Julie Turner-Crawford The importance of beef

just a thought

Across The Fence

By Julie Turner-Crawford

Why is the beef industry important in the Ozarks? Because it’s pretty much the bread and butter, or the brisket and steak, of our rural communities. Every year, more than 90 million head of cattle are raised on more than 800,000 cattle operations, leading to the production of around 27 million pounds of beef, according to the USDA. The agency also calls cattle production “the most important agricultural industry in the United States.” Cattle production accounts for about 17 percent (the most significant share) and $392 million of total cash receipts for agricultural commodities. Here are a few other interesting facts about beef proJulie Turner-Crawford is a native of Dallas County, Mo., where she grew up on her family’s farm. She is a graduate of Missouri State University. To contact Julie, call 1-866532-1960 or by email at editor@ozarksfn.com.duction you might not know: • Oklahoma is second in the nation in the number of beef cows, just behind Texas. • U.S. farmers and ranchers produce 18 percent of the world’s beef with only 8 percent of the world’s cattle. • The U.S. ranked fourth in the world for the amount of beef eaten per capita, at 79.3 pounds, in 2016. On average, Americans average 112 pounds of beef per year. • Beef is one of the most important dietary sources of iron. You’d have to eat three cups of raw spinach to get the same amount of iron in one 3-ounce serving of beef. It’s also a source of other nutrients, including protein, B vitamins, zinc, selenium, niacin, phosphorus, riboflavin and choline.

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Easy Chili Mac

From the Oklahoma Beef Council

MAIN DISH

• 1 pound lean ground beef • 1 can (15 to 16 ounces) chili beans in chili sauce • 1 1/2 C prepared thick-and-chunky salsa • 1/2 C water • 1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro • 2 C cooked elbow macaroni, warmed

Brown ground beef. Pour off drippings. Stir in beans, salsa and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring frequently. Stir in cilantro. Serve beef mixture over macaroni.

Cook’s Tip: Cooking times are for fresh or thoroughly thawed ground beef. Ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

Know a Good Recipe? Send in your favorite recipe to share with our readers. Mail them to: PO Box 1514, Lebanon, MO 65536; fax them to: 417-532-4721; or email them to: editor@ozarksfn.com

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just a thought

Across the Fence

If you sell meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy products, eggs

Fro the Farmor any other farm to table products, be sure your farm is to your familylisted on FromTheFarmToYou.com. The listing is completely free. Just visit FromTheFarmToYou.com and click on “Submit Your Farm” at the top of the page. Fro the Farm www.FromTheFarmToYou.com

BRAHMAN INFLUENCE COW & BULL SALE

Saturday, June 4, 2022 • Noon

Closed, Exclusive Sale – No Drive Ups Accepted Expecting 400 Head

Farm #1: Field Rep: Colt Keeling; Phone: 417-489-8864

• 70 Cows: Jamison Herefords. Bred to Hudgins Brahman bulls. Fall calving. • 35 Registered Jamison Hereford Pairs: 3-in-1 pairs with Braford calves at side. Bred back to Registered Hudgins Brahman bulls. • 25 Registered Jamison Hereford Pairs: Braford calves at side. (All Hereford cows are 4-5 Y/O, on their 2nd calf. All home raised and half-sisters.) • 55 Braford Pairs: Have Charolais calves at side and exposed back to Charolais bulls. This is 2nd calves. All are half-sisters and home raised. • 40 Braford OPEN Heifers: All half-sister and home raised. Out of Registered Jamison Hereford cows and Registered Hudgins Brahman bulls. • 4 Hudgins Brahman Bulls: 4-5 Y/O

Farm #2: Field Rep: Cade Hammen; Phone: 417-342-3407

• 70 Full Blood Brahman Cows: 2-5 Y/O. Handful are pairs, rest are 2nd and 3rd stage. Bred to full blood Brahman bulls.

• 4 Full Blood Brahman Bulls

Farm #3: Field Rep: Colt Keeling; Phone: 417-489-8864

• 30 Braford Pairs: 2-5 Y/O. Charolais and Angus calves at side. Exposed back to Charolais and Angus bulls. All are home raised.

Farm #4: Field Rep: Colby Hammen; Phone: 417-489-2684

• 35 Super Baldy Heifers: All A.I. bred to Black Angus bull named Patriarch. Due to start calving September 15th.

Farm #5: Field Rep: Colt Keeling; Phone: 417-489-8864

-27 OPEN Heifers: 11 Brahman, 7 Tigerstripe and Chocolates, 6 Black- 3/4 Brahman, and 3 Brangus Baldies. All longtime weaned, gentle, and current on shots. Will weight 600-700+ lbs.

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fourstatestockyards.com 9735 MO-76 • Exeter, MO 65647

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• 70 percent of food service operators say steak on the menu increases traffic.

Not bad for a bunch of cattle.

When it comes to cattle, the thought generally goes to beef, and there is nothing better on the grill than a hamburger or steak. Dietary preferences aside, there are many by-products of beef that folks use daily, products many might not think about having a connection to the cattle industry.

Beef2Live.com says 99 percent of a harvested beef animal will be used for meat and other products, including adhesives, fertilizer, steel ball bearings, shaving cream, biodegradable detergents, tires, tennis racket strings and other sporting equipment. A single cowhide can produce 144 baseballs, 12 basketballs, 18 volleyball or soccer balls, or 12 baseball gloves.

It puzzles me how an industry that generates billions of dollars for the nation’s economy can is branded as bad, but that’s what some of our counterparts think. I don’t think they realize how much their daily lives include the cattle industry.

Cattle production is blamed for increased methane gas levels, which has been scientifically proven to be false. Still, some folks just can’t let it go. UC Davis’ Frank Mitloehner, a professor and air quality specialist, has stated that cows and other ruminants account for just 4 percent of all greenhouse gases produced in the United States. Beef cattle are responsible for just 2 percent of direct emissions. Transportation and electricity account for nearly 60 percent of greenhouse emissions. We always knew the air was cleaner in the country, and this data only proves it.

Cattle are all-natural lawn mowers and don’t require a battery, oil or gas like motorized mowers. They also leave a little natural fertilizer along the way to help regenerate the grasses and other forages they consume.

Finally, cattle have the ultimate superpower – converting grass and grain into beef. Not bad for a bunch of cattle.

Life Is Simple

Continued from Page 3

There is hardly a week that goes by that the obituary page doesn’t describe someone I knew. If I turn to the birth announcements, I, more often than not, know the child’s grandparents or great-grandparents. When I read the court records, the family names still ring with a familiarity of my younger days. If there are pictures accompanying a story, I can usually identify the place without reading the caption, and I’ve been able to do that every Thursday.

My family reminds me that even my hometown weekly paper is available online, just like the big boys, and if I’m so obsessed with making sure I keep my Thursday ritual intact, I could simply log on and read it on the computer. Again, refer to paragraph number 1.

I guess I’ll just have to adapt to change and deal with the fact that I may have to read the deaths, births, court cases, and fascinating pictures from my hometown not every Thursday like I have my entire lifetime, but sometimes on a Friday. Last week, it arrived on a Saturday… a SATURDAY!