By Lee Brown

It’s not often we’re given the opportunity to directly decide the future of our industry. But next week, Texas cattlemen and women can do just that by voting in the Texas Beef Checkoff referendum.

No matter the size of the operation, we are facing many challenges—some of which are out of our control.

But here’s the chance for Texas beef producers to take charge, strengthen our industry and ensure a bright future for ourselves and the next generation of cattlemen.

By Shannon Sparks

Being a mother isn’t always easy. But it’s always worth it.

You want the best for your children, but sometimes you question the decisions you make. Do we buy the expensive baby swing or do we opt for the more economical one? What are the right food choices for nutrition and safety? Am I teaching my children the proper skills at the proper time?

The one thing I’ve always known was right was the decision my husband and I made to raise our children on our farm.

By Amanda Hill

I came across a news story this morning from NBC’s Today Show that reported a group within the meat industry is moving toward renaming some of our favorite meat cuts in order to make them “more consumer-friendly.”

The group heading up the new meat monikers is the Uniform Retail Meat Identification Standards—URMIS, for short. They claim that consumers are confused by names of meats like rump roast, pork butt and others. So, to clarify the consumer’s choice of pork and beef, URMIS has suggested new names for more than 350 cuts in your local meat case.

By Gene Hall

Here I was, wondering what I would write about this week and suddenly the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)—a gift that keeps on giving—popped into mind.

It seems that someone at PETA took exception  to a 14-year-old boy raffling a beef animal that had been given to him to help him pay for a trip to Europe.

When a PETA representative responded to the boy, a link to their “Lettuce Ladies” website was included, apparently by mistake. My mother wouldn’t want me to actually give you that link. Google it if you are curious. The Lettuce Ladies are attractive young women wearing nothing but strategically placed lettuce to protest the consumption of meat.

By Gene Hall

Today, you all get a look at the cranky consumer in me. My wife and sons tell me it’s getting worse, and perhaps that’s true. I only know that all who participate in the delivery of a product are responsible for the quality of it. I am especially passionate about this when it comes to beef.

Last Saturday, on my birthday, my wife, as is our custom, took me to a well-known Waco, Texas, steakhouse, the name of which I will not mention. Two of my sons came along. They never miss a steak dinner.