CALF_News_October_November_2019

39 CALF News • October | November 2019 • www.calfnews.net here and abroad, said Jennifer Houston, NCBA president from Sweetwater, Tenn. “Our No. 1 priority is the ratifica- tion of U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agree- ment (USMCA) on trade,” she said, in an interview with CALF News .“It’s a long process of educating freshman congressmen and women in the House of Representatives. A lot of them have no background of NAFTA and how it impacted the beef industry. We’re talking to people on both sides of the aisle, but especially the Democrats. “We have to get this thing done. About $320 from every fed-animal sale is due to exports, but about $70 is due to trade with Mexico and Canada.” Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State Univer- sity Extension economist, added that if and when the U.S. gets a new trade deal with China, American beef could expand its products even further. He said China’s disastrous bout with African Swine Flu – which has ruined 17 percent of China’s pork production – could lead to better foreign markets for U.S. beef. “There will be a bigger market for protein on a global scale,” Peel said, noting that “the market is disappointed that this hasn’t kicked-in more.” Houston said the Beef Checkoff con- tinues to pay dividends to beef produc- ers.“We’re excited about ‘Chuck Knows Beef,’ which is an artificial intelligence program with the focus on consumers,” she said. “Chuck” is downloadable to Alexa and other “smart-speakers,” as are other consumer-minded programs that are part of the Beef, It’s What’s For Dinner theme.“Chuck has information on everything from how to cook a tri-tip to information on antimicrobial use in the industry,” Houston said.“With every question and answer, Chuck learns and gets better.” She added that further beef promo- tion activities include cooking tips on the FOX network program Masterchef and continued appearances by Lance Pekus, the Cowboy Ninja, on NBC’s American Ninja Warrior series. Houston’s central theme is,“there’s more that unites us than divides us. We’re such a small percentage of the population. We have to work together on what unites us. When you’re at home doing all your work, the NCBA staff is working for you every day.” Heather Buckmaster, executive director of the Oklahoma Beef Council (OBC), gave highlights of OBC’s 2019 activities that helped spread the value of Beef Checkoff dollars. She said OBC worked with some 1,000 Oklahoma FFA students in the Masters of Beef Advocacy program. Part of the cam- paign included promotion by Steven Adams, center for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. Adams, from New Zealand, loves beef and promoted beef Continued on page 41  Danielle Beck, NCBA senior director of governmental affairs, says watch for lab- grown “meat breweries” as the fake meat movement grows.    ANCW President Wanda Pinnow of Montana encouraged Oklahoma cattlewomen to lead the way in telling their ranches’ stories. InnovatIve Cattle FeedIng SolutIonS SInCe 1983 Control options Wireless • corded Pendant cable controls Manufactured in Sabetha, Kan. since 1983. H ydra B ed all products backed by on all neW Hydra bed lift arms lifetime Warranty 5 Year structural Warranty 2 Year comPonent Warranty www.hydrabeds.com 800.530.5624