It’s Grilling Season!

Hello everyone, spring time is here and it’s time to start up the grill! :) I know everyone’s lives seem to be super busy this time of year and grilling is an easy solution to make the most of your dinner with quick prep-time and easy clean-up!

One of my favorite things to cook on the grill is kabobs! The best part is, there is no recipe and you can make them as creative and colorful as you want! They are great for your everyday dinner or even fun to make when you invite friends over!  All you need is some beef fajita strips from your local meat market, some veggies (peppers, onion, tomatoes, zucchini, squash…), and you can even add pineapple like I did! You can marinade the meat with some Italian dressing and soy sauce if you like.  Thread the meat and vegetables onto wooden or metal skewers and cook until the meat reaches 160 degrees and is cooked all the way through.  Remove from the skewer and server over a bed of brown or white rice!

This meal not only tastes good, it is also very nutritious!  It’s loaded with vegetables and beef is a great source of protein, iron, zinc and B-vitamins.  These key nutrients help fuel your body so you have more energy, boost your immune system and help build strong muscles!

40th Anniversary of Earth Day

Your Views: Celebrate day with a steak

Garden City Telegram

Published 4/13/2010 in Commentary : Letters to the Editor

I am a cattle producer from southwest Kansas and am an everyday environmentalist. The 40th anniversary of Earth Day is rapidly approaching and will soon be celebrated among grade schools through class activities and even in junior and senior high schools by discussion in science classes.

There are many ways that I, along with my fellow farmers and ranchers across the United States, contribute to sustainability. With the economy, everyone is following the trend of trying to do more with less and cattlemen are no exception.

Did you know that land available for grazing more than doubles the amount of land we are able to use for food production in the United States?

As a cattle producer, we pride ourselves in producing a wholesome, nutritious and safe product using the least amount of resources possible. We want to preserve the land to the best of our ability so it will be available and can be passed down to future generations.

From pasture to fork, beef is a nutritionally dense and pleasurable eating experience. Beef is an excellent source of zinc, iron and protein. Just one three-ounce serving of beef contains 10 nutrients essential for life.

These key nutrients help fuel your body so you have more energy, boost your immune system and help build strong muscles. There are 29 cuts of beef that meet the government's requirements for lean, including: T-bone steak, strip steak, filet mignon and top sirloin. Why not celebrate Earth Day with a steak dinner?

Let's support farmers and ranchers who give every day to take care of the land and produce the food we often take for granted; and also give thanks for the land we have been blessed with. Happy Earth Day.

LYNDI JURY,

Sublette, KS

http://www.gctelegram.com/opinion/Jury-pulse-4-13-10

Women in Agriculture

At the beginning of this semester, I was approached by a staff member of the KSU Collegian (school newspaper) who wanted to write an article about women in agriculture. My initial reaction was, “Wow, this is great; finally someone who wants to write a positive article about agriculture”.  As I met with the girl for the interview, I quickly realized that she was looking for information regarding how women were not given a fair chance in agriculture as well as the college of ag.at KSU.  I was very frustrated by this and quickly informed her that this was definitely not the case.  As a women in agriculture, I have never felt that I was treated unfairly or differently because of my gender. In fact, I feel that we have very important roles within the industry. An example is the promotion of beef.  I cannot think of a better person to market beef to a mom in the grocery store, than a women herself! (not that men couldn’t also do this effectively)

This afternoon our Collegiate CattleWomen group went on a couple of farm tours.  Our last stop was at Fink Beef Genetics in Randolph, KS.  Lori and Galen Fink have raised cattle since the late 1970’s and are very influential and progressive members of the beef industry.  After a tour of their operation, Lori and Galen treated us to homemade cookies and sat down with all of us to discuss our role in the industry.  Lori told us that when she was in high school, she was the first female and the first female FFA officer in their chapter. At this time, this was a huge fete. She said the school officials were worried about things like there only being a men’s restroom in the welding shed and how they were going to have to make a women’s bathroom.  She said they didn’t realize she wasn’t interested in welding, she wanted to get involved in things like livestock and meats judging . After college, she applied for a secretarial position within the beef industry where previously the position had only been occupied by men.  A fellow industry member encouraged her to apply for the job and assured her that she could do it and would do a great job.  Lori got the job but said that she felt extra pressure to perform at a level beyond what was expected. She thoroughly enjoyed it and earned trust fr0m men within the industry. Today Lori serves on several beef committees on the state and national level, with men.  She says that today women are given an equal opportunity and the sky is the limit as far as what we can accomplish.

Listening to Lori tell her story made me truly appreciate how far the agriculture industry has come.  It also made me realize that we shouldn’t take our rights for granted, someone had to stick there neck out there to get us where we are today, women like Lori.  She is an inspiration to me as well as the other girls in our group!

http://finkbeefgenetics.com