Cornucopia at The Capitol  

On March 8, Beef Council Staff joined 16 commodity groups at the PA State Council of Farm Organization's annual Cornucopia: Taste of Pennsylvania Reception.  Several public officials sampled delicious flank steak co-sponsored by the Beef Council and PA Cattlemen's Association.

Dr. Erskine Cash and his wife Wilhelmina, "Willie," have farmed in Centre Hall, Centre County, since 1975, raising purebred Angus cattle on Wind Crest Farm.   Erskine is Professor Emeritus, Animal Science, Penn State University and is a member of the PA Beef Council and Pennsylvania Cattlemen's Board of Directors.  He also serves on the New Products Development and Culinary Initiatives Committee, for The Beef Checkoff.

"Becoming a cattleman was a life-long dream and many of my ancestors were farmers and livestock producers.  We wanted our children to benefit from the life experiences of being raised on a livestock farm," said Erskine.  "Is there a better place to raise a family than the country?"  Erskine thinks the most rewarding part of being a cattleman is working with God's creation, seeing the results of breeding decisions, and developing life-long friendships.

Read more about Erskine and listen to him talk about beef new products.

Thank you to the 140 people who completed the newsletter survey this month.  We appreciate your time, and your feedback, as we improve this industry communication tool.

Based on the responses, we will continue to produce a monthly newsletter, distributed on the third Tuesday of the month, in the afternoons.  We will change hyperlink font colors, to make the newsletter more readable.

We will add a "Your Beef Checkoff" side bar to share a quick fact about what the checkoff can -- and can't -- do in Pennsylvania to increase beef and veal demand.  We also will add more producer stories.  You'll note, however, the stories will have a consumer focus, as we also will post those profiles on our website and social media pages.

Finally, we had a few requests for a calendar of events, with both Beef Council and industry meeting dates.  We will work on this request, but in in the interim, please visit the BQA calendar.  It's hyperlinked in the BQA side bar, each month.

Have other suggestions for the newsletter?  We will leave the survey open for another two weeks.  Thanks again!