ANGUS BEEF BULLETIN EXTRA

March 21, 2019 | Vol. 12 : No. 3

Virtual Reality Beef Ranch Tours Expand to Global Audiences

A look inside America’s beef industry now available to new audiences with translated 360-degree virtual tours.

In an effort to share more about beef farming and ranching with audiences across the globe, Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. is making its virtual ranch tours available in Korean, Japanese and Spanish.

“International customers are very interested in the story behind U.S. beef, but most live in large cities and have never seen the clean open spaces where cattle are raised.”

The project — made possible by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), contractors to the Beef Checkoff, and Iowa Beef Industry Council — will offer a variety of new audiences an opportunity to virtually experience the U.S. beef industry and production practices.

“International customers are very interested in the story behind U.S. beef, but most live in large cities and have never seen the clean open spaces where cattle are raised,” said Dan Halstrom, USMEF president and CEO. “These videos allow international audiences to feel like they are right in the middle of daily life on a family ranch or farm, and a key component of that story is the tremendous care that goes into raising the animals. From genetics to grazing and feeding practices to environmental stewardship, these families make the investments necessary to raise the finest beef in the world.”

“As we expand our global reach and share where U.S. beef comes from with international consumers, this is an opportunity to provide an in-depth look at beef production using modern technology,” said Chris Freland, executive director of Iowa Beef Industry Council. “We have a goal at Iowa Beef Industry Council to create a video for international use, and featuring an Iowa family seemed like a natural partnership opportunity to share that story.”

The three translated 360-degree videos virtually transport the viewer to a ranch to learn more about how cattle are raised, including the ways beef farmers and ranchers care for the environment and their animals. The tours feature:

  • Triple U Ranch — On the diversified Triple U Ranch, the Utesch family runs a cow-calf operation, a small feedyard and grows corn. The ranch was started in the 1940s and has been in the Utesch family and had cattle on it ever since.
  • Easterday Ranches — The tour of Easterday Ranches takes the viewer to a state-of-the-art feedyard in Washington with more than 70,000 head of cattle and thousands of acres of onions, potatoes, corn and wheat.
  • Brackett Ranch — A peek into the Brackett family’s life at Brackett Ranch on the Oregon and Idaho border shows unparalleled beauty. The Bracketts and their four kids raise cows and calves.

The 360-degree videos debuted in English last year at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. They are available on the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. website. For a look at all things beef, visit BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com.

Editor’s note: This article is from the Beef Checkoff Program.