Chewing The Cud

I spent the last couple of days at the South Dakota Cattlemen's Association 59th Annual Convention and Tradeshow in Watertown, SD. I enjoyed learning about some of the hot issues in agriculture, and last night I had to punch out two articles about the event for the Tristate Livestock News. I wrote about Troy Marshall who addressed families in agriculture and included reactions from my Block and Bridle club who attended the meeting. I also wrote an article about carbon credits, which is an opportunity to generate new revenue for farmers and ranchers. I'll give you some more info about that next week.

Well enough of the recap, I have another topic on the agenda for the day. Be prepared to be grossed out, but don't quit reading, endure through it, and I know by the end you will have a greater appreciation for the beef industry....

BEEF BY-PRODUCTS

I work at the SDSU Meat Lab. I took this job because I feel it is important to understand every aspect of the beef industry from pasture to plate. That means getting to know the consumer, visiting packing plants, touring feedlots, studying how stocker operations work, understanding the cow/cow operator, and tying it all together into a big chain that ultimately puts a juicy steak at the center of your plate.

With that goal, you can't skip any corners in an education about the entire beef industry. That means the not so fun stuff has to be understood and explored as well. Which brings me back to the meat lab. I'm fortunate to work at a school that offers a meat lab that harvests cattle, processes the meat, and finally makes sales with the consumer. It gives a wide range of lessons to be learned, and there is never a day when I don't take home new information from my job. However, some information is harder to learn than others. Every Friday, the rendering guy comes to pick up all the offal we have collected over the week.

Offal is any parts of the animal that is inedible for human consumption. Offal includes organs, bung, blood, extra external fat, bones, etc. In a nutshell, it's pretty nasty stuff when it's piled up in the offal cooler for a week. Offal serves its purpose though! You have probably heard me use the phrase that we use 99% of a beef animal, everything except the moo. Offal certainly helps make this a true statement as this is what is used for beef by-products.

We use so many items in everyday life that all originate back to cattle. Insulin for diabetics, stearic acid for tires, antifreeze, shoes, belts, crayons, makeup, deodorant and countless other items are all by-products of cattle.

Anyway, as I was cleaning and scrubbing barrels with caked with blood and fat this morning, it hit me what a great industry this really is. Isn't great to know that even students are involved in the process of cattle making the world a better place? So while cleaning offal barrels may not be my favorite task at the meat lab, I have a new appreciation for this great industry we call agriculture.

Now that's some cud to chew on... Have a great weekend everyone!