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International Staff Gather in Iowa for Product Ideation Conference

Published: Sep 26, 2014

Dr. Dale Woerner of Colorado State University (far right) leads a pork cutting workshop at the USMEF Product Ideation Conference in Ames, Iowa

Last week 12 members of USMEF’s international and Denver staff were in Ames, Iowa, for pork and beef cutting workshops aimed at identifying new product options that will appeal to international customers. The sessions were held at the Iowa State University Meat Laboratory. Funding for the conference was provided by the Iowa Corn Promotion Board, with additional support from the Iowa Beef Industry Council, Iowa Pork Producers Association, the Pork Checkoff and the Beef Checkoff Program.

An evening reception was held prior to the conference, with more than 30 USMEF member companies and organizations in attendance. Guest speaker for this event was Dr. Lee Schultz, assistant professor of economics at Iowa State University, who offered a detailed overview of current U.S. crop and rangeland conditions and his assessment of the U.S. grain and livestock markets.

The product ideation sessions included full beef and pork carcass breakdowns to identify new cuts that may have potential as export items. USMEF’s international staff members provided insights on new cuts currently being merchandised and offered thoughts on which of these cuts may have added value when utilized in foreign markets. Cutting sessions were assisted by staff from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and National Pork Board, as well as faculty members from Colorado State University, Iowa State University and the University of Nebraska.

The USMEF team also toured Couser Cattle Co., located near Nevada, Iowa. This cattle feeding operation and corn and soybean farm is owned by Bill and Nancy Couser, who were honored in 2010 as national winners of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Environmental Stewardship Award. Over the years, Couser Cattle Co. has actively partnered with environmental agencies and universities on a number of sustainability-related research and pilot projects.

USMEF international staff at the farming and cattle feeding operation owned by Bill Couser (second from left) near Nevada, Iowa

Dr. Nelson Huerta, director of technical services, Mexico
Ming Liang, marketing manager, Shanghai
Davis Wu, director, Taiwan
Takemichi Yamashoji, senior marketing director, Japan
Sabrina Yin, director, ASEAN region
Gerardo Rodriguez, director of trade development, Central America and the Dominican Republic

They were joined by the following Denver staff:

Paul Clayton, senior vice president, technical services
Dan Halstrom, senior vice president, marketing and communications
John Hinners, assistant vice president, industry relations
Tracey Zarlengo, senior manager, program evaluation and planning
Travis Arp, manager, technical services
Cheyenne Dixon, manager, technical services

In addition to participating in the product ideation conference, staff members had individual meetings with USMEF member companies and organizations in the Des Moines, Chicago and Minneapolis areas. These meetings offered great opportunities for members to get firsthand information regarding competition, consumer trends, merchandising opportunities and market access issues affecting specific markets.