Author: thecirclelranch

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A Sunday Thought

A Sunday Thought~Giving Our Time

Giving Our Time

The greatest gift you can give someone is your Time. Because when you give your Time, you are giving a portion of your life that you can never get back.

This is one of my favorite parts of blogging, writing Sunday Thoughts. I really enjoy writing my thoughts down and then sharing them with you all.

This past week, my thoughts have been on our “Time”.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Eccl. 3: 1-8

How are we using the time God has given to us?

You know, time is the heritage of every person. Whether we are a lawyer or ranch owner, a cowboy or truck driver, a successful business person or a grocery clerk, each of us has the same number of hours.

It is our choice how we spend our hours, each day.

Let me tell you that again.

It is our choice how we spend our hours, each day.

We need to be spending our hours each day wisely because quite frank, we don’t know if we have tomorrow.

This week I decided to write down where I need to spend my time.

Family-Husband and Kids, Friends,  Ranching, Blogging, etc.

Spending quality time with the people that we love and care about creates strong bonds, love, connections and relationships among them all. It really is amazing what you learn about people if you just give them your time.

I actually am a little disappointed in myself. Why you ask? Well, I don’t spend enough time with people that I need to. I don’t spend enough time reading my Bible. I don’t spend enough time praying. I realize that I try, but I have interceptions, like  social media, for example. So this week and going forward, my goal is to make the most out of my time.

I want to spend more of my time, really listening, really caring and putting away those agents that disrupt my time. I want to spend more time on my knees. I want to spend more time reading my Bible. I know that spending quality time with family, friends and activities that matter the most will help create stronger bonds, stronger love, stronger connections and stronger relationships. Spending quality time with these things also will help in coping with challenges. It will instill security, it will strength family values, it will fill our kids with confidence and much more than I can describe.

Giving our time is much more fundamental to our well-being than just doing good deeds. It is also a foundation on which we can all build a better life for ourselves while we build better relationships with our family, friends and our communities.

Giving our time also works in some really important ways:

Happiness.Being open to doing more, having the intent to help others, being connected, and doing it now gives more than just a sense of satisfaction. It makes a real difference in every aspect of our lives.

Connections. Think about how important good connections are. Really think about this. If you don’t have a good battery connection on your car, then it will not start. Right? I think a good connection with your spouse, your kids and your friends works the same way. If we don’t have a good connection with them, then we will not be able to be happy and/or productive. Giving our time also helps us to connect to like-minded people.

Perception. Giving our undivided time changes our perception of what time really is so we become more open to new opportunities. These opportunities will actually give us more time.

Intent. The more intent we have to help someone around us, the more giving time will come back around to us. Serving ourselves is limiting, but serving others is really empowering.

Immediacy. Giving our time should start Now. Not when we loose someone close, or maybe a life-changing event.  We should start TODAY. Will you join me? I want to help those around me out, even if it is a small tasks like giving a ride, being extra kind, sending a note.

I truly believe that the best gift that we can give is our time.

Our time is free, but at the same time, priceless.

If we start giving our time with good intentions, everyday, we will really make a difference in our own lives, and the lives of our spouse, our kids and those around us. It might take a while; in fact, I know it will be slow but believe me, it will change.

I am going to change my “why” should I,  to “how” can I.

Are you with me?

We *do* have time today to make a difference.

Let’s start giving “our time” today.

Happy Monday, dear Friends!!

 

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A Sunday Thought Circle L Sunday Thoughts

A Sunday Thought~ 5 Ways to be a Godly Women

A Sunday Thought~ 5 Ways to be a Godly Women

You can not break a women who seeks her happiness in God.

This week I have been thinking about ways that I can become more Godly and I decided to share all my thoughts.

So how do you become a Godly person?

The Bible actually talks about several characteristics that women should strive to have—and others they should avoid.

God wants us to be: Hard workers.

Proverbs 31:10-31 has some of the best words describing what it means to be a Godly women. God also wants us to seek him first. I won’t post all the verses because I really want you all to look it up and really read these verses. I am going to share with you my favorite verses:

Who can find a virtuous women? For her price is far above rubies.

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.  

She stretchers out her hand to the poor; yea, she reaches forth her hand to the needy. 

She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

Being a hard worker can look different for everyone and it is not always the same in different stages of our lives, but I know that somedays I need to work a little harder. It is also important to realize that we need to take time out to rest as well. What I am talking about is making good use of our time while we have it.

God doesn’t want us to be: Too Busy.

For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now they that are such we command and exhort by Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

2 Thessalonians 3:11-12

It is ok to be busy, not a busybody. If we are working hard at the right things, we won’t have time for gossiping and it is also really important that we aren’t too busy for our family and friends.

God wants us to be: Generous.

She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. Proverbs 31;20

I don’t think this necessary means money, I think it really means our time. Time goes by so fast that I think it is hard for us to really give others our undivided time. I also think that staying humble is a way to show generousity.

God doesn’t want us to be: Materialistic.

I think we all have this trait in us. Right? I mean we all can struggle with this. I know that I do. It is a struggle not to compare and want what other people have.

God wants us to be: Kind.

She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

Proverbs 31:26

God wants us to be kind and teach kindness to our kids. I tell my kids to speak kindness to others even when they don’t feel like it. I really want to be known for my kindness and grace. How can we be more kind?

*Smile More *Give Hugs *Send Hand Written Notes*Say Please and Thank You*Give a Secret Gift*Really Listen When Your Friend Has Something to Share*Choose An Attitude of Joy*Watch Someone’s Kids, With Joy*Send a Thank You Note*

God doesn’t want us to be: Mean.

What comes to mind when I think of mean is the “mean girls” stereotype because, for a few women, it hits the nail on the head. We need to speak kindness, not slander.

God want us to be: Wise.

She considerate a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

Proverbs 31:16

My prayer is that I am wise about my everyday decisions and actions. We as individuals control what we say, what we do and how we do it.

God doesn’t want us to be: Foolish.

We are in control of foolish thoughts, actions and words. Really we are. When I think of foolish, I think of those who are not trustworthy and that how I want to be known.

God wants us to be: Modest.

Let it not be that outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on apparel;

But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirt, which is in the sight of God of great price.

1Peter 3:3-4

Being modest is one of the most important aspects. Why? Well to be quite frank, dressing immodestly is like rolling around in bunch of manure. Yes, you will get attention, but it is the wrong type of attention. Isn’t that what we really want: to be loved and appreciated for who we are, rather than just lusted over for what physical pleasure we can perform?

God doesn’t want us to be: Vain.

The word “vain” can mean two can hold two different meanings: being “excessively proud of or concerned about one’s own appearance,” or “without real significance, value, or importance; baseless or worthless; futile.” There’s a reason they’re related. Just focusing on one’s own identity and own physical beauty is a losing proposition.

I wanted to included one more, its a bonus!!

God wants to be: Gentle.

This is the imperishable beauty that 1 Peter 3:4 calls you to focus on instead of physical beauty. Also, it is the flip side to…

God doesn’t want us to be: Quarrelsome.

This is another character trait I am working on. I am working on being a better wife, a better mom and a better friend. I don’t want to be a fighter. I don’t want to be the nagging wife, friend or mom.  There are a number of Proverbs that talk about quarrelsome or nagging wives, and they don’t paint a pretty picture. Proverbs 19:13 and Proverbs 27:15-16. Look them up. I don’t want to be this women at all.

I know that there is more, but I feel like these are the ones that I need to work on. It is a good starting point for me for I know that they are more challenging and difficult to attain they they might first appear. I do know one thing, that by us all trusting God’s hand one day at a time, step-by-step, we all will grow in maturity of Christ and that my friend is what I want to do. Will you join me? With all the help we have on our side, we can put our trust in God not only for eternal life but for our purpose and direction for life while we are on this earth. 

 

Happy Monday, Friends!!

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A Sunday Thought Circle L Circle L Ranch God Sunday Thoughts

God~Our Team Captain

God~ Our Team Captain

My Sunday thoughts are quit simple.

God is our team captain.

This is what I have been thinking about,

When I was in school, a while back, our PE teacher would pick team captains. It was then the captains’ job to pick his/her team. I can remember the feeling that I would get when I would get picked. It felt good. Right? Do you remember the feeling of being picked? I do and I don’t ever want to forget that feeling.

That is the same feeling I got when God pick me to be on his team. You see, strong players are the backbone to every team.

But being on God’s team requires some responsibilities. Here’s my list:

Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor.

Ecc. 4:9

We have to work Together. When we work together, we can double our strength and get more done.

Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

Proverber 27:17

We have to have each other’s back. Being on God’s team is so special. It’s like checks and balances. We have someone watching our back. God will help us if we falter or lose sight of our goal, just like a good friendship. A good friend doesn’t always agree with you, what you do or what you say. A real friend is someone that is willing to challenge you, to be a better person. A team player encourages his teammates to be better players. Teamwork and friendship work in similar ways.

We have to work together. We all have something unique and special to offer God’s team. We must realize the gifts God has given to us through his love, together our team will have so many options and great advatages to share with others on our team.

We have to fill our spot. Teamwork relies on everyone knowing their position and fulfilling it.

We have to love our team mates. Teamwork requires a good foundation of truth and love. This is sustained by the forgiveness of God. We must follow God’s example and forgive each other. We also need to encourage others.

We have to be good communicators. I know that communication is key in any sport. I also know that communication is important when we are on God’s team. Prayer is the key to communication with our God.

To be an awesome team player, we don’t have to be extroverted or indulge in self-promotion. In fact, great team players have all kinds of personalities. All we really need is to be active, we need to participant and we need to play our role. To be an awesome team player, we need to put our teams objectives above our own and take the initiative to get things done without being asked. In the end, our team will win.

So what about being a team captain? Do you think that God assigns some of us to be “Team Captains” right along with him?

I do!

This verse provides the answers, and I love this verse:

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

John 15:16

The verse is very powerful, right? I mean read it again. These are words that Jesus said.

“I have chosen YOU”

It gives me the goosebumps to be honest with you.

So what do we need to become a team captain? Do you think that God makes us team captains? Oh, I think he does and I think that we need to know what it takes to be a good captain. Here are my thoughts:

Team captains are team leaders. When God assigns us to be a “Captain” we need to listen, communicate and respects those that are on our team. Being a Godly example is to what I’m referring.

Team captains think positive. Being optimistic really means to be hopeful of something good. When God puts us as “Captain” we need to motivate those around us by saying, “We can do this together”, “I will join you.” God doesn’t want our team to fail. Positive thinking enables us to perform at a level that we would never think would be possible.

Team captains pray for their team. God knows our skills, well in fact, God knows everything and we need to pray that God will direct us in everything, everyday. Team captains know what their teammates are capable of doing and not only prays for them, but also gives their teammates opportunities to succeed.

 Team captains understand that it takes a team to win. I know that it takes a team everyday to help me and my family. Right? Yes, I am thankful for those that pray for my family and I. I am also thankful that God listens to my prayers for those around me. It truly does take a whole team working together  to win our game called Life.

Team captains know their teammates skills. I am so glad that God knows the skills I am capable of doing. He knows yours as well.

Team captains knows their teammates personally. Being a “Captain” takes time. Time seems to go so quickly, but it is actually the most important gift we can give our team. Time. Yes sitting down in the quiet, praying and listening is always crucial. Taking time to get to know our teammates is important as well.

Team captains are mentors. This one is so important and like I started before it takes time. Mentoring will help win this game of life. Listening, giving affirmation,being a friend, loving, caring, giving Godly advice, tips and instructions is all you need to be a great mentor. God is a great mentor example for all of us.

Bottom line: team captains take responsibility to lead all of his/her teammates. If God assigns us to be a “Captain” then we need to make sure we are thinking and acting for the betterment of our whole team and not our own benefit.

The most important teammate that we can have on our team is God. He is THE “Team Captain.” In this game of “Life” we are all teammates. Some of us might be assigned to be a team captain, but we all have the same goal. Right?

When God calls each of us home, we all want to see his face at the end of our race. So why not help each other out? Well this week I am stepping up my game, I want to be a team captain. I want to be a better team player and I want to pick you for my team.

Will you join me? Because I just picked YOU to be on my team and you have some responsibilities to fill.

 

Happy Monday to you all.

 
Categories
A Sunday Thought God Godly Godly Traits Good attitude

God Confidence vs. Self Confidence

A Sunday Thought~God Confidence vs. Self Confidence

Learning the difference between God’s-Confidence vs Self-Confidence this week has really opened my eyes and my soul.

This week Cody and I have been talking about the difference in God-confidence and our self-confidence. It has been so good for me that I decided to share my thoughts with you all.

You see, I have been running my days on self confidence and I have decided that I am going to start running my days on God’s confidence.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.  Ephesians 2:10

So what is the difference?  How can we adjust ourselves?

Self Confidence is how we believe in ourselves and our abilities, it is basically how we think and feel about ourselves.  As I write this I find myself worrying about what others will say, or what they will think. Whenever I lack self-confidence like this, or become overly self-conscious, I freeze up. I’m afraid I’m not clever enough or interesting, and you won’t keep reading my post. This really is something that I work on everyday with my blog posts. I know that I am not the only one that experiences this paralyzing self-consciousness. Right?

This is how I see it, the root of our problem is FEAR. Fear of rejection, fear of loosing, fear of looking dumb, fear of what others think, fear of what other people think or fear about how other people feel about us. These fears cause us all to hesitate and not put ourselves out there.

But….

What about pride? Sometimes we are driven by pride, we become determined to prove ourselves to those around us. Right? This activity can cause us to accomplish a lot, but in the end the result is more about us and way less about God. Pride can be the cause of our low self image and that feeling bad for ourselves. Here’s an example:

When we can’t do something as well as we’d like, our pride can’t bear the thought of our “losing” or “not measuring up.” So we mope about our shortcomings and failures, and stop trying.

Sound familiar. O ya, I have found myself doing the above.

Well the good news is that we can change our focus. We can move from being so self-conscious (like worrying about what others might be thinking of us) to being more God-conscious (like focusing on what God wants in our lives and let him work on our imperfect morals to help those around us).

Discussing this with Cody, we decided that we are going to work on being more God confident. We made a list of our thoughts:

  1. When we are more God Confident, we can base our self-image on what God thinks of us. We know that God loves us, that he values us, that he will forgive us and that we have a purpose in life. What really matters is what God can do though our lives.
  2.  We need to ask God EVERYDAY to help us serve him in his purpose(s). God has a plan for each of us. We want to make sure that we are following that.
  3.  We are going to quit procrastinating. (THIS ONE IS GOING TO BE HARD FOR ME.) We know that we have important work to do before he comes again. We want to make sure that we are ready.
  4. We need to be grateful for all we have and we need to offer our thanks to him everyday.
  5. We decided to make an EVERYDAY conscious decision to trust that God will do good things through us. We know that having God confidence in ourselves will help those around us.

 

In the end, focusing on our selves will either keep us from getting to the work that God has planned for us to do, or will distract our motivation and messages by bringing glory to ourselves instead of God. If we focus on the one in the clouds, our confidence will soar and will motivate us to get the work that God has for each of us to do today.

Thanks for letting me share our thoughts today with you all. This is definitely something that I need to work on each and every day. I need more confidence in God’s work within myself. I get so tangled up in myself that it causes me to have anxiety and fear.

Today, will you make a stand with me?

Together let’s let our God-Confidence SHINE.

 

Happy Monday, Friends!!

 

 

Categories
Circle L Recipe Cooking Fun Fact Friday Rice Krispie

Rice Krispie Treats~Circle L Style

Rice Krispie Treats~Circle L Style

It is the beginning of the school year and you know what that means?

No, I am not talking about a squirt gun to get them out of bed in the morning!

I am talking about how hungry they are after school.

I am talking about being the “treat-mom”.

I happen to be a experiment baker when I was a kid. You could find me in the kitchen a lot and one day grandma suggested that I add milk and vanilla to my rice krispie treats. Just adding a little milk and vanilla made a huge difference. This recipe will change your way of thinking with rice krispie treats. It will make them oooey and gooey.

But wait, I also wanted to tell you about marshmallows.

I mean, I want to share with you all a few facts about marshmallows because you know they are made with a Beef by-product.

~Marshmallow was made from the mallow plant (Athaea officinalis) that grows wild in marshes. The term marshmallow was derived both from the native home of the plant and the plant name. Mallow is native to Asia and Europe and has been naturalized in America. The Egyptians squeezed sap from the mallow plant and mixed it with nuts and honey. However, no one knows what the candy looked like in those times.
~The French were introduced to marshmallow in the early to mid-1800s. Owners of small candy stores whipped sap from the mallow root into a fluffy candy mold. This time-consuming process was typically done by hand. Candy stores had a hard time keeping up with the demand. Candy makers started looking for a new process to make marshmallows and found the starch mogul system in the late 1800s. It allowed candy makers to create marshmallow molds made of modified cornstarch. At this same time, candy makers replaced the mallow root with gelatin and this created the marshmallow stable form.

~Marshmallows were introduced and popularized in the United States in the early 1900s, after the new manufacturing process was developed.
~In 1948, Alex Doumak revolutionized the process for manufacturing marshmallows. He created and patented the extrusion process. This process involves taking the marshmallow ingredients and running it through tubes. Afterwards, ingredients are cut into equal pieces and packaged. In the 1950s, marshmallows became extremely popular in the United States and were used in a variety of food recipes.  Marshmallow Facts

Now we all know about marshmallows, lets get it on with the recipe.

Rice Krispie Treats~Circle L Style

4 tablespoons of no-salt butter

16 Cups (that is 2 regular size Bags of Marshmallows)

2 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 tablespoons of milk

12 Cups of Rice Krispie Ceral

 

Instructions:

Slowly melt the butter in a large pan over low heat.

When the butter is melted, add the vanilla and the 12 cups of marshmallows. Slowly melt the marshmallows. Don’t forget to stir.

When the marshmallows are almost all melted, add the milk and the other 4 cups of marshmallows. (It will be a little lumpy and that is ok) Turn off heat. Stir tell smooth.

Add the Rice Krispie ceral. Coating it all the melted marshmallows.

Dump into 2 – 8×11 greased pan or use parchment paper or if you want them really to be thick, dump it all into the pan!! 🙂

Allow to fully cool before cutting. (Umm, this never happens at our place)

I have also added M & M’s, colored sugar, nuts and/or chocolate chips to these. Or I have melted milk chocolate chips and poured over the top. They are good.

 

Try them and let me know what your family thinks!!

Categories
A Sunday Thought Amen bible Quilt Sewing

4 Simple Ways to Sew A Life Quilt

Reata and Mama Reata and Mama made this quilt for fair.

4 Simple Ways to Sew a Life Quilt

Have you caught the life quilting bug?

Do you have a life quilt started but you haven’t finished it yet? Do you have more than one life quilt?

What have you included in your Life Quilt? Memories? Stories? Photos?

These thoughts I have had this past week.  LIFE’S QUILTS. I began to think about my life quilt and what I need to finish it. I have a ways to go but I wanted to share with you all some Sunday Thoughts. You see I know that we all need the comfort of a quilt, maybe not everyday, but we do need it. 

If you have the itch to stitch your life quilt, check out these 5 Simple Ways to Sew a Life Quilt.

1. WE GET TO CHOOSE OUR OWN LIFE QUILT PATTERN(S).

The good news about starting your life quilt is that we get to choose how we will make it. We get to choose what we put into our own quilt(s). We get to choose what we put into our quilts. Love, Care, Time and Memories are just a few things that I want to be putting into my own quilt. 

You see, our life quilts are special.

Our life quilts are unique.

What kind of quilt are you making in life? Does it include Godly things? Does it include good memories? Does it include all your life events? 

Our life quilt fabric can be made up of large pieces and/or small pieces of our lives. God is here to make it easier to have an accurately pieced block for our life quilts. With his help we have less room for error.

2. CHOOSE QUILT PATTERNS THAT USE SQUARES AND RECTANGLES.

Squares and rectangles you say?

What I mean is that when we are sewing our life quilt, if we use squares and rectangles then our life quilt will be easier to sew. So what does a life square or rectangles look like?

Lifes squares and rectangles fit together perfectly. They make each day better. Some of my lifes squares and rectagles are my friends and my family that help me out each day. They lift me up and give me blocks to make my quilt look amazing.

Out quilt patterns put together with square and rectangle pieces are not only easier to sew but they make our quilts look amazing. 

3. CHOOSE LIFE QUILT PATTERNS MADE WITH PRE-CUTS.

You understand what I am saying about pre-cuts?

Pre-cuts are all ready cut and packaged fabrics cut into a variety of measurements and sizes. So in our life quilt God has pre-cuts all ready for us, we just have to ask him for them. This is so good, I mean where else can you find your life quilt blocks already to go? I know that God has our quilts blocks ready to go, we just need to be willing to pick them up.  

4. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS.

The tools you need for a life quilt include but not limited to:

The Bible

Prayer

Friends and Family

Faith

Life’s Thread

These are just a few tools that you need to make your life quilt. What can you add to my list?

 

Our life quilt is made to comfort us and protect us. The Bible tells us this:

 

Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he  might know your estate, and comfront your hearts; 

Colossians 4:8

I am going to leave you all with a few lines about our life quilts. 

The more we put into a life quilt the better.

When life gives us scraps, lets make a quilt together.

Sewing our life quilts, mends our souls.

Just make your life quilt with one stitch at a time.  Some days we might have to unstitch our blocks that we have sewed together because of life’s mistakes and that is ok. 

Happy Monday, dear Friends!!

 

 

Categories
#beefmeet

Cowboy Boots Go to the City

Cowboy Boots Go to the City

Young Cattlemen’s Conference 2017

YCC 2017

By Naomi Loomis, Circle L Ranch

Featured in the National Cattlemen’s Newsletter.

“Raising beef is my job and sometimes in our business we don’t realize just how big the Ag industry really is. This opportunity really opened by eyes about pasture to plate. I learned about all the different segments of the beef industry, from the cow-calf operation to the feed yard, and ultimately the harvest.”

Sixty other potential agriculture leaders and myself from across the country attended the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association 2017 Young Cattlemen’s Conference (YCC) to gain more leadership skills and expose us to all aspects of the beef industry.

 

My class and I began at the NCBA headquarters in Denver, Colo., we got an inside look at many of the issues affecting the beef industry, we got an comprehensive overview of the current cattle market and emerging trends from Cattle Fax Senior Analyst, Kevin Good, we did personality testing and we heard from Safeway and Cargill representatives about the power of meat. “It’s not just moms that are going to the grocery store now. Our consumers are not traditional anymore and we need to make sure that they all understand how safe and nutritious that beef is, said Steven Campbell. We all have a story that the consumer wants to hear.

 

While in Denver, we were given an organizational overview of NCBA and the Beef Checkoff Program. NCBA’s vision was my go to statement during my trip. I realized that myself and our YCC class really have some work to be done and it started when we arrived in Denver. “To be the trusted leader and definitive voice of the beef industry.” We then had a great opportunity of touring the JBS Greeley packing and processing plant and the JBS Five Rivers Kuner feedyard, one of the largest feedlot in the nation. We ended our seconded day with a tour and supper at Greeley Hat Works.

 

From Denver on our way to Chicago, we received a first-hand account of the retail perspective of the beef business in Safeway and Albertsons stores. In Chicago, we ate famous Chicago pizza and took in the lights of the city from the Hancock building. While in there we also visited McDonald’s Campus and OSI, one of the nation’s premiere beef patty producers. It is at Chicago that I learned about the Uber App. We just don’t have that luxury in Western Nebraska. After our brief stop in Chicago, we made our way to Washington, D.C., for an in-depth briefing on current policy issues including international trade and increasing environmental regulations.

 

Following the issues update, we were given an awesome opportunity to visit one-on-one with our state’s congressional delegation; we got to express our viewpoints regarding the beef industry and our own cattle operations. John Deere then hosted a reception for us at the NCBA DC roof top office.

 

The Young Cattlemen’s Conference (YCC) provided me with a platform to become a better Ag leader in the beef industry. This conference not only helped me with my leadership skills but I also gained some new lifetime friends. Our involvement in the Ag community is so important for our industry’s policy making, research, education and marketing. “As a beef producer, I thought I knew everything from pasture to plate until I sat down with the executives from McDonald’s. Then I realized that I didn’t fully understand how much influence is on the beef industry from the hamburger side. Another huge moment for me was when I walked on Capitol Hill, and started talking with our Congressmen, Congresswomen and our Senators who ultimately influence the laws that dictate how we run cattle on our own ranch.” I would like to give a sincere thank you to the Nebraska Cattlemen for giving me the opportunity to go on the YCC trip this year!

“Participating in the 2017 Young Cattlemen’s Conference on behalf of McDonald’s further strengthened my appreciation for the work that America’s farmers and ranchers do to feed our country and care for their land, animals and communities. Meeting ranchers from across the country, I learned a great deal about the vast diversity of systems and types of ranches producing beef in the U.S. I’m truly grateful for these new relationships and the experience overall. As McDonald’s works with the industry for continuous improvement in beef sustainability the perspectives of leading producers like my YCC classmates will help us shape our strategies.”~ Townsend Bailey, Director, Supply Chain Sustainability | McDonald’s USA, LLC

“I am calling YCC my beef boot camp. I cannot think of a better introduction to the agricultural and cattle community. While I’ve learned more in the past ten days than I ever could of anticipated, the friendships with producers are the most valuable things I’ll take away from this experience.” ~Ben Petuchowski, Denver, Co. formerly of Los Angeles, CA

“As I watched the YCC class of 2017. I learned so much about the future of the cattle industry. I enjoyed talking to the producers, feeders, and cattle traders. I have never met such a great group of individuals which invited me to dinners, tours and meetings to learn about the industry which I love.”~Steven Pozzi, Petaluma, CA NCBA Intern

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