Monday, November 10, 2014

Beef Producers Promote Positive Image of Agriculture

A Chicago-area mom gave beef producers Mike and Lynn Martz and the entire Larson family the ultimate endorsement after touring their Maple Park farm Oct. 18. She expressed concerns about hormones in beef, but after a discussion about hormones in food from Mike she said she feels confident about choosing beef for dinner.

“I started this journey wondering many things: one of them was ‘Should I pay more for naturally raised, free range, non-hormone added beef? Is it worth the extra money per pound? Am I being an irresponsible parent to NOT want to pay the extra money in feeding my kids?’ Last week, at Larson Farms I got my answer – NO, there is no way I am paying extra. For me, it will be about the cut – not the hormones. In the end, when it comes to added hormones in my beef, ‘Frankly my dear I don’t give a beef.’,” said Lynn Prehm of Naperville.



Welcome to the third year of Illinois Farm Families (IFF) Field Moms – a program for Chicago-area mothers who have questions about farming and how their food is raised. IFF is a coalition of commodity groups for beef, pork, dairy, corn, soy and the Illinois Farm Bureau.

The Field Moms were able to tour the Larson Farms cattle handling facility and learned about the process of ultrasounding cattle. They also viewed the cattle in barns while Mike explained the benefits of confinement feeding from an animal welfare standpoint. He also showed the Field Moms a variety of cattle feeds and discussed nutrition.

 

Before a tapas-style lunch featuring a variety of hearty ground beef meals prepared by Larson Farms family member, Barb, the tour hosts presented a cooking demonstration, and explained marbling, steak selection, and the USDA beef grading system.

Mike pointed out the moms weren’t the only ones that learned from the experience.

“We get a better idea of our consumers and their thoughts,” he said. “The moms were very open-minded and had great questions. The Field Moms program is a great way to share our story about the beef industry.”



The tour was extended to 17 Field Moms and guests, a dietician and national blogger, and Rep. Robyn Gabel (R-Evanston) and constituents. After the tour, the Field Moms were asked to blog about their experience. Read their thoughts about the tour and beef at www.watchusgrow.com.

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