N A T I O N A L CATTLEMEN
To be the trusted leader and definitive voice of the U.S. cattle and beef industry. MARCH 2022 • Vol. 38, No. 6 • NCBA.org
MARKET SNAPSHOT WEEK OF 2/21/2022
CURRENT VS. LAST YEAR SOUTH CENTRAL 500-600 LB. STEERS
$190.37
$155.23
22.6%
LIVE FED STEERS
$114.07
24.7%
$142.25
CHOICE BOXED BEEF
$236.56
14.1%
$269.88
OMAHA CASH CORN
$5.32
20.6%
$6.42
IN THIS ISSUE
3
LEADERSHIP COMMENTS
New president shares his excitement for the year ahead.
6,7
POLICY SCORECARD & PRIORITIES
Evaluation of NCBA’s 2021 policy goals & looking ahead to the organization’s policy priorities in 2022.
8
REGIONAL WINNERS
The importance of carrying on the tradition of ranching.
10
WEATHER
12
POLICY
A look at spring predictability — La Niña and El Niño.
NCBA is working in Washington, D.C., on behalf of its members with a focus on strengthening the industry’s future.
14
CHECKOFF
15
FEDERATION
A new spokesperson for Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. is announced.
PAID
HATTIESBURG, MS PERMIT 142
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE
Sports fans find beef to be the perfect centerpiece for their meals.
New NCBA Officers Installed at Cattle Industry Convention Don Schiefelbein 2022 NCBA President
Todd Wilkinson 2022 NCBA President-Elect
Don Schiefelbein, his father, seven brothers and three nephews own and operate Schiefelbein Farms, a large, diversified farming operation in Kimball, Minnesota.
Todd Wilkinson is a co-owner and operator of a commercial cow-calf operation with his son, Nick, in De Smet, South Dakota. He is also a coowner of Redstone Feeders, a familyowned cattle feeding and finishing operation.
Before returning to the family farm, Schiefelbein served as the executive director of the American Gelbvieh Association. He previously worked for the North American Limousin Association after graduating from Texas A&M University. Schiefelbein has a long history of industry service, most recently in the role as chairman of the Beef Industry Long Range Planning Committee. He has also held several positions on committees and the board of directors of the American Angus Association. In addition, Schiefelbein is a past president of the Minnesota Cattlemen’s Association. Schiefelbein and his wife of 27 years, Jennifer, have three daughters, Shelby, Abbey, and Bailee, all of whom are active in the industry.
In addition, Wilkinson has practiced law for more than 35 years, specializing in estate planning and agricultural law. He is a graduate of Augustana College and University of South Dakota School of Law. His firm, Wilkinson & Schumacher, is sought after by landowners (cow-calf, stocker and feeder segments) across the state when they are facing legal challenges. Over the years, Wilkinson has been heavily involved in local, state and national leadership roles. During his time on the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association board he had many roles including president from 2015 to 2016. Wilkinson has also served on numerous NCBA committees as well as the Environmental Working Group, Traceability Working Group and Cattle Marketing Working Group. Wilkinson served as NCBA Region VII policy vice president for two years. Wilkinson is a founding member and current vice president of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Foundation. He and his late wife, Jean, have three children and nine grandchildren.
Mark Eisele
NATIONAL CATTLEMEN’S BEEF ASSOCIATION 9110 E. NICHOLS AVENUE, SUITE 300 CENTENNIAL, CO 80112
2022 NCBA Vice President Mark Eisele lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where his family runs 500-head of Red and Black Angus cow-calf pairs, 400 retained yearlings that sell into branded programs, and a custom haying operation on the historic King Ranch Company. Only five miles from Cheyenne’s city limits, the ranch currently deals with municipalities, population growth, energy development and business park pressures. Both his parents came from ranching families, but he built most of their livestock business from scratch starting with four cows and a little equipment. He experienced the difficulties of agriculture as a young person. They survived and thrived through hard work, renting and leasing, and calculated risk management. Eisele has been heavily involved in the NCBA since 2009 when he sat on the board of directors before serving on the Animal Health and Wellbeing Committee for eight years. Since his start with NCBA, Eisele has served many roles including serving on the Nominating Committee, Public Lands Council - Legislative Session, Environmental Stewardship Award Wyoming (Region V), and being a Political Action Committee (PAC) donor. Eisele has been married to his wife, Trudy, for 39 years and has three adult children — Colton, Kendall and Kaycee. Together they enjoy working the family operation, as well as outdoor recreation, hunting, volunteering for organizations, and cruising in their classic cars.
Continued on page 4
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NATIONAL CATTLEMEN 3
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Standing Together for a Better Future
Election Season Is In Full Swing
By Don Schiefelbein, NCBA President
By Colin Woodall, NCBA CEO
Growing up in a large family and now running the farm with more than 80 family members involved, I have learned a tremendous amount about what the word “family” truly means. To me, it means a group of people who — despite differing opinions, experiences and values — find common ground, support each other and work together for the betterment of each other and their goals. When I think about our industry, I think of it as a family. As the nation’s oldest and largest cattle organization, it’s no surprise that we, as individual members, have our differences from time to time. From the type of businesses we operate to the past experiences we’ve had — each of us provides a perspective that drives our sector to learn from the past and be more prepared for the challenges we will face in the future. As I start my term as president, I am looking forward to using this opportunity to represent the variety of producers that make NCBA the outstanding association it is. NCBA’s policy priorities for the year ahead focus on protecting and promoting the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of the U.S. cattle industry through four main priorities: improving market leverage and opportunities, securing the future of the beef industry, boosting the resiliency of the beef supply chain, and supporting commonsense 2023 Farm Bill priorities.
Improving Market Leverage and Opportunities
Throughout the past year, NCBA worked diligently to secure USDA funding for increased processing capacity, specifically funding to support small and mid-size independent processing facilities. This year, it is critical that we continue to engage with USDA to ensure those funds are dispersed in the most effective and efficient way possible. It is imperative that we focus on using those funds to ensure that new and existing facilities can be profitable and sustainable for years to come. In addition to increasing processing capacity, we must continue to ensure the availability of risk management tools that give producers the information they need to make informed decisions regarding the sale of cattle. Continuing to advocate for full authorization of Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) and improving transparency within the markets will be essential steps as we work to return leverage to producers.
Securing the Future of the Beef Industry
As many of you can relate, my ultimate goal is to pass down my family’s operation to the next generation. To do this, it is imperative that we have a business climate that
supports the viability of our operations, allows us to raise animals safely and efficiently while conserving the land, and gives us the ability to capture high value for our product. While this priority covers a wide array of goals, at the end of the day, I believe one of the most important things we as an industry can do is advocate for proper labeling of our product. This year, we will continue to put pressure on USDA to repeal generic “Product of the USA” (POTUSA) labels and increase opportunities for producers to take advantage of source-verified labels that allow us to distinguish our product in the marketplace.
Boost the Resiliency of the Beef Supply Chain During the height of COVID-19 and supply chain challenges, NCBA secured multiple hours-of-service (HOS) extensions to ensure cattle could be safely transported and grocery store shelves could remain stocked with high-quality U.S. beef. This year, we’ll prioritize finding opportunities to maintain flexibility and secure permanent exemptions for burdensome regulations that prevent livestock haulers to safely do their jobs. To boost the overall resiliency of the supply chain, we will focus on three other key areas. We will keep advocating for access to reliable, highspeed broadband in rural areas. We will also focus on increasing and diversifying hook space and ensuring that we have a reliable source of labor to keep those processing plants running efficiently.
Support Commonsense 2023 Farm Bill Priorities As we look toward a new Farm Bill, our team will focus on reauthorization of the animal health provisions in the 2018 Farm Bill and advocate for expanded funding of the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank (NAVVCB) to protect against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). These programs play an important role in emergency preparedness in potential cases of animal disease outbreak. In addition, we will advocate for increased support of federal programs that benefit cattle and beef producers. We aim to expand the accessibility of risk management tools, such as Livestock Risk Protection (LRP), as well as disaster relief programs that are vital as producers across the country face adverse weather conditions and natural disasters. I am committed to working diligently to ensure the success of our industry now and in the future. Our industry is strongest when we band together and fight collectively. This year, I am honored to lead that charge!
2022 NCBA Leadership President Don Schiefelbein President-Elect Todd Wilkinson Vice President Mark Eisele Treasurer Joe Guild Federation Division Chair Brad Hastings Federation Division Vice-Chair Clark Price Policy Division Chair Buck Wehrbein Policy Division Vice-Chair Gene Copenhaver Immediate Past President Jerry Bohn Chief Executive Officer Colin Woodall Senior Editors THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF NCBA
Editor
John Robinson Jill Johnson Sarah Drown
with information and financial As you pick up this edition contributions. Our team will meet of the National with the candidate and their Cattlemen, campaign staff to brief them on our primary policy priorities and make sure they season for the have the information they need when 2022 mid-term election is off and engaging with voters or participating running. The Democrats believe they in debates. In the case of challengers have delivered enough wins from or candidates filling empty House their agenda to maintain control of or Senate seats, getting them prethe House of Representatives and the briefed before they are elected Senate. The Republicans are gunning makes them more effective in helping to take control of both houses of us achieve our priorities once they Congress to shut President Biden’s win and are sworn in. agenda down. At this point in time, Running for Congress is an it is anybody’s game. While Tuesday, expensive proposition. In the 2020 November 8, will be here before election, the most expensive House we know it, in the land of political race cost more than $37 million. campaigns it is a lifetime away. All Senate races can cost in excess of it takes is a short sound bite, news $200 million. Candidates must find headline or scandal to make or a way to pay for those races, and break a campaign. All of these can that is where NCBA’s Political Action happen in a matter of seconds, and Committee, or PAC, comes into play. both parties are susceptible to selfWith our PAC, we can give a inflicted political wounds. There is no candidate for Congress $5,000 doubt this election season will be a for their primary race and $5,000 spectacle. for the general election for a total For NCBA, our job is to evaluate contribution of $10,000. We have a the candidates running for Congress goal of raising $1.25 million so we can and determine who we want to participate in as many campaigns as support. For incumbents running possible. The goal is to get cattlefor re-election, we analyze their friendly candidates from both sides voting record to see how they have of the aisle elected to the House and voted on legislation important to Senate. Your contributions are key to cattle producers. We look at what helping us reach that goal. committees they serve on and how Every dollar NCBA raises comes those committees engage on our from our members, and nothing issues. We review their press releases is taken off the top to pay for and social media posts to make sure administrative expenses. Every dollar they are not a liability and can remain we raise goes right into a campaign. effective in passing legislation. We also take a close look at who their friends are. If a Representative or Senator is carrying the water This is about showing we are for Humane Society of willing to do our part to get the the U.S., PETA, or other extremist groups, you can best Republicans and Democrats rest assured they will not elected to Congress that get support from us. Many times, we will understand the challenges you step up and support face and are willing to step up a candidate who is challenging an incumbent. and fight for us. Before we even consider their candidacy, we make them come to our Washington office, talk If every member of NCBA just gave about themselves, and pitch us on $25, we would exceed our goal. their campaign. Like incumbents, Unfortunately, less than 5% of NCBA we look at the information they members contribute. The PAC is one have posted publicly, as well as of the best tools we have in getting their voting record if they have our voice heard via the candidates held elected office in the past. Each candidate is thoroughly vetted before we support. This is not about buying votes. That is simply illegal. This is we make a commitment to support about showing we are willing to do their campaign. Another critical our part to get the best Republicans component in our process is getting and Democrats elected to Congress input from our state affiliate partners that understand the challenges you so we clearly know which candidates face and are willing to step up and your state association wants us to fight for us. support or help challenge. To get involved with NCBA-PAC Once we identify the contact Anna Lee in our D.C. office at Congressional races we want to alee@beef.org. engage in, we provide support
Contributing Writers
Creative Director Graphic Designer
Wendy White Ashley Willits Hunter Ihrman Sigrid Johannes Don Waite Dancinee Jennings
For ad sales contact Shannon Melcher 303-8503339, Shannon Wilson 303-850-3345, or Jill DeLucero 303-850-3321. Contact NCBA: 9110 E. Nichols Ave., Suite 300, Centennial, CO 80112 (303-694-0305); Washington D.C.: 1275 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Suite 801, Washington, D.C. 20004 (202-347-0228). National Cattlemen’s Beef Association reserves the right to refuse advertising in any of its publications. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association does not accept political advertising in any of its publications.
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association does not accept any advertising promoting third-party lawsuits that have not been endorsed by the board of directors. ©2022 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. All rights reserved. The contents of this magazine may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or part, without the prior written consent of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
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Newly Elected Officers Continued from page 1
Brad Hastings 2022 NCBA Federation Division Chair
Buck Wehrbein 2022 NCBA Policy Division Chair
Hastings is the co-chief executive officer and member of the board of directors of Cactus Feeders, Inc., which operates feedyards in the Texas panhandle and southwest Kansas. The employee-owned, diverse agricultural company also runs stockers on wheat and grass and manages cattle and hog operations in six states.
Buck Wehrbein has managed custom feedlots since 1984 in Nebraska and Texas while feeding his own cattle, and he now serves as the 2022 NCBA Policy Division chairman. Wehrbein has been active in the beef industry for many years, serving on the Nebraska Beef Council since 2012. He held many different roles on the board for the Nebraska Beef Council, including treasurer and board chairman. The last two years, Wehrbein served on the Beef Promotion Operating Committee (BPOC).
Gene Copenhaver
For more than 27 years, Hastings has held leadership roles within the agricultural industry including CFO, CEO and board member of companies that operate in the beef packing, cattle feeding, hog production and pork packing sectors. He is active with the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, served on the Beef Promotion Operating Committee (BPOC) as well as NCBA’s Tax & Credit and Finance & Audit committees, and is currently the chairman of the Texas Beef Council. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an accounting concentration from Iowa State University.
2022 NCBA Policy Division Vice Chair
Clark Price
Gene Copenhaver is a fifth-generation cattleman whose family dates to the 1850s in Washington County, Virginia. Copenhaver currently manages his family’s stocker operation in southwest Virginia with his son, Will. Copenhaver was an agriculture loan officer for 38 years and served his clients who were primarily cattle producers in five East Coast states. Prior to his current role, Copenhaver served as vice chair and chair of NCBA’s Tax & Credit Committee and most recently as vice chair and chair of NCBA’s International Trade Committee. He is a past president of the Virginia Cattlemen’s Association and past chairman of the Virginia Cattle Foundation. He and his family have long been active members and supporters of NCBA, Virginia Cattlemen’s Association, Smyth-Washington Cattlemen’s Association and the Virginia Cattlemen’s Foundation. Copenhaver graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in animal science. He has been married to his wife, Jodi, for 33 years, and they have three grown children — Brad, Will and Jaymee.
Joe Guild 2022 NCBA Treasurer Joe Guild is a fourth-generation Nevadan with roots dating back to the late 1850s. He is a third-generation Nevada lawyer, licensed to practice in Nevada and California. He and his partner own Great Basin Resource Advocates, a full-service ranch management consulting firm. They currently operate a cow-calf ranch for a family trust located on private and U.S. Forest Service land in Douglas County, Nevada, and Alpine County, California. They also run a small herd of their own cattle on this ranch. He is a member of the management team of a cattle, sheep and dairy hay ranch in eastern Nevada which operates on private and public lands. He has managed ranches and represented ranch interests for more than 40 years. He is a past president of the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association and was named Cattleman of the Year in 2001. He is a past chair of the NCBA Tax & Credit and Public Lands Committees. He is the past NCBA Region VI vice president. He served on numerous NCBA task forces over the years. He is also the past president of the Nevada Agricultural Foundation. He is an alumnus of the University of Nevada Reno and is a member of the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources advisory committee. He is a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War; First Lieutenant with an Honorable Discharge. Guild and his wife, Catherine, have five children and seven grandchildren.
2022 NCBA Federation Division Vice Chair Clark Price is the owner/operator of a commercial cow herd as well as stocker cattle in Hensler, North Dakota. He also operates a small feedyard along with his son, Brennan. They also raise corn, soybeans and wheat on their irrigated and dryland farm. Clark, along with his wife, Milissa, own and operate two agricultural retail stores — River Ag in Washburn, North Dakota, and Mid State Ag in McClusky. The two stores sell seed products and livestock vaccines as well as other livestock supplies. Clark attended North Dakota State University where he majored in animal science. Clark is a fourth-generation rancher with many family members involved in farming and ranching. His great grandfather immigrated to central North Dakota in the late 1800s where he started raising Hereford cattle along the Missouri River. Clark has been involved with many local and national organizations over the years. During his term on the North Dakota Beef Commission, he served as chairman from 2012 to 2016. Clark served on several Beef Promotion Operating Committees (BPOC) such as Freedom to Operate, Consumer Trust and co-chair of Export Growth committee. He also served the North Dakota Corn Growers Association, National Corn Growers Association Market Development Action Team and the National Agricultural Genotyping Center. He and his wife have two boys, Brennan and Masson, and two grandchildren.
Jerry Bohn 2021 NCBA Past President Jerry Bohn is a farmer and cattle feeder from Pratt, Kansas. Bohn is part owner of Pratt Feeders, an operation he helped manage for more than three decades. Now retired from day-to-day management of the operation, he serves as a member on the company’s board of directors and manages the company’s farming business while feeding cattle in his own yards. He served on the board of U.S. Premium Beef for nine years and formerly worked for CattleFax. Bohn served on numerous industry committees and councils at both the state and national levels. He was president of the Kansas Livestock Association, on the Executive Committee of NCBA and served as a board member of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board. Bohn also held leadership positions in numerous local organizations, including president of the Pratt Area Chamber of Commerce and a deacon of the First Southern Baptist Church. He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Kansas Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve.
CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY
These are companies that have teamed with NCBA as corporate members, demonstrating their commitment to the beef industry. Their involvement strengthens our future. NCBA members are urged to support these partners in turn by purchasing their products and services. Those who would like to become corporate members with NCBA (securing premium booth placement at the annual convention and trade show as well as other membership benefits), please call the Corporate Relations team at 303-694-0305.
GOLD LEVEL SPONSORS (Minimum $100,000 Investment)
Animal Health International www.animalhealthinternational.com Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Inc. www.bi-vetmedica.com/species/cattle.html Caterpillar www.cat.com Central Life Sciences www.centrallifesciences.com
ALLIED INDUSTRY COUNCIL Bayer Environmental Sciences CHR HANSEN Farm Credit Council Huvepharma, Inc.
Lallemand Animal Nutrition Nationwide Norbrook, Inc. Rabo AgriFinance RAM Trucks
PRODUCT COUNCIL American Foods Group Cargill Meat Solutions Certified Angus Beef Culver’s Darden Restaurants empirical Fareway Stores, Inc. Five Guys
McDonald’s Corporation National Beef Packing Omaha Steaks Performance Food Group Preferred Beef Group Tyson Fresh Meats
Corteva Agriscience™ www.corteva.com Elanco Animal Health www.elanco.com John Deere www.deere.com Masey Ferguson www.agcocorp.com/brands/massey-ferguson.
Merck Animal Health www.merck-animal-health-usa.com Micro Technologies www.microtechnologies.com Moly Manufacturing www.molymfg.com New Holland Agriculture www.newholland.com
Purina Animal Nutrition LLC www.purinamills.com/cattle Ritchie Industries Inc. www.ritchiefount.com Roto-Mix www.rotomix.com Zoetis Animal Health www.zoetis.com
ALLIED INDUSTRY PARTNERS Parker McCrory 44 Farms Tarter Farm and Ranch CEAT Specialty Tires International Stock Food PBS Animal Health ADM Animal Nutrition, Inc. CME Group International Genetic Solutions Equipment Phibro Animal Health Agri-Pro Enterprises of Iowa, Inc. DATAMARS Livestock Jorgensen Land and Cattle The Hartford Livestock Insurance Pneu-Dart AgriWebb Dell Technologies Kent Nutrition Group The Vit-E-Men Co. Inc./Life Priefert Ranch Equipment Alltech, Inc. Diamond V Krone Products QualiTech, Inc American National Insurance ENDOVAC Animal Health Kubota Tractor Corporation Quality Liquid Feeds Arrowquip Farmers Business Network Kunafin “The Insectary” Trans Ova Genetics Red Angus Assoc. of America A.T. Ferrell Company Inc. Fera Diagnostics & Biologicals Corp Laird Manufacturing U.S. Premium Beef R&R Machine Works Bank of America Food Safety Net Services Meat & Livestock Australia, Ltd. Vermeer RFD-TV Barenbrug USA Furst-McNess Company Micronutrients Vitalix Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s Gallagher National Corn Growers Association Roper/Stetson/Tin Haul Apparel and Footwear Behlen Manufacturing Gravely, an Ariens Company Vytelle Neogen Bimeda Greeley Hat Works New Generation Supplements South Dakota State University Westway Feeds Stone Manufacturing BioZyme Grov Technologies Newport Laboratories, A Wild River Vaxxinova Company Superior Livestock Bush Hog Inc. Hayden Outdoors Real Estate Y-Tex Noble Research Institute Supreme International Cargill Animal Nutrition Hyundai Construction Equipment Novus International Syngenta Case IH Zinpro Performance Minerals IMI Global
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NATIONAL CATTLEMEN
2021 Policy Scorecard How Did We Do? Contract Library Act of 2021, which would establish a cattle contract library within USDA-AMS.
Ongoing COVID-19 Recovery •
Succeeded in getting the back-end 150 air-mile exemption for livestock haulers passed into law.
•
Secured multiple extensions of the hours-of-service exemption under the Department of Transportation’s emergency declaration and maintained the ELD delay.
•
•
Advocated for bipartisan reforms to the H-2A visa program that would help meet current labor shortages and support a skilled, steady, and year-round livestock workforce.
Trade and Market Access
Secured hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to expand capacity at small, independent, and regional beef processing facilities. This investment in expanding hook space beyond the Big Four will help address bottlenecks in the beef supply chain and strengthen America’s food security.
•
Shattered annual records by surpassing $10 billion in export sales for American beef in markets around the globe.
•
First to advocate for a total halt of Brazilian fresh beef imports due to Brazil’s troubling record of failing to report animal health diseases in a timely manner.
Improve the Business Climate for U.S. Cattle Producers
Climate, Environment, and Sustainability Policy
•
Led the charge to fight back against devastating proposed tax hikes on familyowned farms and ranches.
•
Set producer-led sustainability goals that reaffirm our industry’s commitment to science-based stewardship.
•
Mounted grassroots campaign with more than 1,800 producers and succeeded in keeping crucial tax provisions like stepped-up basis and like-kind exchanges intact in the House version of Build Back Better.
•
Worked with the White House, USDA, EPA, and Department of Interior to defend private property rights.
•
•
Secured critical investments for cattle producers in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, including funding for roads and bridges, rural broadband, Western water projects, and wildfire mitigation.
Successfully advocated for the inclusion of grazing lands in the total acres counted under the “30x30” plan.
•
Promoted the use of livestock grazing as a flexible, adaptive management tool that has been proven to reduce fire fuel loads, improve soil health and carbon sequestration, combat invasive plant species, and more.
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Successfully petitioned USDA for a top-to-bottom review of the “Product of the USA” beef label.
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Engaged with USDA-FSIS to push for restrictions on the use of the term “beef” on lab-grown protein labels.
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Increased negotiated trade volumes, particularly in the southern Plains, thanks to the work of our state affiliates and the NCBA Regional Triggers Subgroup.
•
Worked with partners in the House to introduce and pass H.R. 5290, which would reauthorize Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) through Sept. 30, 2022.
•
Worked with partners in the House to introduce and pass the Cattle
Ensure Continuity on Regulatory Action •
Fought for a regulatory framework that encourages stability and continuity.
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Launched a grassroots campaign to oppose the return of the extreme federal overreach we saw under the 2015 Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Rule.
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Strategically engaged in litigation and rulemaking processes to fight back against harmful, burdensome environmental regulations.
•
Continued to move the ball forward in court to defend the nationwide delisting of the gray wolf.
RENO, NEVADA
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NATIONAL CATTLEMEN 7
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2022 Policy Priorities NCBA’s policy focus for 2022 is to protect and promote the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of the U.S. cattle industry. Improve Market Leverage & Opportunities •
Improve upon the risk management tools available to producers.
•
Secure full reauthorization and funding for Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR).
•
Increase producers’ access to market data and improve transparency into market transactions.
Secure the Future of the Beef Industry •
Preserve critical tax code provisions that protect a viable business climate for today’s producers and support the next generation of family farms and ranches.
•
Ensure electric identification (EID) requirements are implemented efficiently and without costly burdens to producers.
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Level the playing field and fight for fair, accurate labels on fake meat products.
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Build on record-breaking export sales by expanding market access through science-based, fact-based trade standards.
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Advance reforms to the “Product of the USA” label that promote voluntary, verified, and trade-compliant labeling that returns more value to producers.
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Defend and advance animal health practices and innovations that are critical to the beef industry’s viability.
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Combat overly restrictive Packers & Stockyards (GIPSA) rules.
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Protect private property rights against potential overreach or restrictions under the 30x30 initiative.
•
Defend public and private grazing against attacks under WOTUS, ESA, EPCRA, NEPA, and GHG emission reporting regulations.
Boost the Resiliency of the Beef Supply Chain •
Advocate for bipartisan reforms to the H2-A visa program and other measures to address the shortage of skilled workers.
•
Continue pushing for resources to expand hook space among small, independent, and regional processing facilities.
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Implement our wins and push for further hours-of-service/ELD flexibility for livestock haulers.
Support Commonsense 2023 Farm Bill Priorities •
Secure continued investment to strengthen the rural broadband network.
•
Secure reauthorization of the animal health provisions in the 2018 Farm Bill and advocate for expanded funding of the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank (NAVVCB) to protect against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).
•
Expand accessibility and fund risk management programs and disaster relief programs within the Farm Bill, to support financial stability for producers.
•
Protect and fund EQIP, CSP and other voluntary conservation programs that incentivize science-based, active management of our natural resources.
•
Defend against the addition of a livestock title.
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2021 Regional ESAP Winners Announced at Cattle Industry Convention Another year and another successful Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show. And with the convention comes another outstanding group of Regional Environmental Stewardship Award (ESAP) recipients. Now in its 30th year, ESAP recognizes cattle producers across seven regions of the U.S. for admirable conservation and management practices. These operations are caring for the land, water and wildlife while tending their cattle and remaining profitable as businesses. Every year, the nominees continue to impress the Environmental Stewardship Award Selection Committee, who are representatives from universities, conservation organizations, and federal and state agencies. From the seven regional winners selected, a national winner will be selected and announced at the 2022 Summer Business Meetings in Reno, Nevada. The 2021 Regional ESAP Winners are:
Region I: EZ Acres, LLC in Homer, New York
Region III: Robbins Land & Cattle in Scranton, Iowa Justin and Lacie Robbins and their son tend their Iowa row crop and cattle operation with the mindset of protecting and responsibly using natural resources. By using cover crops to suppress weed pressure, reducing input costs and retaining essential nutrients, the Robbins embody the priorities of ESAP to encompass a sustainable business as a whole. From rotational grazing to cover crop seedings, the family’s efforts to improve water quality and soil health go hand-inhand with their purebred Angus operation. “It’s not just us that we are thinking about; there are millions of people downstream that we need to help protect as well,” said Justin Robbins. The Robbins found a value-added opportunity to offer naturally raised, homegrown beef through an online store. Using this farm-to-table model, the Robbins can interact with consumers across the country and share information about the importance of sustainable agriculture and ranching. “We absolutely love questions. The more we can educate, the better we are,” said Lacie Robbins.
Region IV: Dry Creek Ranch in San Angelo, Texas
The 2,500-acre farm managed by brothers Mike and Pete McMahon is a familyowned, sixth-generation dairy cattle farm and beef operation. The McMahon’s manage 900 head of dairy cows. There are three watersheds on the McMahon’s land, and it is their top priority to protect the impact on these watersheds by monitoring soil and water samples, stabilizing streambanks by planting willow shrubs and efficiently managing manure. The aquifer that EZ Acres farms near flows south to the town of Homer. They test the water in the aquifer from where it begins to where it ends in the town municipality. “We have approximately 25,000 people that depend on us doing a good job to keep that water [that they’re drinking] clean and safe,” said Mike McMahon. The McMahons also care about educating their local community. They do this by carrying the message of conservation to the public through farm tours and meetings with civic groups, schools, universities and churches.
Region II: Vaughn Farms in Forsyth, Georgia
Carl Schlinke dedicated 26 years of his life to the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps. After his service, Carl returned with his wife of 69 years, Pat, to ranch and establish a registered Hereford cattle herd and commit to conservation practices. Currently, they have a young family, Carson and Bonnie Wommack, living on the ranch who they trust to care for the land and cattle. “For the future of Dry Creek Ranch, I hope that Bonnie and I can continue the practices Carl and Pat were using before we got here to keep growing lots of grass and try to keep making things better,” said Carson Wommack. The Schlinke’s motto “pursuit of excellence” drives every decision the couple makes, and they have put sustainability at the forefront of their ranch priorities. They have built more than six miles of fencing to establish a riparian area and keep livestock from grazing in the area which protects creek banks from severe erosion and helps reduce watershed contamination. The Schlinkes work with local conservation experts to control water absorbing mesquite and cedar trees on their property and establish a strong forage program through seeding and aeration. “Respect of the land is very important. We have a resource of grass that can really only be used by livestock, so we must take care of that,” said Pat Schlinke.
Region V: Joe C King & Sons Ranch in Winnett, Montana
The King family lives by the belief that the land of Montana is best left as a native range where cattle, wildlife and the landscape can live in harmony with each other
Vaughn Farms is managed by James Vaughn, his sister, children and wife. The ranch consists of 5,600 acres devoted to producing forage crops, providing quality pastureland to their cattle, and managing timberland used for pulp, lumber and energy production. This diverse operation is family-owned and committed to protecting their resources and the watershed. To do this, they control their cattle’s access to streams, distribute grazing pressure with rotational grazing systems, maintain hayfields and grazing land with responsible fertilization and weed control practices, and manage their timberland using Best Management Practices. With these practices, Vaughn Farms has made noticeable improvements to their stream banks which are now fully covered in vegetation. They established clean areas for watering cattle, and the full coverage of year-round grasses protect the soil from erosion of the streams from sediment. “It’s really important that we conserve the soil with good grasses. We want the nutrients to be here, and we want the soil to be here. We want to build up the organic matter in the soil,” said James Vaughn. The Vaughns also educate the public by hosting a variety of groups to their operation to learn about the benefits of agriculture. “There is nothing more important to any of us than looking after this soil and these cattle and this land, because we feel like that’s what we were put here to do,” Vaughn said.
NATIONAL CATTLEMEN 9
www.NCBA.org and act as a mutually beneficial system. Their ranch consists of approximately 20,000 acres, and one-third is public grazing land. Ninety-five percent of their land is native prairie, so maintaining good soil and grassland health is crucial. “I really want people to understand that what is good for the cow is what’s good for the deer, what’s good for the antelope, what’s good for the Sage Grouse. We are out here to preserve it,” said Kylie King. For the last 50 years, King has continuously improved grazing management which has been a fundamental key in the ranch’s sustainability efforts. The ranch uses a rest-rotation grazing system, allowing vegetation and soils to recover and providing habitat for wildlife. It also improved the plant and soil health, providing forage for emergency use during years of drought and offering opportunities to implement long-term rangeland improvement practices during rest periods. “We put in a lot of hours here, but we like what we are doing, and we like being out here. It makes it rewarding,” said Chris King.
“I am constantly looking for opportunities to improve, to enhance what we have, because we have a beautiful resource, and I love it. This is irreplaceable,” said Joel Ferry.
Region VII: Blair Brothers Angus Ranch in Vale, South Dakota
The family-owned Blair Brothers Angus Ranch focuses on embracing conservation practices that enhance soil, water, livestock and wildlife quality. The Blairs’
Region VI: JY Ferry & Son, Inc. in Corinne, Utah
“Sustainability is a process, and whatever happens tomorrow will be affected by what I do today,” said John Ferry.
For JY Ferry & Son, sustainability has long been a primary goal of their 100-year history of conservation practices. The ranch is run by brothers John and Ben Ferry, and John’s son, Joel, who is the fifth generation on the ranch. They focus on agricultural practices that conserve water, energy and other natural resources. The Ferry family recognizes that sustainability goes hand-in-hand with the economic viability of the business. By creating strategic partnerships with local conservation groups, government entities and regulators, they can provide stability to their business. One of their primary goals for the operation is to increase economic sustainability by improving water efficiencies for the farm through laser leveling, piping of ditches and utilization of soil health principles including cover crops and reduced tillage.
commitment to conservation has allowed them to implement progressive and responsible change. Through strategic planning, the ranch has succeeded in many avenues including investing in rotational grazing infrastructure of fencing and water pipelines and operating a short-duration rotational grazing plan addressing forage, livestock and wildlife needs. “It’s like mowing your lawn; you go in and you clip it off — not short, but just half of what’s there — and then as it rains, it will grow back really fast,” said Britton Blair. They are investing in preconditioning protocols and utilizing low-stress cattle handling methods; pursuing the use of vegetative treatment areas for nutrient management in their feedlot system; and treating all leased pastures as if they were their own while educating landowners on how to utilize conservation methods to better manage their grass, land and water. “I believe that the cattle make a healthy environment,” said Ed Blair. “In a wellmanaged cattle operation, you’re sequestering carbon into the soil.” The Environmental Stewardship Award Program is made possible by generous sponsors including Corteva Agriscience, McDonald’s, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation. The 2021 National ESAP Winner will be announced at the 2022 Annual Summer Business Meetings in July. For more information on this program that promotes and highlights outstanding land stewards in the cattle industry, visit www.environmentalstewardship.org.
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The Spring Predictability Barrier By Matt Makens, Atmospheric Scientist Weather is always a serious focus as our industry makes risk assessments based on the anticipated weather patterns. Planning out the rest of 2022 is no different from an assessment standpoint but is slightly different right now regarding weather outlooks. Winter into early spring is when we see weather modeling struggle with long-term climate patterns tied to the tropical oceans. It is no secret that weather prediction is an imperfect science; however, we do know where our limitations are and where we need to see improvement. In this case, I’m speaking about the reliability of El Niño and La Niña forecasts created by computer modeling is challenged by what is known as the Spring Predictability For the rest of 2022, there’s history to suggest we may not be done with a La Niña Barrier (SPB). pattern, although, three years in a row of it is less than probable. There are analog years This so-called barrier does not mean that weather modeling should be ignored and and hints in our current global precipitation pattern that support a transition to El Niño certainly doesn’t take away from other forecast methods. Still, caution is applied when this summer/fall. However, the most probable solution now is that we see our current looking at modeling that comes out early every year. Let me explain. La Niña weaken into a neutral pattern which will be with us the rest of the year. Model Climate models originate from multiple weather agencies across the world. Some updates in January and February lean toward a neutral pattern, too. of these are updated monthly. Others are routinely updated – as is the case with our Right now (March), we begin to climb over the Spring Predictability Barrier and see NOAA’s CFS model. In any case, when a model runs, it collects all kinds of real-world the oceans transition. As I stated before, we can’t see how the plays are run until the data at the snapshot in time when it starts. This data then runs its course through the game starts. We are now into the game, and I’m watching the ENSO part of the ocean modeling to provide a projection of the next several months ahead. Different weather agencies have different results based on how they have created their models and the every second, looking for potential signs of a tendency away from a neutral pattern strength of real-world data that started them on their projections. toward El Niño or La Niña for the rest of the year. We all know how critical the outcome It is that real-world data taken during our winter and early spring months that can is on our operations’ success for 2022 into 2023. limit the prediction accuracy of the models as they look out into the future. I’m not I’ll have updates on the transition for you airing during Cattlemen to Cattlemen on talking about all our weather variables or all regions of the world; I’m talking about their RFD-TV and here in the next National Cattlemen newspaper. ability to see what will happen in the tropical oceans, namely the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) region of the Tropical Pacific. This ENSO region is where we track El Niño and La Niña influences. The impact of both El Niño and La Niña tends to peak during our winter before weakening into summer. However, following a relatively stationary pattern during the winter, spring is when we typically see lots of shifts in that ocean region as warm and cold pools of water move around. The transitional period is when we begin to see clues about how the ocean may be setting itself up for the following year: a neutral pattern or perhaps forming an El Niño or La Niña. Waiting for the transition to happen is what creates our predictability barrier. Climate models struggle with their predictions before seeing the real-world data during the transition. Some models lean toward persistence, meaning what the ocean is doing here now will continue to do the same. Other models give it their best try at predicting the transition based on all kinds of ocean-atmosphere factors that can influence the ENSO region. Like you and me, it is hard to predict the outcome of, say, a football game before the game starts, but during the game, we see how the field is being played and watch weaknesses and strengths that give us a much better chance of predicting the winner. Climate models need to see the transition or the game playing out before latching onto a more accurate solution. With the transition occurring in the spring, it is a bit of a waiting game to latch on to the changes as we sit in January, February, or even now in March before climate modeling improves. This graphic will give you an idea of the accuracy of climate models’ projections based on when the model provides an update. February is the lowest accuracy; March improves, followed by April and May, which begin to see greater reliability. Again, this is in terms of our El Niño or La Niña outlook for the rest of the year. We all know how much these impact our operations in different ways; to have an idea, right now, of what to expect can significantly help our planning for the year. Sadly, it is the worst time of year to base decisions solely on climate model projections. That’s why I don’t base forecasts on modeling alone. History can tell us a great deal about cycles within our weather patterns. You know that when I create seasonal forecasts, I identify analog years, which are those years that most closely match the pattern we are seeing now. It is a detailed and statistical process of finding the best-fit years to develop a forecast. Once similar years are identified, I can look at how those years evolved: What did the oceans do in each, which ones resulted in El Niño or La Niña, etc.? There are also connections between what we observe now (as in global precipitation patterns, changes in trade winds, surface pressure, etc.) that can be used to predict next year’s climate pattern. A great deal of study has found connections between what we observe now to next year’s outcome. These elements, and those of creating analog years, offer a reliable forecast basis now despite the Spring Predictability Barrier in the models. For 2022, these other methods suggest La Niña remains a possibility; some suggest El Niño, but the highest probability sits on a neutral pattern. You may ask, why even look at the models? Let’s go back to my game analogy. Because of our understanding of past weather and current weather connections as predictors, we now have stats and figures on all former games played and current player abilities to build a strong case for how this game will be played and who will win. We may see a surprise or two in the first half (February through March), but we remain with our pick of the winner because it is a decision based on probability. At this moment we are well into the game, our stockmanshipandstewardship.org models have now seen real-world data on how the game is being played and have latched onto the most probable solution, too. These picks can help boost our confidence in the choice we made or perhaps have identified a weakness in our analysis. In most of these game situations, we strongly feel how the game will end using all resources. Unless it is a blowout, we watch until the very last second. In this case, we will be watching to the end. Who wins, La Niña or El Niño?
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Fighting For Regulatory Certainty Under the Endangered Species Act Regulatory uncertainty is one of the greatest threats to your operation. For decades, the regulatory whiplash caused by politically-driven changes to protections for gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has made business decisions and planning for the future nearly impossible. Oregon cattleman and NCBA Region V Policy Vice President Skye Krebs is just one of many producers who face the consequences of regulatory decisions being made based on activism-driven politics instead of sound science. “We keep getting mixed messages on ESA goals,” Krebs said. “Constantly moving goal posts coupled with lack of agency consistency and enforcement standards have created immense frustration among producers and have negatively impacted the health and well-being of livestock throughout the United States.” Since being listed under the ESA
in 1974, the gray wolf population has seen tremendous recovery, exceeding recovery goals by 300%. It is critical to recognize that success, instead of using ESA as a permanent management tool — a purpose that is in direct conflict with the original intention of the Act. “From the beginning, the livestock industry was willing to come to the table and work with agencies to minimize conflict between wolves and livestock. Even though we’ve exceeded the goals beyond expectations, federal politics have caused the rules to keep changing,” Krebs said. NCBA has led the charge to fight for the use of science-based, datadriven decisions regarding gray wolf population recovery. We were supportive of the decision by the Trump administration in 2020 to delist the gray wolf and have since defended that decision, despite attempts by activist groups to undermine one of the
most successful ESA recovery stories in U.S. history. Across the country, increased gray wolf attacks on livestock are threatening the viability of family-owned operations. With reinstated protections under the ESA, this situation will only continue to
Cattle Producers Send WOTUS Letter to EPA In February, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) submitted a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on behalf of more than 1,600 cattle producers from 44 states calling for a definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) that would benefit U.S. cattle producers. The letter was in response to a rule proposed by the Biden administration to repeal the Navigable Waters Protection Rule and implement new regulations on water features, including features commonly found on farms and ranches. The letter asked EPA Administrator Michael Regan to support a limited, clear definition of WOTUS that maintains agricultural exclusions and respects existing Supreme Court precedent limiting federal jurisdiction over small bodies of water. “The Biden administration’s rule repeals bipartisan exclusions for agriculture that existed under both Democratic and Republican administrations,” said NCBA Chief
Environmental Counsel Scott Yager. “Without these critical exclusions, common features like stock ponds, agricultural ditches, and drainage systems can fall under federal jurisdiction, preventing cattle producers from actively managing their land and caring for their cattle.” Despite the Biden administration presenting this approach as a simple repeal, the draft rule is a significant change from both the Obama-era 2015 WOTUS rule and the Trump-era Navigable Waters Protection Rule, both of which maintained these exclusions which sought to protect the farmers and ranchers who manage stock ponds and certain ditches without disruptions from the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers. “Stock ponds provide drinking water for cattle, and agricultural ditches keep fields from flooding. Regulating these small features does nothing to improve water quality and makes day-to-day operations more difficult for cattle producers,” said NCBA Treasurer Joe Guild, a Nevada
rancher and member of the NCBA Environmental Working Group. “Cattle producers already take steps to protect water — without government intervention — because it’s the right thing to do. Furthermore, farmers and ranchers are already doing good conservation work. I encourage the Biden administration to listen to farmers and ranchers across the country, rather than issuing topdown regulations from an office in Washington, D.C.” The Biden administration’s WOTUS proposal also removes exclusions for ephemeral features, or water features that only flow during rain or after snowmelt. This creates even more confusion for cattle producers who may find puddles and creeks on their property that qualify as a “WOTUS” during a rainstorm but are dry land most of the year. NCBA’s grassroots letter is the culmination of a four-month-long campaign to urge the EPA and the Biden administration to finally end the constant regulatory changes that
get worse. In the coming weeks, we are committed to pursuing every avenue — whether it be regulatory or legal — to ensure that ESA decisions are made based on fact and producers have the tools they need to protect their livestock and livelihoods. created years of uncertainty for cattle producers. NCBA mobilized cattle producers to share their stories at EPA and Army Corps listening sessions and participate in agency roundtables. In January, NCBA endorsed a report from the EPA’s Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Advisory Committee, which recommended developing a clear WOTUS definition, maintaining exemptions for common agricultural features, and reconsidering the EPA WOTUS roundtable process. Later in January, the Supreme Court announced that it would consider the case Sackett v. EPA and address the scope of WOTUS, leading NCBA to urge the EPA to suspend WOTUS rulemaking until the case is decided. NCBA will continue monitoring WOTUS developments in Washington, D.C., and advocating solutions that support cattle producers. In addition to the grassroots letter signed by cattle producers, NCBA and state and breed affiliates submitted technical comments to the EPA for consideration under the rulemaking docket.
Quantifying the Cow Herd Correction By Lance Zimmerman Director of Research and Protein Market Analysis, CattleFax The USDA released the semi-annual Cattle Inventory report the end of January — outlining its estimates for Jan. 1, 2022, supplies and offering revisions for previously reported 2020 and 2021 numbers. The results were largely within the range of industry expectations. The U.S. cattle industry remains firmly in the liquidation phase of this cattle cycle. The effects of extreme drought, pandemic disruptions, price volatility and tighter margins have discouraged cattle producers over the last several years, and the report largely reflects those frustrations. Total U.S. cattle numbers are down 2% compared to last year. Cow and heifer inventories experienced the steepest percentage declines. U.S. beef cow numbers for January 1 were down 718,000 head (2.3%) to 30.1 million. That is a cumulative decline of 1.6 million head from the Jan. 1, 2019, cycle high. The USDA also revised the 2021 beef cow herd to 314,000 lower than previously estimated. It now stands at 30.8 million. Total beef and dairy replacement heifer numbers are down 3.3 and 3.4% compared to last year, respectively. And bred heifer numbers are also down 2.8 and 2.7% in each sector, which should all
but guarantee additional contraction in 2022 for the nation’s cow herd, without a significant change in culling rate going forward. The USDA did revise the 2020 calf crop 360,000 head higher to 35.5 million — improving the implied weaning rate for U.S. cattle operations two years ago. The agency also left the 2021 estimated calf crop largely unchanged from the July 1 estimate at 35.1 million. The result of those changes led to a 552,000 head revision higher to the Jan. 1, 2021, feeder cattle and calf supply outside of feedyards, reported at 26.2 million. The revision was justified with feedyard placements and steer and heifer slaughter remaining ample last year. However, it also contributed to a 677,000 head decline in the feeder cattle and calf supply outside of feedyards to start this year. Continued herd liquidation and drought-forced, early marketing further added to a declining supply at 25.5 million head. Producers added 2.6 million head to the U.S. beef cow herd in five years from 2014 to 2019. They have now removed 1.6 million cows in the three years since. There are only 1 million head remaining between the Jan. 1, 2022, supply at 30.1 million head and the previous cycle lows. That should create pause for an entire
industry hoping to keep beef affordable for the average U.S. consumer. Significant reductions in cattle slaughter, beef production and per-capita supplies are likely on the horizon, and CattleFax expects at least another year of herd liquidation in 2022. Bottom Line: The report confirms previous CattleFax estimates. Tighter cattle inventories should be
increasingly supportive to cattle prices as the year progresses. Liquidation will continue at least another year — likely two. A course correction is needed, but drier weather conditions seem likely for at least another several months. Market prices will need to increase significantly to offset the continued negatives brought on by drought in many major producing regions.
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NEWS The Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. Holiday Campaign Put Beef at the Center of the Season With the excitement of the 2021 holiday season just a memory, some consumers are already counting down to Christmas 2022 (only 10 months to go). Whether families hosted traditional festivities for large groups or more intimate gatherings, beef continued to be at the center of the season. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, inspired families to enjoy the moments that matter most with beef by providing simple “how-to’s” on selecting, preparing and serving delicious and nutritious holiday beef meals to friends and family. Thanks to additional funding from the Federation of State Beef Councils, Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. television ads aired during the Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas movies, as 87% of consumers planned to watch holiday movies, including those shown on the Hallmark Channel, at home.1 More than 125 Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. television ads ran on the Hallmark Channel during the holiday season reaching an estimated 112 million adults, with an accompanying Hallmark.com digital advertising effort that earned about 2.2 million digital impressions. Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. was also featured during the cable TV premiere of “Christmas at Castle Hart” on November 27, and 17 delicious, perfect-forthe-holidays Beef Checkoff recipes were included in Hallmark.com’s recipe listicle. The BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com website was decked out for the season with holiday recipes designed for every celebration. Social media included new Hanukkah content highlighting Brisket recipes, and a roasting video series on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter had a reach of 32,000 and generated 3,000 engagements. Online engagement also kept beef front and center during the holidays with 11 food and agriculture influencers posting content throughout December. More than 30 posts generated a reach of 933,228 and nearly 45,000 engagements. Beef was the focus of e-commerce efforts as well, encouraging consumers to purchase beef for holiday meals. A
TRENDING IN FOOD & MEDIA SUPPLY CHAIN & PRICES Coverage of elevated meat costs from outlets like Bloomberg and Reuters led to a 54% increase in potential reach in January.1 Concerns about supply chain disruptions and food prices drove a continued increase in social media mentions.1
GOOD NEWS FOR BEEF Yahoo! Finance covered commentary from Cargill saying they do not anticipate further shortages.1
BEEF NUTRITION & HEALTH OUTCOMES As New Year’s resolutions took shape, traditional media mentions of beef nutrition and health outcomes increased more than 50%.1 Outlets like Yahoo! News continued to cover health benefits of reducing red meat consumption.1
GOOD NEWS FOR BEEF MSN and Yahoo! Entertainment, to name a few, highlighted beef in healthy diets.1
PLANT-BASED DIETS & MEAT ALTERNATIVES Pret-A-Manger and Panda Express introduced new plant-based meat alternative products, as covered by Mashed.1 TIME Magazine and Well + Good, among others, discussed supposed environmental and health benefits of going plant-based.1
1.
GOOD NEWS FOR BEEF The Independent and Yahoo! News discussed why Veganuary may not actually help the environment.1
#020822-14 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. (2022). Traditional and social media listening dashboards. Retrieved from Meltwater: www.meltwater.com
partnership with Sam’s Club reached more than 3 million households and brought new members to the beef category. Preliminary results from the holiday advertising campaign (not including Hallmark television ads) generated more than 50 million impressions, nearly 12 million views of Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. videos, 130,000 Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. website visits, and 6.6 million audio ad listens. The holiday campaign is a perfect example of the importance of the Beef Checkoff’s state and national partnership that NCBA has through the Federation of State Beef Councils. At the national level, NCBA, through Beef Checkoff resources, managed broadcast television, paid media, influencer communications and earned media. Creative assets including radio ads and video ads were also shared with state beef councils, which extended the campaign through a variety of tactics and digital platforms at a local level. Overall, the holiday campaign was a tremendous success, reaching families across the country and helping them make beef the center of the season. 1 Holiday Campaign Research, Dynata Platform, September 2021
Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. Brand Announced Tony Romo as New Spokesperson The former football star is partnering with the Beef Checkofffunded brand to promote all things beef. The iconic Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. brand, managed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and funded by the Beef Checkoff, announced a new partnership with celebrity athlete and former football star Tony Romo at the 2022 Cattle Industry Convention. The partnership, which will last one year and tap into Romo’s vast fanbase, will promote all things beef — from beef nutrition, to how beef is raised, and of course beef’s great taste. “Kicking off this partnership in early 2022 is the perfect time to gear up for summer nutrition and grilling, spending time with friends and family and, of course, tailgating,” said Sarah Reece, senior executive director of Brand Marketing. “From his nutrition expertise to his love of beef and family, Romo is the perfect spokesperson for the brand.” In addition to the general consumer appeal associated with celebrity spokespeople, Romo will be featured promoting beef in photo
and video advertisements on digital and traditional media platforms. Additionally, social media content will be developed for organic and promoted posts across the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. social channels and on Romo’s personal pages. “I’m really excited to be your new spokesperson,” Romo said. “Me, my wife and the kids eat beef all the time, and I think we’re going to eat it even more if that’s even possible at this point. Hearty and sustainable beef is my new team.” To view the latest content and updates on the partnership, make sure to check out BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com and follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
NATIONAL CATTLEMEN 15
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T H E F E D E R AT I O N O F S TAT E B E E F C O U N C I L S Building beef demand by inspiring, unifying and supporting an effective state/national Checkoff partnership.
Beef and Sports Pair Well Together Consumers love beef and they love sports, so why not pair them together? The Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. brand, managed by NCBA and funded by the Beef Checkoff, recently announced Tony Romo, celebrity athlete and former professional football star, as the brand’s new spokesperson. Supported by the Federation of State Beef Councils, Romo will tap into his vast fanbase to promote how beef is raised, beef’s nutrition as well as its great taste. While this new spokesperson will promote beef at a national level, many state beef councils have conducted local, collegiate and professional sports marketing efforts to engage consumers at home. These states have found innovative ways to promote beef to consumers through their passion for sports.
Beef for Every Sports Season
The Oregon Beef Council (OBC) has a long and productive relationship with Beaver Sports Properties at Oregon State University developing promotions such as the Oregon Beef Council Tailgater of the Game program. Winning tailgaters are selected on social media before the start of the football season. The winning Oregon Beef Council Tailgater of the Game group is filmed on game day, and then shown on
the big screen in the stadium during each home game. OBC also sponsors radio spots for football, basketball and baseball seasons, reaching tailgaters, sports fans and cooking enthusiasts at various times throughout the year. Stakeholders across the state report to OBC that they hear the Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner. ads while listening to one of the 27 stations on which the games are broadcast. The radio presence helps producers keep an awareness of OBC-funded promotions through sports marketing. For more information, visit www.orbeef.org.
Beef for Buckeyes The Ohio Beef Council (OBC) was a proud presenting sponsor of the Ohio State 4 Miler, a race that takes place in Columbus at the Ohio Stadium where participants had the chance to “finish on the 50.” This sponsorship reaches more than 30,000 racers as beef is highlighted as the No. 1 choice of protein for race training through video partnerships with Zach Boren, former Ohio State Buckeyes football player. These videos were viewed more than 100,000 times by Facebook and Twitter users. On race day, each participant received a packet with beef jerky and informational brochures that include the health benefits of beef and beef recipes. OBC had a presence on the ground the day of the race with a booth for racers to learn more about the nutritional benefits of beef and how it is raised. In addition to the game day festivities, OBC presented the “Burger of the Game” in
the Ohio Stadium at all home games. Each game promoted a different burger on the jumbotron and through various social media platforms. For more information, visit www.ohiobeef.org.
Beef Fuels Sports Fans
The Virginia Beef Council (VBC) partnered with Richmond Raceway Complex in 2021 for a yearlong campaign that placed beef in the winner’s circle as a top protein for summer grilling and tailgating season. Not only was Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. signage on display throughout the complex, a 150-foot fence in the concert venue area branded “The Pasture” displayed facts about Virginia cattle production. During two NASCAR events, commercials ran on the jumbotron highlighting Virginia beef farmers and beef as the No. 1 tailgating protein. Public address announcements also reiterated the beef message throughout the races. An additional aspect of the partnership included the first “Beef Up Your Health 10K” held on August 28, which kicked off the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. A fun day for the entire family, participants ran in a 10K or 5K around the historic track, and the VBC was on site speaking with runners about beef’s role in a healthy, active lifestyle and providing Virginia-made beef sticks as well as nutrition and beef production information. In addition to fueling fans at the racetrack, the VBC’s sports marketing efforts continued with promotional efforts in conjunction with the University of Virginia (UVA). This fall, the VBC capitalized on a great opportunity to remind football fans and all of Virginia to choose beef as their number one tailgating protein. In a partnership with Virginia Sports Properties, the VBC was the Tailgating Sponsor of every home football game at UVA’s Scott Stadium. During each home game, a lucky fan was honored as the best beef tailgater
and received a Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. tailgating prize pack and had their picture on the video scoreboard during the game. To complement the beefy tailgate, the LED video screens that surround the stadium displayed an animated sizzling grill with juicy beef and the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. logo multiple times during the game. The VBC also met with fans during the Commonwealth rivalry game between UVA and Virginia Tech. Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. stadium bags were handed out filled with beef educational materials like Confident Cooking with Beef and a locally produced beef stick. All fans who passed the VBC tent were able to view facts on cattle production and were reminded that beef is the top protein of their tailgate. During basketball season, the VBC sponsored an entire game and had a takeover of the jumbotron as well as all LED screens in the arena. Over 14,000 Hoos fans viewed messages about beef through video graphics such as a sizzling steak or catchy phrases such as “All Beef. No Foul.” and “Hoos ready for some Beef.” A social media campaign and ticket giveaway complemented the beefy messages to raise consumer awareness. An additional trivia contest during the game offered one lucky fan the opportunity to win a $200 gift certificate to purchase a Prime Rib Roast from a local producer just in time for Christmas. For more information, visit www.vabeef.org.
Beef Heats Up on the Ice and the Track Beth Stark, RDN, LDN, with the Pennsylvania Beef Council (PBC) collaborated with Pittsburgh Penguins team chef, Geoff Straub, on a video that showcased simple ways to “beef up your burger” by combining real beef burgers with fruits, veggies, whole grains and low-fat dairy. Chef Geoff also shared his expert burger grilling tips as the duo demonstrated how to prepare Caribbean Beef Burgers with Mango Salsa. The PBC also joined forces with Stock Car Driver and Pennsylvania native Garrett Smithley to promote beef and encourage fans to include it on the menu for summer cookouts and tailgates. Smithley, a NASCAR cup series driver, engaged with fans via his social media platforms through the summer months. As a fan of beef and summer tailgates, he shared some fan-favorite beef recipes, grilling tips and
facts about beef. In addition, PBC supported a specialty beef rib concessionaire stand during the Pocono Race Weekend. For more information, visit www.pabeef.org.
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