MOBeef Update

It always excites me when a group of cattle producers get together to cuss and discuss the future of the industry. I always appreciate the sharing of ideas and the sense of ownership of the future of our own industry. We just finished up a gathering of over forty cattle producers in leadership roles from five states that represent Region III from National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) for a thought-sharing session regarding the future of the programs on both the Policy and Federation Divisions of NCBA.

Region Three consists of Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. As the economic environment presents new opportunities and new challenges for the cattle and beef industry, it is imperative that representatives from the industry meet and collaborate for the future of the beef business.

Terry Stokes, the CEO of the NCBA based in Denver discussed the structure of the organization and how to create more involvement and ownership among beef producers. Stokes discussed the importance of collaborations between all of the different food groups to help educate decision makers who do not have any affiliations with the rural lifestyle. “We’re looking for opportunities for consensus” commented Stokes, referring to the idea of finding partners with shared goals.

After the general session that included all of the cattlemen and women in attendance, the Federation and Policy Divisions broke to discuss their individual programs. According to James Rickman, Chairman of the Missouri Beef Industry Council, “I think it’s important that any organization evaluates itself periodically to ensure they are offering the most value to its shareholders and being the most efficient they can possibly be with their resources.”

The Federation Division of the NCBA refers to the checkoff-funded State Beef Councils; David Dick of Sedalia, MO who serves as the Region III Federation Chairman led the breakout discussions. Many ideas were shared about partnering with the organizations that can truly make the biggest impact in moving the needle for beef demand. The major purpose of the Federation is to offer a forum where states can share ideas about the most effective and efficient promotions and find ways for collaboration between states in order to extend resources. A major discussion revolved around showcasing the identity of the Federation to allow beef producers a better understanding of how the checkoff is structured. Many producers weighed in on possible enhancements to the checkoff.

The policy division of NCBA is funded through membership dues and predominantly focuses on legislative activity and strengthening the organizational power for public policy. The biggest discussions revolved around involving younger producers in the membership-driven organization by setting up a mentor program between established cattlemen and “Generation X” who is interested in farming. In addition, they have set up a group for young producers aged 22-34 on the internet networking site, “facebook”.

To learn more about the discussions at Region 3 meeting, contact John here at our office.