Why I Rarely, If Ever, Defriend People on Facebook

The number of ‘friends’ I have on Facebook is no longer border-line ridiculous. It's full-on crazy. I crossed that line many moons ago when people whom I’ve never met started requesting to be my friend because they read one of my columns in an ag mag somewhere. Seriously, who in their right mind has ~2,200 ‘friends’ and actually talks to more than 50? 100? Not me. Sorry, outsider 2,100 but we just really aren’t connecting as well as we used to in the days of old.

However, I refuse to defriend 2,100 people based on the fact that we no longer talk (did we ever start?). Why? Well, in my line of work, issues and reputation management, the things I share on my Facebook wall have the potential to impact my non-ag, urban peers in a way that can give them insight into the agriculture industry.

For example, this appeared in my timeline yesterday. Holly is a girl who came to some of our house parties during undergrad at K-State. I think she might have been related to my roommate also, but I can’t recall. I haven’t talked to Holly in at least six years, possibly more. But when I saw this, I knew I had to say something. Jamie Oliver has smeared the name of lean, finely textured beef perhaps more than Jim Avila, ABC and Diane Sawyer did in their crusade. So, I politely gave Holly more info on lean, finely textured beef and its production process via a link from a foodinsight.org, a public information website about food.

Holly may or may not reply and she may or may not look at that link. But Holly’s 700 friends are now ALL able to see that link and hopefully one or two or 12 of them will click and learn about how safe lean, finely textured beef is for consumers. It’s 100% beef!

Urban consumers aren’t the only ones that my posts target. You’d be surprised at how many people from Anderson County, Kansas (my home base which is EXTREMELY agriculturally oriented) grew up in ag families and showed livestock but say things like “I don’t want to buy beef that has been given hormones.” That happened to me at lunch, in that small ag community in southeast Kansas, and my jaw literally dropped – I wasn’t expecting that reaction from that individual. Le-sigh.

So, while my newsfeed is constantly filled with baby pictures of children whose parents I long ago stopped talking to, rad status updates from friends of ex-boyfriends and, probably the most confusing, wedding pictures of young women who’ve married and changed their names leaving me with no idea who they are, I will forge on with my ag promoting, sarcasm-touting Facebook practices because you never know who might be reading or who you might reach with the right info.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

What's in That Chicken McNugget?

 photo from here

I've been asked this question before on the blog - most recently in a comment from this post. And I've always forgotten to answer it; sorry, I'm not perfect and sometimes I forget. But McDonald's of Canada has stepped up to the plate and become completely transparent in regards to what is in their products. They have recently invited their customers to pose their questions online at Our Food. Your Questions. and boy are the inquiries rolling in.

Some of the more popular questions are - my synopsis is in italics, but to read the word-for-word detailed answers, visit the website.

-- How is it that a McDonald's burger does not rot? Too dry; not enough moisture for bacteria/mold.
-- Does Canada use pink slime? (which I hate saying but that is verbatim - the actual term is lean, finely textured beef) No.
-- Does your egg McMuffin use real eggs? Yes - a freshly cracked egg for every sandwich.
-- Inside the McNugget, is it actually the meat of the chicken or cut offs that nobody would actually want to eat? Answer (verbatim): It's definitely chicken inside our McNuggets. We use seasoned chicken breast and a few seasonings, along with a natural proportion of skin for flavour and as a binder.

I hope that clears up any misconceptions about random chicken parts.

 One of my faves is, "Would you live in the life of one of your cows for even a week?" That'll make you take a deep breath! McDonald's has yet to answer that one but you can see the answers to the above questions and more by following the link to the Your Questions website.

I applaud McDonald's for taking this approach to helping consumers make connections between their food and the way it's produced/prepared. You should definitely go over and look at some of the other questions being posed and maybe even ask one of your own.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

I Love McDonald's

For several reasons.

While in Australia, I ate a lot of McDonald's food. Not because I had cravings or anything (read: Buzzard is not pregnant) but because I generally didn't like the food in Australia (too many veggies and far too much lamb) so I took a lot of long walks to McD's (known as Macca's) for some world famous fries and 100% Australian beef (that's a topic for later discussion).

Australia's McDonald's did a great job reaching out to consumers and putting a face to their beef and potato producers. In fact, one of my first blog posts after arriving in Australia was about their great agvocacy on packaging.

That's why I'm super excited about the latest marketing campaign by U.S. McDonald's: commercials featuring beef, lettuce and potato producers for the chain. Steve Fogelsong, former NCBA President, is featured in the beef video and throughout the video he talks about passion, having experience and occasionally getting your "butt kicked." He also touches on the quality standards for McDonald's and states that "you can't get great taste without great quality."

In the other two videos, the producers talk about the hard work that goes into farming and how they are continuing a family farm for the 4th generation. The story about how iceberg lettuce got its name also comes up - you learn something everyday!

This is such a fantastic initiative and I am thrilled that McDonald's has stepped up to the plate to make the connection from farm to fork. Obviously, they are doing it for their own accord but the ripple effect that it could have for agriculture is monumental.

So for your viewing pleasure, here are the beef, potato and lettuce videos that are creating a firestorm of buzz among agriculturalists. I hope you enjoy them and share them with your friend!




Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Herds of Hope

As I've mentioned on another blog, I've been working as a livestock assistant at the Royal Melbourne Show for the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria. Thus far, I've scooped a lot of manure and answered the phone. It hasn't been too strenuous.

The breeding cattle show has been going on all week, so we've been fielding frantic phone calls, setting up panels, taking down panels, preparing exhibitor packets, shoveling manure etc. While doing some paperwork stuff I found a informational pamphlet for Herds of Hope.
Herds of Hope is a fundraising initiative for the Ronald McDonald House (RMHC) in Australia. If an exhibitor chooses to do so, the proceeds of selling her show steer or lamb will be donated directly to the RMHC. The program started in December 2010 so it's fairly new but has been utilized at quite a few shows in Australia. Charities like RMHC usually focus on collections in urban areas but this is a great way to reach out to rural populations and get them involved.

Additionally, Herds of Hope is sponsored by the Australian Beef Industry Foundation, Cargill Beef Australia, Elders Rural Services, MAC, Allflex Australia, Rural Press and McDonald’s. So not only can individuals get involved, but larger corporations are also stretching their financial legs and stepping up to the plate.

The important thing to point out here is that the livestock showing industry is not even in the same universe as the United States show industry. For example, a fellow livestock assistant was bragging about how, last year, the top steer sold for $7,000 at the sale. Now, I am not turning my nose up at $7,000 because I'm a broke, newly married grad student in another country living off of a stipend. However, $7,000 is just a drop in the bucket compared to how much money the champion steer at the National Western Stock Show would bring. Hell, the Grand Champion Barrow at the Ohio State Fair brought $41,000. Can you imagine how much money would be raised for charities if each exhibitor pledged just 1% of their sale income?

Before you start criticizing me for recommending that 4-H kids donate their hard earned cash willy nilly, remember that I showed for 13 years, so I know the gratification of a sale check. I understand that livestock are expensive to buy, care for, groom and feed. Throw that in the mix with the cost of traveling to shows, entry fees, hotels and food - it's not a cheap hobby.

I think that Herds of Hope is a great program here in Australia and that a similar program in the states could be very successful. Does anyone know of a similar program that I've accidentally overlooked?
Just some food for thought.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

p.s. - in case you were wondering, that's a Murray Grey bull on that poster. They're one of my favorite breeds of cattle, btw.

How Ronald Scratched Angus' Back

'You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours' is an adage used in many business settings today. The thought that entities could be mutually beneficial to one another has caught on quick in today's society. Just take a look at McDonald's and the Angus breed. Today I was in McDonald's for a quick burger before heading home on the train and noticed the sign for the Grand Angus burger - sounds delicious right? That's the point.

The Australian Grand Angus burger

Across the U.S. and now Australia, Angus has become the breed of cattle that society associates with hamburgers. This bodes well for both parties - McDonald's Australia experienced sales up to 400% greater than forecasts after the launch of their Angus line. In the U.S., the Angus burger accounted for a 2.2% increase in sales after the introduction of the premium burger line. On the cattle side, consumers around the world are now putting a 'face to the name' in terms of knowing where their food comes from. The Angus breed is getting a lot of face time with the new line of fancier burgers. Think about it: consumers see the Angus brand name flashed across their screen during a McDonald's commercial and hopefully their interest sparks in the beef industry. They do a little bit of fact finding to learn more about beef production, discover that farmers and ranchers take utmost pride in the care of their livestock and BAM!, a beef industry supporter is unveiled.

Think about what the impacts on other livestock industries could be if other restaurants were to brand their products with breed names. Famous Daves could introduce Berkshire Gold pulled pork sandwiches and what if Nando's marketed Dorset kebabs? Oh, the publicity those breeds would get! Instead of talking about the changing climate or the kids, commuters might be overheard "Wanna do lunch today? I've been dying to try a Berk Bun!"

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~