With all of my travels promoting the beef industry, most of my classmates refer to me as the Beef Girl. Normally, most females might take it offensively to have a nickname of bovine; however, I know I received this nickname because of my passion and dedication to the beef world. My friends are well aware of the fact that I am a beef enthusiast, and this topic often comes up while dining in the SDSU Union. I’ll take note of the fact that they are eating chicken strips, again. This one comment erupts into a heated discussion that there are barely any good beef options offered on campus.
Then the question will arise of how long it has been since my friends have eaten beef. At which point I remind them that SEVEN DAYS WITHOUT BEEF MAKES ONE WEAK! On one such occasion this subject was discussed, I was shocked at my friends disconnect with agriculture.
When I asked this question, I received these responses from my friends who will remain unnamed:
“Does pepperoni count?” and “Well, the last beefy type meat I ate was deer.”
WHAT?!?!?
It’s really not even funny. This is how truly disconnected the consumer is to agriculture. In a place like South Dakota, where the cattle outnumber the people 4 to 1, I would certainly hope my closest friends would understand agriculture better than this. We seriously have people running around thinking beef is pepperoni and venison! If we don’t start educating the public, who will?
It’s not their fault they don't understand though. It’s our own. As dedicated beef producers, we should be asking this question:
When was the last time you shared your beef production story? When was the last time you took time out of your day to explain agriculture to someone?
Instead of laughing at their ignorance, we should be ashamed of our own. I challenge each and every beef producer to make time to tell your story, share your experiences, and explain the process of how beef hits the consumer’s plate. Only then, will the beef bloopers end.
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