Official Newsletter of Georgia Junior Cattlemen’s Association Winter 2012 - 2013 Volume 1 Issue 3 Georgia Junior Cattlemen’s Association, 100 Cattlemen’s Drive, Macon, GA. 31221 www.gabeef.org/gjca 478-474-6560 INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1 Cattle Queen 2 GJCA Quarterly Roundup 3 Cowtoons 4 5 Different Beef in the Meat Case Taco Ring Recipe Visit us on Facebook! facebook.com/gajuniorcattlemens Cattle Queen By Merritt Daniels, GJCA Field Day coordinator When someone thinks of Miss Georgia or even pageants in general, cow shows don’t normally come to mind. But recently I had the privilege to participate in our local Young Farmers Pageant and be crowned Miss Young Farmers. The pageant was judged by agriculture agents and was mainly centered on agricultural knowledge as well as normal pageant criteria. This experience led me to think about cattle shows and pageants. Are they really that different? I surely don’t think so! Looking at simple pageant itinerary, a participant first undergoes an interview with the judges telling them about herself and answering any questions the judges might have to the best of her abilities. This goes for showmanship as well. In showmanship the judge is focused on the Please see Queen on page 2 Putting More In Means More for You By Walt Lipham, GJCA chapter relations officer Lipham, far right, volunteering at the Georgia National Fair Beef Story exhibit in October The mission of Georgia Junior Cattlemen's Association is to prepare the members of the junior association for membership and leadership in Georgia Cattlemen's Association, and to offer educational opportunities to prepare them to become industry leaders. Our mission statement says it all! GJCA is an awesome organization to be a part of and I learned that the more you put into it, the more you're going to get out of it. It's easy to pay your dues and be a member. However, there is a difference between being a member and being a part of our organization. If you're seeking a job in Georgia’s agriculture industry, there is absolutely no better organization to be a part of. You get to meet many of our state's industry leaders who can help by giving you advice and guidance. With Please see GJCA on page 5 GJCA Quarterly Roundup By Callie Akins, GJCA chairwoman It is hard to believe it's already January. It seems like just yesterday, we were loading up and heading to the Georgia National Fair. What an exciting fall it was for Georgia Junior Cattlemen's Association. The fall kicked off with the fair and Taste of Atlanta all in one weekend. I would like to personally thank all the juniors that helped at both events. The adults were very appreciative and impressed with the eagerness of GJCA members. It is such a wonderful opportunity for the adults and juniors to come together and educate the public on the great product we have to offer, BEEF! Along the same lines, the GCA staff and GJCA officers attended the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie. I would also like to thank those members who came out and volunteered there as well. GJCA has some very exciting things planned for this upcoming year. After an officer planning meeting last week, I left very excited about the plans for the 2013 Convention. As most of you already know, GJCA started a new award to recognize an outstanding junior: Junior of the Year. This award will be presented at the Cattlemen's Ball during Convention. We received nominations for the award in November and the idea of an Junior of the Year was definitely a big hit. We had 10 outstanding juniors nominated for this award, and I would like to thank everyone that sent in a nomination. Be sure to come to the Cattlemen's Ball and see the GJCA Junior of the Year! Along with the Junior of the Year award, GJCA has other new exciting plans for Convention. The video contest is new to Convention this year. This contest was inspired by the Peterson Farm Brothers and their parodies that are taking YouTube by storm. Get your friends together and turn your favorite song into a message about agriculture! Make sure your email address (or your parents'!) is in the membership database so you'll be up-to-date on contest deadlines and rules. You can also stay updated by following us on Facebook and Twitter. Don't forget to RSVP to events on Facebook as well. We hope to see you at our events this year! Queen from page 1 showman, not necessarily the project itself. The judge observers how the showman works with an animal and ask them questions to test how well she knows her project. Next would be the onstage portion, where the pageant contestant is judged on appearance, walk form and dress. The same thing occurs in the actual show classes. The animal is placed in the class that it's best suited for and then is shown according to those classes. In these divisions, the projects are judged according to the way they walk, their mass, muscle capacity and other criteria. They may be looking for different things, but the overall view of the two are very similar. Just look at the preparation process! Just as a contestant does her hair and makeup, the cattle endure the same thing! Washing, blow-drying, fitting (makeup) and clipping (hair) are all steps to achieving a certain “look.” I know it is a very strange comparison to grasp, but surprisingly the two have a lot in common. People are often taken aback that I enjoy both, but I do. I am at home in both settings. My youth minister’s wife often asks me if I have been away at my own pageant, or at a “cow pageant.” Maybe the two aren’t so different after all! Daniels, right, was crowned Miss Young Farmer 2012 during a pageant this fall in Mitchell County. Featured Juniors: Chandler and Callie Akins By Gibson Priest, GJCA chapter relations officer Note: Have a junior to feature? Send their name and contact information to [email protected]! Agriculture: The science, art and business of cultivating soil, producing crops and raising livestock. This term defines Callie and Chandler Akins. I talked with Callie and Chandler about their operation and their love of agriculture. We discussed how their family farm encompasses some 1,000 acres in and around Nashville, Ga. They grow cotton, peanuts, corn, hay and pasture land. On the pasture they run about 40 head of cattle with the balance being brood cows and replacement heifers. The Akins develop their own bulls and replacements and sell bulls to local commercial cattlemen. Their herd is primarily Angus and SimAngus-based. With the addition of more grazing land and higher calf prices Callie and Chandler are planning to increase their herd by 10 percent. Chandler started showing in 4-H program in 2002 and graduated in 2009. He left the operation for a few years to attend Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan. After obtaining his associates degree he returned to Georgia and is presently on the livestock evaluation team at the University of Georgia. Callie is a senior homeschool student and plans to pursue a degree in agriculture. The two have enjoyed much success in the show ring as well as other livestock activities. The Akins attribute their success to their parents, Parrish and Sara Akins. Other individuals they would like to recognize for their contributions are Todd and Holly Alford and Randy and Beth Daniel. Callie and Chandler Akins are known in and around the show ring as not only being great competitors, but great stewards of agriculture. When asked what growing up in agriculture meant to them they were quick to reply, “The livestock industry has provided us with numerous opportunities that have helped us become the people we are today. The friendships and contacts we have made with people across the country, who share our same passion for agriculture, are truly priceless. Growing up on our family farming operation has given us both great appreciation for the importance of production agriculture and a genuine respect for the people who are part of it.” Callie and Chandler Akins run their own beef cattle operation outside of Nashville, Ga. Cowtoons A city man was tooling down a country road when his car sputtered to a complete stop near a field filled with cows. The driver, getting out to see what was the matter, noticed one of the cows looking at him. "I believe it's your radiator," the cow said. The man nearly jumped right out of his city slicker britches! He ran to the nearest farmhouse and knocked on the door. "A cow just gave me advice about my car!" he shouted, waving his arms frantically back toward the field. The farmer nonchalantly leaned out beyond the door frame to glance down the field. "The cow with two big black spots on it?" the farmer asked slowly. "Yes! Yes! That's the one!" the excited man replied. "Oh. Well, that's Ethel," the farmer said, turning back to the man. "Don't pay any attention to her. She doesn't know a thing about cars." <-- Keep an eye out in upcoming issues of Georgia Cattleman magazine for more details on GJCA Convention contests, including a NEW YouTube video contest, team marketing and the poster and photo contests for CASH prizes! Will you be at Winter Classic or State Show? RSVP to these events on Facebook! --> Chewin' the Cud By Ben Hicks, GJCA chapter relations officer Have you ever seen a cow standing in a pasture somewhere just smacking her jaws? To us it may appear as bad manners, but that is the way cows eat. Having four stomachs compared to humans' one, when cows bite the grass off at the ground they then swallow it and bring it back up to begin further chewing the “cud” for digestive purposes. As cattle are ruminants, they're fed one of two diets, a grass and mineral diet or a grainsupplemented diet. Humans are omnivores and can eat a variety of roughage and protein sources. A cow on a grass and mineral diet is one that is fulltime grazing on pasture land and that receives a bag, block or tub mineral to supply their mineral needs. A cow on a grass and mineral diet may receive hay during winter months to compensate for lack of grass. A cow on a grain-fed diet is one that may be in a feedlot setting where hundreds of cattle GJCA from page 1 more than 600 junior cattlemen, new members get to meet a lot of people and catch up with friends from showing. We offer many fun activities that give juniors the opportunity to grow their knowledge and gain valuable experiences that can help make them successful leaders. Events such the stockman's quizzes, team marketing, Field Day, Convention and Beef Ambassador are held throughout the year. My favorite event this year was the Cattlemen's summer conference this July. With spending the weekend with so many members who live to share their knowledge to aspiring youth, you're bound to learn something! are fed and maintained on a minimal amount of land. In a grass diet the cow is eating material that has not been processed, while a cow on a grain diet consumes basic processed items such as kernel and ground corn, corn gluten, cotton seed hulls, cotton seed mill, oats and various minerals. These ingredients give the cattle adequate protein and fat intake to maintain and possibly gain weight. Although humans consume many of the same products that cattle do, most human food goes through more processing stages than cattle feed. And some cattle’s diets contain no processing whatsoever. So next time you see that big ol’ cow just smacking away they aren’t being rude they and just chewing up the “cud.” Different Beef in the Meat Case By Gibson Priest, GJCA chapter relations officer With so many opportunities in the meat case questions arise in consumers’ minds which beef they should choose. Some of these differences are labels that read conventional, certified organic, grass-finished and several branded beef products. These are all US Department of Agriculture certified statements that can overlap in some cases. The majority of beef is conventional, being grass raised and grain-finished. All cattle spend most of their lives in the pasture with their mothers, yet conventional or grain-finished cattle enter a confinement operation between the ages of 7 and 15 months. Once in confinement they are fed a high calorie diet that mainly consists of corn to complete the fattening process. Grainfinished beef, on average, has the most marbling - the amount and distribution of fat in the meat. The main difference in grain- and grassfinished beef is how it is raised and its taste. Grass-finished cattle consume grasses their entire lives. Some grass-finished cattle are placed into Please see Beef on page 9 Goin' Showin' is a new feature each month in the Georgia Cattleman magazine! Make sure your local show results get printed by sending results to [email protected]! Recipe: Taco Ring 1 lb. Lean Ground Beef 1 (1 1/4 ounce) package of Taco Seasoning 1 cup shredded cheese 2 TBSP water 2 (8 ounce) package crescent rolls 1 medium bell pepper 1 cup salsa 3 cups lettuce, shredded 1 medium tomato 1/4 cup onion (optional) sour cream (optional) black olives (optional) Directions: Cook ground beef in large skillet over medium heat 7-9 minutes or until beef is no longer pink; drain. Remove pan from heat. Stir in taco seasoning, cheese, and water. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll crescent rolls, separate into triangles. Arrange triangles in a circle on Classic Round Pizza Stone with wide ends overlapping in center and points toward outside. (There should be a 5 inch diameter opening in center.). Scoop meat mixture evenly onto widest end of each triangles up over filling and tuck under wide ends of dough at center of ring. (Filling will not be completely covered). Bake 20-25 min. or until golden brown. Shred lettuce and chop tomato, onion, olives, and bell pepper (if desired). Add your toppings to top of ring and finish with more shredded cheese and sour cream. Georgia Junior Cattlemen’s Association 100 Cattlemen’s Drive PO Box 27990 Macon, GA 31221 Phone: 478-474-6560 Fax: 478-474-5732 E-mail: [email protected] Beef from page 4 confinement for the last stages of fattening, but they are only fed roughages. There are minute differences in the nutrition of grass-finished beef verses grain-finished beef, but the other big difference is the taste. Because grass-finished beef usually doesn’t have as much marbling it has a distinctly different taste. This taste is better fitted for some people’s palettes then others. To be certified organic beef has had to be produced from gate to plate organically. Grain and grass-finished beef can both qualify for organic status, but they must have only been fed organic forages or grains to have the USDA seal of approval. Organic beef cannot have received antibiotics or growth regulators. Farmers and ranchers will give animal antibiotics only if an animal needs it and then that animal will not be harvested as organic. In addition, companies can brand their products to market specialty items. These businesses usually have just a couple of products so they can take care to ensure the products are up to their strict standards. Branded beef companies that come to mind might have prepackaged beef that is easy to prepare or possibly beef with extra marbling for excellent taste. These brands are usually a great way for cattle producers to get paid premiums for their specialty products. When maneuvering the meat case and trying to find the right product you're craving, it's important not only to consider the production method of cattle, but also nutrient content. Different cuts of beef contain different amounts of fat, so be sure to shop for lean cuts if you want something with less fat. Also think about cooking methods -- different cuts of beef are better suited for grilling, broiling or even cooking in a slow cooker. For further explanation of cooking principles and nutritional guidelines, visit the Georgia Beef Board website at www.georgiabeef.org.