My Very Busy, Beef-Filled November!

Hopefully, your Thanksgiving break was as awesome as mine!

When Turkey day finally rolled around this year, I was so excited to have a break! My November was packed with the most amazing beef-related events, and I just had to share them with you all.

I love to fill as many weekends as I can with volunteering within my county's Cattlemen's Association or the state association. The weekend of November 16th - 18th, I was able to do both!

As the county Cattlemen's Sweetheart for 2 years in a row (I gave up that title in May this past year), I was able to attend the "Farm City Week" luncheon provided for the tour buses that led residents and visitors around our wonderful county. The tour takes the passengers to different farms and shows them firsthand what Manatee County's agriculture is all about. Last year I offered to help in any way that I could, and this year I was asked about being a tour guide!

I LOVED being a tour guide! I was able to share facts, Ag-related jokes and stories, and I met some awesome people in the process. I invited our current sweetheart to ride along on the bus. If something like this is offered in your area, I highly recommend getting involved. If it's not something offered, look into what it would take to start it. I would talk to some of the farmers in your area, and see if they would be interested in an event or something of that nature! People love to shop locally, and if they can connect a product with a name, face or even family, that would make a huge impact on their impression of our industry!

The next day I led a part of our annual prospect show's workshop for the exhibitors. It's another Farm City Week event, and it's one of my favorites. I used to show and attend the workshop, (it's mandatory, but still fun) and now I'm leading my own workshop! I spoke to the kids about the variety of careers in agriculture available, and it was an awesome time! We even got to cook some steak on a grill with some of the more advanced "show jocks" and spoke to them about grades of meat and how to check for quality. It was an awesome time, and I love hanging out with those kids. You won't find a better quality of youth then you will at your local fair.

The event on Sunday was a little more adult than the previous two. Last year, I was asked to attend the Clearwater Uncorked Food and Wine festival to help out the Florida Beef Council showcasing some of our delicious steak. Last year, the steak was marinated in Sam Adam's, this year, we used Everglades seasoning. DELICIOUS. I tried to leave the samples on the platters for everyone else, but every now and then, I'd do a "beef shot". I'm only human!!

These events always leave me wanting more... BEEF. The people involved are amazing, the kids are great, and I leave feeling satisfied and so happy. I know that if my career path leads me into this industry, I'll never truly work a day in my life! Happy Holidays, thanks for reading!

The Beef Queen

Clearwater Uncorked Food & Wine Festival

As a BEEF industry representative and advocate, I love being able to go to events that not only give us a chance to reach out to consumers, but also to have a blast!

I was invited by Ashley Hughes, the director of promotions and marketing for the Florida Beef Council to attend the Clearwater Uncorked food and wine festival. The cattlemen who joined us cooked up some amazing flat-iron steak, and it was a crowd favorite. We had so many people tell us how tender and delicious it was, and everyone was given a recipe card so they could make it at home! Everyone said they wanted to make it, so I hope that there will be a huge amount of beef served this holiday season!

The recipe, along with many others, can be found online at Floridabeefcouncil.org, and I suggest you check it out!

Not only did I get to hang out with Ashley and some of our awesome cattlemen, I also got to spend some time with the new FCA Sweetheart, Kaitlyn Gill and her mom! I love fellow cattlewomen, because there is never a dull moment!

I wanted to blog about this event, and I wanted to share a story that cracked me up. I was handing out the recipe cards, and people were taking extra cards to share with their friends. One woman in particular came up to sample the steak and I said, "Here's a recipe card." She replied with a disapproving look and said, "My husbands a chef. I think he can figure this out." I told her to enjoy her day, and watched her walk away, eat the sample, and turn around, walk back to the booth, grab a recipe card, and say, "I think I will take this home to my husband. He needs this recipe."

I laughed for ten minutes after that happened, because it just goes to show how people can walk up with one idea, and leave with another. We were able to talk to so many people about Florida's BEEF industry, and it was such an informal setting that people are willing to stop and talk, and share stories.

These are positive lines of communication that need to be opened between producers and consumers. I love my life, and I love the people in it. A special shout-out to my parents, without whom I wouldn't be able to travel back and forth to these events. They are keeping my dreams alive, and I love them for it.

Here are some pictures of the event. Enjoy! Thanks for reading, Have a great holiday!!

The Beef Queen

Myself, Carl M, and Kaitlyn Gill outside of the event trying to avoid helping clean up. :)

There were some interesting characters at the event!

Fellow state Sweethearts - Kaitlyn Gill, FCA Sweetheart 2011 - 2012, Me, Sweetheart 2010 - 2011

Had a blast!!! Hopefully there will be a second annual Uncorked festival!