CE 1998 SIN
March 2007
A view from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association convention Brian Sterling, MCPA District 1 Director
The 2007 Cattle Industry Annual Convention and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Trade Show were held in Nashville, Tennessee from January 31 to February 3. Represented were the NCBA, the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, American National CattleWomen, CattleFax, the National Cattlemen’s Foundation, and the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. Over six thousand people were registered for the recordbreaking attendance at this beef industry event. Billed as the industry’s biggest and best, the trade show with over 250 exhibitors covered acres of the convention space. The mood was upbeat with Cattle-Fax reporting that this year was the most profitable after four solid years of record profits in the American cattle industry. “Git-‘er Done” was the theme of the event where NCBA policy is established with representation from all state and local levels and speakers from all facets of the cattle industry. One industry goal conveyed was to increase US beef exports by 10% within three years and to do this, there seems to be a realization that a national ID program will be essential. What they are in fact proposing would be even more regulated than the Canadian standards. The US government appears to be wiling to commit the funds needed to increase beef exports. The reasoning of the US beef industry is that they can greatly increase beef consumption in Japan where declining fish stocks will affect the normal diet. In countries such as Mexico and Japan, the US already as the market share of beef export but they are working to increase the beef consumption in these countries. In the past four years, the US has moved to third place in world beef exports and Canada has fallen from third to ninth place. The American government seems to be very willing to be involved in the beef industry. Tennessee is similar to Manitoba in that our cow herd numbers are comparable and they face many of the same issues confronting Canadian cattlemen such as environment regulations, export problems related to BSE, and national ID and the traceability debate. Generating much discussion was the lack of success in gaining full access to the Japanese and South Korean markets – not unlike Canadian concerns about the lack of success in gaining full access to the American market. Repeatedly addressed were concerns that Japan and Korea must use science-based information to allow American beef imports. At the same time, little emphasis was given to the fact that Canadian beef is restricted from entering the US.