Hey, hey, did you know? 

“Hey, hey, Mom. Did you know that squids live in the ocean?”

“Hey, Mom! Did you know that my name starts with ‘C’ and so does Cassidy’s?”

“Hey, Mom! Did you know plants make their own food?”

This is a daily occurrence at my house, where my 4-year-old son is ever so eager to learn. Whether it’s coming home from preschool or from a tractor ride with his dad, he’s always got some new nugget of information to share.

One of these days I need to grab my video camera and capture that excitement, because I suppose it won’t always be that way.

But then again, maybe if he’s lucky, it will. I still get that way when I get to interview a scientist or rancher who teaches me something or gives me new perspective. That’s probably why I always get excited for our Feeding Quality Forum, a meeting we (along with Pfizer, Feedlot Magazine and Purina-Land O’Lakes) have been hosting for six years.

When we started it there was a void, no real place to gather up the great minds in the cattle feeding business to talk quality beef production. Now, we feature folks like market analyst Dan Basse or Shawn Walter of Professional Cattle Consultants. Sometimes we have packers, sometimes researchers, veterinarians or economists.

Last year I learned things like high corn prices might encourage MORE days on feed and that camera-called marbling scores help with consistency in the box. And of course there was much, much more that we covered in stories like this or this.

Maybe you won’t quite get giddy with excitement over everything you learn, but if getting good solid market information, looking at the broader ag industry and diving in to what’s under the hide would make you feel better informed then I’d suggest you check it out.

This year’s meetings are set for Aug. 28 in Grand Island, Neb., and Aug. 30 in Amarillo, Tex. For all the details or to register, check out this web page.

And hey, who knows, maybe you’ll come home saying, “Hey, hey, honey…did you know..?”

I admit it, I’m still guilty of that sometimes, too.

May your bottom line be filled with black ink,

~Miranda

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