This week marks the beginning of the BEEF Daily Blog. You may have read that I’m a South Dakota cattle producer and a college student. What you haven’t read is that I’m not afraid to dig into the big issues facing the industry today. I’m not scared to stand strong by my beliefs, and I’m not worried about blasting them to the world. I hope you will join me every Monday through Thursday as I dive into some of the hot topics of the agriculture industry today. Love me, or hate me; it’s not so important. What’s important is healthy discussion. So don’t hold back, let me have it. Only then, will we discover some of the vital truths about our industry’s issues.

Speaking of issues. The clear hot topic of today is Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (MCOOL), as today marks MCOOL’s national debut. For many, this symbolizes the day producers can finally begin to promote American born and raised beef. For others, it represents dollars billowing out of their hands in the wind. For consumers, it means security of knowing where their beef comes from, but it also could be a detriment, that yes, consumers know where their meat comes from.

Wherever you stand on MCOOL, one thing is for sure, with high input costs facing cattlemen today, coupled with even higher grocery and fuel bills straining the pockets of consumers, MCOOL could certainly be a tough sell for all involved. Whether we are ready or not, MCOOL is here to stay, today. We will soon see the economic impacts of this government program unfold, and I’ll be ready to blog about it with laptop in hand.

It seems to me that there is a growing trend in the U.S. agriculture industry: students across the country are abandoning their agricultural roots in pursuit of more glamorous urban careers. It’s crazy to think that not too long ago; I was one of those kids. Growing up on my family’s cattle ranch, I loved being my dad’s right-hand-man. I was a tomboy to the fullest, always helping with chores, working on my show calves or selling bulls to our customers. Yes, life on the farm was great, and I loved every minute of it.

All of that changed when I started high school.

I desperately wanted to fit in with my peers. After years of being teased about living on a cattle farm, I decided enough was enough. No one at Mitchell High would know about my life away from school. I decided never to return to agriculture. Back then, I didn’t see any career choices or any future for myself in this industry.

The first day of high school, I told my mom my plan to abandon my roots and finally be one of the cool kids. I’ll never forget what she told me that day, “Mandy, never forget who you are or where you come from.”

I didn’t truly understand her words until years down the road. As my high school career rounded the corner and began to come to a close, I realized how foolish I had been. I hadn’t been very successful at hiding my home life anyway. There were so many nights and weekends when I had to skip movies or weekend gatherings with my friends because of the farm. Soon, everyone had discovered that I was a farm girl.

Yet, when I started my freshman year at South Dakota State University, I still wasn’t convinced that agriculture had a home for me. I was going to major in Political Science, and my plan was to save the world as a lobbyist. In my first semester, I desperately attempted to tie the lessons I learned in class to issues facing the agriculture industry. To my great dismay, my professors didn’t have a clue about ag law and the turbulence in the cattle business. I realized that my place belonged with fellow agriculturalists, and the rest is history. I know now, more than ever, the challenges of high input costs facing farmers and ranchers today make for a less than perfect climate for making a living off the land, but I’m convinced that there still is a future for young people in agriculture.

I’m in my senior year of agricultural journalism classes at SDSU, and I have finally come to realize how important agriculture is in my life. I guess that’s where the BEEF Daily Blog seems like the perfect platform to finally combine my love of political science and agriculture. With the presidential election only a couple months away, it’s time to seriously think about the candidate that will carry agriculture’s best interest at heart. So who are you supporting and why? Which candidate has your vote? And which agriculture issues are you most concerned about in the upcoming future? COOL? 2008 Farm Bill? NAIS? Come on folks…we live in a democracy. Let your voice be heard!

Welcome to BEEF Daily, our brand new offering of today’s beef industry updates! I’m your host on the BEEF Daily Blog, providing you with my personal stories in life as a South Dakota cattle producer and college student along with my thoughts on the day’s top industry issues.

This summer I worked as an intern in Minneapolis for BEEF Magazine. The summer was both fun-filled and educational, and it truly renewed my spirits for sharing the beef production story. When Editor Joe Roybal asked me to continue working for BEEF as a web editor during my final year at South Dakota State University, I knew this was my opportunity to keep my boots on the ground as a cow-calf producer and chronicle my experiences from my laptop.

As the oldest daughter of three, my dad always chose me to open gates for him during chore time. I would ride the bus home from school and meet Dad outside to help feed bulls and cut twine string off the bales. As a little girl with a wild imagination, I often told stories to the curious calves on the fence while I waited for Dad to bring the hay with the tractor. I guess that’s where my passion for story telling began, and it has turned into a career of telling the beef production story. Be sure to stop back everyday during your coffee break for more stories, news updates and lots of discussion. And stay tuned: the BEEF Daily e-newsletter will soon be available. Have a great weekend everyone!