PRESS RELEASES

From the Kansas Stockmen March 2007

The state CattleWomen organization is supported by local CattleWomen groups around the state.  These groups have their own bylaws, officers, dues and activities, but share the purpose of beef promotion and education.  Each local president who is a KCW member is automatically part of the KCW advisory board.  Sometimes they are called on to help administer a state CattleWomen program.  Since the birth of the Beef Advocate Network (BAN), local CattleWomen who are members of BAN will be asked to help with specific tasks, such as taking a news release to their local newspaper, giving an educational presentation about beef to a local civic organization, or responding to articles in newspapers or magazines that cast beef in a negative light.

One very active local CattleWomen group is the Southwest Kansas CattleWomen.  This local includes several counties in southwest Kansas: Morton, Stevens, Seward, Meade, Clark, Stanton, Grant, Haskell, Gray, Ford, Hamilton, Finney, Kearny, Hodgeman, Greeley, Wichita, Scott, Lane & Ness.  The current officers are: President Angie Price (Finney), Vice President Mary Beth Woods (Finney), Secretary Kathy Miller (Gray), and Treasurer Amy Turner (Seward).

Every year, SWKS CattleWomen award a $1,000 scholarship to a college junior or senior majoring in an agricultural field.  Thus, their main activity each year is holding a fund-raiser to help pay for this scholarship.  In previous years, chances to win various works of art have been sold, but this year they will be putting together an all-beef cookbook.  This cookbook will be sold at various functions throughout southwest Kansas, including the Kansas Sampler Festival (hosted by Garden City this year), Beef Empire Days (also in Garden City), and area county fairs.

Members of the local group have been asked to submit their favorite beef recipes to be included in the categories of Appetizers, Marinades & Rubs, Jerky and Main Dishes, which will be divided into cuts or types of beef.  An interesting addition will be a section of recipes that have been served in past years at the “Chuckwagons in the Park” community feed during Beef Empire Days, where the SWKS CattleWomen serve a beef dish to around 2,000 people (these recipes will be reduced to serve a family, rather than a crowd!).  Locals who submit recipes are also being invited to share their ranch’s brand, which will be used as the design theme of the cookbook.

Most of the SWKS CattleWomen’s activities involve Beef Empire Days, where they not only prepare and help serve the “Chuckwagons in the Park” community feed, but also help serve steak dinners at the “Roto-Mix Cattlemen’s Steak Fry,” and prepare beef jerky for the rodeo clowns to hand out to kids at a special event at the Finney County Library.

From the Kansas Stockmen February 2007

There’s nothing quite like the amazing power of love. It’s what Smokey Robinson and Ronald White wrote, and the Temptations sang about, in the great love song, “My Girl.” When you have sunshine on a cloudy day, that’s the power of love! When it’s cold outside, and you’ve got the month of May, that’s the power of love!

When we speak of love, we speak of the heart. Whether you are a hopeless roman­tic or not, there may be some debate that the size of one’s heart determines his or her capacity for love. But it is undeniable that a person’s heart health is directly related to their overall well-being.

Now stay with me, as beef plays a key role in this discussion

Since 1963, the U.S. Congress has required the President to proclaim February “American Heart Month.” This designation urges Americans to join the battle against cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association works with the sitting adminis­tration to draft and sign this annual proc­lamation. Of course, it is fitting this is the same month we celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. , and a major cause of permanent disability. The list of conditions related to the heart includes arrhythmia, high blood pressure, congenital heart disease, and high cholesterol. We can help prevent these diseases by incorporating exercise and good nutrition into our lifestyles.

One of the myths our industry is work­ing diligently to dispel is that beef is not a healthy protein choice. According to an ex­tensive consumer survey conducted last year by NCBA, there is a segment of consumers who believe beef is unhealthy to eat. Hope­fully you don’t share this belief, but you may know people who do. Here are some facts you, as a producer and advocate for the beef industry, can share with them:

• In 2005, through the beef checkoff program, our industry partnered with the American Heart Association to publish heart-healthy recipes in a 36-page booklet called Fast & Flavorful Beef. Encourage people to give “Tenderloin Steaks and Pep­percorn Sauce” and other featured recipes a try. They’ll love the taste and appreciate the nutritional benefits.

• They will be interested to learn there are 29 cuts of beef that now meet govern­ment guidelines for lean, including favorites like tenderloin, T-bone steak and 95% lean ground beef. When talking with the skep­tics, highlight that calorie-for-calorie, beef is one of the most naturally nutrient-rich foods. A 3 oz. serving of lean beef contrib­utes less than 10% of the calories in a 2,000 calorie diet, while supplying more than 10% of the daily recommendation for nine es­sential nutrients.

• Remind them man-made trans fatty acids found in snack foods and baked goods act very differently than those that occur in low amounts in meat and other products. Naturally occurring trans fatty acids found in beef, such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), have been shown to have heart-healthy and cancer-protective benefits.

Whether you want a healthy heart with which to love better or to help fight cardio­vascular disease, it is important to do the things that promote good heart health. Let’s take the initiative to spread the word, one conversation at a time or to broader audi­ences, that eating beef can be part of that healthy lifestyle!

From the Kansas Stockmen January 2007

New!  Improved!  It seems that just when you find a product that you really like, the manufacturer sees a need to change it.  The old standby may have been working just fine, in your opinion, and the “improved” version isn’t necessarily an improvement at all!  But other times the change is a welcome surprise, making what once was good even better.

We hope the latter applies to the recent changes in the Kansas CattleWomen organization.  At our annual meeting at the KLA convention, changes to the by-laws and constitution that simplify the makeup of the organization were approved by the general membership.  These changes streamlined the executive committee, and will provide more flexibility to the programs KCW offers or assists with.  The advisory committee was also expanded to include all past KCW presidents and local CattleWomen presidents who are KCW members.

Beyond the changes in black and white, KCW members launched a renewed commitment to beef promotion, education and advocacy. After studying our mission and creating a vision of where the organization would best serve the industry, members agreed that a closer alignment with the Kansas Beef Council would be a positive change.  This collaboration will include providing assistance with activities, funded by the beef checkoff program, intended to build beef demand.  A key component to the renewed vision is to equip “beef advocates” in each community who are willing to share the good news about beef in a healthy diet while also countering false or misleading information about beef.  A new advocacy group, supported by KCW, will be launched in early 2007 to carry forth this charge.  Men and women are all invited to participate in this new group.

In addition, KCW will enhance communication and collaboration with local CattleWomen organizations to maximize the many positive initiatives happening across the state.

A new addition to the annual convention, the “Consumer Trends Forum,” was the birthplace of our collaboration with the beef council.  Co-chaired by officers from KCW and KBC, the meeting featured Kim Essex, Vice President of Brand Strategy at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.  Kim shared the results of a major consumer survey that NCBA just completed, which showed that consumers want to choose beef because they like it, it tastes good, and it feels like a special treat.  However, many consumers have a misperception that beef is unhealthy.  Kim explained that subsequent studies will research ways to combat this misperception, the results of which will steer future promotion and education efforts.  The Consumer Trends Forum was very well attended, and will become a permanent addition to the committee meetings at the KLA conference in the future.

A new KCW executive committee was approved for the coming year.  Co-chairs will be Elisa Stone, Garden City and Carrie Edmonds, Manhattan .  Sue Erickson, Eureka , will serve as secretary, and directors will be Angie Price, Garden City, Brittany Phares, Benton and Jeanne Cutler, Scott City .

Kansas CattleWomen has been to the beef industry what “Bon Ami” is to the world of cleaning products: a tried and true staple for many years.  However, changes in the industry, the lives of women, and the consumer marketplace have prompted a modification of KCW.  We hope you’ll find us “IMPROVED!” and “NOW EVEN BETTER!”