Last week, the National Pork Board kicked off National Eat Dinner Together Week, in conjunction with Feeding America—the national organization that supports our nation’s food banks. For every recipe on the pork website that is printed or downloaded—they donated five pounds of pork to the nation’s food banks! The goal of this week was to promote pork nutrition information and …
Bikes and Beef
I’m a little behind in reporting this event to all of you, but I’m so proud of the efforts of the South Dakota CattleWomen’s Association! As you all know, South Dakota is famous for the motorcycle rally that is held in Sturgis every August. Well, the SD CattleWomen were centered in all of the action in one of the coolest …
Agriculture and Social Media
It was a rainy, cloudy day today in Mitchell, S.D., and like the weather, I wasn’t feeling a little cheerful. For the life of me, I couldn’t concentrate and get my writing assignments done. So, like any procrastinator, instead of dealing with the problem, I logged onto Facebook. On my status update, I wrote, “Writer’s block…” Soon after, I had …
Beef Ambassadors Reporting From National Beef Cook-Off
It was only a few months ago when Chuck and Cindy made the decision to sponsor the National Beef Ambassadors’ new blog, where they could chronicle their travels and discuss the beef industry issues in an open forum for consumers and producers alike. This summer at the 2009 Cattle Industry Summer Conference, I had the opportunity to train the ambassadors …
Developing The Brand
Since I have returned to my family’s cattle operation, I’ve quickly been put in charge of all marketing efforts. For the fair, I developed a brochure about our business, as well as designed stall cards to display information about our cattle. My next task is improving our website (it’s in need of dire help), and starting up a newsletter for …
What’s Your Definition of Cowboy?
Everyone has a different idea of who or what a cowboy is. While most definitions vary widely, there is one thing that they all have in common: pride in American agriculture and dedication to get the job done right. Recently, I ran across an article titled, “Who Cares About Cowboys Anymore?” and it discussed how the average American consumer doesn’t …
Discussing Eminent Domain
Tomorrow, I’m headed to the home of longtime friends Mike and Sue Sibson, cattle ranchers from western Miner County. They have asked me to come view their operation and help tell their story. The Sibsons were one of several South Dakota families to sign on to a lawsuit last year trying to prevent TransCanada from using eminent domain to seize …
Catch Me On The Road!
It’s looking like things are going to continue to stay busy for me in my first year as an agriculture writer and speaker. In addition to my work on the ranch, I have been traveling across the country speaking to various agriculture groups on hot topics such as the next generation of food producers, online social networking, agriculture advocacy and …
Catch Me in Pierre Tomorrow!
Today, I’m hitting the road to attend an event with the South Dakota CattleWomen’s Association. I will be their keynote speaker at the Ramkota Inn in Pierre, S.D. during their noon luncheon. I will be speaking on my life since being the 2006 National Beef Ambassador and explaining the importance of getting involved in our agriculture industry. I’m excited to …
Energy Main Topic at Forum
It was standing room only at the Town Hall Meeting featuring U.S. Senator John Thune at the 2009 South Dakota State Fair in Huron, S.D. last week. The senator was welcomed to a standing ovation after he was introduced, and from there, he presented a powerpoint detailing spending and deficit projections. However, it was the question-and-answer segment of the town …