In Pursuit of a Beefy Passion

This week’s blog post was previously published on Tiffany’s personal blog, Tiffany Nicole and Co as a brainstorm during the development of a presentation she gave to the Veterinary Science Careers course at the University of Arizona.


Looking back, I now realize that I (sort of) had a cushioned and extremely lucky landing into my job at the Arizona Beef Council. I fully recognize this can be a rare phenomenon for most college graduates, but I’m so grateful for the good fortune that came my way. I prefaced my statement with “sort of” because I worked hard during my college career to make the connections and built relationships which offered me the opportunity to obtain my current position with the Arizona Beef Council. Today, I’m so extremely grateful to have been placed on this path because this job has led me to discover a passion I would never have known without it.

I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors and open spaces and Arizona has no shortage of those things. Growing up, an affinity for the outdoors    started while I worked at a horse training barn in exchange for riding lessons. I found myself counting down the days, hours, and minutes until I was released from the classroom and would be back outside, breathing in the scent of horses and fresh air. Caring for and riding horses is a love I began to develop as a youngster from my mother’s tales of her youth spent in the saddle, so when the time came for me to be afforded this opportunity, I was willing to put in the long hours required. In a horse barn is where I learned how to work hard, get the job done, and do it all with a pleasant attitude. I can further credit the University of Arizona and a great club, which was part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, for encouraging my love for the open spaces of Arizona and for converting my love into a real passion for Arizona agriculture.

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Pictured is Kris Harris on the Quarter Circle U Ranch. She is a great example of the many friends I’ve been fortunate to make in this community.

As many young college students do, I set my sites on vet school after completing my undergraduate career. Working outdoors was one major factor in my future path, so small animal medicine just wasn’t in the cards. As a result, livestock and a large animal practice is what I wanted to pursue. I did not have much large animal experience outside of horses, so I decided to join the Collegiate Cattle Growers Association. The group owned and managed a herd of cattle and hogs, which were bred each year with the end goal of raising show quality livestock that could be sold to 4H and FFA students. We also used the animals for judging practice for the University of Arizona’s Livestock Judging Team and offered hands-on animal husbandry experiences for students. As luck would have it, this was the perfect environment to pursue the path my heart called for and I so badly wanted to follow. Ultimately, I ended up learning, by and through the people I met and the experiences I obtained, is that what the universe had in store for me, actually far exceeded the original goal and expectations I had set for myself.

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Pictured with the famous Baxter Black, cowboy poet extraordinaire, and Lauren Scheller, fellow passionate Beef Council colleague.

It has been an honor to be a part of this community  and through various internships, meetings, and activities, I discovered that Arizona ranchers are some of the hardest working, most passionate, not to mention friendliest people on this planet. I also learned that agriculture was so much more than just the science, which, at first, was the personal interest I had focused on in college. It was about so much more…the land, the people, and the animals, and how they and it all worked together. Moreover, I learned caring for livestock requires more than just a focus on the animal, but a synergy with the land, the policies, the families, the neighbors, and the public. Finally, I understand that raising cattle wasn’t just a pretty photo of a grassy pasture, but a way of life and tradition, which requires all that you have to give.

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I stand by beef with pride!

Although representing Arizona beef farmers and ranchers is the technical description of what I do for the Arizona Beef Council, what I am really doing is helping secure, alongside the many other organizations, ranchers and supporters of the beef community, that there is ranching far into the future. It is my goal and our goal to ensure that beef is still at the center of your great-great-great grandchildren’s plate. For me, this isn’t just a job, it’s about ensuring the open spaces stay open and the steaks keep sizzling.

Who’s blogging?

g2p cell_26_tiffany and laurenYou’re going to be meeting a lot of people coming up so we’d thought we’d start off with the staff of the Arizona Beef Council.

We, Lauren Scheller, Tiffany Selchow, and Bas Aja, execute the plans put into place each year by the Council’s board of cattlemen and women, cattle feeders and dairymen. Our goal is to let people know how great beef is and we do that by sharing the facts and bringing a little sparkle to the table (really there isn’t much you have to add to table if it’s already set with steaks).

Lauren is a beef-loving, car racing enthusiast, who enjoys making things pretty with calligraphy and bows. She was raised on her family’s beef cattle ranch in California and has adapted to and embraced all things Arizona ranging from hiking Camelback Mountain to enjoying delicious tacos across the state. On behalf of Arizona’s ranchers, Lauren works with chefs, retailers (aka where you can buy beef in the meat case), and the media to communicate about all things beef.

I, Tiffany, am a recently married, somewhat typical millennial, who can cook a mean steak but is working to increase her efficiency in the kitchen. Finding a new recipe on Pinterest
and trying it out on my husband, who is patient and eats whatever is put in front of him, is a newly found interest. My favorite project here at the Beef Council is exploring our state, one school and ranch at a time. Some of my time is spent in culinary and agriculture classrooms doing fun things like beef cooking demos, while a lot of time is spent online, sharing yummy info about beef.

We are all here as a resource to YOU! When you have a question about beef pop up, we want you ask us. See that link in the top right hand corner? It’s your direct connection to us. Give us a shout whenever a beefy question pops into your mind!

Arizona Beef Council: The What, Who, Where, When, and Why

AZ Beef Council_cactus_checkoff_color (2)Oh look, another blog for you to read on the interwebs! So the question begs to be asked, why take more of your time to cruise through our blog? Because this is where the story of Arizona beef and the ranchers and farmers who make it possible is told. It is a place to learn about a new cut of beef which may have looked intimidating at the meat case, but after reading our blog post will leave you feeling confident and ready to tackle something new. The list could go on and on!

So I’ll try to keep this from reading like your 2nd-grade current events report, but it only makes sense to give you the background of the Arizona Beef Council before we head off on our journey through Arizona and the great beef it has to offer.

The jury is out on when the Arizona Beef Council was officially founded (we have conflicting reports which point to 1955 and shortly after to 1956), but one thing is certain: the goal of this organization was and is to promote and educate about the incredible beef product Arizona ranchers work so hard to produce.

This sounds like an easy task, but once you start to break it down, LilDudetteone realizes there are many ways to accomplish this goal and vast amount of beef things to talk about. Some of the fun projects through the years have included TV and radio commercials which were aired during numerous notable shows including Bob Crosby, Edgar Bergen, Bing Crosby and Danny Thomas back in 1959. Another great project which is still functioning currently is providing money to culinary instructors to purchase and use beef in their classrooms. If you are currently an agriculture or culinary teacher and would like more info about this program and how you can get involved, check out our website. Lil’ Dudette (pictured) was another source of promotion. Her obvious appeal to the masses and tag line “To keep yourself trim, Eat beef, Keep slim” earned a large audience of receptive beef eaters. She hung out (in mannequin form) in stores and the state fair.

Check back soon. We will have an exclusive on the folks behind the scenes and then we’ll really get into the meat of this blog. Pun intended!