Category Archives: Food

Uniting Partners With One Voice

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ncba-logoPartnerships are what the Animal Agriculture Alliance is based on. These partnerships unite the agriculture community, creating one voice. Instead of ‘preaching to the choir,’ attendees at the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit, heard from outside voices and some challenges were presented that made us all think about how we can join together and address them.

I spoke with Chase Adams, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, about their involvement with the Animal Ag Alliance and how they plan to share the message presented at the summit with their producers from across the country.

“National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has been a longtime supporter of the Animal Ag Alliance. We’ve got a member on the board and we believe, as all the groups do, it’s so important that agriculture puts a unified face against those that really want us put out of business and thats animal rights folks. Animal Ag Alliance allows groups like NCBA to join with other groups like pork and even a lot of grain and agribusiness partners around the industry and put that unified voice together and respond to so many of the things we get attacked on.”

Listen to or download my interview with Chase here: Interview with Chase Adams

Check out photos from the event: 2013 Animal Ag Alliance Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

Coverage of the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit is sponsored by National Pork Producers Council and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

A Personal Story of Lessons Learned

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aaa-13-158-editedThe past can’t be changed, but we can learn from it. That’s what economist, public speaker, farm girl, wife and mom, Janet Hufnagel Thompson, stressed with her message to attendees at the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit. The event focused on how we can protect our animals, our farms, the food we eat and the confidence of consumers.

Janet shared her families fight against environmental groups to save their family farm. Unfortunately, her story doesn’t have a happy ending, but her hope is to educate others by sharing the lessons they learned the hard way. Talking publicly is something she thinks would have changed the outcome of their situation. She stated that if at least have of the people who supported them privately, spoke out publicly then they could have saved the business. But the take home message she wants all to remember is the sanctity of private property.

“The most important thing is the sanctity of private property. Private property owners need to decide what happens on their property and with their business. I think this idea that we need to regulate more to keep the bad actors from being bad doesn’t stop the bad actors. It make it hard for good people to do business. So I think we have to go back to the fundamentals that this country was founded upon, the protection of life, liberty and property. And until we do that, until we go back to treasuring private property and what it truly means, I think we are going to continue to see an erosion and deterioration of circumstances for producers and thats producers of all kinds, not just farmers and ranchers.”

Listen to or download my interview with Janet here: Interview with Janet Thompson

Listen to or download audio from Janet’s complete presentation here: Janet Thompson - Presentation

Check out photos from the event: 2013 Animal Ag Alliance Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

Coverage of the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit is sponsored by National Pork Producers Council and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Cornbread Goodness

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Martha White Cornbread Contest WinnerMmm. Cornbread. How many ways can you make it or add it to a recipe? This lady obviously knows what she’s doing and it paid off.

Lorie R. of Buckatunna, Miss., was presented with the cast iron skillet crown as the grand prize winner of the 2013 Martha White ®/Lodge® Cast Iron National Cornbread Cook-Off for her original main dish recipe, Roasted Poblano Chicken Posole with Floating Corn Cake Islands . Her winning recipe earned her $5,000 cash and a 30-inch stainless steel gas range (a $3,250 value) from FiveStar® Professional Cooking Equipment, a division of Brown Stove Works, Incorporated.

Lorie’s grand prize winning dish features the addition of roasted poblano peppers, providing a distinctive twist to this hearty traditional Mexican soup. Crisp corn cakes, made from a batter of Martha White Buttermilk Cornbread Mix and whole kernel corn and cheese, float on top of each bowl of soup, creating a delicious combination of flavor and texture.

” Martha White and the National Cornbread Festival® are committed to preserving the celebration of Southern food,” said Linda Carman, Martha White baking expert. “We are so proud of all the winning recipes which help create special family moments any day of the week.”

The National Cornbread Cook-Off was held in conjunction with the National Cornbread Festival® in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. Ten finalists recreated their original, main dish cornbread recipes made with Martha White Cornbread Mix in Lodge® Cast Iron cookware for the chance to win cash prizes. A panel of experts, including food writers and television personalities, took on the difficult task of selecting three winners after tasting all of the dishes.

The Glass Walls Project

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aaa-13-044_edited-2Speaker after speaker during the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit reminded us that transparency is no longer an option for the livestock industry. To prove that the agriculture community has nothing to hide, groups have opened their doors to share how your food is made.

Senior Vice President for Public Affairs & Professional Development at the American Meat Institute, Janet Riley, was one of those speakers who shared how her organization is bridging the divide between producer and consumer. I got the opportunity to talk with her and she gave more insight into AMI’s Glass Wall Project.

“For far too long the animal rights activists have said if slaughter houses had glass walls everyone would be a vegetarian and I didn’t believe it. Then Cargill really gets a lot of credit for the inspiration when they allowed the Oprah show into their plant. It went so well. It was just a very honest dialogue, they didn’t shy away from anything. So I started talking to Temple Grandin and I said will you be willing to host some videos and just explain in your own works how we slaughter livestock. She was delighted to show people what we do and how she has influenced what we do. She picked two plants that were representative of the beef and pork industries. Both agreed to open their doors to us. Then we decided that we would produce these videos in Temple’s own words. We wanted authentic transparency and so we just allowed Temple to explain in the best way she could how we process livestock into meat at each step of the way. It was a really interesting experience. Every now and then I would say consumers might not understand why we do this, could you explain it? And then she would.”

The beef and pork processing plant videos can be viewed at AnimalHandling.org, along with more information on meat processing. AMI is looking into producing a turkey processing video next. These videos are a great educational tool and open doors for progressive dialogue.

Listen to or download my interview with Janet here: Interview with Janet Riley

Listen to or download audio from Janet’s complete presentation here: Janet Riley - American Meat Institute

Check out photos from the event: 2013 Animal Ag Alliance Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

Coverage of the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit is sponsored by National Pork Producers Council and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Communicating Throughout the Food Chain

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aaa-13-095_edited-2The Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit brought together people from across the agriculture community to discuss issues our industry is facing. Communicating with our consumers seems to be one of the most important things we need to focus on.

Dallas Hockman, Vice President of Industry Relations for the National Pork Producers Council, spoke to attendees about the value of communications throughout the food chain. He shared how the NPPC is reaching influencers and the value of choice. Choice not only for the consumer, but for the producer as well. Another thing he stressed was the importance of creating door-opening content.

“It’s not surprise to your listeners out there, especially pork producers, that our industry is under significant challenges. Being attacked and stereotyped as a factory farm, that we don’t really care, we over use of antibiotics, or whatever it may be. So, we have embarked on an effort to reach out to our retail and food service channel partners. Talking to them about the great job the industry is doing. We have gone through a complete analysis of the risks that our industry is facing as it relates to upcoming issues, whether that be on pain management, use of antibiotics or whatever they may be & having these meetings with our customers and talking to them about all the resources we have available. More importantly providing them a good resource in the event they have questions on these issues in the future.”

Listen to or download my interview with Dallas here: Interview with Dallas Hockman

Listen to or download audio of Dallas’ complete presentation here: NPPC - Dallas Hockman

Check out photos from the event: 2013 Animal Ag Alliance Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

Coverage of the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit is sponsored by National Pork Producers Council and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Recap From Animal Ag Alliance Stakeholders Summit

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aaa-13-003_edited-2The 12th Annual Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit is a wrap. Each year staff and board members try to bring topics that are hot to the table for experts to share their insights into what the agriculture industry is facing. This year the theme was focused on animal activists and ways we can protect our animals, farms and food but not forget the importance of consumer confidence.

I caught Kay Johnson-Smith, President & CEO for the Animal Agriculture Alliance just after the last guest speaker finished up. She was glad to have another successful event in the books and excited to see how the information given to attendees will be put into action in the future.

Listen to or download my interview with Kay here: Interview with Kay Johnson-Smith

The Alliance also recently elected elected Paul Pressley, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, chairman of its board of directors. USPOULTRY has been an active member of the Alliance for 24 years, and Pressley will serve a two-year term as chairman. The Alliance’s board of directors consists of representatives from all major sectors of animal agriculture.

“I look forward to working with Kay and the Alliance staff. The Alliance has been a strong voice for all of animal agriculture for over 25 years. Now, more than ever, the ability to unite the industry across species lines is critical to responding to animal welfare issues,” remarked Pressley.

Check out photos from the event: 2013 Animal Ag Alliance Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

Coverage of the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit is sponsored by National Pork Producers Council and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Animal Ag Alliance Stakeholders Summit Kicks Off

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aaa-13-062-editedThis morning kicked off the 12th Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit here in Washington, D.C. or more specifically Arlington, Virginia. This year’s topic of discussion was on “Activist at the Door: Protecting Animals, Farms, Food & Consumer Confidence.” The Animal Ag Alliance is focused on connecting, educating & protecting and that is exactly what this conference is all about.

Today we have heard from all aspects of the agriculture community as well as a few outsiders who gave us a perspective we needed to hear. Tomorrow’s panel will continue with the same dialogue focused on animal welfare within the agriculture industry.

If you were unable to attend the event you can follow the #AAA13 on Twitter or view the live coverage here, provided by Alltech.

Soon I will have audio interviews uploaded and ready to listen to, but until then here are some photos from the event. 2013 Animal Ag Alliance Stakeholders Summit Photo Album

Coverage of the Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit is sponsored by National Pork Producers Council and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

We All Care About the Drought

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HuffPost LiveThis evening I was proud to be the skeptic in an episode of HuffPost Live titled, “Who Cares About Drought?”

A drought of historic proportions continues to grip much of the U.S. We discuss the impact of drought and how innovative water supply solutions can create jobs and stimulate the economy.

I actually don’t think I was really a skeptic, at least when it comes to the fact that we had a major widespread drought in 2012 and that there are all kinds of innovative solutions being worked on to better manage our water supply. What I am skeptical about are the hysterical emotion-driven claims that were made last fall about exorbitant food prices and that climate change was the reason we had last year’s drought. I believe this is the link to the archive of the program if you’d like to watch.

I mentioned that innovative companies like Monsanto and Dupont Pioneer are developing new technologies like drought resistant crops to address this situation where it exists. That hit a nerve with a couple of my fellow panelists. Ideas they presented included water harvesting and local food movements which I see nothing wrong with and would encourage. Several tweets were displayed that included one about desalinization plants. That struck a personal nerve with me since my father-in-law designed those plants all over the world!

In the end the episode skeptic was not moved from what he believes in. But as I said earlier, I think we had more we agreed on than not.

Raising Chickens, A Family Business

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13cms-39-editedBrooks Edmundson is a row crop farmer from North Eastern North Carolina and to help supplement his family farming operation he started raising broilers for Sanderson Farms. Brooks is setting the farm up in hopes that one day his boys will come back to the family farm to raise their own families.

His farm was one stop on the tour during the Chicken Media Summit held in the New Bern, NC area. Bio security is an extremely important aspect in keeping the birds healthy and our food supply safe. Before stepping into the barns we all suited up from head to toe. Wild birds and people are the largest cause of diseases in flocks. I chatted with Brooks after we got an up close and personal view of the life of a chicken farmer and he shared some more incite into his daily responsibilities caring for the birds and how he utilizes the use of technology to meet his goal of having a consistant 6 1/2 pound bird.

“We get these birds at several hours old and they are very cute and fuzzy. We keep them for 49 days. It’s a constant process of checking on, but everything is automated. It’s a great process for us. We’ve enjoyed it.”

“The system we use is hooked to the internet. I can sit hear and observe my whole farm from either my cell phone or when I’m on my tractor or combine I have my Ipad. I know everything that’s going on at all times.”

Listen to my interview with Brooks here: Brooks Edmundson

Check out photos from the event here: 2013 Chicken Media Summit Photo Album

How Modernization Protects Flocks

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13cms-90 Society today wouldn’t be where it is if it wasn’t for modern medicine. The same thing applies for poultry production. The modernization of the poultry industry keeps the birds safe and ensures a safe food supply.

I talked with Dr. John Glisson, Director of Research Programs for US Poultry & Egg Association after he served on one of the panels discussing chicken issues in the news during the recent Chicken Media Summit. As a veterinarian, he discussed issues poultry companies face each day to ensure a nutritious, wholesome and safe product. Bio security and the use of antibiotics were a few of the hot topics brought up.

“Something that’s currently in the news right now is Avian Influenza in China and it’s potential to infect people. We use bio security to keep that virus out of our system. Most of the time that virus is spread by wild birds or by people. We don’t allow any wild birds or people onto the farms. So, here in the United States we have managed to radicate that type of virus from the whole system. We also have a program constantly monitoring every single broiler flock that goes to market in the United States and testing it to make sure it is free from Avian Influenza. So, not only have we removed the virus, we have a very intensive early warning system if it ever comes in.”

“The perspective is that we are raising 8 billion chickens a year in the United States. Some of them get sick. We try everything possible not to allow them to get sick and we have incredible disease prevention programs. Because the last thing we ever want to happen is for a flock to get sick. But occasionally it happens. What are we going to do then? Let me die? No, we can’t. We have to treat them, but when we use the antibiotics we use it very responsibly. Each antibiotic has a FDA required withdrawal period. It may say on there “can’t be used in birds within 10 days of slaughter.” And what that has established to do is make sure if we use antibiotics on birds and withdrawal the antibiotic the correct length of time, there will be none in the meat. And so, we use them sparingly and very safely.”

Listen to my interview with John here: John Glisson

Check out photos from the event here: 2013 Chicken Media Summit Photo Album

Chicken Issues in the News

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13cms-86-editedThe US Poultry & Egg Association served as another sponsor of the Chicken Media Summit, held in north eastern North Carolina last week. Members of the media were welcomed with warm, sunny skies as members of the poultry industry took us under their wings to share a little of their passion for the chicken community.

After a wonderful meal at Persimmons Waterfront Restaurant in New Bern, NC, I sat down with John Starkey. John is president for USPOULTRY and served as moderator for the second panel on Issues in the News. During that panel experts discussed poultry welfare, modernization of plants, labeling and the role vets play in modern poultry production. I asked John to address some of these issues.

“I think that is probably one of the reasons transparency has become important to us. We’ve let the animal rights activists define us in a way that isn’t very favorable. The truth is a lot different and we want to be able to show that. I guess that’s reactionary, but on the other hand it’s trying to get out ahead of it, so the next time you or another member of the media hears a report or story you have something to balance that perspective with.”

“Well really what we are doing is trying to catch up with the rest of the world. We are out there in the marketplace trying to compete with Europe and Brazil. They run their operations at a much higher line speed than we do. If we are going to compete, if we are going to continue to export and contribute to a positive trade balance in ag, which is one of the few sectors that has a positive trade balance, then we need to be competitive. These higher speed systems have been demonstrated safe by both consumer and employee in Europe and in Latin American countries. We don’t see a reason why we can’t move forward with them. Understanding we have responsibility to food and employee safety, but again the data clearly shows those can be maintained at these higher speeds.”

Listen to my interview with John here: John Starkey

Check out photos from the event here: 2013 Chicken Media Summit Photo Album

What Consumers Want

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13cms-60The National Chicken Council was one of the sponsors for the recent Chicken Media Summit held in New Bern, North Carolina. The event opened the doors for media to tour the complete life of a broiler and ask questions from experts from the poultry community.

I sat down with Senior Vice President of the National Chicken Council, Bill Roenigk, after he moderated a panel with chicken company executives. He shared why this event was so important to not only chicken, but to the food industry as a whole.

“We think this event is important because we are hearing from consumers and people who follow the industry that you need to be more open and more transparent. You need to show people where their food comes from. It’s a criticism, but not a criticism just in chicken. It’s the entire food industry. We need to understand better where are food is and what is in our food. So, it finally registered with us that we need to find an opportunity to be more transparent, more open. And Sanderson Farms was very gracious and agreed to do that. They have a wonderful facility and I not only enjoyed seeing the people going through the tour, but also the questions they asked. We sit in our offices and think we know what people know, but we discovered that there really is a lot more people would like to know.”

Bill also hit on issues concerning sustainability, what our global market is demanding and the world’s outlook for the future of the poultry industry.

Listen to my interview with Bill here: Bill Roenigk

Check out photos from the event here: 2013 Chicken Media Summit Photo Album

Where Food Comes From Adds Website Sections

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Where Food Comes FromYou have to admit that WhereFoodComesFrom.com is a great url. Don’t you? It’s the answer to the question a lot of people ask these days. This is done by IMI Global which is “America’s leading provider of third-party identification, verification and traceability solutions for the livestock and agricultural industries. The Company supports more than 6,000 ranchers, feed yards, meatpackers, food retailers and restaurants with a wide range of solutions – including its USDA Process Verified (PVP) programs – which annually verifies marketing claims for approximately one half of all U.S. beef exports.”

The Company’s Where Food Comes From® retail and restaurant labeling program connects consumers directly to the source of the food they purchase by requiring all product carrying the label to be sourced from third-party verified suppliers. With the use of QR code technology, consumers can instantly access information about the producers behind their food. We know every meal has a story, and Where Food Comes From® allows consumers to discover it.

Where Food Comes From has added two new sections to their website, Food to Know and Food 2 Grow. Consumers, educators and students who are seeking a trusted resource for all types of food information can find it here. There are over 400 categories of information, including unique data on world food production statistics not available anywhere else. They also have a Today In section where I learned that today is National Cordon Bleu Day.

CHB Names 2012 Distinguished Chef

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ChefRobbiJenkins[3]Certified Hereford Beef (CHB) announces the title of 2012 CHB Distinguished Chef and this year’s recipient is truly dedicated to the brand. Robbi Jenkins, executive chef of Three Fires Steakhouse, Prairie Band Casino & Resort, Mayetta, KS. has many years in the culinary industry and very deserving of the award.

Originally from Mississippi, Robbi, received her degree in English and pursued other career endeavors, although cooking ran in the family and was always close to heart. Later in life she finally took on her calling and entered the two-year program at Washburne Culinary Institute & French Pastry School in Chicago.

She began her culinary career a the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Chicago and later moved to Lawrence, KS. to be closer to family. She worked in multiple establishments in the Kansas City area before taking the head chef position with Prairie Band Casino & Resort.

“When they brought in the CHB steaks and grilled them up, they were fantastic,” Jenkins says. “The flavor, marbling and tenderness were wonderful. Having been a chef for many years, I have had the opportunity of working with many brands of beef products, and I now know Certified Hereford Beef is the beef product I can hang my reputation on. It has proven to be the most tender and consistent product each and every time.”

“My colleagues have started calling me the Hereford queen,” she says. “And I’m very proud of it, and of our restaurant. I’ve been a cheerleader for the CHB product, and I’m sure it will bring great recognition for the brand, as well as for our restaurant.”

The CHB product is used in Three Fires Steakhouse menu many times including the steakhouse burger, filet, prime rib, strip steak, ribeye and T-bone entrees. Servers are educated on the product and avidly promote it as CHB.

Fenton Barnard, Kansas City Protein LLC procurement manager, nominated Robbi for the award with numerous letters of recommendation, her acclaimed resume and the Three Fires Steakhouse menu.

Got Meat Processing Sense

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Aggie Meat ClassHere’s a class I would love to attend. It’s the Aggie Processed Meat School Program. This program is not just for people who do meat processing but also those involved in quality control, business management, public relations and marketing. Here what you will learn if you attend.


By attending the Aggie Processed Meat School you will discover both the science and the art of making processed meat products. The first day will focus what you should consider when choosing the meat products and other ingredients to include in the processed meat item. That afternoon the participants will learn the art of making sausage. Then the next day experts will demonstration the production of whole-muscle processed meat items. Finally, participants will learn about ways to evaluate the finished product for quality and safety. Participants will be lead through a product evaluation much in the same way that is done in several of the product show competitions around the country.

Click here to register then type in Meat in the keyword search. The deadline to register is April 19th and enrollment will be capped at 60 people.

Unconfusing the Confused Consumer

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Michael UetzRecent information shows that the meat industry in this country has a lot of work to do with the American consumer. At the recent 2013 Annual Meat Conference in Nashville Michael Uetz with Midan Marketing, spoke during one of the sessions titled, “Demystifying the Meat Case for Today’s Confused Consumer.”

“We were shocked when we went in and talked with consumers one-on-one about what some of the challenges were. Bottom line: they were thoroughly confused with our product,” Michael said. He added that the consumers didn’t know the names, and the nomenclatures the meat industry has used for years was confusing to them. They just weren’t cutting it when it came to doing a good job communicating with their customer base. But he thinks they are now on the road to doing better.

“This new platform we have developed based on our research is one of getting rid of this confusion by tightening up our names, getting rid of industry jargon, coming up with something more memorable, and giving them more information on how to prepare and use.”

Michael credited the Pork and Beef Checkoffs for helping fund this research. He said they’ll still have to work through some of the regulatory agencies, such as USDA, to implement these changes, but he thinks it will help. “We hope it makes a big difference.”

Listen to my interview with Michael here: Interview with Michael Uetz

2013 Annual Meat Conference Photo Album

King Richard Talks Smithfield at Meat Conference

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Richard PettyOne of the greatest race car drivers of all time, “King” Richard Petty was at the 2013 Annual Meat Conference in Nashville, talking up one of the sponsors of his NASCAR team, Smithfield Foods.

“This is first time I’ve ever been to a show like this, but it looks pretty interesting,” he said during an interview, jokingly adding that he carries around a little sign that says: Will work for food … and “that’s what we’re doing here.”

Richard was set up in the Smithfield exhibit at the Product Tasting Reception, and he agreed that it’s great to be involved with a major supplier of meat and protein in this country, Smithfield.

“Everybody’s got to eat, and everybody’s got to have protein, so hope they get it from Smithfield.”

Listen to my interview with Richard here: Interview with Richard Petty

2013 Annual Meat Conference Photo Album

Fact vs. Fiction in Food Crisis Management

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Sue Borra and Eric MittenthalCrisis management. We hear a lot about it and any company wants to be ready to handle one if it should happen. How do you deal with fact vs. fiction, especially in the food industry? At today’s Annual Meat Conference we heard from Sue Borra, Senior Vice President of Communications, Food Marketing Institute and Eric Mittenthal, Vice President, Public Affairs, American Meat Institute, on this topic.

When it comes to food retail Sue says food safety is the number one concern. They place extremely high value on what their customers think. So if a crisis breaks out they want to be able to communicate rapidly, effectively and with as much information as possible. Both Sue and Eric emphasized the importance of planning ahead and being ready to be proactive. Their organizations are constantly looking ahead and prepare information that is readily available to their members.

I brought up social media since we’ve seen both fact and fiction explode overnight on some issues, including in the food world. Sue says that most retailers are now active in social media and they monitor what is being said about their companies. It’s about trust and transparency! Very important words.

Listen in to my conversation with Sue and Eric to learn more about their thoughts on this subject here: Interview with Sue Borra & Eric Mittenthal

2013 Annual Meat Conference Photo Album

Making Safe, Affordable, Abundant Food a Reality

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Jeff Simmons Annual Meat ConferenceThe Annual Meat Conference is very much about education and that includes getting the big picture when it comes to the industry not only here in the United States but also around the world. We got that perspective from Jeff Simmons, President, Elanco, who spoke on “Making Safe, Affordable and Abundant Food a Global Reality.”

You can listen to or download Jeff’s full speech here: Jeff Simmons Keynote Speech

Jeff started off by telling us some personal stories about his participation in a leadership event that changed his way of looking at the issue of food and world hunger. He also shared anecdotes from travels to countries that are facing serious food shortages even as their population grows. As a result of this he concludes that the next few years in the meat industry are as much about our heart as our mind. He says, “I think it’s coming to a point in time where our voice has to be as clear as a line and convincing as we’ve ever had before.” He believes the industry has a great story to tell and “. . . we’ve had a tendency to not tell that story . . .”

There are three key things he sees that will be very important to the meat industry. These are Middle Class – fastest middle class growth in history of man . . .; Global Volatility – significant shift in demands, margins and costs . . . and Brands – increasing “brand” orientation with the global consumer.

Innovation is also vital to creating new technology that will help improve and increase food production. He noted how some countries like the UK have stifled innovation by excessive regulations and now find themselves having trouble feeding themselves. Besides innovation, Choice is also key by allowing consumers choices when it comes to food and finally, Globalization is necessary meaning that we need good trade systems to move food to where it is needed.

I sat down with Jeff after his presentation to discuss some of these ideas and more. You can listen to my interview with Jeff here: Interview with Jeff Simmons

2013 Annual Meat Conference Photo Album

Meat & Greet at Annual Meat Conference

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Annual Meat ConferenceThe tastiest part of this opening day of the 2013 Annual Meat Conference has been the Meat & Greet Welcome Reception. Thanks to Tyson and Certified Angus Beef for sponsoring this. Pictured is a New York Strip Roast being sliced up. Yes, it is excellent.

Here are some other items that you could find:

Roasted Certified Angus Beef® brand Prime strip, rib and tenderloin

Innovative Appetizers featuring Tyson products: Tyson® Fresh Chicken, Chairman’s Reserve® Pork Tenderloin, and Wright® Brand Bacon.

That was just to whet our appetite though. I’m looking forward to tomorrow afternoon’s Product Tasting Reception that will be featuring over 35 meat stations!

2013 Annual Meat Conference Photo Album