USMEF Hosts Taiwanese Media Team for US Beef Industry Tour
USMEF Hosts Taiwanese Media Team for US Beef Industry Tour
While exports of U.S. beef to Taiwan are performing extremely well, the industry is still working to counter any lingering negative publicity surrounding the recent return of bone-in U.S. beef cuts to Taiwan. With this goal in mind, USMEF recently hosted a team of five senior journalists from Taiwan for a week-long educational tour of U.S. beef production, processing and merchandising methods. The tour, supported by the Beef Checkoff Program and Market Access Program (MAP), showcased the quality, safety and versatility of U.S. beef.
The media team from Taiwan meets with USMEF staff in Denver
The first stop was New York City, where team members were introduced to the dry-aging methods used at high-end restaurants.
“U.S. beef is well-known for its high quality and succulent flavor,” said Chris Leahy, executive chef at BLT Prime, located in Manhattan’s Gramercy Park neighborhood. “We welcome the opportunity to showcase it to the world, because its flavor and tenderness speak for itself.”
The group made several stops in Manhattan’s famous Meatpacking District, visiting some of the area’s finest butcher shops, restaurants and delis. They also toured major retailers and the Union Square Farmers Market.
The team stopped next in Denver at USMEF headquarters for a presentation on USMEF’s history and current programs by USMEF Assistant Vice President John Hinners and an overview of global beef production, consumption and export trends by USMEF Economist Erin Daley.
The tour then focused on beef production as the group traveled to the Agricultural Research, Development and Educational Center (ARDEC) at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo. Team members also got a firsthand look at purebred seedstock production at the Aristocrat Angus Ranch near Platteville, Colo.
Follow-up coverage in Commercial Times, a financial newspaper in Taiwan
“The ranch visit gave us a greater appreciation of the versatility and palatability of U.S. beef,” said Sam Yao, the senior reporter for Commercial Times, a major financial newspaper published in Taiwan. “We saw how U.S. farmers try to practice the highest-quality breeding, with a proper amount of feed and care.”
The media team tour is proving to be a success, based on the extensive and positive follow-up coverage from the participating media outlets.
U.S. beef exports to Taiwan have set new value records in each of the past five years, and this pattern is likely to continue. Through the first quarter of 2010, exports to Taiwan totaled 8,488 metric tons (18.7 million pounds) valued at $45 million. This is an increase of 85 percent in volume and 95 percent in value over January-March 2009.
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The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org) is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry. It is funded by USDA; the beef, pork, lamb, corn and soybean checkoff programs, as well as its members representing nine industry sectors: beef/veal producing & feeding, pork producing & feeding, lamb producing & feeding, packing & processing, purveying & trading, oilseeds producing, feedgrains producing, farm organizations and supply & service organizations.
For more information, contact Jim Herlihy at jherlihy@usmef.org.
USMEF complies with all equal opportunity, non-discrimination and affirmative action measures applicable to it by contract, government rule or regulation or as otherwise provided by law.
USMEF Hosts Taiwanese Media Team for US Beef Industry Tour
While exports of U.S. beef to Taiwan are performing extremely well, the industry is still working to counter any lingering negative publicity surrounding the recent return of bone-in U.S. beef cuts to Taiwan. With this goal in mind, USMEF recently hosted a team of five senior journalists from Taiwan for a week-long educational tour of U.S. beef production, processing and merchandising methods. The tour, supported by the Beef Checkoff Program and Market Access Program (MAP), showcased the quality, safety and versatility of U.S. beef.
The media team from Taiwan meets with USMEF staff in Denver
The first stop was New York City, where team members were introduced to the dry-aging methods used at high-end restaurants.
“U.S. beef is well-known for its high quality and succulent flavor,” said Chris Leahy, executive chef at BLT Prime, located in Manhattan’s Gramercy Park neighborhood. “We welcome the opportunity to showcase it to the world, because its flavor and tenderness speak for itself.”
The group made several stops in Manhattan’s famous Meatpacking District, visiting some of the area’s finest butcher shops, restaurants and delis. They also toured major retailers and the Union Square Farmers Market.
The team stopped next in Denver at USMEF headquarters for a presentation on USMEF’s history and current programs by USMEF Assistant Vice President John Hinners and an overview of global beef production, consumption and export trends by USMEF Economist Erin Daley.
The tour then focused on beef production as the group traveled to the Agricultural Research, Development and Educational Center (ARDEC) at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo. Team members also got a firsthand look at purebred seedstock production at the Aristocrat Angus Ranch near Platteville, Colo.
Follow-up coverage in Commercial Times, a financial newspaper in Taiwan
“The ranch visit gave us a greater appreciation of the versatility and palatability of U.S. beef,” said Sam Yao, the senior reporter for Commercial Times, a major financial newspaper published in Taiwan. “We saw how U.S. farmers try to practice the highest-quality breeding, with a proper amount of feed and care.”
The media team tour is proving to be a success, based on the extensive and positive follow-up coverage from the participating media outlets.
U.S. beef exports to Taiwan have set new value records in each of the past five years, and this pattern is likely to continue. Through the first quarter of 2010, exports to Taiwan totaled 8,488 metric tons (18.7 million pounds) valued at $45 million. This is an increase of 85 percent in volume and 95 percent in value over January-March 2009.
# # #
The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org) is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry. It is funded by USDA; the beef, pork, lamb, corn and soybean checkoff programs, as well as its members representing nine industry sectors: beef/veal producing & feeding, pork producing & feeding, lamb producing & feeding, packing & processing, purveying & trading, oilseeds producing, feedgrains producing, farm organizations and supply & service organizations.
For more information, contact Jim Herlihy at jherlihy@usmef.org.
USMEF complies with all equal opportunity, non-discrimination and affirmative action measures applicable to it by contract, government rule or regulation or as otherwise provided by law.