Agricultural News
Dr. Tryon Wickersham Urges Cattle Producers to Tell the Positive Story of Beef to Consumers
Tue, 03 Aug 2021 12:53:25 CDT
Dr. Tryon Wickersham says the valuable role of cattle of being able to eat forages that we can't consume- and turn it into a high quality, delicious meat protein is called "upcycling." He told Radaio Oklahoma Ag Network Associate Farm Director KC Sheperd that cattle play a valuable role in society- "in terms of taking inedible feedstuffs like grasses, and byproducts like distillers grains and cotton byproducts and converting them to products that humans want to consume like hamburgers, steaks, roasts" which contribute to human health and well being.
Wickersham, an Associate Professor in the Animal Sciences Department at Texas A&M University adds that cattle "really fulfill this unique niche that pigs and chickens can't in terms of our food supply."
Wickersham addressed Upcycling and Sustainability at the recent Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association Convention and talked afterwards with Sheperd about not just upcycling but also the reason that cattle producers need to tell the positive story of beef in human nutrition because letting others tell the story opens the door to trouble. "I think other people who tell our story often have an agenda, which could be detrimental to beef producers."
He adds that sustainability is the right thing to do- but it's also good for the economic bottom line of cattle operations. Producers who want to learn how to improve the efficiency of their cattle operations are often also making their cattle more sustainable.
Sheperd also asked Dr. Wickersham about the nutritional story that beef producers should be telling. He says that beef has esstential amino acids, iron, zinc and vitamins- and with this complete protein profile allows consumers here and overseas to be able to meet many of their nutritional needs by consuming fewer calories.
Click on the LISTEN BAR below to hear KC and Dr. Wickersham on this edition of the Beef Buzz.
Dr. Wickersham has presented his ideas about upcycling around the country- including at the 2020 Cattlemen's College, where Ron Hays caught up with him- you can hear their conversation from then by clicking here.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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