Consumers meet beef producers
Washington Ag Today August 25, 2010 The Washington Beef Commission joined with the Cattle Producers of Washington last week to put on a Cowboy Beef Cookout at a Yokes Fresh Market in Spokane Valley. It was an opportunity for consumers to sample barbecued beef and meet ranchers who raise beef. Cattlemen like Justin Hedrick of Diamond M Ranch of Laurier, Washington. Hedrick: “A big majority of our calves that we ship to the feedlots come right back to the local area, to be consumed here. And it‘s nice to see the faces and see who is consuming and let them see who is raising the beef they are eating.” Hedrick says the consumers saw that beef producers are pretty much the same kind of people they are. Hedrick: “We are just an average person just like they are. Instead of wearing baggy pants and sandals we are wearing cowboy hats and work boots, but other than that pretty much the same kind of people. Family based and everything.” Producer Dave Daschiell of Hunters, Washington had limited interaction with consumers because he was doing the grilling. Daschiell: “You know it is a good deal for both of us to know each other, know where it comes from and who is supporting us.” Representing the Washington Beef Commission at the event was commissioner Dave Boone, a dairy producer with operations in both western and eastern Washington. Boone: “We’ve had lots of guests here trying samples of beef and learning more about the value of beef in our diet.” The beef the ranchers were grilling and the consumers were tasting was Certified Hereford Beef. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on Northwest Aginfo Net. ? ?
