Quality plans

From writing to herd breeding strategies, this former intern is following his dreams

I sometimes joke that I don’t have to know that much, I just have to know which smart people to interview.

But anybody who has ever written about thiazolidinendione or single-nucleotide polymorphisms knows that’s not entirely true. You have to be able to understand and explain in a way that relates to the audience.

When it comes to genetic selection or health programs or weaning strategies, it helps to know what you’re talking about. For Wyatt Bechtel, associate editor for Beef Today and Dairy Today, it helps to have lived it.

Wyatt grew up near Eureka, Kan., where his family’s primary cattle business is running stocker cattle. That’s where he first uncovered a passion for the industry, which he continued to develop through an agriculture communications and journalism degree at Kansas State University. That’s where we met Wyatt, who interned for us in the summer of 2011.

“I always wanted to work for a beef magazine and getting to work for Certified Angus Beef, that really cemented that’s where I wanted to go,” he says, noting that the 1,400+ mile road trip he took with Steve that summer made a lasting impression.

They visited both commercial ranches, seedstock operations and feedlots on a whirlwind 3-day tour through western Kansas, and the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandle regions.

“That really just brought everything full circle for me,” he said. “It was right when the drought was really starting and that’s something that really had an impact with me.”

He saw how producers were coping, something he and his family would have to do as the drought continued.

Wyatt also enjoyed learning about less familiar parts of beef production, like he did when he wrote, “BIG, BAM boost beef demand.”

“It was an area that I wasn’t as well-versed in, the meat science side, so I got to learn a lot more and got to interact with some people I normally wouldn’t,” he says.

Wyatt 2 — This photo from the King Ranch Institute’s Facebook page shows Wyatt in action, reporting from there earlier this year.

Today, Wyatt is not only writing, but also doing video, editing and providing social media content via Beef Today’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.

It still helps to draw on experience from his “weekend gig.” He helped run more than 3,000 head of stocker cattle this summer and he is part-owner in the 80-head commercial cowherd, making most of the breeding decisions. And as Steve often says of his own cowherd, visiting with ranchers and other experts gives him ideas there, too.

Wyatt and his family sell calves through the salebarn two or three months after weaning, but he when choosing sires he still sets strict minimums for $B, weaning weight and marbling.

After the internship, Wyatt says he started to place even more emphasis on carcass traits. “I knew what I wanted before, but it helped reinforce which direction I wanted to go. I’ve been getting more of a quality focus on our herd.”

Of course, we consider this a successful internship in more ways than one!

May your bottom line be filled with black ink,

Miranda

PS—To catch up with former interns who are now lawyers, researchers, editors and more, check out our entire Throwback Thursday, Intern Edition thread.

Big possibilities

An immunobiologist and an agricultural market analyst. When you ask the typical ag communications major what their dream job would be, I’d almost guarantee neither of those will come up in the discussion.

That is unless you’re talking to two of our former interns, both ag communications graduates from Kansas State University, who added other experiences and more education to their resumes before landing where they are today.

LanceLawson — Lance has added more than just a master’s and new career path since he left CAB. Here the former intern, turned CAB employee is pictured with his son Lawson.

“I knew I wanted to work with cattle producers and help them be more successful,” says Lance Zimmerman, analyst with CattleFax in Denver, Colo. His career goals were shaped from early experiences on his family’s diversified, central Kansas farm, along with FFA experience (including a year as a state officer).

“Producer education in the beef industry has always been an overriding theme,” he says. That’s what led him to get an ag communications and journalism degree, and apply for the Certified Angus Beef LLC writing internship along the way.

Susie Knetter is one of many who are glad he did. A couple years Lance’s junior, Susie followed in his footsteps after she heard about the opportunity from him.

“He was an excellent mentor at CAB and beyond, and his passion for the industry drew me in,” she says. That, along with encouragement from a professor and meeting Larry Corah in person, cemented it for her: “I knew there couldn’t be a better internship in Manhattan for someone interested in communications and the Angus business.”

Both she and Lance remember the assignments, the quaint Kansas office, the edits, deep conversations with Steve, but especially the stories they got to tell.

Lance still greets cattleman Mike Kasten at industry events even though nearly a decade has passed since Lance visited his Millersville, Mo., farm as a student worker. Mike’s attention to carcass and performance information when trying to improve both steers and heifers really stuck with Lance.

“It really helped me gain an appreciation for how a producer could utilize data to make more profitable operating decisions,” he says.

Susie wishes everyone would have a chance to meet the 2005 CAB Quality Assurance Officer of the Year Jerry Jackson.

“After talking with Jerry and others, it became clear that he was one of the most conscientious, positive guys you could meet. He knew genetic and health details on each pen of cattle, and had a vision for how to best market them. It was a great example of someone who truly cares about the feedyard cattle, and making sure they were well cared for,” she says.

So how does one go from interviewing and photographing cattle feeders to spending hours in the lab and barns doing swine vaccine research?

One day while Susie was visiting with her master’s advisor, it hit her:

“I loved connecting scientific knowledge with the impact it could have on a producer’s bottom line,” she says, noting that animal health connected welfare, economics and management. “I wanted to be a part of that on the science side, and research ways to improve production efficiency through animal health.”

This spring she graduated with her Ph.D. in immunobiology and now works for Merck Animal Health.

Lance’s path to CattleFax was a little less direct and involved two different full-time positions with CAB before he decided to pursue an ag economics master’s degree at K-State.

Just because he’s a “numbers guy” now, it doesn’t mean that Lance doesn’t value his experience with words.

Typically he’s trying to convey a lot of numbers and data in very short articles. “That doesn’t lessen the need for somebody to be a good writer, it heightens it,” he says.

And as happy as they were with their internship, we must say the feeling is mutual. We’re glad that this economist and scientist both decided to first share their talents as journalist with us.

May your bottom line be filled with black ink,

Miranda

PS—Want to know what Emily, Julie and Chelsea are up to? Read the back issues in this month’s Throwback Thursday series.

Know an aspiring writer and livestock enthusiast? Encourage them to apply for our Industry Information Internship here. The application deadline is Nov. 25!

Learning on the job

Growing up in agriculture is a good foundation, to be sure, but it doesn’t mean you know everything. Some of the most successful people in the business realize this and seize the opportunity to build on that base.

When Julie Vrazel stepped out at the 22,000-head Dumas Feedyard as our industry information intern in 2010, she knew she was out of her element.

“I told him straight up at the beginning of the interview, the feedyard was not my forte, but I was learning with the job, so forgive me if I ask a dumb question,” Julie recalls. Today, George Foote Jr. is still one of her favorite interviews because, “He went right along with it and gave me extra information.”

I’d wager that Chelsea Good, our 2007-08 schoolterm intern, knew more about CAB coming into the experience than any other candidate. (She says that was a combination of her background–Grandpa Fred Good was an Angus breeder—her judging team experience and some time spent researching ahead of the application). Yet she still says she had much to learn, too.

C. Good headshot — Chelsea Good worked in the Manhattan, Kan., office while she attended Kansas State University. Today she’s just down the road, based out of Kansas City, Mo.

Every intern reports that talking with producers is a highlight, but for Chelsea finding out more about the end product really gave her a new appreciation for the business. She specifically remembers chatting with Garry Lawson of Macgregors Meat & Seafood. “He told me, ‘Beef is pricey, so if beef is pricey it’s got to be perfect.’ That’s really stuck with me.”

I didn’t coach her to give that answer. Honest.

Both ladies have since graduated from their undergraduates, gone on to further education and become standouts in their chosen professions, taking with them skills they’ve honed along the way.

Julie says she has always enjoyed writing and editing. (Warning: If she sees an error in your e-mail or Facebook post, she’s secretly improving your copy in her head.) That’s why her position as assistant editor with the Texas Farm Bureau is a natural fit. There she gets to work on print, radio, video and web-based projects.

“[At CAB] I had to learn to do pretty much all of these interviews via phone….I use those same skills today, carrying on a conversation on the phone with somebody I’ve never met,” Julie says.

Before her time with us, before she declared her ag comm major, before she even graduated high school, Chelsea had her sights set on law school. And according to her, the stop on that journey that included communicating to cattlemen left her better in three ways:

Improved her ability to “write concise, accurate and compelling stories.” (Something that’s “surprisingly rare” among professionals, she notes.)
Grew her knowledge of the beef industry
Grew a lot as a professional

Today she is the vice president of government and industry affairs for the Livestock Marketing Association, where she focuses on how policy affects local livestock auctions (Think the Farm Bill, the Packers and Stockyards Act, USDA policy, and lots and lots of technical reading.)

You know what I really like about these two gals? (Besides the obvious that they are super-talented young women who interned with us and we all agree that we’re all the better for it, me and Steve included.) I love that they have unique passions and skill sets that they could take anywhere–editor at the New York Times or Washington Post? Anchor on CNN or Fox News? Within the realm of possibility for Julie. Famous trial lawyer? State’s attorney? No doubt within reach for Chelsea.

But, for now, they’ve chosen to make use of that talent and acquired knowledge in the ag industry.

We’re pretty lucky for that.

May your bottom line be filled with black ink,

Miranda

PS—Follow along as we continue to check back in with past interns in this Throwback Thursday series. And if you or someone you know is interested in following in their footsteps, working as an Industry Information intern, check out next year’s opportunities here. But hurry, the application deadline is Nov. 25!

Throwback Thursday, Intern Edition

2013_06_03_mr_Pelton Ranch-109 — Like many producers, Stan Pelton got some outside experience before returning to the family ranch.

Earlier this year cattleman Stan Pelton told me how his dad wanted him to “go work for somebody else first,” before coming home to the family ranch. He joked about getting his master’s degree during the two years he worked at a feedlot.

Those are some of the same reasons that many animal science, ag business and ag communications programs require an internship as part of earning those degrees.

We’ve had some great ones at Certified Angus Beef, and started to wonder, “Where are they now?” And thus a new series was born: Throwback Thursday, Intern Edition.

Some were easier to find than others…

Remember Emily Krueger?

It was three years ago this November, and talk about a happy coincidence for both Emily Krueger and myself: My husband and Emily wound up at the same table at the Ag Future of America conference. They were talking career goals when she mentioned that she’d love to work for Certified Angus Beef. Mark said, “You have to meet my wife!”

She did and long story short, she won in the competition to be our spring 2012 intern.

“I always thought ultimately I would love for my career to land at CAB,” she says. Makes sense; as an Ohio farm girl and buckeye, the Wooster, Ohio, office was practically in her back yard. “But I’m still amazed at how quickly that happened.”

After paying us a hefty finders fee (or at least a shout out in a company-wide e-mail) our HR department also found Emily was the perfect fit for a summer marketing internship. And, after completing those two stints with the company, we knew she was a keeper.

So that’s what we did: keep her! Today she’s a marketing and public relations specialist for the brand.

Although Emily grew up in the ag industry, she admits to a learning curve when it came to inside jargon and intricacies of different segments. We both had a good laugh swapping stories about what terms we Googled when we were fresh on the job.

But Emily not only learned that a stocker operator and a backgrounder are the same thing, she also got to put her ag communications degree into practice in real-world experiences.

“I learned how to be a lot more concise, a lot more direct and always think about who I’m talking to,” Emily says.

Her favorite assignment?

Traveling to McConnelsville, Ohio, to learn more about Steve Roberts, registered Angus breeder and co-owner of Chatterbox Tavern

“I got to spend almost a whole day with him and then to be able to share his story was an honor, really,” she says.“I enjoyed how committed he was and how busy, but yet how strategic he was on his farm and his business and wanted quality on both ends.”

If you haven’t noticed, we’ve got a thing for quality. That matters in our employees, too, whether it’s on our Black ink team or working on the consumer side.

I’m just jumping back into the swing of things after maternity leave and not traveling much yet, so the chance of a potential intern’s path crossing mine is pretty slim. But maybe you’re reading this with somebody in mind. If so, make a virtual introduction. Send ‘em to our website. Just be sure to mention this. It could change a career path.

May your bottom line be filled with black ink,
Miranda

Becoming an insider

Everybody who works for the Certified Angus Beef brand was once relatively uninformed, at least if you go back to school days or previous careers focused elsewhere. Internships and seminars are great ways to learn, and current fall intern Jayne Godfrey, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, knows that — plus a few other things about the brand, as she realized when the subject came up in class. Here’s her account of how the key facts about CAB became known to her, and how she helped others learn. Enjoy!

Last week I was sitting in my animal science class at the University of Illinois when the professor asked us a question.

“Who here has heard of the Certified Angus Beef brand?”

Proudly, I perked up in my seat and raised my hand along with more than half of my class.

The teacher then went on to explain everything that I have spent this semester working on here: the high standards CAB holds, why they matter and what exactly that means to the people who eat it. He explained why CAB is different than just ordering an Angus product at a restaurant and I was even able to chip in a few facts myself. I paid close attention through the entire lecture, enthusiastically nodding.

That class discussion and the input I was able to provide got me thinking about my life this time last year.

Before beginning my job at CAB, I didn’t have much background in the Angus universe. It definitely wasn’t enough to speak up in front of a 300-person class. Friends have cattle and I had worked livestock shows before, but it wasn’t until I began my internship that I “stepped into” the world of Angus beef and realized that it is much larger than what happens at a state fair to win a ribbon. It is an entire industry and supply chain that spans the nation and beyond, employs thousands of people and feeds millions. CAB is especially interesting because it is nothing but a brand that adds value for ranchers, who want a relationship because it is “the brand that pays®” for their quality beef.

Before CAB, I knew that Angus was “the good stuff” and what I wanted to order when I went out to eat for a nice dinner. I did not know that Certified Angus Beef was different than any other Angus product on the market, as I learned at a CAB seminar (or that it tastes WAY better, as I learned at dinner that night).

Looking back as an outsider then, and now someone who knows a little bit more, I notice all the things that I wouldn’t have before. I love the new set of habits I have acquired since working here. When I go to the store now, I always search for the CAB label, and can’t help but inspect for marbling when I look at a piece of meat. I am quick to explain the truth to my friends when they talk about grass-fed and hormone free beef—not bad things, just not enough for me. These are things that matter to me now, and I want them to matter to everyone else, because it is the food we are all eating. I have learned that’s what this industry is all about: providing people with a quality product that is based on real facts and hard-working people.

I left lecture that day feeling proud, and I can only hope that the other half of the people in my classroom left a little more knowledgeable and feeling like insiders now, too.

~Jayne

Intern shares her CAB mythbusting experience

Terssa Lawrence — Tressa Lawrence, our fall Industry Information intern

Count this as your formal introduction.

Folks– this is former beef ambassador and Wyoming Livestock Roundup reporter and current Red Raider and Certified Angus Beef intern Tressa Lawrence.

Tressa—Here’s your chance to chat with some pretty cool folks from ranchers to beef industry professionals.

Enjoy! –Miranda

As I sat in my ad campaigns class at Texas Tech University, the topic of branding came up. John Deere vs. Case, Coke vs. Shasta, Certified Angus Beef vs. off-brand “100% Angus beef”. Comments were thrown around such as “CAB is just a marketing scheme,” and “There isn’t anything different about CAB burger than any other Angus burger.” And the comment that finally jabbed me into action, “Any cow with a black hide is CAB.”

Wrong. I raised my hand and explained that I was actually very familiar with the Certified Angus Beef brand, and that no, not all black-hided bovine could become Certified Angus Beef.

Yes, one of the standards is that cattle must be 51% black hided in order to be evaluated for CAB, but there are also ten other qualifying factors.

Once my classmates had me on my soapbox there was no stopping me. I explained how those 10 carcass specifications ensure consistent quality. We discussed modest to higher marbling and medium to fine marbling texture; how only “A” maturity is acceptable; consistent sizing and the specifics of quality appearance and tenderness.

One guy in the back of the class said he raised another breed and was sure a steak from his cattle would taste just as good as any CAB steak I put in front of him. (It took a lot not to roll my eyes at this statement, but I am pretty sure my eyebrows shot up in disbelief. Had this guy ever eaten a CAB Prime steak? I’d bet not.)

I explained that it’s not just about the breed, but the specs and especially the consistency. That’s what is unique about CAB. You know that you are going to get consistently high quality meat every time, whether it’s a burger or one of their prepared briskets. Always consistent. Always high quality. They track every pound.

My explanation of Certified Angus Beef with Q&A follow-up managed to consume the rest of the class period, which I don’t think any of the students were complaining about. We may not have learned much about campaigns that day, but by golly I bet no one in that class ever says anything like ‘all black-hided cattle are Certified Angus Beef’ again.

~Tressa

Intern returns to branded beef company

By CAB Cattle Crew

It seemed like fate that Emily Krueger would join the Certified Angus Beef^® brand team. She grew up in the brand’s hometown of Wooster, Ohio, and worked on a beef operation there. She’ll graduate from The Ohio State University this June with a BS in agricultural journalism and minors in animal science and psychology.

CAB recruits interns nationwide, and few come from its backyard. But Krueger stood out, winning a spot last summer as a promotions and communications marketing intern, having already secured the spring 2012 position as industry information intern. What’s more, the Ohioan has accepted a full-time post as CAB marketing specialist beginning this summer.

Meanwhile, Krueger is a Collegiate Young Farmers (CYF) president in charge of planning an annual Ohio ag industry tour, and member of Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT). That adds to a resume list of studying natural resource management in Australia, teaching horse riding in Maine and winning last year’s American Farm Bureau Collegiate Discussion Meet.

Working from Columbus, Ohio, this spring semester, she works with the a CAB team of editors in producing technical articles, features and news releases to help producers improve their ability to raise high-quality cattle.

The Certified Angus Beef® brand, founded in 1978, is owned by 30,000 farmer-rancher members of the American Angus Association. It draws on a supply of 15 million Angus-type cattle produced by cattlemen each year across North America. Government graders identify less than one in four of those that meet the brand’s 10 quality specifications. Last year, 15,000 partners worldwide sold more than 800 million pounds of beef.

The not-for-profit company’s mission is to add value to Angus cattle by marketing the original premium brand of fresh beef through its licensed partners.To learn more, visit the consumer website at www.CertifiedAngusBeef.com or the producer site at www.cabcattle.com.

Kansan interns from OSU

By Steve Suther

Jenny Gillespie, a Master’s student at Oklahoma State University (OSU), has joined the team working for the Certified Angus Beef^® (CAB^®) brand as the fall 2011 Industry Information intern.

The Copeland, Kan., native earned a bachelor’s in international agribusiness from Kansas State University (K-State) in December 2009. A couple of years earlier, a trip to the Philippines had sparked her interest in those areas and led to studies in agricultural economics, international trade, and Spanish. She enjoyed a three-week ag study tour across Central America, too.

Gillespie worked as a USDA intern in Washington, D.C., for six months before starting the M.S. in agricultural communications at OSU. Gathering even more experience, she has been serving as a graduate teaching assistant, student editor for the Journal of Applied Communications and an intern with the university’s SUNUP television program.

Interested in agricultural advocacy and communication technologies, Gillespie spent the past summer working on her Master’s research into how much credence ranchers give to social media.

“Our team is fortunate to have Jenny’s experience and dedication as a resource this fall,” said Steve Suther, CAB divisional director. “Her research broke new ground in an emerging area of journalism and we’ll make use of those findings as will the broader industry.”

Gillespie is working with the CAB team from her Stillwater, Okla., base to produce feature stories, news releases, video scripts and Web content that help cattlemen profitably hit the CAB brand target.

The Certified Angus Beef^® brand, started in 1978, relies on strict quality standards to ensure consumers “taste the difference.” The only branded beef company owned by the 33,000 rancher-members of the American Angus Association, CAB is headquartered in Wooster, Ohio, where Gillespie attended an information seminar in March.

For more information on the brand, visit www.certifiedangusbeef.com. For ideas on producing cattle to hit that target, and to view CAB industry information articles, visit www.cabcattle.com.

University of Florida student interns with CAB

By Miranda Reiman

Jackie Eager, a senior at the University of Florida, is an Industry Information intern with Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) for fall 2009. Eager is an agricultural communication and leadership development student, with a concentration in meat science.

She works with the CAB team of writers and editors to compose technical and feature articles, and assist with other projects that help communicate the benefits of high-quality beef production.

Eager grew up in the rural town of Williston, Fla., where she gained an appreciation for agriculture through her involvement in the local FFA chapter.

At the University, Eager serves on the intercollegiate meat judging team, and is active in Agricultural Communicators and Leaders of Tomorrow, Gator Collegiate Cattlewomen and the Block and Bridle Club. She has also been recognized on the dean’s list and inducted into Alpha Zeta honor fraternity.

Eager is the first intern from the University of Florida and will complete her fall internship remotely from August to December based in Gainesville, Fla.

The Certified Angus Beef Program was formed in 1978 to add value to Angus cattle by providing consumers with consistently flavorful and tender beef. CAB’s 15,000 licensees worldwide currently sell nearly 2 million pounds per day, making CAB the most successful brand of fresh beef in the world and a symbol of excellence to consumers.

Quality plans

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