Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, is talking with the CEO of the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion Board, Greg Hanes, about the domestic strategy for building demand for U.S beef. To listen to Part 1 of Ron’s conversation with Greg Hanes talking about the use of Beef Checkoff dollars, CLICK HERE.
Herd liquidation over the last several years has meant tighter beef supplies ahead, which is detrimental to international beef demand. The herd liquidation has not only impacted international markets, but also domestic markets.
Hanes said the domestic marketing strategy for U.S. consumers includes finding ways to encourage them to include beef in their meal plans.
“I think now there is probably more options here for the consumers in the U.S. just with ground beef and other items we have available that are not as expensive as your traditional meal meats,” Hanes said. “There has been a lot of educational work on those, like showing how to prepare all of these dishes, how to buy it, cook it, and all of that.”
Building demand for beef is not a one-year job, Hanes said, as the effort is decades in the making. This long-term approach ensures the sustainability of the beef industry, and the continuous supply of the protein consumers want.
“Now, with these kind of conditions we are facing, you really see that impact and the benefits of what the Checkoff has been able to do,” Hanes said. “We are at 30-year highs for beef demand, and retail prices are at record highs, but people are still paying that, and that really shows that they want to eat beef compared to all these other proteins, and that has taken years and years to ensure people are getting that protein they want- and it is beef.”
Hanes also talked about how today’s beef demand is proof of the Beef Checkoff’s success over the years. The Beef Checkoff will be contracting a Return-on-Investment study, Hanes said, and the results will be released at the next National Cattlemen’s Beef Association summer business meeting in San Diego, California.
“Thirty-year highs on demand are pretty impressive,” Hanes said.
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 for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
