So the adage goes, “when the cattle leave the land, the people leave the land.” I think that can be seen driving down any country road in the Midwest. Homesteads that have been abandoned mark legacies gone. Continued complete dispersions of cowherds are the hallmark of producers retiring or operations choosing to cash in while the market can return some favors.
Because although you may not walk in my boots raising cattle and I may not walk in your shoes buying beef in a grocery store, believe it or not, we are both affected by the shrinking US cattle inventory in more ways than maybe you’ve ever considered.
First, an inventory of 87.2 million is the smallest cattle inventory number going back to 1951. Of that Beef cows, at 28.2 million head, were down 2% from a year ago. Beef replacement heifers, at 4.86 million head, were down 1% from a year ago.
The 2023 calf crop, at 33.593 million, is the smallest calf crop on record.
Kindness and appreciation don’t have to cost a dime, but they are worth more than gold! So let’s find ways this month to spread cheer and kindness around you and make it a family affair!
I feel like I have been trying to boost community moral all month, reminding us all that in solidarity, “We Can Do It!” We can make it through the longest month of winter. And now we have come out on the other side like Greek style Olympians returning home from competition, bruised and battered.
Before we close out the month of January, we need to observe the fact that January is National Meat Month since most people listening either produce meat or enjoy consuming it!
Having a 4th child was a surprise blessing and that child being a boy was an even bigger surprise. Today we celebrate him turning 16 months old! Or maybe I should say today I celebrate 16 months of completely retraining myself as a mother, because this kid is like a species that I have never raised before.
9/10 if you walk into my kitchen the coffee pot will be full of steaming hot water after we polish off the morning’s coffee. I mean I may take July and August off, but the rest of the year, I am a hot tea drinker!
So imagine my excitement when I realized that January is National Hot Tea month!
I have told you before, but it really can’t be overstated, I live amongst a big breakfast eating crowd, from the man of the house down to his little toddler shadow and everyone in between. I have always said that my family would eat 75% of their daily calories before 10 am if I just kept slinging sausages and flipping flap jacks.
Yesterday was National Pie Day. My husband said if I talked about National Pie Day here and didn’t celebrate it at our own table then he was going to turn me in for “false advertising.” His sweet tooth was doing the talking, not his heart, okay maybe his belly. But I am just here to verify that I did indeed make a pie.
All I can say, is if you get the chance, purchase some REAL maple syrup, from American sources.
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