Six new beef cuts from the beef round made their debut at the recent Innovative Beef Symposium in Denver.  The new cuts were created by the checkoff-funded Beef Innovations Group.

The new cuts are: Sante Fe Cut; Round Petite Tender; San Antonio Steak; Tucson Cut; Braison Cut; and Merlot Cut.  All qualify as “lean” or “extra lean” by USDA guidelines, while also passing a number of taste and tenderness tests.

So, here’s a question for all of you beef eaters and producers. . .how many of today’s beef cuts qualify as lean? You’ll be pleased to know that in the course of these past ten years, the beef industry has gone from representing six cuts that qualified as ‘lean’ to 35 today, with the inclusion of these latest additions.

AUDIO

My sister Debbie and I are less than 2 years apart in age and our birthdays are 2 months apart. In recent years, selecting the perfect birthday cards for one another has become a fun competition. Although I think I’ve done pretty well, Deb still holds the title in this friendly competition. A few years ago, the “Shoebox” card she sent featured a picture of a little girl feeding her baby sister a bottle. The caption on the front of the card read: “Finish this and then you can eat some dirt.” The caption inside the card: “Ah, those childhood memories.”

Actually, my sister didn’t make me eat dirt when I was a baby, but she and I did manage to eat a few things we found hanging from trees or bushes in the timber or sprouting up in the pasture. Some berries are poisonous, however, and are better used as Indian war paint than for snacks. (Note to parents: pokeberries used as war paint will stain a child’s skin for an indeterminate amount of time.)

In my family, food has always been at the center of birthday parties, family reunions, weddings, funerals and every other sort of get-together. I have fond memories of Sunday gatherings with twenty-some cousins running and jumping, playing softball or tag or kick-the-can. Kids ate big and played hard. Adults ate big and worked hard. Our play and our work were of a physical nature, however, and we burned the extra calories consumed at a big family function in short order.

Over the years, certain foods became associated with certain people and certain events. My mom was known far and wide for her brownies. “Aunt Judy’s brownies” were always a treat. Deciding what to take to a family reunion or a potluck was easy. Oh, sure, everyone would try a new recipe from time to time to share with the family, but there was no fretting and stewing over ingredients

Deciding what to take to a potluck today isn’t so easy. Today, it seems, there is much to consider. Many consumers prepare potluck dishes with food allergies, calories and a carbon footprint in mind. They worry about mercury in fish, antibiotics and hormones in meat and whether or not fruits and vegetables were grown organically and conventionally. Most of the time these consumers haven’t a clue what any of this means, but they want to do what is best for their family and their environment.

And of course there is the water issue. We drink well water at home but because there is so much iron, sulfur, etc. in the water, we run it through a softener to keep the pipes from corroding. I prefer to drink water from the hydrants because I like the taste of “hard” well water. Most of my friends? Not so much. They drink water from little plastic bottles that cost $1.39 each at Casey’s.

And while some loving mothers fret over fat content in milk their children drink, other mothers who love their children just as much are asking other questions:

What will I feed my children tomorrow? What can I find to eat? Where will we sleep tonight?

I remember studying about America’s industrialization in grade school social studies class.  In the earlier part of the 20th century, the U.S. was the foremost industrial power in the world.

Much has changed since then.  Like the textile industry, many industries have left our country.

 While many consumers believe tighter environmental and production restrictions, and food safety regulations imposed on animal agriculture will be good for our food supply – understand that if livestock productions leaves this country, From transparency to inspection – food security will be compromised.

AUDIO

The company has also seen success with a product only in its second year on the market. Corvus, a pre-emergence herbicide for corn, delivers burn down and residual as well as having a reactivation feature. This feature allows the herbicide to reactivate in the case of rain and continue to take out weeds.

Conversation with Jeff Springsteen

Changes are coming, most of it in terminology, where crop insurance is concerned. Ethridge said going forward there will be revenue policies and yield policies. The terminology, explains Ethridge, will make things easier for farmers. She suggests sitting down with your crop insurance agent to understand changes.

Conversation with Deb Ethridge

Rob Joslin

Joslin said farmers need to contact their elected officials. Creating opportunities for the next generation is important to Joslin and he believes that is important for farmers of all shapes and sizes need to let their voices be heard.

Conversation with Rob Joslin

Dana Stubbendeck is Regional Account Manager for Syngenta.  He was talking seed care at the 2010 Farm Progress Show.

Conversation with Dana Stubbendeck

“Our rural communities are the heart of America and certainly the lifeblood of America’s farmers,” said Raines. “But most rural communities don’t have today the tax base that they had years gone by and in fact rural communities are no different than most communities, they are having to stretch their dollars farther today than ever before.”

America’s Farmers Grow Communities first pilot program began in January in the states of Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas. Monsanto gave away nearly $500,000 to local communities in 179 counties.

One farmer in each county was selected to win $2,500 to benefit a local non-profit like 4-H, FFA or other civic groups.

A second pilot was launched working with Monsanto Fund, the company’s philanthropic arm, providing about $750,000 to nearly 300 counties in California, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina and South Dakota.

Brett Begemann, Chairman of the Monsanto Fund and Executive Vice President of Monsanto explained that this expanded program will invest more than $3 million in our rural communities on an annual basis.

Farmers age 21 and over who are actively engaged in farming at least 250 acres of row crops, 40 acres of vegetables or 10 acres of tomatoes or peppers are eligible to sign up.

Farmers can sign up for this program Aug. 31 – Dec. 31, 2010. Monsanto Fund will donate $1 to the United Way for every entry and all of those donations will stay in the local community of the entrant.

Farmers can sign up at the Farm Progress Show or online at www.growcommunities.com or they can call 1-877-267-3332.

Conversation with John Raines

Conversation with Brett Begemann

There are few aspects of my professional life that I love more than speaking to groups of farmers and farm families. Every individual has a life story to tell and I have been honored to be able to sit across the table from so many of you and learn about your farms, your families, and your communities. You can be a prideful lot, but humility is your best suit. Albeit difficult, there are times when you need to step into the spotlight so that consumers far removed from agriculture have the opportunity to see you; to hear from you.

I spoke at the annual meeting of the Clay County Farm Bureau in Brazil, Indiana last week. Here’s a little nugget of advice for all who live in that area: if you see people walk into the meeting room and go immediately to the dessert table to pick up their slice of pie – don’t ask questions. Follow their lead. I was curious about the practice, but succumbed to peer pressure. (Hey, when in Rome. . .or in this case, Brazil. . .) I must say that homemade coconut crème pie with meringue made by Lois Bixler was one of the best I’ve tasted, and I’ve had some good pie in my life.

For weeks now I’ve been trying to decide what to say in this column to recognize and thank a person who has made such a positive difference in agriculture as he steps down from years of service to the agriculture industry.

Lyle Roberts officially retires his post as CEO of the Illinois Soybean Association this week after more than 25 years of service to soybean farmers. You might not know Lyle personally, but his dedication and passion for agriculture has made a difference not only for farmers across this country, but for hungry people around the globe.

One of my greatest frustrations in recent years has been the fragmentation of agriculture. Lyle has always been a proponent for coalescing. He’s also always been a great friend to the ag media. During those local radio days in the 1980’s when I was covering Land of Lincoln Soybean meetings, Lyle didn’t mind going on the air live with me at 6am. In the sweltering heat or pouring rain, I could always count on Lyle when he told me he’d show up for an interview in a tent at the edge of a soybean field or in a makeshift newsroom in the bowels of a hotel in downtown-somewhere. Twenty-some years later, he’s still the same person I would find in the hog barns at the Illinois State Fair in the morning and supporting farmer-members of ISA discussing policy with lawmakers an hour or two later.

I hear a lot of talk these days about being authentic. Where I come from, we call it “being real.” Lyle Roberts is sort of like that pie I told you about earlier. He’s real. And I am a better journalist – and person – because I have known him.

Godspeed, my friend!

At the Farm Progress Show, Gunderson said MOSES is answering questions and promoting a sustainable approach to agriculture.

Conversation with Jeff Gunderson