NCBA Convention 2015

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.

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

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.

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).  

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!

Your 2015 NBAP Team

Pennsylvania Farm Show Extravaganza!

Well y'all it's been a couple days since my adventure to Pennsylvania, but I have been taking the past week to recharge and actually have a break!  It seems like since I got out of school in December it's been a whirlwind of activity!

After my flying fiasco to and from Ohio, I was less than excited to board yet another plane to Harrisburg.  Amazingly, I was able to get there before Katie or Demi with only minor delays and no hassle at security!  Upon arrival, Katie and I met up and were assigned a dorky Nissan Sentra for a rental car - what a good time we had laughing at our little car!  Poor Demi must have acquired my luck for flying and had routine delays throughout the day and wasn't scheduled to arrive into Harrisburg until 11 that evening.  Thus, Katie and I headed out to find our hotel and a bite to eat.  Thanks to Google, we settled on a very authentic Italian "ristorante" for dinner.  Our dining experience was completed with a dracula looking waitress and a family yelling match breaking out in the kitchen! (LOL!)  After dinner, we ventured out to explore the night life.  We had a great time dancing and I'm pretty sure we gave the good people of Harrisburg a laugh at the cooky Texans dancing their butts off!

Demi arrived safely and we bedded down for the night and prepared for a long day ahead!  Saturday morning was opening day for the Pennsylvania Farm Show, the nation's largest indoor farm event!  We were to be stationed in the "Today's Ag Barn", where we would be talking with consumers about our cow calf pair and different feedstuffs used in cattle rations, including some non-traditional ones!  We had lots of interesting discussions throughout the day and befriended the barn hands who were helping us.  We convinced the two barn hands that, upon closing, we would help them take the cattle out to the tie outs (what a bad idea that was!).  However, before that, we attended a very informative session on veal, something which I have very little experience in.  I even got to taste some at lunch, and despite my worst fears and preconceived notions, it was actually pretty darn good!

Veal Training with Robert Supancik

So, back to helping the barn hands with the cattle.  First up was the cow calf pair, of which I willingly took the calf.  That was fairly uneventful, other than the subzero walk across the parking lots to the tie outs!  Next up were the dairy cattle.  Unfortunately for me, someone had put my cow's halter on backwards, with the lead on the left side instead of the usual right.  She was being a pain when I tried to put it on correctly, so I decided to leave it and figured it shouldn't be too much of a problem.  Boy, was I WRONG!!  She drug me, took me in circles and was an overall pain in my butt all the way!  30 long minutes later, we arrived at her stall, panting, and I gladly put her away.  (Come to find out the next day, these cows had never been on a halter.  Thanks guys!)

Dairy cows are not my favorite

Day two was much the same as the first day, save for one man telling us about his pet raccoons (weird).  We were interviewed by Dave Williams, and somewhere out there (I have yet to find it), we were on RFDTV, as well as American Farm Country Radio!  We were able to connect with some media interns and did an interview with them about their ideas on the beef industry. See that here!  We also had the privilege of meeting with the PA Secretary of Ag and the Governor!

Secretary of Ag, Mr. Greig seated left, Me, Demi, Katie,
Governor Mr. Corbett standing right

This was such a cool trip and I am very excited to share it with you!  And my return flight home was eventful as always (including one missed flight and another long day).  I hope that y'all will check out the Beef Ambassadors at http://beefambassador.com/ or on our Facebook to keep up with our adventures!

Until Next Time Y'all!

Alicia

Talking with the Secretary of Ag, Mr. Greig

Beefy Adventures!

It seems like every time I fly, I could write a novel about my adventures. In fact, it gets to be somewhat of a game for my friends to “See What Will Happen to Alicia this Time.”  From routine cancelations to security convinced I am the red-headed terrorist, I have plenty of stories!  Of course, being a National Beef Ambassador, I have the opportunity to fly plenty this year!  These past few days, I have been in Ohio for training with Certified Angus Beef, and this might be the most exciting flight adventure yet!

I left Tucson bright and early on Monday morning, headed to Cleveland with a layover in Dallas.  Upon arrival in Dallas, I come to find out my Cleveland flight had been canceled and I was rebooked to leave in 20 minutes to Chicago, then catch a flight to Cleveland.  Fortunately, the flight to Chicago was delayed, so I was able to make it to my gate and grab a quick bite to eat.  When I got to Chicago, I enjoyed a five-hour layover before boarding my plane to arrive in Cleveland relatively unscathed.  Being able to see my team (and maybe the fact they brought me a steak dinner) helped to erase some of the stress from traveling!

CAB Headquarters

The next morning, we attended a very informative training hosted by Certified Angus Beef pertaining to branded beef.  I certainly felt very special to be in the same class as CAB interns and members of the Junior Angus Board!  We had some awesome food and even were able to take a personality test – which I very much enjoyed!  After the day was over, we headed out to Columbus to our hotel.  For dinner, we found a Hibachi grill, which was very exciting (including the flirtatious couple at our table!). 

The Ladies

Wednesday morning, we made the short drive to Select Sires for a private tour of their facility.  It was so incredible to be able to tour one of the largest bull semen distributors and learn about their company!  At one of their facilities, I had a good laugh at the Jersey bulls; I wasn’t aware of how small they were and how incredibly aggressive and talkative they are!  I think I will stick to our sweet beef bulls!  Upon conclusion of the tour and picture taking (of course!), we headed to the Port of Columbus Airport.  This is where things really took an interesting turn……

We saw off two members of our team, Kalyn and Will, before sitting down to lunch outside security since Katie (our lovely chaperone), Rachel and I were on the same flight and Demi had driven.  Shortly, Demi received a text from her mom telling us that someone had been shot at the airport!  This caused a ripple of unease, but we figured that the news was just behind.  No, they were not.  As we walked Demi to her car, there were police blocking off the entire second level and reporters swarming.  At the time, all we knew was that the police had shot and killed a man.

As Demi left, Rachel and I headed back into the terminal and passed through security easily to meet with Katie and wait a few hours for our plane to arrive.  Typical of my flights, the plane was delayed an hour, and had me concerned I was going to miss my connection to Tucson in Denver.  Sure enough, we were late getting to Denver, but my Tucson flight was canceled anyway, so I spent the night with some terrific cattlewomen in Denver who hosted me for the evening!  I would be on the first flight in the morning to Phoenix, and then have a connection to arrive in Tucson.  So here is the scary part – I was able to get on and check out more about the shooting and found out the man had been acting suspiciously and tried to buy a plane ticket, before wielding his knives against police.  We were right there when all this happened!  I would be willing to bet we were checking in the same time he was trying to buy a ticket.

Real Snow! Typical Southern Girl

So, here is to another adventure and I fly out to Pennsylvania tomorrow morning!  Cross y’all’s fingers for no more delays or excitement!!

Merry Christmas Y'all!

Well, here it is - Christmas Night.  All the presents have been unwrapped, the food devoured, and family has gone home.  Now we wait another long 364 days to do it all over again!  But what remain
s is so much more special than the material objects we receive.  This is a day for giving and selflessness, and one that I always use to reconnect with my family and reflect on the past year.  It's sort of my wrap up of each year, because over the next few days I'm always busy at Arizona National Livestock Show.



So, this year.  What a whirlwind it has been!  I've had so many incredible things happen and I've seen some awesome places in Texas.  I still have a long list of places to visit, so my travel partner should be ready!  It's been a year of learning and year of taking wild leaps of faith.  And those leaps have certainly paid off!  Becoming a part of the 2015 National Beef Ambassador Team has by far and away taken the stage as the highlight of my year.  My team is so incredibly supportive and I am so excited to start traveling the beginning of the year!  I feel like my life is finally beginning.

My Wonderful Team

Repping our College Symbols!

I've also completed another semester at the great Texas A&M (Whoop!).  I absolutely couldn't love my school or being an Aggie any more than I already do.  Finally, I've become closer with lots of amazing people.  It always seems funny to me that you find the best people in the strangest times in your life.  So, all in all, it's been a fantastic year and I'm hoping to finish strong with my cattle at AZ Nationals.

Ugly Sweater Party

Out Shooting

I hope that everyone has had as wonderful of a year as I have.  Even though I know lots of people who have been knocked around a few times, I hope we can all support each other and all be able to find hope and love once again.  There's no better feeling to me than knowing that I made someone smile or helped them just a little on their journey!  I truly hope everyone has a great 2015 and that everything will work out for the best no matter your situation!







With much love,

Alicia

Beef - Not Just For Hamburgers!

I don't know about anyone else, but beef is not only an everyday meal, but also celebration dinner!  Instead of cooking ham on Christmas, my family prefers prime rib (even though this year we are having Mexican)!  And if we ever need to celebrate, there is absolutely nothing better than a good steak!  In fact, it is tradition that after a good cattle show, we go out to eat at a nice restaurant, and we always order beef!

I recently found an AWESOME recipe for prime rib, and hope to try it out soon.  Make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to find a great chart on different temperatures for cooking beef!

(Serves about 8-10)

Ingredients:

1 (3-bone) Beef Prime Rib Roast*, about 5-6 lbs.

4 cloves of garlic, peeled, divided use
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ cup olive oil

-Preheat the oven to 425 degrees; line a baking sheet with foil.

-Make 8 small slits into the rib roast (4 on top and 4 on the bottom) about ½” – 1” deep; take two of the cloves of garlic, and quarter them creating 8 smaller pieces; stuff the pieces of garlic into the slits.

-Next, take the remaining 2 cloves of garlic, press them through a garlic press and add them into a small bowl; to the pressed garlic, add the chopped, fresh rosemary leaves and the remainder of the ingredients through the olive oil; mix the ingredients until well combined, and rub this over the rib roast, covering it completely 

-Place the roast fat-side up onto the baking sheet, and place the roast into the oven; cook for 45 minutes at 425, then reduce the heat to 375, and continue to cook for another 30 minutes at which point you will cover the roast lightly with foil, and allow it to continue to cook for an additional 30 minutes 

(http://thecozyapron.com/a-cozy-holiday-herb-crusted-prime-rib-and-savoring-the-flavor-of-a-holiday-splurge/ )

Character

Character is who you are when no one is watching you.  

This is honestly one of my favorite quotes (and I LOVE quotes)! It packs so much meaning into one small sentence and really makes you take a step back and think twice.  Can you honestly say that you wouldn't be ashamed of some of the choices you have made?  Are you the person you want to be when no one else is watching?

How often have you wondered what someone does when they are all by themselves?  Maybe alone with their calf in an empty barn before the show, or when their significant other isn't around.  How often do these people, who seem so kind and honest in person, actually stick to those values when no one is around?  I would like to think that the majority of people are the same, honest person I know, even when they have every opportunity to cheat or bend the rules.

Before you go to cheating, no matter how justified you may think it is, take a moment to stop and think about who you may be hurting.  Not just yourself, but about whose life you could also be affecting.  I have seen too many show critters taken to back barns, or even bent the rules in plain sight, simply because they had the right name.  It truly bothers me that things are the way they are, and that we can't all just play a fair game and let everyone have a chance at glory, based on how much effort and determination they put in.

There are so many people that are good people inside and out, and will stay true to their word no matter what.  Surrounding yourself with good, honest people is one of the best things you can do for yourself.  These people have strong character and integrity, and you know that you can count on them to be there and support you, in both the good times and the bad.  Most importantly, they are the same person behind closed doors as they are in a crowd of people when everyone is watching.

You Might be a Cattle Girl If.....

Years ago, when I started livestock judging, I was told that you would begin judging everything - from oranges to boys and anything in between.  Livestock judging taught me to evaluate things with a critical eye and how to rank items.  Sure enough,  I began doing so.  I could never be asked my opinion between two items without giving an itemized list of what was good and bad about each, before telling you which one "won the class".  Cattle have just worked their way into everything I do.

Raising hair steers taught me a lot about hair care, more so than any of my friends could!  I learned to tease my hair from balling tails on steers.  I also learned really great hair tricks from working hair on my cattle (Revive makes pretty awesome conditioner and vinegar is great monthly hair treatment!)  Recently, I bought some new mascara, as I have affinity for big eyelashes and it is the only makeup I use.  The package arrived in the mail and I couldn't wait to try it out!  Step one, apply normal mascara lightly.  Step two, apply transpiring gel, then quickly apply lash builder.  Step three, apply final coat of transpiring gel.  As I completed this process and my eyes transformed into big and beautiful, there was but one thing I could think of.  This is EXACTLY how I have twined legs on steers!  The transpiring gel is tail adhesive and lash builder is the twine!

This is the moment when I truly realized how much cattle are a part of my life, and I might just be a little crazy about my cows.  So while you ladies are out learning new tricks to dress up, I'm finding new ways that I can apply those same tips and trends to my cattle!