Tasty Tuesday: Beef, Bean and Corn Quesadillas

Turn your #TastyTuesday into #TacoTuesday with this beefy quesadilla recipe! The best thing about quesadillas is they are easy to make and fun to eat! Kids love them! 

So have a summertime fiesta tonight with your family and serve #BEEF. For more information on the nutrition facts of this meal or to get some great beef cooking tips visit www.BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com.

And remember- Beef, It's What's Dinner.

Throwback Thursday: 1950-1960

This week’s #ThrowBackThursday took place in 1953 when Alabama was still one of the few states to have conducted a comprehensive beef promotion program. Governor Gordon Persons attached the first promotional “Eat More Beef” bumper sticker to his official Cadillac. With him are 1953 President of the ACA Sen. Preston Clayton, left, and Executive Secretary of the ACA Ham Wilson, right.

Another notable event of 1953 was the creation of the Alabama CowBelles Association. On February 6, 1953, after Mack Maples (outgoing president of the ACA) and Ham Wilson attended the American National Cattlemen’s Association convention where they learned about the recent organization of the American National CowBelles, the CowBelles Association found a home in Alabama with Mrs. Mack Maples serving as the first president. The Alabama CowBelles Association is now known as the Alabama Cattlewomen’s Association. Pictured are some of the earliest photographed CowBelle officers from 1960, Viola Molette, Louise Wilson, Ora Lee Park, Mrs. Flynn Morris and Mrs. J.L. Adams. 

(Information and pictures taken from It’s Great to be Number One! By Dan W. Hollis and the ACA Library)

Movie Monday: Pasture to Plate

Ever wondered how beef goes from pasture to plate? This week's #MovieMonday provides a quick overview of how that steak landed on your plate. With so many middlemen, each segment of the beef process is just part of a well-oiled machine. Check it out:

(Video from Facts About Beef)

(Step 1)
Cow-Calf Operation: A method of raising beef cattle in which a permanent herd of cows is kept by a farmer or rancher to produce calves for later sale.

(Step 2)
Livestock Auction Market: Usually when the calves reach six to 12 months of age, they are taken to a livestock auction where they are sold. With today's modernization of the beef industry, livestock auction markets are not only in sale barns, but virtually through the television and Internet.

(Step 3)
Feedyard: Once the cattle are bought in the livestock auction market, they are usually hauled to a feedyard (or feedlot) where they stay for four to six months and are a fed large portions of a scientifically-balanced diet aimed at increasing carcass weight.

(Step 4)
Packing Plant/Harvesting Facility: From the feedyard, cattle who have reached optimal weight are taken to a packing plant (or harvesting facility). There they are harvested and processed, and meat products are distributed to retailers and the restaurant sector. Harvesting happens in the most humane way possible and every step of meat processing is heavily monitored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to ensure animal welfare and food safety standards are met.

From there, beef is enjoyed by you and your family. Years of hard work, manual labor and a lot of economics go into the beef cattle life cycle, so the next time you sit down to enjoy a steak or hamburger, keep in mind that it didn't just come from the grocery store!

As always- Eat More Beef.