Casey Jentz
Association Perspective
Continuing education for young producers.
The Beef Leaders Institute (BLI) has been an extremely valuable experience for cattlemen across the country. Each year, a small group of producers between the ages of 25 and 45 is selected from a pool of applicants to be part of that year’s BLI “class.” They take a weeklong tour of some of the industry’s leading organizations and farms. The tour covers many aspects of the business, which this year stretched from commercial feedlots to genetics companies to the very foundations of the Angus breed.
This year’s class started at the American Angus Association headquarters, where attendees learned about all of the services and programs that the Association offers both commercial and seedstock producers. Our first tour stop was at the Tyson packing plant in Dakota City, Neb. The plant is one of the largest in the world and has the capability to harvest 7,000 head per day. From there, we traveled to Gregory Feedlot in western Iowa. We saw firsthand the detail and science behind feeding cattle to maximize profitability, all while targeting the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand standards.
Our next stop was at TransOva in Sioux Center, Iowa, where attendees got a behind-the-scenes look at cloning, gene transfer, flushing, in vitro fertilization and other advanced reproduction technologies. We stopped at GeneSeek in Lincoln, Neb., where we learned about the Angus GGP-HD genomic profile, as well as a new low-density test that is now available to the Angus breed.
Our final stop was at Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) in Wooster, Ohio. Part of that tour included a trip to Sysco Cleveland, a global leader in food distribution. Sysco is a key distributor for CAB, and our group had the chance to hear how supermarkets and restaurants are indicating they want higher-quality beef, where CAB is a good fit for the market. Sysco shared that if they can sell “the center of the plate,” they can also sell the outer edges of the plate.
At CAB headquarters, we had the opportunity to hear from John Stika, CAB president, who shared insights about the brand, including supply, acceptance rate, sales and future opportunities to lead the fresh beef market. We learned about a new marketing campaign, the Heritage campaign, which shares how ranchers are dedicated to raising high-quality CAB products. Attendees also gained insights on the global CAB brand, media strategies, consumer research and the retail marketplace.
This event is an excellent opportunity for progressive producers to get an inside look at every aspect of the beef industry. It is made possible by the Angus Foundation and the American Angus Association as they continue to educate our membership. You can learn more online at www.angusfoundation.org.
Editor’s Note: Casey Jentz is the regional manager for region 4, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin.Click here to find the regional manager for your state.
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