood thinner.  The main blood thinner can't be started out of the blue so they put you on Lovenox. It is used to prevent strokes from happening and use to thin blood.  Ironically its derived from the intestine of hogs, so without agriculture I wouldn't be here today.

Agriculture is my livelihood. My father is a cattle buyer and I grew up in a house where almost 100% of the income was derived from agriculture.  Today, much of my income comes from selling my bull calves in the spring and working on the ranch.

To be honest, I have no idea where I would be without agriculture!  Almost all of my friends have a ranch or farming background and my heart will always be in ag.

The beauty about agriculture is it's a community within itself.  If you ranch or farm you do it because you love it!  We are all fighting the same battle and can easily relate to one another.  I also think that kids raised in an agriculture lifestyle are hard workers, honest and driven.  Nothing raises kids better than livestock.

HSUS-The true behind their spending!

The Humane Society of the United State claims to be the largest and most effective animal protection organization.  Unfortunately, this is not true and you may be wasting your hard earned dollars if you donate to them!

The Humane Society of the United States gives only 1 percent of the money it raises to pet shelters. Surprised? You might be, if you’ve seen HSUS’s TV ads—you know, the ones full of needy dogs and dying cats. You, like most Americans, might think HSUS gives most of the money it raises to pet shelters. But HSUS gives hardly anything to shelters..less than 1%. You might think that HSUS at least runs one pet shelter. They currently don't run a single shelter! 

Check out your state, Montana receives less than 1%! So where does the money go?

-48.1 million is used for fundraising expenses
-24 employees are paid over $100,000 a year
-The CEO has a salary of $300,000 a year

They receive million of dollars in contributes from the American public, but do you really want your money going to lobbyist or salaries?  As farmers and ranchers a $100,000 salary would be a dream come true but we work for much less.  In order for us to feed you and the world, we can't look at our income, we must love our job.  Wouldn't it be easy to "love" your job, if you made $300,000 a year?

I am a huge fan and supporter of local humane societies, they take care of all the local stray animals.  If you make a donation, please make it to your local shelter.  Here is a link that will take you to a page with details about local shelter. Local Shelters

Cancel your donation to HSUS today!  Stand up for what is right, any non profit that receives a D- year after year should no longer be allowed to take donations!

Information from: Humane Watch

NCBA

Good afternoon!

The beef industry, I am a lucky girl to be apart of such an amazing group of people.  Here in Tampa, we have everything from cow calf to packers and they are all passionate about the beef industry.  Just on Sunday, Dodge and Paul Harvey gave the United States a glimpse into our lifestyle.

Today at Cattlemen's College I learned a few facts that I would like to share with you!

-The cow calf side of the industry is often hidden.  Did you know that calves spend a majority of time on grass?  I love the picture above, as it was taken outside Manhattan and shows a great view of our part of Montana.  Calves, stay with their mothers on grass for anywhere from 7-10 months before they are weaned and they are often on grass for months after that!  They get to run and play in fields that look just like the picture above.

-Technology is the future!  Smart phones can identify pink eye by a simple picture.  There is tracking devices for bulls, planting apps for crops and record keeping systems.  It's only time before our smart phone turns into a vital part of a successful ranch!

-Beef is healthy, full of nutrients and safe.  Everyday this industry is working to improve our product but we can't be successful without you!  As consumers, let us know what would work better for you.  Do you want smaller potions, microwaveable meals, or more flavor?  Your demand drives our products, ask questions and share ideas.  We have lots to learn from you!

-We can't get every far in this industry without faith.  Dodge did a great job of showing the world that God made a Farmer but when Chandler offered to bless our meal today, I was reminded of one thing.  Without the Lord's grace, we can't produce food for you and your family.  We rely on him 100%, for rain, the sun and good cattle.

So God Made a Farmer

So God made a farmer...

He needed a man with tender hands and a loving hard.  He needed a man with the drive to feed the world.  He needed a man to raise a family who loves and honors the Lord.  He needed someone who works 80 hours a week all while having a cold.  He needed someone who loved their spouse and children everyday until death.  So he made a Farmer... I can't think of a better way to portray our lifestyle.  Thank you Dodge!

So God Made a Farmer

Meatless Monday

It has come to my attention that Meatless Monday is being portrayed as a benefit to both your health and the environment. Unfortunately, that is incorrect.

VIV magazine claims that if you cut meat out of your diet one day per week, you can lose weight and become healthier overnight. I wish that was true. It would be nice to find a solution that easy for all of us who have struggled with weight issues.  

Personally, I have lost 50 pounds in just more than 18 months by eating red meat every day. Zinc, iron and protein are all found in red meat and often are key ingredients missing from our diets. Don’t forget that red meat also contains essential amino acids and vitamin A. The list goes on. 

Did you know that, while three ounces of lean beef has 180 calories, in order to get the same amount of protein you must eat seven tablespoons of peanut butter, which has more than 600 calories? I challenge you, instead of Meatless Monday, make it Meatful Monday but pick healthier, lean cuts. I bet you will see a healthy you in the near future. 

Yes, the environment and global warming has us all concerned, but following Meatless Monday is not the way to rectify this alarming situation. According to Jude Capper, of the Washington State University Department of Animal Sciences,“The Environmental Working Group claims that national carbon emissions would be reduced by 4.5 percent if everyone in the U.S. chose a vegetarian diet. This is an impressive achievement, given that the Environmental Protection Agency cites livestock production (including poultry and horses) as accounting for only 3.1 percent of total U.S. emissions.”

Let’s do the math based on the EPA numbers. The EWG report focuses on the impact of red meat and dairy, so if we remove poultry and horses from the EPA’s 3.1-percent figure, we get a total red meat and dairy impact of 3.05 percent. Divide that by seven, and the impact of one meatless day per week is equal to 0.44 percent of the U.S. carbon footprint — and that’s assuming that the U.S. population of 311 million people all adopt this lifestyle change. 

It’s a tiny fraction of the impact that we can make on the national carbon footprint. So maybe on Monday, walk or carpool to work. Not only will you be healthier and happier, but it’s better for the environment.