News Update
October 6, 2015
Driving Full-Circle Beef Quality
A holistic approach to quality lends value to every sector of the beef production chain. When cattlemen and women at the seedstock level partner with their customers and subsequent feeders, the end product improves.
That’s according to Jerry Connealy, a Nebraska Angus breeder, who says valuable industry partnerships can drive full-circle beef quality.
“From the end user standpoint, from the steak on the plate, if that’s a quality eating experience and the consumer is willing to pay for that, it trickles back down to the packing plant, the feeders, to the commercial man, and, ultimately the seedstock provider,” Connealy said.
He credits the Certified Angus Beef® brand as a “pull-through entity” due to the program’s ability to track cattle through the feedyard and into the packing plant.
Watch the full interview with Connealy on this week’s The Angus Report.
Also tune to the show at 5 p.m. CDT Wednesday, 1:30 p.m. CDT Saturday and 7:30 a.m. CDT each Monday morning on RFD-TV.
Vilsack Regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the following statement Oct. 5, following the successful conclusion of negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership:
“An agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations provides a more level playing field in trade for American farmers. The agreement would eliminate or significantly reduce tariffs on our products and deter non-science-based sanitary and phytosanitary barriers that have put American agriculture at a disadvantage in TPP countries in the past. Despite these past barriers, countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership currently account for up to 42% of all U.S. agricultural exports, totaling $63 billion. Thanks to this agreement and its removal of unfair trade barriers, American agricultural exports to the region will expand even further, particularly exports of meat, poultry, dairy, fruits, vegetables, grains, oilseeds, cotton and processed products.”
To view the complete statement, access the USDA news release.
Cattle Producers Should Share
Anne Burkholder, Nebraska feedyard operator and author of the Feed Yard Foodie blog, says cattle producers should tell their story and become more transparent in developing relationships with consumers.
“Consumers are very curious about where their food comes from,” Burkholder said. “I think it’s very reasonable for consumers to know where their steak comes from.”
Burkholder is known for her consumer outreach and as an advocate for beef. In 2014 she was awarded BEEF Magazine’s Trailblazer Award, and in 2013 she was voted to Vance Publishing’s 40 under 40 in Agriculture.
Burkholder said consumers are very curious about where their food comes from, adding there’s no silver bullet to building trust: “You have to share yourself to build trust. It is people who have relationships and establish trust. We have to make a personal commitment that makes your farm transparent.”
Read the compete article in the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA.
Registration Open for 2016 Cattle Industry Convention
Registration and housing for the 2016 Cattle Industry Convention and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Trade Show opened Oct. 5.
The 118th Annual Convention will be hosted in San Diego, Calif., Jan. 27-29, 2016. Advanced registration is open until Jan. 4, 2016. Convention participants will hear from industry leaders, gather insight on industry trends, enjoy an evening of stars and stripes on the USS Midway and this year’s Cowboy Concert Series will feature Martina McBride.
In addition to access to all of the 2016 convention events, registrants for the full convention will receive a 50% off coupon for Roper and Stetson apparel and footwear at the NCBA Trade Show. To register and secure housing for the 2016 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show, visit www.beefusa.org or e-mail meetings@beef.org.
For more information, please view the full NCBA news release online.
Ag Land Trust Names New Director
The Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust announces the appointment of Bo Alley as acting director. Alley will take over the reins from Pamela Dewell in mid-October, after her seven years at the helm of one of the largest regional land trusts in the United States.
“I am proud of the conservation I have helped to accomplish in Wyoming and am grateful to the many visionary landowners who have chosen to work with the Stock Growers Land Trust,” said Dewell, who is credited with more than doubling the acreage of working ranch lands conserved in perpetuity by the organization during her tenure.
A Wyoming native, Alley’s family has deep roots in Wyoming ranching and agriculture. His great-grandfather Jim Grieve began ranching in Natrona County in 1893 on the historic UC Ranch. Later, the Grieves purchased and operated the Diamond Ring and the Dumbbell Ranch Co. On his father’s side, his grandfather Ralph Alley managed the John Hay Sheep Co., and was very active in the Wyoming sheep industry.
For more information, view the full release online.
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