All's Quiet & Less Meat Consumed

All’s Quiet & Less Meat Consumed plus Food Forethought. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Northwest Report.

There was something distinctly different about yesterday. It took me a few minutes of sitting in my hotel room in Kansas City to realize what it was. It was quiet. The election was over and for the first time in months there was not a single political ad on TV or radio. Ah, sweet silence. I’m in KC for the annual National Association of Farm Broadcasters convention and of we will be talking about the outcome of the election but more importantly, enjoying the lack of political ads.

Consumers in the northeastern U.S. are cleaning up after Hurricane Sandy - but the natural disaster will have a lingering impact on meat demand. University of Missouri Livestock Economist Dr. Ron Plain says the restaurant and retail meat trade have already seen a slowdown in business. He also says due to the nature of the storm a lot of meat in refrigerators without power has spoiled.

PLAIN: On the other hand a lot of people not able to travel, not able to get restaurants and will be eating less and eating canned goods and eating less fresh meat products because of the sort of logistics of getting to food.

Now with today’s Food Forethought, here’s Lacy Gray.

My hubby and I are trying out a new diet in order to loose some extra pounds before the holidays. I know, the irony of it right? Anyway, we’ve been on it now for about two weeks, and as is typical, he is dropping weight like water through a sieve, while I am plodding along like the tortoise out of the Tortoise and the Hare story. If you’ll remember though, the tortoise finally does win the race. With this diet we don’t count calories, limit our carb intake, and don’t worry about using animal fats to cook with. That part I find very interesting, as my grandmother used lard in most of her cooking. She was a wonderful cook, and the flavor of her fried chicken, gravies, and biscuits is something I have yet to replicate. That probably has to do with the fact that she did use lard. I’ve heard rumors that lard is making a comeback on the professional cooking scene. Grit magazine, based in Topeka, Kansas, has even released a book on lard called “Lard: The Lost Art of Cooking With Your Grandmother’s Secret Ingredient”. Just remember, like anything some lard can also be over processed. If you’re going to try cooking with lard, be sure to read the label, or better yet, get it from a local producer.

Thanks Lacy. That’s today’s Northwest Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.