The month of May in Indiana means racing at the world?s most famous track, but here and across the country it is also Beef Month. Hoosier beef producers encourage you to celebrate.
?I think that everyone needs to fire up the grill and pick their favorite steak and put that thing on the grill tonight. That would be a great way of celebrating,? said Joe Moore, Executive Vice President of the Indiana Beef Cattle Association. He tells HAT May is an important seasonal kickoff for the beef industry.
?Beef is, I always call it a seasonal commodity. During the winter we sell roasts and during the summer we sell steaks, and our summer grilling season actually officially kicks off Memorial Day weekend. So it?s huge for us.?
Moore says cattlemen and women are producers of a nutritional powerhouse.
?Beef is the number one source for protein, zinc and vitamin B12 in the United States,? he said. ?Comparatively speaking a 3-ounce portion of lean beef is about 154 calories, and to get the same amount of zinc you would have to eat about 2,300 worth of salmon. To get the same amount of B12 you would have to eat over 1,000 calories worth of chicken breasts. To get the same 25 grams of protein you?d have to eat almost 700 calories worth of peanut butter, or 400 calories worth of black beans.?
In Indiana the beef industry is on the smaller side compared to other commodities. Moore says smaller, but not insignificant.
?We have over 17,000 premises registered with the Board of Animal Health as having beef cattle on them, in the state. There?s over 800,000 head of cattle in the state of Indiana,? he added, ?and that includes dairy as well.?
Beef is not only the nutritional powerhouse, but as with all of agriculture, it?s good for Indiana?s economy. Thousands of people play a role in bringing beef from pasture to
Plate, from the actual cattle producers to feed and equipment dealers and food marketers.
Moore adds, ?We are fortunate in Indiana to have such outstanding beef producers and allied industry partners who work together to provide the safest and highest quality beef products available anywhere for the consumer.?
