“All of the money we have in the beef industry is the sum of the amounts that domestic and international customers and consumers are willing to pay for out products,” Dr. Gary Smith, Colorado State University, pointed out. To increase the amount of money we get for our product, we have to add value that consumers are willing to pay more money for.

Value-Based Marketing refers to naturally occurring genetic variability in the product.

Value-Added Marketing focuses on management practices that can be verified to assure compliance.

Up to $30/cwt price spread on feeder calves occurs every week across the United States, based on health, performance history, and eligibility for premium or export programs. Producers can “climb the staircase to profitability” with management practices, data collection and alliance with established programs.

Currently, more than HALF of the beef sold in the United States is marketed under a branded beef program. That is up almost 10 percent in just four years. There has also been a shift to more retailer-owned brands, which Smith anticipates will be reversed.

True brands offer traceability, a story and quality control. An increased component of many brands’ stories includes animal welfare as groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals continue to cast doubt in consumers’ minds about the treatment of animals. Consumers want to feel someone is overseeing the care of the animals and the environment all the way through the production system. This trend will likely see increased

Attendees of the 2008 Beef Beyond Borders - Beef Improvement Foundation Conference enjoyed a welcome reception this evening sponsored by the Canadian Cattlemen's Association at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Calgary. After hors d'oeuvres and cocktails, Herb McLane and Don MacKenzie of the Canadian Beef Breeds Council and Lora Rose of BIF welcomed the group.

Getting down to business, National Beef Cattle Evaluation Consortium Executive Director John Pollak, PhD, from Cornell University (also named a BEEF magazine "Top 40" most influential person in the industry) opened the presentations with an overview of the current trends in beef cattle improvement. With the rapid pace of DNA evaluation technology development, he said now is the time to begin transitioning toward the next generation of selection tools. Possibilities to consider include:

• "molecular breeding values" based on DNA data
• incorporation of DNA data into EPD calculations
• a centralized database for genetic information
• multi-breed evaluation
• research collaboration
• optimizing exploration

Pollak's take-home message was that as an industry we need to "optimize selection decisions based on the information in hand at the time the decision is made."

AUSTRALIA - This report is a collection of weekly cattle price summaries from each Australian state by the Meat & Livestock Australia.

US - The US Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) July 1 cattle inventory report released on July 23 indicated a continuing decline in the US cattle herd. Most people in the cattle and beef industry were expecting lower numbers, so the report had few surprises. However, many also are wondering when beef cow numbers will start to increase, says Tim Petry, Livestock Marketing Economist with North Dakota University Extension.

NORTHERN IRELAND, UK - A cursory glance at the slaughter figures for July 2010 would suggest that cattle numbers in Northern Ireland (NI) were generally stable in comparison with the equivalent figures for 2009.

US - Norovirus was the most common confirmed cause of foodborne disease outbreaks in 2007, and poultry led the list of food commodities involved (closely followed by beef and vegetables), according to a report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

IRELAND - Speaking at the National Livestock Show in Tullamore, Irish Farmers' Association National Livestock Committee Chairman Michael Doran said to achieve the beef and livestock growth targets of 20% or €300m per annum set out in the 2020 Food Harvest Report, the Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith must take urgent action to halt the decline in the National Suckler Cow herd.

US - The Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS) has released two lists of published studies on the feeding of genetically modified (GM; transgenic) feed ingredients to farmed livestock (poultry, pigs, cattle, fish) on the animals themselves and on their products for human consumption.

UK - The popular UK Market Survey and EU Market Survey produced weekly by EBLEX and BPEX Market Intelligence are being made available free to beef, sheep and pig levy payers for the first time.

UK - Consumer safety and confidence will always be paramount to Welsh farmers but National Farmers' Union (NFU) Cymru believes the time is now right, 14 years since bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) hit the headlines, to re-evaluate the restrictions still constraining beef and lamb producers.

US - The first half of 2010 has been a wild ride in the cattle business, but the trend toward higher quality beef continues, according to Paul Dykstra, beef cattle specialist with the Certified Angus Beef (CAB) brand. He tracks variations in USDA harvest and grading reports in the weekly e-newsletter column, Rearview Mirror on Quality.

US - Seasonal price variation is a given in livestock and meat markets, write Steve Meyer and Len Steiner.

AUSTRALIA - Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) has announced that the Australian beef industry has achieved a 6.5 per cent reduction in emissions per kilogram of beef produced since Kyoto protocol reporting began in 1990.

US - In a decision announced earlier this week, Mexico’s Ministry of the Economy has eliminated anti-dumping duties that have been imposed on imports of US beef for the past ten years. The Ministry's resolution goes into effect as of August 11, 2010 and eliminates the duties effective April 29, 2010.

JAPAN - Hot weather and an uncertain economy has continued to subdue beef consumption in Japan, with June consumption volumes declining five per cent year-on-year to 67,601 tonnes (boneless equivalent).

GLOBAL - Keep up-to-date with Foot-and-Mouth Disease outbreaks across the world.

MEXICO - Mexico has announced an end to countervailing duties on US beef and veal – duties that have been in place since 2000.

JAPAN - The Miyazaki prefectural government said earlier this week that no abnormalities were found in safety checks it conducted on all of the more than 900,000 cows and pigs raised by livestock farmers in the southwestern Japanese prefecture, following the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in April.

CANADA - The governments of Canada and Alberta are providing more than $2 million to the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) to help Albertas beef producers with age-verification and traceability initiatives. This funding will ensure the CCIAs Mobile Field Representatives are available to support producers across the province for the next two years.

CANADA - Some cattle and hog producers facing hard financial times now have extra time to repay cash advances under the Advance Payment Programme (APP).