Industry Briefs

BEEF. IT’S WHAT’S FOR DINNER.® 300 RETURNS TO DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

For the third year in a row, Daytona International Speedway announced its partnership with Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. to sponsor the 42nd season-opening race for the NASCAR Xfinity Series – The Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.® 300.

The race is scheduled to kick off the season Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, at Daytona International Speedway, the day before the 65th annual DAYTONA 500.

Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. is an iconic brand funded through national and state support of beef farmers and ranchers as part of the Beef Checkoff program and managed by National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

“The partnership we have with the Beef Checkoff and NCBA is unique to our sport and our fans love it,” said Daytona International Speedway President, Frank Kelleher of the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.® 300. “The race has given beef farmers and ranchers the perfect platform to reach consumers and tell the tasty story of beef. We can’t wait to smell beef on the grills of our campers in February.”

The fan-favorite DAYTONA Speedweeks, presented by AdventHealth, kicks off with the Bluegreen Vacations Duel followed by the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.® 300 and the iconic DAYTONA 500. Fans of all ages from across the country will gather to tailgate and fire up their grills as the drivers start their engines. From the love for race day tailgating to a shared sense of legacy, NASCAR and beef have always gone hand in hand.

In addition to the race name, the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. brand and logo will appear throughout Daytona International Speedway, as well as on the winner’s trophy and in victory lane. For race fans and beef fans not attending the race, beef will be promoted on national radio ads and through additional promotional support provided through the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Beef Checkoff-funded work.

JULY BEEF EXPORTS STAY ON $1 BILLION PACE

U.S. beef exports again topped $1 billion in July and posted the fifth-largest volume on record, according to data released by USDA and compiled by U.S. Meat Export Federation.

July beef exports totaled 126,567 metric tons, up 3% year-over-year. Export value increased 7% to $1.006 billion, topping the $1 billon mark for the sixth time this year.

Japan was the pacesetter for July exports, but volumes also increased year-over-year to China/ Hong Kong, the ASEAN region, Central America, the Caribbean and Colombia. July exports eased for South Korea and Taiwan, though both markets remain on a record pace in 2022.

For the first seven months of the year, beef exports increased 6% from a year ago to 870,471 metric tons, valued at $7.2 billion — up 29%. Export value per head of fed slaughter is on a record pace at more than $475.

“Global demand for U.S. beef continues to be amazingly resilient, especially at the retail level,” said U.S. Meat Export Federation President and CEO Dan Halstrom. “Exports have also benefited from a partial rebound in the foodservice sector, but this recovery is far from complete.

“Many markets are still gradually easing COVID restrictions, so we definitely see opportunities for further growth as restaurant traffic returns. Headwinds remain formidable, however, including further devaluation of key trading partner currencies.”

NEW DOCUSERIES DETAILS IMPACT OF APPLYING SOIL HEALTH PRINCIPLES

When Noble Research Institute shifted its focus to helping ranchers improve soil health and build a stronger bottom line, defined as regenerative ranching by the institute, they started with their own ranches.

For almost two seasons, they have been applying soil health principles to almost 14,000 acres of pasture and grazing lands in southern Oklahoma. The impact has been evident on the land and the profitability. Now, thanks to a new docuseries on YouTube, ranchers across the nation can see the changes taking place on Noble’s seven ranches.

The docuseries — entitled Regenerating the Ranch — shares challenges, lessons learned and the victories along the way as Noble makes management decisions based on the six soil principles, said J. Adam Calaway, director of communications and public relations.

“The docuseries takes ranchers on this journey with us,” Calaway said. “Whether they’re considering implementing soil health principles or adaptive multipaddock grazing or they already are, we hope they’ll learn, laugh and join us on this remarkable journey.”

Regenerating the Ranch is a deep dive into the six soil health principles and their application on ranchers that are unique in topography, use and history. The docuseries launched in August with new episodes released every other Tuesday. T C