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| Little Texas Love for Y'all! |
As many of you know, after a trip, I like to write a blog about what all went on. I do this for two reasons - so all of you lovely people can read about our NBAP adventures, and so that I can document what I'm doing and be able to read and laugh about for years to come.
This past week, your NBA team has been attending the NCBA (National Cattlemen's Beef Association) 2015 Convention in San Antonio, Texas. Due to its close proximity, I dodged the bullet that I consider airlines, and was able to drive. We spent the week attending meetings, soaking up lots of valuable information, and most importantly, meeting industry professionals and cattlemen, alike.
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| The "Rhinestone Princess" found her glitter at Convention |
The first day, Tuesday, I made the trip from good 'ol C. Stat down to San Antone (yes, I am now known for my Texas lingo, so I must continue for the sake of entertainment). Instead of nice, "Sizzling San Antonio" that the convention advertised, it was bleak, and quite frankly a bit chilly! We had a heck of a time finding the entrance to the right hotel (there are two Marriott River somethings side by side), but eventually made it there without turning the wrong way down a one-way street. This was my first experience with valet parking, and it was quite cool to be honest. I felt rather important. We checked in to our hotel, found a delightful room, and then jetted off to our first meeting on social media and its incorporation into the beef industry. After this, we attended a delicious german diner and had homemade root beer, and of course, I had to order wienerschnitzel just to say the name!
Wednesday morning came bright and early, after only 4 hours of sleep. Our main mission this day was to attend Cattlemen's College breakout sessions and soak in the information. I attended sessions on reproductive technologies, wealth management and finally, the science of grilling beef. I would like to share a couple of tips with you about grilling meat, that I found extremely valuable:
- For every inch of thickness, cook approx. 8-10 minutes
- When grilling bone-in meat, first place the bone directly over the fire for about a minute, then move it to a location not over the coals so it will receive indirect heat to finish cooking
- Meat needs to rest 30-40% of its cook time (generally 2-3 minutes)
- Make sure to let your coals get hot before you put your meat on the grill
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| We love to take Selfies! |
After Cattlemen's College, we attended a luncheon and lecture on "Why It's Good To Be in the Beef Business". The presenter shared with us a few tips about how critical it is the we communicate, consult, represent and finally get involved with associations in our industry. There is a changing social ethic in our country about the role of animals, and it is important we start speaking out about the practices we use and defending our livelihood. Finally, we wrapped up the day with the opening general session titled, "The Art of Vision", where Erik Wahl used paintings to demonstrate how we should start thinking and why we should tap into the creative part of our brains and utilize it to better our position.
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| My adorable little Armadillo friend! |
Once again, we stayed up way too late Wednesday, and Thursday morning came a little too soon for this night owl. The day began with an outlook on U.S. & Global Protein & Grain. I find these predictions about the future markets and weather to be beyond fascinating. It is looking bright that we will continue to remain in a good position for the next 3-5 years in terms of demand, and grain prices. After a couple more meetings, we spent time enjoying the 6 acre trade show. It is crazy to me how many people want to meet us, take pictures with us and just interact! We wrapped up the day with the induction of the new ANCW (American National Cattlewomen) officers, and wished the new team the best for the upcoming year, before heading on over to the "Nothin' But Texas" party. This was quite a fun experience for me, as I got to hold an armadillo (one of my favorite animals after cows) and got to dance! I found out real quick that we dance a bit different down here in Texas! I had a nice guy from Idaho teach me how to swing, which I found absolutely delightful, before letting the Oklahoma boys show me how they two step (though I think they do it the lazy way).
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| Enjoying the Riverwalk with Ms. Demi |
Friday was our final day, and consisted of a few leadership meetings and another general session, this one titled, "The Obama Administration, Congress & a Look at Politics in America." All in all, this has been an incredible experience, and one that I will remember for years to come! There is much more I could tell you, but I think I'll leave it at the highlights. Now it's back to the grind and getting ready for the next week of tests!
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| Your 2015 NBAP Team |
