Beef councils from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma hosted a select group of 17 registered dietitians from 12 states for a three-day, virtual Nutrition Adventure. Attendees were selected given their high level of involvement on social media, blog platforms and within university dietetic programs.
The checkoff-funded event emphasized beef’s nutritional profile and culinary versatility through practical applications. Participants learned about emerging human nutrition research, as well as the lean cuts of beef and how best to prepare them from leading experts. They then used this information during interactive sessions to help better prepare them to share it with clients and patients.
Attendees also explored the beef lifecycle via virtual tours with ranchers Dirck and Natalie Hoagland of J&N Ranch near Leavenworth; Isaac Carr with 8bros Land & Cattle of Junction City and Shawn Tiffany of Tiffany Cattle Co. near Herington. A high point for many participants was mingling virtually with beef community experts while putting together a beef charcuterie board, then transitioning into a panel discussion on topics ranging from sustainability to animal handling practices to growth hormones.
The panelists consisted of Flint Hills ranchers Wrenn and Arturo Pacheco; Dan Thomson, veterinarian and chair of the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University; Angie Siemens, vice president of food safety, quality & regulatory for Cargill in Wichita; and Frank Mitloehner, professor and air quality specialist in cooperative extension in the Department of Animal Science at the University of California-Davis. The panel discussion provided good information for the dietitian attendees to use with clients that are confused about beef production.
