The Kansas Beef Council proudly recognizes May as Beef Month, celebrating the state’s more than 26,000 beef producers whose work supports the economic, environmental and nutritional well-being of Kansas communities. Governor Laura Kelly has also acknowledged May as Beef Month, continuing a long-standing tradition of recognizing the vital role of beef in Kansas.
“Kansas ranks third nationally for cattle and calves, with more than 6.5 million head,” KansasnBeef Council (KBC) Executive Director Scott Stebner said. “Beef Month is an opportunity to recognize the men and women who produce high-quality, nutritious beef that feeds families across our great state of Kansas.”
To celebrate, KBC is rolling out a statewide digital campaign designed to connect with consumers and share beef’s story. Campaign assets include Instagram Reels highlighting various steak cuts to grill, a multi-part series covering different ways to create delicious marinades and rubs, producer-facing content and stories highlighting beef producers.
These efforts aim to increase demand for beef as summer approaches, when grilling becomes a staple at family gatherings and celebrations. Through engaging, educational content, the campaign addresses common consumer questions, highlights the versatility of beef in everyday meals and reinforces its role as a nutrient-dense source of high-quality protein.
For more information and to follow along with the campaign, visit kansasbeef.org or follow @KSBEEF on Instagram.
Kansas Beef Council Celebrates May as Beef Month
Lovina’s Children Write a Tribute for Their Mother’s Birthday
Verena (Special friend Daniel Ray), age 27
Mom, us children decided to each write a birthday message to you for your 54th birthday, May 22nd. Sitting here, dozens of things pop in my head on what I could write. Your love for us is so meaningful, but I will try to keep it short so I don’t take up too much space in the column. Smile.
With my wedding coming up on June 20th, you have been extra busy. You are such a strong woman. You take on a lot and help so many people. If I have children in the future, I can only hope that I can be as wonderful with them as you are to us children.
As I look back over the years, I think of all the big happenings. Your love, prayers, and guidance stand out the most during my good and bad times. Mostly, I am thankful you taught me about God. You have taught me that life is what you make it.
Muscular dystrophy is a challenge to deal with and I remember often how you reminded us with MD that a good attitude can make it easier on us and the ones helping us. I love how you didn’t pity us or treat us any differently than the rest of your children. It helped us more than you will ever know. Your willingness to help each of your children has put a huge impact on us and helped us all through many trials in life.
Thank you, Mom, for all you do, and Happy birthday. I am blessed to have such a wonderful Mother. You deserve the best. I love you.
Ben, age 25
Happy birthday, Mom. You make many good meals, do my laundry, pack my lunch, and support me. I appreciate all the many prayers you say for me. I know I am responsible for the few gray hairs you do have. Haha! Life has not always been easy for me but you have always been there for me. I’m not good at putting my words into writing but I hope you know I am always thankful for all you do. I hope you have a great birthday and I love you.
Loretta (Husband Dustin), age 24
To the most amazing Mom in the world, Happy Birthday! Your love, support, and guidance have shaped me into the person I am today. I’m so grateful to call you my Mom.
Living across the road from you has been nice since you are not too far away if I need help. My three children love to come there and get hugs and kisses from Grandma.
Our little family of 5 couldn’t ask for a better Mom/Grandma. All the things I could say about all the great memories, I could write a whole column myself. But all my siblings have to have a turn, so I’ll end it with thank you so much for all you do for us. We love you!
Joseph (Wife Grace), age 22
Mom, I want to start out with a big thank you. I know it had to be stressful to raise a family of eight but you never gave up on us. When I lived at home, I would try to do extra jobs to make life easier for you and you always showed your appreciation. Happy 54th birthday Mom and God bless you. I love you!
Kevin, age 19
On your birthday I want to tell you how much you mean to me. With me having Muscular Dystrophy, I need help getting on to my mobility scooter every morning, you help me with the lift every morning, and you have been so helpful with everything! With your love and support, it makes everything much easier. Sometimes it is a struggle to need the extra help with everything and I know it is not always easy on your part. I do not know what I would do if I did not have you. Happy 54th birthday, Mom. Thank you for loving and supporting me! I love you!
God’s blessings! To be continued next week…
RHUBARB CUSTARD PIE
1 ½ cup rhubarb, cut in small pieces
2 tablespoons flour
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
¾ cup cream or whole milk
Place rhubarb in the pie crust. Beat together eggs, flour, sugar, and cream in a medium size mixing bowl. Pour into an unbaked 8-inch pie shell. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour or until set.
Lovina’s Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight. Her three cookbooks, The Cherished Table, The Essential Amish Cookbook, and Amish Family Recipes, are available wherever books are sold. Readers can write to Eicher at Lovina’s Amish Kitchen, PO Box 234, Sturgis, MI 49091 (please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply); or email [email protected] and your message will be passed on to her to read. She does not personally respond to emails.
Lettuce Eat Local: Mmmighty nice!!
Amanda Miller
Columnist
Lettuce Eat Local
“Many mumbling mice are making midnight music in the moonlight…mighty nice; mmm!” For some reason this page from Dr. Seuss’s ABC’s often runs through my head, like numerous other children’s literature phrases and quotes that burrow into my subconscious after having read them so many times. I’m a visual learner, and of course the Ms come with a picture, which makes it even more memorable — and somehow, mercifully, in a pleasant way, since the more I consider it, the more horrific it sounds to have a horde of small rodents come harmoniously marching and mumbling across the lawn in the dead of a moonlit night.
Fortunately, the myriad of Ms that have been marching through my head this week in preparation for this article have been actually mighty nice. Instead of a phonics “mmm,” these elicit a taste-response “mmm.” I started thinking of mustard, then mayonnaise, then milk, then meatballs, then mangos, then mint, then m&m’s, and the ideas kept coming. And each seemed to offer its own reason why it was serendipitously logical to choose it.
It’s easier to make mustard than you would think, and it made sense to follow homemade nut butter with another homemade condiment. May is of course the appropriate month in which to discuss mayo, especially considering the recent Cinco de Mayo and the fact that this week I sheepishly watched a 20-minute America’s Test Kitchen taste panel on nine different mayonnaises. Milk, well, it’s always a good time to talk about milk when you live on a dairy farm. Last night as the kids were chowing down our red curry chicken meatballs, Brian deduced that I was recipe developing meatballs…but I wasn’t, we just super randomly also had barbeque meatballs and kale-parmesan balls earlier in the week; I never make meatballs, but here we were. Mangos were on sale at Dillons, so even the grocery magnates were angling for a mango article — plus I usually identify mangos as my favorite food, so I’m always ready. My garden stocktank of spearmint and peppermint is in full spring production, and I just tried two new variations in my routine daily pot of mint tea that I wanted to share (with a hint of lemongrass, and sweet iced fenugreek!). And I have a 35-lb box of colorful sugarfree M&Ms that are begging to be written about and explained.
Too many options. Yet I’m at this point in my rife-with-possibilities article and honestly I don’t know what recipe I’ll be sharing in a hundred words…mmm. If I suggest a mashup of all of the above, you’ll be happy with anything else, right? I’m closing my eyes and envisioning mole-esque meatballs: made with mustard and a splash of milk in the meat, a dollop of mayo and some melted M&Ms in the sauce, garnished with a fresh mint mango salad. I can’t tell if that’s marginally manageable, or straight up in the horror realm with those many mumbling moonlight mice.
Maybe mixing all of them isn’t the best idea, even though I’m fairly certain (or at least I’m praying) it would be a completely original recipe. Taken in wise pairings, however, the Ms could be majorly moreish. Mango meatballs are sounding very appealing, especially with some gentle touches of tangy mustard and creamy mayo, and no one should ever balk over a minty M&M milkshake.
M is mighty nice.
Minty Mango Slaw
Hey, at least it’s not all my Ms together, right? I am just not making more meatballs this week, and the milkshake was too easy, so you’re getting this. Mint is so often relegated to desserts and drinks in North America, which clearly I approve of (*takes a sip of tea*), but other cultures often use it more as a “normal” herb, incorporating mint into savory things. Mayonnaise offers magical creaminess, so it fits anywhere within reason, and I adore mango in salads (and everywhere else).
Prep tips: This is not the time and place to get in an argument, but *cough* Duke’s and Hellman’s are the best mayos; ATK’s taster panel agrees.
1 small head red cabbage, shredded
salt
2 carrots, shredded
2 mangos, peeled and diced small
1 cup mayo (can use part plain yogurt)
zest and juice of a lime
minced pickled jalapeños, to taste
a handful of fresh mint, minced
Toss the cabbage with a decent sprinkle of salt, scrunching it in with your hands. Add in all remaining ingredients, adjusting seasoning to taste.
Shed Those Fears of Cancer Treatment
Mrs. B came into the emergency room one night, years ago, with some stress related issue. After taking her history, I began to suspect there was something else bothering her. As I was beginning her physical exam she blurted out, “I know there is a breast mass but you’re not going to send me to any breast cancer doctor!” She had already decided to avoid standard treatment and her next comment explained why, “My aunt suffered because of awful unnecessary surgery and chemotherapy,” she said. I sensed there was no changing her mind and that meant trouble for my patient.
The story evolved as my patient’s breast cancer grew and eroded through her skin to become a weeping and tender sore. She soon sought out unconventional treatment by a non-physician from a neighboring town with an internet degree of some kind who promised to help her. The treatment involved a curious machine with flashing lights and an unusual noise which apparently indicated which group of herbal supplements the patient needed to buy in order to cure the cancer “naturally.”
More women are diagnosed with breast cancer than any other malignancy, except for skin cancer. If the breast cancer hasn’t spread outside of breast tissue, then, with treatment, the five-year survival is about 99 percent. If the cancer has spread to lymph nodes just outside the breast, then, with treatment, the five-year survival is about 90 percent. Even if the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, which happens only in about six percent of the cases, then, with treatment, more than 25 percent are still alive after five years. Since 1989, the number of people who die from breast cancer has been steadily decreasing which is the direct result of improved methods for breast cancer screening, detection and treatment.
My patient died less than a year from our meeting in the emergency room. I still regret not convincing her to get help from a science-based breast cancer physician. She may have lived years longer and in more comfort. Many people are now being saved who were previously lost to all types of cancers. Even when lifesaving is not possible, current cancer treatment can at least improve the quality of the time that remains.
Bottom line: The fear of death and the fear of suffering keep some people from seeking medical help. Please shed those fears and seek science-based help.
The late Richard P. Holm, MD is founder of The Prairie Doc® a For free and easy access to the entire Prairie Doc® library, visit www.prairiedoc.org and follow Prairie Doc® on social media featuring On Call with the Prairie Doc® a medical Q&A show streaming on Facebook Thursdays at 7 p.m. central. Prairie Doc Radio is on weekly on SDPB radio at 6am and 1pm Central.
