CALF_News_June_July_2021

13 CALF News • June | July 2021 • www.calfnews.net By Larry Stalcup Contributing Editor T he practice of one beef industry segment trying to get the best of another has never been healthy. Everyone wants a profit, but taking advantage of another person’s pitfalls usually fabricates into someone getting the toughest cut of the carcass. Beef Marketing Group (BMG) operates from a blueprint that is geared to reward value creation. BMG is a producer cooperative that has profit in mind. It relies on producing and feeding cattle that ultimately meet consumers’ demand for quality beef. BMG serves as the “hub of a wheel, while the spokes are ranchers, feedyards, pack- ers, retailers and consumers,” says John Butler, CEO of BMG, headquartered in Manhattan, Kan.“It’s our form of virtual integration in the beef industry.” In the BMG system, cattle are fed in 16 feedyards, with 12 in Kansas and four in Nebraska. Together they have a 320,000-head one-time feeding capacity. Finished cattle are processed through one packer, Tyson Fresh Meats at pro- cessing facilities in Holcomb, Kan., and Lexington and Dakota City, Neb. All of the BMG yards are Progres- sive Beef™ certified. Progressive Beef is a quality management system focused on best management practices at the feed- yard level. Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) was a foundation for starting Progressive Beef, but today the system goes beyond the scope of BQA standards. Butler says Progressive Beef has more than 40 stan- dard operating procedures, with require- ments related to antibiotic-use reporting, compliance to environmental regulations, sustainability and more. There is also priority put on internal audit support and annual training. The Progressive Beef commitment is significant. BMG member feedyards are audited twice annually. One is an internal audit conducted in cooperation with a member of the Progressive Beef team. A third-party U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved auditor conducts the second audit to verify compliance to ensure that animals receive the high- quality care that produces safe and healthy beef. Yards receive an audit score with metrics to help manage their cus- tomized, continuous improvement plan. To add credibility, Progressive Beef has developed an independent advisory board responsible for the standard. Temple Grandin, Ph.D., of Colorado State University, whose cattle-handling methods revolutionized the industry, was one of the original members of the board. Frank Mitloehner, Ph.D., Univer- sity of California-Davis sustainable live- stock specialist, is on the advisory board also. Other board members include veterinarians, cattle nutritionists, and animal welfare and sustainable livestock experts who help set the standards to maintain a high level of animal care. Aligned Partnerships A partnership with Performance Food Group (PFG) has created additional value for BMG. BMG has specifically aligned with PFG on the Braveheart Black Angus Beef brand – a branded beef program that ultimately provides high-quality cattle with a verified story addressing the needs of the Braveheart customer. About 2,000 cattle are harvested for the Braveheart program each week. “Our overall focus in this aligned partnership is on producing a consistent supply of cattle and a product that con- sumers will demand,” Butler says.“Grow- ing demand is not a challenge that should be taken lightly.We’re continuously trying to better understand the consumer, to know what they’re looking for.” PFG researched what its customers and consumers wanted. They found Beef Marketing Group Advancing All Stakeholders – From Producers to Feedyards to Consumers RIGHT: Pretty in pink – different colored ear tags help ID heifers that fit the grid. BELOW: John Butler, Beef Marketing Group CEO, says BMG links the producer to the consumer by serving as a hub of a wheel. Courtesy Beef Marketing Group Continued on page 16 