'Meating' the World’s Beef Demands
Date: Monday, August 04, 2008Suggested Lead: With more than 75 percent of the world’s population living somewhere other than the 50 states, U.S. producers are trying to do more with less, while feeding the world. Phil Seng, president and CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), says their approach is to develop international markets and create market displacement. With that in mind, he notes tremendous growth opportunities in Russia and as a side note, comparatively in Japan and Korea…tape.
The face of the industry has changed drastically in the last four to five years with rising food costs, sky-rocketing input costs and fewer cattle numbers. However, Seng says some of the very same challenges U.S. producers face could turn into opportunities to grow beef demand...tape.
Producers identified international markets as a key beef checkoff priority for 2009. While the “cow that ruined Christmas” in 2003 set exports back, USMEF seems to be gaining back significant ground in market access for U.S. beef...tape.
Agriculture across the world aims to be self-sufficient, but as economies improve, people want more proteins and producers have trouble growing agriculture in order to keep up with that demand. For more information about checkoff programs and how U.S. producers are focusing on international markets to grow beef demand, visit www dot USMEF dot org (www.usmef.org) or www dot my beef checkoff dot com (www.MyBeefCheckoff.com).
The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.
Funded by the Beef Checkoff.