Where’s the Beef?
Sweet grass County Brings Beef to School
As Yelena Mathias served up a fresh batch of chili to the high school students at Sweet Grass County High School in Big Timber, the teens digging into the hot meal had an appreciation of just how this tasty meal ended up on their plates.
Almost three years ago, the Crazy Peak Cattlewomen, an agricultural cooperative in Sweet Grass County, started developing ways to educate local students about agriculture. One of the most innovative programs they started is with the hot lunch program. The ranch women collaborated with the school board, the lunch program, local ranchers and the local meat processor to establish a program called “Beef to School.” Quite simply, all the beef served in the school’s lunch program is locally raised and donated.
“It has literally changed our lunch program,” said Cindy Bainter, head cook for both Sweet Grass County High School and Big Timber Elementary School. “Last year alone, we received 3,500 pounds of beef for our menus. We’ve broadened what we do with our beef and almost tripled our fruit and vegetable budget because of what we save by not having to buy beef.”
Cindy, Yelena and the rest of the crew feed 320 kids every day. The donated beef has expanded their menu beyond the favorite, traditional taco and chili dishes to include meatloaf, meatballs and beef stir fry.
“Most of the beef we use is cut into stew meat, bulk burger or hamburger patties because of the number of kids we serve and the need to stretch our budget as far as we can,” Cindy said. “But occasionally, we’ll have the butcher cut some roasts so we can serve sandwiches. Last year at our Christmas program, we served prime rib. That was really special! And every spring, the student council has a barbecue where we serve steaks. I can’t imagine having to buy enough steaks to feed 160 kids!”
Area ranchers generously donate a cow or steer per year to the program.
“We are amazed over and over at the generosity of our community,” said Heidi Todd, coordinator of the Beef to School program. “To date, over 16 ranches have donated to the program, many of them committing to doing it yearly. We also have very generous businesses willing to make financial donations that we couldn’t do without.”
The Crazy Peak Cattlewomen procure all the donations, make arrangements with the ranchers, schedule slaughter dates and cutting instructions, and even deliver the packaged beef to the school.
“It works well because it’s important to all of us that it’s successful,” Heidi said.
She also gives credit to local meat processor Pioneer Meats and owner Brian Engle for their help.
“Brian goes above and beyond to help us in the processing. The school pays for the processing, but he offers them a discount to help make it even more affordable. The students really do benefit from everyone’s efforts.”
For high school sophomore Colter Rein, it’s a guarantee that he will be eating good beef. In addition to being on the receiving end of the donations, Colter is on the giving end. He and his family are among the many ranchers that donate beef to the school.
“I think it’s pretty cool that we’re able to have local beef,” he said. “And I’m proud that a steer I raised last year was one of the donated ones.”
Colter is quick to explain that he sold his steer to his grandparents, who in turn donated it. His friends echo his sentiments as they all enjoyed a hot bowl of chili with cinnamon rolls on a recent school day.
“By far my favorite meal was the prime rib dinner,” Colter continued, referring to the Christmas dinner two years ago. “That was really cool. But I’ll also eat a burger any day!”
High school Principal Eric Gustafson said it’s a great program, and the local ranch kids whose families donate beef should be proud.
“We know where our beef is coming from because of the generosity of our local ranch families.” he said. “That can’t be said of most schools. It’s a tremendous program. I feel it’s important for our kids to know that this beef was born, raised and finished right here in Sweet Grass County.”
In addition to the school lunch program, each spring the Cattlewomen take part in a program for fourth-graders that allows the students to learn about bratwursts and create their own brat recipes. Pioneer Meats steps in and assists in the program by turning the recipes into actual brats and awarding the best flavors. The day ends with a tour of the processing plant and a tutorial of the procedure in which meat is processed.
One of the greatest challenges for farmers and ranchers today is educating consumers about the source of their food. The agricultural industry is taking great efforts in a number of ways, both nationally and locally, to inform families about the processing of their food while eliminating misinformation about this important part of agriculture. The Crazy Peak Cattlewomen are instrumental in helping Sweet Grass County students ensure that they know and appreciate where their food is coming from and what it takes to get it from the pasture to the plate.