Beef State no mere slogan

Historian John Carter has a beef with many Nebraskans. He says too few appreciate the role the cattle industry has played in the state’s history, its culture and its pocketbook. “It’s like growing up in East Lansing, attending Michigan State University and not knowing who Henry Ford is,” Carter said. Nebraska ranks first in the nation in commercial red meat production, second in cattle slaughter, second in cattle on feed and second in cash receipts from cattle and calves, according to the USDA.

Although Texas markets more cattle than Nebraska, Texas’ larger economy and population are less dependent on cattle. Carter, a senior research folklorist with the Nebraska State Historical Society, recently finished an eight-year project studying the history of beef in Nebraska. Along the way, he came to realize that the story of the cattle industry is also the story of Nebraska.

Some of the fruits of Carter’s research can be viewed June 1 when NET Television airs “The Beef State,” a documentary co-produced by the network and the State Historical Society. Two Web sites will offer more information on Carter’s project: www.nebraskastudies.org and www.netNebraska.org/beefstate, which offers additional video clips, still photographs and eyewitness commentary.

Gov. Dave Heineman will host a special premiere of the “Beef State” documentary Thursday at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel in downtown Lincoln. It will be a fundraiser for NET. Reservations can be made at 402-472-9333, ext. 556, or jherstein@netNebraska.org. “Beef State” will air statewide at 6 p.m. Sunday, repeating at 8 p.m. June 2 on NET1 and in high definition on NET-HD.