Top Quality Beef from Local Ranches at the National Western Stock Show

When it comes to the food you eat, a handshake is a heck of lot better than a marketing slogan. Here in Colorado you can get your beef from a neighbor you know, and these days it's becoming more and more important to know the source of your food and what goes into it.

At the National Western Stock Show, I talked with local ranchers who raise and deliver beef to Denver-area residents. The care and pride they put into their meat is amazing, and you can ask them direct and specific questions and get an honest answer.

According to National Western's 2008 Souvenir Program, it's individuals who own and operate 87% of Colorado farms. Livestock sales here amount to $3.3 billion of the $4.5 billion in agricultural product sales annually, and nearly half - 46% - of Colorado's total land area is farms and ranches. 3,638 farms are in the Denver metro area, with 10 actually in Denver County! There are plenty of local sources for the food we put on our tables.

At the stock show, where visitors come from around the world to find out what's going on in the livestock industry, you can get a good education about your protein sources, and give thanks to the animals, ranchers and farmers who provide them. You can stop by the restaurants at the show and try some prime rib or other cuts, watch the judging of the animals and listen to the judge's explanation of the criteria. You can talk with folks in the business about the details, and pick up a packet of information with recipes and explanations of meat cuts from the beef industry booth or other trade organizations.