Dateline: April 7, 2005

Beef Council's program has flare of Clarendon

Twenty of the state’s top dietitians and nutrition thought leaders experienced ranching from a personal level with a Clarendon flare in a first-of-its-kind program hosted by the Texas Beef Council March 23-25 in the Texas Panhandle. 

The three-day event included scientific sessions, chef demonstrations, and beef industry presentations that emphasized beef’s culinary and nutritional strengths. The beef checkoff hopes the dietitians will return home with new information to use in advising consumers about beef’s nutritional benefits as well as a renewed appreciation for individuals and families who produce beef on America’s ranches.  

“The beef industry is committed to providing a wholesome, nutritious food and to communicating accurate information about beef’s nutritional qualities and role in a healthful diet,” said Dr. Shalene McNeill, TBC’s senior nutrition communications manager.  “The Texas beef checkoff hosted this meeting to communicate this commitment to 20 of Texas’ top registered dietitian thought leaders.”

The meeting, titled “The Ranch:  An Insider’s View of the Beef Industry,” included visits to the historic JA Ranch at Clarendon. Jay O’Brien of Amarillo, managing partner in the JA’s cattle and ranch operations and vice chairman of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, provided a backgrounder on the beef industry. 

The participants also visited Randall County Feedyard, a division of Friona Industries, located near Amarillo, and the Texas Cattle Feeders Association headquarters in Amarillo.  In addition, the participants interacted in seminars that discussed beef’s nutritional profile and examined emerging nutrition research.

Chef Richard Chamberlain of Dallas, co-author of a lean beef cookbook expected to be published this fall with the American Dietetic Association, demonstrated new ways of preparing healthful, nutrient-rich beef. 

The participants also enjoyed beef dinners prepared by chuck-wagon cook Tom Perini of Buffalo Gap and local culinary celebrity Becky McKinley in the homes of Texas Panhandle ranching families. McKinley is the daughter of Dr. Charles and Francis Deyhle of Clarendon.

TBC’s program is part of the Texas beef checkoff’s ongoing efforts to keep the state’s dietitians informed of changing nutritional information concerning beef.  This latest seminar will help the beef industry get its message across in multiple ways.

“The information the dietitians received will enhance their confidence in beef,” she said.  “This confidence will help them reinforce beef’s positive nutrition contributions to their peers, motivate them to recommend beef to their clients, and remind them to bring up beef’s benefits when they talk to media.”