What’s for dinner?

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I love beef. It is a staple in my house almost as much as bread and milk. I usually get my beef from my friend Alan Davis who is my co-host on “In Ohio Country Today,” a business owner and an active farmer. I usually get a quarter of a steer that he has processed locally — enough to fill-up my freezers and praying for every opportunity I can get to fire up the grill.

If you work in the industry for any amount of time you find that there are many kinds of breeds that can make up your beef selections — and if you talk to most cattlemen and women most would agree that how the animals are raised, how they are fed and cared for has as much impact on the grade of the beef and the overall quality and taste of the beef once it’s been processed.

Consumers on the other hand are affected by marketing and branding — so with very little hesitation ask people who buy beef weekly for themselves and their families you’ll often hear them say “Angus” beef is the best, but it may be hard to get or too expensive.

Well, according tot the Certified Angus Beef brand, Angus is everywhere these days. Over the last couple of decades it’s even become a bit of a buzzword. It’s true. Angus beef is good. But the Certified Angus Beef ® brand? It’s on an entirely different level. It defines the standard by which all beef is measured. No shortcuts and with a virtual obsession with flavor and juiciness.

How did those standards come into being? It’s the tale of a group of farmers who, in the 1970s, got together and said collectively, “We can do better. We can produce beef that’s extremely tender, juicier and always packed with flavor.”

They then proceeded to set the standards that have become the mark of the Angus brand. A veritable who’s who of ranchers, along with Dr. Bob VanStavern, a renowned meat scientist from The Ohio State University, helped develop the uncompromising set of standards that are still part of the brand’s foundation today. And I think those standards have also helped raise standards for other cattlemen raising other breeds. I feel proud to know it all started right here — in Ohio!

I love my locally raised beef — and I love Angus beef! Bottom line is the USDA grading standards determine the quality of the beef — what is a choice, prime or select cut.

I’ll be honest with you — I have never had a piece of Angus beef that I didn’t like — but the truth be known — I haven’t passed up any meals with a beef entree either.

Here’s seeing you in Ohio country!

The writer is the owner of Wilson 1 Communications. He is an award-winning veteran broadcaster for over 30 years and the co-host and producer of “In Ohio Country Today,” a nationally recognized television show, and offers radio commentary and ag reports including locally for 92.1, the Frog WFGF Lima.

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