Steve Hanson, a rancher from Elsie, Neb., was elected chair of the U.S. Meat Export Federation at the organization’s Strategic Planning Conference in Tucson, Ariz., on Nov. 8. Hanson says a priority for him will be the partnerships with the various checkoffs that support the work of USMEF around the globe.
“The checkoffs are one of the ways we invest in ourselves, because if we don’t tell our story, somebody else will, and it probably won’t be in the way we want them to,” Hanson says. “The checkoffs have done great things on research for nutrition. We have become great environmentalists because of it. Our stewardship of our cattle - we learned how to handle our cattle better, and this is because the checkoff dollar invests its money back into the farming community and the ranching community so that we can do a better job.”
Hanson says the strength of USMEF comes from the involvement of all of the diverse sectors of the red meat industry, including livestock producers, grain producers, exporters, packers.
“Everybody performs a part in this and it takes all of us, and we all have to be healthy to have a good economy in the meat business,” he adds. “One thing I like to say is, I’ve never gotten a bad check from a packer. They take a lot of bad raps, but I guarantee you, their money is always good, and they take really good care of our cattle once they get them there. For us to get them there in the right kind of shape and do it with the right genetics, it’s been a learning process, but it’s something we all do, and it takes all sectors.”
He added that it takes all segments producing quality food from the grain the livestock eat, to the livestock themselves, then the processing of those animals and finally to the exporters.
“They play a crucial role in getting our product overseas and in a good shape,” Hanson says.
Hanson succeeds Randy Spronk, a hog producer and grain farmer from Minnesota.
Other officers elected to leadership roles at USMEF include:
Jay Theiler, USMEF chair-elect, is executive vice president of corporate affairs for Agri Beef Co., a diversified business with operations in every step of the beef supply chain including ranching, cattle feeding, cattle nutrition and beef processing. He is a past director of the Idaho Beef Council and has served on the Beef Industry Long Range Plan Task Force.
Dave Bruntz, USMEF’s secretary-treasurer is president of Bruntz Farming & Feeding in southeastern Nebraska, where he raises irrigated corn and soybeans and feeds cattle. Dave served on Nebraska Corn Board for nine years, with three of those years as chairman. He is also a past president of Nebraska Cattlemen and served as the regional vice president of NCBA.
The newest USMEF officer is Secretary-Treasurer Darin Parker, director of Salt Lake City-based exporter/distributor PMI Foods.
