Using Beef Checkoff Dollars to Develop New Markets

Minnesota pork producer and US Meat Export Federation Chair, Randy Spronk was at the center of the beef world at the recent National Cattlemen’s Beef Association convention in Orlando, Florida. Spronk and members of the USMEF staff gave a presentation during the Beef Checkoff Program’s International Marketing Committee, where cattlemen were eager to talk about beef exports.

“Producers are asking very direct very specific questions country by country product by product. I mean, they not only want to look backwards to you know, where we've come from and what things have been successful, but they also want to know, well, where's our new market opportunities? Where do we need to present some of that checkoff money reference to Africa to the Southeast Asia to Latin America, we need to develop those markets so that in 10 years, somebody could look back and say, Hey, we've done good things and be able to develop those markets and increase value back to the farm and actually from a variety of meats, especially, you know, if we can get a higher value for those livers, those kidneys, those hearts, that adds value back to the farm, and that's what we need to be able to do is to export those products get a higher value for the farmer, when you actually calculate what that value is back to a producer in the United States. And when you've got $395 attributed to exports, that's a value that then comes back to the farm to the carcass value through that live value. And I think that's very important back to that farm and ranch to be able to understand what exports bring back to their bottom line.”

USMEF’s Randy Spronk.