To return, or not to return – that is the question

Ok, it’s likely not as dramatic as the Shakespearean language makes it sound, but as a young person trying to get their footing, the road back to the cattle business is anything but a straight one.

I went to college with a mix. There were those who were without a doubt returning home to the position waiting for them, those who wanted to but no room was available, and finally, those whose family wished their son or daughter would return but their child had other ideas.

Oh, and then there were those who set out with a plan and realized plans can change. A lot.

If only I had an acre for every time I was asked, “So, Laura, what are you going to do? You going to go back or what?” Never one to take the normal route, I found a way to do a little of both; but that’s another story for another time.

To return, or not to return… Farming and ranching aside, it’s a question any person who comes from any sort of family business must face, and popular enough to be the focal point of a session at this year’s Cattle Industry Convention in San Diego. Thankfully there’s a saving grace in the fact that others have gone before us and are willing to share their dos and don’ts.

Dan McCarty, a fourth-generation Colorado cattleman and NCBA’s director of industry and affiliate outreach, was on hand to talk about his decision-making process and what eventually led he and his wife to venture out on their own.

“It sure makes family dinners a lot more fun,” he joked, sharing that “it” steered conversations away from business.

Dan’s story is unique, as is mine and I’m betting yours as well. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t common threads that tie us all together in this adventure.

Here’s what Dan had to say:

Set goals: “Keep a picture in your head of what you would do in a perfect world, and then dial it back a little to be realistic.”
Take risks: “Take risks, but only those you can survive. Take calculated risks, because if you do fall down, you better get up right away.”
Find your niche: “I wanted to have 1,000 cows by now, and we aren’t there. But we’ve found our niche and can build on that for our future.”
Get involved: “Relationships are important. Find the right people to surround yourself with and bounce ideas off of when making decisions.”
Know business: In or out of school, study because “marketing, business and finance will never go out of style and are essential to any line of work.”
Challenge yourself: “Don’t just find opportunities; find the opportunities that challenge you and make you ask, ‘why?’ That’s when personal growth happens.”

Thanks for allowing me to tell your story,

Laura

To read more on this session, or many others form convention, visit the newsroom at www.4Cattlemen.com.

Listen and learn

I’ve often wondered if listening is more a trained rather than innate skill. The reason being, I dare say it’s difficult to find good listeners these days.

From the hectic schedules we keep and the smartphones we carry, to actually digest the information, to look someone square in the eyes, at times it can feel a bit archaic.

But as the youngest of my team’s members, I make it a point to listen. It’s a given that outside there are lessons to learn, but within CAB’s walls there’s a great deal of wisdom and history, all housed within its people.

So when Larry told me he’d be coming to Florida to speak at the Northwest Florida Beef Conference, I wanted to be there. The six-hour drive up my state’s center was a given, because when I think of wisdom and insight into the industry that I love, I think of Larry Corah.

“I’ll have to admit, my first surprise when I got to Marianna (Fla.) was that I’d be scraping ice off my windshield,” Larry joked. “We have that in Kansas, but I wasn’t prepared for it here.”

Always keeping people guessing, the state welcomed him as he shared his thoughts on the industry we all rely on.

Sure he talked about the volatility of the market and the increased costs required to run just a single cow on a piece of land, but leave it to Larry to see the silver lining and offer steps to success.

For calves headed to pasture or finishing on feed, health, weight and consumer demand are driving profits, he told us.

Health has taken on a new relevance as the overall cost of an animal increased. Encountering sickness coming into the feedyard or death during the stay is felt more than in years past.

“We’re still a pounds game,” he said of the next factor. “In this industry we sell pounds and cattle have got to have the ability to grow. That’s a key driver, so don’t lose sight of that.”

Even more important is the consumer. In a shift greater than even he could have predicted, Larry said approximately 70% of all cattle fed today are sold on a grid-based system that identifies individual animals and offers premiums or discounts for value markers like quality.

“The consumer is the one determining the value of your cull cows and the price you get for your calves. We have to produce a product that the consuming public desires and wants, but the great news is they’ll pay you for it.”

There were data points shared and graphs on display and people leaning in on their chairs to listen.

“Basically, calves that can grow, grade, and live are worth more, and I think there’s some real economic opportunities available,” he said in closing.

“The consumer is telling us what they want and they’re creating price opportunities that will funnel back to the feedyards, to the stocker operators, to you as the cow-calf men.”

Thanks for allowing me to [first listen and then] tell your story,

Laura

Beef battle

“Bring it!”

Maybe those weren’t his exact words, but that was Dick Hollman’s attitude when he heard about the plan for a breed cook-off of sorts set to take place at the following year’s Nebraska Cattlemen’s Classic.

BattleBreeds_HollmanBLOG — Dick Hollman, Hollman Angus

The Hallam, Neb., producer confidently said something like, “Bring your best, but don’t feel bad if you get second place!”

With a taunt like that, Dick and the state’s other Angus Association members wanted to be sure the beef lived up to all expectations. A few conversations with our team at the National Western Stock Show and a connection with a CAB-licensed distributor and they secured 30-day dry-aged Certified Angus Beef ^® (CAB^®) Prime New York strips.

Eating good beef and hanging out with producers are two of my favorite things to do, but my schedule didn’t allow me to make the short trip. Instead, I asked Paul to take a few moments away from cutting beef to step up as a temporary reporter. He said the lines were long, the hungry crowd satisfied, and he’d figured the results before the official tally was in.

Community members and show-goers chose among the five breeds represented for three categories: Best Meat, Best Display and Best Hospitality.

Angus won both Best Meat and Best Display, earning two complimentary ads in next year’s event program.

Dick gives a lot of credit to the product. “When you start out with meat like that, all you have to do is heat it up.”

The recipe was practically that simple: Start with the CAB brand. Add Jim Baldrige’s Secret Seasoning. Cook to desired doneness.

BattleBreeds_Tiedeman — Bob Tiedeman, Nebraska Angus producer

They almost doubled the expected turnout, dishing up more than 250 servings.

“It was an opportunity to educate about CAB, not only to producers but also the public that was there,” Paul says.

In addition to the popular vote, there was a formal “Classic Steak Cook-off” where nine teams all started with the same beef and a panel of judges selected the winner based on appearance, doneness and taste.

Hollman and Bob Tiedeman were sponsored by the Nebraska Angus Association and also took home top prize in that jackpot-style contest.

“We had a good night,” Hollman says. “It couldn’t have been more successful.”

He already has his eye on taking the Triple Crown next year. And if there’s dry-aged CAB involved, I am already marking it on my calendar!

May your bottom line be filled with black ink,

Miranda

ROI felt more than measured

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“You da best mom in da whoooooole wurrrld!”

My two-year old utters that phrase and her bubbly grin and a stubby ponytail remind me that she’s getting older every day. It makes me want to make that statement true.

I want to be a better mama each day, but only have a finite amount of time to make it happen. And there’s no way to really know if I’m accomplishing that goal.

We can look at clues: that my kids are (mostly) happy and well-adjusted. That they treat others with respect. That they know a thing or two about the way the world works. Still, there is no easy way to quantify it.

[I know, this is not a parenting blog. Hang with me a moment longer and I’ll make my point for the cattle community.]

I whole-heartedly know the effort is worth my physical and emotional investment, though I might never see a balance sheet that quantifies a return on investment (ROI).

And so it is with sustainability in the beef business.

I sat in on a session during the Cattlemen’s College at last month’s Cattle Industry Convention in San Diego on that very topic. Our own president John Stika was one of the panelists.

“Premiums and revenue and return on investment show themselves in different forms. I think that’s the key. I cannot sit here today and tell you we’re going to see an economic signal paid for sustainably that’s as vivid and real as the one that we see today for getting paid by weight,” he said. “It’s really about demand protection and growth.”

The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB), describes sustainability as, “environmentally sound, socially responsible and economically viable.” Of course, it all boils down to the first basic truth I know about cattlemen and women: they want to do the right thing.

But if you want to talk in economic terms, it’s just as easy to explain why we all have a stake in this: sustainability is a means of maintaining and growing beef demand. It’s about keeping consumer confidence high.

In a defensive tone, a question came from the crowd that was something like, “Aren’t we already sustainable?”

Yes.

Could we do better?

Yes.

“It’s really a low-risk, high-opportunity chance to bring people together and have communication and dialog. We’re all focused on the same end point,” John said. “This is not a threat. It’s an opportunity.”

Parenting and sustainability have one more thing in common, because as John pointed out, “You never really arrive.”

May your bottom line be filled with black ink,

Miranda

To read more on this session, or many others form convention, visit the newsroom at www.4Cattlemen.com.

Goodbye ocean, hello involvement

If there’s ever a chance to skip class and travel to a beach state…count me in. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a good student and value my education, but a free trip to California was something I simply could not pass up.

So, a couple of weeks ago I packed up my boots, left the snow and ice and Set Sail to San Diego for the Cattle Industry Convention and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Trade Show.

Coming from a production background, I really wanted to keep up with policy and the various issues in the beef industry. This trip meant I finally made it to the last semester of my certificate program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, but it was also an incredible opportunity to network with some of the industry’s latest and greatest.

During my time at convention I engaged in the grassroots policy process, sat in meetings to hear from industry experts and browsed the massive trade show. It was great to see producers from around the country coming together to discuss issues and make decisions. I’ve realized more than ever how much we need our beef leaders in Washington, D.C., voicing our opinion to elected officials. With help from them doing their job, my family can continue to do theirs.

Looking at the big picture, producers are only a piece of the pie regarding the food industry. When we are raising our cattle, we have to keep the consumer in mind and work toward what they want. Consumers now, more than ever, want to know where and how their food is being produced. Implementing sustainability practices will help to produce the very best beef for our consumers.

Coming home, I was provoked to start getting more involved in our cattlemen’s association at a local level. Participating in policy committees and meetings can help me protect my family’s legacy. Great things can happen when we all come together to make a difference. Hopefully one day I can step up and take a leadership role in the industry.

While I was only away for a short period, not all of my time in San Diego was centered on breakout sessions and meetings. This landlocked girl got to see the ocean for the FIRST time! I saw a surfer, soaked the bottom of my skinny jeans and left a trail of sand in the hotel room.

Until next time, West Coast.

~Jenny

—

Jenny Keyes grew up as the fifth generation on her family’s Springfield, Neb., farm. Her early experiences—which included showing Angus cattle—inspired her to keep on learning about all things agriculture. Our current industry information intern, Jenny is a senior ag communications major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Buzz words still tell the stories

Adding value. Consumer confidence. Growing demand.

Those are popular (and thus often overused) phrases, but they are central to what we do here at CAB.

Cattlemens College — Some of the nearly 7,000 convention attendees taking in one of the educational sessions on Wednesday.

But it’s not just us. During the Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show last week, we heard those same themes in many sessions and individual conversations. It turns out that adding value, increasing consumer confidence and growing demand is central to the greater industry, too.

Especially as we navigate what Randy Blach and the rest of the CattleFax crew told us have been the most dramatic markets many of us have ever seen. (In fact, the exact quote was, “This is the second most volatile market in history.”)

We’ll be sharing more in the coming weeks, but as for a quick recap, here some of our favorite zingers from our time in San Diego:

“You have to produce cattle with the consumer in mind. If you don’t, nothing else matters,” said Don Schiefelbein, Minnesota Angus breeder. I can’t think of a better way to set the stage for the week. Tom Brink echoed his comments with, “You have to think of who is next on the supply chain and give them what they want.”
“This isn’t about us. This is about our kids and grandkids,” said Rob Fraley, Monsanto executive, talking on the importance of using technology to produce more with less. We’ve got to encourage STEM education and we have to start telling our story. It’s that important.
“People want to buy products they can trust,” said Paige Hartley, with Darden. “I don’t think you can put a dollar value on that.” Fellow presenters, including our own John Stika, noted it’s not likely we’ll see an economic signal for sustainability like we do for quality or weight, but it still brings dollars back. It’s just harder to measure. But there is a long-term connection and we must be cognizant of that.

John Schroeder, Darr Feedlot

“You have to begin with the end in mind, and you have to have a plan,” said John Schroeder, Darr Feedlot, talking about communication and cooperation from ranch to the feedlot. It certainly takes a plan to get his ideal animal: “a safe, humanely handled, upper 2/3 Choice, yield grade (YG) 2.” (For the record, we think he’s got a pretty comprehensive definition. Just add “Angus” and you’re set.)

We were happy when CattleFax said the “supply shock,” and thus the price shock, happened last year and although it’s a completely different market, overall they’re still positive going into 2016.

I wouldn’t call the tone the same “riding high” type of attitude of a year ago, but I still felt much enthusiasm. I mean, it’s not like a group of cattlemen to see an upcoming challenge and approach it half-heartedly.

I think we’ll have a whole team of people, that will be working on these three things: Adding value. Consumer confidence. Growing demand. (And much more, of course!)

May your bottom line be filled with black ink,

Miranda

PS–Check out our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter feeds for a variety of coverage of the event.

Yesterday’s youth, tomorrow’s leaders

It’s an interesting thing being young. There’s much to see and learn and decipher, and sometimes it can be as challenging as it is exciting. One things for sure, though, it’s a whole lot of fun!

So along with snow and freezing temperatures, the first week of January brought some of the breed’s young leaders to Wooster for our annual Youth Leaders Orientation.

The way we see it at CAB, it’s an opportunity to engage and educate the next generation of influential cattlemen. Our staff in Ohio make sure our young people leave with a better understanding of the brand that supports the cattle they raise.

“We know that a lot of what we do at CAB is out of sight, out of mind for these young Angus breeders,” says fellow Black Ink teammate Kara Lee.

Of course it’s a world that brings value to what they do at home, but it’s pretty different from life on the ranch or at school.

Most groups who come into our Education & Culinary Center (ECC) know a decent amount about the food industry. Along with building on that knowledge, it’s the production story that we get to share.

The inverse is true for this group. That’s their business so we leave cattle alone for a few days. I know. I know that’s unrealistic. They’ll demand our attention at the worst and best of times!

I digress. So instead, we shine the spotlight on foodservice and brand marketing to reveal how a high-quality steak may leave their ranch as a steer and end up on a consumer’s plate.

We learn a lot from them, too.

Alex Rogen, Brandon, S.D., is a junior at South Dakota State University and has Angus production in his genes. Time in the show ring with steers and in the pasture with bulls led him to the pre-vet track. He’s also the National Junior Angus Association’s chairman of the board.

“The biggest takeaway was the affirmation that a quality product needs to be our key focus,” Alex said after joining the Wooster gang for a few days, “because without it, we don’t have a job that’s going to make us money. It was a good reminder, for me and others, that it’s not just the cattle industry, but the beef industry.”

Consumers have to want it and be willing to pay for it, he went on to say. Otherwise, beef may not be the protein of choice.

“To be able to go learn and share with people that there are specifications in place that can guarantee a consistent and reliable eating experience is honestly a privilege,” he said.

For those coming from a stock show background, Alex added, “It’s important to keep that terminal outlook on things. At the end of the day the cows are pretty, but they have to work and do good things for the consumer.”

If you’re interested in attending our 2017 Youth Leaders Orientation January 3-4, be on the lookout for applications this summer.

Making your beef shine

Maybe it’s because I have five kids (7 and under), and supper time at the Reiman house can be a slightly chaotic event. Maybe it’s because I spend so much time wishing that consumers understood how much effort and passion goes into raising beef.

Or maybe it’s just the simple, unedited “like you were there” feel of this video, but I was in awe watching this short clip from our annual conference on our corporate Instagram account (click on it to play):

https://instagram.com/p/8HTXb1P3hY/?tagged=tx15

For three days last week the Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB®) brand took over the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country, and transformed it into all things high-quality beef.

Nikkie Allen, CAB assistant director of education and events, pours herself into this conference. She hopes the attendees leave knowing that “we sincerely appreciate what these licensees are doing to help make this brand a success. The CAB brand is their brand and each of us has a part in this year’s success, and has the chance to shape the future of it.”

Partners from all different corners of the country and the beef community gathered to learn, to celebrate, to be inspired….and to eat.

Adding staff and media guests, the total came out to 681 attendees. Multiply that by two breakfasts, two dinners and one lunch—that’s 3,400 or so beef meals served. Not to mention the snack breaks which featured things like meatballs and pastrami tacos, adding another 1,360.

We went through 666 pounds of CAB for the Saturday night awards banquet alone.

That night there were eight chefs supervising a kitchen crew of 50 or more. There were 157 serving the guests.

Instagram TX15 Feed — Just a quick snapshot of some of the photos conference attendees shared on Instagram.

Stop and think about that. I’m not talking about an easy-to-mass-produce casserole. This crew prepared a gourmet, plated meal to a banquet room full of beef lovers. The audience included discerning diners, from trained chefs and presidents of meat companies to the cattlemen and women who raise that beef.

“Our audience knows a great meal when they have one. Having a superior product to start with makes our job a lot easier, but it still takes months of planning,” Nikkie says. “We work alongside the culinary experts at the resort and together create a plan to showcase our beef in as many ways as possible during the event.”

From what I could tell watching the social media feed for the conference, the culinary team wowed them.

And as they sent the last plate out the door, I wonder how many of those chefs thought about you? “I wish those ranchers knew how much we care about making their product shine?”

https://instagram.com/p/8HZ2ghP3t2/?tagged=tx15

Maybe none, but that passion for the best is what connects all involved in the CAB brand.

It was a common theme among all award winners, in all categories, including our supply development honorees. To learn more about them, check out these individual stories:

“High calling“–Tiffany Cattle Company
“True grit with a grin“–Tokach Angus Ranch
“The alliance angle“– Ken Conway’s GeneNet alliance
“Quality down the tracks“–Collins Farms
“Open gates“–Trowbridge Angus Farms

And in the meantime, I’ll be grateful that my 6 p.m. chaos is all relative.

May your bottom line be filled with Black Ink,

Miranda

Sharing the good news

You know that other side of the beef business?

I’m talking about foodservice – the steak cutters, distributors and folks who market what you raise to hotels, restaurants, institutions (HRI)?

Well nearly 300 CAB Specialists (the guys and gals at our foodservice partners who share the ins and outs of your brand with the HRI guys and gals) gathered in sunny San Diego last month for our 2015 Specialist Seminar.

It was full of good food, obviously, but also good news. For both sides of the beef biz.

Fresh solutions and bright ideas were the target for the Specialists who shared in the training and learned about merchandising tools, along with our restaurant licensing program, the new “Heritage Campaign,” research data and “local” ideas.

Vice President of Business Development Mark Polzer said he sees signs of the industry starting to bounce back.

And that’s good news for us.

“We’ve always talked with our foodservice partners about how we understand what a difficult industry it’s been since the recession,” Mark said. “You’re forced to somehow try and come up with profitability that’s the same as a year ago, based upon fewer customers. That becomes very difficult.”

What’s most exciting, he said, is that pounds sold through foodservice have grown for five consecutive years. With record high prices throughout the beef supply chain, Mark called the sustained up-trend in sales a testament to the power of dependable quality at each step.

He’s talking about you.

“We don’t need Select cattle,” he said. “We’ve been raising to the higher quality levels in response to economic signals – the degree of genetic change in our cowherd across America is just amazing.”

Moreover, Mark says those he works with think like the ones I work with.

“Here’s a group of cattlemen that have put together the genetics that allow CAB to continue thriving in times of difficulty, and it’s the same with our Specialists. It’s one camaraderie. They come together with a singular focus on the brand.”

Get excited for bright forecasts on the horizon.

Thanks for allowing me to tell your story,

Laura

No bidders

A plan to increase preconditioning in cattle country

Have you ever asked a cattle feeder if he had career aspirations of being a veterinarian?

Mark Hilton, of Purdue University, says he has yet to meet one who dreams of spending his days treating cattle.

“They hate having sick calves. They want to have healthy calves,” says the veterinarian.

At his Cattlemen’s College session last month, I heard Mark present a pretty convincing case for preconditioning (a 11-year analysis of Indiana producers showed a profit of more than $80 per head, on average for 60+ day programs, for example).

But it wasn’t just about the economics of it all. It was about the principle.

“I’m a low-medicine veterinarian,” he says. “I want to use management instead of medicine and money.”

One of the best ways to ensure health during one of the most stressful times in calves’ lives is to precondition. What’s better for the animals is better for the owners. Less sickness=less labor. It’s better for the next person in line, too.

Mark did a quick poll: “How many of you who sell calves want that feedlot guy to make a pile of money on your calves?” Hands shot up all over the room. Everybody wants their cattle to do well for the next person in line.

Of course, cattle feeders have a role in all this, too.

“When you buy preconditioned, high-quality calves you’re telling the beef industry that producers of preconditioned, high-quality calves are your partners. When you’re buying high-risk calves, you’re telling the industry that you’re going to take advantage of somebody,” he says.

Mark introduced a plan to rid the industry of unweaned, co-mingled, high-risk cattle: “Every buyer of feeder calves agrees not to bid on high-risk calves. As the auctioneer goes down and down in price, ‘$2.80, $2, $1.50, 23 cents? Sorry, boys, no takers. Take them back home.’ In 30 days you think that would change the industry?”

That got a lot of chuckles, but the reality is that IS happening in a much slower fashion across the countryside. Take a look at any salebarn study or video auction analysis and it will show the advantages for preconditioned, reputation calves (or the discounts for the opposite).

What side of that equation do you want to be on?

Just something to think about while you’re pondering the year ahead during those late-night calving checks.

May your bottom line be filled with black ink,

Miranda

To return, or not to return – that is the question

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