Where's the Beef? In My Freezer!

Today is a glorious day! Our beef arrived!!!

Beef, you ask? Aren't we farmers? Why don't we raise our own?

Well, once upon a time, the Wilson family raised cattle, until Grandpa lost his leg in an accident with a hay baler, and they said "adios" to their cattle. Can't say I blame them.

With Jeremy and I and the Wee Wilson's still living in town (even though it's only a few miles from our farm) we haven't acquired any four-legged critters...yet...other than an assortment of farm cats.  However, 4-H age (age 8) will soon be upon our eldest daughter, so soon, we may get back into the cattle business so our children can learn important lessons in animal husbandry.

Until then, we've got purchase beef.

Do I  believe that the beef from our local grocery store is safe and healthy to serve to my family?

ABSOLUTELY.

However, there are FOUR reasons that I purchase beef from a friend:

1. I know him.  Brian Leier has been a trusted friend of Jeremy and I for a number of years now. We share the same interests and have traveled together.

A group of ND Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers visiting the Brazilian Embassy in Washington, D.C. a few years ago.  Left to Right:  Tracton & Victoria Lewis, Kelsey Swenson, Brian Leier, myself, Tanner Davison

2. It's less expensive. Approximately 138 pounds of beef (which was the "hanging weight" of 1/4th of our steer after it had been butchered) cost me just under $350.  It comes cut to my specifications, wrapped and frozen. That's $2.50 a pound, for ALL the cuts, including ground beef, roasts, steaks, etc.  Try finding ANY cut of beef (including ground beef) for $2.50 a pound in the store! I appreciate and respect our local grocer, but to cut out "the middle man" has saved our family A LOT of money on meat.

3. Someday, I bet he's going to run for office and I can't wait to have a sign in my yard that says "Send a Leier to_____." (Insert Bismarck or Washington D.C.)  Hehehe :)

4. This isn't just any beef, it's award-winning beef!

A few years back, Brian, our friend Aaron Skarsgard, and I, competed in the Linton, North Dakota Annual Chili Cook-Off...

...AND WE WON!!!  Woohoo! Champion Chili...including Leier Farms beef!

If you're in the Linton, ND area or south central North Dakota, consider Leier Farms beef.

For more information, go to www.leierfarms.com  You can order a whole steer, half or a "half of a half" (so you get the mix of quality cuts from the front and rear of the animal).  There's a simple online order form.  Check it out!

THANKS for the beef, Brian, and THANKS for stopping by blog readers!

Sarah :)

“Listen, my people, and I will speak...I am God, your God...I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.  I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it." Exerpt from Psalm 50:7-12, New International Version 

Change the Price of Food?

On a flight to Chicago this past week I experienced a bit of divine intervention. I was seated right next to a gal, Kate, who was about my age. She appeared to be well-traveled, educated, and friendly. Having recently watched Food Inc., once she found out I was a farmer, she was full of REALLY GREAT questions and one in particular has got me thinking.

"When you go into a grocery store, do you wish you could change the price of food?"

My response was "yes...er...no...er...well, maybe...uh...no."

I fumbled over my answer a bit because that is one loaded question, but then a great conversation ensued about the following points:

1. If increasing the price of food in the grocery store meant that as a farmer I would make more money, then, well sure that would be nice. Wouldn't any business person trying to make an honest living want to increase their profit margin? YES, but it's not that simple.

2. Here in the United States, we enjoy the LOWEST food costs in the WORLD. Only about 10% of our disposable income is spent on food. In some countries that percentage can be as high as 55%. Can you imagine what you would have to chop out of your household budget these days if you had 45% less money to spend? Say goodbye to your SUV, electronic gadgets, vacations, nights out on the town, even "spendy trendy food". You'd just be trying to get the biggest bang for your food buck. So in that respect, NO, I would not want the price of food at the retail level to go up. Our entire economy benefits from our current food affordability.

3. The price farmers receive for what we produce really doesn't change retail food prices very much. As you can see from the illustration below, farmers only receive about 19 cents of every dollar you spend on food (Source: Corner posts at http://www.ageducate.org/).

4. I'm a shopper too. On our farm this year we are raising corn, wheat, soybeans and pinto beans. I do cook quite often with our pinto beans straight from the field. This just involves picking out small stones, rinsing off some dust/dirt, and they're good to go. They make GREAT soups/stews. However, everything else has to be processed before it is in human edible form. So, in that respect, NO, I do not want food prices to increase, because I'm just like every other Mom out there trying to stretch the family dollar.

5. Now this point I stewed on after my flight had landed and I had bid Kate farewell and I hope the good Lord will forgive me for this one. Some part of me wants to say YES, if I could change the price of food, I would charge an arm and a leg for the food my family produces, but only to those who are leading anti-agriculture activist groups that are making millions of dollars by selling fear of modern farming to the American public and duping people out of their hard-earned dollars. Ironically, people have so many of those hard-earned dollars to donate to the anti-agriculture fundraising machine because innovative farmers have kept our food so affordable...Hmmm...

I know that might sound mean, but please hear me out. It takes a pretty thick skin to take a verbal lashing from the media every single day, where farmers are blamed for everything from obesity, cancer, diabetes, health care costs, the price of food and fuel, etc. We're doing our best to stay focused on the task at hand- producing safe food in the most environmentally sound and efficient manner possible. My family works so very hard to raise our crops and to make sure our soil is healthy for generations to come. Even tonight, Saturday night of Labor Day weekend, my husband is working long past sunset, seeding cover crops to protect our recently harvested wheat fields.

PLEASE be like my new friend, Kate, and ASK A FARMER next time you're wondering about how your food is produced.

If you have seen Food Inc. and have questions/concerns and don't personally know a farmer, the American AgriWomen put together a GREAT document to set the record straight about the myths in Food Inc.

http://americanagriwomen.org/files/response%20to%20food%20inc.pdf

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend everyone. I hope you'll remember to THANK A FARMER when you're sitting down to eat with your family and friends.