March 2024

From the chair in my office in just the past couple weeks, I’ve witnessed the few larger V-shaped flights of Canada geese be replaced by numerous paired flights of geese. I’ve seen an American robin take particular interest in his reflection in my window, under the likely assumption it was not a reflection at all, but a potential rival. I’ve also seen the amaryllis in my office in full bloom. Although biologists, birdwatchers, hunters, and anglers aren’t in the least bit surprised by observations like these, I suspect the subtleties of changing seasons are lost on some people. Whether due to their insulation from nature in artificial worlds of manipulated temperatures and controlled environments or to the bigger issue of a simple indifference to Mother Nature and the constant changes she determines.

Few Americans of a certain age are unfamiliar with the “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner” marketing campaign that has promoted the health and palatability of beef through radio, social media, magazine ads, and even TV spots during several consecutive Super Bowls and Olympic Games. Over its 22-year run, the campaign has been credited with increasing consumers’ awareness of beef as a distinctly American food product, even though its influence on increasing beef consumption in American diets is mixed.