Straight
Talk
with Mike Deering Mind Your Own Business The old Hank Williams Sr. song, “Mind Your Own Business,” is a favorite of mine, and I sure wish politicians like Governor Jared Polis (D-Colo.) would heed Hank’s advice. “Why don’t you mind your own business? ‘Cause if you mind your business, then you won’t be mindin’ mine.”
MAY 2021
So very true, Hank. Yet some elected leaders believe they know what’s best for you and your family better than you do. They want to mandate masks; mandate plastic straws; and Governor Polis believes you need to cut meat out of your diet, evident by his bonehead decision to proclaim March 20 as “Meat Out Day” in Colorado. Good grief, Governor, mind your own business and let citizens decide what they believe is best for their own lives.
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Governor Polis’ ignorant decision backfired because people throughout the country stood together and told the Governor just where he could put that “meat out” proclamation. It was actually inspiring to see the grassroots take ownership of their own lives with grilling celebrations, viral videos and thousands of social media posts with the “MeatIn” hashtag. His decision resulted in more beef promotion and producer appreciation than a million-dollar television ad during the Super Bowl would have. I am confident of that. I cannot wait to see beef consumption numbers from a year ago compared to March 20, 2021. It was beyond amusing to watch Governor Polis backpedal on his proclamation and scramble to create a new one celebrating farmers and ranchers. Every once in a while, we need to be thankful for stupidity. While I believe it may be wishful thinking that politicians will simply mind their own business and
Executive Vice President let us live our lives the way we deem best, I do believe we can collectively turn the table on these decisions. We can transform ignorance into opportunities to showcase the importance of beef in a heart healthy diet and highlight what we do every single day to bring the most nutritious, tastiest beef to consumers’ tables. We need to stand together as an industry and alongside our loyal beef-eating customers just as we did in response to the Colorado proclamation. Why wait until the next politician declares our product unhealthy or harmful, void of facts, to unite? This month is Beef Month in Missouri and throughout the country. This is the perfect time to share videos and post on social media. Let’s be proactive in telling our farm story and sharing facts provided by the Beef Checkoff about the nutritional benefits of beef and sharing the difference between good fat (found in beef) and bad fat. If we are proactive and generate as much positivity around our products and our beef community as we did on March 20, maybe we can convince politicians to mind their own business. Again, wishful thinking, but I am confident good will come from this unity, just as it did in March. “May is Beef Month, and on my family farm, we…” Finish your story and share it widely.