In today’s Beef Buzz, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Sigrid Johannes about the Make Our Children Healthy Again strategy released by the Make America Healthy Again Commission. Johannes opened by calling the report “an incredible culmination of many months of effort, not just at HHS, but at USDA as well.” She emphasized the partnership the document reflects and highlighted a “continued emphasis on fresh, whole, unprocessed food” as “a fantastic win for the beef industry,” since beef delivers “fresh, nutrient-dense protein that also happens to be the highest quality and most delicious beef in the world.”
She acknowledged her earlier skepticism but said the report surpassed expectations. “I think this is, by far, their most scientifically grounded, their most fact driven, and frankly, their strongest argument for everyday Americans who want to get back to eating whole unprocessed foods.” Johannes tied this to broader public health goals, noting beef’s role as “a nutrient dense source of protein and 11 other essential vitamins and minerals.”
Johannes also stressed the diversity of beef options, pointing out that “we have more than 30 cuts of retail beef at the grocery store that meet USDA definition for Lean.” She said the commission’s work has given the industry an opportunity “to showcase the really wide range of products that we offer in the beef industry no matter what your concern is, or no matter what your preference is.”
When asked about the 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans- Johannes says the report released this week did not include the highly anticipated Guidelines. However, she noted the report “certainly teases some educational campaigns to again, prioritize that whole unprocessed food, those healthy proteins, that healthy red meat, those fruits and vegetables.” Final guidelines are expected “sometime, either just before or in early December.”
Johannes expressed optimism: “I have to be honest again, I was as skeptical as anybody else, but the incredibly productive dialog that we’ve had with the Trump administration on nutrition issues” has built her confidence. She explained that when the beef industry presents “the science, when we show the facts and we show our work, they’re listening and they’re responding to that.”
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
