Don Curlee: College students promoting beef on campus

It might not qualify as aroma therapy, but the smell of grilled beef is helping overcome the noisy objections of some vegans, vegetarians and others who decry the consumption of red meat.

Barbecuing choice cuts and selling them on sandwiches is one college group's strategic weapon in the debate about the consumption of beef. Even those students with the deepest resentment for meat eating can't escape the stomach-teasing perfume of beef being grilled over charcoal as it floats around the campus.

That's the monthly scenario at California State University, Chico, where members of the Chico State Young Cattlemen's Association use the barbecue sites in front of the school's agriculture building as opportunities to explain how beef animals are raised, handled, humanely slaughtered and prepared for sale and distribution. The club makes a substantial portion of its annual budget from the sandwich sales as well. Most of the beef they cook comes from animals raised on the school farm

A major participant in the promotional effort is Kelsey Markus, secretary for the Young Cattlemen's Committee and past vice president of the Chico State Young Cattlemen's Association. She will begin her senior year in the fall.

The beef-grilling and sandwich-sale events give her and other members of the student organizations that support beef consumption an opportunity to discuss red meat consumption and beef husbandry with those who are captivated by the persistent, mouth-watering aroma of barbecuing meat.

She and her teammates underscore the healthy values of meat by offering chips and water to go with the sandwich instead of soda. They also offer free bumper stickers and brochures that detail the benefits of beef.

But Kelsey is not alone in the crusade by the beef industry to overcome what it sees as an exaggerated and baseless objection to the consumption of beef.

Chico State is not the only campus where the beef-it's-what's-for-lunch student campaigners are active.

At California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Malorie Bankhead is a vigorous campus spokeswoman for the beef industry. The responsibility is made easier as a result of her experience as California's Beef Ambassador in 2009 and as National Beef Ambassador in 2010.

Last year, the position took her to the Boston Marathon, where she and others distributed samples of sirloin steaks and 27 other lean beef cuts with the message that beef's high protein content helps marathoners and other athletes recover quickly after strenuous physical exploits.

She also accompanied members of a Northeast U.S. beef promotion group speaking about beef's attributes and handing out samples from a stage at the New York State Fair, where average daily attendance was 700,000. She visited other high population centers as well to explain the ease and benefits of barbecuing.

Her convictions and willingness to speak come naturally because of her upbringing on a cow-calf ranch in the Livermore area. She will have another important opportunity to voice them as she serves as communications manager for the dedication of the J & G Lau Family Meat Processing Center on the Cal Poly campus Oct. 21-22.

At Fresno State University, student Shelby Rosasco, vice chairman of the Young Cattlemen's Committee of the California Cattlemen's Association, sees her role as recruiting people who want to learn about the beef industry and its handling of animals.

Opportunities come in the form of individual conversations with other students and in meetings and forums on campus arranged by her organization and the agricultural school. She avoids confrontational situations if possible, but refers questioners to faculty.

When challenged by those who have been subjected to anti-beef propaganda, she and a strong contingent of students at several California campuses can articulately explain the extent and depth of the care and feeding given beef cattle by ranchers nationwide.

Whatever it's called, that's a therapy the beef industry is proud to support.