In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with Executive Director Samantha Werth who says one of the biggest strengths of the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef is bringing every segment of the beef supply chain together—from producers to retailers and food service companies. Hays was on the ground at the 2026 USRSB General Assembly Meeting this week in Clearwater, Florida.
Bringing the Industry Together
Werth said the organization’s value comes from its ability to unite people facing different challenges across the supply chain. “It is the convening power of being able to bring producers all the way to retail, food service companies,” Werth said. “It really gives you a look across what people are dealing with on the supply chain, and an opportunity as a producer to share your story and help to really ground the supply chain in realities of what everyday production is.”
She said that producer perspective is critical in conversations that otherwise may happen far from the ranch gate.
From Talk to Action
Looking back to the group’s start in 2015, Werth said one early accomplishment was helping the industry define sustainability together rather than allowing outside pressure to dictate the conversation. “The roundtable has really created a space to have meaningful discussions and turn those meaningful discussions into impactful actions,” she said.
Werth noted the organization launched industrywide sustainability goals in 2022 and is now seeing new task forces and research efforts grow from those goals. “We’re really moving into a phase of action,” she said.
Keeping Working Lands Working
Werth also pointed to grazing land loss as a major issue for the cattle business. “We know that grazing land conversion is a major issue here in the U.S.,” she said. “We are losing grazing lands to urban development, woody encroachment, row crop production… at an alarming rate.”
She said that creates an opportunity for the supply chain to work together in support of producers. “How do we actually support producers being able to keep their working lands working?”
Why Producers Should Engage
Werth said producers who participate gain direct access to companies and decision-makers they might not otherwise reach. “It’s such an opportunity to make sure your voice is heard in a space that normally you wouldn’t have access to,” she said.
She added that long-term sustainability simply means maintaining a resilient beef industry for generations to come. “We want to make sure we have beef in 10, 2050, 100 years.”
Werth said her hope after this year’s assembly meeting is renewed involvement from cattle producers and industry leaders alike. “We need good people who have the experience and the expertise. We need them at the table.”
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
