High-quality beef is the main niche market for the U.S. cattle industry and is what keeps us winning over our biggest competitor, Australia, says Anne Anderson, Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) Chair. However, she also says what is really making the difference in the value of beef is that we have managed to maintain a strong market for our offal products.
“In the U.S. they have almost no value, I mean cents,” Anderson said. “But if for tripe we can get $1.50 if it goes south of our border, that’s just fabulous news. Lots of opportunity.”
Currently, there is a tremendous opportunity in the global marketplace opening up that would allow the industry to further the international push of products. The CBB is a major contributor to the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) which Anderson says is imperative to help global expansion of the market. The only problem is; the budget this year is down approximately $4M since cattle prices have stagnated.
“Cattle numbers were down; people have held a lot of heifers back,” Anderson said. “So it’s going to be a real push in the Operating Committee to see how this money gets split up.”
The committee is scheduled to meet later next month in September and will begin a scoring process that will ultimately decide what areas such as global growth, digital promotion, new product development, nutrition research, etc. to invest in with the goal of getting the most bang for their buck. It is the mission of the committee to determine what proposed strategies will best fit their long-term goals and plans and how it will deliver the board’s message.
“Everything ties to the strategic plan. Is it reach, is it advocacy, what is it and what are we getting for it?” Anderson said. “We are giving the Operating Committee more tools, more producer input to try to make the right decisions for the industry. The real bottom line is the producers.
Click here to see more...