Cattle Industry Meetings: What to wear

Between my 4-H, Cattlemen's Young Leaders, and Junior Hereford career, I've probably attended more meetings than some middle aged businessmen.

We like meetings in the beef business. It's probably because there's so much knowledge to be shared and contacts to be made, so we make every excuse to sit at a big table, use big words, and try to solve the world's problems.  

I'm headed to Calgary tomorrow to take part in some planning meetings for a brand new Young Cattlemen's Advisory Board in Canada. I'm incredibly excited about the possibilities of this board and meeting with other young cattlemen and women. 

On a shallower but still very important note, what does one wear to cattle industry meetings?

NOT manure covered boots, a flannel shirt, and overalls as some might assume. Us cattle folks actually clean up quite nicely when the chores are done and we head into town.

For me, it's something like this:

Businessy, westerny, and professional-y. 

Collared top: Pleated Poplin Blouse from Smart Set

Blazer: Notch Collar Blazer from Ricki's

Dress Pants: Easy Fit Flare Pant from Smart Set

Boots: Corral Boots Ladies Antique Saddle

Notebook: Simulated Saddle Leather Binder

Necklace: Turquoise Bead Flower Necklace from The Texas Cowgirl

Cuff: Floral Cut-Off Cuff from Ricki's

Ring: Bought at the Saskatoon Fringe Festival

A blazer, dress pants, and cowboy boots are my staples. I've included two top options depending on how formal the meeting is. Dark wash jeans may also work with this look. Bold jewelry is always welcome at cattle industry events, and don't forget your fancy leather notebook for diligent note-taking or doodling. 

In my opinion, it's important to look polished and professional when meeting with other cattle industry enthusiasts and experts. Your next job may come from one of these meetings! 

If you're a cattle gal, do you usually go for a similar look or something different? 

Calgary Stampede and Summer Synergy Recap

Friends, I'm not even sure where to start on this one.

I have a lot of exciting things to tell you. They all worked together to create the tired, sunburnt, brain-dead, star-struck mess that is currently writing this to you. Any thoughts are not my own but the direct influence of 11 days at the Calgary Stampede and a cattle show.

Miss Blogs-a-lot (name courtesy of my family) has achieved victory! As some of you may know, this blog was created as part of the Summer Synergy Youth Livestock Marketing Compeition. There were approximately 55 other blogs created, which you can still see here. And guess what?! We won!

Cowhide bag courtesy of Saddle Barn in Roswell, New Mexico. I want 7. One will do just fine.

I say "we" because without your loyal following, viewing, and commenting, I probably would have given up on this sharing-my-life-with-the-internet deal. But you people rocked me to almost 90 followers and 7000 views in the last two months, and for that, you win too. You can't have my prize, though. It's awesome.

Summer Synergy didn't quit with the awesomeness there. I scored a hefty scholarship which will go right into my booze school fund.

Getting our scholarships on the stage during the Chuckwagon Races

My heifers, the pretty gals you met here, had a blast being pampered at the show and finished 5th and 3rd in their classes. Impact took me for a little run around the ring at the end of her class, no doubt to prove some sort of point, but I made sure she didn't win that little battle. Then I fed her copious amounts of grain, hay, water, and made sure she stayed cool under the fan. Spoiled brat.

I actually got to see the rodeo a few times this year, and cheered on my future husband, Tuf Cooper. The highlight of the week may have been shooting a roping demo with Tuf and CBC Kids.

Tuf showing the CBC Kids crew how to rope

My role as Ag Media Intern also included crowd control for camera crews, gathering stories for news outlets, taking pictures to Tweet, and maintaining the Calgary Stampede Agriculture Facebook Page. Working with Ag Media was an outstanding opportunity. The ladies were incredibly talented and willing to steer me in the right direction, and the job itself was fun and interesting. The volunteer pass I was given also served as VIP privileges to the country bar Ranchman's...not that I took full advantage or anything.

Sam & I were excited about Ranchman's showing some Alberta Beef love.
We love you too, Ranchman's.

I had the opportunity to help share agriculture's story with news sources that reach hundreds of thousands of people. I had conversations with the public, both in person and online, about where their food comes from. The Calgary Stampede is a fantastic place for people to learn about animal agriculture and the great things we're doing. I can't wait to make my career out of this.

So I'm a few dollars richer, lacking a lot of sleep, and incredibly excited for what a future in Agriculture Communications involves. I'd call that a success, people!

Huge thank you to the Calgary Stampede Ag Media Committee and Summer Synergy Committee for all of your hard work and dedication to making the last week a success! 

Meatless Monday? No, thank you.

I went to a great little restaurant with my mom last week called Mocha Cabana in Lethbridge, Alberta.

I love going there- the food has a Mexican twist, the drinks are fun and fruity, and they have an outdoor patio.

Something I saw on the menu this last visit, I didn't love so much.

"Meatless Monday: Help the earth and improve your health by giving up meat one day a week. Join us for meatless soup, lunch and dinner specials. Regular menu also available."

Mocha Cabana is one of the few restaurants in our area that offer a "Meatless Monday" menu feature. They also have plenty of vegetarian options, which are great for customers with different tastes and preferences.

Let it be known that I fully support choice in restaurants- in fact, I encourage it! Restaurants have a requirement to please the tastes of every customer who walks in their door. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options? Great! Meatless Monday? Not so great.

The message on their menu creates the impression that people would be doing something positive for the environment and their bodies by giving up meat one day per week.

Pray tell, Mocha Cabana, how not eating meat for a day could improve my health and save the earth? There are countless health benefits in all types of meat, including the zinc, iron, and protein in red meat. Animal proteins are high-quality and complete, supplying your body with all the necessary amino acids. You can also count of high levels of magnesium, vitamin E, and B vitamins from your meat.

Image My bumper sticker. Clearly, I'm not a Meatless Monday gal.

I'm a very content omnivore. I appreciate a balanced meal that includes some type of meat protein. There are other sources of protein, of course, that can sustain humans, and it is an individual's choice to obtain their necessary nutrients from a vegetarian source.

However, I do not appreciate an establishment delivering a message directly to consumers that gives the impression eating meat is harmful to health and the environment.

I did an in-depth post last week here about the advancements in beef production that have had positive impacts on the environment, and the necessity of grazing cattle on non-arable lands.

I think establishments should consider who they are offending by posting features such as Meatless Monday. Alberta is a ranching and farming province, and I can bet plenty of their customers are primary producers. I know that as a beef producer and a paying customer, I don't appreciate my business being slandered on the front page of their menu.

The official website for the Meatless Monday movement, including a list of people and restaurants on board.
Here's a Monday trend I like a lot better: Hunk of Meat Mondays
Check out my favorite HoMM posts this week by Beyer Beware, the creator of HoMM, and Crystal.Cattle.

Needless to say, this Monday, I'll be getting my serving of protein in the form of Alberta beef.

What do you think about Meatless Mondays?

Does 4-H Desensitize Kids to Killing? A 4-H Alumni's Response

A lot of buzz is being created in the blogging world this week over a recent article published by CNN.

In their "Eatocracy" section of their website, the article, "Does 4-H desensitize kids to killing?" has elicited over 1300 comments, from both sides of the argument.

Read the article here. It's very short, but you'll want to scroll through the comments as well.

The article is a follow-up to another Eatocracy article entitled, "Five Reasons to Buy From Your Local 4-H." Apparently comments on this piece generated a large response that 4-H is not something to support, and it is turning children into insensitive, cold-blooded sociopaths.

I was a member of 4-H for 10 years, with 9 beef steers, 8 beef females, and 1 lamb. I just wrapped up my two-year service as an Alberta 4-H Ambassador, and I was named Premier Award winner for Alberta 4-H in 2009.

To say this article and it's comments hit home for me is an understatement.

This is something I need to say.

Nowhere in my ten years as a 4-H member or 18 years as a beef producer have I ever considered myself insensitive towards the wellbeing of my animals. I worked tirelessly on each of my 4-H steers, feeding them twice daily, halterbreaking(training them to lead), washing, clipping, and training them for the show. There's no greater feeling than all your hard work paying off by a success in the showring.

Another great feeling is the one experienced when your animal is auctioned off to a supportive member of your community. The higher the price, the better, as every cent of profits from my 4-H calves went towards my education fund.

My first year, I cried like a baby. My steer, Toby, weighed in at only 1175 lbs in July (quite small for a feedlot steer), and placed close to the bottom of his class, but I loved him anyways. I was sad to see him go, and didn't understand why I couldn't just keep him in our backyard. At nine years old, Toby was a pet to me.

I became less emotional about the whole process in the years to follow. Does this mean I was "desensitized to killing?" Absolutely not. I understood the purpose of my animals. Beef steers serve an amazing purpose- feeding hungry people- and I was part of that. I felt happy when thanking my steer's buyer because he now had quality beef to feed his family with, rather than upset he was taking my steer away.

I did learn the difference between pets and food animals, and quite easily. It makes perfect sense to me that when I start working with an animal, they have an ultimate purpose and I work my hardest to make them the best meat steer, mother cow, or breeding bull that I can. I still become attached to some of my animals. They each have distinct personalities, sweet spots to scratch, and actions to avoid when working with them. However, the connection I have with them comes with an understanding of their purpose.

"4-H develops leadership, communication, technical and life skills of 4-H
members and leaders to strengthen communities." (Alberta 4-H)

Research outlined here describes how 4-H members have been proved twice as likely to go to college, more successful academically, healthier, and more active in their communities. Sounds like a regular cold-blooded killer to me. (4-H.org)

What I think many of the commenters on this article do not understand is this: cattle are not pets. Nor does 4-H try to give kids that impression. Death is a part of life, and beef animals serve a purpose to our world that we couldn't survive without.

Preparing an animal for a 4-H show is no small task

I consider "insensitive" one of the worst possible things you could call a 4-H member or alumni like myself, as well as the most inaccurate. Every time one of my animals looks ill or uncomfortable, I do everything in my power to correct it. I have stayed up all night trying to revive a calf that was born backwards with mucous-filled lungs. I have worked tirelessly to halterbreak a hiefer only to have her run away from me in the showring. I have been stepped on, drug through the mud, charged at, and kicked numerous times by my own animals, but loved them regardless.

If that is considered unsensitive, sociopathic, and cruel, I suppose I need new definitions of those words.

I'd like to know your thoughts on the issue. I know it was hard for me to get through this article without getting emotional. If you are or were a 4-H member, how does this article make you feel? If you were never part of 4-H, what is your view?

Are Cows Green?

Beef and the environment: working together more than you thought.

My love for cattle and agriculture was a common topic with my University of Alberta residence floor friends this year on 5 Henday. Everyone knew I loved cows. And that I flew and drove all over to go do cow-related things. But I'm not entirely sure they understood why.

Here's a recent Facebook wall post I received from one of my residence friends from Vancouver, Rob.

" It occurs to me that I've never heard you out when it comes to cows. I assume they're bad for the environment from all the hipster/soy/lefty stuff I read but maybe I'm wrong? I'd enjoy hearing you out over some free range organic chicken in the future."

First, I laughed at this post. Clearly, Rob's a funny guy. But he also raises an important issue. The "hipster/soy/lefty stuff" he refers to are sources that show beef and agriculture in a negative light due to their environmental impact.

Often, they are largely opinion based. They also make sense to consumer. Cows make methane, methane is bad for Earth, therefore cows are bad and we should stop eating them. Logical sequence, right? Not quite.

Myth #1: Cows are destroying the ozone layer.

Fact: The contribution by cattle to global warming that may occur in the next 50-100 years is a little less than 2% (PubMed). Methane is a byproduct of ruminant digestion, which cattle, bison, sheep, and goats carry out. Ruminant digestion makes it possible for cattle to convert food not fit for human consumption, like grasses and rejected malting barley. Cattle are responsible for about 14% of global methane emissions (EPA), but that number is declining. The more efficient cattle can be raised, the less methane they produce.

Steers chowing down at XTC Herefords.

Myth #2: Modern beef cattle are far worse for the environment than those raised decades ago.

Fact: Advancements to cattle production, such as how fast they grow, how much weight they gain, and how much time they need to reach market weight are accomplished through genetic selection and a lot of scientific research. Most consumers think the more modified the cow, the worse they are for the environment. 

Actually, it works the opposite way. A Washington State University study found that a pound of beef raised in 2007 used 20 percent less feed, 30 percent less land, 14 percent less water and 9 percent less fossil fuel energy than in 1977, while also generating 18 percent fewer carbon emissions. (Explore Beef- Stewardship). What this means is that fewer resources and a smaller carbon footprint are being used to give consumers more beef. In the early 1900's, it took between three to five years to produce an 843 pound beef carcass in Western Canada. Today, it takes less than 24 months.(Canadian Beef and the Environment)

Myth #3: Grass fed cattle emit far less methane.
Fact:

"Grain-fed cattle produce 38% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than grass-fed cattle." -John Robbins

Grassfed cattle are cited in many sources as to be higher methane producers, including this Pro-Grassfed article by John Robbins. More efficient cattle will produce less methane in their lifetime. Keep in mind, there are many studies out there about methane emissions and cattle. This is one study. If you have a conflicting one, I'd love to see it and compare.

Myth #4: Cattle don't do anything good for the environment.
Grazing cattle on non-arable land (land that cannot produce crops or be developed), like coulees and rolling hills, is a practise that ensures the land used to raise cattle is not taking land away from other purposes. If we did not have cattle on this land eating the grass and walking on it, we would have large erosion and plant decay problems. Plants need to have constant regrowth in order to stay rooted in the soil and keep the soil from blowing away.

So, what's your point?

The environmental impact of cattle does exist, but farmers and ranchers are working hard to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly each day. It is in the best interest of livestock producers to get cattle to market in a short time using the least input, which in turn produces less gas, uses less fuel, water and other natural resources.

I believe that when taken together, the facts prove that not raising cattle would cause greater environmental harm than raising them for meat.

What do you think?

Meet the Girls

I'd like to introduce a couple of my favorite new ladies to the world.

They're quite hairy, a little attitude-y, and newly pregnant (I hope).

These lovely girls are my summer show heifers.

Introducing:

 XTC Redneck Girl

This is a commercial heifer- meaning she is a cross between two or more breeds, in this case Red Angus and Hereford. 

XTC Impact Arcola 90X

This girl will show in the Purebred segment of the show. Purebred meaning she is the product of a full Hereford mother and father in this case, with no other breeds in her pedigree. 

They're very pleased to meet you. Please excuse them if they lick and/or bunt you. They mean well.

From now until showtime, my free time will be dedicated to getting these girls show-ready. This involves "training" their hair to go a certain direction and have volume, cutting their hair using special cattle clippers, washing them often, and training them to behave and stand correctly in the showring. 

I'm off to give the girls a much-needed bath and haircut!

Q & A Saturday

This Saturday's question comes from Twitter!

Q: Where does Canada stand in the world beef industry?

Canada is a unique beef producer because we rely heavily on our export markets. Over half of our cattle and beef are exported, with approximately 80-90% of it going to the US (CBEF, CanFax). We are a heavy world player in terms of beef production and have a small population, hence the large amount of exports.

Some stats to consider:

• As of January 1, 2011, there are 12 460 000 cattle in Canada, giving us the 12th largest cattle herd in the world.
•  Coming in at the top for cattle numbers , in order, are India, Brazil, and China.
• Canadians consume 28.90 kg/capita of beef and veal every year, making us 5th highest. 
• We only account for 3.3% of world cattle/beef imports.

(CanFax)

Photo Credit

It's pretty mindblowing to me that we Canadians produce almost 12 and a half million cattle each year with a population of only 33 million. That's one productive nation. And thousands of hard working farmers and ranchers making sure that the beef sent to feed other countries is of high quality, safe, and nutritious. So not only is your neighbor the feedlot owner working to feed your community, but communities around the world. Pretty cool, hey? Let me know if you have any questions, or would like some more info on Canadian beef.