may day

Yesterday marked the first day of May, which may not be a shock to most of you, but for this girl it was.  For some reason this year continues to fly by faster and faster as the months go on....maybe it's because we are getting married in 86 days, or that I defend my thesis in 45 days, or that I will graduate in a little over 3 months.  Regardless yesterday was the first day of May, and also marked the celebration of May Day. 


Other than it being the first day of May, I did not know of "May Day" until last spring when my one of my friends presented me a May Day basket.  Now I am not complaining one bit considering the basket was full of Mike & Ikes (my favorite candy) and popcorn, but I must admit I was quite bewildered that I had never heard of May Day before!  Was I missing out on a great American celebration, a day off from work, or a reason to send friends and families cards?!?  So I did a little researching and here is what I found:::

May Day is an ancient Northern Hemisphere spring festival from Celtic and Germanic origin.  In Europe it is celebrated as a public holiday (lucky them!). Traditionally May Day was a summer holiday in many pre-Christian European pagan cultures. February 1 marked the first day of spring, and May 1 marked the first day of summer; hence the summer solstice on June 25 (now June 21) marked mid summer.  Because of Roman Catholic tradition celebrating May as Mary's month, small "May baskets" evolved as a tradition.  These baskets full of sweets and flowers were commonly left anonymously on neighbors doorsteps, or in my case presented with a card asking to be a future bridesmaid haha. 


Essentially this holiday has a much larger presence in European cultures with parades, festivals, and most importantly days off work!  However, the beginning of May, in my personal opinion, can still be celebrated in the US because May is National Beef Month!  In the next few weeks as you travel to the grocery store, remember that beef is a naturally nutrient-rich food providing protein, iron, zinc and B-vitamins and makes a great meal for a young and growing families.  Also when you are looking at the wide variety of high quality and safe beef products offered here in the US, envision the individual beef producers that made that product available to you.  Today's farmers and ranchers are the original environmentalist that work to conserve soil and water quality, using natural resources optimally to preserve the land for future generations.  Today's cattle producers also care deeply for their cattle and make sure they are comfortable and provided with adequate nutrition daily.  I am so proud to say that I grew up with a great cattleman and am looking forward to starting a new life with another :)

Consequently, May is also national Egg month, so again in my personal opinion, makes a perfect occasion for steak and eggs-Chasen's favorite breakfast (If he reads this post, I guess I have my work cut out for me this next weekend!).  


So if you didn't have the opportunity on the first of May, celebrate tonight!  Fire up the grill for some delicious beef, and be thankful for the producers that supplied you with that high quality and safe product!

quick as a whip

Last week it was announced that a 10 yr old dairy cow in California was diagnosed with BSE.  Due to the high surveillance system cattle producers currently practice here in the US, the animal did not enter the food chain, thus eliminating the chance of developing illness in humans.  However, due to the reaction from media attention, some consumers both domestic and international, had some concerns in regards to the safety of the product.  These concerns are mainly a result of mis-information or consumers that are uneducated about BSE.


BSE, defined as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (yes I know it is a mouth full), also known as the derogatory "mad cow disease", is a degenerative neurological disease in cattle that is caused by misfolded proteins (called prions) that build up in the central nervous system (CNS) in cattle and eventually kill nerve cells.  Because BSE is a degenerative disease it causes the animal to lose control of normal locomotion, thus causing the animal to move in an un-coordinated fashion and makes the animal look "mad".  BSE is in a class of TSE (Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies) and could be compared to Scrapies in sheep, Chronic Wasting disease in deer, and Kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.  


These diseases are ONLY transmitted when CNS tissue from an infected animal is consumed.  By consuming the nervous tissue, the prions present cause proteins in a healthy animal to become misfolded and distorted.  Once this mode of transmission was discovered, the feeding of animal proteins to livestock was banned in the US in 1997.  Because of this ruling, the USDA has claimed this an atypical case of BSE and assumed the prion naturally developed in the animal; likely a result of genetic mutations.

Because of the ability for the prions to be transmit among species by consumption, humans are also able to develop degenerative symptoms.  This is the main reason why consumers become leery during a BSE diagnosis.  In humans variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease can be a result of consuming beef contaminated with BSE, but is more likely due to corneal transplants, other tissues, or blood transfusions from infected donors.  Since 2006 there have been 3 vCJD cases in the US and none of those cases have been linked to the consumption of beef contaminated with BSE. 

Those things considered, this past week the USDA as well as the US beef industry have assured consumers that US beef remains safe because: 


1.  The animal did NOT enter the food chain
2.  TSE's are ONLY transmissible through the consumption of nervous tissue, not meat or milk
3.  The animal did NOT enter the food chain
4.  In US packing plants all CNS tissue is removed from beef carcasses immediately after slaughter and sorted into in-edible product
5.  The animal did NOT enter the food chain


I have to commend the USDA and the beef industry for handling this situation with poise.  I received an email notification of the BSE diagnosis announcement at 1:00 last Thursday afternoon.  When I checked my Twitter feed at 1:45, "mad cow" was already trending, and to my surprise it was all positive, educational comments from credible sources.  


In agriculture we may be slow to change, but we learn from our mistakes.  From the "pink slime" controversy we have become aware of the importance of social media and educating our consumers, and we have turned that into positive progress for our industry!

dude, it's beef

After a run-around with the media, the truth about LFTB is available for consumers to grasp.  Over the weekend BPI held a grill-out for producers, consumers, and industry people to share information on the incorporation of LFTB in ground beef.  Articles have been published in various newspapers, and specials have been held on morning talk shows and the evening news.  I hope and pray this big and ugly mess can turn itself around.  Beef producers are already losing $7 per market animal: which may not seem like a lot, but more times than none that is all the profit one makes when feeding cattle.


Regardless, as an animal scientist and consumer, it still amazes me how many people have not heard about the pink slime scandal.  At Iowa State University Governor Tom Branstad and Nancy Degner from the Iowa Beef Industry Council are planning to hold a meeting: "The TRUTH about LFTB" next Tuesday afternoon.  I wish I could make it over to Ames for the meeting, but a 3 hour drive stands in my way :(  It is the public appearances such as these, and the easy to read diagrams (below) that will continue to shed light on the inclusion of LFTB in US ground beef.  

This diagram has picked up some popularity over the weekend and I must agree it was quite informational.  One of the big misconceptions about the production of LFTB is that ammonium hydroxide is injected into the beef and remains present in highly toxic levels.  But as you can see, minuscule concentrations of ammonium hydroxide are present in beef, 1/2 of what is in the bun and 1/4 of what is found in cheese!  Now I must make it clear I am not passing the blame onto other commodity groups.  Ammonium hydroxide is a naturally occurring substance in our own bodies, and it is a fairly accurate measure to prevent the growth of bacteria such as E Coli.  


LFTB is a safe, economical, and lean addition to anyone's diet!  


We need to remember these ideas and most importantly that beef is beef.  And with that being said, I really need to remember to quit blogging before lunch, this chic is starving, and that cartooned hamburger is making me realllllllllllllllly hungry--sad and strange as that may sound, ha!  I guess it is true that real women eat beef! ciao!

too little, too late

Why does it always seem in the fight for agriculture production we are always 10 steps behind the media and their false allegations???  This is a question that has been running through my head ever since I attended the Farm Animal Integrated Research conference in early March.  It was one of the topics brought up in one of the break out sessions I recorded; and after these past 3 weeks it definitely has made me stop and ponder for awhile.  

Yesterday, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad & US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack held a joint press conference on the production of lean finely textured beef in the US.  Beef Products Inc., being an Iowa Based company, and this issue of LFTB in ground beef a national topic, I feel the conference was a necessity, but again may be too little too late.  Follow this link to listen to a recording of the press conference. 

Through the press conference, Gov. Branstad and Secretary Vilsack resound these three main ideas::


LFTB is


1.  safe
2.  a lean product
3. an economical product


Three truths to the production of LFTB.  HyVee, an Iowa based grocery store has announced they will continue to offer ground beef with LFTB. This product will contain a special label of course, and according to my estimates will be roughly $0.40 less per pound when compared to 93:7 ground beef without LFTB.  So not only will the LFTB product be cheaper, but it will also be safer - a result of the microbial inhibition interventions utilized in producing LFTB; whether that be the inclusion of ammonium hydroxide or sodium citrate.  Needless to say, buying product with LFTB has my vote!


In continuing to advocate for our industry, I think it is imperative that producers and consumers alike recognize that roughly 1.5% of Americans are farmers.  On average one farmer feeds 155 people annually and as a result most consumers are 3-5 generations removed from agriculture production systems.  So there is a definite lack of understanding for agriculture.  We as producers know and realize that.  So how can we, as producers and industry leaders, reach out to these confused, mis-lead and uneducated consumers???  There are forms of social media such as blogs, tweets, facebook pages, etc.  But just as many forms that provide accurate information lead consumers astray.  And on top of that most consumers don't want to read or hear about agriculture, they want to see it.  


Fair Oak Farms Adventure Center is a large dairy operation located off of I-80 in Indiana.  It has become a recent hot-spot for Chicago and Indianapolis school field trips (with a live calf being born every 15 minutes, I am sure you can see why!)  Students are given a tour of the facilities from the free stall location, to the milking parlor, even to the observatory for calving!  Did I also mention students get a grilled cheese for lunch?? Heck, now I wanna go!  At the end of this year FOF will be adding a pork operation including observations of gestation stalls, farrowing crates, and nurseries.  I believe this will be a great addition to the farm and will truly show consumers how their food is produced: in safe, clean, and well-managed systems.  


I wish every state had a farm location like Fair Oak Farms.  In fact if I ever win the lottery, I would build one of these in a heart beat!! Now I would just need to think of a name.....

the truth about pink slime

As I am sure by now most of you have heard the term pink slime through the evening news, daily newspaper, morning shows, and perhaps in regular conversation by now.  An accusation was made on the ABC evening news that "pink slime", (properly known as  Lean Finely Textured Beef or LFTB), is "highly toxic" and due to the fact it is "included in roughly 70% of ground beef sold in the United States", measures were necessary to remove this product from the food chain.  


As a result of this evening special pink slime and the lies behind it have spread like wildfire.  #pinkslime has been trending on twitter for a few weeks now, and just look at the search volume index over the past few months.  








Unfortunately most of the tweets and information available on google are full of further misinformation and false facts.  As a result of upset and misinformed consumers, rash decisions and comments forced Beef Products Inc. (a company that produces LFTB) to close three of its four locations in the United States putting thousands out of work.  One of the plant locations that closed was actually at the Tyson, Inc. plant I interned at in the summer of 2009.


It is absolutely terrifying to know the power behind a consumer's voice.  In less than two weeks many major grocery stores have pulled LFTB products from their shelves, and restaurants from their menus.  So what are the implications of these trends to the beef industry?  How will this impact the future supply and demand of beef in the US?  Worldwide?   There are a lot of questions with limited answers for now.  So before I get to those, I feel I need to explain how LFTB is produced.


During the fabrication of beef steaks and roasts, meat is removed from bones and connective tissue by workers using knives.  From my personal experience this is very challenging!!  For example, when you enjoy a nice T-bone or Porterhouse steak are you able to remove all of the meat from the bone?  And that is even a cooked product!!  As a result of this inefficiency and the physical structure of muscles, it is difficult to capture all of the lean from bones, fat and connective tissue.  Historically this product was utilized in cooked beef products and resulted in the production of tallow (a product that has little use in today's consumers diet) and the value of the lean trim was lost.  In the 1980s Eldon Roth invented a technology that utilizes high pressure processing to remove the lean firmly attached to bone and fat.  This lean trim that is removed provides the same nutrition benefits as regular ground beef, because well it is still beef. 


Consumer concern has been generated because of the use of ammonium hydroxide in the production of LFTB.  Now yes I do realize this chemical has a very toxic and harmful connotation that exists.  But I also realize the power and intentions behind this part of the production phase.  Ammonium hydroxide is used during the production of LFTB to prevent microbial growth, such as E Coli 0157:H7 (which can cause death in the elderly and young children if food is not cooked to 160F).  Did I also mention that the USDA has recognized the use of ammonium hydroxide as Generally Recognized As Safe.  Aside from it's microbial advantages, it is reassuring to know that ammonium hydroxide also is a naturally occurring compound found in many foods and utilized in the processing of many cereal grains.  


As a result of the LFTB technology and the utilization of ammonium hydroxide, the US beef industry has been able to be self-sustaining in the production of ground beef.  Without the incorporation of this product, imports of beef trimmings and ground beef are going to increase; I mean the average American does eat 2/3 lb of ground beef daily!  With increased imports I am sure you as well as I can foresee a price increase for beef in the US, with a decrease int he value of the beef carcass.  Margins will get tighter for all production phases, and eventually beef producers like my dad and Chasen will feel the effect.


So I guess what I am asking of consumers is to educate yourselves on the products you are buying for your family.  I wouldn't buy a house or car from a salesperson without doing a background check on the company from a RELIABLE source.  I also would not tell a car salesperson how to do their job, because I don't know anything about that!  When false accusations and lies are made about agriculture corporate companies, you also affect hard working Americans like my family and family-to-be.  


We have the safest and highest quality food system in the WORLD!!!!  Did I also mention that we spend the least of our annual income on food--only 10%!!  So please be grateful for the American farmers that feed 155 people/year, because they do it cheap and they do it the best!

growing impatient

Here we are on the 27th of February, and we only have 5 calves on the ground!!    Needless to say I am growing quite impatient.  I love calving season!  It is such an exciting time on the farm.  New presents are "unwrapped" everyday, and Chasen does a pretty good job of sending me picture messages of these presents.  But as you may have guessed, I have only got 5 picture messages this month; extremely disappointing!!!

By now I thought we would have four times the amount of calves on the ground. The 30 heifers Stevenson Farms bought earlier this year were "due" at the end of February.  Only three of those mamma's have calved, and that was at the beginning of last month.  So either someone wrote down the wrong expected calving date, or these ladies want their calves to have the same birthday, or worse yet, they are waiting for three feet of snow/mud to be on the ground.  For Chasen's sake, and for the health of the baby calves, I hope it is option A.  

This weekend I stayed out in Lincoln, so it has been awhile since I have seen the cows.  But in my head, they all look like these mammas below: ready to pop at any minute!

I took that picture last year, and it cracks me up every time I look at it!  Another picture that cracks me up is the one below.  I mean, how often do you see a bovine sticking its tongue out at you??  But I guess I should get used to it.  I feel like all the calves are going to come out this way, taunting me with how long I had to wait until they arrived!!

judging a book by its cover

Over the last two weeks I have had the pleasure of over-wrapping close to 300 steaks for two different retail display trials we are running.  In fact I have gotten so good at this particular job, I feel I should be called Justine the Over-wrapping Queen, heck I would even settle for Justine the Over-Wrapping Machine.  Regardless of this respectable title I have fauxly created for myself, through the weeks I have developed an appreciation for the way beef is packaged and sold here in the United States.

There are several ways beef is packaged however I am going to share with you the three most common packaging systems in retail.  It is important to remember regardless of the advantages and disadvantages, all packaging systems provide a means to keep product safe from microbial contamination and allow consumers to visibly assess product quality.


In over-wrap systems steaks are fabricated from beef subprimals and placed on a styrofoam tray.  A soaker sponge (or Meat Maxi as I like to call them) can be placed between the steak and tray to capture purge loss during display.  It is important to understand purge loss is not "blood".  It is the extrusion of sarcoplasm which is rich in Myoglobin, the protein responsible for meat color.  Regardless of whether or not the Meat Maxi is present, trays are then over-wrapped with an oxygen permeable poly-vinyl chloride (PVC) film.  This film, unlike Saran Wrap, allows oxygen to interact with Myogolobin promoting the development of a bright cherry red color, or "bloom".  Over-wrap systems are the most economical way to package meat.  For this reason, over-wrap systems are common in small grocery stores were personnel fabricate steaks on site. However, due to the permeability of the over-wrap, product will lose color integrity and turn brown within 3-5 days.  Although brown colored beef is safe to eat, it is not eye appealing to consumers.

Another type of packaging system is Modified Atmosphere Packaging (often called MAP because of the lengthy and lofty name).  This type of packaging system is commonly used for ground beef.  Product is placed in a well tray, with or without a Meat Maxi.  There is enough "head space" within the package to modify the atmosphere (crazy, right??).  At UNL, we use a mixture of 80% oxygen gas, and 20% carbon dioxide gas.  This high concentration of oxygen allows the product to bloom.  Where the addition of carbon dioxide provides antibacterial properties, and promotes blooming.  Other gases used in MAP systems include: carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and nitrogen gas.  Independent of the gases utilized, this packaging system is very attractive for consumers.  It also allows retailers to create different label designs for different product.  With this type of packaging system, expense is significantly higher, and shelf space is decreased due to the bulky package.  MAP packaged products have an expected shelf life of 10-60 days, depending on the gases utilized.

The final way product is commonly packaged at retail is via vacuum packaging.  This type of packaging system can be observed with the marinated pork tenderloins from Hormel.  In beef products, vacuum packaging is not typically utilized at the retail setting.  Often at the packing plant whole primals, such as the Ribeye Roll, are vacuum packaged and distributed to retailers for steak fabrication.  Product is placed in a protective, impermeable bag and has all of the air sucked out via a vacuum.  The open end of the bag is then sealed preventing exposure to oxygen.  Because of the lack of oxygen, vacuum packaged beef is a purple color.  For this reason, vacuum packaged beef is limited in retail settings; however, once the package is opened, product will bloom immediately.  Vacuum packaging product provides a means for "wet-aging" product and does an astounding job at maintaining product integrity.  Plus, running the vacuum sealer is pretty cool, ha!

Now that you have a basic understanding for meat packaging, take the time to check out packaging systems the next time you are at the grocery store, instead of just product quality.  And remember, just like a book, you can never judge meat by it's package!

chillin while grillin

Yesterday we had the first taste panel training session for the remainder of my thesis project.  I arrived on campus extra early to make sure I had everything ready to go by time we would start cooking at 9:45.  To my surprise, my advisor notified me we would need to move the session a full hour earlier to accommodate a meeting that got scheduled over the weekend.  Being an assertive and organized individual, this change in plans did not settle well.  Soon after his announcement  I developed sweaty palms, a slight headache, and rapid heart rate. At the end of the day, I realized things went fairly well for planning on the fly.....something I never enjoy doing.  


Anyway, back to the process of running a taste panel.  After the product has been selected, sampling randomized, and taste panelist trained, it is time to prepare steaks for tasting.  To ensure all steaks are cooked to a proper end temperature, thermocouples (the red thermo cables below) are threaded through the steak.  We try to place the end of the thermocouple in the geometric center of the steak.  The blue plastic piece is then inserted into a thermometer to measure the change in temperature.



Once steaks reach the desired temperature they can be removed from the grill.  We use an internal temperature of 71 degrees, or medium well.  Using 71 degrees as an endpoint is fairly standard across the realm of meat science research.  It allows the product to maintain its apparent juiciness, yet allows for adequate muscle fiber degradation, or tenderness, to occur.    A simple tug on the thermocouple will remove it from the steak and it is now ready to cut.


For sample size, panelist are served a 1cm cubed pieced of meat.  To do so we use the cubing tray pictured below.  Before the steak is cubed, all excess fat and connective tissue need to be trimmed off the steak to prevent an unacceptable sample.  It works best to square off the steak so it fits better into the tray. 




Since I am such a neat freak I love cubing samples!  It can turn an ugly, un-symmetrical steak into tiny cubes of tasty perfection.  




Panelist are then served 1 cube of meat to do their analysis.  Between samples it is strongly suggested the eat a non-salted saltine crack (yum :S) and take a drink of double distilled water.   This process helps cleanse the palate and prepare the panelist for their next sample.


Through the preparation for taste panels in research, I have relied heavily on my fellow graduate students.  Not only have they helped me cook, clean the kitchen, and serve samples, but they have also made time in the kitchen enjoyable.  Many a conversation have been held in the kitchen...some beneficial some not so much.  But as I said, it sure makes time fly!

tis the season...

Football season that is!!  I am headed back to the great town of Ames this weekend for the Cyclones first game of the 2011 season.  After living in Nebraska for a year, there is truly one thing to appreciate about ISU football.  It's not the tradition, or the stadium design, it's not the intensity, or in Bo Pelini's case insanity, but one thing I love about ISU football is the tailgating lots!!!  We may not have fans that live, eat, sleep, and bathe in Cyclone football (unless you are my friend Matt) but at least we have plenty of green or concrete space to sprawl out and celebrate football season at it's best!!  And what better way to do that than heading to your local grocery store to buy beef!


Lucky for beef producers and the general economy, many teams will share their 2011 kickoff with Labor Day weekend.  Traditionally Labor Day weekend is the last surge in sales for steakable subprimals such as the Ribeye, Tenderloin, Sirloin, and Strip Loin.  I mean realistically what would a football game be without a juicy steak, salads, and cocktails.  Orrr if you are still a college student burgers, chips, and beer.  Whatever your forte, make sure you include beef in your tailgating menu or final summer grill-out this weekend.  If you are interested in intensifying your beef experience, check out Beef It's What's For Dinner for some amazingly simple beef recipes.  I promise you won't be let down.