Delcurto serves as Oregon’s Beef Ambassador
The Oregon CattleWomen have named Molly Jo Delcurto as the state’s official Beef Ambassador.
The 19-year-old Linn-Benton Community College sophomore will serve as the public face of the industry, interacting with a consumer base that is increasingly concerned with everything from humane slaughter methods to the myriad uses of animal byproducts.
“A lot of people don’t know how the process works,” Delcurto said. “The biggest (misconception) is thinking that beef is grown on factory farms, when in reality it’s grown on family farms.”
Appointed to the position in late March, Delcurto has already promoted the interests of ranchers at Salem’s Ag Fest, at Oregon State University’s Summer Agricultural Institute and through presentations to elementary school children in her hometown of Cove.
She’ll also appear at the Oregon State Fair and the East-West Shrine All-Star Football Game, a fundraiser for the Shriners Hospital for Children, in Baker City.
Delcurto was awarded a $500 scholarship for the ambassadorship after emerging from a crowded field of applicants, according to Oregon CattleWomen President Katharine Jackson.
“I think that Molly is ready to go,” Jackson said. “She has a very calm presence and will be able to say what needs to be said”
Growing up on a hobby ranch where her parents raised registered Angus cattle, Delcurto started her own mini-herd when she was 9-years-old.
All it took was a little grit, gumption — and a loan from Mom and Dad — and soon the junior rancher had three flowery-named heifers: Rosy, Daisy and Lily.
“My cattle tend to be a little more ornery than normal. They definitely have a mind of her own” Delcurto said. “We spoiled them too much. They got extra feed all the time.”
Delcurto moved up the ranks in Cove High School’s 70-member FFA contingent. She served as chapter historian and secretary before becoming president in her senior year. She also participated in livestock judging competition in high school and now plays on a collegiate level.
Delcurto is pursuing a major in agricultural business management and a minor in animal science. She hopes to continue to work as an industry spokesperson after she graduates.
During her educational presentations, she said explaining the beef cultivation process left the young children “amazed.”
“They see the animals in the field, and they see what’s on their dinner plate, but they have no idea how it got to that spot,” she said.
Delcurto will vie for one of five spots on the national beef ambassador team in September. If she wins, she’ll be in good company. In 2013, Oregon Beef Ambassador Jacquelyn Brown won a spot on the traveling team.