Ranchers had an opportunity to build relationships with consumers this summer in the number one export market for U.S. beef- Japan. Oklahoma cattle producer Chuck Coffey traveled to Japan with other ranchers and a corn farmer from Missouri in a trip coordinated by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).
"We were going over there to be able to put a face with the product that we produce and export to their country," Coffey said.
While in Japan, Coffey and the other American ranchers meet with packers, retailers, grocery store owners, as well as Japanese consumers. Coffey said they taught consumers how to barbecue and cook a steak. Typically the Japanese cook beef like Koreans, in cooking thinner cuts of beef. This group of ranchers were showing consumers how to cook a thicker cut of steak, like how Americans eat beef.
“It’s more of a slow cook style, just like you would barbecue in your backyard,” Coffey said.
USMEF organized several major events, including cooking demonstrations. At one event, Coffey said they had 40 families from Tokyo. These were middle aged families with young children. They were provided with grills and barbecue pits. Coffey said the group of ranchers taught them how to properly cook a steak.
Similar to the United States, Japanese consumers are interested in knowing where their food comes from. The fifth-generation rancher shared his story, in how he raises cattle with his wife of 30 years and their three children, that are all involved on the ranch.
Coffey serves as a member of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board. He was appointed to the board by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in December 2013.
Click here to see more...