ag4front-blog - Tumblr blog

[ag4front-blog]

Labels are Confusing Consumers About Contents of "Meatless Meat"

Labels are Confusing Consumers About Contents of “Meatless Meat”

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) released survey results showing widespread consumer confusion regarding the ingredient composition and purported benefits of plant-based fake meat products.

In an online survey of more than 1,800 consumers, less than half of the respondents understood the labeling term “plant-based beef” was intended to describe an entirely vegetarian or vegan…

[ag4front-blog]

Heart Healthy Eating with BEEF - Carne Asada Beef Street Tacos Recipe

Heart Healthy Eating with BEEF – Carne Asada Beef Street Tacos Recipe

February is American Heart Month, an initiative that raises awareness of the importance of heart health.

Heart health is a personal concern to me. Last year, I had a health issue concerning my heart. Thankfully, after some rounds of tests, my cardiologist okay’d my heart and recommended many heart-healthy foods, including beef!

Lean beef is an important part of a heart-healthy diet,…

[ag4front-blog]

What we've done to reduce the need for antibiotics.

What we’ve done to reduce the need for antibiotics.

We use antibiotics as a tool, but we do so carefully. And over time, we make sure to improve using the latest technologies and medicines to give our cattle the best care. Our family, and our industry, has taken steps to reduce the need for antibiotics. Here’s a list: Our herd health plan helps prevent the need for antibiotics because we use vaccines to prevent sickness. I like to compare this to…

[ag4front-blog]

Modern Mama Beef Loaf

May is Beef Month! I'm celebrating on my blog today with my Modern Mama Beef Loaf recipe. #mayisbeefmonth #beefmonth #beefrecipe #beefloaf

Today is the start of May is Beef Month, so what better way to celebrate than with one of my favorite beef recipes! Today, I’m making for you my version of meat loaf. But we can’t call it just “meat” for Beef Month, so I’m putting a twist on this one with my Modern Mama Beef Loaf. What is my favorite cut of beef? Ground beef. Not steak or roast? I love steak. Roast is my jam for Sunday dinner.…

[ag4front-blog]

Let's #WasteLess Food

Tomorrow is Earth Day. It is also a perfect day to remember to #WasteLess food.  Although beef is one of the least wasted commodities produced in the U.S., at around 20 percent of edible product going to waste, consumers can help improve beef sustainability by 10 percent simply cutting that waste in half. How do we waste beef? I certainly don’t like to, but remember that one extra steak that got…

[ag4front-blog]

My friend and fellow ranch-mom, Kelli, and I have a lot in common. We are ranch wives/rancHers. We have boys that were born two weeks apart from each other. We like to garden. We like to sew. We like to quilt. And we both like to make dinner time easier in our crazy lives…hence, freezer meals. We are also both MOPS mamas and we recently had a speaker who shared freezer meal ideas. We immediately put a date on the calendar to prepare meals together and allow the boys to play pirate ship and tractors.

#gallery-0-5 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-5 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

We got together yesterday at her house and we each brought enough ingredients to make a recipe x 4. That way, we each went home with two of the same recipe of each. She had ingredients to make chicken pot pie and I brought ingredients for beef enchilada casserole. It’s been awhile since I shared a recipe on my blog, so I thought this would be a great one to share….it’s easy to make one pan or make several at once to freeze. 

Our MOPS speaker had an ingenious way to freeze a casserole that allows you to take it of the dish after it is frozen to save space and pans that you may need.

Prep your pan with one layer of aluminum foil. Follow up with a layer of cellophane (Press ‘N Seal works great). Fill your pan with your casserole how you normally would. Top with a layer of cellophane and a layer of aluminum foil. The double-wall barrier helps prevent against freezer burn and keeps your food fresh for longer. Freeze your casserole in the pan; when completely frozen, remove the “food brick” from the pan and make sure to seal well with the top layer of foil. Stack many in your freezer on top of each other! When ready to use, take the foil and cellophane off of the casserole and put the frozen “food brick” back in the pan you froze it in. Let it thaw, then cook! (If any of the cellophane is frozen in a crevice of food, simply run warm water until it releases.)

This recipe is simple and can be multiplied. Here is the single recipe for one 9×13 in. pan casserole.

Beef Enchilada Casserole {freezer meal directions}

Ingredients: 1 lb. ground beef 2 tbsp. minced onion flakes 1 – 15 oz. can chili beans 1 – 15 oz. can black beans 1 – 4 oz. can chopped green chilies 1 tbsp. chili powder 1 tsp. cumin 1 ½ cups salsa 1 ½ cups shredded cheese 1 tsp. dried cilantro 12 corn tortillas

Directions: 1. Brown ground beef with minced onion until done; drain. Let meat mixture cool. 2. Stir in chili beans, black beans, green chilies, chili powder and cumin. 3. Line a 9×13 in. freezer safe pan with 6 tortillas (cut to fit if necessary). 4. Spread half of salsa onto tortillas. Then layer meat/bean mixture, followed by adding ½ cup of shredded cheese. 5. Place remaining 6 tortillas on top. 6. Layer starting with salsa, meat mixture and remaining 1 cup of cheese. Evenly sprinkle cilantro on top. 7. Cover with foil or freezer safe lid and freeze. 8. Defrost (set out at least for 3 hours) and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

Note: if not making for a freezer meal, no need to allow beef mixture to cool before assembling layers.

After assembling our freezer meals, we took the boys out to see their Longhorn bulls. Chisum was in awe of their huge horns – as was I. :)

Beef Enchilada Casserole Freezer Meal recipe....and how to wear out a 3-year-old boy! #lifeontheranch #freezermeals #beefrecipe My friend and fellow ranch-mom, Kelli, and I have a lot in common. We are ranch wives/rancHers.

[ag4front-blog]

Love your neighbor as yourself

“…’Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” -Mark 12:31- The wind is blowing hard again today. It feels all too familiar of that horribly windy day last week which brought with it fire that changed so many peoples’ lives. My heart has been heavy for the ranchers who lost cattle, fences, their livelihood and even lives of loved ones. The fact that it could…

[ag4front-blog]

Big Ag Equals Family.

We are “big ag.” But big ag means family, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The romanticized view of a family farm or ranch is a small acreage, a menagerie of farm animals and a large garden with abundant produce to feed the family for an entire year. Many of our ancestors farmed and did what they could to keep only their family sustained. Today, two percent of the population are food producers. Yet, 97 percent of farms are family-owned and are the core of the…

[ag4front-blog]

Beef Quality Assurance; Taking Pride in Caring for Cattle

Beef Quality Assurance; Taking Pride in Caring for Cattle #BQA

Protecting consumer confidence in beef. That is the the main goal of the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program and I had the opportunity to become BQA Certified last week. BQA is an educational training for producers to build awareness of industry standards based on recommended national guidelines and research from USDA and the beef industry. As producers, we are always wanting to adapt to…

[ag4front-blog]

The difference between antibiotics and hormones

In conversations about animal care and welfare, antibiotics and hormones often get bundled together. They are often associated with one another. But the truth is, they are two very different tools that ranchers and beef producers use. Let me explain the differences.

In conversations about animal care and welfare, antibiotics and hormones often get bundled together. They are often associated with one another. But the truth is, they are two very different tools that ranchers and beef producers use. Let me explain the differences. Hormones Source: Alabama Cooperative Extension System First and foremost, hormones occur naturally in beef. Hormones are products of…

[ag4front-blog]

Why it’s important kids learn about modern agriculture

3 reasons why it’s important kids learn about modern agriculture. #FoodD #Farmland #sponsor

As a kid who grew up on our family’s ranch, it was easy to take things for granted. I knew where the beef in our freezer came from; I knew why we needed to feed the cattle; I knew why we were taking the calves to the sale barn. But then again, we only raised cattle. So, I really was clueless about raising row crops, vegetables, fruits, etc. I later learned about all of these in school, and on…

[ag4front-blog]

Get Smart About Antibiotics

Get Smart About Antibiotics. We don't just use antibiotics to use them. As ranchers, we are committed to keeping our cattle healthy so we have healthy food. #lifeontheranch #antibiotics #ABX

On our family ranch, we use antibiotics as one tool to keep our beef cattle healthy and well-cared for in order to produce great, quality meat. And we don’t just use antibiotics to use them. We have a herd health program where our cattle get regular medical care, including checkups, that starts with vaccinations to prevent disease (much like a well-child checkup for our son). But sometimes…

[ag4front-blog]

A Ranchie at a Foodie conference

It was easy to talk about #food at #BlogHerFood16; I made some key connections with food bloggers who have direct access to millions of readers who care about food. And I care about food, too, being that I raise it. #lifeontheranch #FoodD

Food. Blogging. Women. Warm Weather. What do these all have in common? BlogHer Food Conference! I had the opportunity to attend the 2016 BlogHer Food conference with support from the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, along with Leah Dorman  aka Ask Dr. Dorman (animalantibiotics.org), a veterinarian and mom from Ohio. The common question among everyone at the conference was, “What’s your blog?”,…

[ag4front-blog]

Is grass-finished beef healthier for me?

I get this question a lot. “Are your cattle fed grass or grain?” The question that usually accompanies this is, “Isn’t grass-fed beef healthier?” One common misperception with meat-buying is that organic, natural or grass-fed beef are healthier for me. No matter what type of beef food-eaters choose, they can be confident all types of beef can be included in a healthy diet. All beef has eight…

[ag4front-blog]

How we identify our cattle

We were tagging our calves before tagging was cool! New #lifeontheranch blog about how we identify our cattle. #RedAngus #cattleID #branding #tattoo #DNA #animalcare

  Identifying our cattle is how we know who they are. Sure, we get to know their personality when we are out with them everyday on the ranch. 1103Y is the bossy cow always to the feed bunk first. I would know that if she had a ear tag or not! But since we work with over 1,000 animals on the ranch, we need to use more than one way to identify them. Tagging Ranchers were tagging cattle before…

[ag4front-blog]

They hauled us on a hog trailer! Toured Monsanto and Deppe Farms (family hog farm) today...learned so much more about how researchers have farmers AND food-eaters in mind when they work on #sustainablefood technology. Deppe Farms is a farrow-to-finish hog farm....not that much different than raising cattle, just different production methods! U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance #FoodD #sponsored (at St. Louis)

[ag4front-blog]

6 months ago and yesterday; these little buckaroos don't stand as still but they still had a lot of fun together!