Why Export Markets for Beef are so Valuable
Three experts talk market access, premium beef and dollar impact.
It’s no surprise the United States is known across the globe as the “gold standard” for high-quality beef. After all, an estimated 80%-82% of all grain-fed beef is U.S.-produced, said Larry Corah, with the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand, during the Cattlemen’s College® export session Feb. 4.
Jay Theiler of AgriBeef, and Paul Clayton, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), rounded out the panel on beef trade during the 2015 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show in San Antonio, Texas.
“Our main advantage is premium-quality beef,” Theiler said. “We are recognized as the gold standard around the world. It’s pretty fun to go out and sell our products because of the demand.” Read more.
David Gazda
Association Perspective
The importance of relationships.
Recently I was invited to sit in on a brainstorming discussion attended by breed association representatives and those from academia, as well as commercial and seedstock Angus producers. During the afternoon discussion one commercial cattleman, when asked about the importance of a specific trait (characteristic) in bull selection in his region of the country, responded by saying it was of little or no interest, and added Angus genetics were utilized primarily to breed heifers and generate replacement females for their operation.
After listening to the producers’ comments, I was convinced I had stood by the auctioneer’s speaker one too many sales at ringside, and my hearing was now failing me. Being somewhat familiar with operations, their geographic locations, cow herd makeup, marketing programs, etc., I just assumed the trait being deliberated would have to be one of major consideration in sire selection for these programs — certainly in the one where replacements were being retained. Read more.
D.C. Issues Update
Cattlemen hear update of what’s happening in Washington during the NCBA Policy Forum.
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) members engaged in policy development met with the association’s Washington, D.C., staff Feb. 5, during the 2015 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show in San Antonio, Texas. In preparation for the following day’s policy-driving committee meetings, Vice President of Government Affairs Colin Woodall and other NCBA staffers informed cattlemen about developments associated with priority issues.
Woodall recounted recent favorable events counted as “wins” for NCBA lobbying efforts. Heading the list was the scrapping of Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack’s plan to create a second beef checkoff to be administered by USDA. Additionally, an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) interpretive rule was rescinded. Woodall explained that the rule placed virtually every ditch, pond and puddle within “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) and subject to regulation by EPA. Read more.
Agriculture & Food Policy
Committee addresses immigration, dietary guidelines and beef grading.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Agriculture & Food Policy Committee met Feb. 6 in San Antonio, Texas, during the 2015 Cattle industry Convention. Attendees from across the nation heard reports from speakers addressing issues such as immigration and border security, human dietary guidelines and beef carcass grading.
Stephanie Gadbois, senior counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, explained how that group’s chairman, Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), favors replacing the H-2A program applied to foreign agricultural workers seeking temporary or seasonal work in the United States. According to Gadbois, the Congressman has proposed an “H-2C” program, which would be administered by the Secretary of Agriculture instead of the Secretary of Labor. Read more.
Interest Rates and Their Impact on Agriculture
Learning Lounge session focuses on interest rates.
Some 8,100 people from all across cattle country traveled to San Antonio, Texas, for the 2015 Cattle industry Convention. A good many of them took advantage of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Learning Lounge, sitting in on one or more of the informal educational sessions hosted in the NCBA Trade Show. In each of a series of 30-minute Learning Lounge sessions, an industry expert addressed a different timely topic.
Kentucky-based Michael Smith, a regional vice president for Farm Credit Mid-America, spoke on the subject of interest rates and their impact on agriculture. He talked about the economic outlook globally and in the United States. Smith said 3.4% growth in global productivity is expected in 2015, while U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) is projected to grow by 3.4%. Read more.
What’s Inside …
In this February edition of the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, you'll find valuable articles devoted to the management, marketing, and health and nutrition of your beef enterprise. Select from the tabs at the top of the page to access this month's entire offering by category. A few select features include:
- Grass-finished vs. Traditional Beef Production
- Trade Show Picks
- Future Use of Antibiotics
- More Than a Byproduct
- Developing a Healthier, More Profitable Calf
- In The Cattle Markets
- Market Outlook for 2015
News Briefs …
The American Angus Association and its subsidiaries generate a wealth of information to keep members and affiliates informed of what's happening within the industry as well as with the programs and services they offer. Click here for easy access to the newsrooms of the American Angus Association and Certified Angus Beef LLC and the Angus Journal Daily archive recently made available in the API Virtual Library.
Author Vindicates Butter, Meat & Cheese
Investigative journalist Nina Teicholz has spent the last decade studying nutrition research on dietary fats.
“Bacon is better for your hips than pasta,” said Nina Teicholz as she addressed the American National CattleWomen Inc. (ANCW) during their general session Feb. 5 during the 2015 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show in San Antonio. Teicholz is an investigative journalist who has spent the past decade studying the existing nutrition research on dietary fats.
What she found is that nutrition science has had extreme selection bias in the past that lead to the low-fat nutrition recommendations — and most likely have contributed to obesity and poorer health in America. In truth, other research has proven that dietary fat — including saturated fat — is what leads to better health, wellness and fitness. Read more.
Aging: How to Tell What’s Normal
The effects of aging vary from person to person.
I’m in my early 60s and, unlike some of my peers (it seems), I’m starting to feel my age. How do I know what’s normal and what’s not?
The oldest baby boomers, born in 1946, will celebrate their 69th birthdays this year, and certainly anyone can expect to experience changes physically, socially and emotionally as they age. However, the idea of what constitutes “normal aging” and what distinguishes that from disease or decline is continually evolving. Read more.
[Click here to go to the top of the page.]