Category Archives: Beef

Celebrate May Beef Month with Pot Roast

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Every farmer I know looks forward to the beginning of a new planting season – as well as to its end! As much as Ben Jones of Spencer, Iowa, enjoys farming, he’s eagerly anticipating the end of the 2013 planting season and the beginning of a new chapter in his life.

Ben and his fiancé, Chelsea Heikens, are set to wed on June 22. Ironically, the two will be married in the building were they became reacquainted as the former Bomgaars building in Spencer has been converted into Faith Lutheran Church.

Both Ben and Chelsea were FFA members at Clay Central Everly, but Ben was a senior when Chelsea was a freshman. It was a few years – and many trips to Bomgaar’s – later, before the two reconnected.

“At the time, I was working fulltime for a farmer from spring through fall and working construction in the winter. It seemed like I was always going into Bomgaars for one thing or another. Once I realized Chelsea was working there, I might have come up with a few more reason to head into town,” says Ben with a shy smile.

Growing up on the farm and being active in both 4-H and FFA, helped Ben and Chelsea develop a love of the land and a passion for livestock. As a member of the Clay Raiders 4-H Club, Ben’s favorite 4-H project areas were cattle and hogs.

“I learned a lot about managing livestock and the importance of keeping accurate records,” he says of his 4-H experience. “You learn from your experiences and look for ways to continually better your operation.”

Such 4-H life skills are still in practice today as Ben helps his dad with the family’s Black Angus-mix cow-calf operation. Ben runs his own custom baling business, as well. He also still helps a local farmer, who Ben credits for interesting him in precision farming. They use GPS data to increase overall farm profitability by managing nitrogen and planting at variable rates.

Seed selection and seed placement are also key factors in increasing profit per acre. This is where Ben and Chelsea can team up as they get their Latham® seed dealership off the ground. This summer Chelsea is interning with a co-op. After earning an agronomy degree this December, she’ll pursue full-time employment in agronomy.

With two busy schedules, Ben and Chelsea plan ahead to spend time together often while enjoying a good meal. The two of them even cooked up their own recipe for Pot Roast. And in honor of May Beef Month, they’re sharing it today on TheFieldPosition.com. Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner!

Slow Cooked Roast

Ingredients:

  • 3-pound roast of your choice
  • 1 packet of Italian dressing dry mix
  • 2 to 3 cans of beef broth
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 1 bag of baby carrots
  • 2 to 4 potatoes, cubed

Directions:

  1. Rub dressing mix on entire roast, and then place it in a crock pot.
  2. Place peppers, onions, potatoes and carrots around and on top of the roast.
  3. Add beef broth until everything is almost covered.
  4. Add salt or pepper if desired.
  5. Cook on low for 8 to 12 hours.
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Sweet & Sour: This Recipe Describes Our Spring Weather, Too!

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You might say that farming is in Ben Rein’s blood. His great, great grandfather homesteaded around Highland, Minnesota, in 1884. Farming is a tradition that has continued throughout the generations.

“I’ve been farming for as long as I can remember,” says Ben, who grew up on a family farm and started farming full time in 1997 by custom baling hay and renting 160 acres. He shared equipment with his dad and uncle, who were farming together at that time. They ran a 100-sow, farrow-to-finish operation. They also raised 200 registered Angus cows, selling bulls and heifers. In 2005, Ben’s dad went to work for him. Today they grow corn and alfalfa. They also milk 65 cows and finish fat cattle.

Ben said he wanted to try Latham® products because the company is independent and family owned. He’s stayed with the company because the corn really yields. “I’ve been planting Latham for two years and have had a great experience,” he says. “The people I work with are very knowledgeable and accessible. The seed corn I used last year yielded 200 to 230 bushels, and it was the only corn that stood against the wind and rootworm issues we dealt with.”

While Ben tends to the crops and livestock, his wife Amber stays busy on the home front. The couple lives on the farm Ben’s grandfather bought in 1952, and it’s where they’re raising their five children: Steven, 14; Jaime, 12; Nora, 10; Kimberly, 8; and Rachel, 4.

“Living on a family farm allows us to spend time together working and playing,” says Ben. “It’s the perfect place for kids to develop a good work ethic and to discover their interests. Some of our kids are interested in horses while others enjoy working with calves. There are just so many different things our kids can explore.”

The Rein children are also involved in a lot of activities at school. During the summer months, they enjoy camping. During the winter months, Ben enjoys restoring antique John Deere tractors.

Like most farmers, Ben enjoys promoting the products he raises. Today, in honor of May Beef Month, the Reins are sharing one of their family’s favorite recipes for Sweet and Sour Meatballs. Crock-pot recipes like this are perfect for the spring planting season, so give it a try and let us know what you think!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs. ground beef
  • ¼ c crushed butter crackers
  • 2 T Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 c. chopped onion
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Sweet & Sour Sauce

  • 15 oz. can of chunk pineapple
  • 6 oz. can tomato paste
  • 1/2c brown sugar
  • 2 T apple cider vinegar
  • 2 T Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 green pepper, chopped

NOTE: Add water if you like thinner sauce.

Directions:

  • Shape into meatballs and place in slow cooker.
  • Pour sauce over meatballs.
  • Cook on low for 6 hours.
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Have a “Ball” during May Beef Month

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Joy & Dave Bonin

Warm weather means Joy Bonin can look through the patio window and take in her favorite view, watching black cattle grazing in the green pasture. Her husband, Dave, jokingly calls their cows and calves “lawn ornaments” because she comments so often about what a pretty picture the cattle make.

The Bonins raise Angus and Black Baldies bred to an Angus bull near Belmond in Wright County, Iowa. Their farm includes 40 acres of creek pasture where the cattle graze in the summer months. They also grow corn, and they’ve been contract Latham® soybean growers for approximately 30 years.

Dave and Joy began farming 39 years ago. For the past 37 years, they’ve lived on a farm that Joy’s grandparents purchased in 1950. Joy’s father purchased the farm in 1986, and ever since then she and Dave have farmed it. It’s also where they raised their two children, Michelle and David.

“The farm is a great place to raise a family because there are so many things to do and so many wide open spaces to roam,” says Joy. “Both of our children have a very good work ethic and we believe it’s because they learned to work alongside their parents.”

The Bonin’s daughter, Michelle, earned a bachelor’s degree from Drake University and a master’s degree from the University of Chicago. She works as a financial services consultant for Deloitte. Her husband, Mike, recently started his own business. They also stay busy with their two children, Madilyn, age 4½, and Matthew, age 1½.

Dave & David

The Bonin’s son, David, plays an active role in the family’s farming operation. He does cattle chores daily, as well as helps with spring planting and fall harvest. David earned his Master Electrician license this winter and works full-time as an industrial electrician. His wife, Rachel, works part-time as a radiologist/lab tech and stays busy keeping up with their five active children: Mike, 15; Zach, 14; Colton, 13; Liberty, 10 and Cole, 8. All boys are active in sports. Meanwhile, Liberty takes lessons in dance, gymnastics and piano.

With seven grandchildren, Dave and Joy have a busy calendar! They enjoy attending as many sporting events and recitals as possible. They also enjoy weekend visits to Glen Carbon, Illinois. In addition, they’re active in their community. Dave just completed a three-year term on the church board. He also serves on the Belmond Community Housing board and the Art Council. He enjoys pencil drawing and riding motorcycle in his spare time. Joy serves and their church’s bookkeeper plus teaches Vacation Bible School each summer. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, gardening and baking.

Because Joy has worked off-farm at Latham Hi-Tech Seeds for nearly 36 years, she values meals that are quick, easy and flavorful. Joy often relies on beef when she prepares supper and takes it to the field during planting and harvest.

Today Joy is sharing a couple of her favorite seasonal recipes with us, one for Rhubarb Crunch Cake and another for Sour Cream Meatballs. “Have a ball” with this beef recipe in celebration of May Beef Month!

Sour Cream Meatballs by Joy Bonin

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds ground chuck or round
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 package Lipton dry onion soup mix
  • 1½ cups dry bread crumbs
  • 1 egg, slightly beaten

Directions:

Mix all ingredients. Form meatballs and brown in butter or margarine.

In a Dutch oven, mix:

  • 1 can Campbell’s Cream of Chicken Soup
  • 1 can Campbell’s Beef Broth
  • 1 can water

Add meatballs to liquid. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Yields about 36 meatballs. Serve over rice or noodles.

Cherry Rhubarb Crunch by Joy Bonin

Crust:

  • 2 ½ cups oatmeal
  • ¾ cup flour
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • ¾ cup margarine

Filling:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 T. cornstarch
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 can cherry pie filling
  • 4 cups diced rhubarb
  • 1 t. almond extract

Crust: Combine ingredients and cut together to make crumbs. Save ¾ c. crumbs for top; put rest of crumbs in a 9X13 in. pan

Filling: In sauce pan, combine sugar, cornstarch and water and cook until thick. Remove from heat and add pie filling, rhubarb, and almond extract. Pour over crumbs and sprinkle with remaining crumbs. Bake at 350° F. for 40 minutes.

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