Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/9232
4A – Daily News – Saturday, April 17, 2010 Agriculture & farm Local grower appointed to Ag Council leadership SACRAMENTO — The Agricultural Council of California seated its 2010 board of directors and executive leadership in March during the organiza- tion’s 91st Annual Meeting held in Sonoma. Among those appointed is Brendon Flynn, of Sunsweet Growers in Gerber, as a vice chairman and member of the executive committee and Carl Hoff, of Butte County Rice Growers in Richvale, as a member of the board of directors. “Our organization appreciates the leadership that all of these individuals provide to Ag Council,” said Emily Rooney, president. “Their foresight and knowledge help ensure that we continue to serve the needs of our cooperative members in represent- ing their interests at both the state and national level.” The Agr Council has been providing a unified voice for agricultural cooperatives and other farmer-owned businesses since it was established in 1919. This year California has 16 youth as spokespersons for the beef industry, with Liz Mendenhall and Stacy Stroing representing Tehama County as Beef Ambassadors. Bill and I with Tehama County CattleWomen Car- rie Rohr and Jeannie Stro- ing attended the state com- petition in Galt at the Cali- fornia FFA headquarters. There were nine senior contestants and the winner was Jessica Sweet, Liver- more, reserve was Jaylene Scott, Montague. Jessica will represent California at the national competition in Rapid City, South Dakota, October 1-3. Honorable mention to Samatha Airth, Butte Co; Nichole Nelson, Calaveras/Tuolumne; Lee Yantis, Kern; Maddison Easley, Placer/Nevada; Justin Daniels, Shasta; Natalie Nguyen-O‚Brien, Southern California; Liz Mendenhall, Tehama. Winner of the junior The 16 2010 California Beef Ambassadors are, back row from left, Parker Crouse, Kern County, Kyle Granholm, Placer/Nevada, Maddison Easley, Placer/Nevada, Samantha Airth, Butte, Jake Pickering, Butte, Stacy Stroing,Tehama, Danielle Wood, Lassen and 2010 Sr Jessica Sweet, Alameda. Front row from left, 2010 Jr 2nd place Harry "Bud" Johns, Jr., Shasta, Justin Daniels, Shasta, Nicole Nelson, Calaveras/Tuolumne, Natalie Nguyen-O'Brien. Southern California, 2010 Jr Miriam Cowley, Siskiyou, Lee Yantis,Kern, Liz Mendenhall, Tehama and 2010 Sr 2nd place Jaylene Scott, Siskiyou. division was Miriam Cow- ley, Montague, and reserve to Harry “Bud” Johns, Jr; Anderson. Honorable men- tion to Jake Pickering, Butte; Parker Crouse, Kern; Danielle Wood, Lassen; Kyle Granholm, Placer/Nevada; Stacy Stro- ing, Tehama. The Beef Ambassador contest originally started as a 4-H ground beef cooking contest in Louisiana, and when it became an Ameri- can National CattleWoman competition it was a ground beef cooking contest with a talk about beef. ranch California Beef Ambassadors named The cooking was dropped, and it became an illustrated speech about beef with posters. The young men and women quickly adapted to power point presentations. Now, they are confident and competent spokesper- sons for the beef industry after being tested on their ability a) to respond with a letter to the editor, 150 words or less, about the Meatless Monday that San Francisco has proposed. Stevie Ipsen, California Cattlemen’s Association director of public relations and outreach, judged the responses, suggesting that they follow the rules for let- ters to the editor, and not write 300 words; let the edi- tor know who you are, use the 29 lean cuts of beef that are available to the con- sumer, anger is not good, be proactive and not reactive, be polite, and name celebri- ties, athletes that eat beef. We could observe b) the mock consumer event, when Amador/El Dorado/Sacramento Coun- ty CattleWomen Jeannie Varozza and Ginger Apple- ton posed as consumers, and the contestants were at an event, fair booth, or gro- cery store with beef samples and information about beef. The women were wor- ried about cholesterol, food safety, the environment, dif- ference between organic and natural beef. The con- Celebrate A Red Bluff Tradition GO TO THE ROUND-UP Applebee’s is rounding up Pink! We are Raising money for Breast Cancer Awareness by donating a portion of our sales to “TOUGH ENOUGH TO WEAR PINK” from 4pm to 9pm on Sunday April 18th Come in after the Round Up wearing pink or bring in this ad and we will donate a portion of your total bill to the cause. We look forward to seeing you! LIC #808524 Call For Free Information Toll-Free (800) 464-1403 or (530) 365-1403 220 Antelope Blvd. (530) 527-6164 6183 MEISTER WAY ANDERSON, CA 96007 (530) 365-1403 (800) 464-1403 And Plant Your Garden on Rodeo Weekend. We’ll have OVER 40 TOMATO VARIETIES Ready to Plant Garden Center Red Bluff 766 Antelope Blvd. (Next to the Fairground) 527-0886 sumers also wanted to know about the person and why they were beef ambas- sadors, plus asking their favorite cut of beef and how it was prepared. Observing the interac- tion were the judges, Bill Dale, executive direc- tor California Beef Council; Melinda Koop- man, beef pro- motion chair- woman for Cali- fornia Cattle- Women, Inc; and Katie Otto, director of finan- cial services, California Asso- ciation FFA. They stressed focus on the per- son with eye contact, the materials and samples were to be given because con- sumers will look at the recipes and beef informa- tion when they get home. We could not watch c) the mock media interviews with Peter Roney, CBS Ch. 13 special projects division, producer/photographer/edi- tor who reminded the Beef Ambassadors they had only 15-20 seconds to get their point across to the reporter and know their facts, don’t guess. Eye contact was important. Judges for this segment was Bruce Blod- gett, executive director San Joaquin Farm Bureau and Kim Stackhouse, Ph.D can- didate, animal biology, Uni- versity of California, Davis who watched a television monitor. Jean Barton Stackhouse is a graduate student working on live- stock’s contributions to cli- mate change and urged the beef ambassadors to make sure their facts were cor- rect. They needed facts to balance the perspective of the reporter. Also, all beef ambas- sadors needed to realize that not everybody grew up on a farm or ranch, and to make their answers simple and clear without acronyms and jargon. Blod- gett mentioned focusing on the positive aspects of the beef industry with honest answers. 2010 National Beef Ambassador Malorie Bankhead reminded the youth it was important to be beef ambassadors at all times, because they can make an impact on people by being positive. She told us about her experiences traveling and meeting people across the United States and always being prepared. Someone had a beef question, and she pulled the brochure “Confi- dent Cooking with Beef” out of her backpack and gave it to the person. It has the nutrients listed, 29 lean cuts named, USDA grades, food safety , different beef cuts and how to cook them, plus recipes. Each week Bankhead and the others write a blog at www.beefambassador.com, and invited the group to fol- low the National Beef Ambassadors. Last week she men- tioned “My fellow team- mate, Mandy-Jo, and I have the outstanding opportunity to attend the Boston Marathon to educate con- sumers the dietary impor- tance of beef. “We will be including facts in our consumer soundbites like what is list- ed below. These are also great ways for you to advo- cate for the great nutrition aspect of beef. “1. Nearly 19 percent of men and 31 percent of women have protein intakes that are below the current recommended Dietary Allowance. Lean beef is a naturally rich source of 10 essential nutrients, includ- ing protein, which research shows can help in maintain- ing a healthy weight, build- ing muscle and fueling physical activity. “2. Choose naturally nutrient-rich foods first that include high-quality protein like lean beef, eggs and dairy foods, and pair them with fruits, vegetables and whole grains. This will help you meet Dietary Guide- lines and MyPyramid rec- ommendations, while increasing your high-quali- ty protein needs. “3. Beef is leaner than ever before. There are 29 beef cuts meet government guidelines for “lean” with less than 10 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams or less of sat- urated fat and less than 175 calories per 3-ounce serv- ing. You can see why I am so proud of our youth, the Beef Ambassadors, local, state and national. Bill and I are looking forward to the 89th annual Red Bluff Round-Up. We need rain, but not during slack or the rodeos. Jean Barton can be reached at jbarton@theskybeam.com.