Cattle producers will have to be more transparent. That recommendation comes from Cameron Bruett of JBS-USA, one of the major meat processors in the US and globally. He was one of the keynote speakers at the recent Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Convention in Midwest City. There is a fine line between being a cattle producer and being a producer of beef. He said cattlemen need to be able to tell the story of how each animal has been handled and cared for, as that animal becomes the high-quality, safe product, known as beef.
“It’s a new paradigm, everyone in our industry, in agriculture is a food producer at the end of the day,” Bruett said
Today’s consumer wants agriculture to be more transparent, so Bruett said ag producers need to share that story with the next user, so when beef finally gets to the restaurant or the retailer that interacts with consumers, they can say with confidence, this product comes from a good cattle operation and from good people.
“The whole chain is involved in this process,” Bruett said. “We all prioritize the things that you care about. You can feel good about eating beef and you can feel good about eating more of it.”
The beef industry will never be vertically integrated like pork or poultry and Bruett said that’s one of the strengths of the beef industry. But that also means beef producers have to be “virtually integrated in telling that story and communicating with consumers.
“So, people have confidence that every step, along our very diversified supply chain, that we’re prioritizing the things that matter to them and their families,” Bruett said.
When customers go to the grocery store, they don’t understand the sectors involved with processors, grinders, feedlots, stockers and so forth. Bruett said they just see the package of beef and they want to know more.
“The only way you can inform those consumers, who want to know more about it, is if we all partner and collaborate together,” Bruett said.
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