Newest Lesson Plan
Taste, Tenderness, and the Muscle Fiber
Taste continues to be the number one reason consumers choose beef, so it’s incredibly important that we understand what makes that taste so desirable. Taste is equal to eating satisfaction which is made up of palatability, tenderness, flavor, and juiciness. Beef farmers and ranchers as well as retail stores and restaurants must be committed to every beef eating experience being a great one so consumers continue to choose beef.
A Fancy Steak Dinner on a Budget
A great fancy steak dinner is about more than just the food. It’s about the setting, the company, and, of course, the delicious food! While the setting and company are a large part of a great steak dinner, the food is the central focus. There are many things that go into preparing a delicious steak for a fancy steak dinner.
Steak Science
Check out this Steak Science curriculum from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Nebraska Extension. This curriculum includes lesson plans, power points and handouts for your immediate use in your classroom. Five lessons are included covering topics like how much meat an animal provides, byproducts, label discussion, safe cooking, and careers. There is even a hands-on "carcass" breakdown using a watermelon or orange as the example.
Unique Spice Blends
Consumers are looking for new unique and diverse dining options and experiences. Research shows that consumers are excited about unfamiliar flavors, ingredients and cuisines. This lesson not only introduces your students to a unique spice blend, Berbere, but also covers the differences between taste, flavor, and the not-often-talked-about taste in food, umami.
Umami: The Fifth Taste
Umami is a category of taste in food, along with sweet, sour, salt, and bitter. Flavors are an important part of our world because they send important signals to our bodies about what we are eating. In this lesson plan, students will identify umami flavors using beef and how it enhances the four other flavors.
Cookin' Up Beef
This lesson gives students the chance to compare cuts of beef and learn the location in which they are found on the animal while also understanding and interpreting cooking methods for the variety of beef cuts offered at the grocery store. Finally, students are given the chance to demonstrate knowledge on tenderness, marbling, beef pricing, and grades. This complete lesson plan includes worksheets, in-classroom activities, presentation, and complete lesson video.
Beef in a Healthy Diet
Students learn about nutrients and why it is important to incorporate all into their diets. Includes a lesson plan, additional resources and lesson extensions, and evaluation tools.
Beef Activity Book
This beefy activity book is fun for all ages. This digital file is ready to be printed from home.
My Cheeseburger came from the Farm
A lesson on the life cycle of cattle and where our food comes from. Includes a lesson plan, additional resources and lesson extensions, and evaluation tools.
Food Safety
A lesson on food safety with emphasis on how to properly cook ground beef and recognition of the critical control points during the processing of beef. Includes a lesson plan, additional resources and lesson extensions, and evaluation tools.
Beef is Greener Than You Thought
Beef is not only good for you but good for the environment, too! The beef community is continuously improving its management practices so less water is required, water quality is improved, fewer greenhouse gas emissions are produced and less waste is produced. After completing this lesson you will find that beef is greener than you think! Includes a lesson plan, additional resources and lesson extensions, and evaluation tools.
Ranchers Care About Cattle
It is becoming increasingly important for consumers to understand that the food they eat is being produced by people who care about their livestock and provide optimal care. Cattle ranchers and farmers voluntarily participate in Beef Quality Assurance programs which help cattle producers in producing cattle that are healthy, wholesome and meet FDA, USDA and EPA guidelines. Includes a lesson plan, additional resources and lesson extensions, and evaluation tools.
More...
Our friends at the Iowa Beef Industry Council have created excellent lesson plans for elementary through high school levels.
The Remarkable Ruminant
Follow the farm to fork process of producing beef, learn how cattle and other ruminants convert grass into nutrient-rich foods such as milk and meat, discover ways cattle recycle food waste, and identify careers in the beef cattle industry in this all-inclusive, Agricultural Literacy, Common Core, and Education Content Standard aligned lesson plan. Lesson plan includes interest approach, four activities, essential files, vocabulary, and enriching activities. Certified by the National Agriculture in the Classroom's National Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix.
True Beef: From Pasture to Plate
Created by Chef Mike Erickson and his culinary arts students from Pflugerville, Texas, this educational documentary follows agricultural science and culinary arts students as they learn about the entire process of beef production.
Farmland, a film by James Moll
An award-winning film, "Farmland" highlights the next generation of farmers and ranchers. There are several lesson plans developed to complement the film covering sustainability, earth science, social studies, and agribusiness.
