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Under siege on several fronts, the cattle industry should embrace innovation, listen to consumers and eliminate internal squabbling to stay strong, panelists at a San Antonio conference said Thursday.
The 2010 Cattle Industry Convention, put on by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the American National CattleWomen and three other industry groups, drew close to 6,000 people to San Antonio.
Thursday's general session looked at the industry's future as defined by ranchers and business leaders. Panelists included Paul Bennett, a seed-stock producer from Virginia; Wesley Batista, president and CEO of beef producing giant JBS; and Molly McAdams, an H-E-B vice president in charge of health and wellness initiatives.
With beef demand in decline due to the global recession and regulatory concerns, panelists urged operators to embrace technology that improves efficiency and the consistent quality of the product.
Batista said expanded access to export markets is key to rebuilding beef demand, while McAdams said understanding demographic shifts and the needs of emerging ethnic communities are important.
Several speakers said those in the industry need to become more unified to effectively address difficult challenges posed by the economy, animal rights activists and politicians.
“We are in this together,” said Dave DeLaney, with the King Ranch in Kingsville. “Profitability of every sector is required for us to survive into the future.”
Batista, whose company's explosive growth has raised concerns about its market power, said it was developing a cow-calf producer's council to explore concerns ranchers have with JBS.
“If we get together, we can work on a lot of these opportunities to improve our business,” he said.
