The Idaho Cattle Association executed our annual meeting and convention last week in Sun Valley, Idaho. The event was well attended by 400+ attendees and discussed topics from across the nation that may impact our industry in the future. We would like to thank those that were in attendance and welcome the new board members and leadership that was elected to serve on behalf of our membership. Look for the updated board list in next week’s Executive Update and remember that we will be out of the office Thursday and Friday as we give thanks for all we have. --Cameron Mulrony Executive Vice President Idaho Cattle Association |
|
|
| Did you attend the 2021 ICA Annual Convention last week? If so, we'd love to hear your feedback- take the short survey here or email us at info@idahocattle.org |
| | |
|
In Washington: BLM faces vacancies after relocation About 76% of the Bureau of Land Management employees picked to relocate from Washington, D.C. to Colorado or new locations out west declined their reassignments or left the agency before receiving notices of the move, and recent data shows the agency is still struggling to recover. Just 41 employees, or 23% of the remaining staff BLM selected to move to Grand Junction, Colorado, or 11 western states in 2019 accepted their reassignments, the Government Accountability Office said Thursday in a new report on the relocation. Continue reading here, from Federal News Network |
|
|
Concerns expressed over USDA employees vaccine mandate Requirements that all federal employees must receive a COVID-19 vaccine by Nov. 22 or face termination have those in the food supply chain concerned about a shortage of federal inspectors as well as employees at USDA offices. A letter sent to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack by the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Pork Producers Council, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and National Turkey Federation raised concerns about the effects on USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service and other USDA personnel from the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. “We cannot emphasize enough how detrimental even minor disruptions in processing capacity and other critical USDA functions may be, as we cannot afford to exacerbate existing supply chain issues at such a fragile point in our recovery,” the letter states. Story continued here, from BEEF Magazine |
|
|
Wild Horses: Idaho using alternatives to helicopter gathers Rather than a quick roundup using a herding helicopter, the Bureau of Land Management is employing a different method to gather in wild horses off the range near Challis over the next several months. The BLM has deployed temporary water and hay/mineral bait traps consisting of a series of corral panels in the Challis Wild Horse Herd Management Area. “The bait-trap method has been employed in a lot of our herd management areas where we think it might work,” said Heather Tiel-Nelson, of the BLM. “The thinking was if we could remove smaller numbers from the herd to keep it within management levels it would help out in the long run. This way we’re able to apply fertility control to the mares that we hope we capture.” Read more here, from MagicValley.com |
|
|
Checkoff Dollars Helped Deliver New Beef Sales in China in FY21 The Idaho Beef Council (IBC) supports strategic initiatives that promote the attributes of Pacific Northwest beef in key export markets, and results from FY21 demonstrate the value of this tactic. Given the growing interest in U.S. beef among consumers and with larger supplies of eligible product heading into the pipeline, the opportunity for the U.S. to grow beef exports to China through further channel development has been immense. Harnessing evolving high-tech shopping trends, with IBC funding support, the United States Meat Export Federation (USMEF) deepened U.S. beef’s retail penetration and advanced purchasing activity in the sector. This included online sales promotions as well as participating in livestreaming events—a combination of home shopping network, mobile devices and key influencers in one setting to push a product. |
|
|
From March 26 to June 30, 2021, the USMEF conducted a series of U.S. beef promotional events with WOWBEEF on JD.COM, spanning special occasions—Labor Day holidays, Mother's Day, and 618 (June 18 marking the mid-year point). IBC-funded marketing support of the featured Snake River Farms (SRF) wagyu and U.S. angus beef cuts included banner ads on JD.com’s home page, optimization of shopping and search recommendations, as well as team leader incentives for buying groups highlighted on JD.com’s app. A 50% discount on certain days was also extended by commercial partners to further entice shoppers. These efforts helped drive impressive results with volume sales up 57.5% compared to the same period in 2020, while turnover increased 70.5%. |
| |
|
| IBC funds in the second half of June supported U.S. beef’s participation in two “livestream” activities that attracted a large number of viewers. On the evening of June 19th, Snake River Farms (SRF) wagyu beef took center stage during a broadcast from the living room of online celebrity and key opinion leader (KOL), Zhudan, as she cooked, tasted and described the succulence of the thinly sliced pieces prepared Sukiyaki-style. In addition to emphasizing the unique and premium characteristics of the product, Zhudan provided information on where to find the product in Xianjidi stores and how to identify the packaging in the retail meat case. The event attracted 745,600 viewers from among Zhudan’s 1.46 million followers. |
|
|
On June 25th, KOL and infant-care expert, Ms. Dong joined USMEF Corporate Chef promoted the advantages of eating U.S. beef and feeding it to children to her army of mom followers on TikTok during a two hour live streaming program. With a focus on SRF product, Ms. Dong demonstrated a variety of packaged options, perfect for families and available at stores, including SRF chuck eye roll, striploin steaks, tenderloin steaks, cubed beef and meatballs. |
| |
|
To increase consumer demand for U.S. beef in Asian markets, the world’s fastest growing middle class, the IBC will continue to fund promotional efforts that deliver beef to new markets, including China and South Korea. Visit IDBeef.org to learn more about programming and activities supported by your Beef Checkoff dollars. |
|
|
Beyeler Ranches LLC Box Dot Ranches GMO Livestock Products Devil Creek Ranch Inc. Dalling Charolais & Angus Ranch Woodrow W. Butler Family Trust Alder Creek Ranch CowBos Whittaker Two Dot Ranch LLC Mathews Farms LLC Sutton Livestock Company Inc. Rolling A Farms Rance Butler Double C Ranch Savage Cattle Diana Romrell Bill Barton, DVM Thank you to our new & renewed members! |
|
|
| Fed Cattle $1 to $2 higher Boxed Beef Choice decreased $8.98 Select
decreased $4.13 Market Cows
$1 to $3 softer
Calves $1 softer to $5 firmer Corn
down $0.07/bushel |
| |
|
Sweet Potato Casserole Take the opportunity to free up some oven space and use your trusty crockpot for a Thanksgiving side dish sure to be a sweet addition to your holiday menu! Get the recipe here, from Delish. |
|
|
| |