What is upcycling?

This post is a collaboration with Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. on behalf of the Beef Checkoff. I received compensation, but all opinions are my own.

That big belly is not because she is pregnant,
but instead it is her 4-part stomach filling up with grass
and helping her make delicious Beef! Upcycling!

Recycling, upcycling, composting, using less and doing more.....those words and ideas are all part of the sustainability picture and the bigger picture of climate change. We all need to do our part and identify ways that we can really make a difference for the environment--and that means cows too! Cows have a really cool ability called "upcycling" and it has already been helping the environment! So what is "upcycling?"

Merriam-Webster dictionary site defines UPCYCLING as "to recycle (something) in such a way that the resulting product is of a higher value than the original item; to create an object of greater value from (a discarded object of lesser value)."

Grow what you love!

I love, love, LOVE fresh garden produce! But I really don't have time to grow a large garden. That confession is really difficult for me. You see, my grandma was a committed gardener. My mom is an excellent gardener and I'm pretty mediocre! The previous two generations relied on garden produce to feed their families, but I have a really good supermarket just a short drive away. (well, my grocery store is 30 miles away, but realistically, that is a half hour drive and that is no big deal!)

The Best Meat Seasoning Recipe...EVER!

Seriously, I NEVER exaggerate...well, mostly never...almost never, but THIS stuff is awesome! I have made it for years and given it for gifts.  After receiving a mason jar of this seasoning for a Christmas gift, my friends start dropping hints about July 15 that they are starting to run low on my seasoning.

How long does it take to make a steak?

 This post is a collaboration with Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. on behalf of the Beef Checkoff. I received compensation, but all opinions are my own.

How long does it take to make a steak? First question—are you Team Medium-Rare like me? If you are, then it takes about twelve minutes to make a delicious Porterhouse Steak! My favorite way is grilled over charcoal with a bit of woodsmoke, but frankly, even pan-fried in a cast iron skillet is okay with me.

Before that steak appears at the grocery store or restaurant, ranchers like me have already spent up to THREE YEARS of planning and hard work on your steak! Yes, seriously! For National Agriculture Day, March 23, 2021, let’s talk about how long it takes to make a steak!

Let’s start at the beginning. I am a Seedstock Rancher—which is kind of like the person who grows the seeds you buy to plant in your garden, except with cattle. My family and I use many tools to determine which are the best bulls to breed to our cows, that will help in producing the best breeding stock to sell to other ranchers. When I make a breeding decision, it affects the people who buy my cattle, as well as the calves that they raise, and finally the beef that they produce and send to the restaurants and stores!

My customers who buy breeding stock rely on me to sell them the best genetics available. DNA sampling is one of the coolest tools that I use to know the genetics for the bulls that I sell. From a sample of tail hair, the lab can extract DNA, and based on genetic markers we know if the bull’s progeny will have superior marbling characteristics or not! Of course, we want the best marbling so they will make delicious steak. There are other traits that we use to select superior cattle as well, but marbling is very important in determining quality steaks.

My customers use my seedstock (bulls and cows) that I sell to them, to raise cattle that make the beef we eat. A cow’s gestation is nine months, so after purchasing a bull from me, my customers will have calves about a year later, and then they are about 1 ½ to 2 years-old when they are slaughtered for beef.  So, when I say that it takes at least three years to make a steak—I am not exaggerating!

Are you looking for new beef recipes so that you are ready to break out the grill this summer? My favorite place for browsing recipes is BeefItsWhatsforDinner.com and you can find delicious ways to cook steak, roasts and ground beef! Grilling season is just around the corner and on National Agriculture Day, enjoy a steak knowing that a rancher just like me has been working to send you the best steak we can!

Are you Team Medium-Rare? Team Medium? Or maybe even Team Rare? How do you like your steak? You can trust that it is safe and nutritious, and that I have done all the work and planning to bring the best steak to your grill.

How do cows have their babies?

Often the first sign of a cow in labor is her raised tail. She will look for a place to be alone. The membranes may appear as a water "balloon" that will burst and you can then see the calf's front feet.

I usually don't get to see calves actually born. We have about 300 calves on our ranch each year, but when I see a cow in labor, I leave her alone to have her calf and I return in about 30 minutes to see a live calf. She will be licking it and teaching it to nurse. So when a heifer was in labor yesterday in the sunshine, I decided to get my camera and sit and watch. From the point of when the calf's feet are showing, to delivery, it should only be about 30 minutes.

A heifer should calve within 30 minutes of the feet being presented. I check to make sure the calf is presented correctly by how the feet look. If they're upside down, the calf is backward and we need to help her deliver.

Uh-oh. She sees me! Cattle like to be alone and protected when they calve. Soon she is too busy pushing to worry about me. I hid behind the feed bunk!

You can see the calf's nose now. The front feet should come first, with the nose and head next. He kind of looks like he is diving out!

Soon the head is pushed out with the calf's knees (or elbows?!). The membranes are still around the calf.

Very quickly the cow pushes the calf out. The shoulders can be a difficult part. But this time, the calf's shoulders slide right out.

The cow is really concentrating and I can sneak closer.

She has the calf pushed out to his rib cage, and he tries to breathe, but he can't yet because his rib cage is still compressed. His tongue is sticking out reaching for a breath!

As his rib cage is pushed out, he stretches out to take a breath. The mama cow is still focused on her contractions.

The hips can also be a point of difficulty. If the cow's pelvis is shaped wrong, or if the calf is very large, it may become "hiplocked." As the calf is born, it rotates slightly to free the hips.

Unfortunately as the calf rotates, this time his head becomes rotated and his body pushes it around. If he doesn't straighten out quickly, he may suffocate!

The heifer finishes pushing the calf out. She must now stand up soon and begin licking the calf to get him to breathe immediately.

Another successful delivery! Congratulations, it's a boy!