Goin' Hog Wild

For 4th of July, we beat the heat at the National Junior Swine Show Spectacular in Louisville.  Our daughter has been showing pigs for a few years with her older cousins, aunt and uncle, who are great with her.

Rosalind and her pig, Lucy, got tenth place in their class.  And big smiles were had by all as we watched them have a great time together.

What Consumers Should Know About Beef

It seems animal and food production are constantly in the media these days.  Usually, to announce a food borne illness.  So, as a beef producer and consumer I thought I would share some tips to in regards to beef.

1. Most food borne illness in regards to meats, such as beef, are caused by unsafe handling during preparation.  Consumers need to be certain their beef products are being cooked to the appropriate temperatures. Temperatures differ based upon what type of beef cut you are preparing.  Click here for a guideline.

2. Avoid cross contamination by washing hands in the kitchen and keeping cooked and uncooked products separate during preparation.

3. Grass Fed Vs. Grain Fed: This comes down to a personal choice.  Contrary to public perception, grain fed animals are not mistreated.  We use a combination of grain and pasture (grass) feeding for our beef.  There will be flavor differences between the two products.

4. Restaurants stating they serve "Black Angus beef"are practising false advertising.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with the beef these restaurants serve, but these restaurants are trying to confuse consumers.  There is a Certified Angus Beef (also known as CAB) program that has a rigorous flavor standards for products.  Beef products that are a part of the CAB program will be labeled as such.  Restaurants and groceries selling Certified Angus Beef also use the CAB logo on their menus and packaging.

For more information visit the USDA website.

Pieces of Me

Today, I am linking up with the Just for Fun Fridays Link up Party hosted by Pieces of Amy.  For fun, I wanted to share the best pieces of my week.

1. I decided to start The Hunger Games trilogy. My husband, the "cow man", is reading them with me.  Well....actually he got ahead of me and finished the third book today.  The books are really, really good.

2. For work this week, we had over 700 third grade students participate in Ag. Days, an agricultural awareness program.  I helped with a booth about healthy eating.  (Remember research shows family that eat meals together have better health!)

3. Today, I am doing one of my favorite things with the kids.  Decorating eggs for Easter.

Have a Happy Easter.

Meet Reuben: A new edition to our family

Meet Reuben! Reuben is part of our family temporally. Luther is a 12 month old Angus Bull. He has been with us since he was a calf, but he is getting BIG. So, he is up for sale so that he can go to a cattle breeding operation.