Keeping it local

Spyglass Ranch and Jenson Livestock LLC are two of the local ranching operations that have stepped up to the plate to help provide kids with quality food. The Farm to School program came to Moorcroft last week courtesy of the Crook County Cattlewomen.

The group started the project over a year ago, contacting schools and ranchers to set up donations of beef cattle to be shipped to a processor in Sturgis, SD, where the meat is USDA certified before the school pays for the butchering and Crook County students receive quality homegrown meat with their meals.

“Last year,” Criss Neiman of the cattle women group explained, “We just did Hulett and that was a big success, so in the fall, we did Sundance and then Moorcroft.”

Moorcroft has been given three beefs and, according to K8 Principal Theresa Brown, that will last about a year. Ranchers Thayne Gray of Spyglass Ranch and Janet Jenson of Jenson Livestock LLC said that they are willing to donate more as the school needs it.

“We got three beefs, one is stored at the processor’s, one has filled the school freezer and the third is waiting its turn,” said Brown. The cuts are simple, hamburger and roasts.

When head cook Bonnie Ehresmann had her menu set and knew when the local beef would be served, she called the ranchers, asking them to join the noisy boisterous crowd of hungry kids and enjoy the outcome of their effort.

The K8 lunch crew prepared the first meal with the donated beef last week with ranchers Thayne Gray of Spyglass Ranch and Janet Jenson of Jenson Livestock LLC, Criss Neiman and Sheryl Klocker in attendance, “It’s nice that the Moorcroft students can eat real beef, good nutrition and locally grown,” Neiman extolled.

Gray shared his thoughts on this enterprise, “I was very excited about being able to get in on this. I think there are a lot of things we can do locally for our kids like providing the food. We’ve got the best beef around so I was excited about getting in the middle of it.”

Jenson advocated the need to keep the food local: “I wanted our own beef to be used in our local schools.” Lee and Heidi Jenson and sister Tami Jenson actually donated the two animals, said Janet, with her full approval.

Student Pepper Soesbe was just finishing her meal and expressed her surprise when informed that the hot beef she was eating for lunch came from only a few miles away: “I did not know that!”

Two poster boards were set on a table for students to sign and express their thanks for the donated beef. As kids began to return their trays, many stopped by the table and smiled at the ranchers who watched as their Crook County beef was eaten and enjoyed.

Neiman hopes to see this program continue: “We use our own beef, we know it’s good beef and doesn’t have anything in it, but corn, grass and hay. I just hope others get on the band wagon for these schools in Crook County – Sundance, Moorcroft and Hulett.”