Page 34 - MWC 4-23-20s

FROM THE The Midwest Cattleman · April 23, 2020 · P34
continued from page 28 ipate because of the relatively sumers ask
the other segments. small supply from this project. for more sus-
This project also provided a A sufficiently large scale is tainable prod-
rare opportunity for increased required to provide adequate ucts, there is
communication across the beef products in order to max- an opportu-
supply chain. Producers imize carcass utilization. nity for every
shared calf vaccination and Another challenge is that producer. We
management information the perceived value proposi- know that we
and the assurance that land tion and actual profits are dif- are doing well
resources were sustainably ferent for each segment, mak- as an industry,
managed in return for data ing it difficult to optimize the but the oppor-
about how their cattle per- system. Optimization of the tunity lies in
formed in the feedlot and on system can occur if one com- verifying it
the rail. In addition, retailers pany owns the supply chain, and, in turn,
shared what their sharehold- like in the poultry indus- building trust. Many technol- was an invaluable experience
ers desire and what would try. However, the segmented ogies now allow animals to be as the beef industry imagines
benefit them. nature of the beef industry tracked and traced, and more what it might look like mov-
ing forward. Every piece that
Challenges to the Project prevents this. Each compa- are coming online every day. was utilized in this project
ny is a separate, proprietary Through this pilot, we had the
One challenge was that the may not move on, but there
scale of this pilot was small, business that has to balance opportunity to work with one are certainly pieces that will
transparency and competi- such technology, IBM Food
which created some ineffi- tiveness. We believe that a Trust, and inform them about gain adoption in the industry.
ciencies, especially in respect val- the beef supply chain. Inevi- We are fortunate to have par-
to carcass utilization. Includ- sustainability-focused, ticipated in and helped shape
ue-added program is possible tably, there will be a learning
ing additional retail partners if a value proposition exists curve as these technologies the industry as it moves for-
that utilize beef cuts other for all segments. Additional are deployed, but we believe ward. It takes every one of us
than ground beef would have data sharing will be required they will provide great value stepping up and contributing
helped provide a more fea- to achieve this, likely through to the industry by allowing to make the beef industry
sible model, but this would business-to-business relation- producers to reach out and in- what we want it to be.
have increased the complexi- ships across the supply chain. form the consumers they feed.
ty of coordination. Additional Noble Research Institute
retail partners were excited Traceability Opportunities Final Thoughts
to purchase sustainably pro- Ahead Overall, the Integrity Beef
duced beef but did not partic- As shareholders and con- Sustainability Pilot Project