March Ag Literacy Month has just concluded, and wow, it has been a busy one! As a children’s book author, nothing excites me more than seeing my accurate agricultural stories reach kids all across the country!
Today, I would like to highlight a special way these books are connecting with families to teach them about beef and the hard-working farmers and ranchers who tend to the land and livestock to make our steaks and burgers possible.
When I was ten years old, my grandmother, Carol Wienk, encouraged me to enter the South Dakota Beef Ambassador speaking contest run by the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Auxiliary.
Winning that contest opened up a lot of doors for me at a young age. I was able to spend time and be mentored by some incredible beef industry leaders — iconic cattle women including familiar names, Delina Nagel and Sue Sibson, who taught me how to promote beef, to teach consumers about beef cuts, preparation, best recipes, by-products, and doing it in a positive way while debunking the endless myths and misconceptions about how cattle are raised.