Tag 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 Heillers, 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.

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.

Food & Family“Dish This” Contest Promises to Serve Up Fun

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Franklin County 4-H members who earned top awards in 2012 for promoting Iowa-grown foods include Collin Meints, in the Junior division, as well as Kendra Vanness and Ben Fahrmann in the Senior divisions.

Not everyone understands how food is grown. Even those who buy fresh produce at the Farmer’s Market or try their hand at gardening aren’t always familiar with how to fix it. Thanks to a revamped program being offered July 18 at the 2013 Franklin County Fair, however, fairgoers can learn a thing or two from 4-H members. After all, these recipes will be simple enough for a fourth grader to fix!

An updated version of the Promote Your Commodities contest, Dish This!, features the use of Iowa-grown products in food dishes. New contest categories include: Appetizer / Snack, Salad / Side Dish, Main Dish, Bread and Desserts.

The 2013 Franklin County Fair will be the fourth time Collin Meints of the West Fork Winners 4-H Club in Sheffield, Iowa, has participated in this contest. When school gets out for the summer, he’ll be busy conducting research on websites and paging through cooking magazines to gain ideas for this year’s entries. Of course, trying new recipes means he and his family get to “taste test” new recipes throughout the summer.

“My favorite part of this contest is getting to taste everyone’s entries once the judging is complete at the fair,” said Collin. “My older brother participated in this contest before I was old enough to join 4-H. He had fun, so I knew that I wanted to enter this contest once I became a 4-H member.”

Not only has he entered this contest, he’s conquered it! Last year he took top honors in the Soy, Dairy, Beef and Pork categories. Collin is sharing two award-winning recipes with us on TheFieldPosition. His recipe for Pork and Bean Bars, promoting soybeans, earned him a purple ribbon in 2012. Collin also received a purple ribbon in 2010 for promoting dairy with a Morning Orange Drink.

Pork and Bean Bars

Ingredients:

  • 1, 15-oz can pork and beans (do not drain)
  • 1 small (8 oz.) can (undrained) crushed pineapple
  • 2 c. sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 c. vegetable oil (I use soy oil)
  • 1½ cups all all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup soy flour
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 can cream cheese frosting

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 350°. Spray a jelly roll pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a blender, puree beans and pineapple; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, eggs, and oil. Mix well.
  2. Add flour and soy flour, baking soda, and cinnamon to egg mixture and mix.
  3. Add beans and pineapple; mix well.
  4. Pour into a sprayed jelly roll pan. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes.
  5. Cool completely and frost.
  6. Makes 24 servings.

COOK’S NOTE: I found this recipe in the “Generations of Caring” cookbook from the Sheffield Care Center and Deerfield Place Assisted Living.