Imagine it’s snack time and you are HUNGRY! How about a nice plate of….grass? Grass does not sound delicious to us but it’s a favorite snack of cattle. Our human digestive system isn’t able to break down the cellulose found in grass, alfalfa and other plants, but cattle have a ruminant digestive system. This system uses a four-compartment stomach to break down cellulose and use it for energy that allows cattle to produce meat and milk. May is recognized as National Beef Month – a time for us to celebrate the meat that beef cattle give us!
Our Ag in the Classroom Curriculum Matrix has a variety of beef-themed lessons that teachers at all K-12 levels could use in their classrooms. To address our current distance learning situation, we’ve created a Beef Basics Hyperdoc that can easily be shared with students. As they complete the hyperdoc on their own, students will explore the ruminant digestive system, discover the beef and beef by-products that we use everyday, and meet a few Minnesota Beef Farmers. I strongly encourage YOU to visit the Minnesota Beef Council’s website right now to meet Minnesota Beef Farmers and get a glimpse into what beef farming looks like in our state.
Let’s Cook!
If you and your family enjoy eating beef, there are lots of great recipe ideas! My daughters each picked out a beef recipe they wanted to try from the Minnesota Beef Council’s Kid-friendly Fare recipes. Personal Beef Pizzas and English Muffin Cheeseburger Pizzas were both a hit at our house.
If you try a beef recipe, take a quick video and share it on our flipgrid: https://flipgrid.com/maitcbeef! We’d love you to help us celebrate beef farmers and beef during the month of May!