You know you’re at a cattleman’s convention when a quiet cowboy with a gentle grin greets you Monday morning with a full hats-off tip while offering a sincere “Good morning, Ma’am.” How can that not get your week off to a good start?

I spent the first part of this week at the Iowa Cattlemen’s convention in Des Moines.

The program was chock-full of informative information sessions. The hallways were chock-full of fertile contacts – an important part of my business.

The food was good. The cocktails, plentiful.

I saw many old friends and made a few new ones. And in a scenario that may be peculiar to my business, had a chance to meet sources I frequently speak with only on the phone. Guess what? They’re just as friendly and helpful in person.

But it’s good to be home.

I’m not as young as I used to be – and I’m used to working at home. Two days of make-up and heels is about all this tired old body can stand.

Now that I am back in my den, of course, the real work begins. There are conversations with editors deciding exactly what stories to write. I covered the event for Feed-Lot Magazine. Typing and filing notes will take a day, and I already had to pay the Geek Squad a visit for help with downloading audio files. Writing the stories will involve making contact with the presenters to clarify details and get printable images.

Then there are new story queries to submit – ideas spawned by the myriad of hallway conversations. And of course new contacts to add to the address book.

And then there’s taking time to write a blog about the whole thing….

And catching up on the two days of work I missed….

But it was worth it. The beef industry has been good to me. It’s been the backbone of my freelance business since I began. I write about all forms of agriculture, and even do non-ag work. But beef has always been the meat and potatoes – so to speak.

There’s good news in the industry these days. Market prices are up. That’s not only good for the farmers and ranchers and those of us who make our living in related fields, it’s good for small-town America. Everybody in a town like mine knows Main Street’s income is directly related to the ag economy, and in this corner of cow/calf country, that’s directly related to the price of a feeder calf.

One of the biggest problems facing the industry today is meeting demand. The U.S. beef herd is at its lowest in more than half a century and attempts to increase numbers are slow to take hold, thwarted the last few years by Mother Nature.

On the flip side, demand is high. The export market is growing as the world’s standard of living increases; and domestically, consumers still enjoy their steak on the grill.

Public concerns about food safety and animal welfare are not taken lightly. But cattlemen know how hard they work to care for their animals and produce a healthy product and they are secure the consumer will ultimately understand that, too.

Science continues to increase efficiency and product quality. And from the looks of the audience in the Cattlemen’s College sessions, there’s quite a pack of young folks stepping up to keep the trend going.

Beef people are an interesting lot. Under the big hats and heeled-boot struts, they’re all heart. Always good people to work with, and I enjoy my time spent in that genre (OK. And the paychecks. And wearing the boots.)

And there’s a part of me that appreciates being able to aid the industry by providing producers with valuable information. I guess it’s always good to know there’s a purpose to your work.

So the next time I slice into a juicy steak or give in to a cheeseburger craving, I’ll think of the tall cowboy with the ten-gallon hat and smile. Because I know how much he thought, and studied, and worked, and cared to make it just perfect for me. And then I’ll go to work to help him raise the next animal to feed the next person…..and maybe we’ll share a drink or two at next year’s convention.

God willing and the beef prices stay strong.