Tune in to Tennessee for #CattleCon21

<p>TUNE IN TO TENNESSEE: The COVID-19 pandemic postponed the annual Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show from its normal February dates to Aug. 10-12 in Nashville, Tenn. According to NCBA organizers, more than 6,000 attendees gathered at the Gaylord Opryland for the annual meetings of the NCBA, the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, American National CattleWomen, CattleFax and National Cattlemen’s Foundation.</p>

<p>KEEP BEEF ON THE PLATE: Jayson Lusk, a food and agriculture economist from Purdue University, opens Cattlemen’s College with a presentation on consumer protein demands. Lusk says that meat alternatives are gathering investments, signaling that the market for these products is poised to grow — if these companies can move on sustainability initiatives, he says. Lusk also advise cattle producers to be watching trends coming out of the pandemic, such as an accelerated move to e-grocery commerce, where more food consumed at home will bypass the store and be ordered online. The pandemic also uncovered rising interest from consumers in food bought from their local farmers.</p>

<p>OPENING ACT: Kix Brooks, half of the legendary duo Brooks &amp; Dunn, opens the convention Aug. 10 with selections from the duo’s catalog of songs. Brooks is co-owns of a Nashville winery, Arrington Vineyards, and he also has a small cattle herd.</p>

<p>NCBA PRESIDENT: NCBA President and Kansas cattleman Jerry Bohn welcomes attendees to the 2021 Cattlemen’s College before the start of the convention.</p>

<p>VISIONARY AWARD: The inaugural Cattlemen’s Beef Board Beef Checkoff Visionary Award was awarded to Jo Ann Smith of Wacahoota, Fla. Greg Hanes (left), CEO of CBB, presented the award to Smith’s son, outgoing NCBA President Marty Smith. Jo Ann Smith saw national trends and fad diets diminishing beef demand in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and she gathered industry stakeholders together to work to get approval for the national Beef Checkoff program. In 1986, she became the first chair of the newly formed Cattlemen’s Beef Board, which celebrates its 35th anniversary in 2021.</p>

<p>HERD HEALTH: The COVID-19 pandemic postponed the annual convention to August. Signage and organizers gently reminded attendees to practice good hygiene.</p>

<p>SHINE: A popular stop for all NCBA Trade Show attendees is the boot shine stand.</p>

<p>SHOWDOWN: NCBA Trade Show attendees were treated to a Chutes and Scales Showdown, with live demonstrations of manual and hydraulic chutes, and scales from companies such as: Priefert, Arrowquip, Powder River, Sioux Steel, Tarter Farm &amp; Ranch, Dodge Mfg., Gallagher, Datamars and Te Pari.</p>

<p>CONVERSATIONS: Many attendees remarked it “felt good” to get back to in-person meetings and conversations at the 2021 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show. The trade show offered attendees a chance to sit and discuss topics of the day with others at the Camp Fire Chats site. Attendees could also catch educational sessions in the Learning Lounge and see livestock handling demonstrations.</p>

<p>CATTLEFAX UPDATE: Randy Blach, CattleFax CEO, presents a much more positive outlook for the cattle industry during a general session at the Cattle Industry Convention. Blach reports that coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, as economies are recovering, beef prices are near record highs, and consumer and wholesale beef demand are at 33-year highs. While the live cattle market still has a supply of market-ready fed cattle to work through, drought in the Northern states is liquidating herds, and Blach predicts that the backup of feeder placements will work itself out without government intervention at the packer level.</p>

<p>SUSTAINABILITY PANEL: Colin Woodall (left), CEO of NCBA, moderates a sustainability panel that includes David Norton of Sysco, a food wholesaler and distributor; and Kristine Young of Darden Restaurants, which operates full-service dining brands like LongHorn Steakhouse, Olive Garden, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen and more. The panel discussed sustainability initiatives that consumers are demanding along the beef chain, and how NCBA’s newest U.S. cattle industry sustainability goals will help the chain capture more value and opportunities for growth in the future.</p>