CALF_News_October_November_2020

30 CALF News • October | November 2020 • www.calfnews.net TSCRA CONVENTION Continued from page 29 CattleFax update, CEO Randy Blach commended the industry for riding through the pandemic and regaining much of the zest that was taken by COVID-19. “We had to retool in order to move more product to retail,” Blach said.“There was huge volatility, but the industry did a tremendous job in navigating it.” From February through May, there was a 1-million-head drop in feedyard placements. With much of the packer industry idled by sick workers in the spring, the need for more slaughter capacity was magnified. By running weekend shifts, packers have been able to harvest more than 500,000 per week, but more capacity is needed. quick-service chicken up 7 percent, pizza up 10 percent and hamburgers up 4 percent. “The one struggling in this group is steak, which is down 21 percent. A lot of that [fine dining for steak] is ‘experience dining.’ Most of that is being held at home.” Restaurants had to adapt to carry-out orders, which increased substantially.“Restaurants did a great job of adapt- ing to technology to make it more convenient for consumers,” Koehne said.“For example, Texas Roadhouse had never had a delivery option, but within a few weeks it had takeout and delivery programs up and running. Expect to see more takeout in winter months when many can’t dine on patios.” CattleFax Update With the lockdown of restaurants, school lunch and other institutional-type food service, coupled with disruption of the packing industry, cattle producers and feeders had the prod- uct for the increased demand for retail beef sales but didn’t have the middleman to get it there efficiently. In his annual NEW TSCRA OFFICERS Hughes Abell of Austin was elected TSCRA president during the virtual convention. He replaces Bobby McKnight. Arthur Uhl of San Antonio was elected first vice president, and Carl Ray Polk Jr., of Lufkin, second vice president. “It is a tremendous honor to represent you,” Abell said. “This organization has meant so much to me, especially as a newcomer all those years ago. I got a warm welcome and made some new friends right away. Joining TSCRA was the best way to get to know some of the nicest people and the best cattlemen and cattle- women in the country. It’s humbling to be able to give back in this way.” In his remarks to the convention audience, McKnight noted the successes seen in the U.S. beef industry and TSCRA, despite the disruptions caused by COVID-19. “Work never stops for the rancher. No matter what is happening, cattle still need care 24/7,” he said. He said hard-fought trade agreements with Japan, China’s Phase 1 and the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) agreement are opening new world markets for Texas beef and producers across the nation. “We’re working to bring about better price discovery,” McKnight said. “We hope our work has set the stage for the industry to recover from this crisis. Issues like private property rights, water, fake meats and others are all important. The TSCRA staff in Fort Worth and Austin do a great job of representing us on these important matters. “We are an association made up and led by cow-calf producers for cow-calf producers. TSCRA members will continue to volunteer to make sure we are equipped to serve you well. “Our members don’t say yes, they say ‘hell yes,’ in their willingness to come help. This is what makes our association. Our many committees step up. We get their best.” Election Projections Evan Smith, CEO and co-founder of The Texas Tribune newspaper, and host of the PBS television show Overheard with Evan Smith, said the outcome of the presidential election is anybody’s guess. “There are 8,000 news cycles to come between now [Sept. 15] and election day,” he said, and anything can happen. He quipped that, with so many more young people showing strong interest in the election, “how did we end up with two old white guys?” Although mid-September polls showed Texas as virtually even for President Donald Trump and Sen. Joe Biden, Smith said Democratic leaders “would be happy if he [Biden] lost Texas by only five points.” That would likely mean Democrats would pick up more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Texas Legislature. “Texas is not likely to flip, but some congressional seats will likely flip,” he said.  New TSCRA President Hughes Abell. Photo courtesy TSCRA When COVID hit, “We had to retool in order to move more product to retail.” – CattleFax CEO Randy Blach