Guest post by??Debbie Lyons-Blythe on behalf of Beef Checkoff
Read more about Debbie?s life on the ranch on her blog, KansasCattleRanch.blogspot.com?
I?m just like any other mom. I get up early in the morning, make sure my kids are moving and head to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. I dress for work, get the kids out the door for school and put on my shoes and jacket to meet the day. This is where my day differs from millions of other moms.
Debbie Lyons-Blythe
I am a cattle rancher. It is my responsibility to feed and care for more than 500 head of cattle every day. In October, I feed 300 weaned calves every morning and night, checking them to make sure none are sick or injured. If they do need extra attention, I work with my veterinarian to determine what is the best way to make them healthy again. Our 250 mama cows are still in the pastures eating grass, but they need weekly visits to make sure they are healthy and that they have fresh water and grass to eat.
Some mornings, when it is cold and windy (as it often is in Kansas), I?d rather snuggle back into a blanket and wait for warmer days to go to work. In the winter, when the snow falls, I am constantly cold and I have a hard time putting on enough layers! I often feel like the kid from the movie A Christmas Story who falls and can?t get back up! But despite the difficulties, I love cattle ranching?I couldn?t dream of doing anything else.
Today, less than 2 percent of the American population is directly involved in growing the world?s food. I am proud to be in that group. I truly love cows; I love working on the land; and I love running a family ranch where my husband, kids and I work side by side to care for our cattle. There are few businesses these days that the children are able to be a part of from an early age; and fewer still that the children want to follow in their parents footsteps to take over one day in the future. Ranching is about sustainability?both ecologically, as well as economically.
So why do I take time to talk with consumers about what I do on our ranch? With the vast majority of the population living one, two or more generations from the farm or ranch, they either have a romanticized idea of ranching, or a misrepresentation of what large scale farming and ranching is. I work every day to correct that.
My family lives near a small town in central Kansas. Each year my kids and I sponsor a Farm to Fork Day at our local school, where we bring a cow and calf for the students to pet?often for the first time, and examples of everyday products that have a beef by-product in it. Students are amazed to learn of the products that depend on cattle for ingredients?jelly beans have gelatin, chewing gum is glycerin based, asphalt contains a binding agent from beef fat, and even tires have stearic acid which makes rubber hold its shape.
In addition, in a small school, a large percentage of students participate in school sports. I enjoy explaining the role of protein in a well balanced diet and showing those young athletes how zinc and iron, as well as B-vitamins that come from beef help build lean muscle. Lastly, I love to see what the students know about what a cow eats and I show them the Cow Chow game online. Often their teacher is able to offer computer time during class for the students to play Cow Chow!
Why do I take time out of my day to teach these kids about ranching? Because I am committed to young people (I have five of my own), and committed to enriching education. By showing them what I do on the ranch and how that directly impacts their life, I hope they will be more aware of the food they put in their bodies and how it fuels their lives. Because their perceptions are my reality! I love ranching, and I enjoy sharing that with kids.
Resources I use for youth:
Source: http://www.farmtoschoolmonth.org/2012/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-momrancherfarm-to-school-educator/
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