Illinois Farm Families Blog

You may have heard that names of meat are getting an overhaul.  Pork products will see the most changes.  This came about by a lot of research by the pork producers, beef producers, and the USDA that showed that consumers were confused by names in the meat case.  I’d agree.  While most of the meat I buy comes from my freezer, I do sometimes meander through the meat case when there is a sale.  I have a trophy somewhere in my house that proves that I should be an expert at deciphering meats, but even I get confused, so let me give you the simple rundown.

The new labels will give:

1. A name – “Porterhouse Chop”
2. A species and area on the animal where the cut comes from
3. How to Cook it

To me, the names are still semi-confusing, but the part that should help consumers (myself included) are the area where the meat cut comes from and how to cook it.  If it comes from the loin, the muscles running along the spine of either a cow or pig, it is going to be a tender cut, and you can grill it.

Think about it – what muscles get the most use in any mammal?  Legs, shoulders – anything that moves.  Muscles that move a lot tend to get hard and therefore, as meat, are tough.  That is where your shoulder or chuck roasts and ham or round roasts come from.  These cuts should be cooked low and slow (crock-pot, roasting, etc.).  Anything that doesn’t get a lot of “work” (back and stomach), should be tender meats that can be grilled, broiled, etc.

Clear as mud?  

Maybe so, but check out the meat case, and if you have questions, don’t be afraid to ask the person behind the meat counter – they are usually pretty knowledgeable.  I do, and I was even on a Meats Judging Team! Tonite’s supper (as with a lot this time of year with everyone busy in the fields) is crockpot-fare:  Korean Beef Short Ribs

Carrie Pollard, Rockford

Ask me about farming, and my face might momentarily look like a TV screen test.

Let’s just say my basic knowledge of tilling the soil and raising livestock is limited to Old MacDonald, the Amish, and bottle-feeding calves on childhood petting farm field trips. But as a parent, I feel it’s my responsibility to pay more attention – to learn about the origins of the foods my family eats, and the processes that raise/grow/harvest them.

The flagship Field Mom program focuses on sharing that farm-to-family information with an open door policy. A hand-picked group of 10 Chicago-area moms have been given the opportunity to visit working Illinois farms and meet the folks who run them with the expectation that what we learn will be shared through social media.

Who knew that a lot of the food I cook up and feed my children was coming from just a few counties over?

What awaited me next was an amazing learnathon:

• “Prime,” “Choice” and “Select” refer to meat grades from highest to lowest
• Marbling - the fat in your steak - is monounsaturated, which is actually good for you
• “USDA-inspected labels on beef can be misleading - all beef has to be USDA-inspected
• The term “grass-fed beef” is also misleading – at some point all cows are fed grass and/or roam in pastures
• More than 98% of cattle on feed in the U.S. are given hormones to aid their growth and strength
• You would have to eat 2,900 lbs. of implanted steer to equal the amount of hormones in birth control pills (example: Beef from a steer treated with estrogen contains 1.9 nanongrams – a billionth of a gram – while a girl prior to puberty has 54,000 nanograms of estrogen naturally occurring in her system)
• Nutrition wise, there is no difference between organic beef and "traditional" beef
• Antibiotics pass through cattle before they even go to market
• Market Day Ranch Steaks (we order ‘em every month) come from a packing plant in nearby Aurora – and some of the Martz cattle
• Farmers are eating the same beef we are at home
• A dedicated cattle nutritionist creates a very specific feed recipe for the cows
• Farmers and veterinarians are working to reduce antibiotic use in cattle by focusing on good nutrition and the use of vaccines in comprehensive preconditioning programs (before they get big enough for us to eat)
• A “squeeze” machine developed by Dr. Temple Grandin is used to keep cattle stress free
• One ear of corn can tell a farmer what to expect in terms of yields for the year
• Combines on the farm can harvest 12 rows of corn at one time (some combines can harvest 18!) and hold up to 25,000 lbs. of corn

Stay tuned as I learn and share more about the anything-but-slow-paced farm life.

Pilar Clark
Lisle, Illinois