By The Journal Editorial Board, Rapid City Journal
Monday, September 19, 2005
If Gov. Mike Rounds' plan to improve the market potential and consumer demand for South Dakota beef is going to succeed, it has to expand beyond the state's borders. The governor's South Dakota Certified Beef program is a great idea, but if the only people who know about it are South Dakotans, it won't get far.
The National Beef Cook-Off that starts today in Rapid City is the ideal setting for getting the word out about South Dakota beef and the Certified Beef program.
The three-day event culminates in the cook-off on Wednesday, featuring 20 amateur cooks who will prepare their own unique dishes that feature beef. A $50,000 grand prize will be awarded and $60,000 in other prizes will go out to contestants in four separate categories. The cook-off will be held at the Best Western Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center and is open to the public.
Today and tomorrow, South Dakota gets its chance to promote its beef industry and the South Dakota Certified Beef program to national media covering the event. A reception will be held at Mount Rushmore National Memorial today hosted by Gov. Rounds and featuring a presentation of the Certified Beef program. Tomorrow, contestants and media will tour the Snyder Family Ranch near Sturgis, with an outdoor barbecue and American Indian dances by Tiospaye Topa.
Corporate sponsors and the $1 per head beef check-off finance the beef cook-off event, which is being hosted locally by the South Dakota Cattlewomen.
This is the second time the National Beef Cook-Off has visited South Dakota. Our state's beef producers raise some of the best beef in the country, and the cook-off is a good opportunity to let the rest of the nation in on that fact.
