Audio: Global Growth Committee to Meet at Cattle Industry Annual Convention

This week thousands of cattlemen from across the nation are gathered in San Antonio for the Cattle Industry Annual Convention. Among them is Dave Edmiston, a third-generation rancher from Brady, Texas, and member of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board. Edmiston chairs the beef industry’s Global Growth Committee, which oversees international marketing activities funded by the Beef Checkoff Program. He provides a preview of Friday’s committee meeting, which will include updates on export results and market conditions from the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program.

TRANSCRIPT:

Joe Schuele : In this U.S. Meat Export Federation report, we speak with Dave Edmiston, a third-generation rancher from Brady, Texas, and member of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board. He is one of thousands of cattlemen from across the nation who are gathered in San Antonio this week for the Cattle Industry Annual Convention. Edmiston chairs the beef industry’s Global Growth Committee, which oversees international marketing activities funded by the beef checkoff. He provides a preview of Friday’s committee meeting, which will include updates on export results and market conditions from USMEF, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program.

Dave Edmiston: Being a committee member, one thing that keeps you well-grounded is looking at our mission statement. And that mission statement is simply to increase the volume and value of our U.S. beef in foreign markets. We look forward to the reports from our USMEF staff – the countries that we are involved in – and the success stories, how our beef teams are able to get in and the different promotions that are going forward, and how those people that live in these countries are so accepting. Once they have that great tasting U.S. beef, the demand is there and they want that product.

Joe Schuele : Edmiston says attending the Global Growth Committee meeting is an excellent opportunity for producers to learn more about the returns international markets deliver to their operations.

Dave Edmiston: On a fed animal that’s harvested, the added extra value is around 300 dollars. And a lot of these products that sometimes maybe our producers forget about – we’re being able to promote in these other countries – are maybe not as desirable to be sold in U.S. markets. So you have added value to that carcass, and I think a lot of times producers do not realize the value there. So it’s a time when you can see some excellent information from USMEF staff and it gives you the background and some of the reasons why we’re having so successful returns on our beef in these foreign markets.

Joe Schuele : For updates from the Cattle Industry Annual Convention, please visit usmef.org. For the U.S. Meat Export Federation, I'm Joe Schuele.