In my world, September signals the beginning of football season. And football season triggers an indulgence in football food. This year NFL fans attending the St. Louis Rams game will have a variety of food choices. My favorite is the hot dog, but even that is changing. There is the traditional hot dog, the pretzel dog, the 100% beef hot dog, and now the grass-fed beef hot dog.
During the St. Louis Rams season opener at the Edward Jones Dome, Sept. 7, fans can choose to dine on grass-fed hot dogs and burgers. This marks the first time grassfed beef has been on the stadium concession menu.
MO GRASSFED: Missouri grass-fed beef will be featured at the St. Louis Rams home opener Sept. 7. It is the first time grassfed beef has been offered at the stadium.
The100% grass-fed, locally-sourced beef is from former Rams linebacker Will Witherspoon's farm near Owensville, Mo. Shire Gate Farm raises beef on pasture without antibiotics or hormones. Its products also carry the Animal Welfare Approved (AWA) food label. To have beef products certified AWA, farmers and ranchers must comply with 15 standards areas, which include criteria on castration, weaning and housing. AWA is a voluntary program.
In an AWA news release, Witherspoon had this to say about his operation: "At Shire Gate Farm, we're committed to producing great-value, wholesome food as naturally as possible. AWA and I see eye-to-eye on how cattle should be raised--outdoors on pasture for their entire lives, just as nature intended. The AWA logo is our way of showing customers that we really are doing the right thing by our animals, and the environment."
FORCE ON THE FIELD AND FARM: Former Rams outside linebacker Will Witherspoon, #51, made his presence known on the field. Off the field, he was managing a Missouri cattle operation.
Now, I am not a fan of Animal Welfare Institute, who oversees the AWA program, because of their call to "abolish factory farms." I believe any mantra that divides an industry is counterproductive to the success of the industry as a whole, especially an industry that is made up of less than 2% of the U.S. population. However, I am a fan of farmers--all shapes, all sizes, and all production styles. And because of that Witherspoon deserves a little kudos.
Witherspoon is bringing farm food back to football vernacular. Now, when St. Louis Rams fans head to the concession stand they will remember or be enlightened that hot dogs and hamburgers are actually produced on farms and ranches across our state. That is at least a small step in the right direction of bringing the consumer closer to the farmer. And it is a big step for those raising grass-fed beef.
Now, if we could just get the concession stand to say "Thank a farmer for your football food." Because last time I checked, nachos started out at corn and dairy farms, pretzels at wheat farms, hot dogs at pork and beef farms, candy at soybean and corn farms, and beer at barley farms. I guess America's farmers and ranchers truly fuel football fever. Go Rams!
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