Oregon Looking To Make T-Bone State’s Official Steak

The State of Oregon appears to be well (done?) on its way to adopting an official steak.

This week, the Oregon Senate passed a bill to make the T-bone the Beaver State's ceremonial prime cut.

The legislation, which won unanimous Senate approval on a vote of 30-0, is being championed by the Oregon CattleWomen who noted the state's adoption of the potato as its official vegetable in 2023 was missing a main entrée.

CattleWomen president-elect Gabrielle Homer said of the spud's crowning last year, “boy, that potato sure needs a steak on the plate next to it!”

Homer said the T-bone was chosen because of its hearty representation of Oregon's political divide.

"It has two sides to it. Kind of like Oregon. There’s the tenderloin side and the striploin side, and then the bone in the middle is representative of the Cascade Mountains.”

The cattle industry is Oregon's second-largest agricultural commodity, raking in nearly $1 billion annually and only falling short of the state's nursery industry as its top round.

Supporters of Oregon's taking up an official beef in perpetuity say it's an opportunity to celebrate the hard-working ranchers who provide a safe and sustainable source of protein that also just happens to be very tasty.

Currently, only one other state has an official steak, that being Oklahoma. The Sooner State made the ribeye its official slab in 2019.

Oregon's T-bone special is now on the chuckwagon to the House where it is scheduled for a first reading in the weeks ahead.