USMEF Wraps up Successful Board Meeting, Product Showcase

USMEF Chairman Mark Jagels addresses members at the closing business session of the Board of Directors Meeting and Product Showcase in Kansas City

The USMEF Board of Directors Meeting and Product Showcase concluded Friday morning in Kansas City with the organization’s business meeting. Chairman Mark Jagels thanked members for making this a successful and productive event in which USMEF took action on several key issues.

The board adopted changes to the USMEF bylaws that were explained in detail in a

Cattlemen’s Beef Board Chair Kim Brackett reports on her participation in the 2014 USMEF Market Expo

Also at today’s business meeting, Cattlemen’s Beef Board Chair Kim Brackett reported on the 2014 USMEF Market Expo. Brackett, who has cow-calf/stocker operations in California and Idaho, was among a dozen U.S. agricultural leaders who traveled with USMEF to Gulfood, one of the world’s largest trade shows held annually in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. She noted that one of her most vivid impressions of Gulfood and the Middle Eastern market was the intense competition for beef market share in this rapidly growing region.

Brackett noted that the group also traveled to Italy as part of the Market Expo, where they received briefings on the market potential of the EU region and tours of several meat processing plants and livestock operations.

On Thursday evening, USMEF hosted its largest-ever product showcase, with 21 exporters exhibiting beef, pork and lamb products for more than 120 international buyers. USMEF will provide comments, photos and other details from the product showcase in next week’s Export Newsline.