Managing for Profit

Beef Demand not easy to define

On this episode of Driving Demand, Bill McClaren, Chairman of the Consumer Trust Committee for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Board, says defining the demand for beef is not as easy as it sounds. He tells Brownfield that demand does not necessarily mean how many pounds of beef an individual consumer uses.

McClaren says hot carcass weights of beef have nearly doubled since the 1960’s. Missouri cattlemen are producing a lot of quality beef that the consumer wants. When the Beef Check-off began back in 1985, McClaren says that wasn’t necessarily the case for the beef industry. Today, McClaren said, every piece of beef produced gets used.

“Worldwide, nationwide, there’s not a huge deep freeze full of beef anyplace. It always gets used.”

Resting on laurels is not an option where beef demand is concerned. McClaren says it is crucial to invest check-off dollars in promoting beef to consumers “where they are.”

McClaren raises cattle near Pacific, Missouri, 30 miles west of downtown St. Louis. He sells beef to consumers and restaurants in the St. Louis metro area and has a herd of seedstock cows.