MOBEEF FOR MOKIDS
Beefing Up School Lunches.
MoBeef for MoKids is a joint program of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, the Missouri Beef Industry Council and Opaa Food Service to increase the amount of Missouri-raised beef on school lunch menus.
The Missouri Beef Industry Council is a nonprofit organization responsible for administering programs of promotion, education, research, and consumer and industry information. Opaa Food Management specializes in serving the nutritional needs of school districts across Missouri.
Mount Vernon School District
Mount Vernon is the first school to participate in the MoBeef for MoKids program, which will double the amount of beef in Mount Vernon school lunches. The increased beef will be raised and provided by cattle producers located in Lawrence County, which is Missouri’s No. 1 beef producing county.
Students will see an increase in beef menu items the week of Oct. 16, 2017. That same week, several educational programs will be brought into the schools to teach students at various age levels about beef production and the health benefits of eating beef.
Additional menu items include: meatball subs, Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, beef cheddar melts and beef quesadillas.
Lawrence County beef producers are recognized in posters that hang in school cafeteria areas to introduce Mount Vernon students with the people who raised a portion of their lunch. Producers were also recognized at a Farm to Table dinner at the school on Oct. 19.
Missouri Beef Facts
- Lawrence County is Missouri’s top county for beef cattle numbers
- Beef cattle ranching accounts for 1,012 jobs in Lawrence County
- Beef cattle ranching results in $82.7 million in sales to Lawrence County
- Missouri ranks third in cattle production in the U.S.