During the CBB Update Session at the Cattle Industry Convention Tom Ramey, CEO, gave his management report. He started out by saying that as a new year begins with new members coming onto the board, he can’t imagine any that will work any harder than those he’s had the honor to serve this past year. Tom says that some CEO’s are drivers of change in their organization and forces to be reckoned with. He, however, sees himself as a servant leader, serving all beef producers across the country. He believes he’s put together a professional staff that he’s extremely proud of and thinks producers should be too.
Tom details a number of major projects that have been worked on in the past year and says that the Office of Inspector General has selected the Beef Checkoff for an audit this year. To date though the staff have not received any requests for information or a time frame on when auditors would begin their work.
Tom says that in the last six months he thinks “the biggest challenge we have faced is our own anxiety, of our future, of change, of the unknown.” He says the industry is under siege on many fronts and the future is unclear and this is frightening. But he says that by embracing change and looking to the future confidently while trusting each other and working for the good of the whole amazing things happen.
You can listen to Tom’s report here: CBB Management Report
You can find a lot more reports on Beef Board activities at MyBeefCheckoffMeeting.com, the Cattlemen’s Beef Board Blog!
Members of the new team of National Beef Ambassadors showed up at the Cattle Industry Convention. Pictured are (l-r) Kelli Fulkerson, Michigan, Jessica Sweet, California, Kristen Stufft, Pennsylvania and Austin Joyce, Texas. Not with us is Maddy Ruble, South Dakota. I interviewed them all together.
Government activities that affect cattle producers and cattle health were among the topics discussed at the 
Karl Rove helped the 
The proposed GIPSA regulations and the impact of the recent Eastern Livestock bankruptcy case were the top issues on the agenda for the 
“I would tell any cattle producer today, there’s nothing wrong with writing contracts, they’re not hard,” she told me. However, she acknowledges that goes against the grain of the people in this business. “The handshake is the hallmark of the cattle industry,” she said. “For the vast majority of them, they’re honest and hardworking and their word is their honor.”
It was a full house for the 
A major contributing factor to increasing demand comes from outside the borders of the United States. Stuart said business in the international marketplace is growing quickly as improvements to infrastructure and logistics are made. Beef exports are witnessing substantial growth with 75 percent of all U.S. beef exports going to Mexico, Canada, South Korea, Japan and Vietnam.
Members of the 
The 20th annual national