Many of you may bring a cow to lunch, only not in the form the cow might like. Whoever invented the 'Eat More Chicken' commercial was a genius. Often, the cow comes to the table in the form of a steak or hamburger.
Joe Moore, executive director for the Indiana Beef Cattle Association, says it's worth noting that May is beef month because it is an important industry in Indiana. Beef cows consume grass on ground too rough for cropping, and Indiana feedlot cattle wind up in major packing plants across the country, including the Tyson Foods plant near Joslin, Illinois.
See if you can pass this simple Indiana Beef cattle quiz.
1) How many premises are identified as having cattle in Indiana?
a) 270 b) 2,700 c) 27,000 d) 40,000
The answer is 'c.' Cattle are reported to be kept at 27,000 premises in the state. Obviously, this also includes locations of 4-H animals, not just commercial-sized cow herds.
2) How many head of cattle are the in Indiana?
a) 100,000 b) 900,000 c) 500,000 d) three million
This time the answer is 'b' or 900,000 cattle. That's a 'ton' of beef on the hoof, to say the least.
3) Indiana is still considered a tuberculosis-free state
a) True b) false
The answer is 'a' true. A cow from an Indiana herd was diagnosed with TB upon slaughter at a Michigan slaughtering facility earlier this year. It was traced to a farm in Dearborn County. That herd has been depopulated, and Indiana Board of Animal Health employees are working hard to determine where the infection came from. No other cases have been identified outside o what BOAH calls the 'index' herd.
4) Who did Joe Moore replace as executive director of the Indiana Beef Cattle Association?
a) Tom Bechman b) Clark Sennett d) Julia Wickard d) Don Villwock
The answer is 'c', Julia Wickard. She left the post to assume her current role as Director of the Indiana Farm Service Agency in Indianapolis. Any idea what kind of cattle she grew up raising? If you said 'Angus,' you're right. She still lives on the farm with her husband and two young children.
5) How many cattle are shown at the Hoosier Beef Congress in December
a) 500 b) 1,000 c) 1,500 d) 2,000 e) too many to count
Those who put the show on may think the answer is 'd', but it's really c, about 1,500. It's one of the largest beef preview shows in the country.