Raising the Bar Higher…

I have several favorite quotes that I am notorious for reciting.  My girls hear them so often that as soon as I start to say the words, they chime in with me.  Prior to instigating my “push up rule”, the reciting of the quotes seemed to be automatically connected with eye rolling—now they are simply accompanied by dramatic sighs…

• It doesn’t matter how good you are, you can always get better!
• Perfect practice makes perfect performance!
• Take the time it takes to do it right!

I not only pontificate about these quotes, but I also take the words to heart.  I have pretty high standards, and am constantly pushing myself, my family, and my feed yard crew to continuously raise the bar higher.

I became involved with the Beef Quality Assurance program when I moved to Nebraska in 1997 because I wanted to learn how to understand my cattle and offer them good care.  I recognized early on that good consistent care led to healthy animals and quality beef.  That is what BQA is all about.

The Tyson Farm Check program is intended to be a natural extension of the BQA program and will include an auditing component to verify daily animal care.  It raises the bar one step higher in order to validate the responsible treatment of food animals.

His care is important to me…

My involvement in both BQA and Tyson’s Farm Check program stems from my commitment to universally improve care for food animals.  It is rooted in my belief that farmers need to strive for continual improvement through a focus on good daily animal care practices.

I will feel a tremendous amount of pride for my fellow farmers when these programs touch every bovine that is raised in the United States.  Until then, I will keep working for their widespread adoption because I believe that the sustainability of animal agriculture is intrinsically tied to responsible care.

In the meantime, I will continue to raise the bar even higher on my farm through participation in the Progressive Beef QSA program.  While doing a good job brings me pride, Anne’s standards require always searching for excellence.  The commitment of the Progressive Beef program to outstanding animal welfare, food safety and sustainability standards allow me to continuously challenge myself and my crew.

I began implementing the Progressive Beef QSA program last December, and I have been thrilled with the incredible attention to detail and resulting improvements that I see every day at the feed yard.  I have always been proud of my crew’s dedication to quality care, but we have raised the bar even higher in the last seven months.

Auditing protocols and paperwork…

We had our first audit on the 6^th of May and were scored on a multitude of things–a few of them include:

• Water Tank Cleaning
• Feed Quality
• Cattle Handling
• Animal Health (daily care, extreme weather care, general welfare practices)
• Proper administration of animal health products (vaccines, antibiotics, beta agonists)
• Equipment and feed yard cleanliness
• Cattle living space comfort
  

  Checking feed bunks, water tanks, and cattle home pens…

The final audit document was 20 pages long and the audit itself took about 11 hours.  I am incredibly proud to report that my crew scored 223 points out of a total possible 228.5.   This qualified us for the “Excellent” rating.  We will have a second audit later this summer as we continually strive to raise the bar higher.

Aristotle seems to always be whispering in my ear:

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.

What do you do in your own life to raise the bar higher?

Life’s Greatest Blessing…

Tomorrow, Matt and I will celebrate our 17^th wedding anniversary.  While the day will be our normal organized chaos that between the two of us involves exercising calves, coaching a swim meet, and leading an alfalfa harvesting crew; it will also be special.

I am not sure if I can clearly remember the 21 year old with stars in her eyes who walked down the aisle of Bethesda-By-The-Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach, Florida; but I certainly remember the look on Matt’s face when I stepped inside the church.  I am blessed to still get to see that same look today.

I have loved Matt for more than half of my life, and our marriage is based not only on love but also on commitment.  The journey from Hanover, New Hampshire to rural Nebraska has been marked by both challenges and opportunities.  We face them together: holding onto each other for support and remaining committed to living the dream.

Our recipe for sustainability lies in an unwavering desire to endure with joy.

Almost two decades later, we are thriving farmers and the parents to three beautiful and talented girls. Matt is not just my husband, he is my biggest fan.  He believes in me when I doubt myself, encourages me when I am challenged, and celebrates my successes with enthusiasm.  His loving support not only guides me, but also teaches our daughters about the respect and devotion that provides the foundation to a successful family.

Today, I reflect on the fact that a devoted spouse is life’s greatest blessing.

• Their faith is unwavering.
• Their support is priceless.
• Their love is a gift to always be treasured.

While many people look at my path from urban athlete to rural cowgirl as both an unusual journey and an interesting success story, the truth is that most of the credit should go to the quiet man who stands beside me and  has dedicated his life to our partnership.  I can only hope that our daughters will one day also be blessed with someone who both completes them and inspires them to greatness.

Today I salute my favorite farmer.  I look to the past with thankfulness, I look to the present with joy, and I look to the future with excitement knowing that we will greet each day with the knowledge that love and opportunity await us.

What is your greatest blessing?

The Grillin’ Girl…

For those of you that have missed Megan’s Meatful Mondays, she’s back and she’s learning to grill!

Marinated Sirloin Steaks cooked by Cowgirl Chef Megan on a charcoal grill…

No spring would be sustainable without cooking lessons and quality time with the grill!  Today, my favorite Cowgirl Chef partners with her daddy to make delicious sirloin steaks!

Needs:  Sirloin Steaks (1″ to 1 1/2″ thick), bottle balsamic vinaigrette, charcoal, and grill.

Marinate the steaks in balsamic vinaigrette dressing for several hours.

Build a charcoal fire on the grill.

Place steaks on the fire when it is ready for cooking.

Cook until blood begins to pool at the top of the steak, and then turn the steak and cook a few minutes longer (more time means a more “well done” steak, less time is rarer.As one of the 29 cuts of lean beef, Sirloin steaks make a great summer time meal.  Megan loves them for the taste, but I love them because they provide her growing body with: Iron, Vitamins B6 and B12, Zinc, Choline, Phosphorus, Protein, Niacin, Selenium and Riboflavin.

Beef’s Big 10 empower her to jump far…

And still be able to ride off into the sunset!

Click here for some great grilling tips!

Big City Girl Meets Nebraska Farm Boy…

The Feed Yard Foodie Family hit the big screen on Nebraska TV news last weekend!You can see part of the news clip by clicking below:

http://www.nebraska.tv/story/22535560/big-city-girls-meets-nebraska-farm-boy

Farm Check: The Plan

Quality Assurance programs have been in place for food animal farmers for more than a decade.  The breadth of these programs varies depending on the animal species, but the core facets are based on farmer education and best management practices to ensure good animal care and safe meat.

Healthy and well cared for animals make healthy meat…

For beef farmers, the Beef Quality Assurance program is a voluntary educational effort that focuses on daily farming practices which impact both animal care and food safety.  Cattle ranchers and farmers are encouraged to both participate in the program and interact regularly with their veterinarian to facilitate this goal.

The Farm Check program is intended to be a natural extension of the Beef Quality Assurance Feed Yard Assessment.  With its key elements comprised of core BQA components, Farm Check extends the current BQA program for feed yards to include an independent 3rd party auditing component.  Auditing serves two purposes:

1.  It creates accountability and verification of animal care practices on the farm.
2. It offers additional assurance for customers that live off-farm that the meat that they purchase at the grocery store comes from animals that were raised responsibly.

The Farm Check Beef Animal Handling Feed Yard Training Manual is still in draft form, and will be trialed in a few “pilot” feed yards this summer before a final draft is formed this fall.  Implementation of the beef portion of the Farm Check Program will begin in 2014.  The swine version is currently in the process of being implemented, and the poultry program is slated to follow the same time line as the beef.  Tyson is the nation’s leading producer of meat and poultry, and is the first packing plant to take this step toward validating on-farm animal care.

The second component of the Farm Check program is an animal welfare research program.  Tyson has designated dollars to be used to fund and promote additional research that will lead to continued improvement in the methods used to raise farm animals.  CEO Donnie Smith states, “We want to identify and study the critical points—from breeding to harvesting—where the quality of life for livestock and poultry can be improved, and use the results to make a difference.”

The Farm Animal Wellbeing Advisory Panel that I sit on will aid Tyson both in the Farm Check on-farm education and audit program and also provide input on necessary research areas for further study.  The panel members will work with Tyson’s internal team to create and implement the program.

The Farm Check program is inaugural in nature and a work in progress.  I returned home after the first two day meeting with my head swimming with information and ideas.  I am looking forward to continuing to share and learn as I fulfill my duties on the Advisory Panel!

Farm Check: The Goal

I have to admit that as a child and teenager, I never gave a thought to where my food came from.  I took both the food and my mother’s wonderful home cooked dinners completely for granted.  As a dedicated athlete who trained four hours a day, I consumed a lot of food—thinking about nutrition and fuel for my body, but never giving a second to think about what it took to grow it.

Finishing an ocean mile race as part of my training twenty years ago…

I’ll never forget the look on my husband’s face the first time that he attended a team dinner for the Dartmouth Women’s Swim Team.  As a college football player he was no stranger to eating, but the feeding frenzy that he witnessed that night left him speechless.  He wisely decided to step aside and let my team mates and I eat our fill before attempting to enter the food line himself…

As I transitioned from competitive athlete to farm girl, I found myself (for the first time) taking an active role in both understanding and growing food.  When I moved to Nebraska in 1997, I had complete trust in modern food production but very little understanding of it.

College graduation: pictured with my husband and brother. The next day, I began to trek from New Hampshire to Nebraska to begin a new life…

Somewhere in the last 16 years, universal trust in food production has been eroded.  Farming practices have been questioned as well as the integrity of the farmer that implements them.  This saddens me.  While I truly believe that every person has a right to understand where their food comes from, I also believe that it is important to truly understand before passing judgement.

The challenge that we all face is the ever growing gap between farmers and urbanites.  Whenever a disconnect like this occurs, myths perpetuate and misinformation stands in the way of good conversation and understanding.  Perception becomes a cloud of fog that hinders trust and stands in the way of true learning and comprehension.

I believe that I care for him responsibly, and I want to share that story of care with you…

Somehow philosophers like Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser have become the authority on food production, while farmers like myself have become the evil opportunists.  While I can certainly respect that every person has a right to their own beliefs, it bothers me tremendously to read books like Fast Food Nation that misrepresent both who I am and what happens on my farm.

• I believe with all of my heart that responsible food production must universally exist.
• I believe with all of my heart that this responsible food production includes quality animal care.
• I believe with all of my heart that a deep understanding of food animals and their needs must play the key role in determining what defines proper care.
• I believe with all of my heart that good care leads to healthy animals and a safe food supply.
• I believe with all of my heart that together farmers and urbanites can come together to build relationships and understanding relative to meat production.

The goal of the Tyson Farm Check program is to bring scientists and farmers together with our customers to rebuild trust while also continually learning how to improve farm animal care.

Do we care?  Absolutely! 

Can we get better?  Absolutely!

  The goal is to build trust while responsibly growing safe and nutritious food.

Farm Check: The People

Although Tyson has been a partner in the beef industry since their acquisition of IBP more than 10 years ago, I knew very little about the company and its people prior to this winter.

As I headed to Arkansas a little over a week ago for the first Farm Check Animal Welfare Advisory Committee meeting, I was unsure as to what to expect from the executives and employees of such a large corporation.  In addition to this, I also did not personally know any of the other members of this third party welfare committee assembled by Tyson.  I was the lone cattle feeder amongst an impressive group of scientists and professionals that were connected to the world of meat production from an eclectic array of directions.

I began the trip spending several hours in the women’s bathroom (the designated tornado shelter) of the wrong Arkansas airport as our plane made an unexpected landing to wait out the storms and tornados that threatened the area.  I arrived at the hotel in Springdale, AR about 1:00am the morning of Tuesday the 21st– thankful for safe travels while also full of concern and sorrow for those in the neighboring state of Oklahoma that suffered tremendously at the hand of Mother Nature.

We began our inaugural meeting with a moment of prayer for those affected by the storms, followed by the announcement that the Tyson Family had dispatched teams to the disaster area to help provide food for those in need.  The term Tyson Family was one that I heard repeatedly over the two day meeting—the expression took me by surprise the first time that I heard it, but after many interactions with the leaders and employees of the company I began to see why it was actually very appropriate.

Quite honestly, I found the large corporation (characterized as a “bully” by Food, Inc. and others in the foodie world) to be a group of compassionate and dedicated individuals.  CEO Donnie Smith’s opening comments focused on the company’s core values and cultural tenets—each one revolving around integrity, compassion and commitment to teamwork.  By the end of the first day, whatever preconceived notions that I might have carried with me on the plane to Arkansas were dispelled by the sincerity that universally characterized the employees that I met.

There is a core group of Tyson employees that are working on the Farm Check program.  This team is led by Dean Danilson PhD; and made up of:

• Paula Alexander MS
• Kate Barger DVM
• Chris Daugherty PhD
• John Hardiman PhD
• Russ Nugent PhD
• Kellye Pfalzgraf DVM
• Lora Wright MS
  

  The intern Tyson Farm Check Team…

Corporate leadership commitment to the program was evident as CEO Donnie Smith, COO Jim Lochner, and EVP Corporate affairs Sara Lilygren and several others were actively engaged throughout the meeting.

The 3^rd partyAnimal Welfare Advisory Committee is made up of:

• Ryan Best
• Ed Cooney
• Gail Golab PhD MD
• Temple Grandin PhD
• Chef Karl Guggenmos
• Tim Loula DVM
• Miyun Park
• Ashley Peterson PhD
• Richard Raymond MD
• Janeen Salak-Johnson PhD
• Janice Swanson PhD
• Bruce Webster PhD
• Anne Burkholder
  

  Those who attended the first meeting, along with a few Tyson team members…

You can access brief biographical information on each of these folks by clicking here:http://bit.ly/10AxJgd.

I am convinced that my involvement in the Tyson Farm Check Animal Welfare Advisory Committee will result in tremendous learning and personal growth.  It is also my hope that my contributions to the group will result in appropriate improvements and verifications in food animal welfare.  Your trust in the beef that I grow is important to me.  This Animal Welfare Advisory Committee allows me the opportunity to make an impact regarding animal welfare outside of my own farm.

Together we are stronger.

Together we are committed to striving to find the best way to care for food animals and grow healthy meat to nourish ourselves and the families that we are honored to provide for.

Farm Check: Ensuring Responsible Animal Care On the Farm…

A life-long animal lover, I have been interested in Animal Welfare relative to cattle since the first day that I visited our family’s feed yard.  The naive 19 year old East Coast girlfriend had no idea that the majority of cattle in the United States spent time in a pen eating out of a bunk prior to becoming beef.

Cattle eating out of a “feed bunk” at the yard…

While I felt many different emotions during my first visit to the feed yard, the most pervasive of those was genuine interest.  In typical Anne style, I asked Archie (the feed yard manager) a multitude of questions as I tried to gain an understanding of both the animals and the way that the farm worked.  The more I learned, the more that I wanted to know .

After almost 20 years, I love Archie like a grandfather…

In particular, I found the care of the cattle fascinating.  The psychologist in me wanted to understand the animal—to figure out how he thought so that I could fully understand his needs.  This initial fascination led to my desire to go to work at the feed yard after college graduation.  Three days after leaving Dartmouth College with a cum laude star on my diploma, I went to work in a whole new world: the world of food animal production.

One of the “home pens” where cattle live at my feed yard…

Over the next 16 years, I learned the practical skills that I needed to care for those intriguing animals and I worked hard to earn the respect of my fellow feed yard team members.  Today, I make decisions that affect the welfare of thousands of animals who make millions of pounds of beef and other products that we all enjoy.  I have learned so much since that first day when my naïve eyes glimpsed the feed yard, but perhaps the best part of all is the fact that the learning never ends.

Animals teach us many things if we take the time to look and are able to understand how they *think*!

The care of beef cattle is highly complex and I view the interaction between bovine and caregiver to be incredibly fascinating.  Enabling my animals to feel comfortable on my farm and watching them to subsequently thrive is one of my greatest pleasures.  Being able to share that with my daughters is nothing short of priceless.

Although I strive to continually learn, I have come to a point in my life where I think that I know enough that I can also share something meaningful regarding animal care.  It is very rewarding to me that others in the beef family share that same feeling.  Animal welfare is a team effort, and I am very proud to be a part of the team.

Late this winter, I was asked to serve on Tyson Fresh Meats 3^rd party Animal Welfare Advisory Committee as a part of their new Farm Check program.  The Farm Check program is an education, audit, and research program to help ensure that animals are cared for responsibly on the farm.

As a customer, each one of you deserves to know that the meat that you purchase came from an animal that was cared for appropriately and conscientiously. 

I believe that the meat industry is only sustainable if it operates with integrity.   I also believe that the Farm Check program will contribute to this sustainability.I am tremendously honored to be a member of this inaugural group of animal welfare professionals.  I am also truly humbled to be thought of as an expert in the field of farm animal behavior, health and production.  My goal has always been to continuously work for improvements in the care of farm animals.  This is best accomplished through the creation of practical and applicable animal welfare practices that dictate responsible daily care.

Healthy and well cared for animals make healthy food, and this is always the goal…

Throughout the next few posts, I would like to share my experiences last week at the first Farm Check Animal Welfare Advisory Committee as well as more information regarding the people, the goal, and the plan.