Chewing The Cud

Did you know women make 80% of all decisions in the average American household? Cool huh? I certainly thought so. Among these decisions are selecting meals to feed their families. What are women choosing to put on the dinner table?

Many are choosing beef time and time again. The decision to provide a safe and wholesome meal by selecting beef is an important one. So important, that American women wish to share this secret with Japanese women.

It seems to me that there is a growing trend in the U.S. agriculture industry: students across the country are abandoning their agricultural roots in pursuit of more glamorous urban careers like doctors, lawyers or pharmacists. It saddens me to think that I was once one of these kids.
Growing up on my family’s cattle ranch, I loved being my dad’s right-hand-man. I was a tomboy to the fullest, always helping with chores, working on my show calves or selling bulls to our customers. Simply stated, I loved being a farm girl! But that changed the summer before my freshman year of high school.

I desperately wanted to fit in with my peers. After years of being teased about living on a cattle farm, I decided enough was enough. No one at Mitchell High would know about my life away from school. I decided never to return to agriculture. Back then, I didn’t see any career choices or any future for myself in this industry.

The first day of high school, I told my mom my plan to abandon my roots and finally be one of the cool kids. I’ll never forget what she told me that day, “Mandy, never forget who you are or where you come from.”