Think Outside the Barn

A Glimpse at the Missouri Weekly Weighted Average Feeder Cattle Report

The Thanksgiving week is always an unusual week for marketing in Missouri - several barns keep the lights off and cancel sales, but others use the week for special calf and yearling sales showcasing some top cattle. One sale that always draws a lot of attention is the Annual Thanksgiving Yearling Special held at the Green City Livestock Auction. This years’ offering had over 4000 head of mostly black-hided feeder cattle with large lot sizes, ranging from half pots to multiple pot loads at a time.

To view the full report, visit the MDA Market News website.

Source: MO Dept of Ag-USDA Market News Service, Jefferson City, MO
            Sarah Wilkinson, Market Reporter, (573) 751-5618

Friday's Fixin's - Thanksgiving Casserole (AKA Leftovers)

It is the day after Thanksgiving.  You have already eaten at least two obligatory turkey sandwiches.  And now you just don't know what to do to keep everything else from going to waste, right?  This little recipe is a great way to use up some of those other things, and truly make it feel like a new meal that will taste as good as the first.  Individually, the components would be considered leftovers, and take up way too much space in the fridge,  but when combined this recipe truly brings them all new life.  Best of all, it gets them into one pan and brings new life to your fridge!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups (or more) diced and cooked turkey
• 2 cups leftover rice (If you don't have rice, orzo is a great substitute and cooks faster)
• 2 cups (or more) green bean casserole
• 1 cup (or more) leftover gravy
• 2-3 cups leftover stuffing

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and butter a 9x11 inch casserole pan.
2. Combine all the ingredients except the stuffing into a casserole pan.  It should be creamy.  If not, add more gravy or some milk as desired.
3. Microwave for about ten minutes or until the ingredients start to bubble, then stir the mixture one more time to make sure it is warmed evenly throughout.
4. Crumble the stuffing, like wet croutons over the top of the mixture and cover the entire pan.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the stuffing start to brown and get crispy on top.
6. Let set about 5 minutes and serve.

Be sure to use all of your Thanksgiving leftovers within a week.  Just don't wait too long to or someone will eat all the green bean casserole before you have a chance to make this dish!  The nice thing is, once you have recooked everything in the casserole, you can get even a few more days out of it.

*Photo courtesy of Samfelder on Flickr.

Shop Local for the Greatest Gifts this Holiday Season

Whether you observe Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, both or neither, for many the holiday season means a little extra shopping. And it's hard to argue that the holiday shopping season shifts up a gear or two about the time the Thanksgiving dinner dishes are washed and put away. 

Whether your gift list includes a person who has everything (or it seems that everyone on your list is that way!), Missouri's agribusinesses offer a spread - from goats milk soaps and lotions to cheesecake to BBQ.  The AgriMissouri Holiday Gift Guide has suggestions ranging from a handmade collar, leash or reins for the animal lover, gourmet chocolates and Missouri-made wine for the entertainer, or a handmade cutting board and savory cheeses for the foodie in your life, at AgriMissouri.com.  The suggestions all include photos and are linked directly to each member's website or Facebook page.  The items are also organized by price - from under $10, to $25, $50 and $100 - great for budget conscious shoppers.

Click on over to AgriMissouri.com to check out the AgriMissouri Holiday Gift Guide, and all of the fantastic options for locally grown and produced gifts this holiday season from our AgriMissouri members!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Missouri Department of Agriculture!

As We Count Our Blessings this Holiday Season, Let's Not Forget Our Farmers

The holiday season is a time to celebrate and a time to give thanks. As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, it is also a time to recognize the efforts our farmers and farm families throughout the year.

Thank A Farmer Day is an annual celebration recognizing the contributions and sacrifices our farmers and farm families make every day, so that our family and friends can gather together and give thanks with the safest, most reliable, most affordable food supply in the world.

Missouri celebrated Thank A Farmer Day yesterday at Fischer Farms Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze in Jefferson City.  Gov. Jay Nixon, Director of Agriculture Dr. Jon Hagler and representatives of Missouri's agriculture industry organizations gathered at the Fischer's diversified farm operation in south Callaway County, just across the Missouri River from the State Capitol, where they raise corn and soybeans, operate a pumpkin patch and corn maze and welcome families, school groups and community organizations.

Missouri is home to 108,000 farms, spread across roughly 29 million acres (according to USDA-NASS).  And whether you choose to thank a farmer by visiting with someone you know personally or by making a greater effort to eat food grown and processed in your community, we hope that you take a few minutes to recognize the contributions farmers make to each day of your life sometime during this holiday season.

Thank you to Jay and Kim Fischer and all of Missouri's farmers, farm families and agribusinesses!

Pass the Pecan Pie

This week, I have been thinking an awful lot about pecans. Okay, I will admit - my thoughts have turned all of the way towards pecan pie. Warm pecan pie straight from the oven. The type of pecan pie that my momma makes.

Last week, I read an article written by our friend, Georgina Gustin, at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch titled "Amid stingy harvest, scramble for pecans" that has made my pecan pie thoughts flourish even more. In the story, Mary Hofstetter with The Blue Owl Restaurant and Bakery in Kimmswick says "Almost everything we make is pecans. The pies, the tartlets. Even the butterhorns have pecans in them."

As the article goes on, it points out a shortage of Missouri pecans for many reasons including the drought conditions in Missouri and other states driving up demand and export interests grabbing up all they can to ship to China.

Missouri pecan producers usually see 5 million pounds of pecans in a great harvest year. This year, they will not see that amount (but more like 1.5 million pounds).

Earlier this year, Governor Jay Nixon honored Missouri producer (and AgriMissouri member) Vernon Spaunhorst of Heritage Family Tree Farm in Washington, Mo. with a Governor's Ag Achievement Award. Vernon and his family farm are one of the lucky ones - when it comes to pecans. He is having a banner year mainly because his trees are located near a constant water source. These positive stories of successful pecan growing are what keep me sleeping at night awaiting my Thanksgiving meal.

Shortage or not, things are looking good if you are a pecan this year.

To find pecans and other local products near you, visit AgriMissouri.com - your connection to Missouri's goodness.

Friday's Fixin's - Eat Local, Fry Safely

It is the weekend before Thanksgiving and time for the chaos to begin.  Of course some of us will be avoiding the mob at the grocery store and heading to the farmers' market or local butcher for as much of our meal as we can.  This warm fall has been amazing for the markets that have stayed open and there is still lots of stuff out there.  

Years ago my family started the tradition of the fresh local turkey.  My first venture into this new frontier was with Campo Lindo Farms over ten years ago.  Since then, we have tried multiple farms and even grown some of our own birds.  They have all had two things in common: they were free range and never frozen.  Even if you can't get free range, or just don't like the taste, poultry is always best when you know where it came from and has never been frozen. We have cooked them many ways...in the oven, on the grill and in the fryer.  They have all been great because they were all fresh local birds.

If you can't get fresh and local and have to settle for the bag, there is one way to kick-up the flavor and ensure it is moist, that is to fry it. The immediate sear that happens when the bird hits the hot oil locks in the moisture and seasoning and uses the trapped juices to steam and tenderize the meat from the inside out.  When roasted in the oven or on the grill, typically 1/3 of the moisture will escape while the outside browns and before the inside even starts to cook.  For birds that have been bagged and brined (most common in stores), frying is a great way to make it taste fresh.

However, frying can be very dangerous.  That is why if you are going to venture into this new frontier, you should watch these videos and let the captain lead the way:

 

KC Gardener is the 9th Winner in the 10,000 Garden Challenge

Kay Kilgore of Kansas City, Mo. received the ninth $500 Tractor Supply Company gift card through her participation in the 10,000 Garden Challenge.  Missouri's Director of Agriculture Dr. Jon Halger joined Kay, Councilmen John Sharp and Ben Sharda of the Kansas City Community Gardens to present her award and to highlight the ongoing efforts and accomplishments of everyone involved in Kansas City Community Gardens and their partner organizations.

Kilgore grows and maintains multiple plots in Manheim Park Community Garden.  She said that through the garden she has connected with everyone and everything going on in the neighborhood since moving to the area four years ago.

"Growing in a community garden is like having someone come to your table to break bread.  It’s about families touching and nourishing families, the essence of community," Kay said.   And that with the help of her neighbors and in the environment of a community garden, she feels like she has learned the skills to garden and to help others garden - “the garden trains you as much as you train your garden,” she added.

Kay's neighborhood garden, the Manheim Park Community Garden, is an affiliate of Kansas City Community Gardens, the KC Healthy Kids Initiative and Lincoln University Cooperative Extension’s Kansas City Urban Impact Center. Kansas City Community Gardens is a not-for-profit organization that works with over 1,500 gardens throughout the Kansas City metro area, including over 200 school and community plots.  The organization is focused on helping children, community groups and individuals living on low or fixed incomes grow their own food in garden plots located in their own backyards and at vacant lots, community centers and schools throughout their neighborhoods. 

For more information on Kay's garden and the 10,000 Garden Challenge, visit AgriMissouri.com.

A Treat - Kate's Gourmet Salsa

Learn more about another great AgriMissouri member -

An AgriMissouri member and a great tasting treat, Kate's Gourmet Salsa began in October 2009 out of a genuine "love for salsa" and a decision to test market to friends and family. Now, just two years later, Kate's Gourmet Salsa, LLC has blossomed into a product line of three salsas (Original, Hot and Mild) and two jellies (Jalapeno and CrasberryJalapeno) in approximately 25 Central Missouri stores and online.

Kate Berry and her family are residents of Ashland, MO and have a true homegrown business and a dream. As they put it, they are "chasing this dream, one jar of salsa at a time" or now possibly one jar of salsa or jelly at a time. Kate and her entourage at Kate's Gourmet Salsa give samples regularly at grocery stores and events and they are excited for all the success they have achieved in such a short amount of time.

If you haven't already tried one of Kate's Gourmet Salsa's products, go to their online store locator or their store front. They even offer to make up gift baskets for a special holiday surprise if you contact them directly at katessalsa@yahoo.com.

Check out Kate's Gourmet Salsa's new logo. This little lady appears on all of their products.

Community Betterment Grants Available for Ag Youth

It's time for Missouri's 4-H clubs and FFA chapters to submit their proposals for grants from the Building Our American Communities (BOAC) program.  Applications for the grants, which may be up to $500, must be postmarked no later than Sat., Dec. 2.

Projects may include improvements to existing facilities, grounds or buildings that are used by local groups or organizations in the applicant's community. Past BOAC grant projects have included landscape and beautification projects for historic and public facilities, safety and convenience improvements for local fairgrounds and replacement and renovations of damaged and aged public use structures in rural communities.

Last year,4-H clubs in Gasconade, St. François, Pulaski, Vernon, Barton, Cole, Morgan, Nodaway, Livingston, Audrain and Pike counties and within the City of St. Louis. FFA chapters receiving grants included programs in Eugene, Russellville, Jefferson City, Stover, Farmington, Perryville, Liberal, Lamar, Ozark, Barnard, Tina, Chillicothe, Mexico and Bowling Green recieved grants for service projects in their rural communities. 

For more information about the BOAC grant program, including selection criteria and application forms, check out the program's website at http://mda.mo.gov/connect/youth/boac.php.