Tips

“Do your homework and know what you are getting yourself into. (Farming) is not for the faint of heart. You’ve got to have a passion for it." (Lowell Neitzel)

"If you take care of your animals and the land they live on, they will produce a healthy and nutritious product in return.” (Kent Condray)

Grilling is a great technique for cooking beef. It provides maximum flavor and optimal tenderness. Some of the best cuts for grilling are strip steak, flank steak and rib-eye. 

Freeze pork chops in marinade. This saves time when you thaw them for the grill and makes for a tender, flavorful dinner!

Always keep vegetable oil on hand. This versatile, healthy kitchen staple is made of soybeans, is a good source of vitamin E, contains Omega-3s, and has zero trans fats.

You can cook sorghum a lot of different ways — like rice or quinoa, popped like popcorn, milled into flour or made into syrup. 

Milk protein is naturally found in all dairy products and helps build strong muscles to support active lifestyles. Dairy foods are a tasty, convenient and cost-effective way to power up with...

Fresh cuts of pork, like roasts, chops and tenderloin, can be kept well-wrapped in the freezer up to six months. Well-wrapped ground pork can be kept for about three months in the freezer.

Dietary Guidelines recommend 3 servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy foods daily. Together, milk, cheese, and yogurt provide nine essential nutrients, including calcium, potassium, phosphorus,...

When grilling veggies and fruits, use a grill basket or skewers to keep them from falling through the grill grates. Stainless steel skewers won’t burn; soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes...

For a kick, flavor vinegar with fresh herbs. Bruise one cup of leaves for every two cups of white wine or delicate vinegar. Allow to steep for two weeks.

To freeze sweet corn, you need to cook it first. To keep from over-cooking it, cool it quickly in cold tap water, then ice water. Strain excess water, then bag, seal and freeze.

Does someone in your family have a nut allergy? Try soy nut butter. It's a great substitute for peanut butter!

Milk costs about 25 cents per 8-ounce serving. Dollar for dollar, dairy is one of the most affordable protein and nutrition sources available.

When cooking meats, safe internal temperatures should be: Poultry (ground and cuts): 165 degrees; other ground meats: 160 degrees; beef, pork and lamb: 145 degrees.

To steam veggies on the grill, make a foil packet with double layers of foil. Then add vegetables, seasoning and water. Fold and seal the packet and cook over indirect heat.

To enjoy safe and savory ground beef, remember to use a thermometer as color won’t always indicate doneness. Cook ground beef to a minimum of 160F.

When shopping for pork, try the same cuts that you like for beef. They have similar names because they come from similar part of the animals. (And you can prepare them the same ways!)

Buying larger cuts of beef and slicing them into steaks at home can save you at least a dollar or two per pound. Freeze individually or serve when entertaining a group.  

Dried herbs are more concentrated than fresh, and powdered herbs are more concentrated than dried. Each herb is slightly different, but a starting formula is: ¼ teaspoon powdered...

Add more protein to your bread by mixing 7 cups of wheat flour with 1 cup of soy flour. It doesn’t change the baking qualities of the flour and gives your bread a longer shelf life.