6/7/2011
Representatives of West Virginia’s beef cattle industry will present Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass with prime cuts of “Beef for Father’s Day” at a luncheon ceremony at the Governor's Mansion Courtyard Wednesday, June 8 at 1 p.m.
Representatives of the W.Va. Beef Industry and W.Va. Cattlemen’s Association will represent the state’s 12,500 livestock farmers. The state’s beef producers raised 370,000 cattle worth nearly $275 million in 2010.
“This celebration is a longtime tradition of the state’s producers and highlights the value of beef in a healthy diet,” said Commissioner Douglass. “It also reminds West Virginia citizens that agriculture is all around them, even if they don’t see it every day.”
Beef cattle production is second only to the state’s valuable poultry industry. But unlike the more concentrated poultry industry, cattle are produced throughout the Mountain State.
Besides being a favorite selection for the grill, beef also provides a significant nutritional punch, and is a safe, domestic product. Beef is naturally nutrient-rich, giving you more nutrition from your calories. Beef has eight times more Vitamin B12, six times more zinc and two and a half times more iron than a skinless chicken breast. Plus, 20 of the 29 lean beef cuts have, on average, only one more gram of saturated fat than a 3-ounce serving of skinless chicken breast.
The industry has a demonstrated record of commitment to food safety, reducing the incidence of E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef more than 80 percent between 2000 and 2005, and has consistently increased per-animal production. In 1980, the average beef cattle produced 449 pounds of meat. In 2006, the average beef cattle produced 619 pounds.
For more information, visit
www.wvagriculture.org or
www.wvbeef.org.
Contact Information
Buddy Davidson, Communications Officer
304-558-3708; 304-541-5932 (cell)
bdavidson@ag.state.wv.us